Why My Books Won’t Appear in Dymocks

January 11, 2026
/ Dymocks Bookstore
/ By Greg Reed

The Hidden Reality of Bookstore Buying Decisions

Why My Books Won’t Appear in Dymocks is a reality for a lot of indie authors. If you’ve ever walked into a Dymocks bookstore and wondered why certain books grace their shelves while others never see the light of day, you’re not alone. As an author who’s navigated this landscape, I’ve learned that the decision-making process behind what books appear in major retail chains is far more complex—and sometimes more frustrating—than most readers realize.

The Paradox of Bookstore Shelves

Here’s something that might surprise you: walk through any Dymocks store and you’ll find obscure titles that seem destined to gather dust. Books that appeal to incredibly narrow audiences. First-time authors with no platform. Experimental works that defy easy categorization. Yet somehow, these books earned their spot on the shelf.

Meanwhile, authors with proven track records and solid ratings—like C T Mitchell, whose books consistently earn positive reader reviews—struggle to get even a single copy stocked. How does this make sense from a business perspective?

The Uncomfortable Truth About Book Buying

The reality is that bookstore buying decisions aren’t primarily driven by what will sell best. They’re driven by a complex web of factors that often have little to do with an author’s actual potential to move units:

Publisher Relationships Matter More Than You Think

Major publishers have established relationships with buyers at chains like Dymocks. They get regular meetings, they have sales reps making the rounds, and they have the infrastructure to offer returns policies that reduce risk for retailers. An unknown author from a small press or self-published author simply doesn’t have this access, regardless of how good their ratings are.

The Returns Game Changes Everything

Traditional publishers operate on a returns model—bookstores can send back unsold inventory. This shifts the risk away from the retailer. When you’re a publisher without this arrangement, or a self-published author, suddenly that bookstore buyer sees your book as a gamble with their shelf space and capital.

Marketing Budgets Trump Track Records

That obscure literary fiction debut taking up prime real estate? The publisher probably allocated significant marketing dollars to it. Co-op placement fees, promotional support, author events—these investments influence buying decisions more than an author’s existing fan base or ratings.

Why C T Mitchell’s Ratings Don’t Matter (To Them)

Here’s the hard pill to swallow: excellent reader ratings on platforms like Amazon or Goodreads often don’t factor heavily into brick-and-mortar buying decisions. Why not?

First, buyers at major chains are evaluating hundreds of titles weekly. They simply don’t have time to research individual author ratings unless that author is already on their radar through traditional channels.

Second, online ratings exist in a different ecosystem. A book might have stellar reviews from 100 readers, but a buyer is thinking about whether it will appeal to the walk-in customer browsing their specific store’s shelves. They’re making educated guesses about their particular demographic.

Third, and most cynically, established systems are hard to disrupt. The buying process at major chains has been refined over decades to work with traditional publishing infrastructure. Breaking into that system as an outsider requires either massive success elsewhere or being championed by someone on the inside.

The Obscure Title Mystery Solved

So why do some genuinely obscure books make it onto shelves when books with better sales potential don’t?

Literary Prestige: A book that won an obscure literary award or comes from a celebrated MFA program might get stocked based on perceived cultural value rather than sales potential.

Publisher Push: That quirky debut novel? The publisher might be betting big on it as their breakthrough title for the season, and they’re willing to invest heavily in placement.

Diversity Mandates: Bookstores increasingly want to showcase diverse voices and stories, sometimes prioritizing representation over projected sales numbers.

Personal Taste: Buyers are human. Sometimes a book resonates with them personally, and they advocate for it internally.

None of these are bad reasons to stock a book. But they highlight how the system isn’t purely meritocratic or driven by sales potential.

What This Means for Authors Like C T Mitchell

For authors who’ve built genuine readerships but lack traditional publishing backing, the current system is genuinely frustrating. You can have:

Consistent positive ratings
A growing fan base
Books that demonstrably sell when given the chance
Professional production quality

And still find yourself locked out of major retail chains.

The harsh reality is that Dymocks and similar chains aren’t making decisions based on what’s most likely to sell to readers. They’re making decisions based on what’s most likely to work within their existing business infrastructure and relationships.

The Path Forward

This isn’t to say breaking into brick-and-mortar retail is impossible, but it requires understanding the game being played:

Build undeniable momentum elsewhere: Online sales, direct sales at events, social media presence—make yourself too big to ignore.

Consider hybrid publishing: Some smaller presses have the distribution infrastructure to get you into stores while offering better terms than traditional publishing.

Target independent bookstores first: They have more flexibility in their buying decisions and often pride themselves on discovering authors the chains overlook.

Understand it’s not personal: The buyers at Dymocks aren’t rejecting your work because it’s not good enough. They’re working within a system that wasn’t designed with independent or self-published authors in mind.

The Bottom Line

The book industry has always been about more than just the quality of the writing or even sales potential. It’s about access, infrastructure, and established relationships. An author with great ratings but no traditional backing faces an uphill battle that has nothing to do with the merit of their work.

For readers, this means some of the best books you’d love never make it to your local bookstore’s shelves. For authors like C T Mitchell, it means continuing to build readership through alternative channels while the traditional gatekeepers stock titles that may never find their audience.

Perhaps the real question isn’t why certain books don’t appear in Dymocks, but whether the traditional bookstore model is still the best way to connect readers with the stories they’ll love.

The answer, increasingly, seems to be no.

Have you discovered a great author who’s not stocked in major bookstores? The democratization of publishing means readers have more power than ever to support authors directly. Sometimes bypassing the gatekeepers is exactly what’s needed.