If you’re an indie author who is publishing a book through IngramSpark and you would like to have a book signing at your local Barnes & Noble, you will need to speak with the manager of the store to make those arrangements. Before doing so, you must make sure a few things are in place.
During your IngramSpark title setup (see https://help.ingramspark.com/hc/en-us/articles/211205623-Title-Upload), under “Pricing,” you’ll see a few options to choose from. The two most important options for being able to arrange a book signing at Barnes & Noble (as well as at other bookstores) are the Wholesale Discount and the Returnable options.
Wholesale Discount—A standard wholesale discount in the publishing market is 55%, so that’s the choice you’ll want to use. IngramSpark uses the following example: If the cover price of your 200-page, 6×9 paperback is $20, a distribution partner with a 55% wholesale discount pays $9 per copy to IngramSpark, of which $3.66 will go to print cost. The remaining $5.34 goes to you, the author. Print cost varies depending on the dimensions of a particular book. Looking at this, you may think a 55% discount is a little steep, but anything less than a 55% discount means many bookstores won’t order copies unless a customer comes in and pays for the book upfront sight unseen, which isn’t something buyers normally do at bookstores.
Returnable Options—When a retailer orders copies of a book, there’s always a chance some copies won’t sell, so they require the option to return unsold books. (Barnes & Noble will not buy copies of books that cannot be returned.)
IngramSpark offers three options for returns:
- Yes – Deliver: Returned books are shipped to your default mailing address listed on your IngramSpark account. You’ll be billed the profit you made on the original sale (printing cost and royalties) plus shipping costs ($2 per book to U.S. addresses, $20 per book to addresses outside the U.S.). This option is only available in the U.S. and Canada.
- Yes – Destroy: Returned books will be reduced topulp. This might seem less appealing after all the hard work you’ve done to see your work in print, but pulping those books saves potentially steep return shipping charges, though you’ll still be billed for the original profits (printing cost and royalties). This option is available in all markets except Global Connect.
- No: The retailer can’t return unsold copies.
If you refuse returns, retailers won’t carry the book, but if you choose to make your books returnable, you will be responsible for the cost of returns. (This is a problem publishers have faced since the earliest days.) Using the earlier example, for those ten unsold books, you’ll be expected to refund your earnings for every copy returned plus the cost of printing and shipping charges.
You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons and make the decision that’s right for you. Also keep in mind that just because you’ve set a standard wholesale price and made your books returnable doesn’t mean stores will automatically host a book signing.
You can read more about IngramSpark’s wholesale and returns information on their website, or by calling them at 1-855-997-7275.
If you are interested in having your book signing somewhere other than Barnes & Noble, contact the store manager directly and ask what conditions will need to be met to make that happen. In some cases, you might be able to arrange to provide copies yourself. Either way, offering a discount and a returnable option will make your book more appealing to retailers.
By the way, in our experience, Barnes & Noble, as well as other bookstores, will not carry books that have been published through KDP.
Recent Comments