Marketing Your Book to Libraries - article

There is nothing like the feeling of searching the card catalogue at a library and finding your book listed multiple times. How do books find their way onto library shelves? Self published authors and small press authors often feel left out in the cold. Even if an author has a book with a major publisher, that publisher may be providing little in way of library marketing support. Books don’t just migrate to library shelves. How do they get there?

It may be tempting to spam libraries all over the country in mass emails as a form of promotion but this is not very effective. Those emails will most likely be eaten by spam filters. This is an area where hand selling is important. To find the best way to get your book on the shelves of your LOCAL library system, go talk to your local librarians. Get to know them. They share more interests with you than most people on the planet, so this will be an easy task. Ask you librarian how to best submit your book to the local library system.

Put together a packet for the person or committee who recommends books for the library. You will need a review copy of the book or if cost prohibits offer a chapbook. What’s a chapbook? It’s the first two chapters of a book printed in book format and inserted into a folded sheet of card-stock and then stapled. Next, add to the packet a synopsis sheet and an endorsement sheet. Tuck in some swag – a bookmark or colorful postcard is a popular choice. Include an FAQ about the author too. A personal note with the packet from the librarian who helped you on this journey will also up the chances of your book being purchased by local libraries.

To reach non-local libraries, do your research. This is a slow but successful process. Organizations like the American Library Association can help (http://www.ala.org). Contact library systems in cities where you have lived or attended college. Enlist the help of friends and relatives. When contacting libraries you have no connection with, be practical and consider your content. A history of a local county might sell well to libraries in that county. It might sell to other county library systems in the state, but interest on a wider level might wane after that.

If you have no personal connections, how do you find library contact info? With a map and an internet search engine, you can quickly obtain contact info for libraries. Always personally email librarians first and then only send requested material.

Another way to reach librarians is at their regional and national conferences. The American Library Association (ALA)’s conferences expose librarians to thousands of books. The right title might warrant a booth or shared booth at one of these events. For more advice on how to market books to libraries, ALA offers a fact sheet on this subject: Marketing to Libraries. Check it out.

Follow these marketing tips and good luck selling your books in libraries.