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For Small Presses and Local Authors
Marketing Your Book to Orange County Public Library
Adapted from a handout produced by Nancy McGill, Selections Librarian for the KingCounty (WA) Library system.
Orange County Public Library actively seeks books that are written and/or published locally. We are especially interested in those about southern California. As a public library we select books whose content is written for the general reader rather than for the specialist or practitioner. We do not collect most textbooks. Books with pages designed to be filled in by the reader, or torn out are not appropriate. Because books in a public library get heavy and sometimes careless use from the public, we look for those which are sturdily bound, preferably sewn or glued. Spiral and comb bindings do not stand up well in our setting.
The best way to bring your book to our attention is through reviews. A positive review in one or more of the library review journals, such as Library Journal, School Library Journal (for children's books), Kirkus, Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, or in the LA Times Sunday book review section will give your book an excellent chance of being bought by OCPL (and other public libraries as well.) See below for more information on the publications.
The next best method is a flyer mailed to OCPL HQ. Libraries generally have only a few seconds to look at a flyer, so your best bet is to emphasize the essentials. We look for:
· WHAT the book is about.
This should be brief and pithy.
· WHY the book is needed at OCPL.
Here you should include quotations from reviews, or reader testimonials if you have them. If the book has been reviewed you could also attach a copy of the review.
· WHO the intended audience is for the book.
Is it intended for adults, young adults or children? Parents, business persons, hobbyists, etc?
· WHO the author is.
This should include qualifications, such as education, experience in the field, experience as a writer. Be sure to mention that you are a local author or publisher, since this is a factor in our decision whether to buy.
· WHEN, WHERE, etc. the book was published.
We need all the bibliographic data, including date of publication, price, ISBN number (very important), edition statement, type of binding. If the book is self published, please give some indication of its physical appearance, including how it is bound.
· HOW we can get it.
Libraries prefer to buy from wholesale vendors, such as Ingram, or Baker and Taylor. There are also national vendors that specialize in small press books, including Quality Books and Unique Books. If the book is only available directly from you, be sure to provide a phone number, address, and e-mail address if you have one. Be prepared to accept purchase orders, and to wait several weeks for payment.
A sample copy of the book sent with the above information is helpful to us, but not necessary.
Drop in visits are not encouraged. Our schedules are crowded, and you may end up wasting your time if no one is available when you arrive.
You may also want to consider attending library conferences. This is one way to reach many librarians in a short space of time. National conferences such as the American Library Association can be overwhelming, but smaller ones such as the California Library Association attract many librarians from this area.
Contacts
Send flyers to:
Evaluators
OCPL HQ
1501 E. St. Andrew PI.
Santa Ana, CA. 92705-4930
For information on how to submit a book for a review:
Booklist
50 East Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
http://www.ala.org/booklist/submit.html
800-545-2433
Kirkus
200 Park Ave. South
New York, NY 10003
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/about_us/submission.jsp
212-777-4554
Library Journal
245 W. 17 St.
New York, NY 10011
http://www.libraryjournal.com/info/CA603906.html
212-463-6823
Publisher's Weekly
245 W. 17th St
New York, NY 10011 http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=submissions
212-645-9700
Small Press Vendors
Quality Books
1003 W. Pines Road
Oregon, IL 61061-9680
http://www.quality-books.com/qb_infopub.html
800-323-4241
Unique Books
5010 Kemper Ave.
St. Louis, MO 62139
http://www.uniquebooksinc.com/
800-533-5446
Library Organizations
The American Library Association
Events Web Page (http://www.ala.org/events) lists upcoming conferences. Information on exhibiting at each conference is available through the links for the individual events.
California Library Association (CLA)
has a web page (http://www.cla-net.org/) which lists links to all of its member associations and lists upcoming conferences.
F0120-312 Rev. 8/05
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