Promoting Your Books Home Page Book Marketing Radio Publicity Other Media Publicity Online Marketing Bookstore Marketing Rights Sales and Branding Editorial & Design Unusual Tips Writers' Tips My Friends: Entries Other Notes Search This Site Book Order Form Contact Us Copyright © 2008 by Open Horizons and John Kremer Last modified: 7/12/08

Promoting Your Books Selling to Bookstores and Other Retail Outlets Retail Book Categories Would you like to know the subject categories that are possible for placing a book on the shelf of a retail bookstore? Then check out http://bisg.org/standards/bisac_subject. They list all sorts of categories, including more than 130 subcategories for Business and Economics. While most bookstores won't use that many categories, the BISAC subject categories should help you narrow where your book fits in a bookstore. To supplement this online research, of course, you also need to visit some real brick-and-motar bookstores. Check where they shelve books like yours. What is the signage above the shelf? What categories do the books on that shelf display on their back covers? Ask the bookseller as well for suggestions on where your book should be shelved. When you have finished your research, then put the one or two categories where your book should be shelved on the top left corner of your book's back cover. That way you can ensure that your book will find its best fit in most bookstores. Top Independent Bookstores Question: We spoke several months ago about your email lists for indy bookstores and public and university libraries. Can you please send me an update on these lists: number of email addresses, cost? I'm ready to go now. John's Answer: The public library list has NO email addresses or phone numbers, just addresses. The top 700 Bookstore Lists has 80% email addresses and 100% phone numbers. Libraries: 2,250 libraries — cost $40.00 Bookstores: 780 stores — cost $40.00 You can order both lists at the BookMarket web site. Be sure to specify the file format you want to receive the data in: comma-delimited ASCII, tab-delimited ASCII, Excel, Access, or dBase (.dbf). Or plain text.

John Kremer, Book Promotion Expert John is the author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and editor of the Book Marketing Update newsletter. Amazon.com Secrets The Inside Secret of Book Marketing An Interview with John Kremer Selling Novels Q&A: Selling Children's Books My websites: BookMarket.com The Self-Publishing Hall of Fame JohnKremer.com JohnKremer.net JohnKremer.org CelebrateToday.com Hot Times, Cool Places WayBackWords.com My blogs: Promoting Your Books Hot Times, Cool Places Blog Open Horizons P O Box 2887 Taos NM 87571

Book Signings Are Your Best Friends

Guest article by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

So you’ve written a book, had it published and you are now facing the dreaded book signing or book launch. Your palms sweat at the thought of facing droves of people and actually having to talk to them. You are a writer, not a salesperson, right? Wrong! If you do not have the guts and determination to sell your own work, then why should anyone else do it for you?

Book signings are your lifeline -- your best friends.

Before you step out into virgin territory and cross that boundary that is called a book signing, endless questions will bombard your brain. How many books should you expect to sell? What if you don’t sell any books? And what if someone should ask that one little question that makes you quiver and shake in your shoes: “What’s your book about?”

In Canada, according to many managers at Coles, Indigo and Chapters bookstores, an average book signing is approximately $100.00 in retail sales. So if your book retails for $20.00, then selling 5 books would be considered okay. However, many authors in Canada and the US have gone home without even one sale. Many authors will sell $100.00 or less; some will achieve $100 to $300.00 in sales; and very few will see more than $300.00 in consistent sales at a signing. And fewer still will sell over $600.00 in books. So where are the hundreds of book sales that you hear about in the news, and the long lines of people anxiously waiting all night? Unless you are J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Nora Roberts or you are on the New York Times bestseller list, the reality is there probably won’t be a line longer than a family of four, and $100.00 in sales represents an average book signing event. Now that is not to say that you can’t sell more.

What makes a good book signing? YOU DO!

You set the tone by how you lay out your display on the table, how you dress and stand, how you think about signings, how you approach people, and how excited you are about your book. You represent your craft, your talent and your product. So how can you achieve sensational sales?

