Indie bookstores are like snowflakes. No two are the same. I made a trek around my home territory in Raleigh and looked for places to peddle my books. I figured there’d be a strong synergy. “Me indie publisher. You indie bookstore.”
One store looked like garage sale with wall-to-wall books. They’d display my books but had lost their lease and feared my books would get lost in the move to their new location, if there was a new location.
A few only dealt in used books and were only steps above the garage sale motif. Pretty much these were no-goes based on past experiences of trying to sell local author books. I wanted to scream my books are different, but I understood their point.
One store worth mentioning is Quail Ridge Books. They truly have their act together with a nice layout and a steady stream of writers coming through for signings and readings. They took a copy for consideration and will let me know in about a month.Then I found All Booked Up in Apex, NC, and felt like I’d come home. The shop is small but the ambiance is big. The proprietor Janice makes everyone feel like they belong. My book got a prominent spot on the local author book shelf. Below is a shot taken with my camera phone. If you get to Apex, check out All Booked Up, tell Janice I sent you and pick up a copy of Penelope and The Birthday Curse.
I hadn't thought of that route. I'm sure there are some good independent book stores in Sydney I can approach. I'll have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I'm ever in North Carolina again, I'll make sure I stop by Apex and 'All Booked Up'.