Ah would love this. We teach Intro to Publishing at UNCW (in the publishing certificate program) and distribution is a huge part of that class. And even if it's an overview, at least it gets folks thinking ohhhhhh, this is why I publish here or here, or this is what I really want for my book! That's in the BFA program though, I haven't seen an equivalent in an MFA program, but I do wonder if the Columbia Publishing Course goes into it.
Yes! This is such an unsung and deeply important piece of the publishing puzzle and Cassie does a great job getting into the nitty gritty. Caroline and I teach this in our Great Smokies Writing Program class at UNCA each year called The Literary Ecosystem.
As a former long-time bookseller and publicist, I think this is incredibly useful! I was yelling (in my head) yes! yes! through much of it. One point I like to tell authors is that the standard bookseller discount is 40%, so if Ingram or publishers or whoever lists the book at less than that, a bookseller won't order it unless it's a special order. If you're listing your own book on Ingram, the discount you need to enter is 55% for it to show up as a 40% discount for bookstores. The in-between is Ingram profit.
When you consign your books with a bookstore, that is the standard, too, so you, the author, get 60% of the cover price and the bookstore gets 40%. Most booksellers prefer to order from the big publishers directly when they can because those publishers can sometimes offer a deeper discount--43, 45, 50, or even 55%--which is sometimes pocket change but it adds up quickly when you have hundreds of books coming in every day.
Oh ABSOLUTELY on publisher discounts. I always thing this is somewhere where indie presses can try to compete (even though I know budget is right across the board) but if they make the discount steeper, booksellers might be more likely to jump through hoops of ordering from a place where they don’t have an account. This is so helpful, especially exactly why to enter for the right discounts!
Enlightening--and having worked as writer, editor, publisher and bookseller (oh, and reader and book buyer too), I thought I knew a lot about the industry, but you taught me a lot. I’m shopping my second poetry manuscript and won’t even consider presses that only sell through Amazon and their own website. But I never knew the challenge for a new press to get into Ingram! Much to think about here. Thank you!
such a smart and helpful post on a very complicated thing!
so weirdly convoluted!!
Thank you for this!
hopefully it helps a little!
I want to make this required reading for every one of my creative writing MFA students.
Ah would love this. We teach Intro to Publishing at UNCW (in the publishing certificate program) and distribution is a huge part of that class. And even if it's an overview, at least it gets folks thinking ohhhhhh, this is why I publish here or here, or this is what I really want for my book! That's in the BFA program though, I haven't seen an equivalent in an MFA program, but I do wonder if the Columbia Publishing Course goes into it.
Yes! This is such an unsung and deeply important piece of the publishing puzzle and Cassie does a great job getting into the nitty gritty. Caroline and I teach this in our Great Smokies Writing Program class at UNCA each year called The Literary Ecosystem.
Ouuuu this sounds like such a great course, Lauren!
Thanks so much for this Cassie!
Thanks for reading John!
You're always trying to be the helper. I always learn something new from your posts. You are still a great teacher.
As a former long-time bookseller and publicist, I think this is incredibly useful! I was yelling (in my head) yes! yes! through much of it. One point I like to tell authors is that the standard bookseller discount is 40%, so if Ingram or publishers or whoever lists the book at less than that, a bookseller won't order it unless it's a special order. If you're listing your own book on Ingram, the discount you need to enter is 55% for it to show up as a 40% discount for bookstores. The in-between is Ingram profit.
When you consign your books with a bookstore, that is the standard, too, so you, the author, get 60% of the cover price and the bookstore gets 40%. Most booksellers prefer to order from the big publishers directly when they can because those publishers can sometimes offer a deeper discount--43, 45, 50, or even 55%--which is sometimes pocket change but it adds up quickly when you have hundreds of books coming in every day.
Oh ABSOLUTELY on publisher discounts. I always thing this is somewhere where indie presses can try to compete (even though I know budget is right across the board) but if they make the discount steeper, booksellers might be more likely to jump through hoops of ordering from a place where they don’t have an account. This is so helpful, especially exactly why to enter for the right discounts!
In the Linux world, a distribution of the operating system is known as a “distro.” That’s close to bistro, although probably not pronounced DEEstro.
https://www.wordnik.com/words/distro
Ouuu I love a fun fact, Frank!
Thank you, Cassie!
So very helpful! Thank you.
Enlightening--and having worked as writer, editor, publisher and bookseller (oh, and reader and book buyer too), I thought I knew a lot about the industry, but you taught me a lot. I’m shopping my second poetry manuscript and won’t even consider presses that only sell through Amazon and their own website. But I never knew the challenge for a new press to get into Ingram! Much to think about here. Thank you!