Julie Broad explains why self-published books on Lightning Source need to be marked returnable in both the US and Canada catalogs. Without the US returnable setting, major bookstores like Chapters/Indigo won't order from Ingram. The change takes about five weeks to show up in the catalog.
Chapters
Hey there, it's Julie Broad of juliebrod.com giving you broad thoughts on many things.
Including self publishing your book.
So if you've watched some of my other videos, you know that I went.
With Lightning Source because I wanted to.
Get my book into bookstores, especially Chapters Indigo in Canada.
If that's you too, you definitely want.
To watch this video because I'm going.
To tell you a little snag. Actually, it's a big snag that I've run into. I've now fixed it, but it's caused me some grief how this all came up.
Chapter stores, many of them, not all, many of them will not order your book if it is not returnable. Thought I had this covered because in.
My selections there's options to make your book returnable. I had made all Canadian books or I had made my books returnable in Canada. I hadn't checked off us.
I wasn't really worried about US bookstores.
Buying my book and making it returnable. Didn't really think it was going to.
Be a big market there, unfortunately, because I had not checked off US And Ingram, the catalog that the books go.
Into from Lightning Source and that Chapters will order them from Ingram is an American company.
So your books are not returnable in the US if you haven't checked that off, which means to Chapters to the.
Ingram Company, which is in the States, it is not returnable. Yeah.
So many of the bookstores that I'd lined up book signings with so.
So that they would bring my book in, which I'll talk about in another video on selling your book and getting it into bookstores.
They aren't ordering my book. So I'm faced with the option of no book signing, which is what many.
Of them are preferring.
Or we do it on consignment. So I provide the supply, basically bring it in.
They sell what they can while I'm there and then we take it out. So they're going to sell it on consignment. That's it. And actually, many of the bookstores are preferring to just not have it at all because it's an admin hassle to sell books on consignment. So I've now fixed it. Great, right? Not so great because it's taking five.
Weeks for this change to appear in the Ingram catalog. So just from the start, if you.
Plan on selling to bookstores in Canada, check that box.
So it's returnable pretty much everywhere.
It's going to cost you when they return.
But if you want it in bookstores.
This is something you're going to want to have set up right from the start so that you don't keep running into this roadblock that I've been encountering.
For the last three and a half.
Weeks as I impatiently wait for the Ingram catalog to get updated with it showing as returnable.
I hope this saves you some pain. If you have questions comments about the.
Whole self publishing process in Canada, I.
Would love to help you out if.
I can, so feel free. Give me thumbs up on these videos if you want more like it. But post your comments questions below either.
On juliebroad.com or at YouTube and I.
Will do my best to get you answers. See you next time.
