Although bookstores have traditionally commanded the book selling business at the retail level, their dominance has been slowly eroded by the sheer number of alternative retail outlets that over the years have come to rival their market share. These non-traditional sales channels can be anything from gift stores, to pet stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, travel agencies/travel accessory stores, wine stores, toy stores, stationery stores, luggage stores, nurseries, and countless others specialty retail outlets. These businesses can become a very profitable sales channel for those authors who write books for a specific niche, or for those who have written fiction books with a theme that is relevant to a store's area of specialty.

The advantage of non-traditional sales channels is that they don't experience nearly the same level of competition for shelf or counter space from other books, since these outlets are often overlooked by publishers. Also, many of these stores purchase merchandise on a non-returnable basis, a definite benefit for self-published authors. Our Non-Traditional Channel service will provide you with a nationwide list of over 6,000 non-traditional retail outlets in a wide range of specialty areas, including bricks-and-mortar stores, online retailers, mail order houses, and catalog businesses, along with the names and full contact information of their merchandise buyers. We will also provide you with a list of tips and sales strategies to consider as you prepare to pitch your book.

How do I get started?

Select this service as part of your publishing submission process, or if already signed, complete the FriesenPress Service Order Form (click here to download). Your author account manager will be glad to assist you with this step.

What is the cost for this service?

$499.00