Companies and products listed in this Fact Sheet are named for informational purposes only. ALA does not endorse specific products or companies. Contact companies directly for further information.
FYI: Please be aware that individual libraries are responsible for their own collections. There is no one place that distributes books to all libraries -- and that includes ALA.
If what you want to do is donate your books to libraries, please see ALA Library Fact Sheet 12 - Sending Books to Needy Libraries: Book Donation Programs for information on organizations that provide that service. ALA does not does not accept or distribute donations of books or any other materials.
ALA has a review publication called Booklist (see more details below), which shouldn't be misunderstood to mean that it is a list of books that ALA recommends that libraries get. It is a journal with reviews of books and other materials.
Libraries provide a significant market for publishers and vendors. According to Book Industry Trends 2008 (Book Industry Study Group, 2008), which examines acquisitions expenditures of public, school, college & university, and special libraries, over $5 billion worth of books, periodicals, audiovisual, and other materials were purchased by libraries in 2007, with over $1.9 billion spent on book purchases alone. This is growth from the previous year; according to Book Industry Trends 2007 (Book Industry Study Group, 2007), over $4.8 billion worth of books and other materials were purchased by libraries in 2006, with over $1.8 billion spent on book purchases alone. More than one-tenth of publishers' net book sales are to libraries.
The Bowker Annual: Library and Book Trade Almanac includes total acquisitions expenditures on print, audiovisual, microform, and electronic reference materials for public, academic, special, and government libraries, in all U.S. states and territories. It is currently published by Information Today, Inc. (Information Today, Inc., Attn: Customer Service, 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford NJ 08055-8750; telephone: 1-609-654-6266; fax: 1-609-654-4309; e-mail: custserv@infotoday.com; web site: http://www.infotoday.com). Find out more, including pricing information, at the Information Today, Inc. Bowker Annual Library and Book Trade Almanac 2008 web page.
The May 2009 Library Journal article, Publishers & Librarians: Two Cultures, One Goal -- Both aim to put books and readers together, by Barbara Fister, compares and contrasts book editors and librarians. More specifically, the article instucts how publishers can best market to libraries, with pointed, candid responses from a survey of librarians listed in the section, How To Reach Public Librarians and How To Annoy Them.
Libraries purchase books for adults, young adults, children, and special readers (emerging literates, large print, braille). They also purchase newspapers and magazines, reference sources, scholarly journals, electronic resources (CD-ROM and online databases, multimedia, computer software, web sites), audiovisual materials (film, videotapes, DVDs, music recordings in various formats, books on tape and DVD), and microforms (microfilm and microfiche).
Sturdy, better quality books are an important selling point to librarians who are interested in books lasting for more than a few borrowers. Also, books printed on acid-free (alkaline) paper are more desirable because pages printed on acid paper become too brittle to use after 50 to 100 years.
Two-thirds to three-quarters of book sales to libraries come from a jobber or wholesaler (see ALA Library Fact Sheet 9 - Library Products, Services and Consultants for online and print resources which compile names of library vendors, including book jobbers, distributors, and wholesalers). Most of the balance is bought directly from publishers. When libraries buy is governed by when their fiscal year begins and ends. Most (but not all) public libraries are on a July-June fiscal year. University, college and school libraries for the most part follow an academic year calendar. A flurry of spending can occur as the end of the fiscal year nears and almost always just after it begins. In general, though, libraries make purchases throughout the year.
One effective way to get materials into libraries is to have them reviewed. Because they cannot read or use everything they select, many librarians depend upon reviews in the following magazines or journals when making purchasing decisions:
Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin (Booklist, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago IL, 60611) reviews adult books, books for youth (children and young adults), and reference books and also newly released videos, DVDs, audiobooks, and children's and spoken-word audio. See the Inside Booklist web page for submissions information.
Choice (100 Riverview Center, Suite 298, Middletown, CT 06457-3445; telephone 860-347-6933; fax 860-704-0465; e-mail submissions@ala-choice.org) reviews print and online scholarly works recommended for college and university libraries. See the Choice Submission of Books and Electronic Media for Review (Guidelines for Publishers) web page for more details.
AudioFile magazine reviews unabridged and abridged audiobooks, original audio programs, commentary, and dramatizations in the spoken-word format. See the AudioFile Contact for additional information and mailing addresses.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (Deborah Stevenson, Editor, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 501 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820; telephone 217-244-0324; e-mail bccb@uiuc.edu) reviews new children's books. See the Bulletin Information for Publishers for further assistance.
The Horn Book Magazine (The Horn Book, Inc., 56 Roland Street, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02129; telephone 800-325-1170 or 617-628-0225; fax 617-628-0882; e-mail info@hbook.com) reviews children's and young adult books that are published in the United States. See Horn Book Submissions for further assistance.
Kirkus Reviews reviews new adult hardcover or original trade-paperback fiction, general-audience nonfiction and children's and young-adult books. See the Kirkus submission guidelines for additional details and mailing addresses.
Library Journal reviews books with the potential to interest a broad spectrum of libraries as well as graphic novels, magazines, zines, audio, video, and online databases. See the Library Journal Titles for Review for additional details and mailing addresses.
The New York Times Book Review (Editor, The New York Times Book Review, 620 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10018; e-mail books@nytimes.com) reviews books published in the United States and available through general-interest bookstores. See the The New York Times Frequently Asked Questions About Books for further assistance.
Publishers Weekly reviews children's books and also adult books books in the following categories: Nonfiction, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, Poetry, Comics, Lifestyles (cooking, gardening & home, health & fitness, or parenting), and Mass Market. See the Publishers Weekly Submission Guidelines for additional details and mailing addresses.
