selling POD books to stores...iUni question

I have never did this but from what I have read on these boards most people offer their POD to stores on consignment??

acousticgroupie said:

hey all,

i used iUniverse and i'm wondering how exactly it works when i sell my books to an indie store. would i physically bring the books there and buy them using my author discount? then if they don't sell do i owe the store the money back? i would sell to them at 40% off...correct?

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Usually, you buy the books yourself with your author discount, put 'em in the trunk of your car, take them to the bookstore. They put them on the shelf. Some time later, you come back, they give you a percentage of what they sold the books for, and you take the unsold ones home. You work out the arrangements yourself.

i have to see how it works when i set up events at BN, since iUni works with them and is owned by that co.

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You may also be able to convince bookstores to buy the books themselves, using their own money. If that happens, after you've gotten them to order the books, your part is done until royalty time comes around. That's where Ingram and B&T come in -- that's where the bookstores order the books.

It's worth noting that B&N owns only a small part of iU. They started off owning 49% but have since sold off their share. Last time I looked they were down to 21%, and that may have changed since then.

also, i have connections with iUni to Baker and Taylor and Ingram. What happens next with those? i have to approach them? they already list my book...i'm confused about the process. iUniverse's site, and it's people, aren't resourceful. the printing is fabulous, though

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B&T and IBC are warehouses. If your book has an ISBN, they'll list it. Retailers order from them and return returnable books to them. In the case of POD books, if they're printed by LSI, that's a part of IBC: The order comes in, they print that many copies.

The devil in these details is getting anyone to make the order in the first place.

iUni doesn't have a forum, so i'm hoping to get some answers here.

thanks,

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Hmmm.... iU used to have a forum. I wonder when it vanished?

acousticgroupie said:

hey all,

i used iUniverse and i'm wondering how exactly it works when i sell my books to an indie store. would i physically bring the books there and buy them using my author discount? then if they don't sell do i owe the store the money back? i would sell to them at 40% off...correct?. . . ,

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Visit some independent bookstore owners or managers and ask them. That makes way more sense than asking on a message board.

Let us know what you learn, ok?

--Ken