158 Non-Bookstore Places for Authors and Publishers to Sell Their Books: Real authors and publishers I know have sold books at all these places

It can be SO hard to sell books. Until it isn’t. When you start seeing readers and opportunities everywhere. When you start recognizing where to find and how to find your customers and fans.

Readers and Book Buyers All Around Us

Because it’s so easy to fall into thinking that no one reads anymore. Except that 331 million ebooks alone were checked out of U.S. libraries last year.

Or fall into thinking that no one buys books anymore. Until you face the fact that almost 789 million books were purchased in the U.S. last year. The U.S. book industry is big, about $30-billion-a-year-big

Some times we just need a new perspective. How about this one? People in the U.S. are reading tons of books and buying tons of books. Now factor in that there are almost four times as many people who know English outside of the U.S. — well over 1 BILLION humans — as in the U.S.

There are readers and there are book buyers all around us, ok?

Below are 158 places and ways to sell books that aren’t bookstores. That aren’t Amazon.

Actual Places

These aren’t?possible?or?theoretical?places you might try to sell books. These are actual places I as an indie book publisher for over 25 years — and other authors and publishers I know — HAVE ACTUALLY SOLD BOOKS. Often in large quantities and with less hassle than at bookstores.

Skim this list to just get a sense of it, then come back when you have some time and begin brainstorming the possibilities for your own book/s.

Then go out there and sell some books. Try it out and make it so.

The List

1. Academic forums, newsletters
2. Acting schools, actor workshops
3. Adult ed programs
4. After church-service events
5. After speaking events
6. Airport stores
7. Alumni organizations
8. Amusement parks
9. Antique stores, malls
10. Art galleries
11. Art shows, art fairs
12. Apple orchards, pick-your-own farms
13. Architectural sites
14. Author events
15. Backyards
16. Bars, pubs, taverns
17. Big box stores
18. Bike shops
19. Blog posts
20. Boat stores
21. Book clubs
22. Book fairs
23. Boutiques
24. Breweries
25. Burlesque shows
26. Canoe rental locations
27. Children’s clothing stores
28. Churches
29. Christmas tree lots
30. Cigar shops
31. Classes
32. Clubs
33. Cocktail parties, happy hours
34. Coffee shops
35. Collector’s shows
36. Comic shops
37. Concert venues
38. Consignment shops
39. Convenience stores
40. Convention swag bags
41. Conventions, trade shows
42. Corner stores
43. Corporate executive events, HR events
44. Corporate gifts
45. Corporate libraries
46. Corporate lobbies, office tower lobbies
47. Corporate lunchrooms
48. Corporate newsletters
49. Cosplay events
50. County fairs
51. Course adoptions
52. Delis
53. Dental practices
54. Department stores
55. Drugstores
56. Ebay
57. Email newsletters
58. Engineering firms
59. Ethnic festivals
60. Ethnic stores
61. Etsy
62. Facebook ads, groups, posts
63. Festivals, street fests
64. Flea markets, rummage sales
65. Fraternal organizations
66. Food trucks, food truck courts
67. Fundraisers
68. Gala dinners
69. Garage sales, yard sales
70. Garden centers, plant stores, nurseries
71. Genealogy centers, conferences, newsletters, societies
72. Gift basket companies
73. Gift shops
74. Grocery stores
75. Guest blog posts
76. Gumroad
77. Gyms, health clubs
78. Hair salons
79. Haunted houses
80. Historic re-enactments
81. Historic sites
82. Historical societies
83. Hobby shops
84. Holiday bazaars
85. Holiday card letters
86. Hospital gift shops
87. Hotel lobby shops, hotel events
88. Ice cream parlors
89. Institutes
90. Kickstarter
91. Knife sharpeners
92. Landmarks
93. Law firms
94. Libraries
95. LinkedIn posts, LinkedIn groups
96. Liquor stores
97. Living rooms
98. Mall kiosks
99. Media appearances
100. Men’s groups
101. Museum shops
102. Music fests
103. Music stores
104. National parks, state parks
105. Nature centers
106. Neon sign makers
107. New age stores
108. Newsstands
109. Nonprofit events, fundraisers, newsletters
110. Occult stores
111. Open mics
112. Other people’s websites
113. Outlet stores
114. Own website
115. Pet shops
116. Police and firefighter gift shops
117. Pop-up shops
118. Private clubs
119. Private events
120. Professional societies
121. PTOs
122. Public appearances
123. Pumpkin patches
124. Quaint towns
125. Realtor gifts
126. Religious gifts, religious goods stores
127. Renaissance fairs
128. Restaurants
129. Schools
130. Scouting events
131. Small business gifts
132. Soap store
133. Spas
134. Special exhibits
135. Special libraries (e.g., architecture, engineering, genealogy, LGBTQ archives)
136. Spice shops
137. Sports team shops, stadiums
138. Stan store
139. Summer camps
140. Theaters
141. Tik Tok
142. Tourist shops
143. Tourist traps
144. Tours, tour boats, tour companies
145. Toy stores
146. Travel stores
147. Trophy stores
148. Tweets, Twitter threads
149. Underground dining events
150. University bookstores, gift shops, classes, departments, events
151. Vacation towns
152. Wine stores, clubs, meetings, events
153. Women’s clothing stores
154. Women’s private clubs
155. Women’s groups, societies
156. Workshops
157. YouTube
158. Zoo gift shops

Other articles you may like

• 13 Types of Income for Refining Your Author Business Model: Plan a part-time or full-time author career by working with these revenue streams
• Authors, Barnes & Noble Can’t Do Your Book Justice:These 100 things will take you where you want to go faster
• Even if You Don’t Like Sales, You Can Do These Things: Alternative approaches and wording to bring you business and clients more easily

Sharon Woodhouse is the owner of?Conspire Creative, which offers strategic collaboration services for post-publishing author rewards: coaching, publishing consulting, project management, author business development/management, and ongoing group coaching for authors in a private Facebook group,?A Profitable Author Life You Love. This article was first published on Medium, May 21, 2023.