Local Authors
We appreciate your interest in having a book launch and/or stocking your book at Eleanor's Norfolk! Because we are frequently approached by authors hoping we will sell their books, we have developed a written policy based on that of Firestorm Coop so that all expectations are clear. Please take the time to review it carefully.
Eleanor's Norfolk is a radical intersectional feminist bookstore and community event space. We cater to a predominantly leftist and queer audience, and we tightly curate our inventory. We know that books that do well at Eleanor's are politically and culturally relevant to our audience. We ask that you please be considerate of our time, as a very small business operating on a very small budget, by realistically considering whether your book is a good fit before beginning the process.
If you believe your book is relevant to our audience AND it meets the following requirements, it may be a candidate for consignment at Eleanor’s:
The author lives in Southeastern Virgina or surrrounding areas
The title and author name are printed on the spine
The cover artwork is not visibly pixelated
It is paperback, hardcover, or board (no spiral bindings, please)
The content is an authentic representation of the author’s knowledge and experience.
For fiction: we do not consign work about “diverse” protagonists written by authors who are not part of the same “diverse” group (e.g. a book about a trans protagonist written by an author who is not transgender).
For nonfiction: we do not consign work about Native culture or spirituality from non-Native authors.
If your book meets these requirements, we will ask you to sign an agreement under the following terms:
You provide 2 digital or physical copies of your book for review.
Our pricing terms follow the book industry standard of 60/40, where 60% of the retail price is payable to the author, and 40% is kept by Eleanor's. This is whether we order from Ingram or consign with you.
If you are consigning, the initial length of consignment will be 6 months. In the case that the book has been selling steadily, the author will be given the opportunity to sign a new agreement. If we choose to order through Ingram and carry your book, the following points are not required.
After six months, the author will retrieve any unsold stock and provide us with a final invoice, if necessary.
Eleanor's will pay invoices within 30 days of receipt.
Eleanor's will pay only for items sold. Damaged or stolen items are the sole financial responsibility of the consignor.
It is the author’s responsibility to deliver new inventory and pick up any unsold inventory. Inventory left at Eleanor's for more than a month after the end of the six month consignment agreement becomes the property of Eleanor's and we will donate at our discretion.
If these terms are acceptable, please feel free to drop off a completed, signed consignment agreement and two copies of your book at the front desk. Eleanor's reserves the right to make any final decisions on accepting a book; if we feel we cannot successfully sell your book, we will notify you within 14 days and hold your books to be picked up. If you should have any specific questions not addressed by these terms, please feel free to contact us at eleanorsnfk@eleanorsnfk.com (please put “Local Author” in the subject line).