You’ve written a book. You’d like to find readers. How do I know? Because you’re here, and by clicking on this post, I know you’re probably an indie author, too, just like me! We want to find readers. Of course we do, this is why we wrote the book! One way to do this is to approach independent bookstores, many of which are independently owned, and a small business. In this post, you will find tips for how indie authors can get their books into independent bookstores, a list of independent bookstores looking for indie books, a link to a podcast interview with Nicole from the Bettie’s Pages bookstore in Michigan. In the podcast interview, Nicole shares tips, secrets, advice, and marketing tactics for indie publishers, self-publishers, and other interested parties who’d like to sell their books.

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In this article, and in the associated podcast episode, authors can find out the following:

• How indie authors can request for an independent bookstore to consider stocking their books
• What should indie authors pay attention to in creating covers, what should they do as the topmost important thing, and what shouldn’t they do–also in the podcast interview with Nicole, a bookstore owner Empowering Voices: The Indie Bookstore Revolution with Nicole from Bettie’s Pages Bookstore.
• What else should indie authors consider when creating, marketing, and selling their books, and in finding indie bookstores to ask to stock their books
• Why is Bookshop dot org important, and how you can support ANY bookstore in the US with your online book purchase from Bookshop: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.
• How can indie authors collab with independent bookstores…how can we all work together!

Is this You? I Wrote a Book, Now What Do I Do to Try and Sell My Book?

I am an indie author who publishes my own books through indie publishing, aka self-publishing means. I’ve done this for several years with my own publishing company (just for me atm), but I only recently found out some very helpful information for indie authors. Most importantly, and often the most hidden from authors, is the fact that we can approach independent bookstores to request that they consider stocking our books in their stores (scroll down to see the list of bookstores).

This came as a huge ‘aha’ moment to me, and the information I found out traveling along on this road gave me many more such moments. Bookstores who are looking to stock unique, and diverse, books, which are often written by indie authors, have Google form links and processes to apply listed on their websites. Indie authors are quickly becoming associated with diverse voices, rare unique stories, and are revolutionizing the book publishing world. INDIE AUTHORS ARE CREATING A HUGE SPLASH IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD! And so are indie bookstores!

Never before in history have authors been able to so easily create and sell their books across the entire world. Amazon has helped with that, and I do publish my books there. But not all of them. I also publish my books wide. There are so many options, and this is exploding!

Options to sell your book:

1. Independent bookstores (either through Ingram Spark or consignment via author copies sent directly to the bookstore)
2. On your own site (you can be your own publisher and sell your books)
3. Create your own at Bookshop dot org https://bookshop.org/
4. Offer books other seller sites like https://buydirectfromauthors.com/
5. Ingram Spark (you can now create your own links to sell directly from IS, and create extra links with discounts and time frames, as you desire)
6. Draft 2 Digital (publish your books and get them on multiple online seller sites)
7. Amazon (publish your books and get them on Amazon and potentially other sites)
8. Apply to libraries (many have processes listed on their websites for authors to request a library consider adding their books, and yes, libraries BUY books to host on their shelves)

Not all of the book selling options are created equal, however…

The problem of unaffordability

Both independent bookstores and authors are trying to run a business, but the ‘big guys’ can get in the way of us ‘little guys’ at times.

One thing that surprised me was that independent bookstores and libraries cannot afford to get books from the Zon or D2D or IS (options 5, 6, 7 above) to sell in their stores, because they are too expensive. The indie bookstores simply can’t pay what they are being sold for on these sites. That’s a big problem! This was a very disheartening thing for me to realize. Next came the time for action. I needed to modify my plans!

What’s an indie author to do about this?

I admit it. I was dumb. I was ignorant. I didn’t get it. There I was…an indie author and I was clueless. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I was naive thinking bookstores and libraries could choose my books from the big seller sites. Nope. And it was painful realizing how dumb I was thinking that any bookstores could easily just choose my book, only to find out these big sellers make it unaffordable to bookstores. Can you say monopoly? I can!

We need more options, and thankfully they exist!

And kudos to you…you aren’t going to be dumb like me…because you are reading this!

