As a service to our local self-published authors and certain small presses, Left Bank Books offers a consignment sales program.
Left Bank defines as “self-published” any author who has paid (or otherwise arranged) to have their work printed, either personally or through a professional self-publishing service such as Createspace, Xlibris, Lulu or Infinity Publishing. Authors who start their own publishing companies to publish their own writing are also considered self-published.
If you are a self-published author who would like to propose an event at Left Bank Books, please note that event proposals will not be considered until your book has been accepted for consignment sale through the process below. Authors whose books have been accepted for consignment may email requests to info@left-bank.com; please note that we cannot consider events on short notice and your request should be made at least 6-8 weeks in advance of your proposed date(s).
In order to begin the review process, please read the following procedures and guidelines carefully:
GUIDELINES:
Left Bank will only consider books that meet the following professional standards:
-The book must be professionally bound and finished. Books that are spiral bound, stapled or contain loose pages will not be considered. The title must appear on the spine if possible and artwork should not be visibly pixelated.
-The book must be professionally edited with no obvious errors.
-An ISBN must be assigned to the book and printed on the back cover. For more information about how to purchase an ISBN, see the US ISBN agency (LINK)
-The book must be priced comparably to other titles of its size and genre.
-The book may not contain any racist, sexist, homophobic, or overtly dogmatic content.
-We highly discourage authors from referring readers to competitor bookstores and online retailers on the acknowledgment page, or anywhere else within the bound pages of the book.
We encourage all consignment authors to visit our store to get a sense of the character of the bookstore and the type of books we do and do not carry.
PROCEDURES:
1. Books that do not meet the guidelines above will not be considered.
2. In order to provide fair and thoughtful consideration to all consignment authors, Left Bank charges a non-refundable reviewing fee of $25. Fees are payable in person, online, or via check by mail. If you prefer to submit your book by mail rather than in person, please include proof of online payment or a check made out to Left Bank Books in the same package as the book.
3. All consignment authors must drop off or mail a (paperback, if available) review copy of their book(s) to:
- Authors must list Left Bank as a retail location prominently on their website and marketing materials; the more you encourage your readers to come into our store, the more your book will sell here!
- The initial consignment period is three months. If your book sells at least one copy during that period, Left Bank Books may choose to extend that period for additional three month periods until all copies have sold. Once all copies have sold, Left Bank will contact you regarding restock and issue you a check for 60% of the retail cost of each book.
- If your books fails to sell during its first or any subsequent consignment period--or if Left Bank wishes to return your books for any other reason--Left Bank will contact you to issue you a check for any sold copies and return your unsold books. Authors are responsible for all return shipping costs and Left Bank is not responsible for any loss or damages incurred in the returns process. If you fail to make arrangements for pick-up or return of your books in four weeks, they will be donated. Reviewing fee is not refundable if books fail to sell.
For any additional questions, contact consignment@left-bank.com.
