On the Shelf of My Local Library

Playing the Genetic Lottery is my ninth book, but my first novel and my first self published book. So for me, it's very special, and I still get a thrill when I see the cover of my novel. I'm pleased to have it offered for sale in all four of the independent bookstores in Santa Cruz  County, where I live. I'm so pleased, in fact, that when friends and family visit from out of town I usually take them to one or more of the bookstores so they can see my novel on the shelves. 
I'm happy to say that so far my visitors have been excited to see my book for sale, or at least done a good job of pretending to. And now I'll have another venue to show them. Last month the Santa Cruz Public Library System purchased four copies of Playing the Genetic Lottery. While the copies have to be entered into the library system and processed before becoming available to borrowers, I'm excited for several reasons. As an avid reader, and a longtime library patron, I'm looking forward to seeing my book on the shelves in some of the library branches that I've spent so much time in. I'm also very happy I was able to sell copies to the library because I was under the impression they didn't purchase self-published books.
I had been told that by another writer who also self-published her novel. She complained to me that her local library refused to buy her book, although they did accept a donated copy. She was miffed, because the librarian told her that libraries only buy books from established publishers. Even though she volunteered regularly at her local library, the libraries acquisition department refused to make an exception for her. After hearing her diatribe about the unfairness of it all, I
was almost convinced she was right. 
Fortunately, however, I've been a journalist for most of my career, and as such, have been trained to be skeptical. As a reporter, I always tried to get “facts” confirmed by more than one source. And as a reporter, I've learned not to be afraid to ask questions, even if you suspect the answer will be “no comment,” “leave me alone,” or something more hostile. So last month, when I was at the library, I asked the manager who I needed to talk to about selling my book to
the library system. She gave me a name and a number. As it turned out, the woman she suggested I contact wasn't the correct person. But she was friendly and offered to find out who was. Ten minutes later, my phone rang, and another
friendly woman from the library administration department was on the line,
asking for information about my novel. To make a long story short, the following morning I hand delivered the books along with an invoice.
 I don't know if my local library system bucks a trend and makes exceptions for local authors or not. I do know, however, that if you don't ask, the answer is always no. And I'm very glad I did ask. As a writer, I want my work to be read. Sure I'd prefer it if each reader purchased their own copy of my book, but as a new and relatively unknown novelist, I'm always looking for ways to get the word out about Playing the Genetic Lottery. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising I've found, and the more people who read it, means there is likely going to be more people talking about it. And as a longtime library patron, I'm proud to have my latest book on the library shelves for others in my community to enjoy.  
Terri's note: This post  for Morgen Bailey's outstanding blog.