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UK Libraries - anyone know how to tempt them?
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I’ve never tried. I know if you manage it you have to apply for public lending rights. I’d be interested to know if you get somewhere.
Anna Faversham wrote: "So now I have some paperback books at last, I'm going to need to sell some. My first thought is libraries - not known for buying books really, but I thought I could give them one book and hope they..."I'd go into the nearest library and inquire. Perhaps they have a process by which authors can submit their books for consideration. Or, perhaps they will accept donations. Just march right in and ask for the head librarian. You have nothing to lose.
Thanks both. I've got it in my diary to do just that, Theodore, I've even made a list of libraries that are near to places mentioned in the books but I've read somewhere in the last few days that this practice (of hoping they'll order more) doesn't work. I can see they might take my book as a donation but will they purchase more from Amazon? We only get one shot at enquiring and it would be good to get it right. I don't have a problem with meeting head librarians or anything like that, that's one thing in my favour. Perhaps the only thing...
My hope hangs on your comment '...perhaps they have a process...' :o)
Anna Faversham wrote: "Thanks both. I've got it in my diary to do just that, Theodore, I've even made a list of libraries that are near to places mentioned in the books but I've read somewhere in the last few days that t..."I'd ask if they have a process for procuring books from local authors. Our local library system does, but even then, they usually purchase only one copy which they share among branches. Someone requested one of my books from the local library (a friend who works there told me), and on the basis of that request, the library system purchased ONE copy which I intuited they shared among all branches.
It's a good thought, but sadly, not one that I'd expect to yield many sales. But...what about the possibility of the library hosting you to talk some Saturday afternoon?
Anna Faversham wrote: "So now I have some paperback books at last, I'm going to need to sell some. My first thought is libraries - not known for buying books really, but I thought I could give them one book and hope they..."If it helps any, this was my experience in the US -- I was able to "drop off" aka donate one copy of my book at a local library because I really lived in the area. Being "local" seemed to be the key. I exchanged a few emails with the librarian ahead of time and then scheduled a date/time to meet and drop off my book. I included a one-page cover sheet with a few book details and my contact information. Once my book was in the library system, any of the other same-county libraries could borrow it. They were very specific about taking only one copy of my book as shelf space is extremely limited.
Good luck!! And yes, as Theodore said, ask about hosting a talk at the library.
Thank you T and K. I've made notes!My local library is tiny. A good place to practice on!
I'm in the UK and I donated some copies of my novels to my local library. I'm not sure what the process would be to get them to buy copies but when I went in to enquire about donating they gave me an address to send the books to. A few weeks later my friend went in and text me a photo of one of them on display!
My experience so far: tiny local library - one lady said thank you for the two books; she'd have to consult... She's taken my telephone number. I asked if she could, in return, pin a pretty (yes I did something pretty!!) little notice up. No, as she didn't have a notice board. Mobile library (don't forget those, folks) - looked up on i/net, a fortnightly service but did not say which week... I turned up and it wasn't that week. I'll try again next week. Sigh.
Shari - you give us hope!
I understand that to reach libraries and bookshops in the UK you've got to get your book to a distributor.You can use online library services for e-books but otherwise it's tough.
In NZ and Australia we can get our print books into libraries and bookshops via Wheelers.Wheelers website www.wheelers.co.nz
We are a large supplier of books and shelf-ready services to libraries and schools throughout New Zealand and Australia. If you would like your book to be available for public libraries/schools to consider ordering, please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) at the bottom of this document before you complete the Wheelers New Title Form which is available from this link:
Oh... that's interesting P.D.R. perhaps there's something similar in the UK.Thank you.
Isn't Wheelers international though? I mean isn't there a UK branch like Neilsens have one?
I finally found that a book has to be assessed by a central team. So I contacted them through their online chat box and I am still waiting (about 6 weeks now) for a response... sigh.This is embarrassing as I offered to take in/get assessed someone else's book too.
Patience is a virtue but I bet a kick up the pants - er sorry, I did of course mean a polite enquiry as to progress - might be necessary.
Just a thought for the UK market, but there is such a thing as Legal Deposit, which makes it obligatory for publishers and distributors in the United Kingdom and Ireland to deposit their publications. This is something quite often overlooked by self-published authors. Basically, whenever you publish a book, you are obliged by law to deposit your publication in the six legal deposit libraries. These libraries collectively maintain the national published archive of the British Isles. The principle of legal deposit has been well established for nearly four centuries.The bonus of doing this is that it makes your book available for access by both libraries and book retailers. There is no fee for doing this, other than the cost to you as the author to get the books and pay postage.
