I just called a Barnes & Nobles in Georgia to see if they, because sometimes individuals stores do, allow for Small Press authors to come in on conssignment since B&N corporate discourages, frowns on and otherwise makes it impossible for Small Press publishers to come into the stores and was told this (I am paraphrasing as I don't remember word for word):
CRM: Since you're a local author--
Me: I'm not local.
CRM: Small publisher, (actually that was word for word so far) then we would have to call our district office (maybe home office. Basically "B&N are Us") and have you approved and they only approve large publishers.
Me: Actually I already know that but have run into a few B&N's who will still take books on consignment from a Small Publisher. Just calling around to see if I might stumble across one.
CRM: Actually their phasing the in-store CRM's out. A lot of us have been laid off and the ones they've kept are for outside sales, like schools and businesses. They're working toward no more in-store events. Maybe you can find another store that does this.
Me: Based on what you just told me I'm sure I won't waste my time.
So there you have, B&N has regulated Small Publishers, not to the back burner, but out of the running altogether thus showing their true colors. Fine. The big publishers saved your butt once, let them go down with the ship.
Years ago I found my local B&N's very willing to bring in my books on consignment when I arranged group signings. I stopped doing it when they stopped paying for the books they'd sold.
ReplyDeleteONE year ago, or there abouts, I did a signing with another small published friend of mine on consignment at my local B&N and neither of us got paid and still haven't.
ReplyDeleteBut then I did one in New York and got paid that day but that was more than a few years ago.
Now it's clear that B&N is hurting by trying to nix everything they think won't bring them money. My opinion, by cutting out Small Publishers all together, by treating them like second-hand citizens or rather like they don't exist, they're cutting their own throats--with their own knives while the publishers who made them who they are sit back and watch. They're going down fast. IMO
I'd wager to guess that more than 75% of publishers are Small Press and they don't even recognize them. How can they survive?