Monday 10 September 2012

Self-publishing is damn hard work!

For all my brash enthusiasm for self-publishing, I'm beginning to discover the downside of it: distribution.
It's a complete pain. I've just packaged up and sent off over 100 books to about 10 different addresses and I'm totally pooped. There's got to be an easier way. Tomorrow I'm phoning up Nationwide distributors and seeing if I can fob it off to them. Paper Plus has embraced my book but each shop is an individual franchise and you have to post small orders to each shop instead of to one central warehouse. So what started as a delightful gesture by Paper Plus Merivale to take on big quantities for sale has leapfrogged into a nationwide distribution nightmare with heaps of other Paper Pluses wanting copies too. Not that I'd ever want to look a gift horse...
Meanwhile Whitcoulls is thinking about selling it into their stores. At least they have a central warehouse point. 
I don't think I was ever meant to be a postie. 
Give me a pen or a laptop any day.
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5 comments:

  1. Unknown10 September 2012 at 11:39

    At least you have the process started. Once you get a good distributor and once Whitcoulls gets In Her Mothers' Shoes on the shelves, you'll be in great shape. Great stuff!

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  2. C P Howe10 September 2012 at 14:06

    That's a great problem to have - congratulations! I'm sure there's a distribution service somewhere, but I guess it also just shows that some of those 'other costs' associated with physical books are there for a reason. It will be a great achievement to get it into Whitcoulls.

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    Replies
    1. Unknown13 September 2012 at 15:17

      Update: have found a distributor and someone who will handle a reprint - and in fact make it look a lot better at the same time. So I can go away and breathe easy. Whitcoulls is having a think about it. Depends on when the article goes in the Listener I guess. They accepted it yesterday,

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  3. Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers25 October 2012 at 14:02

    Just loved the book - left you a review on Amazon :)
    Nice to read of fellow adoptees living in Christchurch, quakes and all.
    Not sure my journey will be as successful as yours, but hope springs eternal and all that ...

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    Replies
    1. Unknown26 October 2012 at 18:07

      Thank you for your review Fi. Like me, you've no doubt found that we adoptees are everywhere

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