HOW TO SELL FICTION
ADVICE FROM PUBLISHING For retailers who may be asking themselves:“ What are ways I can grow fiction sales without reading every novel?” Cheryl Kerwin with Tyndale House Publishers offers the following suggestions: Identify your frequent customers who purchase fiction. Start creating a list of fiction buyers you can email to let them know when you have new releases in their favorite genre. Maybe offer them a small discount for pre-ordering. These are your easiest customers to sell to— work it!
Create pre-ordering campaigns for upcoming releases. Offer free gifts for those who pre-order key titles. Baker Book House in Grand Rapids has seen success with this. As a publisher, we’ ve seen our sales increase because of their pre-order campaigns, just offering bookmarks, note pads, simple gifts, etc.
Help grow the next generation of authors by tying them to a bestselling author. Since readers are going to come in for their favorite author, use the opportunity to help grow new authors, because we need to grow readers for that next generation of authors. When a customer is buying a Lynn Austin book, suggest another historical fiction author who is newer. If they are purchasing a Colleen Coble book, suggest another suspenseful novel by a newer author. If you are unsure of books to recommend, resource your sales rep. They have sales sheets with comparative authors and can help you get started.
Pay attention to the popular genres in the general market and create displays accordingly. Take a stroll through a Barnes & Noble or local ABA store to get a pulse of what genres are selling in the general market. One popular genre right now is contemporary romance. Authors like Becca Kinzer, Stephanie Mack( both new) and Courtney Walsh are selling well in this genre. All of their books have fun and bright covers, perfect for a summer display.
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Cross merchandise. Don’ t be afraid to work novels into your gift displays. I used to do this all the time when I worked in the bookstore, and I saw added sales. For example, if you have a lot of gifts with a beach theme, work in some novels set in a beach town. Do you have a display with a particular color scheme? You’ d be surprised how many novels will coordinate nicely with a gift display with a color theme. And you might just be surprised at how many books you sell off a gift display.
Use social media to your advantage. If you already have a responsive audience on Facebook or Instagram, think about the following:
• Create“ unboxing” videos where you unpack novels from bestselling authors. Or let your followers know about a great novel you just read— it doesn’ t matter if it’ s backlist or not. Everyone is looking for a good novel to read and appreciates recommendations.
• Ask your sales rep if they have a video of a favorite author to post on your social pages.
• Start an online book group on Facebook. Read a title for a month and then have a Facebook Live event at the end of the month and discuss the book.
• Visit publishers’ websites. A lot of them have book discussion guides you can download and offer to your followers.
• # BookTok is helping promote titles in a fast-paced world. Get on BookTok so consumers know to find the latest trends at your store.
Fiction continues to sell. By catering to your fiction readers, you’ ll build a loyal customer base that returns again and again. It’ s a win-win: your readers discover their next great story, and your store becomes a destination they can’ t wait to revisit. That’ s a story every bookstore owner wants to be part of— one where they all lived happily ever after. CRA
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Op de Beeck, Nathalie.“ Book Sales Bolstered by‘ Passion Purchases,’ Interest in‘ Analog Living.’” Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2026. https:// www. publishersweekly. com / pw / by-topic / industrynews / bookselling / article / 99800-wi2026-passion-purchasesanalog-living-trend-up. html
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