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Public Libraries? Will they take Indie Books?
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Allan
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Dec 31, 2018 04:44PM
They will in Australia. I approached the local library here in Queensland and they purchased 3 copies of 2 of my titles. Since then the same books have been purchased by libraries, both here and in other Australian states.
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I've even had a library that couldn't give me a straight answer, one way or the other.No answer is "no".
Kaylee wrote: "My local library is run by a local well-known author. Trying to get anything done at it without her strict permission is like trying to save Megara from the UnderWorld in Hercules. Impossible unl..."
How is this allowed, Kaylee, another author calling the shots? Whatever happened to the librarian?
In fairness to librarians, there's a lot of badly written books out there. Unless you have some bona fides like having won meaningful awards for your book, expect to have your book read first before a library will accept it.
Getting your book reviewed (yes, you'll have to pay for this) by someone like Kirkus or BlueInk, who have direct lines to libraries, can help--if the book gets an outstanding review, libraries might pick it up. I had the pleasant experience of having one of my books awarded a "best book" and given a prime slot in BlueInk's magazine, which goes out to libraries--it resulted in over 150 paper bound copies going to over ten states.
Within driving distance, offering to do a book reading at the library can open the door to having them accept your book for their shelves.
I believe that getting your books into libraries is an excellent way to market, and encourage everyone to consider it.
Getting your book reviewed (yes, you'll have to pay for this) by someone like Kirkus or BlueInk, who have direct lines to libraries, can help--if the book gets an outstanding review, libraries might pick it up. I had the pleasant experience of having one of my books awarded a "best book" and given a prime slot in BlueInk's magazine, which goes out to libraries--it resulted in over 150 paper bound copies going to over ten states.
Within driving distance, offering to do a book reading at the library can open the door to having them accept your book for their shelves.
I believe that getting your books into libraries is an excellent way to market, and encourage everyone to consider it.
As far as I've found having apoken to libraries, it depends on the library. Thwre is a preference for books with an ISBN number, however otherwise libraries have their own process system. One of the ones in town here told me they had to screen it for the correct section and that it may take a while. This was after a long discussion about the book and myself and understanding locals get preference. Anothwr one in a close city, took it without more than a discussion and decision to read ir in the meantime.Others will flat out say no, but this goes flr bookstores as well so it really depends on the library and what their entry requirements are.
Whitney wrote: "As far as I've found having apoken to libraries, it depends on the library. Thwre is a preference for books with an ISBN number, however otherwise libraries have their own process system. One of th..."I've found that to be true. I did a book signing at one of my local libraries and when it was over, I had the bright idea of inquiring how I could get my book into the library. I was referred to the acquisition librarian who agreed to read my book to see if it was a good fit for the community. It took a while, but eventually they took two copies of my book and they are now in that branch but can be checked out at other branches in the county. So I would say, don't just assume your library won't take your book. Go in and talk to them.
Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to marketing to libraries, and I found this conversation. As background, I began marketing to libraries in January 2018, and a few months ago, I emailed New York Times and USA Today best-selling Indie Author Joanna Penn, whom I don’t know and have never met, to share with her some of the successes I have had selling to libraries. In my message, I mentioned I had managed to get the first two books I had ever written into 68 libraries (21 Academic, 46 Public, and 1 Library Services company). I also shared, 5 of my library customers were amongst the 25 largest Public libraries in the U.S. I offered to join Joanna on one of her podcasts to discuss marketing to libraries. She wrote me back and asked me to write an article for her website, “The Creative Penn,” which I did. The article is entitled, “How To Get Your Book Into Libraries,” and it was published last month. Thus far, there have been nearly 800 reactions to it worldwide by Indie Authors, Publishers, Book Reviewers, and others, so I wanted to be sure to share the article with the group in the hope that it might be helpful to you in your library selling efforts.
I noticed links are not allowed in our discussions, so to read the article just Google, how to get your book into libraries Joanna Penn. The article’s date is June 12, 2019.
