Lessons for Writers from the Library

Pardon me. I've allowed myself to get a tad distracted for this post. We won't be discussing Bird by Bird today. I had my last day at the library on Friday (to be a full-time writer again). Working at the library gave me a fresh perspective on readers and the book industry. I wrote earlier about working at Barnes & Noble at Christmas. This was very, very different. More relational. A whole new breed of reader for me. Loved it.

Keep in mind that I worked at a branch located in a blue-collar area hit especially hard by the recession. Our patrons don't fit any stereotypes. We serve college professors, teachers, homeschoolers, high-school dropouts, the mentally disabled, and everything in between. In general, they abhor eReaders, either because of the cost or for reasons of principle.

So here's what I learned at the Clifton Branch of the Mesa County Public Library District:

1. Old cowboys never die. They read westerns, exclusively.

They check out tall piles of books by Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, and Max Brand. When I suggest newer titles, they are polite but resolute. "No, thank you. I prefer the old stories." One man systematically works his way through our western collection, and when he comes to the end, he starts over again. What he and his compadres prefer are stories set in a society organized around codes of honor and justice. The heroes are semi-nomadic wanderers, usually a cowboy or a gunfighter, never a farmer (sodbuster).

Since I'm not an avid reader of this genre, I'm not sure how true-to-mid-19th-century life they are, but westerns probably satisfy a need in the older male reader as romances serve the female reader--a suspension from present reality and pure entertainment, some better than others. If you're thinking about writing for this under-served reader group, hurry up! From my observations they're an aging group. I hope I'm wrong about that.

Next time you're in the library, open a western to the inside cover. Cowboy readers will "brand" books they've read. Yes, it's vandalism, but it's the code of the west.

2. Genre fiction rules!

Library patrons do not pass go. They do not peruse general fiction. They go directly to the mystery, romance, horror, and science fiction/fantasy shelves. They can be distracted by the new book display but only to find books in their favorite genre. It is my unscientific observation that mysteries are at the top of the heap with the widest range of readers. In fact, you'd be surprised what some grandmas will snuggle up to at night. When asked, they say that it's figuring out whodunit that keeps them coming back for more.

Most of us rely on cover art to identify genre, but this can be unreliable. A book that oozes romantic images may be shelved in general fiction. A book's genre designation depends on how the publisher registers the book with the Library of Congress. Look on the copyright page of a book. If it's nonfiction, the Library of Congress assigns it a Dewey Decimal number. If fiction, it will say "Dewey Decimal Classification: F" At least, sometimes it does. Then come the subject headings. These are what the library catalogers use to decide which genre a book will be in their system. Sometimes they get it right; sometimes they get it wrong. Pictured here is Seaside Letters. The subtitle is "A Nantucket Love Story," and yet it's not considered a romance in our system. But you can bet that if a man with impressive abs is on the cover, that's romance. Go figure.

3. People who frequent libraries seldom purchase books.

Patrons who ravenously read library books have beat the system, and they're quite proud of themselves. They pay taxes and they read all the books they want. Is there a better use of tax dollars? I think not.Our little library saw a 16% rise in circulation last year. For those who are saavy with the Internet, there's no limit--almost--to what they can acquire to read, watch, or listen to. Our patrons go online to reserve materials from all over the state of Colorado (a fantastic service to a largely rural state) and have them sent to their home libraries. And we feature downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMusic, and eVideo as well as conventional materials. One Young Adult reader assured me she saved $1200 the previous year on her entertainment. She comes into the library several times a week to check out books, DVDs, and CDs. I think her estimate is low.

How does this help authors increase their sales? First and most importantly, libraries buy a lot of books and usually multiple copies. Plainly put, libraries are good customers. In some cases, they base their purchases on a book's circulation numbers. If a book is popular, the buyers are more likely to purchase more books from that author. Also, patrons use their library cards to try on a book, sometimes purchasing a particularly good read for themselves. More often, patrons let their reading experience influence their gift-buying. If you're not marketing to libraries, you should be. And I just came across a patron who doesn't buy books for ecological reasons. There's probably more of her kind out there.

