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Self-publishing · Bookstores

How to get a self-published book into bookstores

A bookstore orders a self-published print book from a wholesaler, or it agrees to take copies on its own terms. IngramSpark publishes a wholesale discount range and three return choices, and it says no retailer has to buy the book. KDP Expanded Distribution can offer a paperback to distributors and does not describe a returns program, while Barnes and Noble Press lists preorder windows and does not state in-store placement, checked 16 October 2026.

Publishing Map's take

Offer the print book through IngramSpark if a store should be able to order it. IngramSpark says 53 to 55 percent with a returnable status generally allows the widest bookstore availability, no retailer has to buy, and KDP Expanded Distribution can offer a paperback without describing a returns program.

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The short answer

  1. IngramSpark's discount article says the wholesale discount runs from 40 percent to 55 percent, and that 55 percent is the trade discount most publishers choose. The same article also names a 35 percent minimum for the UK, EU, and Australia.[381]
  2. User guide 3.3 says the minimum discount is on the title setup page and can change, and that 53 to 55 percent with a returnable status generally allows the widest bookstore availability. No store has to order.[380]
  3. Return choices are non-returnable, Yes-Deliver, and Yes-Destroy. Yes-Deliver adds 3 USD per book to a U.S. address and 20 USD to a non-U.S. address, on top of the wholesale cost. The guide says Yes-Deliver is U.S. market only and, in the same section, that it applies to books sold in the United States or Canada.[380]
  4. KDP Expanded Distribution pays 40 percent of the channel list price minus printing costs, taxes, and withholding. Hardcovers are not eligible. The page does not describe returns.[383]
  5. Barnes and Noble Press lists a print preorder of 6 months and an ebook preorder of 12 months. It does not state in-store placement. The ABA's public consignment template does not state a split or a shelf period.[378][391]

01

What wholesale discount and return options does IngramSpark publish?

The discount article, modified 20 November 2025, says the wholesale discount runs from 40 percent to 55 percent, and that 55 percent is the trade discount most publishers choose. Under 55 percent, the store receives a short discount, which can limit orders. Later on the same page the minimum is 40 percent in the United States and 35 percent in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Australia. Both floors are printed. A 15 USD list price at 55 percent leaves a 6.75 USD wholesale price, then print cost and a market access fee. The fee percentage is not stated. The article says most bookstores will not buy directly from the author, and that a wholesale discount plus returns is how the book is ordered with other stock. User guide 3.3, dated 24 August 2026, does not print a 40 or 35 percent floor. It says the minimum is on the title setup page, can change, and is set by IngramSpark. It says 53 to 55 percent with a returnable status generally allows the widest availability. Its example is a 20.00 USD list, a 53 percent discount, a 9.40 USD wholesale price, 3.66 USD print, and 5.74 USD compensation. No wholesaler or retailer has to buy or display the book. The guide says more than 40,000 retailers and libraries. The discount article says more than 45,000. Use the discount shown in the account. The FAQ lets you choose returnable or not and does not print the charges. The guide does. Non-returnable means IngramSpark will not accept returns, in all markets. Yes-Deliver is labeled U.S. market only, and the same section says it applies to books sold in the United States or Canada. A U.S. return is the wholesale cost plus 3 USD. A non-U.S. return is the wholesale cost plus 20 USD. Condition is not guaranteed. Yes-Destroy is available in all markets except Global Connect: wholesale cost only, no shipping fee, and the book is destroyed. All titles are non-returnable in the UAE, and Global Connect sales are non-returnable. Books can be returned at any time and for any reason. Switching from returnable to non-returnable leaves a 180-day return right. Some booksellers buy only returnable books, so sales may fall if you choose otherwise. No return rate or sell-through figure is published.[380][381][382]

  • The 40 percent floor and the 35 percent floor are both printed on the discount article.
  • The 3 USD and 20 USD charges are shipping on top of the wholesale cost, from user guide 3.3.
  • No page states how many copies a store will return.

02

What does KDP state about Expanded Distribution to bookstores?

Enrolling a paperback makes it available to distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom so booksellers can order it. Booksellers elsewhere may buy from those distributors. Hardcovers are not eligible. Enrollment is free and does not guarantee an order. KDP cannot say which bookseller bought a copy. The book must be for sale on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, with rights in the matching country. The ISBN, yours or KDP's, must not already be in another distribution service. Hebrew, Yiddish, and Japanese paperbacks are not eligible. Availability, and later changes to details, content, or price, can take up to eight weeks. The royalty is 40 percent of the channel list price minus printing costs, applicable taxes, and withholding. The page does not describe a returns program, a discount you set, or shelf space. Third parties may manufacture these copies, with possible differences in paper thickness or color. If the same print book is also on IngramSpark, IngramSpark's FAQ says to leave this channel off. That instruction is IngramSpark's, not a prohibition on the KDP page.[382][383]

  • 40 percent minus printing cost is the stated royalty. It is not a wholesale discount you choose.
  • Returns for this channel are not stated. Do not import IngramSpark's return charges into it.

03

What does Barnes and Noble Press state about in-store placement?

The Barnes and Noble Press What's New page, checked 16 October 2026, lists an ebook preorder of 12 months in its Winter 2018 notes and a print preorder of 6 months in its Fall 2018 notes. It does not say that a preorder puts copies on a store shelf. It does not state in-store placement, an event program, a wholesale discount, or a returns policy. No placement or event rule was stated on that page.[378]

  • A preorder window is not a statement that a store will display the book.
  • No wholesale discount or return charge is stated on the What's New page.

04

What do bookseller groups publish about consignment?

The American Booksellers Association publishes a consignment application on BookWeb, dated 28 September 2026. The page says it is an editable template for stores to give authors who are asking the store to carry their book. It does not state a revenue split, a stocking fee, a number of copies, or how long the books stay. No Bookshop.org page stating how an author should approach a store, or stating a consignment rate, was used for this answer, so no consignment figure is taken from Bookshop.org. Draft2Digital's FAQ says a D2D Print paperback is listed with Amazon and with distribution channels served by Ingram, including Barnes and Noble and most independent bookstores in the US, and that physical stores can order it. The same answer says the book will not automatically be ordered or placed on a shelf, and that you may contact a store or library to ask, at the discretion of store management. It also says not to mail unsolicited copies. Those are Draft2Digital's statements about its own print service, not an ABA rate. The FAQ does not recommend D2D Print if the same book is already on KDP Expanded Distribution or IngramSpark.[373][391]

  • The public ABA template does not set a split, a fee, or a shelf period.
  • Asking a store is still the store's decision.

05

Does listing a book mean a store will stock it?

No. IngramSpark's user guide says no wholesaler, reseller, or retailer is obliged to buy or display the book, whatever the discount. KDP says the decision to order an Expanded Distribution paperback lies with the individual bookseller. Draft2Digital says a store is not obliged to put a copy on the shelf. None of these pages states a typical order size, a return rate, or a sell-through number.[373][380][383]

  • Availability in a catalog and a copy on a shelf are different events.
  • If a page does not state a number, this answer does not supply one.

Use the guided answer

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