They took mine. They had to pass a board review but then they accepted mine.
Lee,That's outstanding!
I haven't run into a "Board Review" scenario yet so thanks for letting me know such a process exists. By the way, I noticed on your Author's page you were born in Atlanta, which is where I live. One of the latest Libraries to acquire my Memoir, "Not Far From The Tree," has been the Fulton County Library System. On Monday, I spoke at the South Fulton Branch on, "How to Self-Publish" which has been very well received. So much so, I'm scheduled to speak on the topic the next two months at the Peachtree and Milton Branches respectively. They will be my fourth and fifth presentations within the Library System this year. Do feel free to reach out to me if you need contact information for the Branch Managers I've been working with.
Respectfully,
Eric
Library branches in our library system aren't allowed to acquire their own books—that's all managed through central collection development. So I can't walk to my neighborhood library and ask them directly, for example.Also, I learned that our central collection development strongly prefers the book be marked as Returnable through your distributor (e.g., IngramSpark). That could be an issue, since some indie print-on-demand authors make their books non-returnable to keep down the cost of returns.
So...
1. Contact a library branch. Ask whether they do their own collection development/management, or whether it's controlled centrally. If they do their own, jump to step #3.
2. Get contact information for whoever's responsible for central collection development/management and contact them. Ask them the questions in #3.
3. Ask whether they consider books from indie authors at all, and under what circumstances. For example, only for local authors? Does the book have to be returnable? Will they accept books if you donate them?
Eric wrote: "The article is entitled, “How To Get Your Book Into Libraries,” and it was published last month."I noticed that article shortly after it came out. Thanks for publishing it—extremely helpful information.
Andy wrote: "Library branches in our library system aren't allowed to acquire their own books—that's all managed through central collection development. So I can't walk to my neighborhood library and ask them d..."Andy wrote: "Eric wrote: "The article is entitled, “How To Get Your Book Into Libraries,” and it was published last month."
I noticed that article shortly after it came out. Thanks for publishing it—extremely ..."
Thanks, Andy! I'm glad you found the article helpful.
Andy wrote: "Library branches in our library system aren't allowed to acquire their own books—that's all managed through central collection development. So I can't walk to my neighborhood library and ask them d..."Great information Andy!
Eric wrote: "Thanks, Andy! I'm glad you found the article helpful."Eric, today I heard from a library that won't order from IngramSpark, but will from Baker & Taylor. My book is print on demand, and my two POD distributors are IngramSpark and Amazon. (I doubt the library will like Amazon any better than it likes IS.)
In your article, you mention that you offer your book(s) through Baker & Taylor. I'm unclear how that would work for a POD book.
Do you submit print-ready files to B&T directly, and then they print on demand? Or do they fulfill POD orders through IngramSpark or Amazon?
Or...something else?
Eric wrote: "Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to marketing to l..."
I've just read your article at CreativePenn. I have my books in the county library system. To get them to accept my first book, they required me to complete a form and attach the book that was to be vetted by a central purchasing committee. The librarian said she had to read the book before she sent it in for review. After the first book, they didn't have to vet the next two. But I never thought of going outside my city. Thanks to your article I'll now look into this.
I got by book place in NY Public and Phila Free Library to some extent because of the tie ins to the narrative thenselves. I di this with little towns I work in with indifferent success but still, What's the cost of the book?
Andy, If you go through Draft2Digital and their POD, they use Baker&Taylor and it's all free if that helps any. That's the reason you make sure you are using some sort of imprint that makes you a publishing house so they don't immediately think 'Indie". Also, make sure those books are a clean as possible. I'm lucky in that I can give my to the local libraries as they have extremely small budgets and love new books.
For those who use Baker & Taylor, how often and when do you get paid? I signed up for their premium program over a year ago and have not been paid for a single sale. They are a large company, disorganized and don't return my emails or calls. Does anyone have a contact number for them?
