They won't be beating a path to your door!

There are two sides to the question of how people are going to buy your book: :: They have to want to buy it :: They have to be able to buy it Booksellers don't want to take up valuable space on their shelves by stocking books; they would much rather people came in and ordered them. People need to know your book is out there; and also that this is just the book that they need. Booksellers can also extremely snooty about publishers. When I rang Hammicks in Cheltenham, as a courtesy, to tell them that they might like to know that I was going to be on BBC Radio Gloucestershire talking about EASY BEING, they said, primly: 'we don't normally buy from small publishers'. As a self-publisher, you can expect some booksellers to look down their noses at you - that's their problem! (And I notice from the distributors' statement that Hammicks have, in fact, ordered it.) Waterstones, on the other hand, are very supportive of local writers, and of interesting books in general. Your own booksellers will doubtless be very supportive - chat them up and pick their brains. Think about your own book-buying strategies. :: How often do you wander into a bookshop and buy something that you have never heard of, off the shelf - just because it looks good? For everyone who does this, your book needs to be there, on that shelf, ready to buy - this is why I use a distributor. :: How often do you need to read/hear about a good book before you actually go out and buy it? For every person who needs several reminders, you need to provide these reminders - this is why I use a publicist. Promotion! Promotion! Promotion! Be prepared to get out there and do it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A final thought for you: If it's not going to be fun - Find Something Else to Do!