You can always choose to directly sell your book to your readers (through e-mails, call sales, website promotions, or blogs). It’s manageable—you have complete control over the entire procedure. But if you want to reach thousands, go through the middlemen.

These “middlemen” are the different marketing channels—the resellers—who can aid you in the book distribution process.

Retailers

You can either go offline (as in brick and mortar bookstores), or you can go through online book distributors like Amazon. If you plan to make an agreeable deal with bookstore retailers, you need to give discounts—ranging from 20 to 40 percent—from your book retail price for you to make a decent profit.

Wholesalers

In wholesale distribution, orders are processed in bulk, and libraries and retailers (and some publishers) process the orders. There may be little to no marketing involved since wholesalers simply receive and process orders. However, some book publishers add promotional services to their packages, and librarians can add a “cataloging” service. If you plant to go through a wholesale, make your book available through Ingram or Baker & Taylor.

Distributors

You can choose to market your book at book trades, bookstores, or libraries through book distributors, who will submit copies of your book for review, and help you plan and try different marketing strategies.

E-Book Distributors

E-book distribution has since become a new face in book marketing—it’s inexpensive and your e-book could be distributed instantaneously. Turning your work into a digital format makes for a powerful tool, especially to a millennial audience. There are numerous book distributors to choose from: Barnes & Noble, Book Nook, Amazon’s Kindle program, Apple’s iBooks, among others.

PS: Social media has become a game changer when it comes to promoting services and products. See how Facebook ads can become an ideal marketing channel for your book. Check this post.