Michelle wrote: "For those who use Baker & Taylor, how often and when do you get paid? I signed up for their premium program over a year ago and have not been paid for a single sale. They are a large company, disor..."For a year? That's why Amazon keeps on eating their lunch.
Andy wrote: "Eric wrote: "Thanks, Andy! I'm glad you found the article helpful."Eric, today I heard from a library that won't order from IngramSpark, but will from Baker & Taylor. My book is print on demand, ..."
Andy wrote: "Eric wrote: "Thanks, Andy! I'm glad you found the article helpful."
Eric, today I heard from a library that won't order from IngramSpark, but will from Baker & Taylor. My book is print on demand, ..."
Eric wrote: "Andy wrote: "Library branches in our library system aren't allowed to acquire their own books—that's all managed through central collection development. So I can't walk to my neighborhood library a..."
Andy, like you, I'm using Amazon and IngramSpark for my Print on Demand (POD) distribution through Baker & Taylor (B&T). Somehow, my books weren't getting to B&T through IngramSpark which they state could happen in their disclaimer about B&T. I fought this battle for months however because I was finding some of the Libraries I was contacting wanted B&T, but not through Amazon's Expanded Distribution offering. I ended up calling B&T directly for at least six months and they kept trying to get me to sign up for a "Partner Program" for lack of a better description, which I refused to do. I ended up going the eBook route as an additional way for me to be able to offer B&T to prospective Libraries. B&T's eBook platform is called Axis360. The Aggregators I'm using who distribute eBooks through B&T are Draft2Digital (D2D), StreetLib, and Smashwords. This "dual" approach allows me to offer both POD and eBook solutions to prospective Libraries.
The sales number I have for B&T is (815) 802-2224 which I believe is for my geographic region.
My apology for the lengthy note, but my B&T process, as you can see, was a little bit convoluted.
Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to m..."
Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,
As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to m..."
Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,
As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to m..."
Andy wrote: "Eric wrote: "Thanks, Andy! I'm glad you found the article helpful."
Eric, today I heard from a library that won't order from IngramSpark, but will from Baker & Taylor. My book is print on demand, ..."
Wanjiru,
I'm glad you found the article helpful. When you communicate with prospective Libraries, do reference the County Library(s) that have your books. I've found Library references tend to give me greater credibility with Librarians.
Eric wrote: "Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was ..."
After reading the article, I thought you could have packaged it and published it as an e-book. Perhaps sell it at 99 cents.
Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I lo..."
Wow, Wanjiru! What a great idea!! I'm up to 84 Libraries now, that have my books, and I've learned some things since I wrote the article. I could add some additional information and to your point, sell it as an eBook at a low price. Thank you so much for the suggestion.
Eric wrote: "Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to marketing to l..."
That's great Eric! Thank you! I never thought about academic libraries..
Christine wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to m..."
Christine wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,
As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discussion thread I looked for was one related to m..."
Christine,
You're more than welcome and best of luck with Academic Libraries.
Eric
Hi Folks, as a librarian, perhaps I can offer a bit of help. Baker and Taylor and Ingram are competing distributors both of which work with many publishers who make books (and other media) available to libraries for purchase. Libraries pay for access to these vendors and many libraries can only afford to pay for one or the other, not both. Municipal governances (e.g. town and city halls) often require that their departments (like libraries) get approval on which vendors they can use to help track expenditures, so librarians may not be authorized to use Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. Some public libraries are happy to accept locally-authored indie books into their collection as they reflect the local community, even though the readership may be low thus limiting their ROI for that acquisition. It's not uncommon for a public library to shy away from accepting an indie book that is not locally authored, though, as the ROI is likely to be low due to low readership and comparatively high processing costs. (Libraries often rely on centralized cataloging and classification which is a big time and money saver, and indie books are often not covered by those services.) POD is a method of production, and doesn't, necessarily, indicate which libraries nor which distributors will or will not carry your book, though it may suggest to some librarians the likelihood of difficult processing or small readership as POD titles often lack the publishing, marketing, and cataloging support that can make for efficient processing and high readership.
