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About Distribution
(Answers)
Can I sell books directly to bookstores or is this an exclusive distribution arrangement? Go Back to the Top
YES!!! The beauty of the Thor Distribution program is that the publisher is free to sell to any retailer they can. Some bookstores have exclusive arrangements with Ingram or Baker & Taylor so sales to them would come through Thor, but most do not. If you arrange a book signing at a local bookstore, you are free to sell books out of your inventory at whatever price you wish. You are also free to pursue and retail chain you’d like. The idea behind the program is to free the publisher of the worry of getting their book listed in the major wholesale databases so marketing efforts can be narrowed to narrower targets.
Is Thor Distribution meant to take the place of traditional distributors like Biblio? Go Back to the Top
NO!!! The Thor distribution program is designed to serve as a starting point.
Most independent publishers lack the funds to effectively market a book to the national market. Getting a new book into the marketplaces is normally a slow process. The math really doesn’t work using a traditional distributor unless you can guarantee a couple thousand bookstore copies per year. This is only going to happen after the publisher builds a demand for a book. Once the bookstore sales are there using the POD method, a traditional distributor can take it to the next level.
How long will it take to outgrow the Thor Distribution Program? Go Back to the Top
You are never more that one phone call away from outgrowing the Thor program. By removing the worry of bookstore distribution, the publisher’s full attention can be devoted to promoting the book. A couple good reviews, a couple interviews could easily get book sales to the level needed to make dealing with a traditional distributor worthwhile. On the other hand, a book may never out grow the Thor Program and only sell a few hundred copies or less per year through brick and mortar bookstores but remember... it’s found money so that’s not bad either. It’s only costing you $12/year so if you don’t sell a single book through the bookstore wholesalers, it’s only a few less Starbuck’s coffees.
How many books do I need to sell through book wholesalers to make it financially viable to use a traditional distributor? Go Back to the Top
The following chart shows you the dollars and cents comparisons between the two types of distribution. It will give you an idea of where you need to be to start considering a traditional distributor.
Sample Book
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6 x 9”, perfect bound
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256 pages plus cover
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50# white offset
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4 color laminated cover
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$14.95 retail
| Copies Sold |
BooksJustBooks.com unit cost per copy* |
Your gross profit/copy for sales via Biblio @ 60% discount** |
Thor unit cost per copy*** |
Your net profit /copy on all sales**** |
| 500 copies |
$5.42 |
$.056 |
$4.23 |
$3.25 |
| 750 copies |
$3.90 |
$.2.08 |
$4.23 |
$3.25 |
| 1000 copies |
$3.16 |
$2.82 |
$4.23 |
$3.25 |
| 1500 copies |
$2.38 |
$3.60 |
$4.23 |
$3.25 |
| 2000 copies |
$2.00 |
$3.98 |
$4.23 |
$3.25 |
| 3000 copies |
$1.59 |
$4.39 |
$4.23 |
$3.25 |
*plus shipping and all copies printed at same time
** Not included is any freight to and from, returns, restocking fees, storage all which publisher pays
*** Thor copies print one at a time
****No additional expenses for publisher (other than $25/year per title)
