Libraries and Authors

 by Doris Baker

 If you have visited a public library lately, you have noticed that libraries are changing and expanding offerings. This year my local library system in El Paso County, Colorado, loaned free state park passes to patrons, and when a new branch opened in 2014, public access 3-D printers were part of the services. In spite of startling innovations and new approaches, printed books and e-books remain the core of library collections. In 2012, public libraries spent $1.22 billion bolstering collections. Sixty-three percent of that was spent on print materials and 16.7 percent on e-books and e-serials.

You can help librarians learn about your book (and choose to purchase it). Starting at the beginning of this broad discussion, the first step is remembering how public libraries work. As public, tax-supported entities, libraries are obligated to meet the diverse needs of their communities. Libraries operate under ‘collection development policies’ that guide their purchases and sometimes specify which vendors are used for purchases. 

Quality is important in all elements of your books from a professional cover design to the binding. E-books must also meet standards and be available through a vendor such as Over Drive.

Reviews drive purchasing decisions and librarians rely mainly, but not exclusively, on a small number of review sources: Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and The Horn Book. Paid review sources should be discussed with your publisher. You can read pros and cons of buying reviews and find resources by googling ‘paid book reviews.’

A review or press attention in local papers or magazines helps. Librarians are very attuned to matters of local interest. 

Direct mail is very effective if used to point out your success as an author, especially if your book is on a local best-seller list or has been chosen for inclusion in a ‘Best of …’ list by a notable organization or publication.

Trade show participation at library conferences also helps librarians discover your work. State library organizations hold annual conferences, as do regional associations such as the Pacific Northwest Library Association. The American Library Association holds several annual conferences. The two largest are the ALA and the PLA (Public Library Association). As a benefit to members, WWW has reserved a booth at the April 2016 PLA convention in Denver. ALA in 2015 had 22,600 participants, and PLA attendance in 2014 was only slightly less. PLA is a biennial event primarily attended by acquisitions librarians—the people you need to reach. 

This opportunity, unique in the history of WWW, will open for registration in January. Your contact for information is Cynthia Becker, a past-president of WWW and the chair of the 2016 WWW@PLA committee. 

Full information will come in the January membership mailing, but essential information is now available on the WWW members-only page. Participating in WWW@PLA is a great way to increase your library exposure on a national level. 

There is so much more to be said about authors and libraries. I hope this blog posting is the beginning of a rich discussion.
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Doris Baker is publisher at Filter Press, LLC, a regional book publishing company in Colorado. She currently serves WWW as president. 

A Wilder Rose Goes to the Library

by Susan Wittig Albert

I’ve been writing traditionally-published fiction and nonfiction for nearly three decades. But this year, I decided to publish a stand-alone novel—A Wilder Rose—under my own imprint, Persevero Press. All things considered, I’m glad I chose to take this route, but there have been bumps. A few potholes. Big trees across the road. Getting the book into libraries, for example.

A Wilder Rose is a biographical/historical novel about the collaboration of Rose Wilder Lane and Laura Ingalls Wilder in the writing of the award-winning children’s series, the Little House books. Since most libraries have copies of Little House in the Big Woods and the other seven books in this pioneer series, I had the idea that a book about the Little House books might be a pretty strong candidate for library acquisition. I decided to try to get A Wilder Rose into libraries.

But I ran into a few roadblocks, and I learned that even libraries that might want an author-published book may find it difficult to purchase it. If you’d like to see your book in the libraries, here are some things to consider:

1. Of course, you’ve already seen to it that your book is absolutely the best work you can produce—well-written, edited and copy-edited, and with a professionally-designed cover. It should also have a standard copyright page that lists your publishing information, including the ISBN number. As well, libraries prefer books that have a CIP-data block: a Cataloging-in-Progress data block that makes cataloguing your book easier. The Library of Congress produces this for publishers, but not for self-publishers. However, you can obtain a CIP-data block from a vendor. (I did.) Joel Friedlander has posted a good discussion of this process, along with helpful links. http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/03/cip-what-it-means-how-to-read-it-who-should-get-it/

2. Your hardcover book needs a sturdy binding, but it doesn’t need a dust cover. A case laminate cover is excellent. (Here’s Joel Friedlander again, explaining.) Libraries also buy paperbacks and trade paper editions, which they may rebind. But again, make sure the binding is sturdy.

3. Public libraries almost always prefer to buy from their usual distributors: Baker & Taylor and Ingram. I chose Lightning Source as the print-on-demand (POD) supplier for the library edition of A Wilder Rose, because Lightning Source distributes books through both Baker & Taylor and Ingram. Libraries may be more likely to buy your author-published book if you offer the standard institutional discount, 30-40%.

4. Before libraries can acquire your book, you have to let them know it’s available and entice them to order it. For this, you’ll want a press release (print or digital). It should describe your book in beguiling terms and (of course) feature your cover. Mention appealing extras such as index, photos, resource list and/or bibliography. Describe the book’s binding and be sure to include ordering information. One librarian told me to put all of this all on one side of a 9x12 page, or on a postcard. Several librarians reported that they did not want emailed releases.

5. I bought a mailing list of public libraries that serve populations over 40,000. I mailed postcards advertising the book to the 1284 libraries on that list. I have also taken advantage of the mailing services offered through the Independent Book Publishers Association (As a member of this organization, I have used several of its marketing programs. The staff is very helpful.)

6. Consider placing your book on NetGalley. I’m told that librarians often preview books there. I posted A Wilder Rose on NetGalley in July and the book is still being downloaded by reviewers, including librarians.

7. Librarians would like to see a review of your author-published book in at least one of four major review venues: Booklist, Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly. Of the four, only Kirkus and Publishers Weekly offer reviews to self-publishers and indie authors—for a fee. Uncertain whether you should pay for a review? Read Susan Gottfried’s helpful post on assessing the value of paid reviews. I took advantage of both the Kirkus and PW indie programs and earned starred reviews from both. The Kirkus starred review led to two feature articles (one in September, the other in November) in Kirkus’ print and online publications—coverage I wouldn’t have had without the review and definitely worth the up-front investment.

8. On your book’s website, offer resources for libraries, to tweak their interest. You can take a look at what I’m offering here.

9. Your local library may be a good place to begin your marketing efforts, with an offer to talk to library patrons or a Friends’ group about your book. And don’t overlook your state library association. I’ve given talks to three groups of Texas librarians since the publication of Rose, and have been invited to talk (and sell books!) at the Texas Library Association conference in April, 2014.

I’ve found a way to measure the success of these efforts: the number of libraries that are acquiring Rose. I’m keeping track via WorldCat, which lists the holdings of more than 10,000 libraries around the world. As of the day I wrote this post, 159 libraries had ordered or already shelved one or more copies of the book. (Some large library systems have ordered a copy for every branch.) And since only about a third of U.S. libraries belong to WorldCat, it’s reasonable to suppose that Rose is already on the shelves of quite a few more libraries—and that the numbers will continue to grow.

These are the strategies that have worked for me—but I’ll bet there are others I haven’t tried. And of course, library technologies are changing as fast as the publishing industry. I haven’t even thought about trying to get the eBook edition of ROSE into libraries, for example. That a whole ‘nother kettle of fish!

If you’ve had experience in getting your books into libraries, please share. The more we know, the easier this will be—or at least, so we hope!

First written by Susan Wittig Albert for Blood Red Pencil 

"If you loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books about her pioneer childhood, you should read A Wilder Rose by Susan Wittig Albert. If you are reluctant to believe that Laura’s daughter Rose may have written the books, you must read this novel...." Linda Hasselstrom