Follow these simple guidelines and watch your sales soar:

Tables should be covered with clean tablecloths. Books should be displayed in stands and not left in stacks on the table. Signage should clearly state why you are there and who you are. Posters with your book covers, book reviews and excerpts can be displayed if you have the use of a wall or a tabletop easel. Draw people in by giving away a prize. Have them fill out their email address on the entry form so that you can invite them to sign up for your e-newsletter. And NEVER, EVER GIVE AWAY YOUR BOOK. If the prize is your book, do not be surprised when your sales are non-existent. Why should they buy when they can win it?

Present yourself in a friendly, approachable but professional manner by dressing accordingly. It is also important to dress according to the image you present as a genre or expert writer. For example, if you’re writing a book on riding with the Hell’s Angels and the photo on the back of your book is of you in black leather pants, don’t show up in a three-piece suit. However if you’re writing steamy romance novels, don’t expect to show up wearing a dress with a ripped bodice. Professionalism is key. Dressy casual always works. And during Christmas time, glitter attracts attention. If nothing else, people will stop by just to see what all the sparkle is about.

Body language can make or break a sale. If you stand with your arms crossed, no matter how comfortable you are, people will assume you don’t want to be bothered. They will think you are unapproachable and will steer clear. You will get the same reaction if you turn your back. NEVER turn your back to talk to someone behind your table. Many sales have been lost by this thoughtless gesture. Stand with your arms loose by your sides or clasped loosely in front or behind your back. This shows that you are relaxed and easygoing. Monitor the crowd by sitting for short durations. Every crowd is different. Some prefer to check out your table while you sit. But never hide behind your table! Once you or they initiate conversation, stand up, smile and sell them on your personality.

When you are preparing for an event, make sure your attitude is turned UP! Attitude is contagious! If you are excited about your signing, everyone you meet will be excited. If you are dreading it or telling yourself you hate book signings, everyone will see that and your sales will take a nosedive. Love those book signing events! They are your best friends, remember? There are golden opportunities at every event. Media will often contact an author they have seen at a signing. I have personally had four interviews (TV, radio and newspapers) within two months because of a chance encounter at a signing. And there is no better way to become known than by public exposure.

Everyone you meet should be approached with respect. Treat them as if they are the President of your Fan Club. Have a handout (bookmarks are best) ready to give to anyone who passes by, but do not be the pushy credit card salesperson. Look for eye contact. Smile and greet them. Then offer something to draw this potential fan to your table. Business cards, brochures and entry forms for a contest work wonders. Talk to them while they fill out the form and tell them: Who you are, What you are doing, Where you’ll be next, When you’ll be there and Why they should buy your book now.

Know exactly what to say when someone asks: “What is your book about?” Think of a movie trailer for your book. How would the announcer describe it? Be prepared by writing down a script and practicing it before your signing. Be enthusiastic, positive and animated, and your audience will be intrigued. When the opportunity presents itself, hand them a copy of your book to feel and look at. The action of placing that book in their hands will dramatically increase your sales. Invite them to read the first page or chapter. Then let them know that you would be happy to autograph the book for them.

High, consistent sales depend on three things: knowing your target audience, having a positive, enthusiastic attitude and providing a great product. If your book is full of obvious typos and glaring errors (especially on the back cover), you’ve wasted your money and your potential fan’s time. Make sure your books have been edited by three pair of unbiased eyes before you self-publish. Nothing will turn off a sale faster than improper use of punctuation and spelling missteaks. Know your target audience. Know exactly who would buy your book for themselves and who would buy it as a gift. And always monitor your attitude, reminding yourself throughout the day that every person you meet is a potential sale.

Follow the guidelines above and remember that the most important aspect of any event can be summed up by two words: HAVE FUN! Relax and enjoy the fact that you are a published author and that you have a book that is worthy of public adoration. If you have an exceptional product, are positive and lively, know your target audience and follow these steps, then you will be one of the few authors in North America who will consistently sell more than $300.00 per book signing. You must BELIEVE in your book in order to effectively sell it. You must also believe in yourself, in your skills as a writer. You must become a shameless promoter. Why should you feel shame? Your book is worth promoting, right? Enjoy every opportunity you have of turning a book signing into pure gold.