4. Electronics are a magnet.

True confession time: Not all patrons care that there are books in the library. In fact, those pesky books make getting to the computers a bit like running a maze. These patrons sit at the computers, sometimes for hours, to use the computers or to check out their limit in DVDs, which at our library is ten. This isn't all bad. Yes, the computers are used to play computer

games and to access social media sites, but they're also used to fill out job applications (increasingly exclusive to the Internet), communicate with faraway loved ones, research ancestry, and so much more. And many families are forgoing the expense and intrusion of cable or dish television for the chance to choose more deliberately what is available to watch. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. One of our die-hard video gamers did check out a SciFi book last week.

5. Readers can be a tad unforgiving.

I've heard something like this many times: "I won't be reading that author again." The offense? The author had the audacity to write a different type of story. This drives me insane.

I really, really hope I'm attracting the intolerant patrons to my check-out station. Egads. It's tough to hear, but I thought you should know all that talk about branding might be grounded in truth. Grr.

6. Readers love, love, LOVE series.

Writing a series full of relateable characters is a sure-fire way to make readers happy. I spend a lot of time each day helping patrons find the next book in a series. I rely heavily on What's Next, a search engine that finds nothing but series. Here's the link:

http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/whatsnext.asp

This is getting too long. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I learned a few other things that may pop up in future posts. For now, I'm asking myself what there is to learn from my experience. Basically, will I write differently? If I wanted to make a lot of money, I would learn how to write mysteries with a love-her-to-death main character. I wouldn't mind making a lot of money, but I don't particularly like mysteries, so that's out. Will I write a series? If I come up with a concept and characters that rock my world, sure. Otherwise, probably not. Will I be careful to stick within my brand? I'm trying. According to my agent, I write about complex issues with tenderness and humor with a touch of quirkiness. I think I can come up with a few stories that fit inside those perameters. I don't want readers mad at me, but the artist in me bristles at this a bit. On the other hand, mention a successful (monetarily) author and you will have, at least, a general idea about what s/he writes. There's always a psuedonym, I suppose. Sigh.

Let me end by saying that I've loved my time at the library. The staff love the patrons. They go to extraordinary lengths to meet their needs. And the patrons have rekindled my hope. The best? I issued a 26-year-old mother her FIRST library card. Now, she comes in regularly to check out books for her daughter, and she asks me for recommendations. That's good stuff.

Do you have memories of your library? What role did it play in you becoming a reader and/or a writer? What do you like about libraries today? What would you change? Do you believe libraries have a continuing role in our society? How often do you avail yourself of library services? Any questions? Do you think libraries will endure the digital revolution?

We'll return to our book talk of Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott on the 17th. Unless I get distracted again. It happens.

Behind the Stacks - Judy Gann Explains Marketing to Libraries

Novel Matters is thrilled to host Judy Gann, a librarian with over twenty-five years experience, Judy Gann selects Christian fiction for a large library system in Washington state. She has presented "Behind the Stacks" library marketing workshops at writers conferences throughout the United States, including the Oregon Christian Writers Conference, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and the annual ACFW Conference. Judy is the author of The God of All Comfort: Devotions of Hope for Those Who Chronically Suffer (AMG Publishers). Visit Judy at her website.

Judy is here to talk books - library books. She knows the ins and outs, the dos and don'ts of marketing your book to the library system. She's here today, answering frequently asked questions about the nuts and bolts of marketing Christian fiction to libraries.

Behind the Stacks: Marketing to Public Libraries

Why should a writer even consider marketing to libraries? After all, if people borrow our books from the library, they won't buy them at a bookstore.

This is the number one misconception authors have about marketing to public libraries. To me, the key is to think of libraries as an additional market, not instead of bookstores, but as another piece of your marketing plan. As independent bookstores close at an alarming rate and chains stock mostly bestsellers, we need to find new venues for connecting with the audiences for our books.

The public library serves an entire population that doesn't frequent bookstores, reaching a new audience for your books. This is especially true during tough economic times. Library use has skyrocketed during the current recession. Library users are also great word-of-mouth promoters. They'll check out a book and tell a friend about it, possibly resulting in an additional sale. Many people borrow a book from the library, discover a new author, and then purchase the author's other titles.

