What is book distribution?

Distribution is the set of services that make your book orderable and deliverable to retailers and libraries. It includes holding inventory (or using print-on-demand), receiving orders via industry systems, invoicing the retailer, shipping the book, and handling returns. Good distribution ensures your title appears in the databases that shops use to find and order books, with reliable fulfilment behind it.

Further reading: /information/book-distribution

What do book wholesalers do?

Wholesalers buy (or list) books from publishers and supply them to retailers, libraries and other trade buyers. They improve availability by holding stock centrally and offering rapid delivery on a wide catalogue. As an author-publisher, you don’t usually sell direct to every shop; a wholesaler or distributor bridges that gap. They charge a trade discount and often require standard metadata and barcodes.

Further reading: /information/book-wholesalers

How much discount do bookshops take?

Expect a typical overall trade discount of 40–55% off your RRP once wholesaler and retailer margins are accounted for. Larger chains and some online retailers can require more. Deep discounting is standard in trade publishing; price your book with that reality in mind and check that your unit cost still leaves a sensible margin.

Further reading: /information/bookshop-discounts

How do I get my book into bookshops?

Make the title orderable first: ISBN, clean metadata, a scannable barcode and a recognised distributor/wholesaler route. Then approach relevant shops with a short sales sheet (cover, blurb, price, discount/returns terms, who supplies). Start locally and with shops whose customers match your book. Remember: shelf space is limited; strong cover design, correct genre positioning and realistic terms matter.

Further reading: /information/getting-into-bookshops

What is the difference between Amazon and Kindle?

“Amazon” (Retail) is the shop that sells print and eBooks to customers. “Kindle” is Amazon’s eBook ecosystem; “KDP” is the self-service platform you use to publish Kindle eBooks and, if you choose, print-on-demand paperbacks. You can use Amazon purely as a retailer while distributing print through other channels; you’re not locked into a single route unless you opt into exclusivity for certain programmes.

Further reading: /information/amazon-kindle-kdp-explained

How do I work with Waterstones and Gardners?

In practice, the route looks like this:

• Gardners is the UK’s largest book wholesaler/distributor.
• They are unlikely to stock a self-published title without a proven sales record, and will usually require Sale or Return if they do.
• Waterstones place many smaller orders via Gardners and often only order when a customer orders in a Waterstones shop.
• When Waterstones orders via Gardners, Gardners typically places the order with the publisher; you supply Gardners, who supply Waterstones’ consolidation centre, then the shop — this chain can take time.

For this to work, your book’s details must be registered against your ISBN with Nielsen BookData. The upside: local Waterstones shops can, if pressed, buy direct from local self-published authors — but it helps if you already have a recognised supply route listed. Manage expectations and timelines.

Further reading: /information/waterstones-and-gardners

What is Sale or Return?

Sale or Return (SOR) means retailers can return unsold copies for credit. It’s normal in the UK and not inherently bad, but it ties up stock and cash. Some shops will accept larger quantities if they don’t have to pay up front; don’t over-supply. Keep SOR controlled: cap quantities, set a review date, limit it to trusted outlets, require books to be returned in saleable condition, and track placements so stock can be reallocated.

Further reading: /information/sale-or-return