In a move
that amazed the writing/publishing industry, Barnes & Noble has announced
that it will offer self-publishers with Nook e-books the chance to get their
work into the chain’s bookshelves and to hold signings in their stores. But is
this opportunity all that it seems to be?
Traditional
publishers and professional writers understand B&N’s hesitation to consider
such an action in the past. There have been too many self-published books
lacking proper structure and editing uploaded onto Amazon and other platforms.
In addition, the number of titles from reputable publishers overflowed their
shelves, so B&N didn’t need to spend time reviewing self-published books to
find the gems that were essentially needles in a haystack.
Anyone who
has visited one of their stores lately, however, will notice that the reading
inventory is drastically down. In the past, books were always spine out to
allow the maximum to be crowded onto each shelf. Now, many are face out to take
up the empty space. In addition, much of the store is filled with other
merchandise, such as toys, games, puzzles, and music.
Why has the
book inventory dropped? Because most people are buying their reading material—both
e-book and print book—from Amazon and other discount online bookstores. Trying
to win back a share of the market is the motivation for B&N’s new program,
and most writers and readers don’t want to see them go out of business.
There are
some additional qualifications for Nook self-publishers for B&N’s new
program.
1. The
bookshelf plan is available only for
those print-book authors who have published e-book versions for the Nook and
whose sales of a single e-book title have totaled 1000 units in the past year.
2. The
in-store events are for those
print-book authors whose sales of a single e-book title have totaled 500 units
in the past year.
While
this is definitely a step in the right direction, Nook indie authors shouldn’t
get overexcited. While small-press publishers have been able to get their books
into B&N’s catalog by sending them to the Small Press Department for review,
there is no guarantee that any book will be accepted. This is also true with
the new program. Books must be submitted to this same department for review,
and submission does not promise a positive result.
In a
story in Book Business Insight, Thad
McIlroy raised the following questions: How many copies will be ordered? How
long will they stay on the shelves? Where will they be displayed? What about
returns? In his view, these unanswered questions are cause for concern.
He
has a valid point. Most books from major publishers are on the shelves for only
90 days before being returned. This’s why most wholesalers and bookstores pay
after 90 days. This allows them the time to return the books without having
laid out any money. The financial burden is on the publisher. The exceptions to
the 90-day practice are bestsellers and longtime sellers. Major publishers and
many small presses have warehouses in which returns can be stored.
Self-publishers usually don’t.
Self-publishers
have to keep their eyes wide open if they get a deal with any major retailer,
whether bookstore or box store. Consider the following scenario: Let’s say
B&N—or any other retailer, for that matter—orders 1,000 copies for stores
around the country. The author, no doubt thrilled, puts up the money to print
that many copies and gleefully ships them off, no doubt at his or her own
expense.
But
what if only 50 copies sell? What will happen to the other 950? The store will
want to return them. What will the author do then? The money for printing has
been spent and no money has been received from the buyer. The author is faced
with storing those copies in his/her garage. And who pays the return shipping?
How
will the books be sold now? This is equivalent to vanity publishing before
Print on Demand, when the copies ended up in the garage and stayed there, since
most self-publishers had no knowledge of how to market their work. The same is
true today. Authors without this knowledge will end up paying a fortune to have
someone else do it.
When
an opportunity arises that seems really good, do your homework before taking
action. A sale like this can be dangerous for the author’s financial stability.
Research the more traditional ways of independent publishing, such as Print on
Demand. Wait and see how the B&N program works out before jumping in.
As stated, this could very well be a step in the right direction by B&N,
but caveat emptor. What might sound
like a good opportunity for self-publishers may not be the pot of gold at the
end of the rainbow, after all.
