Book Store Consignment

If you want to get your book on the shelves of a book store, there are two ways that that can happen; through IngramSpark and by consignment.

IngramSpark

For a book store to purchase your book for their shelves, you must be on the IngramSpark platform since book stores consider Amazon their competitor. You would need to upload your book to IngramSpark. However, until your book gains traction, a bookstore won’t be purchasing it themselves as the terms don’t make it feasible to carry stock in their physical stores. They will, however, use IngramSpark as a supplier for online orders.

Consignment

Instead, they will want you to purchase the books, deliver them, and work with you on consignment, where they receive a percentage of the revenue for each sale.

Applying to Book Stores

If you want to get into a bookstore, look at their website. Often you can find information if you search on ‘independent author program’. From there, just follow their directions.

INDIGO

In order to start the process with Indigo, email newauthor@indigo.ca for their consignment package.

Indigo has their consignment program well documented. Review their suggestions and you will be well prepared for approaching other stores.

Consignment approval is at the store manager’s discretion, so you will need to work with the individual to form a relationship.

Calculate Profit

Indigo’s consignment documentation gives an example of how to calculate your profit on each book sold through them.

For example, if you price your paperback book at $19.97, you will get $10.98 back from Indigo for every book sold.

ie. 10 units sold x (19.97 – (19.97 x 0.45*)) = 10 x $10.98 = $100.98

*Indigo keeps 45% of the retail price, you are paid the rest

However, because you will need to deliver the physical books to the store and Amazon charges approximately $4.50 for each author copy, I only profit $6.48 per book.

ie. $10.98 - 4.5 = $6.48

Tip: This is very similar to what you would make through Amazon.

MCNALLY ROBINSON

McNally Robinson is a wonderful book store here in Saskatoon. They have a wide selection of books, a great atmosphere partially due to the winding staircase that twists around a huge tree as you make your way to the second floor treehouse. They have a bistro-style restaurant and bakery called Prairie Ink, and are very supportive of local authors.

In order to get my book on their shelves, I emailed their consignment manager. If you would like to get in touch with them, their email address is consignment@saskatoon.mcnallyrobinson.ca.

Note: McNally’s consignment program pays 60% of the retail price.

ie. 10 units sold x (19.97 – (19.97 x 0.40)) = 10 x $11.98 = $119.82

You will be asked to fill out a questionnaire and return it to the consignment department.

This questionnaire can be mailed to or dropped off at the store, or you can send your answers to them through email to consignment@saskatoon.mcnallyrobinson.ca

Questionnaire

These were my answers to their questionnaire.

Name: Cindy Folk

Phone Number: (306) xxx-xxxx

Email: cindy@cindyfolkauthor.com

Title: Northern Escape

Briefly describe your book.

Hiding from a controlling and dangerous partner, Grace Rhodes goes off the grid when she joins an artists’ retreat to escape to a remote area of Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park. There, she stumbles upon two men searching for a missing friend who has left cryptic messages behind in geocache boxes. Will they find him, or is he setting a trap? What will happen if Grace’s ex-boyfriend finds her?

Has your book been professionally edited? If so, please provide their name.

Yes, it has been professionally edited by Shayla Raquel. You can find more information on her at www.shaylaraquel.com.

If it hasn’t been edited, please explain why.

n/a

Who is your target audience? Be as specific as possible.

The target audience for Northern Escape is female fiction readers, aged 25+ who enjoy suspense, the Canadian north, a bit of romance, and themes surrounding domestic abuse, drug abuse, and mental health issues.

How does your book appeal to local readers?

Northern Escape has a distinct appeal to local readers in that it is set in the Canadian north, in cottage country, where we all look forward to going each summer. In addition, there is a mystery within the thriller, providing a suspenseful read that allows the reader to truly escape for a little while.

What genre is your book?

Northern Escape is a thriller.

What section(s) of our store do you think your book should be in?

I would love to see it in the Saskatchewan Authors section at the front of the store. It would also fit nicely in the Literature section.

What are your marketing plans?

Online - I have an active Instagram account and website, www.cindyfolkauthor.com. I also post on Facebook and Twitter. In particular, I would advertise that Northern Escape is now available on bookshelves at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon.

Social Links

https://www.instagram.com/cindyfolkauthor

https://www.facebook.com/cindyfolkauthor

https://www.twitter.com/cr_folk

Print – I created postcard sized advertising through Canva.com and personalized them to direct potential customers to purchase at McNally Robinson. They are distributed to mailboxes and storefronts. 

Consignment Contract

Here is an example of their consignment contract. It is important in that it protects both parties.