{"id":235,"date":"2011-10-04T14:21:27","date_gmt":"2011-10-04T21:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/martymartins.com\/martysblog\/?p=235"},"modified":"2011-10-04T14:21:27","modified_gmt":"2011-10-04T21:21:27","slug":"getting-your-book-in-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martymartins.com\/martysblog\/?p=235","title":{"rendered":"Getting Your Book in Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

A week or so ago, I was in my neighborhood library on another project but I decided to jump on one of their computers and look up my book.\u00a0 I knew The Blizzard<\/em> was part of the library’s collection and, sure enough, there it was in their computerized catalog.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yes, I admit feeling a certain sense of pride.\u00a0 There is something about a library shelving your book that seems to make\u00a0the writing and publishing process\u00a0real.\u00a0 Authentic.\u00a0 Official!\u00a0 Akin to, but not that same as,\u00a0when I saw\u00a0my book on the shelf of a real brick-and-mortar bookstore.<\/p>\n

As far as I know,\u00a0\u00a0the only libraries currently\u00a0lending The Blizzard<\/em> are San Diego and Cincinnati.\u00a0 (If you\u00a0are aware\u00a0of others, drop me a line and let me know!)<\/p>\n

As self-publishers know, and those contemplating the move should understand, you are always spending time on marketing.\u00a0 I try to make sure a portion of each week (if not every day) is spent on pushing, publicizing, promoting, and selling my book.\u00a0 You don’t have a major publisher with a publicity agent and a huge promo budget to hawk your book.\u00a0 If you don’t do it, it doesn’t happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the way (and pardon the digression),\u00a0I’ve know authors who were published by big name publishing houses — can you say New York — who told me that although they did\u00a0get an\u00a0“advance,” they received no publicity budget.\u00a0 If they had a publicity agent, they paid for it themselves.\u00a0 Most handled all their own publicity and promotion.\u00a0 Fact: only the NY Times Best Selling authors are going to get those big promotion budgets.<\/p>\n

S0, how do you get your book in a library?\u00a0 Here’s a few ideas.<\/p>\n