A previous version of this article was published as Book Signings Are Pure Gold for WestWord magazine.



Cheryl Kaye Tardif is the author of Whale Song, Divine Intervention, and The River. She has appeared on television and radio, and has been featured in newspapers and magazines across Canada and the US. Her book signing sales are often well above $600.00.

America's Most Literate Cities

Jack Miller, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has conducted a study of America's Most Literate Cities for 2003 and 2004 (rated according to five criteria: education, publications, newspapers, libraries, and booksellers). The top two cities for both years have been Minneapolis, Minnesota and Seattle, Washington.

3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Cincinnati, Ohio
6. Washington, DC
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Boston, Massachusetts
9. Portland, Oregon
10. San Francisco, California

Below are the top 10 cities for bookstores:

1. San Francisco, California
2. Cincinnati, Ohio
3. Seattle, Washington
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Atlanta, Georgia
5. Minneapolis, Minnesota
7. Louisville, Kentucky
7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
7. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Scottsdale, Arizona

Given this information, you'll have some idea which cities are most open to new authors and new publishers. If you live in any of these cities, you have a much greater opportunity to promote your books than authors who live in small towns like Fairfield, Iowa. Go for it!

Book Author Signings on Your Own

The following post is excerpted from a post by R. Michael Johnson at his blog:

Another example is an author I know who lives in Florida. He went in to his local mall’s Borders bookstore every day for a month trying to convince them to allow him to hold an event there. (I wouldn’t recommend nagging a manager that much, by the way.) After rejection upon rejection upon rejection, the author finally decided to take the matter into his own hands.

He contacted the mall itself and rented a small kiosk for a day (you know the kind—you can buy two pairs of sunglasses for $10 or very cheap-looking jewelry from these wheeled carts). Upon securing the kiosk—for about a hundred bucks—the author set up (you guessed it) directly across from the Borders store in the mall. Aside from the obvious joy it must have done his heart, this author also proved a very big point and struck a giant blow for the viability of all self-published books.

Upon seeing a crowd gather outside his store, the store manager asked the author what he was doing. “Holding a book signing,” came the response. To which the manager turned and walked back into his store.

After the second hour of a steady stream of people walking past his store to get to the kiosk, the manager invited the author inside for his book signing. He has since held a number of additional signings at the store—all with great success.

Once again, a little patience, perseverance, and some thinking outside the box led to great success.

Unethical Trick or Useful Promotion?

John H. Johnson, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, died August 8, 2005 at the age of 87.

The following two paragraphs are excerpted from his listing in the Self-Publishing Hall of Fame.

At the age of 24 in 1942, he self-published Negro Digest, using a $500 loan secured by his mother's furniture. In 1945, he launched Ebony magazine with a press run of 25,000 copies. From this meager beginning, he built up a billion-dollar publishing and cosmetics empire. In 1982, he became the first African-American to be featured on Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 richest Americans.

To encourage a distributor to pick up Negro Digest, he asked co-workers to ask for the magazine at newsstands around Chicago. His friends bought most of the copies at these newsstands to convince the dealers that the magazine was in demand. In turn, Johnson bought the copies from his friends and resold the copies they had bought. He continued to use this tactic to open up the markets in New York, Detroit, and Philadelphia as well. Within a year, Negro Digest was selling 50,000 copies a month.

Was he unethical in what he did? Some would say so. But it worked. It made an incredible difference in the life of African-Americans at a time when they couldn't play major league baseball or vote in many states.

But let's look a little closer at the ethics of what he did:

First, he asked his co-workers to ask for the magazine at newsstands. Was this unethical? You could argue it was if the co-workers had no intention to buy the magazine. Perhaps, in the beginning, the co-workers had no such intention. But, chances are, that within a few months they were regular buyers and readers of the Negro Digest. So, ethical or unethical? It really is hard to decide since we have no way to judge his friends' intentions. That the ploy worked was significant in allowing Johnson Publishing to weather the hard times of a start-up with limited resources.

