Submission guide for authors
Will you stock my book?
If you are thinking about asking us this question, congratulations! A book, whether it is published by a recognised publisher or self-published, is a huge achievement. Please know that we carefully consider every stock request. That said, we are asked this question very frequently and, as a small independent bookshop, we couldn’t possibly say yes to all the books pitched to us. If you are thinking about asking us to stock your book, please read the following guidelines carefully first.
Regretfully, we do not have time to respond to those who do not follow our submission guidelines.
Send us an email
Your first contact should always be by email to info@everybodyreads.com. Please do not phone or pop into the shop unannounced and expect someone to be available to speak with you about your book. You will very likely just be handed a copy of these guidelines which isn’t a good use of your time. If we are interested in your book after reading your email, we will invite you to bring in a copy for further consideration.
Make a compelling pitch
Please don’t send us something that essentially says ‘I wrote a book, please stock it’. Your pitch should be one page or less (with attachments if necessary) and must include each of the following:
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Short description
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Number of pages
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Publisher (if any)
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Publishing date
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Genre (Where do you see it shelved in our shop?)
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Format (hardcover/paperback)
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RRP (retail price)
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Statement that no part of either the text or illustration (including cover design) has been created with the use of AI
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Statement that both a scannable barcode and the retail price of the book are printed on the cover
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Distributor (we have accounts with Gardners and the major publishers; if the book is not available through these channels, tell us how we can get it and the trade discount available to us.)
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Are you a local author? (primary residence is in W4 or W6 postcodes)
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Why you think it will sell at Everybody Reads. This is the most important bit. If your book is published by a mainstream publisher, we have probably already been told about it. Your email to us is where you can highlight new and relevant information we may not know. Is the subject particularly topical? Is the book of local interest? Was your last book successful? Will there be marketing efforts supporting the book’s release? Etc, etc. (Note: If you find it difficult to come up with reasons why your book will sell in our shop, we will likely have the same difficulty.)
Are you a local author?
As a community-focused independent bookshop, we want to support our local authors* where we can reasonably do so. We will not, however, consider books published more than 4 years ago (2 years if self-published), books where we can't get a reasonable trade discount or that we feel are simply not likely to sell in our shop. After your initial email, we may ask you for a gratis reading copy and will certainly ask for proof of residency prior to making our decision. If we decide to take your book, we will generally purchase 1 copy for our shelves and replace it as it sells.
* those who's primary residence is in a W4 or W6 postcode, proof of residency is required
Is your book self-published?
Self-published books, by definition, have not had the ‘seal of approval’ of a recognised publisher and are of very wide-ranging quality. We must be particularly careful about which ones we stock. We will not consider a self-published title that does not meet all three of the following requirements so make sure you tell us, in your initial email, that it does:
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there must be a printed barcode and price on the cover
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the author must live locally (W4 or W6)
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the book must have been published within the past 2 years
Should we agree that the book might be of interest to our customers, we will come back to you for further information, which will always include proof of address and a gratis reading copy from which to make our final decision. If we find the book appropriate for the shop, we will expect a free copy for the shelves initially. If the book sells, we will purchase replacement copies in line with our expectation of sales and the trade discount available on the book.