Bookstore Question

Much depends on the bookshop concerned but usually, just about anything with an ISBN is included on a bookseller's website, whereas only a very small proportion of available books make it onto their shelves.

Some sites list books the seller can't even provide.

The local (and only one left...) independent has two sets of books on their web site. The Featured books are in stock, the Available books are not. But they are a Christian-oriented store and select which books appear on the site (and in the store) pretty carefully.

One advantage: They love local authors
One disadvantage: I don't do Christian-oriented...

Jeff

The big independent bookstore in town here (Powells) - on their website they say which location the book is available at. They have three or four separate stores apart from their main one, and a warehouse that houses other books not on their shelves. As far as I know, they don't list books that 'could be ordered through them' - only books that are readily available.

The other, smaller independent bookstores in town don't have internet listings of the books in stock, and don't sell online. AFAIK.

A quick call to the bookstore, posing anonymously as an interested buyer, would probably let you know for sure. If you can pick it up today from them, then it's in stock. If you can get it from them in a week or more, then they'll have to order it.

Fun to see your book on their website, eh?

KyraDune said:

If my novel appears on an independent bookstore's website (in print) does that mean they bought it and it's in their store? Or does any book available through Ingrams automatically show up there?

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My local indie sells plenty of books via their website, but they only stock a fraction of those titles in the store. Anything ordered online though them ships to the buyer directly from the distributor.