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Distribution

Get your book to market! Whether you're selling direct on Amazon, or placing your book in stores, we have strategies for effective distribution.

Distribution Decisions

  • Direct or distributor?
  • Communicating with vendors
  • Sales reporting
  • The global market
 

Beyond the Giants: An Introduction to Emerging E-Retailers

by Allison Horton
Bowker | Thu Jun 20, 2013

For any author—and publisher—navigating the sea of digital-book retailers is no easy feat. Amazon, iBookstore, and Barnes & Noble are the well-known giants, together accounting for an estimated 95% of the ebook market. But what about those other e-retailers making a splash: Kobo, Samsung, Sony, Google Play, and Baker & Taylor? Below we dive into these emerging markets:

Kobo

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3 Retail Tips for Authors

by Matt Cavnar
Bowker | Wed Jun 5, 2013

Some of the most crucial meetings at BEA aren’t those where you pitch new business, but the opportunities where you build existing relationships; particularly with retailers. It’s a BEA tradition of ours – and many publishers –  to sit down with the account managers at our retail partners. We update them on our plans for the coming year and they tell us about their latest technology developments and sales recommendations. Frequently, these meetings offer tantalizing glimpses into new features and storefront and device capabilities.  Here are three of the biggest takeaways for authors that we noticed from this year’s meetings with Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Samsung and others at BEA.

 

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eBook Conversion and Distribution Webinar

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue May 21, 2013

Digital Conversion Laboratory is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, May 22, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Laura Dawson from Bowker and Devorah Ashlem of DCL will be guiding authors through the process of converting and distributing ebooks. These are best practices regarding formatting, metadata, communication with vendors, and error correction.

Update: Here is a link to the webinar.

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What If A Bookselling Website Lists My Book Without My Permission?

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue Apr 16, 2013

Occasionally an author will see a listing for her book on a website she's had no previous contact with. Of course, the immediate question is, "Why are they selling my book? I never engaged with them to do so."

Chances are, they're not really selling it. When an author registers an ISBN with Bowker, that information goes into Bowker's Books in Print database. Many booksellers license BIP, and list the entire contents of it on their websites. They probably haven't made vendor agreements with many of the publishers in Books in Print. They're not stocking the books in their warehouses. If they receive enough orders for the book, they'll track down the publisher and arrange a vendor agreement. 

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Pros and Cons of KDP Select

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Thu Apr 4, 2013

The KDP Select program has now been around for nearly two years, and CJ Lyons has a well-thought post on Jane Friedman's blog:

The Select Program is just that: a program, a tool, a tactic.

In other words, it’s not a promise, a guarantee, or even a long term strategy—for authors or Amazon.

It’s a program. Subject to change. And it might not fit your needs now—or later—or ever. Or it might be the catalyst you need to engage new readers and propel sales.

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Ebook Distribution: Who Does It?

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue Apr 2, 2013

  • Vook - In addition to ebook conversion, interactivity, and other services, Vook distributes ebook files to Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and their own Vook storefront.
  • BookBaby - You can upload an EPUB file to Bookbaby, and they will distribute it to Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, Sony, Copia, Gardner's, Baker & Taylor, eBookPie, and eSentral.
  • PigeonLab - You can distribute your ebooks to Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.
  • Smashwords - Uploading your file to Smashwords means that your book can be distributed to Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Baker & Taylor, Diesel eBooks, as well as Smashwords's own retail store.
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Giving Bookstores Good Customer Service

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Wed Mar 27, 2013

As a publisher, the bookstore is actually your customer. And of course you want to give your customer good service. 

Customers respond well when they are treated well. They buy more of your product. So it's very much in your interest to treat booksellers the way they want to be treated, even if it means a little extra work and thought; bookstores are the portal to your readers.

Some general rules of thumb:

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How Do I Get My Book In Bookstores?

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue Mar 5, 2013

Writing and creating a book is half the battle. The rest is distribution. Unless you have thousands of people beating a path to your door, you’ll need to get your book placed in bookstores so potential customers can buy it. It may be that your publishing platform does distribution for you.

 

Physical bookstores

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  • Obtain ISBNs (click here!)
  • Convert your file to ebook (click here!)
  • Acquire a bar code (click here!)
  • Increase discovery (click here!)
  • Purchase a QR code (click here!)
  • Register your copyright (click here!)
  • Find out who you write like (click here!)
  • Promote your book online (click here!)

Getting Started

Create a Culture of Quality in Your Publishing Company

Thu, November 13

FAQs about ISBNs

Fri, October 24

How to Write a Business Plan as Narrative (Part 2 of 2)

Wed, September 10

A Novel Planning Technique for Book Publishers (Part 1 of 2)

Fri, September 05

Do You Have the Write Stuff?

Wed, September 03

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