Book Submissions
Congratulations on writing and publishing your book! If your book is a good fit for Andover Bookstore, we have an established path to house and sell your work here. Note that we prioritize requests by authors who are local to our area and have strong ties to our bookstore community.
How It Works
We are a small bookstore and often a one-person band on the floor. Please understand that due to our limited staff resources, we discourage unsolicited phone calls or drop-in visits on the matter of consignment. Following the steps below will ensure that your request is carefully considered by our team:
- Read our Consignment terms carefully.
- Fill out our Consignment Application only if your book fits our terms and you are in agreeance with our policies.
- If we feel that your book is a good fit for our store, we will reach out to you to offer you a consignment contract. Thank you for your patience on this.
- *As a matter of principle, we do not carry books published with Amazon or any of its imprints (KDP, Create Space, and others). In addition to the workers’ rights violations, union busting, and large carbon emissions expelled by Amazon, it is a corporation pushing independent publishers and bookstores out of business. We put care into the work of bookselling, and Amazon goes against our mission and threatens our existence as a small independent bookstore.
Terms of Consignment
- We charge a basic administrative fee and shelf fee of $50 per title. This fee is returned if the books sells 20 or more copies within the first consignment term (6 months).
- Books must have a spine displaying the title and author’s name (no spiral-bound books).
- Upon sale, we pay 50% of retail to the consignor. Payments are sent twice a year (once in January and once in July) to an address provided by the consignor.
- We will pay only for items sold. Damaged or stolen items are the sole financial responsibility of the consignor.
- We display books on a consignment basis for a minimum of six months. As books sell, we will request additional copies from the consignor.
- If there is a six-month period without sales, we will request that any unsold books be picked up from our store within 30 days of notification, after which books will be donated
Local Author Events
For $100, you may host an in-store author event at the bookstore. We will feature your book for one email newsletter blast to our store mailing list and promote it on our social media. The most successful events take place when the author publicizes widely and secures an audience prior to the event.
Events can be held in a variety of formats. More formal, seated events (like a book reading) are typically held on Thursday evenings and last around an hour. An author Meet & Greet and book signing can be scheduled over weekend hours, typically on Saturday afternoons.
All events are subject to staff resources and the bookstore’s calendar.
Successful Consignment Tips
- Encourage friends, family, and other contacts to purchase your book at Andover Bookstore.
- Contact your local media and mailing lists to announce that your book is available at Andover Bookstore.
- Send out press releases, review copies, and other promotional materials.
- Get involved with book clubs, libraries, and other community organizations. Greater success comes from a wide array of author-coordinated promotion.