Local Authors & Author Events

Book Signing/Author Events

Congratulations on writing a book! The Islander loves to introduce authors to the community! If you would like to host an author event, please email info@islanderbookshop.com with the tentative dates and times and the title(s) you will be promoting.

Please indicate if you are traditionally or non-traditionally published. For book sales during the event, sales will be split 60/40 (author/bookshop). For book launches, we request at least 3 months advance notice. If you have a book in the works, please let us know! For events with less than 3 months notice, we cannot guarantee adequate time or the ability to get books by the date.  

Please note that if you are self-publishing through Ingram, there seems to be a delay in shipping, and titles are shipped after the release date. We do reliably receive titles from the big 5 publishers prior release. 

While we do our best to market events, we expect authors to promote their events to ensure an audience. 

**Please note that an agreement to host an author event is not a consignment agreement to stock titles at the shop.** 

 

Stocking Local Author Books at The Islander

Please read our policy below if you're interested in getting your book on the shelves of The Islander.

Traditionally Published Titles

If your title is distributed through Ingram or a major publisher, and you would like us to consider adding your title(s) to our collection, please email info@islanderbookshop.com with the title. Our book buyers may request a copy of the book for review. To be considered for the collection, books must be: 

  • Returnable and have a standard discount

  • Priced appropriately for the market

  • Perfect bound, with a title printed on the spine

  • Suitable for our inventory and demographic. 

Titles that are available at less than a 40% discount may be subject to mark-up. 

 

Non-Traditional Publishing Consignment

The Islander Bookshop is proud to partner with local self-published authors to stock their books under a consignment agreement. We define traditional publishers as ones which, no matter size or type of books published, perform the conventional functions of publishing: acquiring the manuscript (paying the author), editing, designing, marketing, arranging distribution to bookstores, and so on. All others we consider to be non-traditional publishers. We define local as an author living on the island of Kodiak, or the smaller surrounding islands. 

With a consignment agreement, we pay for books after we sell them (payment will be remitted on a quarterly basis). We agree to place a limited quantity (no more than 3 copies) on our shelves for a specific period, generally 6 months. Each title consigned will have a set up fee of $20 to cover the cost of setting up a consignment agreement. We pay 60% of the retail price to the author or publisher. If the book sells, we will consider consigning an additional quantity. If it fails to sell, we will notify the consigner to pick up unsold copies within 30 days. If the consigner fails to respond, we will donate them or give them away.

We will only carry books with a title printed on the spine. We prefer books with an ISBN, but do not require them. We will consider stapled, spiral bound, or books without a spine depending upon subject matter/content/quality, but are less likely to agree to stock them. We do not accept books that have AI-generated content, including artwork. 

We reserve the right to decline entering into a consignment agreement for any reason. We reserve the right to decline books published by Amazon or its subsidiaries (Create Space, Book Search, etc.). 

We are not responsible for consigned books that disappear or are damaged  while on consignment—ownership of the books belongs to the author or publisher while they are on our shelves.

We select all the books we stock with great care. As a small shop on an island, we try to cater to the interests of our community. Books that are focused specifically on Kodiak or Alaska will take higher priority. If your book is stocked in multiple shops on the island, we may decide not to carry your book.

For consignment titles that have a proven track record of sales, we will consider a wholesale agreement.

Once you have familiarized yourself with our policies, please email info@islanderbookshop.com with a brief description of your book, including price. If we feel your book might be a good fit in our store, we will request that a sample copy be dropped off for review. 

Please note that our book buyers sort through hundreds of titles per month to determine what will be added to the shelves, and review may take 4-6 weeks.