Sell to UK bookshops and libraries and collect every royalty

This guide is for self-published and small-press authors in the UK who want their print book on real shelves, not just online, and who want to be paid for every sale, library loan and photocopy. It goes further than the shorter guides on registering a book and getting stocked: you will decide the right trade model, run the discount and returns numbers before you print, pitch shops and library services professionally, and register with every scheme that pays authors. By the end you will have an advance information sheet, a pitch you can send, and an income tracker that shows exactly what you are owed and when. Launch planning, fairs and audiobooks are covered in separate guides.

What is inside

• Full step-by-step method9 detailed steps with decision points
• Ready-to-use templatesAdvance information sheet (one page for shops and libraries) · Email to an independent bookshop buyer or library stock team · Book income and rights tracker
• Timed action plan8 stages from “4–6 months before publication” to “Before each ALCS cut-off”
• Costly mistakes to avoid4 traps and what to do instead
• Complete checklist12 items to tick off
• Insider tips and fixes4 tips and 4 common problems solved

Step by step

1. Choose your trade model before you print anything

   There are three broad routes. Print on demand with expanded distribution makes your book orderable by any UK shop through wholesalers, with no stock to hold, but the unit cost is higher and many shops will only stock books they can return. A short print run held by a distributor that supplies wholesalers and shops gives a lower unit cost and returnable stock, but you pay for printing, storage and distribution up front. Supplying shops directly from your own boxes works well for a handful of local shops but does not scale, because most bookshops prefer to order through the wholesaler accounts they already use. Rule of thumb: if you want more than five or six shops or any library service outside your area, you need to be orderable through the main UK wholesale channel; if you only want local shops and events, direct supply can be enough. Ask any distributor or platform for its trade discount, returns policy, payment terms and all fees in writing before signing.