Ding Ding Ding… the big solution: Author’s Copies!

Many independent bookstores have options on their sites explaining how to combat this unaffordability. One is to give them the books on consignment, which means the author purchases author copies and then sends them to the bookstore, then they are paid by the bookstores when the books sell. This requires trust. It’s hard to trust, but I figure I have to try it and if I get burned, then at least maybe someone read my book and that’s advertising, and maybe the person will come buy another one of my books. It’s a question of what you are willing to do and what you are willing to trust.

I’m always hoping and praying I’m not getting stiffed with consignment, though. I could be losing out money by trusting, but by building a relationship with the bookstore, I hope to prevent this from happening. Fingers perpetually crossed!

As an author, you can send your books directly to the indie bookstores via shipments from the seller as author’s copies, or by ordering author’s copies to your home then boxing them up yourself and then sending them to bookstore (the special bonus of this is you can sign them). If you live close to an indie bookstore, you can drive them there in person!

Ingram Spark

Bookstores and libraries can buy books from Ingram Spark too, but some bookstores still can’t afford their prices, so author copies can become the best option. And on Ingram Spark you have to be sure to choose wholesale pricing so bookstores and libraries might more likely be able to afford ordering your book directly from IS (this is nice for the author because the author isn’t fronting the money as in consignment).

However, there’s the issue of returns with Ingram Spark. Many bookstores will only choose to stock books they can return in the event that they don’t sell. The indie author has to decide how they want to handle books that don’t sell, and it’s a tougher decision for smaller businesses. We don’t have much space for error, and often we don’t have much money to burn to keep our businesses running. We are on tight budgets! One option is returning unsold books to the author, but this is at a cost to the author. If you can turn around and sell those books at a book fair or on consignment, this is a great option (as long as the books are in good shape). Some authors choose to have the books no longer wanted by the bookstores destroyed (NO! I can’t stomach that), or they choose no returns (which can make books unattractive to some bookstores).

You need an ISBN, this is actually important to help your book succeed because it ties your book together across the publishers. IS will give you one, but I buy them to cross publish.

It’s a hard call in my opinion. But I choose returns to me because I’m now embarking on the world of selling books at book fairs and conferences (woohoo! Another new area of adventure!).

Every indie author will have to decide what they are willing to try, but, at least there are options out there for indie authors.

The Big List of Independent Bookstores

This is a current list of bookstores I’ve found that are accepting requests from authors to consider stocking their books. This is subject to change as the needs and abilities of individual bookstores change over time. I’m writing this as of January 31, 2025.

Search for these bookstores online. I’m not going to list links because bookstores go in and out of business, and I don’t want broken links on my site, so simply plug each name into a search engine to see if the store still exists and if it’s still accepting requests by indie authors to stock their books.

I’ll start with the bookstores I have my books in, then the bookstore owner I interviewed on the podcast, and then the rest from there. I will update this list in future as I see fit and as time allows. Be aware that bookstores each have different processes for requesting. Some have Google forms (see below for more on how to make this time-consuming application process a bit easier), by emailing, or other (there always has to be an ‘other’!). Some of the books are online bookstores, and some are brick and mortar. (BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE VERY IMPORTANT INFO on Bookshop dot org listed later in this post, SCROLL TO BELOW THIS LIST).

Other things to note: some bookstores prefer local authors, some bookstores specialize in indie authors, some focus on a certain genre (like romance), and some bookstores specialize in marginalized voices. Read each site to find out if they specialize.

You may have to search around a bit for how to apply. Some stores have it in their contact me section, some in the FAQ’s, and some have special author sections.

**If you are an indie bookstore and would like me to add your store to this list, email me at ruanwillow@gmail.com and I will add your store to the list.**

Why am I sharing this info about independent bookstores?

This is my own personal list I researched online and also found on Threads and Instagram. Why am I sharing it? Because I care about indie authors and indie bookstores, and I want us all to thrive! I like being able to publish on Amazon, but I also don’t want to only support a monopoly. There’s room for ALL the booksellers and I desperately want to support small business owners like myself.

