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Book Buddies
The first indie store I learned from, was a mom and pop business in the mountains in Cashiers, NC. Donna and Duncan Tucker had been in the book selling business for many years in different places and had acquired a mature business model. Donna told me about an industry measure called Point of Sale. Every publisher should explain this to their authors; I don’t know of any who do. The contract lays out the author discount for authors buying and selling their own books, and publishers are happy for authors to get out there and sell. But they don’t tell them, that even though the personal sales profits are best when they do this, that none of those sales are recorded anywhere as number of books sold. Only books sold from a Point of Sale, which means a registered shop, are counted. No one cares that you sold a carton of books last weekend. She explained books that show up as Best Sellers rank that because of all the presales to bookstores. If they don’t sell, they are returned, but Point of Sale was established, so no one cares that they are returned. New authors are never taught this, and I dare say, many old ones aren’t aware of it either. She taught me the value of joining SIBA (Southern Indie Bookseller Association) to receive frequent announcements and newsletters.
Chris Wilcox at City Lights Books in Sylva, NC, taught me about the relationship between authors and bookstores. He told me about authors who held signings in his store and while sitting in his store saying the books were available on Amazon, promoted his number one competitor! They will never be invited back. He took time to show me on his own computer how I could develop our friendship. Since Chris takes online sales, I have Buy Now buttons linked to his store from my books that he carries. My website has Indie logos and the Indie Store Finder. Any bookseller visiting my website knows I’m an indie supporter. You’ll never hear me tell anyone to buy my books on Amazon. I’ll be on time for signings and courteous to all the customers in the store.
I’ve learned from all the indies how hard this business is for all of us. The stores that stay in business are the stores who’ve gotten creative with their space and their business model. Dana at Full Circle Books in Oklahoma City involves her community in her model, with contests and fun activities in her store. At Maple Rose Cottage, a little gift shop in Sapphire, NC, the owner has paired my book Amanda & the Lazy Garden Fairy with butterfly wings kids wear, and sells a lot of wings and books! Suzanne at Books Unlimited in Franklin is another seller that has gotten creative in her store and is actively involved in her downtown. I’ve participated in Shop Local, Indie Book Day, and downtown events at her bookstore. I don’t sell a ton of books, but she can depend on me to be there, and I depend on her to order books. I’ve learned a lot about her business and my own.
I’ve also seen the lasting damage done by authors who have abused or betrayed and behaved unprofessionally in their dealings with the indie booksellers. It’s a lasting impression that hurts us all.
Until your publisher creates a class for authors on the business end of publishing accountability, an author’s best source of information on How it all Works, is from your local indie bookseller. Make friends and play nice.