Publishing the iUniverse Way

Selling Your Book - Booksellers Return Program FAQs

What does the Booksellers Return Program do for me?

The Bookseller's Return Program makes it much more likely that a bookstore will be willing to stock your book. If a book does not sell well, bookstores want the ability to return unsold books to publishers for a complete refund. Because traditional publishers always take returns, iUniverse has developed the Bookseller's Return Program so that bookstores are able to return unsold books to iUniverse. The best part is, iUniverse authors receive their retail royalty for every book sold in the Booksellers Return Program, whether the book is returned or not. When a book is returnable, the bookstore has no risk of losing money on unsold inventory and will be far more likely to stock the book.

Can I buy more than a year of the Booksellers Return Program?

You may select a one-, two- or three-year agreement at your time of purchase. Authors who purchase a one-year agreement will be notified 60 to 90 days before the expiration date and may purchase additional years just prior to the expiration of this agreement.

How do the bookstores know where to return the books?

The return process is the same as it is with traditional publishers: booksellers return books to the wholesaler from whom they made the purchase. When a book becomes returnable, a notation is made in Ingram's automated Title Information Database that your book is returnable.

What happens to the books when they are returned?

Books are sent to a warehouse and the covers are removed and sent back to the publisher as evidence the books have been received and are not going to be resold. The books then are recycled into cardboard or paper products.

What is Ingram?

Ingram Book Group is the world's largest wholesale distributor of books. IUniverse uses Ingram Book Group for the distribution of all titles.

What is iPage?

iPage is Ingram's database that is used to transmit book information to retailers. Through iPage, Ingram submits the ISBN of each book published by iUniverse to all of the bookstore chains who use Ingram.

When will my book be listed as returnable?

Since Ingram only downloads the information once a month, the returns option has to be purchased before the 15th of the month to show up on the following month. If it is purchased after the 15th, the book will show up as returnable in 45 days.

Can iUniverse make a store stock my book?

No. Bookstore chains and independent bookstores are private businesses and iUniverse has no control over their business operations, which includes their decisions regarding which books to order, stock or feature.