I also am a broadcaster in the form of this blog and my podcast. I LIKE helping people reach their goals. I ADORE seeing others succeed, so I’m going to share things. I think of myself as a town crier of the old days, and a storyteller, both are loud outspoken routes to share things with others. On my podcast I love showcasing other authors and entrepreneurs, and I feel very passionate about helping people with their relationships and especially their sex lives. As a podcaster, I speak up. I speak out. I highlight everything for I believe the betterment of our world, and I won’t stop. I’ll never stop shouting about the things I think are important. So … you should also check out my podcast! I have over 500 episodes!

PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS THOUGH!

I’m not personally vouching for these bookstores; they are just ones I’ve found in my own searches. You will need to discern for yourself which to try to approach. The absolute best place to find indie bookstores is on bookshop dot org, where they also have curated lists to choose from, such as: woman owned, black owned, BIPOC. etc. You can buy a book and choose an indie bookstore to support with your purchase.

 

Independent Bookstores:

• Heart of the South Crafting Co. (Texas) (my books are in this shop)
• Booked & Hooked Bookshop (Online, Ireland) (my books are in this shop)
• HEA Bookshop (UK) (my books are in this shop)
• BumbleBooks.co (Amana Colonies, IA) (my book is coming to this shop soon)
• Eden Books (online) (my books are in this shop)
• Midnight Readings (Twin Fall, Idaho) (my books are coming to this shop soon)
• Bettie’s Pages Bookstore (MI)
• Steamy Lit Romance Bookstore (FL)
• White Rose Books and More
• Spellbound bookstore dot net
• Green Avenue Books
• The New Romantics
• Nomads Mobile Bookstore (mobile)
• Wallflowers Bookstore
• Raccoon River Press (Iowa)
• Wanderlust Boutique
• The Last Chapter Bookshop (Chicago)
• Turn the Page Bookstore
• Moonlight Chapters (UK)
• Second Chance Romance
• Love in Print
• Heartbound Bookshop
• The Gilded Prose
• The Worlds Borough Bookshop
• The Lit Bar Bookshop and Chill
• Cafe con Libros
• Bookhaven Books
• Los Amigos (Chicago
• Whose Books
• Always Yours Bookshop
• Avid Bookshop
• Bookworks of Whitefish
• Montana Book Company
• Radical Cat Bookstore
• Good Neighbor Bookstore
• The Bookshop of Requirement Indie Bookshop
• The Reading Nookstore
• Hey Darling (MN)
• Novel Grounds
• The Book Archive
• Under the Cover
• Meet Cute Romance Bookshop
• The Crafty Bookstore
• Pages Turned Books
• Scribbles
• Malaprops
• Hea Boutique
• Ripped Bodice
• Next Chapter
• Gathering Volumes
• Literary Lane
• Romance-Landia
• Broom’s Bloom Books (Queer woman owned bookstore)
• Friends to Lovers (VA)
• Moo Palace
• Powell’s (Portland, OR)
• Underground Books (Sacramento, CA)
• Bookshop Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
• Monarch Books (Kansas City, KS)
• The Reading Nookstore
• The Magic of Books (Seymore, Indiana)
• Bookish Boutique
• Golden Leaf
• The Plot Twist Book Bar
• The Book and Cover
• Chapter Book Lounge
• Good Girl Books (mobile)
• The Bureau (Queer, Greenwich Village)
• Wandering Raccoon
• DayLit Tales: Your Haven for BIPOC Books
• Sweet Reads
• A Novel Romance
• Salient
• Prairie Prose and Pen (Oklahoma)

Now for The Tough Part…Applying to them all!

Now that you have a plan, it’s go time! It’s time to do it! Be prepared that it takes time to apply to all these bookstores and many will not even back to you if they don’t choose your books. In this way, it’s similar to querying book agents or publishers, this can be frustrating. It’s like being in the trenches doing the grunt work. But don’t give up. Keep going! I’ve heard of people getting varying success with this. I’ve only personally gotten into seven, but I’ve laid off on applying for a while to focus on publishing my next books. But I recently saw online an author post that they got into 36 bookstores with 50 attempts. It’s happening, authors ARE getting their indie books into indie bookstores. This could be you, too!

