I don’t know about you, but when I was finally ready to get my book out there, I thought I had to create a big fancy business plan and was super intimidated. I had no idea what I was doing and it all sounded so daunting it was almost paralyzing! I’m here to tell you that in order to get your books onto the shelves, you don’t NEED an elaborate marketing plan, in fact at this moment, that may just distract you from actually doing the work of getting your book into the stores. (Of course, if that’s what helps you, do what works!) What I’m saying is it’s possible and can help you fight the overwhelm if you keep it really simple and stick to the basics so that you can get a little momentum. (It’s how I was able to make my way into over 20 local stores!) Part of creating any future plan will be based on things you learn as you go, and you can’t learn as you go if you’re stuck in a planning stage.
So today I’m giving you the green light to go for it!! Along with these simple steps to help you get your book you’ve worked so hard to complete onto the shelves and into those loving homes and cute little hands : )
Oh and if you haven’t gotten to this stage yet and are looking for more info about the self-publishing process, check out my Guide to Self-Publishing a Children’s Book here.
1. Print a few sample copies.
Before making a bulk book order, it’s really helpful to get a small number of copies first, especially if you’re on a budget. This will give you a chance to go store to store and see how many stores are interested and how many they want to carry. You can print them through any Print on Demand (POD) website.
Note: I sometimes had to leave my book at a store for them to show a co-owner, etc. So be sure to have more than one so that if this happens you can continue going to other shops.
2. Figure out your wholesale price.
Once you’ve ordered your sample copies and are waiting for them to arrive, you can move onto the bane of every creative person’s existence - PRICING! If you’re not a numbers person, I know this is not easy or fun, but you can do it. Just grab a cup of coffee (or a cocktail!) and carve out a chunk of time to sit down and focus.
I just used a common wholesale formula:
Cost of goods + labor + expenses + profit = Wholesale price
Wholesale price x 2 = Suggested retail price
I spent so long deciding on my prices and in the end, I just had to pick one and know that I could always change it later. Just be sure not to sell yourself short!!
Note: I did not include a book price when creating the barcode for the back of the book. If you included it during that process, you may have already gone through this part…and if that’s the case, YAY, you can move on!
These are the press releases I used for both book launches.
3. Create an info sheet.
This is also known as a press release. It’s a great tool for people to see what your book is all about at a glance.
These are the things I suggest including:
Book cover photo
Short heading to introduce the book
A brief summary of the book (1-3 sentences)
When/where it’s available
A photo of you
A brief ‘about you’ (1-2 sentences)
Your contact info
The book info (Hardcover/Paperback, ISBN, Page count, Wholesale price, and Suggested Retail Price)
(Optional) Testimonials (I had people read my book and give me feedback before finishing it so I was able to get testimonials as well)
Note: I suggest another version without the book specs and wholesale info on it to send out to local papers/radio stations/magazines/bloggers/podcasters/etc.
Dudley’s is one of the places in Bend I knew I wanted to pitch to! I even had my book launch event here : )
4. Make a list of stores you’d like to sell your book at.
I like to batch this type of work in order to create more structure for a task that can feel like a black hole! Perhaps even give yourself a number of stores to start with so that you can have some measurable goals to reach.
Example: If you decide to choose 5 stores, list the name of the store, the phone number, and email address. This will help you keep your information organized and save you so much time when you go to contact the stores.
Note: Say you love two cool boutiques, but they’re located right next to each other, just choose one! Many small boutiques don’t want to carry the same things as their competition. Then if the one that you chose first decides not to carry your book, you can then try the next one : )
This was from when I brought my first order of books to Hello Sunshine!
5. Go to the stores with your book and info sheet.
I tried a mix of calling stores first and just walking right in. I found that the most effective was usually just walking right in, but sometimes you have to come back another time if the manager isn’t there. If you don’t have time to be driving back and forth, calling in is also a good option, and that way you can also ask for the manager’s name and when a good time to come in and meet with them would be. Emailing would be a last resort, only because it’s so much more time-consuming on your end and so much less personal, it’s more likely you won’t hear back.
Tip: Anytime, you’re walking right in, try not to go during the busiest times. I found that usually Tues or Wed between 11-2 was a pretty good time and often found a manager too!
This part can be nerve-wracking, but I realized that if you have the actual book and an info sheet, I really didn’t have to say a whole lot (or sound super ‘sale-sy’.) At this point, your work should speak for itself and thank goodness children’s books are very visual so in my experience, managers decided on the spot if they wanted to carry it or not!
If you’re still nervous and not sure what to say, this is pretty much how I kicked off the convo-
For a walk-in: Hi, I’m just popping in to see if you’d like to carry a children’s book I created?
For a call first: Hi, I’m just calling because I wrote and illustrated a children’s book about Bend and curious if you’d be interested in carrying it at your shop? Who would be the best person to talk to about that?
See, pretty simple? I felt most comfortable keeping it fairly casual and not necessarily trying to talk it up the whole time. The goal was mainly to show them the book and leave them with a press release and let them decide if it was a good fit : )
This is an order form I made that I used in the beginning, but ended up just using a notepad later on.
6. Take Orders
Make an order form or bring a notepad and pen and simply write down the store name and the book quantity! Some people do a minimum order and I can see that being helpful, but I do feel it’s a nice gesture to allow stores to choose whatever quantity they’re comfortable with for their first order to make sure they know that your book will sell.
Note: For payment, most stores do a NET 30, meaning they will send a check within the next 30 days of you dropping off the books.
This photo is from my very first order of books for my very first book!!
7. Order books
Place your first big book order! Also, don’t forget to add however many books you’d like to try and sell on your own whether that be on your online shop, school visits, and markets/fairs.
8. (Optional) Set up an account with a platform to keep track of invoices.
I say it’s optional right now because in the very beginning it really is not necessary as long as you just make some sort of printed receipt BUT this will actually be really important once you get multiple stores and start getting re-orders! Things can get really confusing if you go too long without it (take it from me, I definitely would have started it earlier if I did it all over again.)
I use Square for my invoicing and it is such a game-changer! What was huge for me is the auto-reminders that you can set up. There is always a store or two that has a lot going on that month and doesn’t get around to paying, so setting an auto-reminder makes your life so much easier to keep track!
I hope these steps help get you closer to your goals and that you feel empowered to go out there and get it. I can’t wait for you to experience that moment when you see your book on the shelves for the first time, there’s nothing like it and you’re almost there!!
Keep on Creating!
Kristen