As book authors, we often do something similar when we ask family and friends to ask for the book at bookstores or libraries. Many of us have done that at some time in our careers. Are we being unethical in making such requests? On a rigid scale of ethics, we are being unethical (no question about it) since our family and friends probably have little intention to buy our book at a bookstore or even check it out at a library. Does that make us bad people? No. Do we need an ethical check-up? Probably yes. And, yet, I might still recommend this ploy to some authors. I have in the past, so I am likely to do so again.

Second, Johnson bought back the copies of Negro Digest his friends had bought at the newsstands. And then he resold those copies. Was he unethical in buying back those copies? Yes. It would be hard to argue otherwise, if you subscribe to a strict ethical viewpoint. Now, he resold the copies -- so someone, in the end, actually paid for the copies. So, if you wanted to walk on a slippery ethical slope, you could argue that the copies were bought by readers who actually wanted the magazine. By looking at this larger picture, you could then argue that Johnson acted ethically. Personally, I like to look at this larger picture.

But, then, on the other hand, I would never recommend to authors that they buy back copies of their books from friends who bought them at bookstores. No matter the reason. Whether to get distribution, to build momentum for a bestseller list, or to make bookstores happy. I do see such moves as being unethical. Now, if their friends and family buy the books for themselves, then there is no ethical question. The sales were truly legitimate, even if coaxed or pressured by the author.

It could be easily argued that John Johnson acted unethically. But, somehow, I can't accuse him of that. I don't know quite why. Perhaps it was his underdog status at the time. Perhaps it was because it might have been the only way he could have launched the magazine during those days.

Gosh, I have always loved Robin Hood as well. But he did steal. He did break a major commandment. Can we excuse his action because he gave the money to the poor? When you start asking these questions, you begin to understand why people study ethics in college. And why many students get only more confused as they debate the issues. Actions in a limited context can easily look unethical by anyone's standards. Stealing is bad. It is unethical. It is wrong. So when is it right? Should Robin Hood be a hero? [I think he should be considered a hero.]

How about our American patriots? They stood behind trees to shoot and kill the British redcoats. Was that fair? Was that ethical? The British expected men to come out and fight on a fair battlefield. The colonists valued their lives, so they shot the British while hiding behind trees, boulders, and other hiding places. Were the colonists ethical? If yes, then are the terrorist bombers also ethical? If the colonists were unethical, then is our country founded on bad seed? [I think the American patriots were ethical, but I do not think the terrorist bombers targeting civilians are ethical.]

You can ask all sorts of such confusing questions when discussing ethics. It is easy to accuse another of unethical behavior. It is much harder to hold yourself to such standards when acting in real life. Thus, is the standard Amazon bestseller campaign unethical? I don't think so. BUT, its results can definitely be used in an unethical manner. Personally I think it's wrong to say your book is a bestseller just because it was #1 at Amazon for a few hours. But I do think it's ethical to say it was an Amazon.com bestseller.

Personally, looking at the larger picture, I believe Johnson acted ethically. But on a black and white scale of ethics, his actions are definitely in the gray area. I don't think they merit being placed on one extreme or the other.

I believe most of our actions fall in the same gray area. I doubt very many of us act in a black or white manner when it comes to ethics. Our actions are rarely purely good or purely evil. Our goal should be to act ethically at all times. The reality is that we often miss the mark. But most of us are still good people. I would trust most of you who read this web site with my life. That's my ultimate measure of ethics. Can I trust you with my life?

Celebrate POD and E-Books This Month

“Q. What is the quality of a print-on-demand book? A. The quality is identical to what you would purchase in a book store.”

I saw this statement on a print-on-demand web site recently. Please note that current technology does not allow a POD book to be identical in quality to a normally printed book you would purchase in a bookstore. Most experienced readers can tell a POD book from an offset printed book just by the resolution; for those of us with poorer eyesight, we can tell the difference by looking through a magnifying glass.

POD books are still printed with dot technology. Such technology cannot equal offset printing. The quality is getting closer and closer every day, but it is not there yet.

Now, for most practical purposes, a POD book will stand up next to an offset printed book pretty well. Most naive consumers won't be able to tell the difference. And POD books are books in most every other way.

