Join our Indie/Local Collaboration program!

What is the Indie/Local Bookshelf?

The Indie/Local Author Cooperative Bookshelf is a program that gives independent authors shelf space in a local bookstore at the heart of our community. The bookshelf is located at the front of our store and offers a spotlight on books that might otherwise get overlooked in the sea of established publications. 

The Program lasts 6 months and costs a one-time $350 fee to rent the shelf space. Rather than buying the books directly, we sell them on consignment (i.e. we put them on our shelves and pay the authors after they have sold). With the shelf space comes multiple benefits, including: a 60/40 author/bookseller payout; handling of sales tax; marketing campaigns; an in-store book signing event; progress reports; feature in seasonal displays (if applicable); and training booksellers.

Why do you have this program -- and why does it cost money?

We want to support independent authors in our community -- but doing so comes with certain financial risks. When placed side by side with our curated (and heavily marketed) selections from mainstream publishers, independently published books tend to get lost or overlooked. This isn't ideal for the independent authors, and it costs the bookstore because our profits depend on shelf space.

The program rectifies this issue by providing independent authors with a unique spotlight, promotional campaigns on the part of the booksellers, and the potential for "graduation" (i.e. if the book shows a consistent rate of sale and makes back the $350 rental fee during the six month program, we will begin to buy the book directly while keeping it in its home on the Indie/Local shelf). We also offer feedback and education to our authors based on observations from the booksellers themselves. This way the book is given the attention/promotion it deserves and the bookstore isn't out anything. 

In other words, we put a lot of work into this program to give our authors the greatest chance at success, and the rental fee is a relatively small trade-off for our efforts.

How do I apply for this program?

Send an email to events@villagebookstores.com with the following:

• An image of your book cover

• Your book's title and ISBN number

• Your book's retail price

• Your book's genre and target demographic (please be as specific as possible)

• Any potential content warnings (triggering subjects, language, etc. – this helps us hone in on the demographic)

• A detailed summary of the book’s content (i.e. major plot points, the story from  beginning to end)

• A passage/writing sample from the book

• A brief description of your book's current community and how it's selling (e.g. do you have a social media presence? Are you publishing with Barnes & Noble or Amazon? Is the book selling in any stores? etc.)

• Any website and/or social media associated with your book

Please note that we do not accept physical copies of books until they have been approved for our program and a contract has been signed.

What happens after I apply?

Our Project Leader will add your proposal to our workflow and review it as soon as they are able to. Please note that we are a very small company and most of the work for the program is done by one person. While we do our best to review proposals in a timely manner, the authors currently in the program take first priority. If you do not hear back from us within two months, please feel free to send a reminder. This will bring your proposal back to our attention and show that you are genuinely interested in and committed to the program.