Myth Busters
This week’s topic: Bookstores
Myth #1: Most people go to bookstores when they want to buy a book.
Reality: The shopping habits of readers have changed. Nowadays roughly half of all book purchases are made outside of bookstores, most of them through the internet.
Myth #2: The best way to attract new readers is to get your book into a bookstore.
Reality: Most people who go to a bookstore come already have a specific book in mind that they want to buy. If they aren’t already planning on buying your book, the chance that they will pick it off the shelf is small.
Myth #4: If your book is in a bookstore, it will stay there until it is sold.
Reality: Publishers compete for shelf space in bookstores. If your book doesn’t sell quickly, it will be pulled and replaced by a new title. Sometimes new books have a window of only a few weeks in order to sell.
Myth #5: Anyone who publishes a book can get it into a bookstore.
Reality: Your book has to be handled by a distributor in order to get into major bookstores—and distributors do not handle books that are self-published or published by many small presses.
Myth #6: When your book comes out, your publisher will send you on a tour to give readings and book signings in bookstores all over the country.
Reality: The book tour is a thing of the past. With the exception of well-known, well-established authors, in most cases publishers have given up on the expense of sending writers on tour. Instead, they are forgoing tours entirely or doing virtual book tours on sites online.
Myth #7: Emerging, new writers should give up on bookstores.
Reality: Not so fast! Small, independent bookstores are still very excited about discovering new talent, especially when the writer is local. Many of these stores are struggling, so when you take your book to them, you have the joy of meeting people who will support your work, and the satisfaction of supporting a local business, too.
