5 Tips for Marketing Your Self-Published E-Book to Libraries
Public libraries represent a promising sales
opportunity for self-published e-book authors. There are more than 9,000 public
libraries in the U.S. A 2015 survey by Library
Journal found that 94% of public libraries offer e-book checkouts
and 39% of libraries either purchased or planned to purchase self-published
e-books.
The indie author’s opportunity is to tailor
his or her marketing to reach librarians when, where, and how they want to be
reached.
Librarians use multiple levels of curation.
In addition to their own reading, they consider trade journal reviews,
publisher or author reputation, patron requests, national bestseller lists, and
recommendations from fellow librarians.
When librarians add self-published e-books to
their collections, they shoulder more of the curation responsibility.
Self-published books typically haven’t survived the agent/publisher gauntlet of
traditional gatekeeping—a form of vetting that librarians appreciate—and they
typically don’t come with the same number of reviews. This may explain why 61%
of the librarians at the time of Library
Journal’s survey had not purchased or were not planning to purchase
self-published e-books.
Yet there are strong voices calling for
libraries to embrace self-published e-books. One of those champions is Henry
Bankhead, formerly the acting director of the Los Gatos (Calif.) Public
Library, and now an assistant director at the San Rafael Public Library. In
2014, his advocacy for indie authors landed him on the cover of Library Journal. Bankhead
recently told me that he believes all librarians have a responsibility to their
profession and to their patrons to read, recommend, and acquire the best indie
e-books.
Smart marketing can help indie e-book authors
earn a librarian’s attention, consideration, confidence, and purchase.
Five Library Marketing Tips for Indie E-books
1. Make your e-book
purchasable by libraries
Libraries cannot acquire your e-book unless
it’s available for purchase through one of the library e-book platforms. These
platforms enable librarians to manage purchasing, cataloguing, rights, and
time-limited checkouts. Indie authors can get e-books carried by library e-book
platforms by working with a distributor. For example, Smashwords distributes
indie e-books to most leading library platforms, including Baker & Taylor’s
Axis 360, Bibliotheca CloudLibrary, Odilo, OverDrive, and Askews and Holts in
the U.K. Other notable e-book checkout platforms include BiblioBoard, Hoopla,
and Freading.
2. Visit your local
library, introduce yourself, and start building a relationship
Surprisingly, 83% of librarians in the Library Journal survey
said they are rarely or never visited by local authors. That’s a missed
opportunity. But your goal isn’t to just sell one book to the library. Your
goal is to become a super patron and build a relationship.
3. Offer to orchestrate
events at your local library
Most libraries have meeting spaces for
events, and some have specific staff responsible for helping with event
coordination and promotion. As a local indie author, you could offer to do a
reading, host your next book launch, or organize a panel discussion. You could
even present a workshop on self-publishing to help inspire and train the next
generation of local indie authors. Librarians generally love such events
because they bring patrons in the door and contribute to the culture of books,
authorship, and reading.
4. Mobilize your readers
to request your book at libraries
Many of your readers borrow e-books from
their local libraries, and there’s a good chance that some are even librarians.
Once your book is distributed to the major library e-book platforms, let
readers know by adding a note on your webpage or blog—e.g. “E-book available
for checkout at libraries. Ask your librarian today!” As the Library Journal report
found, librarians are more likely to acquire a title if local patrons ask for
it.
5. Contact libraries on
their terms
Most libraries have websites, and many offer
email addresses and online forms through which you or your readers can contact
the collection development manager and suggest titles for acquisition. Some
librarians prefer online contact over in-person visits because online requests
contain all the information needed for purchase. Still, keep pitches brief. For
an in-person pitch, try something like this: “Hi, I’m Jane Author, and I’m a
patron here. I recently published my debut thriller, which is available for
purchase on OverDrive and other library e-book platforms. I wonder if you’d
consider adding it to your collection.” That 10-second pitch is all you need to
pique the librarian’s interest and spark a productive conversation. Note that
by mentioning that your book is on the major checkout platforms you demonstrate
an understanding of how libraries procure titles. A written pitch should also
be brief, but can contain more information including title, library checkout
platforms, price, category, ISBN, trade journal reviews, awards, and a succinct
description.
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Upcoming Event | MANLIBNET 17th Annual
International Conference on 15-16 September 2017 at Jaipuria, Noida, India
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