In the US, readers can go into any indie bookshop and order a self-published book — or a print-on-demand book from a small press — in exactly the same way as they would with a traditionally published book by one of the Big Five. Bookshops can stock these books on the same terms, and with the same relatively low risk, as they do with traditionally published books, without having to organise complicated consignment arrangements with authors — because the books are available from an easy-to-use website, on sale-or-return, at the standard market discount. 

This is not the case in the UK. 

In the UK, the wholesaler with the lion's share of the market, Gardners, treats print-on-demand books differently. This makes it difficult and risky for bookshops to stock or even order in self-published books. It also means that online shops such as Bookshop.org UK and BookKind, which pull their stock from Gardners, don't include print-on-demand books. 

As a result, self-published authors, and small, indie presses who use print-on-demand, often end up pointing their potential readers to Amazon, as that is the only place where their physical books are reliably available. Some of us would prefer not to fund Bezos' space-faring, tax-dodging, indie-bookshop-destroying misadventures. Others of us see the benefit in a diverse market, where our books are available in multiple places, whether online or in physical spaces. And probably all of us dream of potential readers happening upon our books on the shelves of a well curated local shop.

If Gardners were to follow Ingram's example, making print-on-demand books available to bookshops on sale or return, at the usual discount, in the same straight-forward way as for any other book, they would be championing the literary creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of self-published authors, and enabling small indie presses to thrive. They would also be enabling those of us who would prefer to spend our money in independent bookshops and on Bookshop.org to do so. A more diverse and inclusive market is good for all of us -- including for readers hungry for a wide range of stories and perspectives.

We urge Gardners to change their policy, for the benefit of authors, small publishers, bookshops, and readers.