Walmart is Carrying a Self-Pub POD Book In-Store

walmart book sectionWalmart might not have a large book section in most of its stores, but it can still move a lot of books. And that’s why Jamie McGuire, a hybrid author with S&S, was pleased to announce that she had gotten one of her books on to the store’s shelves:

Today, in a groundbreaking move by Wal-Mart, Beautiful Redemption: A Novel will be on the shelves in select stores! This is huge. This is pioneer stuff, friends, and this isjust the beginning of your favorite self-published titles being available to you!

I’m still looking for confirmation of this story, but I can add at this time that the novel in question is the second book in a trilogy. The first book in the series was published by Atria (S&S), but the last two books were self-published.

Beautiful RedemptionYou can find the print edition of Beautiful Redemption on Amazon and other websites; it is distributed by the POD service Createspace (and so is its sequel). This book came out in January but is not yet listed on the Walmart website.

It is, however, in at least one Walmart store.

It’s quite common to find POD books on bookstores websites (this includes Walmart, where I found 60 titles in a search) but it’s far less common for those books to show up on a bookstore’s limited shelf space. (None are available in a Walmart store within 50 miles of my location.)

If McGuire has pulled this off (I want to see books on a shelf before reporting it as fact) then it is a major coup.

Update: Scratch that; a third search in Twitter has turned up a tweet that confirms the report. So this has happened.

Second Update: It’s a week later, and I have found a half-dozen other sightings (one, two, three, four, five, six).

found via IndieReader, ThePassiveVoice

image via Robert Swartwood

Nate Hoffelder

View posts by Nate Hoffelder
Nate Hoffelder is the founder and editor of The Digital Reader. He has been blogging about indie authors since 2010 while learning new tech skills weekly. He fixes author sites, and shares what he learns on The Digital Reader's blog. In his spare time, he fosters dogs for A Forever Home, a local rescue group.

9 Comments

  1. Maria (BearMountainBooks)5 September, 2015

    A big win! That’s awesome!

    Reply
  2. Changing Reader Habits in a Digital World | Digital Book World9 September, 2015

    […] Walmart Carrying Self-Published Book in Store (Digital Reader) Walmart might not have a large book section in most of its stores, but the chain can still move a lot of books. And that’s why Jamie McGuire, a hybrid author with Simon & Schuster, was pleased to announce that she had gotten one of her books onto the store’s shelves. In a blog post, McGuire wrote, “In a groundbreaking move by Wal-Mart, Beautiful Redemption: A Novel will be on the shelves in select stores! This is huge. This is pioneer stuff, friends, and this is just the beginning of your favorite self-published titles being available to you!” […]

    Reply
  3. […] this isjust the beginning of your favorite self-published titles being available to you!” The Digital Reader confirms the story, adding that the novel came out in January and while “not yet listed on the […]

    Reply
  4. Dana25 September, 2015

    From Walmart’s corporate website: “Walmart does not pursue self-published books.” So, while the books may be POD, they are usually POD from authors that are/have been traditionally published. Though it isn’t stated in this article, I suspect the real reason this author was selected was because she/he had been traditionally published. While it’s excellent news that a self-published title hit the shelves, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “the beginning of your favorite self-published titles being available…” through Walmart. Indi authors with good stories that have been professionally edited, appear to have a more difficult road to get past the Indi stereotype that would allow a well-written book, with all the elements of a great story (including multiple 5 star reviews) to make it on to the shelves of Walmart or their website. That shouldn’t stop an Indi author from trying, however. 😉

    Reply
    1. Nate Hoffelder25 September, 2015

      “I suspect the real reason this author was selected was because she/he had been traditionally published.”

      I agree, which is why I mentioned in the post that the first book in the series was from S&S.

      And in any case, Walmart is only going to stock blockbusters. They carry such a limited stock that getting even one self-pub title on the shelf is a big deal. (Hell, getting a trad pub book on the shelf at Walmart is a big deal.)

      Reply
  5. A Great Young Adult Mystery | Debbi Mack | Mystery Writer9 October, 2015

    […] of course, you can find my first mystery, IDENTITY CRISIS, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and maybe Wal-Mart someday! Who […]

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  6. Mary Campisi13 October, 2015

    Hi Nate:

    I wanted to let you know that my self-published book, A Family Affair, Book 1 of the Truth in Lies series, is the second title chosen to appear in select Walmart stores.(Go, Jamie McGuire for hitting the #1 spot!) I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and am waiting for that first sighting! I’ve included a link to the article I wrote about it. http://marycampisi.com/thank-you-walmart/ (Note: I have not been traditionally published since 2003.)

    Best,

    Mary Campisi
    http://www.marycampisi.com

    Reply
    1. Nate Hoffelder13 October, 2015

      Congratulations!

      Thanks for the heads up!

      Reply
    2. Nate Hoffelder18 October, 2015

      And here’s a sighting, for those who are interested:
      https://www.facebook.com/marycampisibooks/posts/970748422986653

      Reply

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