Matthew wrote: "Hi Folks, as a librarian, perhaps I can offer a bit of help. Baker and Taylor and Ingram are competing distributors both of which work with many publishers who make books (and other media) availabl..."Matthew,
Thank you so much for your valuable feedback and input.
Eric
Eric wrote: "Andy, like you, I'm using Amazon and IngramSpark for my Print on Demand (POD) distribution through Baker & Taylor (B&T)."Thanks Eric, that helps. I tried calling B&T but it went right to voicemail...and I wondered whether I would hear back. I sent them an email, and if I don't hear back from that I'll try phone again.
Right now I'm just trying to find out whether my book appears in their catalog at all. Ingram was only able to say that that it might appear there. I'd guess it's there, because my book is in at least 45 libraries already without my even contacting anyone, and I know B&T is a favorite source.
I'll keep asking B&T to find out. I've also reached out to a couple of local libraries to ask, in case they can find out for me through their B&T account.
Matthew wrote: "Hi Folks, as a librarian, perhaps I can offer a bit of help."Thanks Matthew. Very helpful insights.
Since B&T and Ingram are competitors, and libraries sometimes have to pick one or the other, it's interesting that B&T sometimes offers POD books that are printed through Ingram. I suppose B&T figures it's better to sell an Ingram-distributed book at a lower margin than to sell no book at all.
Andy wrote: "Eric wrote: "Andy, like you, I'm using Amazon and IngramSpark for my Print on Demand (POD) distribution through Baker & Taylor (B&T)."Thanks Eric, that helps. I tried calling B&T but it went righ..."
Andy wrote: "Eric wrote: "Andy, like you, I'm using Amazon and IngramSpark for my Print on Demand (POD) distribution through Baker & Taylor (B&T)."
Thanks Eric, that helps. I tried calling B&T but it went righ..."
Andy,
Try B&T's Technical Support number as well. I show it as (800) 775-1800 Option 2. They should be able to look up your book by ISBN or Title and let you know if it's in their Title Source 360 or Axis 360 systems. Lastly, that's outstanding your book is in so many Libraries. Perhaps you can use them as references to potentially get into even more Libraries.
Respectfully,
Eric
Eric wrote: "Try B&T's Technical Support number as well. I show it as (800) 775-1800 Option 2."Thanks Eric! Will do.
Matthew wrote: "Eric wrote: "Andy wrote: "Eric wrote: "Andy, like you, I'm using Amazon and IngramSpark for my Print on Demand (POD) distribution through Baker & Taylor (B&T)."Thanks Eric, that helps. I tried ca..."
Matthew,
Thank you for the great tip!
Eric
Libraries, in my experience, will definitely carry indie books. If the author is local they are more likely to carry it. The library in my town held a panel of Indie authors and then got books from all the authors to carry in the library.
Matthew wrote: Hi Folks, as a librarian, perhaps I can offer a bit of help. Matthew, I publish through Ingram Spark and KDP. My understand is that Ingram and B&T had a working relationships until fairly recently. I've discovered that some libraries are purchasing my books through B&T (books which came from Ingram originally) and the libraries are NOT receiving jpgs of the covers. I had several interactions with Ingram people who insist they are sending out jpgs. So I asked my local collection development librarian where she got my books and why there was no jpg cover in her online catalog. She said she got the books from B&T, and said she didn't know why she had no cover. I pushed for an answer and she said she'd try to find out why B&T isn't providing covers to go in the online catalog. She never got back to me. (as a retired reference librarian, I must say that a lot of technical services librarians have a poor public service attitude). Do you have any insight about this? My concern is that the number of people who check out my books will be lower because covers are a significant factor in how people choose a book. And if the first in a series doesn't circulate well, then the collection devopment librarian is less likely to buy more in my series. Thanks for any insight. C.J. Shane
Eric wrote: "Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Wanjiru wrote: "Eric wrote: "Team,As an introduction, I became an Indie Author in 2017, and I joined the “Support for Indie Authors” group yesterday. The first discus..."
