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I recently contacted 5 local bookstores and 3 have agreed to sell some of my books. One of them will take the book on consignment. Has anyone had any problems with this type of agreement...is there any other way? The other two stores are owned by friends so there isn't an issue.

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Sorry for my English. The same problems occur here in Italy. If you are not plugged into a large publishing house you have to fight for your space. My sales experience better was to put myself in the first person, in the street, to publicize my books. The response was immediate. But I must add that you should write because you love writing and do not think the immediate gain. Another way to get known is to make flyers with the transcription of the first two chapters (incipit) of your book. If you write well and you'll see that the beginning is captivating be able to let you know. Good work!

Thank you, Glulio,

I like the idea of having the two chapters in a flyer!

this looks like an old post but here goes if any of you gusy are still out there. The question is, what's in it for the bookseller? You can't just walk in off the street and expect they will take an interst in you. Sales, is building relationships. Find out what thier objections are, and overcome them. Find out how to make your book a benefit for them. Thats how it works.

What's in it for the booksellers?

Very simple. Help create customers for them. Drive your readers into their store, and they will stock your book and love you for it.

If you do nothing for the booksellers, they won't stock your book.

Note: They can't stock all 12 million books that are out there in the world. Most bookstores stock less than 20,000 titles. They stock the books that sell. They stock the books that their customers want.

John Kremer

I'd be interested in knowing how many of you have self-published your own books with Create Space. I find when I was going on my fourth book money was getting tight with paying someone to do the work...which was a blessing, relief, and less stress.

When I realized that my last publisher did my book through Create Space, I ended up paying way over $1,000, with their work to do so, including my supplying my own book cover that I took from a picture on vacation, their editing, and printing. So I decided to try it myself. The first time, I thought I'd have a heart attack after 4 months trying, but finally did it and the book came out very professional (What is and isn't Working for the Alcoholic and Addict).

I have since done two workshop handbooks from my two three-hour classes for people who can't attend them Bring Your Manuscript to Publication and How to Self-Publish Your Own Book with Create Space.

I have now taken two other books that a publisher (Not traditional) did for me and made them into the Create Space's file, including taking the same book covers since I paid for them. I worked all last fall, winter and this spring to complete them. I have sent for one book each to see the proof. Waiting to see them.

Why am I doing this HARD work? The two books I am now changing to CS cost me close to $600-$900 just for the publisher to get them into print for each book and that was in 2009 and 2010, so prices have gone up. They sell for $17.95 and $18.95. They will now sell through me for $10.00 and Amazon for $13.00. People like to give you $20 for a book and get $10.00 back instead of $1.95. I am out to sell books at a reasonable price to just get my message out on alcohol abuse. 

Instead of paying $11.95 and $12.95 to get my own books to sell at book signings, events, and speaking engagements, they will all cost me a little over $5.00. I will make $5.00 in the sale of each book. My Kindle version will change from $9.95 to $4.99. I am now selling all my books on a table at events saying "ALL BOOKS $10.00."

Now that I have done five books this way, I can't get myself to pay a publisher thousands of dollars to do the work. Does anyone feel this way?

The hardest part of doing the books was having my PC breakdown and I bought an IMac. NIGHTMARE for a writer! I had to learn on my own how to add page numbers and other easy things that zip right through with a PC. I bought the IMac because everyone kept saying it will not get viruses. I had two computer crash because of this. 

I look forward to hearing from the ones on how they feel about CS if you have done it yourself. Getting a traditional publisher is still my dream. I have done all memoirs on substance abuse and now working on my first fictional and having fun making up names, characters, events and whatever. I just may try a traditional publisher with this book.

My goal now is to stop dreaming about becoming famous (in my seventies.......did I actually admit that????) and going to just have fun. Whatever happens happens.

Hi, Alberta,

  I have been using CreateSpace for a number of years and find them to be professional and far less costly than regular publishing.  I can sell my CreateSpace books easily and cheaply.

   Good luck and don't worry, Alice D

Make sure YOU keep records of what titles you leave and how many. Get a signed paper with an agreeable price. Forget being friends; this is a business. I got lazy and didn't keep who got what and to this day, I have some people with my books. 

I found a good way of doing this. Give everyone 5 books or whatever you agree on. Don't get paid until ALL 5 are gone. When you go back to visit if there are 2 books left you all know they sold 3. Once you get into pay me now for the 3 and leave more, everyone seems to forget what sold and what you got paid for. When you get a check for the 5 sold, have them sign the paper you have the books listed on.

You can contact sites like magzter.com and bookmymagazine.com to sell your books online. Selling books and magazines online is a all new rage and you can surely get a good exposure from those sites.

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