Recently I began wondering just where my books were on sale. The question arose when I noticed that the hardcover edition of Fantastic Defenders seemed to be available from more retailers than I’d realized, including Wal-Mart, Target, Book Depository, etc.
I’m an indie-published writer, but my books are published by Tannhauser Press, which is a small press owned by a friend of mine. That’s important, because a lot of booksellers won’t carry books listed as published by Amazon (which is what happens if you use an Amazon-provided ISBN) or one of Amazon’s imprints.
There are also format considerations, with different outlets for print editions (trade paperback and hardcover), ebooks, and audiobooks. This last was easy to figure out…I don’t have any audiobooks yet.
I’m currently in Amazon’s KDP Select program, which provides Amazon with exclusivity for my ebooks. I also have a few ebooks (stories that are good but really too short to sell) as free ebooks on SmashWords, which is set to distribute to other non-Amazon platforms. My trade paperbacks are printed by KDP, but with Tannhauser ISBNs. Likewise, my hardcovers (only one so far), are printed by IngramSpark, but also with Tannhauser ISBNs.
Here’s a summary of what the major outlets in the US carry in their online stores…
Barnes & Noble
Klunky interface, but a decent selection of books.
- Includes Tannhauser Press trade paperbacks from KDP in their online store.
- Includes Tannhauser Press hardcovers from IngramSpark in their online store.
- Includes ebooks via their Nook program (US only).
- Inludes ebooks distributed via SmashWords and Draft2Digital (for authors not exclusive to KDP Select).
Books-a-Million (BAM)
2005 is calling and wants its website back.
- Does not carry Tannhauser Press trade paperbacks from KDP in their online store.
- Includes Tannhauser Press hardcovers from IngramSpark in their online store.
- Does not carry ebooks at all.
Wal-Mart
Making a serious play for book sales, including regularly clashing with Amazon on pricing.
- Includes Tannhauser Press trade paperbacks from KDP in their online store.
- Includes Tannhauser Press hardcovers from IngramSpark in their online store.
- Includes ebooks through a partnership with Kobo.
- Inludes ebooks distributed via SmashWords and Draft2Digital to Kobo (for authors not exclusive to KDP Select).
Target
A surprisingly weak performer in the book realm.
- Does not carry Tannhauser Press trade paperbacks from KDP in their online store.
- Includes Tannhauser Press hardcovers from IngramSpark in their online store.
- Does not carry ebooks at all.
Kobo
Appears to have a solid international presence, plus an exclusive US partnership with Wal-Mart.
- Only ebooks submitted to Kobo (directly or by a service).
Apple Books
- Only ebooks submitted to Apple Books (directly or by a service).
Google Play
Seemed a little weak.
- Only ebooks submitted to Google Play (directly or by a service).
There are other book retailers, such as Book Depository and many more, that may carry my books, so this is not an exhaustive list. Overall, Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart seem to be making a determined run at the book market. BAM and Target’s efforts are desultory at best. Kobo looks like a contender in the ebook field and has more of an international presence than Amazon.
So, here’s the scoop on which retailers are carrying my books (and in which formats):
- Amazon: Ebooks, Trade Paperbacks, and Hardcovers.
- Barnes & Noble: Trade Paperbacks, Hardcovers, and free ebooks (via SmashWords).
- Wal-Mart: Trade Paperbacks, Hardcovers, and free ebooks (via Kobo).
- Target: Hardcovers only.
- Kobo: Free ebooks (via SmashWords).
- Google Play: N/A.
- Apple Books: N/A.
I’m gradually taking some of my books wide (not exclusive to Amazon for ebooks), so I expect I’ll eventually have ebooks for sale on Kobo, Google Play and Apple Books. Meanwhile, I can now tell my friends that my books are carried by other retailers than just Amazon.
Leave a Reply