How do I get my book in a library?
An excerpt from The Author's Guide to Libraries and other news from Duskbound Books.
How do I get my book in a library?
by Cari Dubiel
I won’t lie—many a librarian will cringe when an author approaches their desk with a purchase request. Really, any purchase request is stressful when you have a limited budget. As a librarian, I want to please my patrons and give them what they want. But from a collection development standpoint, it’s not so easy.
Collection development is the process of curating a library’s collection. This includes both purchasing and culling. I dedicate an entire chapter to this in my new book, The Author’s Guide to Libraries. Librarians and library workers need to make difficult decisions about what goes into our collections and what comes out. We have both limited shelf space and a limited budget. With so many thousands of titles coming out each year, we can’t catch ‘em all.
Depending on the library and your relationship with them, you can get your books on the shelves—you just have to have the right knowledge. Here are some tips to get you started.
Have your pitch ready. If you’re a seasoned author, you have likely practiced your pitch over and over. You need it for marketing, promotion, and to be accepted for publication. I’m definitely tired of hearing my own pitches, especially for my older books, but you can memorize it and have it down flat. Focus on the parts that will make a potential reader go “oooooh.”
Know you won’t get an answer right away. Nine times out of ten, you will not find the person who makes purchases at the desk. In my book, I go over the different types of roles at the library and who makes what decisions. Be courteous and leave your information for the person who greets you. There might also be a form you can fill out that the frontline staff member will pass on. You may have an opportunity to give your pitch, but tread carefully. If the person seems receptive or interested, go for it! If not, move on.
Know their collection development policy. Every library chooses items based on a specific set of criteria. This policy will be approved by the library’s governance and cannot be modified without a formal vote. So it’s crucial that you read this over before you come in. For example, if your book is indie and that library doesn’t collect books by indie authors, it’s better not to waste your time.
Want more? Pick up The Author’s Guide to Libraries, out April 30, 2024. If you preorder through the Duskbound Books website, you’ll get a dollar off the retail price at other venues.
Praise for FAR FLUNG by TCC Edwards
FAR FLUNG follows a colonist ship seeking a new life on the first human settlement outside our solar system. Soon they find themselves lost in an uncharted, distant corner of the universe. Caught between warring alien factions, they must find a new haven among the stars.