Barnes & Noble: Requirements

Any book in the Ingram/Lightning Source/IngramSpark print-on-demand catalog can automatically be available to Barnes & Noble’s customers through www.barnesandnoble.com and through customer special order request in the stores, at Barnes and Noble's discretion. B&N does not recognize an imprint name. They will list the name used for the publishing company.

When a publisher or author wants a Barnes & Noble store to consider stocking their POD book(s) in stores, Barnes & Noble requires the author's and publisher's terms to be competitive with other books that they stock and replenish in stores. They need the book to meet some basic requirements:

• Discount terms:  Barnes & Noble expects to receive a regular trade discount from Ingram/Lightning Source.  This means that the publisher would need to set a wholesale discount of 53% to 55% when setting up their title.
• Returnability:  The author/publisher would need to offer one of the return options:

return- return to publisher or return-destroy, so Barnes & Noble can return any unsold books back to the author/publisher, through Ingram. Books can be returned by Barnes and Noble at any time, in any condition and for any reason.

• Discount and returnability should stay the same for the life of the book:  If a Barnes & Noble buyer agrees to stock a book in their stores that is available at a regular trade discount and returnable, they expect the terms will stay the same for the life of the book.  Changing the discount to lower than 53% or changing the returns option to nonreturnable for the book is not permitted by B&N.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the book has been returnable and it is changed to non-returnable, Barnes and Noble will return any unsold copies, as will other booksellers who have purchased the book. When the returns option is changed, Ingram must notify retail and library customers; customers will have 160 days to make returns, from the date of the change.

• Barcode: A book that Barnes and Noble stocks in their stores needs a consumer readable retail price and a bar code that has a bar code extension with embedded retail price.  Below is an image of what a compliant barcode should look like. 

• Title and author on the spine of the book: Every book stocked in Barnes & Noble stores needs to show the title and the author on the spine.  Even if the book has a low page count with a very thin spine, the title and author must be visible on the spine. Many books are shelved spine-out in Barnes & Noble stores.  Books without a title and author on the spine will be invisible, not easily browsed by customers, and not easily found by booksellers.

Barnes & Noble Small Press Department: Barnes & Noble will consider any print-on-demand book for in-store placement if it meets the above-listed criteria.  A sample copy of the book along with a cover letter that includes contact info (name, email address, phone number) and an explanation of why Barnes & Noble should stock the book in their stores (include a marketing plan, if available) can be sent to: 

Barnes & Noble, Small Press Dept., 122 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

The Small Press Dept. will make sure the appropriate buyer considers the book.  They will get back to you in writing to let you know what the buyer decided.

In-store Events/Signings: Events and signings are arranged at the local store level at the discretion of the individual store, so you will contact the specific store you would like to hold the event at.  Stores will expect a book to be listed in the Barnes and Noble purchasing system at the same required terms as described above – before considering a book for an in-store event.

Online Sales: Barnes and Noble will usually list books on their website that are non-returnable and have a low discount. IngramSpark/Lightning Source distribution partners determine which books they will list on their websites for sale.