6 Must-Dos for Getting Your Self-Published Titles into Bookstores
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Despite the rise in e-commerce and online shopping, few new-author thrills match the feeling of seeing your physical book on a bookstore’s shelves for the first time. After a lifetime as a reader, seeing your book standing alongside the literary greats — even in just one store — is a flashbulb moment for many.
However, getting to that point can be a challenge. Unlike with online booksellers, real-life shelf space is finite, and the process of approaching a bookstore’s buying manager can be equal parts opaque and intimidating.
Never fear: we’re here to help! With a professionally produced book, strategic approach, and an understanding about the workings of the industry, earning in-store shelf space is within reach.
Here are the 6 key must-dos to give your book the best chance of in-store success:
1. Produce a Professional Product
Before you even think about approaching a bookstore, your book must look and feel professionally produced. This is non-negotiable. The book itself must have a professional-looking cover and a polished interior. Beyond the aesthetics, the most important factor is whether the store feels there will be some level of interest in your book from their customers. Our authors and bookstores across the country know FriesenPress as a services provider specializing in creating quality books. As a self-published author, a partnership that provides such a reputation will put you in a better position to sell.
Look at other books in your genre — especially best sellers — and make note of common trends and features. You want to make sure your book captures the eye of your readers and keeps their attention once they open it up and start reading. This is where investment in professional design and editing will make a difference.
2. Understand the Routes to Retail
When it comes to getting your self-published book into stores, there are two primary approaches: navigating through chain bookstores’ central purchasing offices and individual bookstores’ consignment agreements. Here’s the difference:
Central Purchasing Office
This is the route most often used by chain bookstores (like Indigo, Barnes & Noble, and Coles), where a central purchasing office decides which books are stocked across multiple locations. Each store’s inventory decisions are based on what best suits their readers, as customers vary between cities and provinces. Your book might be a better fit in a store in one location than in another, so it’s a good idea to research a specific store’s demographic profile to determine if your book is a good match.
To succeed, you’ll want to meet the same standard as traditional publishers. This means your book should be made available for direct purchase by the bookstore chain with specific distribution and pricing settings.
When reaching out to these larger retailers, you want to offer them an attractive discount that will make the decision to stock your book easier. A 55% discount is industry standard — offering the retailer enough margin to take a chance on your book.
When ordering from Ingram, most retailers will also require having a returnable status a must-have when making decisions about in-store inventory. Chain stores will insist on having the right to return all unsold products at any time, as they are naturally cautious about stocking a new title unless they believe it will sell or have recourse if it doesn’t.
Consignment Agreement
The second, more common route is selling through a consignment agreement. This involves a direct arrangement with an individual store, where you leave a certain number of books for a predetermined period. The author, as the vendor, is responsible for delivering the products to the store at their own cost. The store will then manage payment for sold books directly with the author, at an agreed upon schedule. At the end of the contract, the unsold books are collected.
Independent bookstores tend to take a more community-focused approach to stocking books, and do so on consignment, so they are generally not as concerned with unsold products as chain stores are. They often champion local authors and are open to carrying titles that reflect regional interests and perspectives, even if you don’t have national name recognition. While they still expect professional production quality and fair pricing, they’re usually more approachable and willing to discuss a range of possible terms.
Independent bookstores’ policies vary more from store to store. Because decisions are made locally, these shops often have more flexibility in their consignment terms — typically offering discounts of 40–50% with simpler return policies. They may also be more open to collaboration, especially when authors are willing to support both their book and the store through readings, signings, or social media promotion.
Chain bookstores, on the other hand, tend to follow standardized procedures. Terms are often fixed, with discounts around 45–55%, and store managers might need corporate approval before agreeing to carry a book. Payments and returns are processed through centralized systems, which offer efficiency and access to higher-traffic locations but leaves little room for negotiation.
3. Research and Prepare Before You Approach
Preparation is essential and your approach should be as professional as your book. Booksellers are protective of their shelf space, so your presentation needs to communicate quality and credibility at first impression.
Research where your book truly belongs. Different stores cater to different audiences (especially for independent bookstores), and understanding this will strengthen your pitch. Consider your genre, themes, and regional ties. If after analyzing your target audience, you determine they are more likely to buy online instead, consider actions aligned with that goal. All decisions for expanded distribution (getting a book into a physical bookstore) or creating demand (book publicity) are dependent on what serves your target audience best.