For those of you who like statistics, a 2008 U.S. News/CNN Poll revealed Americans make 3.6 billion visits to libraries per year; 57% of adults visited the library in the previous year; and 80% borrow from the library. In addition, libraries spent $1.9 billion on books in 2007, and 60% of midlist book sales go to libraries.

There are a lot of libraries out there, Judy. Where should we begin?

There's no place like home. Begin with your local library. I recommend becoming acquainted with your library and staff while writing your book. The library has fabulous new online databases for writers doing research for their novels - far beyond what you'll find through general internet searching - and far more accurate. Introduce yourself to the staff. We love to help local authors, and take a vested interest in their book projects.

After you sign a contract, work with your publisher to submit your novel to the key reviewing journals used by library acquisitions librarians. These include Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. These journals require ARCs well in advance of publication date. Partner with your publisher. See what they are doing to market to libraries and build on their efforts.

When your book releases ask your local library to consider purchasing your book. (See additional information about how to approach libraries below.) Libraries are supportive of local authors. Partner with your library to do a reading or event, or offer to teach writing workshops for the public.

How should an author select the libraries to market to?

Begin with your home state. If your book is set in a particular state, also target libraries in that state. Virginia Smith has successfully targeted libraries in Kentucky - the setting for several of her novels.

There are approximately 16,000 public libraries in the United States. Obvioiusly, you can't target all of them. Use public library locators - online databases of public libraries in the United States. I recommend Library Technology Guides (http://www.librarytechnology.org/USPublicLibraries.pl) and State Library Web Sites (http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/statelib.html).

Beyond your local library, you want to target library systems rather than independent libraries. Library systems are made up of branches, and their book purchasing is done at a central location. They may include as few as one or two, or as many as eighteen to twenty or more branches, with the potential for purchasing multiple copies of your book. Independent libraries are their own entity with small budgets. They may purchase one copy of your book. This is a general rule and there are exceptions, depending on the topic of your book, reviews, etc.

What I like about the Library Technology Guide site is that it lists library systems and branches. For example, under "Texas," you'll find an alphabetical list of libraries by city and county. If the library is a system, branches are listed. A word of warning: this site hasn't been updated in a while. Check the State Library Web Sites guide for updated information about a particular library system or library.

Your own Sharon Souza is becoming a pro at using these locators to target public libraries with good success.

Who do you target at the library and what do you say to them?

Target the purchasing decision makers. These librarians are usually called acquisitions librarians or collection development librarians. In a large libary system they work at the main library or administration building.

Watch your wording when you approach staff with a copy of your book. Never use the word "donation." Donated books end up in our Friends of the Library book sales. Tell the staff you'd like them to "consider this book for purchase." Ask the staff to send your book to the librarian who makes the purchasing decisions for the library.

Before my last "Behind the Stacks" presentation I surveyed acquisitions librarians to see whether they prefer receiving e-mails or snail-mails. They overwhelmingly preferred snail-mail. Acquisitions librarians are inundated with e-mails from publishers and authors. A well-designed, professional flyer sent through the mail will stand out in the crowd.

Is there a particularly good time of year to approach libraries?

A library's purchasing of materials is tied to its budget year. If the library's budget year is from January-December, key buying seasons are late January to March - when we have new monies - and September to November - when all funds must be spent before the end of the budget year (usually money must be spent by Nov. 30).

What other thoughts would you like to share with us about marketing to public libraries?

A word of caution. Like other public agencies, public libraries are facing budget cuts. Yes, libraries continue to purchase books. But they are being far more selective. Sound like publishers and bookstores? We as authors must write the best books possible, work with our publishers to garner reviews from the key library review journals, and carefully target libraries, beginning with those in our local area.

On a more positive note, CBA fiction is "hot" in public libraries right now. Just as Christian fiction maintains a growing presence in general market bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, it's also gaining in popularity in public libraries. Librarians realize the quality of Christian fiction has improved greatly in recent years. Our library patrons, like bookstore shoppers, are searching for books that offer a good read coupled with hope. Where better to find this than in Christian fiction?

Ladies, thank you! It has been a joy to visit with you and your Novel Matters audience.

Thank YOU, Judy, for your wisdom and generosity. It is a rare thing to find someone so willing to share her knowledge and experience with others. You are a treasure!