Tips and Tricks
Waterstones, Amazon, etc.I was wondering if anyone has tried getting their book sold in Waterstones, Borders or Amazon? I’ve registered myself as a publisher with Neilson Book Agency (I’m in the UK) and my ISBNs are on their way. (Whilst Blurb is the publisher, the ISBN agency define a publisher as the person who took the financial risk with the book and stands to lose money if it doesn’t work so that’s me!) Any tips on approaching the larger bookshops would be greatly appreciated. The smaller ones are easier to approach because the cashier could well be the owner or manager. 
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Wish i could help, I would be interested in knowing as well. |
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I looked into Amazon and if I sell my book for £20, Amazon will pay me £8 for it. However, it costs me £11.66 to have it made by Blurb. So, basically, it isn’t a viable business option. And £20 for my book is pushing it a little, so say the small bookshops that I have been to. It’s 10×8" 80 page photographic guide to a part of the country. I’m assuming Waterstones is as unviable as Amazon. However, the small book shop is paying me £15 for each book. Still not a great profit, but a profit nonetheless. |
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To sell books on amazon, must be the only way to go, as if you want to buy a book its amazon I’d think of first….
and maybe ebay tooo |
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Hey dasantillo, This forum thread explains the problems with getting your book into Amazon: http://forums.blurb.com/forums/6/topics/4397 |
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I am right there with dasantillo. My book is 198 pages, costs $56 to print. Amazon charges 15%. So tack on 15% you have $64.40. I normally sell the book for $65, so this does me no good.
All of the references to Amazon in the forums, that I found by searching, were either irrelevant, or like Mr. Dasantillo’s. Obviously, Blurb has not migrated to a more negotiable position on producing books cheap enough for us producers to sell them on Amazon.
Perhaps at some point there will be a tipping point where enough seller seek better terms that would make selling on Amazon realistically affordable. It is not now.
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From a business perspective not being able to sell through a online retail outlet which primarily specaiized in books is a massive blow. To get ISBN registration in the UK costs £107 per ISBN, I’m in the same boat as dasantillo, my book will retail for £20 but if Amazon are only going to give me £8 then I’m restrcted to independents which in this day an age of the economy are not doing massive business or have the same buying power or level of distribution. It means additional expense of setting up a homepage with online transaction ability for people to buy my book and that’s a little out of my league. |
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No, it’s £107 for *ten* ISBNs in the UK – you can’t buy a single one, the minimum is ten. |
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