Get Your Book Into Libraries—and Build the Local Buzz That Travels

As Penny's new book, Think Local, Sell Global, heads into pre-order, this replay felt especially timely.

One of the biggest mistakes authors make is assuming that local book marketing is somehow “small.” In reality, the relationships you build in your own community can become the foundation for stronger visibility, more reader connection, better word-of-mouth, and opportunities that continue expanding well beyond your ZIP code.

In this replay episode, Amy and Penny dig into one of the most underused local marketing opportunities available to authors: libraries. We talk about how to get your book in front of the right library contacts, what librarians may consider before adding a title to their shelves, and why simply walking in and asking them to stock your book is rarely the smartest approach.

You’ll hear practical ways to become part of your local library community first—from getting a card and attending events to supporting their programs, following them online, and identifying where your book, expertise, or perspective could genuinely add value. We also cover how to pitch library events, collaborate with other local authors, work with Friends of the Library groups, and avoid creating an event that requires more staff time than a library can realistically provide.

Libraries are not just places where books live. They are community hubs filled with readers, families, educators, local organizations, and people actively looking for meaningful resources and experiences. That makes them an ideal place to begin building the kind of hometown visibility that can support your book far beyond launch week.

This may be a replay, but the strategy is more relevant than ever—especially for authors who want to stop waiting for visibility to happen and start creating it closer to home.

Penny's new book: Think Local Sell Global is up for preorder! Grab your copy here: https://bit.ly/ThinkLocalSellGlobal

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Transcript

Welcome And A New Intro Habit

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the Book Marketing Tips and Author Success Podcast. This is Penny Stancenary. And Amy Cornell, I'm sorry. I you think I'd be good at this point. We started this new thing, y'all. This is so funny. We started this new thing where I told Amy, I'm like, you should introduce yourself because we listen to a bunch of shows and they do that. I thought that'd be really cool.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

So now you know, everybody knows why it took us five seasons to start doing that. Penny finally thought I was ready. Clearly, not quite there, but I'm working with it.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Well, listen, do you remember like the first year that we did the show? I kept forgetting the name of the show. Like we had to keep stopping. We had to keep so this is so crazy. We had to keep stopping the show so I could re-record it because I'm like, I forgot the name of the show. So then I had our our logo up on my screen. Yeah, it was it was really embarrassing. So now that we're getting there, we're getting there. We're getting there for sure.

Why Libraries Are A Key Market

SPEAKER_00 0:59

This is an episode that I think was has been a long time coming. We've talked a lot. So we do, we have a number of shows on Picture Yourself to Local Media and Local Bookstores and local this and that. But I but we have never done a show specifically on getting into your local libraries. And that's that was kind of the genesis. We really want to start getting more. Um, we want to start zeroing in on these really crucial pieces that we have not addressed. Like I said, we mentioned it in the context of another show, but we haven't really done an entire show on getting it, getting your book into libraries. And libraries are such a great market. Like we never ever want libraries to go away. Um so I think the first piece of this is is obviously start local. Now, for those of you who live in really rural areas, you're like, oh, I don't have any local library, then you're gonna want to start, you know, local adjacent. So whatever is your next town, your next major town, start local, get to know your local library. Um, the staffers there all work on different aspects of library management. Um, so if you're looking to do an event or get your book into the library, you you gotta find the right person. That's the first piece of this, too. Because sometimes we I've talked to authors who say, well, I tried to picture a local library, but they didn't really um, they didn't want to have me do an event or they didn't want to stock my book. And maybe they it would just was not right for them, but it could also be that you hit hit up the wrong staffer. So that's something to be really clear about because there are they there the they all have their different specialty.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yeah, definitely.

Start Local And Meet The Staff

SPEAKER_01 2:44

And this is a huge one and it it sounds like such an obvious, like of course, but it's amazing how many authors are not actively involved with their library. Oh, so many. I know that don't have a library card yet. No, you know, it's like it's one of those things, and I'm not kidding. I would not be surprised if an author pitches their local library and the librarian finds out they don't even have a card. You know what I mean? Like, can you put me on your shelf? Can you let me do events? You know, like they know you want to sell more books, but then you're not even using those resources that they're providing. You're not engaging with the library community. Like, come on. So for sure, get a card if you don't have one. If you have a card and it's dusty or you can't find it, get back in there. Check out some books, go to some of the events that are already happening and on the schedule. A lot of libraries have, even if you don't write a children's book, a lot of libraries go out of their way to do something special for the kids section. Like get to know what's there. I mean, our local library penny, I love going in there because they always have rotating things for local artists as well on their upper level. Right. Yes, there's just there's so many different things that are, they're such a creative group of people, typically. Yeah. You know, the people that work at library, to your point, knowing who works there, there's so many different events and programs and different aspects of the library. And depending on what you write about, what your topic is, what your genre is, you just never know, like who, which one of the staffers might really resonate with what you offer, or they might be a super fan of the genre you write in. And those are the kind of people that you want to get to know. So definitely be a user of your library, go in, participate, get involved, and just be a good community member, you know, because

