The Afterlife of the Book

Three Avenues for Marketing and Distributing Your Indie Title

By Andrew E. Colarusso

So you've finished editing your masterpiece. Now what? For many of us, this is the hardest part. How do you get your book out there?

As a bookseller and published author, I've seen it all (almost)! Here are three of the most common ways independently published authors can get their work into the world. 

1. Walking into local brick and mortar shops

So you have your book and you've published it, let's say, for a local readership. If you live with/in a community of readers, it's not unreasonable to have your book stocked at the local shops and cafes. Often, indie bookstores are happy to carry local authors on consignment terms. Usually this means you, as the author, will give the store limited stock of your book. If the books sell, you receive 60% of every sale and the store keeps 40%. That's a standard split. But you can always attempt to negotiate your terms. Once you've come to an agreement, be sure to get it in writing. Read all contracts and agreements before signing! And make sure to keep record of your transaction. This is one of my personal favorite methods of getting my work out in the world, but it's not the most efficient way of sharing. If your goal is to cast a wider net, you'll have to find a proper distributor...

2. Finding a distributor or platform

So you want to reach more than the 20 people in your neighborhood and/or family? Create an account with a distributor like Ingram or even Amazon. Platforms like this, in tandem with a healthy social media and marketing campaign, can really facilitate wider distribution of your work. Of course they'll want their cut. So if you want to really control the terms of your sale, consider building your own site and selling on your own. Create your own LLC (easier than you'd think), utilize a Point of Sale software or website (Square, Shopify, etc) and start hustling. This is quite a bit of work—but such is the price one must pay to control the terms of their financial future. You're otherwise paying another platform (Amazon, Ingram, etc) to promote, distribute, account, etc. The choice is yours. 

3. Finding a publisher

Here is the unicorn we all dream of—that moment when the blind submission returns an affirmative note from the publisher of our dreams. In these instances, you can expect your publisher to handle many of the things we as indie authors are used to handling on our own. That might mean that your original cover design may be rejected in favor of a house design/er. A good publisher will never have an author pay for any of the marketing, distributing, design, printing, etc. A great/big publisher will even pay you an advance. But having a publisher also typically leaves little room for you to call the shots. You're at the whims of their industry standards. It feels nice to be taken care of by people with experience in the industry—but they're not always taking care of us (are they?). 

This is by no means an exhaustive list. These are just three common ways I've noticed authors move through the afterlife of their written investment! Have you had other experiences? Do you have tips for indie authors? List in the comments below. 

Andrew E. Colarusso is a writer from Brooklyn and manager of Taylor & Co. Books.