ALLi is the Alliance of Independent Authors, the professional association for self-publishing writers. They host an EXCELLENT self-publishing advice blog HERE.
Roz Morris has posted an article about how she got her book into brick-and-mortar bookstores. From the article:
Indie author Roz Morris explains how she got her novel stocked by bricks-and-mortar bookstores – and how self-published books meet independent booksellers’ needs.
Like many indie authors, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get my books into shops. I made print editions because it was unthinkable not to, and I did what I could to get widespread distribution. So I was all ready to be stocked… if bookshops knew to look for me. Always the hardest part.
Frankly, I had no idea what I would do about this. Then a friend invited me to read my work at an event in a pub. It went well (thankfully) and I got talking to someone from a bookshop. They said they happily stocked indie authors’ books and offered to stock mine. I had no idea it could be that easy. Emboldened, I decided I’d approach the two independent bookshops in my part of London.
What I said
I didn’t ask ‘do you stock self-published authors’. Although I wanted to be up front, I thought that might come across as defensive. Instead I asked ‘Do you stock local authors?’ In both shops, I showed my books and I was in. I realised that booksellers understand why authors self-publish. We simply have to go and say hello.
You can read the rest of the post HERE.
You can visit the Alliance of Independent Authors HERE.