Bookshops

I had my first venture into the High Street today armed with my book in the hope of persuading Waterstones and Smiths to order copies of Whispers on the Wind, and hopefully allow me to do a book signing.

I am not good at promoting myself and found the task very daunting. Waterstones were  pleasant but the manager who deals with this wasn't there. So, I left my business card with a copy of Whispers on the Wind, took the name of the person concerned and have instructions to call back in a week. 

The next stop was Smiths, which was not so inviting. The lady I chatted with was charming and took the book and my card but proceeded to tell me that Smiths have an embargo on local books. This was very ambiguous to me, did she mean books written about the locality or the residence of the author? I asked the question... she didn't know. Again, the person to speak to was out of the office that day. Just my luck. So, I took the name of the contact, her phone number and will try ringing tomorrow.

I wonder if anyone has had any luck in this area or with the major supermarkets? How do I find out the name of the buyer for the big stores? 

I shall brave the library tomorrow and see if they will be prepared to buy a copy from the publisher. Then, visit the little Indie booksellers in the locality. Wish me well - I would find it much easier to promote someone else's book. Now, there's a thought... Maybe we could help each other on this score?

I see that Sarah Luddington has a great scheme going to promote her book with the help of others recommended by Steve Norris. It sounds excellent and I wish her and the group the best of luck and a plea to join in next time!

In the meantime - I'll keep writing.