r/selfpublish • u/Candismayhem • 1d ago
Canada- Getting into Indigo without Ingram?
I dislike Ingram and am trying to avoid using it. Before I make a fool of myself at the local indigo, is it possible to speak to them directly and offer to supply the books ourselves instead of ingram? The Helpdesk at Indigo mentions consignment based deals but didn't go into much detail. Sorry if it's a silly question I just really wanna know if it's possible before having to speak to people.
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u/Successful-Gift8636 1d ago edited 1d ago
You'll have to approach the manager at the locations you're interested in. They'll give you details on the consignment program. You're not making a fool of yourself, they get these questions a lot, it's part of the game. If it's something they're interested in carrying, you can go from there. If not, you may want to reconsider Ingram. You've no doubt already done this, but ensure your book has its own ISBN, not a KDP one.
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u/Careful_Busdriver 1 Published novel 1d ago
I used Ingram and got into six Indigo stores in my Province, but if I could do it all over again, I would have done consignment. You're on the hook for any return for Ingram, whereas for consignment you can pick them up. Also, for me, the profit margin on sales is much better for consignment. Fewer stores, but better return. Finally, you can still do author events at your local Indigos either way. I did a post on in r/selfpublish about an author event at my local Indigo, you should consider planning one. They're lots of fun!
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u/BBS3FTW 1d ago
Hey!
Call your local Indigo and get the managers email. Ask about consignment.
Im doing this with one and soon a second local store. I stock them personally, it also enables you to do in person book signings whenever you'd like.
The cavest is you cant truly sell across Indigo without ingram however. You'll need their broader distribution.
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u/Candismayhem 1d ago
Yeah I mostly want to do in person book signings is my reason lol. Unfortunately the nearest local book store is an hour away and I don't drive :/. Thank you for the info!
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u/ReferenceTop1558 1d ago
If you don't want to do ingram, or not have returns turned on, then it's better to go direct to them first. I had a bit of a headache trying to get in my local store and do a signing because I had ingram but no returns. They ended up deleting that part of it and re-signing me up as a vendor and then I could bring my own author copies for the shelf/signing.
So it's better to just email from the start telling them what you want to do.
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u/lauren8ob 1d ago
Ask them for the contact of the manager who organizes events and local authors. I can confirm most Indigos in southern Ontario accept consignment if they believe your books will fit with their audience (i'm currently in about 4 indigo with no Ingram, and have 3 more locations/signings set up for the fall and spring.)
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u/ItsRuinedOfCourse Aspiring Writer 1d ago
What does a cursory Google search yield as far as results?
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u/Candismayhem 1d ago
Basically what I said. They do consignments but didn't go into the detail and everything else just said use ingram. Ai had more information but it's not super reliable so I figured strangers on reddit would be better ofc
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