You can find out more about this here. https://www.iamselfpublishing.com/leg...
It's worth a read, and as mentioned above is actually a legal obligation when you publish a book.
Hope that helps.
Ooh, now that is interesting. Tomorrow, when I am not half asleep as I am now, I'll follow this through.Thank you so much.
Anna Faversham wrote: "Ooh, now that is interesting. Tomorrow, when I am not half asleep as I am now, I'll follow this through.Thank you so much."
You're welcome :)
Thanks for the heads up White DiamondI've just emailed the British Library @ legal-deposit-books@bl.uk to check whether this applies to indie published authors who are not represented by a publishing house, and to get details of the process if it does.
From what I can see the British Library is the only place you would have to send a book automatically, the other 5 legal deposit libraries may request a copy of a book so long as they do so within 12 months of publication, and if they make a request, a book must be sent, but you are not obliged to send one unsolicited to those libraries.
Alex wrote: "Thanks for the heads up White DiamondI've just emailed the British Library @ legal-deposit-books@bl.uk to check whether this applies to indie published authors who are not represented by a publis..."
No worries, Alex. As far as I'm aware it is also for self-published authors as technically speaking you take on the banner of publisher when you publish your own book, so this law should still apply.
Here's the response I got from the British LibraryDear Alex,
Thank you for your email regarding legal deposit.
The British Library Legal Deposit Office is entitled to receive one copy of every publication published or distributed in the United Kingdom & Ireland.
The requirement to deposit is due to a work being published or distributed in the UK regardless of who it’s published through.
Therefore we would require you to deposit your publications – please send one copy to: The Legal Deposit Office, The British Library, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7BY. There are no forms to complete but a covering letter or compliment slip with the address of where you would like the receipt to be sent would be helpful.
If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to get in touch.
I'll order some copies of my books today so I can get them set off. Thankfully it seems like a relatively painless process.
Crikey, thanks for this you two. I assumed my work was not important enough to have to do this. Now I know that indies/self-pubs are also included, I'd better do something about it.Yay! In the British Library... zippedoodah, zippedeeday...
I thought the same, Anna. Glad it was so simple to get an answer, but it does remind me that I need to change my PBs to Ingram. D2D print wants to take up to 3 months for some of my titles to arrive - that's crazy.
how about if your book only exists as ebook, i.e. not in any physical form? Thanks for this thread, btw and Happy New Year
Hi Magnus,it may be worth sending an email to check, but legal deposit website https://www.bl.uk/legal-deposit does mention digitally published works as these also count as published works, whether or not they're in print.
Hoope that helps :)
Happy New Year.
Jacqui
Thanks, Jacqui, I'll check it out.Happy Roaring Twenties!
Re the British Library--I've heard about this, but I decided not to bother. Do they really want copies of the thousands of indie publications? I should think not. If they ask me, I'll provide. But otherwise, I'll save my pennies.
I'm only going to send my paperbacks. I haven't put my short stories into pb as I intend to add to the ebook as I go along. Though at this rate, it might be added to every 3 years or so...
Chrys wrote: "Re the British Library--I've heard about this, but I decided not to bother. Do they really want copies of the thousands of indie publications? I should think not.I'm not in the UK, but they probably do. Something similar is in place in the U.S., although it works a bit differently. When you register your copyright, you have to provide two deposit copies, which go to the Library of Congress.
This is a very old practice, dating back (as far as I know) to the Great Library of Alexandria, where a law required that any ship that came into port had to surrender any books on board, which would be copied and then returned to their owners. This made the library the greatest repository of written materials of its day.
Ooh, a new snippet of information, thanks, Dale, I didn't know that about the The Great Library of Alexandria.
Alex wrote: "Ooh, a new snippet of information, thanks, Dale, I didn't know that about the The Great Library of Alexandria."You're quite welcome. I should also include a caveat: I'm not much of an historian, so anything I say along those lines should be independently verified. ;-)
My thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I had it in my diary to attend to sending my paperbacks off to the British Library, and at last I am doing just that. I needed (only other writers will understand the need) to finish the book I was writing first.As for getting things into libraries - I haven't heard from the County Library - shame on them. Months went by and then the corona virus shutdown came along. Sigh. I'll put it in the diary again...
Do any UK authors get their stuff (sorry masterpieces) into libraries? If so, what's the best way to go about it?