I’m also aware that some of my books are extremely spicy and some bookstores don’t want that spiciness. So, be aware that like me, your subgenre can also determine your success to a certain degree.

Things that may be causing variation in success…

There are many things that may impact your success at getting your books into bookstores.

1. The bookstore may be temporarily out of room so they may put a hold on reviewing applications.
2. The bookstore may be only looking for certain genres, and yours may not be it. Or the books may be too spicy, or the covers too spicy (make alternative options, I did).
3. The bookstore could be so overwhelmed with requests that it just takes them a long time to get through them, so be patient.
4. Bookstores might be looking for certain types of covers (such as covers that really fit genre trends…more on this to come).
5. They don’t like your book (ugh, bummer, this reason sucks butt! Move on.).
6. There might not be enough reviews for them to want to take a chance on your book. (Keep working on that).
7. They may only like to host local authors. They may even ONLY TAKE books from local authors. It is what it is, move on.

Don’t give up though because bookstores DO WANT INIDE BOOKS! You may just have to keep applying to find the right fit for your mutually beneficial collaboration.

Here’s an example of book covers that I recreated so that I had discreet book covers for some of my spicy books. I called them the ‘Bookstore Edition’:

Ugh! Applying to Independent Bookstores is Arduous…How can you make it easier?

1. Create a PDF or word doc with all your info so it’s easy to add to Google forms or to an email. This is a huge time saver so you don’t have to recreate/re-look up the same information over and over again Some commonly asked for book characteristics are the book blurb (or short pitch), ISBN number, retail cost, purchase cost, consignment willingness, tropes, triggers, book covers, alternate limited editions, swag offers to send with books, willingness to send signed book plates, willingness to sign books, number of pages in the book.
2. Make a list of which bookstores you apply to and the date you applied. Be sure take good notes for yourself. If you never hear back from them, perhaps try again way down the road? Make your best judgement here.
3. Ask local bookstores if they know of others in the area that take indie books.
4. Go to local book fairs to find out about other indie bookstores.
5. As mentioned above, utilize bookshop dot org, they are a huge supporter of indie bookstores and indie authors.
6. Make your own online bookshop! Make one of your own with all your own books on bookshop dot org, I did! Because why not! Here’s mine: https://bookshop.org/shop/ruanwillowpinkinfinitypublishing

Maybe you need to sweeten the deal…How to Make your book more appealing to independent bookstores

1. First and foremost: be willing to follow their process and restrictions.
2. If they have requirements for sharing or creating graphics, be sure to follow their guidelines closely. You don’t want to get kicked out because you neglected to do a required task. This is a collab, so do your part!
3. MAKE RELEVANT BOOK COVERS TO YOUR GENRE! This is probably one of the top important things you can do. According to Nicole, the bookstore owner from Betty’s Pages Bookstore (podcast interview, listen here to Nicole’s interview) “We shop with our eyes first.” She advises as indie authors we ALL need to pay attention to book cover trends and do similar covers to what current trends are at the time of release. It’s very important to buyers so this is something we as authors should NOT skimp on. The key is to make your cover similar to fit current trends, but obviously not exact. If you can’t make one, hire someone. Check Fiverr for this too because they tend to have all price points. Nicole also talks in the interview about how book placement on the shelf matters, so it your book is to be displayed, the cover matters immensely! We all know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in the case of actually books… we all do it! So, make your book cover is irresistible and packs a punch!
4. Get your book edited by an editor so you are putting a quality book up for the bookstores review.
5. Get your book formatted professionally (I’ve used Fiverr and also D2D, but there are also programs out there. I’ve heard people like Atticus, but I haven’t tried it personally.)
6. Be a partner! Share their bookstore with your audiences online and with your email list. Be a beacon of advertisement for the bookstores you have your books in! Like their posts and engagement with comments, even when it’s not about YOUR BOOK!
7. Ask the bookstore owners how you can help. Maybe you can send along graphics to help them advertise your book. Maybe you can send swag or stickers. Maybe you can send signed bookplates. Ask them.
8. Once you are in a bookstore with your books, give them a heads up when you have another book about to launch. This will help you sell more books in the important prelaunch period and help the bookstore perhaps sell more books too because readers love new releases.
9. Shoutout your bookstores in social media posts and tell people where they can find your books.

