How I Got my Indie Novel Into the Nations Largest BrickMortar Store

How I Got my Indie Novel Into the Nations Largest BrickMortar Store "How I Got my Indie Novel Into the Country's Largest Brick-and-Mortar Chain" - By Carol Cooper Carol Cooper is a journalist, author, and doctor. She writes for The Sun newspaper, broadcasts on TV and radio, and has a string of non-fiction books to her name including an award-winning textbook of medicine. In this post, Carol reveals how she got her latest novel, Hampstead Fever, into Britain’s largest chain of booksellers. For the last few weeks, I’ve bragged to anyone who’ll listen that my self-published novel, Hampstead Fever, is in a prestigious front-of-store promotion in WH Smith travel bookstores. And no wonder I’m proud. Not only am I distributing my novel as an ebook - readers can now get it at over 700 airports and train stations around the UK.  WH Smith, after all, is the go-to place to grab a good read for a journey or holiday.I don’t have a sure-fire recipe for other indie authors to follow, but I can certainly explain what worked for me. Read how @DrCarolCooper got her latest novel into UK's largest brick-and-mortar chain 1. Get out and listen to peopleI owe a lot to the London Book Fair, circa 2015. That’s where I came across WH Smith Travel buyer Matt Bates. He spoke at Author HQ, a part of the fair dedicated to writers. He was charming, knowledgeable and enthusiastic and he wasn’t full of himself, which, as I recall, one or two other speakers at the fair were.I said a bland ‘Hello’ to Matt at the end of his talk. I don’t remember my exact words, but I said nothing about my writing. Hampstead Fever  at the WH Smith at London Gatwick AirportNo harm in trying, especially as by then my book was in many bookstores including Waterstones, Heffers Cambridge, and a sizeable number of independent bookshops, and had featured in local press and radio.   I sent Matt a brief email, attaching that eye-catching cover.Matt asked to see a copy of the book. There followed a longish silence. Then he replied, proposing a promo in over thirty of WH Smith’s travel bookstores as part of a buy one, get one half-price offer.I needed to do nothing more, except talk to Clays about a reprint and arrange the discount and return terms that WH Smith requires.I’m certain the stunning cover did much of the work for me. As for the content, people have been kind enough to say that Hampstead Fever captures multicultural urban life. It’s an easy read and makes people laugh, but it also covers some weightier issues.To other self-publishing authors wanting to get into booksho ps, my single best piece of advice is this: aim for a quality product that booksellers will love to have in their stores. "Aim for a quality product that booksellers will love to feature." @DrCarolCooper In your chain of priorities, how important is it to you to get your book in stores? If you have any thoughts, comments or questions for Carol Cooper, leave them in the comments below. Find out more about the author on her website or by following her on Twitter.