Any Independent Bookstores out there willing to help.

To the best of my knowledge all Indy bookstores work very much the same way large bookstores do with the exception that they will take books on consignment (at least some will anyway.) Sadly this means I'll have to CALL any Independent Bookstore to chat with them about the "possibility" of them taking a few books to put on their shelves for my readers to find. And yes, my readers will have to FIND my books if they are placed as all the coveted shelf space goes to the large publishers even in Independent bookstores because bookstores have to put out soooooo much money just to get these books to begin with. Meaning they have to actually buy so many just to stock them. Of course this isn't a real problem because bookstores can then send unsold books back for a full refund, eventually. But it is a lot of money for them up front just to carry books by large publishers. Not to mention fees and all of that and I think they have to actually qualify.



So in the meantime us small publishers who've put as much money, time and energy (some who've even earned legitimate awards) have to peddle our goods in a way that keeps us from making any real sales. At least we do unless we make our books returnable.



Only there's a very real problem with making ones books returnable if you're with a small publisher. The only distributors small press can afford, like Ingram's Lightning Source, they don't allow for small publishers to ever see their returned books again. Therefore small publishers lose product if the book is returned (or destroyed which is what Lightning Source SAYS they do with ALL returned books.) Large publisher's returned books are resold to second hand booksellers like Books-A-Million so that large publishers actually make money off books that didn't sell when they first flood their large bookstores with their latest books to drive those books to the top of the "New York Times" best-sellers list. Yes. A win-win situation for them. Sorry crooks.



Lightning Source doesn't even give you the option to see your returned book again. They make claims that the books have been through so many hands that it isn't something you'll want back. So they conveniently destroy them (or so they say. They wouldn't tell me, when I asked, where I could go to see where the destruction occurs.) They offer to reprint you a "new" book for "half" the price. Oh wow! Now their customers only eat "half" the recovery cost. I've seen returned from the bookstore books. I've not seen one that wasn't in impeccable condition. They have to be because they're a commodity. Books-A-Million will scarf them right up and so will other second hand resellers.



Bottom line is, Lightning Source isn't the only distributor that operates like this. My second publisher went through Book Masters. When I ordered new author copies from them I was sent books that I'd hand delivered to a Barnes & Noble in Louisiana. Books I had signed and books that had an autographed by author sticker on the FRONT COVER!!! They had been sent back and were being resold as NEW through Book Masters who claim ALL returned books go to "returned books" inventory for the publisher to deal with. They claimed what happened to me was an accident and next time they'd be more CAREFUL!! There was a sticker on the front of six of the books I ordered. These books shouldn't have been with new books. EVER!



Due to this sort of activity I've made my books non-returnable. It makes my job tougher as far as getting my books into brick and mortar stores and onto the shelves but at least my books aren't stolen and at least my publisher doesn't lose more money than they stand to make.



How can Independent Bookstores help? Give us small published authors the time of day. Many of us are going to start making our books non-returnable just to survive. Give us the same chance you give any publishers who play a game they can't possibly win.

Okay Lets Go Over it Again!

This is for aspiring writers who listen and read blogs posted by "published" authors who don't really know how the publishing industry works or ever worked but like to blog about it as though they do.

First off, it takes quite a bit of research to get the "truth" of the matter or if you're lucky you'll run across a link like this one here that explains it all quite nicely. ;)

Bottom line, Simon and Shuester started the return policy/"don't worry about sending the book back just rip off the book cover and send it to save on postage" during the depression to keep the then small bookstores/now chain bookstores from going under. The publishing industry has warped and mutated since then until no one knows what's going on anymore.

Sufficed to say EVERYONE involved in publishing makes money off an author's work but the author. And no small publisher can operate with chain bookstores as ALL chain bookstores operate by "large" publisher's rules thinking it's perfectly legal to send unsold, over ordered books back with the covers ripped off etc . . . and not pay for 3000 years after a book sales because that's the way "large" publisher have done it for years.

I'm still baffled that some really big name Small Press authors don't get this. They act like they don't know anything about publishing. It's right there for anybody to see. I certainly see it. There are more than 4000 copies of Never Ceese out there that I've not received one cent of royalty for and never will. Gotta love that!!! NOT!!!

E-books may give us authors and small press publishers to turn this all around but we've got to be smart about it. We have to learn from the past but dear Lord you have to know what the past is before you can learn from it. EGADS!

Why are e-books returnable?

Music and software isn't returnable unless there's a download problem so why do the few e-book distributors out there offer e-books as being returnable for other reasons beyond that? The return policy for print books was put in place originally by Simon & Shuester during the depression to keep small bookstores of the day (now your large bookstores) from going under. All of the other publishers joined in so they wouldn't lose sells but nothing changed after the depression as it's hard to take something back once given.

Offering e-books as returnable for up to 7-days after purchase is ridiculous. Especially when you consider how little an e-book costs to begin with. Unless of course the e-book is provided by a larger publishing house who is still trying to operate under the mentality that folks will pay the same amount for an e-book as a print book even though it costs FAAAAAARRRR less to produce it. *I would like to laugh at this mentality but fears readers will let large publishers get away with this.*

Furthermore, why do authors not question this? It isn't like you have to put up with it. If a site doesn't let YOU the publisher decide whether you want to make the book returnable than something is very wrong. Why not just sell the e-book yourself? I actually know the reason for that. It seems there's no way for an individual to encrypt their e-books so they can't be stolen by law-abiding citizens who seem to not be able to obey the law.

So I guess we're at their mercy until an encrypting program comes along that an individual publisher can afford and utilize. Anybody know of one?

Nice eye-opener for Small Publishers.

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.