Note: This article was supplied by the good folks at Indie Author Day and was posted by IU Staffer Melissa Bowersock.
Considering the ground that indie authors have been gaining over the past decade, it is astonishing to see that, according to a recent report by Library Journal, even though self-published eBooks account for 80 percent of Amazon’s bestseller lists, only 20 percent of libraries carry them. So, how can you be proactive and help to bridge the gap between libraries and the indie writing community?
One place to start would be to get involved in the inaugural Indie Author Day, happening on October 8th in libraries across North America. As you can see from the American Library Association’s Libraries Transform campaign, libraries are working to become “makerspaces” in their communities, which gives local creatives a place to go to create and share their work. Indie Author Day helps to support this mission by helping libraries to get in touch with and to assist their local writing communities. Indies Unlimited is a proud partner of this event and hopes that each and every one of our readers gets involved in some way.
With a growing list of over 150 libraries hosting local events, authors are able to join their indie communities far and wide to learn about the publishing industry from local specialists and other authors, share their stories and experiences, get to know their librarians, and so much more. Then, at 2 pm EST, everyone will come together for a global webcast featuring publishing industry leaders including writers, agents, consultants, and more. This presentation will offer inspiration, information, and advice for authors of all levels of experience.
Whether you are an experienced author or a beginner who is interested in learning more about what it means to be an indie writer, you can participate and find value in your local event. Authors with speaking or unique publishing and writing experiences can reach out to their local host libraries to set up a presentation or workshop opportunity. Each library’s event will be unique, but many are planning on having authors speak in panels, give solo presentations, set up workshops, read from their books, set up a table to sign books, and more.
Be sure to check out which libraries are hosting events to see if yours has already registered to be a part of Indie Author Day. If your local library has not yet signed up, be sure to let the Indie Author Day Team know by filling out this form. Then, a representative from the Indie Author Day Team will be in touch to help you get in touch with the right person at your library regarding the event.
Want some more information on filling out the form? This article will explain the benefits of filling out the IAD form.
Get involved as the digital, physical, local, and global worlds of indie writing come together on October 8th for Indie Author Day! Visit indieauthorday.com for more information.
I am finally in touch with my library – playing telephone tag.
It may take some effort to get some momentum on this, but keep at it. I have a feeling this will just get bigger and better every year.
Excellent! Thank you, Melissa. I’ve just sent a message to get my local library involved!
Good deal, DV. I hope you’ll let us know how it goes.
All different here in the UK, of course.
I have recently moved. Where I was before I gave the central library enough free copies of my book for all the satellite libraries in the town. They turned up for sale on Amazon in short order.
Here, by contrast, library services are much better, and more interested in indies. Both the local ones give space free to local writers’ workshops. And they occasionally hold events at which they invite local indie authors to speak. They still want free copies – but they want them! And there are only 2 libraries. Which is less of an outlay to see how it goes. Although I have more titles available now.
Judi, we feel sure the plan is for IAD to expand in later years, and no doubt the UK is at the top of the list. You might prod your local librarians and see if they can push a little from their side. Every little bit helps!
I am pleased to note that my local public library is already a participant. I will be contacting them to see if they would like me to take part in the activity.
Thank you for getting the word out about this. I’ve shared it on every social media site I participate on.
So glad to hear it! We’ll be happy to hear what you and your library come up with and how it goes. Thanks for sharing. This first year may be a little sketchy, but by spreading the word and working with our local libraries, we hope it becomes a big deal very quickly.
Wonderful! Do you have a url or reference for that Library Journal report? I’ve been told librarians avoid Indies because of “low quality” so this report should get more attention! Thnx
Kate, sorry to not have an answer for you yet. I’m still trying to track down that source for you.
Okay, finally ran it down. Here’s the source: https://indiesunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/LJ-pdf-all.jpg .