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Consignment Program at Main Street Books
Main Street Books has a consignment program designed to allow local self-published or non-traditionally published authors space on our shelves in our brick-and-mortar shop. While we enjoy our role in celebrating local authors, our shop space is limited, and as such, Main Street Books requires authors to apply for consignment.
You must submit your initial inquiry via the form below.
Please note that consignment program communication is via email, and it is greatly appreciated that you direct all questions—via email—to our consignment program coordinator, Chelsie Schuette, at chelsie@mainstreetbooks.net. Chelsie is also available to answer questions in person or by phone on Mondays from 9am-12pm. Please refrain from calling the store with consignment questions at any other time as our on-duty booksellers do not field consignment program questions. Likewise, we cannot take walk-in consignment inquiries at any other time unless you have scheduled an appointment with Chelsie.
If you are a self-published author interested in hosting a signing at our store, your book must already be accepted for consignment sale. Consignment authors are welcome to book signings on the second Saturday of the month at 11am or 2pm for two hours. There are two slots available during each time slot, and authors booked during the same time slot will share a signing table. This event is called Indie Author Saturday.
Indie Author Saturday Parameters:
-Authors wishing to participate in Indie Author Saturday must already be accepted for consignment at Main Street Books.
-Participants must have published a book in the last 12 months.
-Indie Author Saturday signing slots will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis.
-Participants are limited to three titles at a time due to limited table space.
-Participants must provide their own books. Books will be sold through the Main Street Books point of sale system during the event at the current consignment split. A check will be cut at the end of the event for the books sold on that day.
-Participants must advertise the event through their advertising channels, including social media.
-Participants must tag Main Street Books in all social media advertising for the event.
-Authors may only participate in one Indie Author Saturday per calendar year.
Consignment Acceptance Parameters:
While we have some specific guidelines for consideration, Main Street Books reserves the right to accept or deny the application for consignment of books into our shop based on a subjective but straight forward understanding of our customer base and what we sell. This is the same policy we use for choosing titles from our major publishing houses as well. We encourage all consignment authors to visit our store to get a sense of the type of books we do and do not carry.
-You must be local to our area, meaning a greater St. Louis resident of Missouri or Illinois. We will consider Missouri residents from other parts of the state if you are committed to partnering with us.
-Books must have a spine displaying the title and author's name (no spiral-bound books).
-An ISBN must be assigned to the book and printed on the back cover.
-The book must have appealing cover art with no pixelation.
-The book must be priced comparably to other titles of its size and genre.
-The book may not contain any racist, sexist, homophobic, or overtly dogmatic content.
-The book may not contain any AI generated content, including illustrations.
Procedures:
1. Books that do not meet the guidelines above will not be considered.
2. All consignment authors must drop off or mail a (paperback, if available) review copy of their book(s) to:
Main Street Books
Attn: Consignment Coordinator
307 S. Main Street
St. Charles, MO 63301
3. The consignment coordinator will review all submissions and will contact you if your book is accepted. If you do not hear from us in six weeks, consider it a non-acceptance. If your book is not accepted for consignment sale, it is your responsibility to pick it up at our store or pay to have your book(s) shipped back to you. All consignment books, including the review copy, are submitted at the author’s own risk and Main Street Books is not responsible for any charges, loss or damages incurred in the shipping process. If you fail to make arrangements for your book(s)’ return within four weeks, they will be donated to a charitable organization.
4. If your book is accepted for consignment sale, we will contact you by email to confirm our consignment terms. Authors must agree to the following terms:
- Authors must list Main Street Books as a retail location prominently on their website and marketing materials; the more you encourage your readers to come into our store, the more your book will sell here!
- Consignor will provide three copies of accepted books to Main Street Books
- If books sell within 90 days, Main Street Books agrees to pay consignor 60% of the agreed retail price (less sales tax) for each book sold. If books do not sell within 90 days, consignor will pick up books or agree to extend this arrangement for an additional 90 days, up to three additional times (365 days max, including the initial 90 days).
- Consignment checks will be cut at the beginning of every month for books sold during the previous month. If the amount due is less than $10, that amount will roll over to the next month until the amount due is greater than $10.
- If books do not sell within six months, Main Street Books reserves the right to terminate your consignment agreement.
- It is the responsibility of the consignor to check on the status of their books during the period of consignment. Books not picked up or consigned for additional time will be donated to a worthy organization.
For any additional questions, contact chelsie@mainstreetbooks.net.