Do you have a book you would like us to stock in our shops? Please read this carefully first:-

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We love supporting independent publishers big and small, and are always looking out for new authors and talent. With over 200,000 new titles published every year through traditional channels, and probably a similar number of self and vanity published, we must be very selective in what we choose.

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1. If you are already published by a mainstream or independent publisher, your publisher will probably have told us about your book in advance of publication. They would have told us of the marketing plans the publisher has and why it is may be good for us.  Do feel free to let us know about it too. We will have an account with your publisher, and all we have to do is order the book from the distributor. Easy for everyone!

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2. If you are the publisher (i.e. self-published), it isn’t as easy – you must convince us that your book is fantastic and how it is relevant to our customers.

Your book should be written, edited, and produced to the same standards as traditional books.  Your book must have a printed barcode and price, and the price must be competitive. Children's picture books must have a spine.  If in doubt on what your book should look like, pop into a bookshop and look at similar books.

​The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook an annual publication outlines how the Book Trade works. There is also an excellent guide, produced by the Booksellers’ Association, and endorsed by the Society of Authors, explaining to how to get your book into high street bookshops. It outlines the information we need in order to decide to stock your book.

Getting your book into a high street bookshop

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3. If you haven't yet published, we can give loads of advice about what customers expect from books.  We can advise on which self publishing companies make it easy for booksellers.  We can't point you to agents, or publishers though. 

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If you feel your book really fits into the profile of our shops, send the shops an e-mail explaining why our customers in Kew and/or East Sheen will find it relevant to them.  Let us know how your book will fit into the range of books we have in our shops. Tell us what marketing you will be doing in the local area to ensure our customers know about it. Your marketing plans will be critical to ensuring the success of your book. 

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Please don’t send us a generic e-mail as you will only find yourself being redirected back to this page. If you want to send a (gratis) sample copy, let us know in your opening e-mail, but ensure there is an SAE included if you want the book back.

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Most importantly, let us know which distributor or wholesaler stocks your books. We want to spend our time promoting and selling books, rather than dealing with the admin that extra accounts inevitably entail. Only in extremely rare occasions will we engage in getting stock directly from a local author.

Good luck!