After
browsing the Amazon site, many independent authors assume they have to be part
of the Amazon Advantage plan to sell books through Amazon (the Advantage plan
requires a 55% discount and means a couple of copies of your book are kept in
its warehouse – more details at Amazon’s
site).
BUT
you
do not have to be part of the Amazon Advantage plan to sell your book through
Amazon.
If
Amazon receives an order for your book, they will want to satisfy their customer
and will take your standard bookstore 40% discount and order the book directly
from the source listed in Books In Print as the supplier.
How do I get listed?
Even
if your book is not in their warehouse, or in the warehouse of any major
wholesaler; even if you never told them it existed, your book may still be
listed at Amazon.com – which compiles its listing from various sources
including Books In Print and the wholesaler Ingram’s databases.
If
you do not see your already-published title in Amazon’s listings, you can list
your book’s information here.
To add more descriptive content, cover art, or reviews to your book’s listing,
use this
page and follow the instructions carefully.
What If I Decide Not To Join Amazon Advantage?
If
you decide not to join Amazon Advantage your book will be listed, but not in
stock at Amazon or a wholesaler. It may show up as a Special Order item, with
the message 'this title usually ships within 4-6 weeks', since Amazon is not
sure they can get hold of copies.
If,
however if it is in stock or back-ordered at Ingram, it will be listed as a more
favorable ‘ships in 1-2 weeks’.
If
you think that your readers are put off by seeing 'usually ships in 4-6 weeks,
may go out of print', then Advantage starts to look interesting. If you think
they will say 'eh, I want the book, I don't mind the wait', then remember, you
do not need to sign up for the Advantage program.
Minding the Details
While
Amazon does not attempt to hide the fact that you can be listed without being
part of this program, they do weight the description a little to make it sound
like you’re getting more than you would otherwise. In fact, many of the things
touted as being part of Advantage (such as being able to add cover art) are
available to any title.
Here's
what I've learned about the Amazon program, while on a project investigating it
as an option for independent authors:
1.
Your book will be in stock at Amazon and will list as 'ships in 24 hours'. This
bumps your book higher up the list, when someone searches (it provides results
in order of sales ranking and availability, so you'll see all the 'ships in 24
hrs' titles, before any of the ships in '1-2 weeks' titles). If they sell all
the copies they have in stock, your book's status will drop back to 'ships in
1-2 weeks' while they wait for their new supply.
2.
You send the initial copies on consignment. They decide how many copies they
want (usually 3-5 to start with). As those copies sell, they decide whether or
not to replenish their stock, based on clever algorithms. If they do not sell,
Amazon used to retain the right to dispose of them but now, I'm pleased to see,
promises to return them to you. They do offer real-time reporting online, and
you never have to send them an invoice, as they cut checks the month after they
sell the book. This is far preferable to a standard wholesaler deal with it’s
90-120 day terms.
3.
You do not need to be a member of the Advantage program to get your book's
information on the site, or to add descriptive material and art. You can submit
all this information electronically as mentioned above.
If you enroll in Advantage, I think they will scan the cover for you, when it
arrives at their warehouse, but don’t forget you can supply the art yourself
if you are not signing up.
4.
Shipping. You pay for all shipping, insurance etc., to Amazon, (but not to the
customer). If you are currently selling your book independently, and charging
your readers for shipping, don’t forget to factor these charges into the cost
of doing business with Amazon.
5.
In my experience, Amazon does not pass along to readers the discount you give
them for being part of the Advantage program. Only the top-selling books are
marked down.
Decision Time
If you simply want to make your book
available through Amazon, you do not have to sign up for their program. You
could simply list your book and add its Amazon URL to your signature file, so
that potential readers can link directly to it. If you think readers will not be
put off by the ‘4-6 week wait’ warning, then perhaps Advantage is not for
you.
The real benefits of this program are
the 24 hour turnaround for your readers, and the fact that your title will show
up higher in the catalog search. If you think this will generate enough
additional sales to make up for that extra 15% discount, you may want to join.
For more information about the
economics of the Advantage program, see the companion article “Is
Amazon Advantage Worth It? - What Every Self-Publisher Needs To Know About
Discounting Your Book”
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