Marketing To Libraries
If you’ve written a book, you’re probably considering marketing to libraries—especially if you’re a self-published author. As such, you’re the direct link between your work and the rest of the world—no fancy marketing departments to help you out.
So how do you approach marketing to libraries?
As a writer myself, I understand the drive to get my work into the world. And as a public librarian, I’m one of the “gatekeepers” who decides which books are added to our collection. Taking both perspectives into account, here are some best practices for marketing your book to public libraries.
Marketing to libraries can be difficult, but there are steps you can take to put you ahead of the self-published pack.
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MARKETING TO LIBRARIES: Step One
Whether you’re writing for kids, teens, or adults, you should be familiar with all aspects of your chosen genre. What are the classics? What’s current and popular? Which titles are critically acclaimed? Ideally, you’ve read extensively in your genre, and have studied what works and what doesn’t.
Why?
If you develop the ability to evaluate literature critically, you’ll be better equipped to turn a critical eye to your own work. Does it hold up against what’s currently being published in your genre? If the answer is “no,” you’ll want to polish your piece a bit more before marketing to libraries. Look into hiring a professional editor, or if that option is cost-prohibitive, find a writing group or critique partners. You want to make sure your book is the best it can possibly be before introducing it to the world.
GO WITH A LOW-KEY SALES PITCH
Personally, I need a quiet moment to evaluate a book in order to decide if it’s a good fit for my collection and community. My preferred way to receive information about a self-published book is a carefully crafted postcard. Put the cover art on the front and the pertinent information on the back. Here’s an example of what you might include in the postcard copy:
Your author website, if you have one (this is a great way to showcase some sample pages from your story, which is the best way to help a librarian make a decision);
The logline for your story;
Blurbs from reputable sources (local newspapers or prominent blogs, for example);
How to purchase your book (is it available from Ingram? Baker and Taylor? Amazon?).
Also, make sure to address your postcard to the right person. Writing for teens? Address it to “Teen Materials Selector.” Likewise for adult or children’s books. This way, it’s more likely your postcard will end up in the right hands and not in the recycling bin.
If printing and mailing postcards is cost-prohibitive, you may be considering sending a marketing email. I’d steer away from this option, simply because many people are in the practice of automatically deleting unsolicited messages from strangers. If money’s tight, have a small quantity of postcards printed and do some research about which libraries would be the best ones to reach out to. Some libraries have Local Author collections, which is a sign they’d probably be more receptive to your book.
ASK BEFORE DONATING
Sometimes authors think that marketing to libraries simply entails dropping off a copy of their book. If it’s donated, it’ll definitely be added to the collection, right?
Not necessarily.
Librarians take great care in curating collections that are high quality and representative of their community’s needs and interests. So if a book isn’t a good fit—either the quality isn’t up to par, or the subject matter doesn’t make sense for the community—it likely won’t be added to the collection.
If this is the case, the librarian then has to spend valuable time trying to connect with the author to return the book. Or if there’s not a way to get in touch, the book could end up in the library book sale or donated to another organization.
I know how much work goes into writing a book, so I can empathize with the hurt feelings and frustration that would come up in a situation like this. The best way to avoid it? Make sure your book doesn’t exchange hands unless you have a firm commitment that the library will be able to circulate it.
MAKE PURCHASING AS EASY AS POSSIBLE
Many libraries order from companies that specifically serve institutions purchasing books in large quantities. Baker and Taylor and Ingram both fall in this category. If your book is available from where the company librarians order books from anyway, it removes a potential obstacle that could shut down the process. Some libraries also order from Amazon, so that’s another option for making your book accessible.
If your book isn’t available via one of the options listed above, it’s not a deal-breaker. I have, on occasion, purchased a book directly from the author. In this situation, it’s helpful if there’s some flexibility with how payment is exchanged. At my library, I need an invoice, which then has to be approved by our library board and submitted to the comptroller’s office for payment. You’ll get your money eventually; it just may not be quick.
MAINTAIN REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS when marketing to libraries
Even if your book is added to a library’s collection, that doesn’t guarantee it’ll circulate. As much as librarians try to curate collections that’ll be used by their communities, sometimes there are books on the shelf that don’t get any love.
The best way to ensure readers find your book in the library?
Reach out and connect with those potential readers. Consider doing presentations or storytimes in your community to highlight your book, then let readers know it’s available at the public library. Remember: the book marketing grind never stops, and there’s no one else who’ll do the work for you.
If your books flops at the public library, don’t despair—truthfully, lots of traditionally published books flop, too. That’s when you take a hard look at your story—why didn’t it connect with readers the way you wanted it to?—and carry the lessons learned into your next project.
IF IT’S A PASS, ACCEPT AND MOVE ON
A librarian may pass on your book for a whole host of reasons—maybe the quality isn’t quite up to par. Maybe the library is already flooded with books on the same topic or with a similar storyline. Maybe the topic or storyline wouldn’t be a good fit for the community—an example would be trying to pitch a book about fishing to a library in the desert.
I definitely understand that any type of rejection often feels personal, regardless of the reason—and it stings even more when the rejection centers around something that you worked so hard on.
I think it’s reasonable to ask a librarian for a general explanation as to why they didn’t add your book, as long as you’re prepared to accept the reasoning without becoming defensive. But here are some responses you definitely want to stay away from:
Trying to pressure the librarian into making a different decision;
Making a public scene or taking to social media to air your hurt feelings (yes, I’ve seen both);
Responding in any way that’s spiteful, disrespectful, or unkind.
If you’re cordial and gracious regardless of the response, you’ll avoid burning any bridges you might want to cross again in the future.
Looking for more in-depth marketing advice? Check out Good Story Marketing for service packages for both published and aspiring writers.