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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Jun 12, 2023 23:18:31 GMT
uk.bookshop.org/ (there's also an international site and I assume one for other countries.)
I discovered this when a rather large bookshop opened in our little village. Usually independents seem to close down!
I wondered what presence they had on line. Quite a lot on social media, but no website. But - they seem to be registered with the above organisation. uk.bookshop.org/ does have the option to select one of the bookshops registered with them close to you, but when you search for a book on uk.bookshop.org/ site, it will find a registered bookshop close to you for you, if there is one, and list its name at the top of the search page. I assume it uses the searcher's IP address. And you can order from that page. However, uk.bookshop.org/ fill the order and ship it and give the bookshop 30% commission, for not doing anything!
uk.bookshop.org/ boast is it's about time someone competed with Amazon's almost monopoly. Ermmm, OK.
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Post by potet on Jun 13, 2023 10:28:22 GMT
For obscure reasons, some of my books are mentioned on the site of many small bookshops throughout France. For instance, this one in Sètes (on the Mediterranean) offers the album of my pictures. So far, no far no revenue from them has been mentioned by Lulu.  |
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Jun 13, 2023 23:16:48 GMT
Pretty much anywhere can discover a book by its ISBN. The site I mentioned I searched for an SF series. The bricks & mortar shop did not have them in stock, I asked, but the UK.bookshop.org/ found them, with the shop's name at the top of the results. I also searched for my own name, and, again it said that the 'shop in my village' apparently has them and I can order them from them to be delivered. They don't have mine in stock! Being POD and no Sale or Return offered. But as I say, searching a site for titles or writer's name, or an ISBN, and anything can be ordered and shipped. But it does seem as if UK.bookshop.org/ sort of credits my local shop with ordering and shipping them, when in fact it's UK.bookshop.org/ doing it. Do they really then give the shop 30% commission?
What I was wondering is do you need proof that you are an actual real shop. Could people simply register their home address, maybe give it a bookish sounding name, and just sit back letting UK.bookshop.org/ do all the work?! I may look at the smallprint ...
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Post by potet on Jun 14, 2023 8:35:59 GMT
In France, over 2500 independent bookshops are united as www.lalibrairie.com/ but in so far as they cannot supply my books, I regard this organisation as incompetent. |
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Post by potet on Jun 14, 2023 8:39:43 GMT
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Post by potet on Jun 14, 2023 8:43:17 GMT
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Post by potet on Jun 14, 2023 8:45:47 GMT
I don't remember coming across a single sale from these bookstores.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Jun 14, 2023 23:26:45 GMT
I am not 100% conversant with how ISBNs are used by all sites, but I believe that Lulu use Ingram's ISBNs. Any site linked to Ingram's book database will list all books on that database. But I would assume that many sites simply list or even have actual stock of books they believe will sell well rather than list everything. A bit like 'real' shops and their limited shelf space. None will stock POD books unless given to them! Amazon KDP use their own identification and books created at KDP are automatically listed on Amazon Books, eventually on every Amazon site worldwide.
But I expect that every book site that has a search engine is able to find any book that has an ISBN, even if they don't have it listed already or in stock, get it and ship it. If not then it's a poor site.
As to sales. If I recall correctly your books are very niche, so you have to consider how many people would buy them. Not to mention that POD is expensive. Plus, people need to know a book exists so they may be tempted to search for it and maybe buy it.
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