Q&A: How many bookstore sales can I expect for each Amazon sale?

QUESTION: I have a book for sale on Amazon, and now I'm getting it distributed to bookstores. How many more sales can I expect when my book is available in stores? I've heard that if you get your books into the stores, you'll sell more books -- but how can I forecast the number of books?

ANSWER: This is more difficult than forecasting the weather. And I'm not a meteorologist or a retailer. However, in his book "Print-on-Demand Book Publishing," Morris Rosenthal estimates:

• If the title is modeled at one or two copies by the major bookstore chains, multiply Amazon sales by five.
• If the title is also carried by indies, specialty stores and book clubs, multiply by 10.
  

Depending on whose numbers you believe, Amazon accounts for between 8 percent and 15 percent of book sales in the United States. But it's safe to assume that certain types of books are overrepresented in Amazon sales -- computer books, specialized books, books that appeal to a younger audience.

By contrast, brick-and-mortar stores do a better job moving bestsellers by big-name authors, especially when they're on display in the front of the store.

Certain types of books do poorly on Amazon because buyers prefer to examine the physical book before purchasing. A good example is children's picture books, as Aaron Shepard points out. Many of these are bought as gifts from grandparents.

Your mileage will vary.