It’s always our first choice that a bookstore order through Ingram, but there will be cases where you need to sell on consignment. You might sell your book on consignment to bookstores who cannot, for whatever reason, order your book through Ingram. This might be because they don’t have an account. It could be because they are on credit hold with their supplier, like Ingram or B&T. You may also sell on consignment because the bookstore where you’re holding an event did not order enough quantity, so you supply them with the books they might need. You will sign a consignment agreement with them (usually 60 to you/40 to them; sometimes 50/50). In these cases, this is a direct sale. Ingram does not take a commission on consigned books. You, the author, will typically pay the shipping fee to get the books to the events. The books cannot be shipped back to Ingram because they originated as direct orders, so you need to take back (directly) any unsold inventory. You can work this out in advance with the bookstore. If you’re not close enough to pick up the unsold inventory, you will be responsible for paying shipping. There are more logistics to attend to when you sell consignment, but there will be times when it’s necessary. Always put the bookstore buyer who says they can’t get your book in touch with Brooke, but if consignment is the only way to sell books, we always say yes!