The Indie Author Revolution by Dara M. Beevas

Author:Dara M. Beevas
Language: ara
Format: epub
Tags: Independent publishing, self publishing, entrepreneurs, authors, novels, fiction, non-fiction
Publisher: Beaver's Pond Press
Published: 2012-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

Navigating the World of Returns

When bookstores order books, they can return unsold books for credit against future orders for up to a year. Returned books are shipped out again when another bookstore orders them. The downer about returns for indie authors is that it is downright frustrating to find that, after believing you’ve sold a certain number of books, a box or two might come back. You’ll also typically have to wait thirty or even sixty days from the time of an order before receiving funds from bookstores to ensure they’ve sold your stock.

If they haven’t sent you funds, then they haven’t sold their copies—that’s where the returns come in. This practice keeps bookstores from taking losses on books and is a huge reason for you to promote your book to the fullest. If you don’t direct traffic to bookstores and create demand, they’ll send inventory back to where it came from. The good news is that smaller and independent publishers (this includes you) have fewer returns compared to larger publishers7, because independently published books are less likely to oversaturate the bookstore market. Returns usually happen when too many copies are pushed through the bookstore market and the demand isn’t there. If you focus most of your efforts on nontrade sales (such as direct sales, special sales to businesses and organizations, and sales at speaking engagements), you’ll be spared the stress of returns. Returns are an expensive nuisance and a necessary evil, so while you can’t completely eliminate them, here are some tips on how they can be avoided:

Print a reasonable number of books: The authors I work with often begin with one thousand copies and reprint after selling their initial inventory. Ordering a small number allows you to test the market without getting in over your head.

Set the right price for your book: Overpricing is the number-one complaint from bookstores about self-published books. If your book is priced too high, readers will simply not buy it, especially if there is a comparable book available for less.

Promote, promote, promote: If bookstores know that you’re out there marketing and sending customers to their stores, they’ll be more supportive and are less likely to send your books back. Also, if you have a book signing at a store, let your network know you’ll be there. Bookstores love authors who bring in buyers.

Monitor your inventory and sales before reprinting: Be careful about reprinting unless you have marketing strategies in place, secured future orders, and have been paid for the inventory carried in stores.

Partner with independent bookstores: Some indie bookstores will take books on consignment directly from authors. They’ll usually want a sixty-forty split: 60 percent to you, 40 percent to them, which is standard in the book trade. Independent bookstores typically take between two and five copies until they see demand, but they are traditionally more supportive of indie authors, especially those who are local.

In addition to these tips, I agree with the method that Steve Carlson of Upper Access, Inc., Book Publishers uses in his approach to returns:

I haven’t given up on trade sales.

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