How Bookshops Can Help Sell Your Book

Bookshops and authors are interdependent: in short, they help each other to succeed.

Booka is proud of its independent status and with that, the curation of titles it decides to showcase. Independent bookshops hand-select every title on their shelves with passion, instinct, knowledge and an understanding of their particular community and customer base.

Bookshops have to work very hard in challenging circumstances to remain on the High Street; they need to sell books to survive and thrive. They have to add value to the customer experience and to keep surprising readers by offering the element of discovery.

Bookshops and booksellers are the gatekeepers to books of all kinds: children’s, frontlist, backlist and classics. However, one of the most thrilling parts of being a bookseller is finding a new author with a new story – one that immediately enthrals, entrances and excites. This can develop a ripple effect as booksellers chat with each other in-store, across social media, at networking events, in conversations with publishers and – perhaps most importantly – in conversation with customers: ‘guess what’s coming…’ or ‘I’ve just read the most amazing proof, it’s about…’ This is where the ‘buzz about books’ begins to build. It’s what we do, and we do it well. We are always looking ahead, anticipating the next little gem that we can hand-sell to our customers. Today, these ‘whispers’ don’t just take place in the shop. They happen across all social media platforms and are communicated through e-newsletters. Pre-orders are promoted, events planned and displays created.

[…]That’s the alchemy of independent bookshops – working collaboratively with an author to sell their book and develop a readership which will continue to thrive. When the author and bookshop share the same ethos and understand the role they each play in the journey of the book from creation to consumption, magical things can happen and many books can be sold. Building a trusted relationship with a bookshop is key to this and the best relationships are those that foster mutual respect and appreciation of the role of both parties.
 

Carrie Morris and her husband Tim own and run the award-winning independent Booka Bookshops in Oswestry and Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Find out about author events, as well as how to purchase signed copies and to sign up to their newsletter, at: www.bookabookshop.co.uk.