For chain bookstores, this research helps you determine whether your book might meet their broader market expectations. Chains are more likely to consider titles with clear commercial appeal, strong sales data, or demonstrated demand. Their purchasing process is formal and policy-driven, so meeting requirements like standard trade discounts and returnability are critical.
For independent bookstores, research is equally important, but your approach will be more personal. Visit the store, explore their shelves, and note which sections your book would fit into. Independent stores value community engagement and relationships, so showing that you’ve taken the time to understand their space and their readers makes a strong impression. When you can explain why your book would resonate with their customers, and how you’ll help promote it, you set yourself apart as a professional partner, not just a hopeful seller.
In both cases, the recommendation would be to contact the store first to find the name of their book buyer, as this role is typically different from the store manager. Then, find the time and day they're available and plan to go in prepared to introduce yourself. Ensure you have a professional-looking sell sheet with your name, contact information, book information including returnability or consignment options, and specifications like ISBN, page count, and BISACs (which identifies the book’s subject for shelving). Be prepared to leave a copy of the book for them to peruse, so they have everything they need in order to make a decision. Better yet: have a box of books in your car ready to go if they agree to the consignment agreement in that meeting.
4. Have a Marketing Plan
A bookstore is not your marketing department — that’s your job.
When you meet with the book buyer or store manager, you must demonstrate how you will drive sales to their location with a clear marketing plan scoped out. If you have already had successful signings or readings, have your sales and attendance numbers handy or even testimonials from the previous store reps you worked with. If your book has already sold at other stores, again, have your sales figures ready. If you have a social media plan, let the person you’re meeting with know the details.
An ambitious self-published author ought to have an active website/blog and social presence on platforms like Instagram or X (to name a few). Social media is the best, and most accessible, means for most self-published authors to raise awareness and drive sales. If you can generate sufficient interest in your book through your social media efforts, and you are able to demonstrate that interest — perhaps by showing them your book’s Facebook page — your chances of landing a contract are much increased. The idea of an author simply showing up with their book and expecting a “wine and cheese gala” launch is a myth. You need to do the legwork to build your own audience.
Don’t hesitate to ask the book buyer how their social media team prefers local authors to engage with them online. What type of content? How should they be tagged? This shows your keenness to support the store on your platform and professionalism in taking the needed steps to publicize your book’s availability.
5. Be Patient and Polite
The individuals handling book ordering in stores have many other pressing responsibilities. They are busy and are dealing with a multitude of requests. Be patient and polite at all times. Phone ahead and ask if you can make an appointment. After you have emailed, dropped off your information, or met with the person in charge, allow 2–4 weeks for the book buyer to assess your book. If you haven’t heard back after that time (or a time specified by the buyer), you should politely follow up. An approved book does not guarantee that stores will carry inventory; it simply means it is in their system for potential ordering.
Respect their time, and remember: whether large or small, every store owner is balancing limited shelf space with the need to stock what sells.
Note: Bookstores are locked in for the holiday rush from mid-October to the end of January. They will likely not entertain a discussion about carrying new books or doing author events during this window. So, timing your negotiations with them is crucial. During that blackout period, you should instead use the time to devise a thorough plan for contacting stores come February.
6. Treat Your Book Like a Business
Ultimately, the most successful self-published authors are those who understand that writing the book was the easy part. The real work comes in the relentless and savvy promotion of your work. The authors who have achieved widespread success did so through hard work and a dogged commitment to self-promotion.
Now that you’ve passed through the developmental stage as a writer and entered the world of business as an author, you need to treat your book like a product and approach bookselling as an essential partnership in your pursuit of commercial success.
You need to recognize that you are in a competitive environment. Whether the store is filled with new releases from award-winning, world-renowned authors who have built up large, loyal fan bases or other self-published local authors, everyone is working hard for their spot on those shelves. You must remain focused on selling your book so it can stay on that shelf!
By focusing on your marketing efforts and presenting a professional product and plan, you can significantly increase your chances of getting your book into bookstores. But remember: the success of your book is ultimately up to you.
