How to get your book into UK libraries and bookshops

Guides for authors › Getting into libraries and bookshops

For many authors, the moment that makes it real is seeing their book on a library or bookshop shelf. It is possible for independently published books, but it doesn't happen by itself. Shops and libraries need to be able to order your book easily, and they need a reason to. Here is how it works in the UK.

Step 1: make your book orderable

Bookshops and libraries order through the trade, not from Amazon. For that your book needs:

Its own ISBN, registered to you or your publisher. See our guide to ISBNs in the UK.
Distribution to the book trade, for example through IngramSpark, so shops and library suppliers can find and order it. See Amazon KDP or IngramSpark?
Trade terms that work for shops: a discount that leaves the shop some profit, and ideally the option for unsold copies to be returned. Shops are much less likely to stock a book they can't return.
A proper cover, description and price printed on the back, just like any other book on the shelf.

Step 2: start with your local library

Public libraries in the UK are run by local councils, and each library service decides what to buy. Most have a way for the public to suggest a book for stock, often a form on the council website or at the desk. Ask your local library how they buy books by local authors; many are pleased to support them.

Libraries also welcome author talks, readings and writing workshops. Offering a free event is often the best way in, and it builds readers at the same time.

Step 3: approach bookshops the right way

Start local. Independent bookshops near you, or connected to your subject, are the most likely to say yes.
Visit when it is quiet, buy something if you can, and ask who looks after new stock. Never pitch at the till on a busy Saturday.
Bring a one-page information sheet: cover, description, ISBN, price, format, how to order (your distributor), and why local readers will want it.
Offer an event, such as a signing or a reading, and say how you will bring people to it.
Consider sale or return. Some shops will take a few copies on consignment and pay you for those that sell.

Get paid when your book is borrowed

Public Lending Right (PLR) pays authors a small amount each time their book is borrowed from UK public libraries. It is free to join, but you must register your books with the PLR scheme, which is run by the British Library. Payments are made once a year, and the rate per loan is set each year.

ALCS (the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society) collects money for writers when their work is copied, scanned or used in other secondary ways. There is a small one-off membership fee, usually taken from your first payment. Check its website for the current terms.

Doing it with SoulScriptz

SoulScriptz sets up books so they can be ordered by shops and libraries worldwide, helps with the information sheet and launch plan, and talks every author through PLR and ALCS. Through the SoulScriptz Book Bank we also pass quality books on to schools and community groups.

Questions authors ask

Can a self-published book be stocked in UK libraries?

Yes. Libraries can buy any book they can order through their suppliers, so your book needs an ISBN and trade distribution. Each council's library service decides what to buy.

Will bookshops stock a book published through Amazon KDP?

Books available only through Amazon are hard for shops to order. Making your book available through trade distribution, such as IngramSpark, gives shops a normal way to order it.

What is Public Lending Right?

A UK scheme that pays authors a small amount each time their book is borrowed from a public library. It is free, but you must register your books.

Do I need to join ALCS?

It is optional, but it is the way UK writers collect money for secondary uses of their work, such as photocopying and scanning, which is otherwise left unclaimed.

Ready to publish your book?

First-time authors get 50% off their first publication with SoulScriptz. Your manuscript stays yours, and the price is agreed in writing before any work starts.

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Figures in this guide were checked in October 2026. Platform prices and rules change, so check the current figures before you rely on them. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice.