Roarie Dragon

Keeper of our Bookshop and Online Store
cared for by our Front of House Management Team

Led by Bronwyn McKay, Front of House Trainee Manager, the team know how to keep our Dragon happy and entertained with his love of stories, and are always on hand to assist customers in discovering their next exciting read. From poetry to non-fiction, audio books, and every genre of fiction available, adults and children are sure to enjoy our collection of works, here in Roarie’s personal treasure of titles.

Being a typical dragon, our Roarie does love all things bright and sparkly, and so we are delighted to stock some fantastic Diamond Art Paintings by Kirsty McKay, Artwork by , to keep him happy. But we simply couldn’t resist the company of a dragon or two…although we know Roarie would far rather his new friends find a nice home of their own and not overcrowd his cave!
 
As well as managing and stocking our fabulous range of books, artwork and figurines, the Front of House team lead on our social media, sharing news and updates on all things happening in the world of The Book Dragon including our instore and online events, training, reading groups, writing circles, book launches and much more. Working closely with our Blaze, Phoenix and Hydra Dragons, the team ensures that a high standard of service & customer care is delivered. 
 
How to Stock with The Book Dragon
 
We have had to make some significant changes to our Terms and Conditions of Service in order to ensure that we meet the needs of our Authors and that the Book Dragon is able to continue to sustain itself and grow. We still have so many ideas of ways to really help self-published and indie authors reach as many prospective readers as possible.
 
Since the onset of COVID many customers have turned to online shopping and businesses today still continue to struggle to drive footfall and traffic into stores. We have tested and proven that without any additional proactive marketing support from our Business Parter Team, Authors will find it much more of a challenge to sell their book and generate royalties. Especially if Authors are solely reliant on organic footfall, which can be unpredictable and inconsistent for most businesses including The Book Dragon.
 
Authors are therefore required to take out a membership with us and there are 3 packages to choose from, all offering fantastic benefits and the opportunity for Authors to increase their Royalty % from the standard rates of most booksellers which is 65%.
 
Our Business Model allows us to be able to support Authors, no matter where in the world they are located. Therefore no matter the geographical location Authors can take full advantage of our services.
 
 To join please download and complete our Sale or Return Agreement (SOR), Author Royalty Form & Membership Registration Form. Please return the signed forms to bronwyn@thebookdragon.co.uk.
 
Find Out More About Us: 
 
 
Our second radio interview with BBC Radios Tees. Kirsty McKay, Business Executive of The Book Dragon, spoke to Gary Philipson about the support we provide to self published and indie authors. Have a listen!
Our segment starts at 2:18:35 of the broadcast 🤩.
 
If you love what you’ve read and heard and want to join us, but with the current cost of living crisis can’t yet afford to we can help!
 
Please contact our Founder, Kirsty McKay at kirsty@thebookdragon.co.uk to chat through what support we can give. We do have three different options that Authors can explore.
  • 5 Star Book Club
  • Distribution Service 
  • Commissary Programme 6 Month SOR 

Our Author Affiliate Scheme can also support Authors by making a reduction on their membership fees when they introduce another Author to the membership programme.

An image of Kirsty Mckay behind the counter of a bookshop in Stockton-on-Tees

OUR FAQ

Do you accept Author Copies from Amazon or Ingram Spark? – Yes.

Is the Author responsible for the POD costs – Yes, this is no different to you selling your book anywhere else.

Do I have to pay for Shipping? – Yes but just for the opening stock. The Book Dragon pays for the shipping to return stock. The Book Dragon pays for shipping for additional stock ordered. Authors please remember we have a local POD service which we can give you a quote for with 2 advantages. First no shipping costs. Second you don’t have to order a high amount of books, a minimum of 4 books per title. Our Printer charges the same competitive unit price whether it is 1 book or 100 books you order. Ask us to arrange a quote by emailing your book size and number of pages.

Do I have to send 10 Books as Opening Stock – Ideally yes, however we are flexible to the author’s circumstances. Talk to us and see how we can help.

Do I have to send 10 Books of Each Title – No, you can send 3-4 of each title and top up as and when you can.

Is it one membership per title? – No the membership covers the Author therefore all of the Authors current and future works are covered whilst the membership is in place.

What is the Footfall? – Honestly this is hard to predict as we don’t have a shop counter for traffic. In addition to this the Cost of Living Crisis is affecting all Retail Businesses, each day is unpredictable depending on News, Pay Dates, Environmental Factors etc. The second is following COVID most shoppers have changed their habits to online shopping.  

Website Sales – It takes on average 6 months for a website to embed for organic traffic. We are currently working with a local SEO company who are undertaking SEO on our UK  This schedule of work is due to complete in April/May 2023, which will increase traffic and SEO scores. Our website holds a large amount of content and internal & external links which the SEO’s love, we are maximising and enhancing this content as part of the current SEO work undertaken. We also have a dedicated website to Customers, a .Com website to encourage more international buyers as we do ship worldwide.

Who sets the prices of my books: The Author sets the price and all promotions that they would like us to run. We do ask that Authors keep the prices competitive to discourage Customers turning to Amazon, and instead shop local and shop independent through The Book Dragon.

Why Do We Use a Sale or Return Business Model? 

We do not buy from wholesalers to ensure that our Authors receive the maximum in Royalty entitlements. Instead of the retail price / sale divided by Wholesaler, Retailer (The Book Dragon) & the Author. This is just split between the Retailer and Author with the Author receiving the largest entitlement to cover their POD cost too and our Memberships pay a higher rate of loyalty then the industry standard of 60-65%.

We are a Partnership Service and prefer to get to know our Authors directly so we can effectively market and promote them. We bring the Self Published & Indie Published Community together to celebrate successes, share learning, share best practice, share ideas, hints & tips, provide encouragement & support.

Minimises the financial risk to the Retailer of stocking an unrecognised Author with no proven marketing or sales history. Equally there is no risk to the Author as if the Author’s books do not sell, they are returned to the Author directly. HOWEVER the Author is important to us and therefore if we have to remove a title from stock because of any quality issues we will always offer the opportunity for the Author to work with our in house Editorial Team to address any issues with the aim of placing the title back onto our shelves.

.

A sleeping dragon on a pile of gold in a book shop in Stockton-on-Tees
Recommended Pages to Visit
Find Out More...
Follow Us
Facebook-f Instagram Twitter Linkedin
© Copyright 2021
The Book Dragon