Wanjiru,
I have followed through on your suggestion and have thanked you in the piece as well. I hope you and others will benefit from the more in-depth information.
Respectfully,
Eric
I'm in Australia and the libraries here definitely take indie publishers.
Our county libraries have a promotion for local authors who are willing to donate a book. First it has to be reviewed by the branch manager, then if accepted, the author gets to donate it it into circulation. Believe it needs an ISBN to start. Only about four branches out of 30 participate.My local library accepted my book — the managing librarian, a dedicated pro, appreciated that I wrote a lot of the book in that library. We had a great talk about my book, which addresses the White House history I witnessed from a controversial and locally unpopular perspective. She surprised me with her supportive comments. Libraries don’t play politics one way or the other she said, and she backed it up.
With my book in circulation, they allowed me an author talk with the opportunity to sell copies afterward. I promoted it through neighborhood social media. They promoted it in house. I had one attendee whose evasive personal details gave me the impression he was FBI checking me out. No sales.
It is a thrill to have my book circulated in the library knowing that friends and family can check it out. Apparently it’s popular. They’ve asked me to donate a second copy.
My library was supposed to buy my latest book but then Coronavirus came and the library is temporarily closed so I don't know if the lady ever got a copy. I'll have to write and check on it
I'm very interested in this conversation, because it can be very difficult for indie authors to gain access to libraries. And because libraries are mainly locally controlled, there's no blanket solution. Nevertheless, I believe most librarians are willing to help. Many will accept donated copies, as mentioned in this thread. I think the key will be found by building relationships with librarians in your area, and asking them to spread the word through their networks. Support them in doing this by offering to write copy or whatever else they need to facilitate this.
PS: As Mike's story shows, it also makes your book more attractive if you can do live events that bring traffic to the library. Librarians want to serve their communities in a variety of ways.
As I shared in my article for Joanna Penn, I decided to focus on libraries as a strategic market segment due to the trustworthiness people tend to associate with these facilities, and because they have a “Collection Development Policy.” I believe these policies serve to enhance a book's credibility when one is able to get their book(s) into a Library. Also, Libraries are highly referenceable accounts and I've had some Librarians refer my titles to others. At this juncture, I have shied away from book donations out of concern that if the 92 Libraries that have purchased my books these past two years were to find out, I might get quite a bit of backlash.
Last week, I started offering Libraries free "How to Self-Publish" webinars so that they could continue offering programming to their Patrons during this challenging COVID-19 period. I already have one Library signed up. I'll be sure to let the group know if I'm having success with the webinars.
I won't take up any more of the Group's time, but I will share, a Google search will give you insight into some of the things I'm doing to get my books into Libraries.
If you look at what gets a book into libraries, it isn't that we're an indie. It's all about having the right things. First of all, you need an ISBN. You have to buy them. They are not cheap in the US. Bowker is the only "approved" seller of ISBNs. if you buy them elsewhere, that number will be attached to whoever you bought them from. You traditional publishers buy them by the thousands and those numbers they put on your book show that they belong to that publisher. Mine are registered to BAM Publishing.Next, A library of congress number is another number that you should have for libraries. You can apply for them on line. The other thing you will need is a PCN and LCCN and PCIP block. They all are associated with the numbers the libraries use. All of them should be applied for after you register your book and get your LCCN and have your ISBNs with you publisher number (YOu need to buy them in blocks of ten to get that.)
If you go through Draft2Digital, they use Overdrive which will put you in front of libraries. You can talk with them on how to advertise with Overdrive. There is a lot more like what journals to publish in, the need to reviews which would mean something like Kirkus or Blue Ink. It isn't cheap, but it can be done. Of all those numbers above, the ISBN under your publishing company and the LCCN are the most important. Without them, you have less credibility.
Thanks,Very valuable and specific information.
