This section pertains to authors who are printing a stock of, warehousing, and selling their book themselves. With wholesale distribution, you sell your print book (pBook) to a wholesaler (e.g., Ingram). Brick-and-mortar stores can then purchase your pBook from the wholesaler. Please note that when wholesalers buy books from you, they have 90–120 days to pay for the books. If the wholesalers don’t sell the books by that time, they can return them to you without paying for them.
Generally, a brick-and-mortar store won’t order a book unless it’s returnable. If your book is returnable, any unwanted or overstocked copies of your book can be returned. When your book is returned, you are charged the wholesale cost of each copy returned, plus $2.00 per copy for shipping and handling. Also, there is no guarantee that your returned book will be in good condition.
Alternatively, your returnable copies can be destroyed upon return, in which case you won’t be charged the $2.00 per-copy fee for shipping and handling.
Preferably, you can sell your books directly—for example, through your website or at author events. This route will give you greater royalties, and you won’t have to deal with the uncertainty and expense of your books being returned.