Other Tips I’ve Figured out in my interactions with Independent Bookstores

1. Partner with bookstores who will help market your book on social media. As I keep saying, this is a partnership, and you should both be helping each other advertise. Sour face: I’ve run into one bookstore that I wouldn’t ever approach again. They wanted me to essentially “rent space” in their bookstore, so I would have had to pay $25 for them to take my book, plus they wanted a cut of the book sale, and then they weren’t even going to advertise it at all! I also would have had to drive the books there and pick them up if they didn’t sell after a certain period. I don’t want this! I don’t mind the driving, but if a bookstore takes my books…I expect they will actually try and sell my books, too! So be wary of someone who charges you just to host your books. To me, that’s total BS! Be discerning in who you partner with for your book babies!
2. There are some interesting collabs out there, just do your research! I’ve found everything from an editor in a bookstore to bookstores who will put your book in book boxes or fun bookish kits to sell. Some bookstores create swag for books, and others may even sell your consignment books at book fairs they attend as a book seller. There are some unique offerings out there and the more the indie publishing world grows, the more unique and creative opportunities for both indie authors and indie booksellers we are going to find. And that’s very awesome! The indie world is a huge hub for creativity and new thoughts, new approaches, and creative marketing, so keep a look out for those things and never stop searching online for new and exciting opportunities! Here’s a service I’ve used: https://linktr.ee/naughtynookpr
3. Visit social media to peruse and post frequently. The platform I’ve found the most independent bookstores posting on is Threads. If you aren’t there, get there. They have a system where if you post threads or words…such as ‘bookstores’, it helps curate your feed so you can see more posts from bookstore owners, for instance. Engage online with bookstore posts and this will help the system get more of them in your feed, then you will have more indie bookstores to approach, seek, and collab with! It’s a win-win!

General Tips for Indie Authors

Join an online organization. These groups are helpful for advice, training, collaboration, and even protection for indie authors.

1. Join Author’s Guild. I’m a member and they have many perks as well as legal assistance for legal help and for contract reviewing, if needed. They also just created something where authors can certify that their book was human created, called ‘Human Authored Certification’, which is becoming super important in this increasingly devious way people are using ai to create and steal books. Piracy is a very real threat to indie authors, all authors, but especially indie authors because we are usually alone in what we do. Find out more here https://authorsguild.org/
2. Join ALLI, The Alliance for Independent Authors is great too! Find out more here: https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/
3. Hire other small creators/individuals to help with editing, book covers, formatting, finding ARC readers, street teams, book boxes, social media, trailers, graphics, content pulls, and more. I keep seeing new and creative ways people are coming up with to help authors with bookish things, so be on the lookout!
4. Post on social media. Don’t stop. Keep doing it. It’s hard. It’s painful at times. It’s arduous. But it’s also free advertising. Marketing says people must see things seven times before they buy.
5. Be bold. Try new things! Try unconventional things.
6. Use BookSirens for ARC’s and also StoryOrigin App (check it out with my affiliate link StoryOrigin App and also BookFunnel. They all have great features such as book swaps, ARC’s, author collabs, delivery of free books/samples, audiobook features, and more!
7. Don’t just send your ebook to someone without vetting, because piracy is rampant. Using an established system already in place is better, like BookSirens or BookFunnel.
8. Go be a guest on bookish podcasts (and non book podcasts too)! My podcast interviews authors who write spicy romance, erotica/erotic romance, and nonfiction books on sexuality. Hit me up! Podcasts are listened to by people all over the world and another way to get free advertising for your books and your brand.

I hope you have found this useful and can get your books in more independent bookstores! I wish you the best of luck!

Ruan

Copyright 2025 Pink Infinity Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NO AI analysis or crawling allowed! Back off bitches! Stay in your lane, ai! This is not for you!

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