columns
www.TopShelfIndie.com
SEPTEMBER2016
An author can spend countless hours and
thousands of dollars giving their books away
on sites like BookBub hoping that it will boost
their rank enough for readers to find them on
Amazon, and still, that may never be sufficient
to create the attention needed to sell books.
All the while many indie authors are
neglecting a massive, expanding market.
Indie bookstores are back with a passion, says
The New York Times. CBS News reports, Indie
bookstores see growth for the seventh
straight year. According to the American
Booksellers Association, independent
bookstores in the United States are thriving,
up over 27% since 2009. The ABA’s chief
executive, Oren Teicher told The New York
Times, American indie bookshops have filled
the vacuum left by big box bookstores like
Borders (which went out of business in 2011)
and Barnes & Noble (which has closed
hundreds of stores). They have also
capitalized on a spirit of localism and urban
renewal that is coursing through some
American cities. “The enthusiasm and
optimism is pretty staggering,” Mr. Teicher
said. “Despite all the quantum leaps in
technology, the fact is nothing beats a
physical, bricks-and-mortar store to discover
books that you didn’t know about.”
But this is more than just an increase in the
number of bookstores thriving across America.
Perhaps even more shocking is the growing
volume of bookstore sales as compared to a
stagnating ebook market. In 2015, national
sales in independent bookstores were up more
than 10%, said ABA spokesman Dan Cullen.
And this year, the ABA posted an article on
of print books just as much as ebooks.
When an unknown author starts
selling thousands of books through
brick-and-mortar bookstores... that
means something. This sudden
movement of physical books could
cause Amazon (as well as other online
booksellers) to amp up their promotions
of your book, and it could also spawn
the curiosity of traditional publishers,
opening other,
bigger
possibilities. But
this will never
happen so long as
authors continue
that same old
routine of giving
all their time and
money to websites
promising the world,
only to give away their
books.
That’s where TopShelf
Magazine can help. We utilize the influence of
our traditional TopShelf Publ ishing imprint to
help indie authors get the attention they so
desperately need and deserve. TopShelf is the
full package. When authors list books in
TopShelf Magazine, they know that
professionals are standing behind them,
promoting their books across all of the same
website and social media platforms used to
promote TopShelf Publishing titles.
Booksellers are tremendously busy people.
As much as they may desire it, they simply
cannot sift through the hundreds-ofthousands of independent book titles
published in America each year. Therefore,
booksellers rely heavily on bookstore industry
resources, such as TopShelf Magazine to get
the information they need to know which
books to investigate further. At the end of the
day, I believe authors need to start realizing
that alienating over half of their sales market
and losing out on hundreds of potential
mouthpieces, is a HUGE mistake.
magazine
COULD INDIE AUTHORS BE
MAKING A HUGE MISTAKE?
their website stating that retail sales at
bookstores are on the incline still today.
As the president and publisher of a
traditional publishing company and past owner
of several independent hobby/bookstores, it’s
my personal and professional experience that
booksellers across America are eager to discover
and help manifest the next bestselling indie
author. Authors need to understand that each
one of the over 4,000 independent bookstores
TOPShelf
COLUMNS
and public libraries across America could
become a mouthpiece for their book.
All it takes is a well written, carefully
edited, beautifully designed, and strategically
marketed book and it is entirely possible to
win over a few hundred bookstores and their
staff. That's only 5% of the total U.S.
bookseller market. And these booksellers can
often act like personal publicists, promoting
an author’s book across social media as well
as in their bookstores. Only when this
happens will an author truly start to see a
return on their investment.
I hear it all the time, “But, Keith, I just don’t
make enough money selling wholesale.” This
statement drives me out of my mind. It simply
makes no sense whatsoever. These are sales
that would never have materialized without
the wholesale market. Who cares if you only
make $1.75 a book instead of $3.00. These are
brand new sales, which are almost inevitable in
the long run to increase your ebook sales. Not
to mention, this could cause Amazon to take
notice. After all, they pay attention to the sale
View references at TopShelfIndie.com
TOPShelf magazine
SEPTEMBER2016 11