If you’ve ever wondered how to get your book in the library, you’re not the first. There are so many advantages to getting your book in the library! I mean, just seeing that baby on the shelf in your hometown is its own reward, but why stop there? Why not get your book in the library… everywhere?
Can it be done? Absolutely. And it won’t even take that much time out of your day.
Start local and close to home
Step one: Go to your own local library, where you have a card, and then fill out the request form. Some libraries have this on site, but most ask you to log in to their website and fill out the request.
Step two: Go to your social media. Go to your newsletter. Talk to all your friends and family. Tell them how excited you would be if your book was in the library near them! Explain how they can support you without spending a penny. Often, the people who love you will catch your excitement and be willing to request your book at their local libraries, too.
Then, get your book in every library!
So, here’s a funny little secret. You don’t always have to have a library card to request your book at a library.
I recently attended the Find Your Readers Summit, where author and handselling queen Tawnysha Greene gave several unconventional tips about getting your book into the hands of readers. Apparently, her book is carried in libraries as far away as Australia (she’s a U.S. author)! All she does to accomplish this is spend a set amount of time per week finding online library forms and requesting her book. This has not only gained her sales but an air of legitimacy and a much higher chance of becoming well known worldwide.
If you set aside even twenty minutes weekly, you too can begin to see your book on shelves all across the globe. So you want to get your book in the library? Shoot, get that book in all the libraries!
How do I know if it worked?
Now, it may seem daunting to dedicate your time and energy to this task if you’ll never know whether it’s working. No one wants to fill out a thousand forms for nothing, after all.
That’s why, if you want to try this out, you’re going to bookmark the site worldcat.org. You can use this site to search your book and literally see which libraries carry it around the world. Just type in your title and search a given region, and then you’ll see exactly where your book appears on library shelves!
While you’re at it…
Would you like to support the phenomenal community of Moms Who Write? We’ve published two amazing anthologies– The Order of Us and The History of us— with a third coming soon! If you could find a few spare second out of your day to request these books at your local library, tall the women who poured their hearts into these anthologies would be so grateful.
Not only would you be supporting your fellow writer moms, but every library that purchases The Order of Us or The History of Us will also contribute to a donation towards a good cause: Dolly’s Imagination Library with The Order of Us and Women for Women International with The History of Us. Aren’t libraries wonderful?
Do you know more ways to get your book in the library?
We’d love to hear more experiences from our authors on their success with getting their books into local libraries and beyond. Drop a comment below!
About the Writer: Kathryn Tamburri (@KathrynTamburriAuthor) writes clean YA epic fantasy novels which seethe with slow-burn romance. You can find more of her writing tips on The Devo Blog at KathrynTamburri.com, and learn from her publishing journey by subscribing to her fun author newsletter!