Author Inquiry

River Bend Bookshop is proud to support authors at every stage of their career. 

We have separate processes for self-published and traditionally published books.  Please review the submission process for your method of publication and reach out to the shop with any questions.

 

SELF PUBLISHED / VANITY PRESS / INDEPENDENT AUTHOR

If you have made your book available for distribution through Ingram - thank you!  Your book may already be available for order through our site.  Search for your ISBN number to confirm.  

If your book is listed, the price is correct, and you see an "Add to Cart" button - great!  River Bend is already selling your book and no special action is required.  Please consider adding a link to our site to your website and marketing materials, and encourage your family, friends and fans to get their copies at your neighborhood bookshop.  Great sales earn shelf space.  Sell a bunch, and we'll be more than happy to carry a copy in the shop.

If you see your book but it is priced higher than your regular list price, you have likely set your book to be available to bookstores at a lower than trade discount.  If you see "Email or Call for Price" it is likely that you set your book at no discount (NET pricing) to us - asking the bookshop to pay the full retail price for each book ordered. Selling books at a small profit is how we keep the lights on.  If you are serious about wanting to drive sales through the Indie Book Store channel, please set your discount to "full trade" and make your books returnable.  These are standard terms in our industry, and the only way we can afford to stock your book.  Want to learn a little more about discounting?  Check out this video from Book Launchers.  (This is not an endorsement of Book Launchers, it is, however, the clearest description of how trade discounting works that we have come across.)

Another fantastic resource for self-published authors is this article from IngramSpark about marketing your books to indie bookstores.  Every bit of this article is true to our experience - especially the first section about not starting with your sales on a certain online monopolist retailer.  If you mention the "A" word in your email introducing your book to our store, we hit delete and never look back.  There is no clearer sign that you have made zero effort to understand your market than to lead off with this while talking to us.  

If you have chosen to not make your book available through a distributor, we will not be able to carry your book in the shop.  We do not consign books or buy directly from authors.  These practices are extremely time consuming for our tiny team and not sustainable for our business.

 

However you have decided to sell your book, we do invite you to check out our annual Author Stage event to promote your new title.  Author Stage is our own local Lit Fest, and the Bookshop invests a tremendous amount of time and resources into bringing authors and readers together.  Hosting 48 authors and poets in 2022, this is our premier community event and the best opportunity to reach River Bend's large reading audience. 

Author Stage takes place in conjunction with the Glastonbury Arts "On The Green" Arts & Crafts Show on Hubbard Green during the weekend following Labor Day. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with a brief pause in the 3-4 weeks leading up to the event.  Local authors who published books, short fiction, essays, or poetry between September 1 of the prior year, and December 31 of the current year are invited to register for the program and submit their work for consideration.  

At this time, Author Stage is the only event opportunity for independent authors available through River Bend Bookshop.

 


TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED

Working with a traditional publishing company, large or small.  

If your book has been published traditionally and is available to us through our normal purchasing channels, please complete the title information form.  We are happy to review titles submitted through this form and will consider for frontlist ordering during our seasonal purchasing windows.  Please include information on local connections, regional interest, or other information you feel would be helpful in our evaluation.