Public Libraries?
- wandavoy
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Public Libraries?
Have any of you considered giving your book/ebook to a library system?
I'm considering this.
Sure, that means the ebook would be free, but many play that game, anyway, through Kindle and the other ebook services.
What are your thoughts?
- Scott
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Over 2 million books are published each year. Like readers who have limited time, libraries have limited space. So they are very selective about which books they choose, even if the book is free.
A $10 price tag on the book shouldn't be the deciding factor for a library or a reader. Time/space is the hidden price tag. A book needs to be worth thousands of dollars for someone to invest the time to read it or the valuable space to stock it. What's $10 compared to thousands?
If an indie author finds the $10 price tag makes the different, then I would absolutely give them the book. If the library wanted the indie author to pay the library to stock the book, that would probably be a good idea to. The new or indie author is unfortunately fighting an uphill battle.
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- MJ Chantel
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But if you really want to get your book into circulation, the easiest way would be to donate a hard copy. Most libraries don't refuse donations, but might if it is an eBook as that requires a bit more labor.
- wandavoy
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- karolinka
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- Lincoln
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That is a great plan. Libraries can be great, but it is a hard market to break into.karolinka wrote:I've had good luck with libraries in my area, as far as stocking my first book and letting me do a couple of paid classes on the art of writing. But I guess it would depend on the library, and how well the librarian in question likes your book and your work. I try to make it a point to make friends with them- it pays off later on.
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- Dh_
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- Lincoln
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I would love to just donate copies to libraries for people to check out. what usually happens with donations, though, is that they end up just selling the donated copies for almost nothing in sales to help with their funding. I don't really mind that in the grand scheme of things, but it keeps me from donating as often as I would like because copies aren't cheap.Dh_ wrote:I'm not a writer, but as a reader I can say that public libraries are a great way to promote your books. I visit the library pretty often and that's usually how I discover new authors. I'm only speaking for myself here, but I'm more likely to read books by authors I've seen in a library than ones I haven't. Anyways, I think libraries are the way to go, even if they are free.
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- Amagine
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That said, local libraries are a great idea to try, especially if your book is set locally, and if you offer to do events as well. Has to be worth a punt.
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Of course, contact your local library to learn about their methods, and other ways they can promote you!