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Info for Self-Published Authors

Have you written a book and hope we can stock it in B For Butterfly Books?

Firstly, congratulations! We love supporting independent authors and publishers!

B For Butterfly Books is a very small shop with limited shelf space. With over 200,000 new titles published each year through traditional channels and a similar number of self published titles we have to be very selective in what we stock. 

Please read the following carefully before approaching us to stock your book:

Traditionally Published Authors

If you are published by a mainstream / independent publisher it is likely that we already have an account with them and will have been notified of the publication and marketing plans for your book.

Independently Published / Self Published Authors

Please note that we do not stock books published by Ama*on.

If you have self-published then you will need to ensure the following:

  • Your book has an ISBN number / barcode.
  • Your book fits with our existing selection and is relevant to our customers.
  • Your book is visually appealing - unfortunately AI generated covers and poor text layout do not appeal to customers. 
  • Your book has been edited to a professional standard.
  • Your book has a printed spine showing the title. 

We source most of our books directly from the publisher or from Gardners so please let us know which distributors stock your books. We will only accept books direct from the author in exceptional circumstances. 

Pricing and Format

Customers are increasingly price-sensitive and it is therefore important that your book is priced accordingly. As a guide:

  • Children’s picture books and MG novels sell for between £6.99 and £8.99.
  • Adult paperback novels sell for up to £10.99.
  • We are unlikely to stock books that fall outside this price range. 
  • We are unlikely to stock self-published hardback books or pamphlet-style books.

How to Get in Touch

B For Butterfly Books is currently a one-woman band and so time is limited!

Please get in touch either via the contact page on the website www.bforbutterflybooks.com or by email at hello@bforbutterflybooks.com. This gives us time to consider your submission.

Please do not drop into the shop to discuss your book without having been in touch first and please do not leave books at the front till. Any books left will be disposed of or posted back to you if you leave a prepaid SAE.

Terms

Sales terms vary across the industry, however as a general rule the average discount booksellers receive from publishers is approximately 40% of the RRP. Please take this into consideration when pitching your book. In the UK the supplier will almost always pay for the postage / carriage charge. 

Please remember that B For Butterfly Books is a very small business and cannot offer terms that match the bigger chains, online retailers or supermarkets. 

Books will only be accepted on a sale-or-return basis. 

Any books that do not sell within six months may be removed from sale and returned to the distributor. Where we have entered into an agreement direct with an author the author is responsible for either collecting books from the shop or paying for return postage. 

The Pitch

If you’ve read the above and are confident that your book is a good fit for B For Butterfly Books then please send us an email with the following information:

  • Brief synopsis of the book.
  • A bit about you and anyone else involved with the book, i.e. illustrator.
  • Publisher and distributor info.
  • RRP and proposed terms. 
  • Why you believe your book is a good fit for B For Butterfly Books. 

More Information