While the book publishing world is increasingly dominated by major conglomerates, independent bookstores remain vital hubs for cultivating literary diversity and connecting readers with new voices. Yet for smaller publishers—especially those without traditional distribution—winning space on an indie bookstore’s shelves can be a daunting task. Recent industry shifts, such as the impending closure of the National Book Network (NBN) and last year’s demise of Small Press Distribution (SPD), have only tightened the bottleneck for these publishers.

To get a clearer picture of the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly changing marketplace, I spoke with Jessica and Eric Green, owners of Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary & Garden Arts Bookstore in Berkeley, California. With their hands-on approach to buying, they share insights on everything from the store’s daily struggle to manage thousands of potential titles to their commitment to supporting local authors. Our conversation reveals actionable strategies for publishers who lack traditional distribution and underscores the crucial role independent retailers play in championing the breadth of voices that keep the literary world vibrant.

David Dahl (DD): Is buying for a bookstore hard to do?

Eric Green (EG): Yes, it is hard. [There are] a lot of books to consider.

Jessica Green (JG): There is so much to edit; we can’t have everything with the size of our store.

DD: What is the size of your store?

JG: Twenty-five thousand square feet of selling space—considered a medium-size store.

EG: But it always feels small!

JG: You always want more space for what you want to feature, and space for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, walking space, and welcoming the community. It needs to be comfortable.

DD: What are the hindrances to ordering books from independent publishers or publishers without traditional distribution?

EG: For me, it’s really a matter of time. And that is dependent on the size of the store. I’m an owner/operator, and I do much of the buying. Unfortunately, I just don’t have time to order such titles.

DD: Where do you get info on these small presses?

EG: I see information from small presses on trade emails, magazines, direct mailings from publishers, and those publishers’ catalogs. I do see particulars from these presses, but there is a time constraint. And, back to the space constraint, how many books can we feature on the table? That’s what we want, not just spine-outs on the bookshelves.

DD: Apparently, 85% of inventory in independent bookstores comes from the Big Five publishers. Is this true of Mrs. Dalloways?

EG: It’s likely around that amount. We bought a store that was successful, so some of this data we haven’t accumulated yet. We are a standard store.

JG: We’re on a wave; we’re in the flow of independent bookselling.

DD: What is the place of independent publishers without traditional distribution in your store?

EG: It’s limited, and mostly purchased through Ingram Wholesale.

DD: It was just announced that NBN—the National Book Network—one of the remaining distributors of independent publishing, is closing in 2025. Did Mrs. Dalloway’s purchase books from NBN?

EG: Yes. I would review their Edelweiss catalog and send seasonal orders to the NBN sales rep. NBN is sold by a commission group. They had some interesting small publishers.

DD: Small Press Distribution (SPD) closed earlier in 2024. How did the downfall of SPD affect your ability to get books from these very small publishers?

EG: We did order from SPD; we more or less no longer order from those publishers. Our orientation is by title, not by publisher or distributor.

JG: Sometimes we try to do endcaps with independent publishers.

EG: But casual browsers are not looking for books in that mode. If we had time and space to feature independent publishers, we would. But features like that do not sell as many themes, seasonal, and genre merchandising.

DD: What is the ramification for independent bookstores of the loss of diversity in distribution?

EG: Loss of diversity of books in the stores.

DD: Where did those publishers go?

EG: NBN clients have an option of distribution by Simon & Schuster. But often these small presses are not a good fit for a distributor like Simon & Schuster—a big margin for little attention, and less representation. It would be great to do more with small independent publishers.

DD: Since independent publishers are such a small part of independent bookstore sales, and vice-versa, what is the importance of the collaboration between independent publishers and bookstores?

EG: We get involved with independent publishers on behalf of local authors! That is often the entre into these books. While we can’t support every local author, we often want to. In January, we did an event with a local teenage author, and I had to buy the books direct, as they are “direct discount” at Ingram. The author is energetic; we did an author event with her mom, and she will likely bring in younger people for her events.

JG: And the book concerns classic B-movies, so it is a topic our older audiences will also be interested in.

DD: What are the best practices for publishers without traditional distribution for working with an independent bookstore?

EG: Two key things: List your books at Ingram Wholesale at “regular discount,” which equals a 42% discount to independent bookstores. Any less and we’re not making any money. “Net discount” is no discount. Publishers often do not know this, or what discount Ingram is offering to bookstores. Ingram takes a big slice. And number two, robust metadata in Edelweiss. If an independent publisher is not in Edelweiss, forget about it.

JG: We use Edelweiss as our database of what is available, and we use the interior spreads to review cookbooks and children's books.

DD: So, what would you say is the answer to how publishers without traditional distribution can best work with an indie bookstore?

EG: Get a good distributor. Consider Edelweiss and Ingram discounting. A big store like Powells, with a team of buyers and display spaces, might be able to support independent publishers, but for our size, we just don’t have time and space.

JG: An independent bookstore would need to have showcasing independent publishers be part of their mission to make sure to include such presses. And that is part of our building community. But there are limits because of the lack of support for those titles.

EG: Publishers should focus on their local bookstore community, because that’s where they can have an impact, and on more effective relationships with the store and community.

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