FAQ for Authors

Please note:

• Indigo will never solicit money directly from authors for print runs, marketing campaigns, or placement in our stores.  We believe in paying authors for their work.
• We work with distributors and publishers, and not directly with authors, except on Consignment.  Contact your local store in-person or by phone to ask about our Consignment Program.
• We will always contact you from an “@indigo.ca” email account.  Use caution if you receive messages from a different email domain.
• Please contact [e-mail] for more information.

The following are the most common questions we receive from authors. 

DO YOU PURCHASE BOOKS DIRECTLY FROM AUTHORS?

No, Indigo does not directly purchase books from Authors, other than on Consignment (see below). Indigo only purchases books from book vendors. Please see FAQ for Book Vendors.

DO YOU OFFER CONSIGNMENT AT YOUR STORES?

Yes, consignment is available at all our retail locations. Our consignment program can be managed by yourself or your publisher/distributor. It is necessary to contact each store where you would like your product placed, so it is mainly practical in stores near where you live. Consignment approval is at the Store Manager’s discretion. Please e-mail [e-mail] for our consignment package.

CAN MY SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK BE LISTED ON YOUR WEBSITE IF YOU DO NOT PURCHASE MY BOOK?

Yes, your book can be listed on our site if it is available at regular terms from a publisher/distributor that has an established relationship with Indigo. Consignment books can also be listed on the website but can only be made available to order from indigo.ca if they are also available from a publisher/distributor that has an established relationship with Indigo (Print on Demand from Ingram, for example).

Amazon KDP titles with the Expanded Distribution option selected can be made available to order on indigo.ca (supplied wholesale by Ingram) but are only eligible to be carried in stores using Consignment. Note that it can take a few weeks for KDP Expanded Distribution titles to appear on Ingram. If that happens and your book is setup for Consignment, that will enable online ordering of your book from indigo.ca.

CAN MY SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK BE ORDERED FOR STORES?

Yes, provided that is available at regular terms from a publisher/distributor that has an established relationship with Indigo and the title meets Indigo’s Terms of Sale:

• Books must be fully returnable
• Books must be regular discount (≥45%)
• Books must have a Canadian Price on the cover/jacket

If your book meets these terms, please email [e-mail] for consideration.

If your book is supplied by Ingram, note that we mainly use Ingram as a supplier for online orders, as the terms generally don’t make it feasible to carry stock in our physical stores. However, if your book is showing as Regular discount* and Returnable**, we can consider listing select stores. Generally, we would start with stores near where you live. Beyond that, adding more stores would be dependent on your marketing plan, as well as demand both in stores and online. Please let me know what region you are in and I can put you in touch with the appropriate buyer.

* With Ingram, 55% Wholesale in you publisher settings for both the US and Canada markets. Please also ensure you set USD and CAD prices that are in line with the current exchange rate (so currently the price should be higher in Canada). Canadian retailers must pay Ingram the US cost in USD but sell to customers in CAD, so if you set the same price in both currencies, it makes the “true” discount too low for ordering.

**Important note: If you published yourself via Ingram Spark, reside in Canada, and opt into make your book Returnable through Ingram, it is highly recommended that you choose the Return Yes: Destroy setting as opposed to Deliver, as Ingram charges anyone outside the US $20 USD per copy to deliver returns to you (example of 100 copies would be $2,000 USD). You must also pay the printing costs of anything returned, as well as some related handling charges. Note that you also need to set returnability for both the US and Canada markets.

WHY IS MY BOOK NOT ON THE INDIGO.CA WEBSITE?

If your book is currently distributed in Canada and you are unable to find it on our site, it is best to contact your publisher/distributor directly. All listing information is sent to Indigo from publishers and/or distributors. If your book is available POD (print-on-demand) from Ingram, it might have to be listed manually – please email your book’s ISBN and Title to [e-mail] for more details.

HOW DO I MODIFY MY BOOK LISTING (INCLUDING COVER IMAGE) ON INDIGO.CA?

All book details and images are sent to Indigo from publishers/distributors. Please notify your publisher/distributor of any errors/changes and they will update Indigo accordingly. If your book is Consignment, please contact a store that you are working with to arrange for corrections/additions. Cover images must be .jpg files at least 400px wide.

WHY IS MY BOOK SHOWING AS UNAVAILABLE TO ORDER ON THE INDIGO.CA WEBSITE?

Product availability depends on a variety of factors: inventory information supplied by your publisher/distributor, reprint dates, stock on hand in our distribution centre, etc. Often, books shown as "temporarily unavailable" come back in stock quickly. If your publisher/distributor has your title in stock, but it is listed on our site as unavailable, please encourage them to contact our Master Data Department ([e-mail]) for details on updating inventory information.

HOW DO I LIST MY E-BOOK ON YOUR INDIGO.CA WEBSITE?

At Indigo, we have partnered with the global eReading service, kobo™ for all our e-Book listings. Once your titles appear on the kobo™ website, they will be normally be displayed on our web site within a few days.

For more information about selling your e-Book titles on kobo™, the link is:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/p/writinglife

HOW DO I ARRANGE AN IN-STORE EVENT?

We're always interested in promoting the works of budding authors and musicians through our in-store book signings and live performances. If you are a published author considering an in-store book signing or a musician interested in performing live, you can contact your local store directly regarding event opportunities. Store Event approval is solely at the discretion of the Store Manager.

Locations and phone numbers can be found via the Store Locator. You can ask for the manager who schedules local events.

I HAVEN’T COMPLETED MY BOOK YET – CAN YOU OFFER ANY RESOURCES TO HELP?

If you are seeking services to help you complete, evaluate and edit your manuscript, here are some links that may be of help to you:

Canadian Authors Association

Association of Canadian Publishers (including Information on Distribution)

Author Learning Centre

Library & Archives Canada (Obtaining an ISBN)

Depending on where you live, there may also be regional Writer's Guilds, Associations, Groups, and Workshops available to aspiring writers.

WHAT IF I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
Please contact us at [e-mail].