Around October I start to ask motorcycle dealers and gear shops if they’d like to carry my book on consignment for 40 percent of the sales price. (That’s 60 percent for me.) I let them know that I’ll take any unsold books back. Even if they say no I leave them with an autographed book and a card with my phone number and email address. Many call back to order a dozen or more. In more than one case, after realizing I have a large social media following, they have asked me to speak at the store. Retailers sell a lot more than books when people gather in their shop for events.
I know many authors who are very successful selling on consignment to non-bookstore retailers. One with a New Age title, another with an alternative medicine book, a cookbook author, and one with a gardening book make a significant amount of money with these kinds of sales.
It’s also possible to sell at shows, conferences, and events you are not able to attend. For example, I have motorcycle travel author friends in Europe and they’ve sold my books for me at motorcycle shows there. Since I use IngramSpark, I can print the books in the country where the event is being held, paying local postage.
At almost every kind of conference or trade show, someone is in charge of selling books. You might be surprised to know how open they are to carrying yours. (These are the kinds of contacts you’ll find on LinkedIn and Twitter rather than Facebook.)
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