By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
Last month, I gave you some details about how to get your book into your library (click here to read part one). In this article, I have some different actions along with a resource to give you much more detail about success with libraries.
As an author with a book in the library, you have to earn your spot for others to check out your book. I want to give you some ideas about the action steps you need to take.
I reached out to my local collection librarian. I asked what sort of check out activity does a book need to remain in the collection. While this standard may be different for every library, here’s what I learned: “We are a demand-driven collection, so everything on our shelves earns it’s spot! Our nonfiction collection has an average turnover of five checkouts per year per book, so circulation needs to be close to that to either stay on our shelves, or if the book is damaged, then the library will need to repurchase.”
From my exchange with this librarian, I’ve created a plan to regularly plan to market my own books which are inside my local library. In the past, I’ve done nothing to encourage local people in the library to use my books. Now I’m going to regularly encourage my local writer’s group and others to check out and use my books from the library bookshelf. Through my own marketing efforts, I want to help my books stay in the collection. My encouragement for others to check out my books from the library doesn’t have to be sophisticated or fancy—but it does have to happen on a regular and consistent basis. I take on this additional activity which stems from my marketing philosophy of taking 100% responsibility for my own success.
A second way to earn your right to be read is to learn the craft of storytelling. It is a developed skill to tell interesting stories. Some of it you can pick up through extensive reading, but it is also a skill which can be taught as you learn how a mixture of dialogue and narration detail can make for page turning writing. As you tell interesting stories about your books in the library to your local writer friends, it encourages them to check out your books.
[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none” inject=”#Writing #BRMCWC #Writinglife”]How to Get Your Book Into Libraries – Part 2 @TerryWhalin on @BRMCWC[/tweet_box]
A third way to earn your spot is to incorporate the checking out of your book into different types of writing such as your blog, your social media posts and even your podcasts.
A fourth way to earn your spot is to try different promotion methods with your library. For example, can you work with the local librarian to create a simple bookmark which they will give out at your library (and promote your book)? Some of your ideas will be rejected or failed. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t. The ones who succeed keep going forward even when they are rejected. Our world is full of opportunity. As a writer, you must seize the day, keep your fingers on the keys and keep moving forward.
The fifth and final way to learn about selling your book to libraries is to get my special offer of my printed book, 10 Publishing Myths. This special offer comes with over $200 of free bonuses but one of these bonus audios is important to selling your book into libraries. I interviewed a self-published author who sold thousands of his books to public libraries. If you want to get your book into libraries, you have to follow a well-worn path of success. For the first step, find someone who knows the path and learn from them. Next, get the details such as which libraries and which librarian along with crafting your pitch. After you get the order, create an invoice, mailing the books and if necessary follow-up. After perfecting this process, you repeat it with librarian after librarian. It will take work and effort to sell your books. Each of you can sell your book into libraries—but only if you do the work.
In my office, I have a series of writing craft how-to books which contain numerous insights. If I don’t read them then take action, they do nothing for me. If you want to see your book in libraries, take the first step, get this audio recording, follow the well-worn path and do consistent work. Let me know your plans in the comments.
W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com
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