How to Get a Book Published - Bookstores Sell 50% of Books Published

50% of books meant for consumers are soldBarnes and Noble is the largest chain with 796 stores.
through bookstores. If you're wondering how to getAnnual revenues from those stores are $4.7 billion
a book published make sure your publisher's books iswhich translates into sales of almost 445 million books
stocked in bookstores. The first bookstores in theper year. A typical Barnes and Noble store offers
United States were established at least as far back150,000 - 200,000 titles to shoppers.
as 1640. At that time, quite a few booksellers wereOddly enough Barnes and Noble is re-instituting the
also book publishers. By 1700 there were 30old fashioned idea that booksellers are also publishers.
booksellers in Boston alone. However, these storesIts wholly owned company, Sterling Publishing, has
didn't restrict themselves to just books but soldthe publishing or distribution rights to 10,000 titles and
other merchandise as well. Richard Hoe's invention ofhas actively published 5000. They own a chunk of
the rotary press, which spewed out pages at theIUniverse, a publish-on-demand company. The CEO of
rate of 8000 sheets an hour, opened up the massBarnes and Noble, Stephen Riggio, is the Chairman of
market for books. The divergence betweenthe Board for IUniverse.
bookseller and book publisher began to widen.Borders Group owns about 1100 stores in the United
Book publishing is a $37 billion dollar industry in theStates and has revenues of about $3.8 billion. It
United States. It has been estimated that the fiveoperates Borders Books and Music and Waldenbooks.
large publishing companies, Random House Inc.,The chain is the outgrowth of two independent
Penguin USA, Simon & Schuster, Time Warnerbookstores. Walden Books was established by
and HarperCollins, account for nearly eighty percentLawrence Hoyt in 1962. Borders Books was
of all book sales in the US. This has occurred for theestablished by Tom and Louis Borders in 1971. K-Mart
same reasons any other industry goes throughCorporation purchased Walden Books, which in turn
consolidation: by combining certain administrative orpurchased Brentano's Books in 1984. In 1991 K-mart
staff functions, costs can be reduced and profitspurchased Borders Books and formed
increased. Publishing, relative to many other industries,Borders-Walden Group and renamed it Borders
has not enjoyed a high Return on Investment (ROI)Group, Inc. Borders Group Inc. then went public in
for investors. Now publishers are much more focused1995.
on having every single book they publish beBooksAMillion was founded in 1917 as a news stand
profitable. This means a more risk averse philosophy,and has grown to 205 stores, primarily in the
with a preference for publishing authors withSoutheast. They own a book distribution company,
successful track records--a sound business strategy.American Wholesale Book Company. Revenues were
Currently there are about 2000 chain bookstorejust a bit over $.5 billion in 2008.
locations. An additional 2200 independent booksellersBooks are sold in a myriad of other locations besides
belong to the American Booksellers Association.bookstores, such as grocery and drugstores, at the
There are some 50,000 locations that sell books.airport, and in the big box stores like the
Around 50% of books meant for retail sales are soldaforementioned K-Mart.
in bookstores, only about 10 -15% of new books areGetting your book into bookstores is a critical step in
sold online.how to get a book published.