School Library Journal reviews new children's and young adult general trade books and original paperbacks from established publishers. In order to be considered for review in SLJ's pages, books must be of national interest and be readily available from national distributors at an institutional discount. Also reviewed are videos, audio recordings (cassettes and CDs), reference CD-ROMs and online resources. See the School Library Journal Submitting Review Materials for additional details and mailing addresses.
Science Books & Films (SB&F) reviews science-based books, videos and software for all age groups (K-College, Teachers, and General Audience). See the SB&F FAQs for further assistance.
Video Librarian (Video Librarian, 8705 Honeycomb Ct. NW, Seabeck, WA 98380; e-mail vidlib@videolibrarian.com) reviews for public, school, university, and special libraries theatrical and non-theatrical videos/DVDs new to the marketplace. See How to Submit Titles for Review in Video Librarian or Video Librarian Online for further assistance.
Please be aware that you may run into difficulty in getting your print-on-demand press book reviewed and into libraries. See the "vanity press" entry at the Wikipedia online encyclopedia web site, and especially read the section about libraries.
The Writer Beware web site has an article on print-on-demand services, pointing out:
Print on Demand - http://www.sfwa.org/beware/printondemand.html
Books from POD services are unlikely to be reviewed in professional venues. Good reviews in major newspapers and magazines, as well as trade journals like Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, can be a boost to sales. But trade journals will only review in advance of publication, and POD services rarely produce galleys or advance reading copies--or, if they do, charge extra for it. Also, as noted above, reviewers are wary of books from POD services.
A periodical that is open to reviewing self-published books is ForeWord Magazine, http://forewordmagazine.com - Submission Guidelines, http://www.forewordmagazine.com/reviews/guidelines.aspx
Also, such books are reviewed for cost by Kirkus Discoveries, http://www.kirkusdiscoveries.comYou might also want to see the advice offered at the Book Marketing Network online community at http://bookmarket.ning.com (FYI - Free registration to join the discussion) - Any Experience Marketing to Libraries?
See the web page, An Incomplete Guide to Print On Demand Publishers, at http://booksandtales.com/pod/index.php
Also see the web site of the self publishing and independent publishing trade association, the Small Publishers Association of North America, at http://www.spannet.org - Self-Publisher’s FAQ, http://www.spannet.org/Faq.htm
Direct mail advertising (postcards, catalogs, fliers, brochures) is an effective way to target specific audiences and is useful in providing direct information and receiving orders for products. Mailing lists for libraries are rented for one time use by a number of organizations and companies. See ALA Library Fact Sheet 3 - Lists of Libraries for library mailing list and library directory information.
Space advertising is available in all of the magazines and journals listed above, including ALA's most well-known print and online publications, our Choice review journal and other titles for college and university libraries, and several more ALA periodicals. Request a media kit or rate card, or contact their advertising departments to get more information.
Another way to gain exposure is at professional conferences. Vendor booths or tables at library association conferences are seen by thousands of librarians every year. For information on exhibiting at ALA's national conferences, all the information you need can be found at:
http://exhibitors.ala.org
The ALA Chapter Relations Office compiles the list of State and Regional Chapters (the American Library Association has affiliate relationships with state library associations in all fifty States, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and regional library associations in the Mountain Plains, New England, Pacific Northwest, and Southeastern regions) and the Affiliates conference & event calendar 2009-2019: A listing of library association conferences & events.
Another option found at the ALA Marketing & Opportunities page is to exhibit at ALA's various division conferences; see a list of the upcoming conferences for ALA's school, public, and academic (college and university) library divisions.
There are book exhibit companies that can arrange to include your book in a display, along with other titles, at library conferences, including the following:
Association Book Exhibit, http://www.bookexhibit.com
Combined Book Exhibit, http://www.combinedbook.com
FYI: Combined Book Exhibit provides the articles, Replacing The Myths About Marketing To Libraries and Tips on Marketing and Selling to Libraries
There are also organizations and companies dedicated to supplying libraries with the books of small presses and independent publishers, which also display books at trade shows, including:
Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, http://www.cbsd.com
Independent Book Publishers Association, http://www.ibpa-online.org
Independent Publishers Group, http://www.ipgbook.com
Perseus Books Group, http://www.perseusbooks.com
Quality Books Inc., http://www.quality-books.com
Small Press Distribution, http://www.spdbooks.org
In addition, sending advance copies and sales representatives to libraries is recommended. Also, many libraries are members of book clubs or monitor club selections. Finally, librarians often consult standard reference works such as Books in Print, and Magazines for Libraries and the Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, and it is a good idea to make certain newly-published materials are listed in these sources. Contact the editorial staff of these reference works -- Books in Print Editorial/Data Services, Magazines for Libraries Editor Cheryl LaGuardia, Ulrich's Editorial Office -- for more information.
The following books are currently in print and include information on marketing to libraries specifically:
Abel, Richard E. and Lyman W. Newlin, eds., with Katina Strauch and Bruce Strauch, editors-in-chief. Scholarly Publishing: Books, Journals, Publishers, and Libraries in the Twentieth Century. Wiley, 2002.
Edelman, Hendrik and Robert P. Holley, eds. Marketing to Libraries for the New Millennium: Librarians, Vendors, and Publishers Review The Landmark Third Industry-Wide Survey of Library Marketing Practices and Trends. Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS, a division of ALA) in cooperation with Scarecrow Press, 2002.
Warren, Lissa. The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity: A Comprehensive Resource--From Building the Buzz to Pitching the Press. Carrol & Graf, 2004.
NOTE: Previous versions of this fact sheet can be accessed via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine using the original URL <http://www.ala.org/library/fact5.html>. And this URL still works as a "shortcut" link to this web page.
Last updated: May 2009
For more information on this or other fact sheets, contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795.