POD books certainly have their place in this world, especially for first books from unknown authors, family memoirs, reprints, limited edition books, books that need to be updated often, and other books with a limited market. At some point in the sales cycle of a book, though, if it is selling, you need to switch to offset printing for better prices, finer detail, your selection of quality paper, and sometimes better binding.

I've used POD publishing to print my book, The Self-Publishing Hall of Fame, because I'm always adding new people to it. I also, of course, make it available as an e-book, which is always more up-to-date because it's my working file while the POD book is updated only once or twice a year.

I love POD publishers and authors. I have nothing against either. They serve a great purpose. Plus they have certainly expanded the market for my book, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. I sell many copies to POD publishers and printers. Plus I speak at several conferences sponsored by POD publishers.

The one thing POD publishers have done well is to make it possible for so many new authors to get a book published. To open the doors to the publishing world to these new authors. It's now possible to get a book published for very little upfront cost. Offset printing, because you need to buy in quantity, often sets the bar too high for entry into the world of self-publishing.

That's why I heartily support POD publishers and authors. They are changing the world of publishing, one book at a time. I have written an article on why bookstores should support POD books and authors.

I think it's appropriate to celebrate POD and e-books during August, especially since it's National Publish Your E-Book Month!

If you'd like to locate some great POD publishers and providers, check out http://www.bookmarket.com/ondemand.htm.

Sell More Books Via Point-of-Purchase Displays

“We’re all susceptible to the impulse purchase. That’s why the grocery and discount stores line the checkout lanes with goodies to catch your eye. It works—you buy more.

“Put this human impulse to work in your favor by using point-of-purchase displays to put your books in direct line of sight of people with their wallets already out of their pockets. We sell guidebooks to trails for hiking, bicycling, and skiing. They’re displayed on checkout counters in bike shops, gift shops, nature centers, wineries, coffee shops, and even gas stations.

“When we make a sales call we offer a free Plexiglas display stand if they buy 5 or more books. See an example at http://www.displaystands4you.com. With the stand (and some not so subtle suggestions), nine times out of ten, our books end up being displayed on the checkout counter. We tape a business card to the back of the stand, which gives the owner of the shop quick access to our reorder phone number.

“Of course, some shop owners say no—their counters are too crowded already. But, the ones who say yes end up selling many more books, and we make our minimal investment in the display stand back very quickly.” — Sue Freeman, Footprint Press

Book Marketing: Distributor Discounts

Question: Thank you for the fabulous online resources, such as your Top Independent Book Distributors page. I have a question related to some of the data on that page. You use the term discount. I am not clear on how it is being used. For example, you say that one distributor has a "25% to 30% of net sales" discount. Does this mean the publisher receives that amount (25 to 30% of list price)?

John's Answer: Many people get confused by discounts. Let's use an example of a book priced to sell for $10.00 in a bookstore.

List price: $10
Net price (sales): $5 (that's probably a good average for distributors since they sell many books to wholesalers and bookstore chains).
Their 25 to 30% discount comes out of the net price of $5.00.
So the distributor ends up with $1.25 (25% of $5.00)
And you the publisher end up with $3.75.

The numbers would be a bit different at 30% of net:
Distributor gets $1.50.
Publisher gets $3.50.

So, on a book selling for $10, the publisher ends up with about $3.50 or $3.75 when using a distributor. Given a print cost of $1 or a bit more (if the book is priced correctly), the publisher ends up with about $2.50 for profit and other expenses (advertising, office, design, etc.).

Given those kinds of numbers, you can see how you'd like to be able to price the book higher, get the cost of printing down lower, and/or sell more books direct to consumers via through bookstores (and distributors).

Book Marketing: Distributor Discounts #2

Question: I'm interested in working with a distributor but I want to make sure what the discounts mean. For example, you say "Discount: 25% of net sales for mid-sized publishers." If my book retails for $10.00, does that mean they will pay me $2.50 per book or $7.50 per book? Any help would be appreciated.

I already sell a lot of books through Ingrams and B & T and I give them a 55% discount so I'm trying to compare the two.

