Awhile ago, I discussed a recent NY Times article about self publishing. If interested in the article itself, you can read it here.
I’d like to return to it for a moment, not for its content, but one quote in particular that got me thinking:
“Your rabid romance reader who was buying $100 worth of books a week and funneling $5,200 into Amazon per year is now generating less than $120 a year,” she said. “The revenue is just lost. That doesn’t work well for Amazon or the writers.”
– Quote from Author H.M. Ward, in NY Times Article by David Streitfeld, “Amazon Offers All You Can Eat Books, Dec. 27, 2014
Question – Are there really people spending upwards of $5,000 a year on ebooks? If there are, well, I suppose that’s great for authors, whether they be self-published or traditional. If a reader has that kind of money to spend and the books make them happy, then God bless them for their patronage.
Many readers don’t have that kind of money to burn. Despite claims that libraries are becoming more and more obsolete and may be going the way of the Dodo (though I hope not, wouldn’t that be sad?), I like to borrow books from my local library and find that to be a cheap (heck, free!) way to supplement my reading habit. And after I’ve discovered an author by getting his or her book from the library, if later I have a few bucks to spare, I might see they have a new title available for digital download and will say to myself, “Oh what the hell, why wait? Just pay the few bucks and enjoy reading it now.”
What is the role of the library when it comes to the publishing industry? In practice, libraries do lend out copies of copyrighted works for free and people who borrow free books aren’t sending any money the author’s way. Yet, we literary lovers tend to also be library lovers. Heck (I feel like I’ve used that word too much in this post), most of us probably first began our love affair with the English language in a library. So, authors, publishers, literary nerds of all kinds – we support libraries, at least, I do – I think most of us do, don’t we?
Question – Are there ways for self publishing Indie authors to get their books to libraries? Maybe an indie author, if he or she has the money, could produce several copies and donate them to libraries. Although, that could be a problem in and of itself. Often times, people bring books donations to libraries and are shocked to find that the library can’t use them – for whatever reason. Sometimes the books are old and outdated, sometimes a library just won’t have the shelf space. Indie Authors might try to donate their books only to receive polite responses from librarians of “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Still, I wonder if this isn’t an avenue that self-publishers should look at. People who love books but don’t have $5,000 a year to spend on them might read a self-published book through a library, get hooked, and maybe then spend a respectable $50 bucks a year on books, which, ok, no one’s going to celebrate that until we think $50 X a large segment of the book reading population.
What say you, reader? Are traditional lending libraries an option that self publishers should look into?
Bookshelf Battle 
I go back and forth on this library thing. I have heard libraries buy books but people have to ask for the book to begin with. At the moment I am focusing on increasing my audience through selling books and becoming better known. Someday I hope to be in the library.
Good luck. True, I suppose that you need to build a readership first before libraries start acquiring your book.
I clicked on your post because the central library in my city has a writer in residence and an Espresso Book machine — fledgling authors can have their manuscripts reviewed by the WIR and then printed their self-published or vanity trade paperback on the Espresso Book Machine. The library and the indie bookstore have hosted book launches for new indie authors, as well. So, yes, I do think there are possibilities there, but it may come down to the mandate or the direction of the library and its staff.
That sounds fun! I think you’re right though – I’m not sure how an indie could get his work into several libraries unless he has the time and money to print out like 100 books and then do a library tour, doing a pitch to every librarian they meet and even then the only thing that would be accomplished is that your book would get tossed into many librarians’ trash cans.
Hello! I have worked at a library for about a year now, and I can tell you that you are right – it is up to the individual library staff. We have one self publushed book in our collection, added in the past year, which the (local) author donated and asked us to add. It has been checked out only twice.
A recent online conversation between librarians from around the country came to the consensus that they generally prefer not to add them, and do so only if a patron has asked. Generally, however good they may be, library patrobs read enough books that they can tell when a cover is amature and will choose something else instead. makes the library reluctant to spend money or give up shelf space.
This is an interesting one. I’ve yet to do a print version of anything I’ve published, but I’ve found libraries in England are generally very receptive to local authors, traditionally published or otherwise. I’ve lived in/near a number of small towns where there was always a ‘Books by local authors’ stand, and I’ve approached one of them recently asking if they wanted to host me doing a presentation on self-publishing. It’s currently under consideration, but I hope they go for it. If I asked them to stock a paper copy of something I wrote, they’d probably say yes, and I’m at the stage where I’m not worried about getting a royalty so much as getting noticed. The library in my opinion should be the self-publisher’s friend.