Adding Books

It is important to keep in mind that the vast majority of titles listed on IndieBound.org, and on our IndieCommerce member websites come from Ingram Book Company's iPage database. Generally speaking, if a title is listed with them (even if they don't actually carry it), it is listed with us. If you are a publisher, you'll want to contact Ingram to inquire about listing your catalog with them. You can find publisher-specific contact info here:

• www.ingramcontent.com/contact#publishers

However, there are instances in which a book will be listed with Ingram and not in our database for a variety of reasons and there are books that are valid but simply aren’t listed with Ingram. For those reasons, books can also be added manually, one at a time, to our IndieCommerce database through www.indiebound.org.

NOTE: When a book is created through this database it will be made available on all IndieCommerce and IndieLite sites. If this is a book specific to your store, like a Signed Copy or Special Edition, it should be created using Custom Products or Store Books.

CREATE AN ACCOUNT

If you do not already have an Indiebound.org account you will need to create one (if you already have one skip to step 3).

1. Visit: www.indiebound.org/user/register
2. Complete the form to create an account
3. Log in    

CHECK FOR THE TITLE

Once you're logged in, please first look for the title in question.

• Search for the book by entering the url into your address bar using this format: http://www.indiebound.org/book/ISBN-13 (input your ISBN at the end, no dashes, no spaces, e.g. http://www.indiebound.org/book/1234567890123)
  • You can also enter the ISBN directly into the search field in the upper left-hand corner.

If you can find the book, then it does NOT need to be added but the data can be edited. If the book cannot be found, you may add it.

EDIT AN EXISTING BOOK

• To EDIT an existing title, just change the address for the page to include ‘addabook’ in the URL: http://www.indiebound.org/addabook/1234567890123

 This will take you to a form page, where the existing book info can be edited. Make any changes necessary, and click ‘Submit’ at the very bottom of the page.

ADD A BOOK

If this is a book specific to your store, like a Signed Copy or Special Edition, it should be created using Custom Products or Store Books.

• To ADD a book visit: http://www.indiebound.org/addabook

You'll need to fill out all required fields, including ISBN, height, length, width, and weight. Be sure to click ‘Submit’ at the bottom.

ADD A COVER IMAGE ONLY

If you are only adding or changing  a COVER IMAGE for any title, please visit this page, instead of updating the entire form: http://www.indiebound.org/addabook/cover

• You’ll need to enter the ISBN and upload the image. Be sure to click ‘Submit’.
  • The file must be less than 3MB, but the image must be over 150 x 150 pixels

These additions and changes need to be approved by the staff here, so please allow up to 24hrs for the site to reflect the change.

EBOOKS

In order for an eBook to be sold through our system, it must be available through our eBook supplier, Kobo eBooks. For information on working with Kobo, please follow this link: http://www.kobobooks.com/companyinfo/authorsnpublishers.html

NOTES FOR PUBLISHERS/AUTHORS

Adding a book to our shared database does not necessarily make the title available for purchase. If a customer clicks to purchase your title from Indiebound.org, they will be taken to one of our member bookstores. It is then up to each bookstore to obtain the book for their customer. However, if a store cannot find your title available from the publisher or a distributor, they may inform their customer that the book is not readily available. The easier it is for the bookseller to find and obtain your title, the likelier that a store will fill an order for that title. 

• REVIEWS: It is important to keep in mind that ABA does not review books. All reviews that appear on our associated websites are written and submitted by our member booksellers. This is also how the Indie Next Lists are compiled every month; our members send in their nominations for books each month. Our staff sorts them, tallies the results, and chooses one representative review for publication. Due to this process, the best people to submit books to for possible review are our member booksellers. And, because of the fairly democratic nature of this process, it is difficult to effect. However, your best course of action would be to approach several local bookstores and offer them a reading copy. If they like the book, they can order more. If they really like it, they may hand-sell it to their customers and those are the books that are usually nominated to the Next List. Most importantly, keep in mind, these bookstores are not obligated to accept your book, read it, order it or review it.  So please be courteous, patient and accepting of their decisions.  You can find a list of stores in your area by following this link and inputting your Zip code: http://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder
• AFFILIATE PROGRAM: ABA IndieCommerce has an Affiliate Program, through which you could earn referral fees by agreeing to link customers to our site from yours. For details on this program, please visit this link: http://www.indiebound.org/affiliate
• STOCK AVAILABILITY THROUGH INDIEBOUND.ORG: The stock available for direct purchase from IndieBound.org is based on the catalog of books stocked by Ingram. If you are an author/publisher interested in having Ingram stock your title, please contact Ingram directly. 

If you have additional questions about book data or need assistance updating a book please email us at [email protected]