Answer: If your book sells for $10.00, then they will pay you 75% of the price they sell the book for (they keep the other 25%). For example, if they sell your $10.00 book to a bookstore at 40% discount, the bookstore would pay them $6.00. You would get 75% of that $6.00, or $4.50. The distributor gets the other $1.50 (25%).

If they sell your $10.00 book to Ingram or B&T (wholesaler accounts they would take over), then they would receive $4.50 (if they sell at 55% discount to these wholesalers). You would receive 75% or $3.37 of that amount. The distributor would keep the other $1.13.

Hiring Book Sales Representatives

Question: Do you sell information on sales rep groups? We are looking for advice or information on which ones to go with.

Answer: Here's my short answer. If you need some feedback on which sales representatives to go with, start locally by talking to booksellers who could give you feedback on the reps they like best. Contact those reps and show them why they should be interested in your company's books. Once you've got a sales rep for your local area, ask that rep group to recommend rep groups for other areas of the country.

To hire sales reps, you need to have an active publishing program, publishing at least 2 to 3 new titles for the fall and spring bookselling seasons. Sales reps get 10 to 15% of net sales to bookstores and book wholesalers in their territory, whether they actually make the sale or not. There is some small room for negotiation.

Bookstores and the World of POD

I wrote the following for a catalog of POD books. I believe that many of the arguments I made for POD books also apply to books from self-publishers and smaller publishers. You can use these points to convince bookstores, especially the independents, to stock your books.

Why should bookstores stock POD books? For one simple reason: Someone has to take a chance on tomorrow's classics today.

The world of POD books today stands in the tradition of self-publishing that has produced some of our greatest works of literature—from Thoreau's Walden and Whitman's Leaves of Grass to Joyce's Ulysses and Hasek's Good Soldier Svejk. Other famous self-publishers include L. Frank Baum, John Bartlett, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Willa Cather, Pat Conroy, e.e. cummings, Alexander Dumas, T.S. Eliot, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Edward Fitzgerald, Benjamin Franklin, Galileo Galilei, Lord Byron, Zane Grey, Thomas Harding, Nathaniel Hawthorn, Ernest Hemingway, Robinson Jeffers, Edgar Allen Poe, Alexander Pope, Beatrix Potter, George Bernard Shaw, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Leo Tolstoi, Mark Twain, D. H. Lawrence, Anais Nin, Ezra Pound, Carl Sandburg, Upton Sinclair, William Blake, Stephen Crane, and Rudyard Kipling. You could stock an incredible bookstore with only books from these authors.

How poor would the world of literature be if no one had given the above authors a chance in the beginning? Even some of today's top bestsellers originally started with self-published works:

• Margaret Atwood self-published 200 copies her first volume of poetry Double Persephone in 1961, the year she graduated from college. Atwood has gone on to become a bestselling novelist and short story writer.
• Deepak Chopra went to a vanity publisher to publish his first book before selling rights to Crown. He has now had nine New York Times bestsellers.
• Louis L'Amour privately published his first book, a collection of poems known as Smoke from This Altar. Years later the collection was republished by Bantam and has gone on to sell more than 100,000 copies. More than ten years after his book of poetry was published, his first novel was published. His 100 westerns have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. 45 of his novels and short stories have been made into movies.
• When publisher Frederick Warne rejected The Tale of Peter Rabbit because of the costs of printing the illustrations, Beatrix Potter self-published a limited edition of 250 copies in 1901. When Warne saw the finished book, he finally saw the commercial possibilities and brought out a new edition of the book with color illustrations in 1902. The book has now sold more than 40 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.
• Canadian poet Robert Service, the Bard of the Yukon and perhaps the most widely read poet of the 20th century, self-published his first book of verse, Songs of a Sourdough, as a private print run for his family and friends. The book, however, began to sell right away. Even the pressmen at the printers were laughing and reciting his verse.

Modern bestsellers that began as self-published works include The One-Minute Manager, The Celestine Prophecy, What Color Is Your Parachute?, Life's Little Instruction Book, The Christmas Box, How to Be Your Own Best Friend, In Search of Excellence, and Mutant Message Down Under. (For a list of bestsellers published by independent publishers, see my web site at: http://www.bookmarket.com/bests.html.)

