Author Inquiries

Local Author & Book Submission Guidelines for Odd Bird Bookshop

If you’re an author interested in having Odd Bird Bookshop carry your book, we’d love to hear from you. Please review the information below before reaching out with your submission. At this time, we’re unable to accommodate unscheduled walk-ins or phone inquiries regarding book submissions.

Does Odd Bird Bookshop Accept Unsolicited Review Copies?

Yes. If you choose to mail or drop off a copy of your book, it will be considered a complimentary review copy.

How Do We Decide Which Books to Carry?

While we review every submission carefully, we’re selective about what we bring into the shop. We’re especially interested in:

 

  • Author Connectivity: Authors/Illustrators living in the immediate area are in the most demand as far as self-published books go.
  • Regional Relevance: Authors who are writing about our area, books with a local theme sell well.
  • High Quality: Professionally edited and formatted, free of errors, priced according to type and genre, well-written, and with an attractive cover and quality paper. For children’s books, high-quality illustrations are also a must.
  • Aligns with Our Collection: We carefully curate each section of our store, making space for new popular books and keeping room for our favorites, classics, and books we think are important. We are always looking for diverse voices and unique stories. This means we have to be picky, so we thank you for your understanding if we decide not to carry your book!
  • Human-written, Human Illustrated: we sell books written and illustrated by humans, to be read by humans.

If We Choose to Carry Your Book

If your book has been published through a traditional publisher and we feel we have the appropriate audience for it we will order it through them or our regular distributor (Ingram) on standard industry terms (40-50% wholesale discount).  If your book is self-published and not available through our regular distributors or does not have the standard terms, we may decide to purchase from you directly.  We generally start with 2-5 copies, depending on the genre, and reorder as they sell. At this time we don’t do consignment. 

Author Events & Book Signings

Odd Bird Bookshop may invite authors to participate in signings, readings, or events when space and scheduling allow. Events are typically planned at least one month or more in advance to allow time for marketing and promotion.

How to Submit Your Book

Please fill out the Google form here: https://forms.gle/tiSG5AWYKiu6DJcD9

Tips for a Successful Submission

A few things that help books stand out:

  • Professional editing and formatting
  • Strong cover and interior design
  • ISBN and barcode included
  • Competitive, genre-appropriate pricing
  • Active online presence or promotional plan
  • Support for independent bookstores in your marketing efforts

We encourage authors to direct readers toward independent bookstores whenever possible. Supporting indie bookstores helps us continue supporting indie authors.

eBooks & Audiobooks

If your title is also available digitally, feel free to include links to your Bookshop.org eBook or Libro.fm audiobook listings in your submission email so we can explore additional ways to support your work.