For many African-American authors, self-publishing and now POD has offered the only way to get their voices heard in the first place.

• Michael Baisden has been self-publishing his own hardcover novels and then selling paperback reprint rights to Simon & Schuster's Touchstone imprint. The trade paperback edition of his novel The Maintenance Man hit the USA Today bestseller list.
• In 1992, E. Lynn Harris self-published his novel Invisible Life and sold more than 10,000 copies through beauty salons and black-owned bookstores. He later sold rights to that novel as well as two others to Doubleday/Anchor. His novels have sold millions of copies thus far, made the New York Times bestseller list six times (and counting), won the James Baldwin award for literary excellence, and landed Harris at the top of the Blackboard bestseller list.
• k.j.a. Wishnia self-published her first mystery novel, 23 Shades of Black, which was nominated for Edgar and Anthony awards. She sold the rights to her second novel, Soft Money, to Dutton. HBO will soon be airing a series based on her first novel (produced by Spike Lee's 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks).

What about POD authors? Here are a few great stories that should show any bookstore why they should be stocking POD books:

• David Brody self-published his book Unlawful Deeds via print-on-demand. He sold almost 3,000 copies in his home area of Boston, Massachusetts while doing 26 bookstore appearances. At one point, his book hit #8 on the Boston Globe bestseller list. His book is probably the first print-on-demand book to hit a bestseller list.
• Ruby Ann Boxcar, Trailer Park newspaper columnist and web site host, self-published her first book, Ruby Ann's Down Home Trailer Park Cookbook, via POD. The rights were quickly snapped up Kensington which has since gone on to publish Ruby Ann's holiday cookbook. Ruby Ann is known as the Dame Edna of the double-wide world. She is a crowd pleaser. At regional book shows, she autographs and kisses every book before handing them over to booksellers.
• Amanda Brown used POD to self-publish her first novel Legally Blonde. The book was made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon. A year and a half after the movie was made, Plume published her book, with an additional chapter on what's next for Elle Woods. Plume also published the sequel, Red, White & Blonde. In the meantime, Dutton published a hardcover of another novel Family Trust, that has already been optioned for a movie by Hillary Swank and Chad Lowe.
• James Conroyd Martin started his novel Push Not the River in 1976. It is based on the diary of a Polish countess who lived in the 1790s, but no editors were interested in an historical novel set in Poland. After countless rejections, three agents, a dishonest publisher, and the passing of many years, Martin self-published via POD in 2001 to wonderful reviews and great sales based on self-promotion and word-of-mouth. In April, 2002, St. Martin's bought the rights to publish the book (where they featured Martin as an author to watch). “Persistence is key to such overnight success,” Martin says.
• Phoenix newspaper columnist Laurie Notaro self-published her novel The Idiot Girl's Action-Adventure Club via POD. After selling the rights to her novel to Villard with the help of Julie Bent of the Harvey Klinger Agency, the book made it onto the New York Times paperback bestseller list without any major media endorsements to push it over the top.

So why should bookstores stock POD books? And why should all of us be paying better attention to PODers and self-publishers? A better question would be: Why not?

• Such books offer the little gems that could make independent bookstores stand out from the run-of-the-mill chain store.
• Independent bookstores need to start taking chances again with the next century's classics. The major publishers, with their bottom-line publishing sense, will not discover these classics. Most of this century's great new authors will first be published via POD, self-publishing, or some small publisher.
• Independent bookstores should be exciting places to discover new authors. There are no newer authors than these.

As a bookstore and arbiter of cultural taste, you can't afford to ignore the potential gems that lie among the inevitable rocks of POD publishing. You booksellers, more than any other group, will decide who gets heard and who gets ignored. That choice used to fall to the major publishers, but they have abandoned their position. You must now make those choices. To do that, you must make one major decision first: To look seriously at the catalogs of POD publishers, self-publishers, and smaller publishers. Do that first. Then discover their gems. Then sell them like crazy. The next generation will applaud you.