Use The Library Before You Ask

SPEAKER_01 4:44

it will make a difference. And I and I guarantee you, it would not surprise me if the librarians don't kind of check out your your past history, you know. So if you're asking for something, they go, they haven't checked out a book since 1985. Like they're probably thinking, like, I'm not gonna put you at the top of my list of things to prioritize right now, you know? Yeah. So be a user, be a friend of the library, use the resources. And I, you know, we've mentioned this on other shows too. I know we've talked library adjacent, like you said, Penny. And support the library too. Follow them on social media. You know, give them a shout out if they're doing an event that makes sense for who your readers are and things like that. And you might think, well, a lot of local readers probably aren't following me. Don't get in your head about that stuff. Just do. You know, when it comes to content and sharing and networking, don't always overthink, like, well, I don't know how many of those people are actually following me that will care. It's like, just do it, you know? Do the networking, help them get the word out about special events and things like that. And I promise you it won't go unnoticed.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Yeah, exactly. No, I think that's a that's a that's a

Support The Library Publicly

SPEAKER_00 5:49

really good point. The other piece is is that um make sure that you have your pitch buttoned up and ready to go. It's a great time to use your elevator pitch. And if you have, so we and I love that we do these for our authors. So we do these media kits and digital media kits, rather. And there is the author one sheet, and just uh it's a great, you know, have a have a presentation. It's a really, really great way to show your professionalism. And um librarians are very busy, which is why you want to make sure that you have your elevator pitch buttoned up and ready to go. You don't want to have some rambling uh thing that goes on for 20 minutes. I and I've seen it happen, and it just it doesn't, you'll never, the the librarian will never, they will gloss over before you're done.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Yes. And to your point, Penny, too, don't just slap your Amazon description

Pitch Clean With A Media Kit

SPEAKER_01 6:48

in your picture. Oh my gosh, yeah. Because these people know how to check Amazon. I guarantee you they will check Amazon. You know, they will want to see what readers are saying. They'll want to check out if you have any reviews yet, if you've had any industry reviews, if you've won any awards. I'm not saying those are the must-haves before a librarian will potentially accept your book. I'm just saying they they know how this works. So they will be looking at your book's history and what's going on and how readers are responding and things like that. So don't insult them by just slapping your Amazon description into your email and saying, this is what my book's about. It's like they know how to use Google, they know how to use Amazon, they can figure that out. Tell them what makes your book special. Like Penny said, use your elevator pitch. You know, show them why your book is interesting to potential readers. You know what I mean? Give them more than just your retail description because they can find that on their own. Don't waste their time on that. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And another one too, you know, your resume matters kind of this is a good lead-in because we were talking about they're going to check this kind of stuff out. If you're lucky enough to, or if you've been working your butt off enough, maybe I should say luck is not that much into it, you know, it doesn't play that big of a role into it. But if you've been working your butt off and you've been doing events, or if you are have your book has been stocked anywhere else, make sure you bring that to their attention. You know, if you are already pretty good at this thing or you have some experience doing some other local networking, local retail, uh, maybe it's even just on a professional level, and say you write nonfiction and you are involved with a professional organization locally, make sure you call that out too. Because again, the library is a resource for the community. So the more you can position yourself as an added resource for the community, the more likely you're going to get a response as well.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Yeah. Yeah. That's absolutely, yeah, that's absolutely true.

Follow Library Buying Guidelines

SPEAKER_00 8:44

And I think then, you know, if you want to get your book into the library and get it into their system, a lot of libraries, um, I would say probably the majority of them have guidelines on their website. So some of them may ask you to donate a book, others may purchase it, but depends on uh it depends on their budget. Um, some of them may require books that are professionally reviewed. So by professionally reviewed, I don't mean the people who reviewed on Amazon, even though we love those, but I mean like library journal. Um, and it will state that on their their the guidelines on their website. And then, you know, there are a lot of times there are forms to fill out. So um, you know, and and on those forms it may say, where has this book been reviewed previously? Typically, my experience is is that the lot the one thing that's not gonna be on that form is, I mean, they may ask you the publisher, they they as long as the book looks professional, they aren't necessarily gonna judge originally published from independently published. I mean, that that used to happen, but it really just doesn't happen anymore. Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

Yeah, and I that's a very good point because I I think a lot of authors listening are thinking, like, well, I've self-published and I don't have a huge platform, there's probably no chance I'm gonna get a new library. That's not true at all. No, uh-uh. Yeah, we get library responses for our clients a lot. And they always make me, I mean, for all the amazing media requests we've gotten for clients, Penny, I still have a soft spot for when I find out that a library responded about an a client's book. I don't know why. It's just one of those things that I'm like, oh, really? I was like, that's so you know what I mean. And I mean, Penny, you can talk about this too, because you're in a a much more, you know, where you're located, the library network too. But, you know, once you get into your local library, a lot of libraries in a geographical area work off similar networks too for books. So there's there's room for growth too, once you get into your local library.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah. Yeah. That uh that's absolutely true. There's definitely um, there's definitely room for room for growth. And and I I really recommend it. If it's not something that you um have considered previously, you should definitely, definitely consider it.

Friends Of The Library And Speaker Fees

SPEAKER_01 11:08

I think you should you should take the next one. I don't have any personal experience with this, but this is this is I think an important point.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

So, yeah, I mean, so in terms of um speaking at a library, some of them do. So there's an organization called Friends of the Library, which is real absolutely worth checking out. Um, some libraries do offer speaker fees, they're not going to be huge. But again, this is your local network. So I think it's it's worth checking out. I wouldn't like as much even as much speaking as I've done, if my local library wanted me to speak and they can pay me, I would still go just because I always wanted to support our local libraries. But definitely, um, you can I wouldn't necessarily lead with that. They will let you know if they have a budget for speaker fees. And then you can also take a look at Friends of the Library because they they book a lot of um library events too. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

And

Collaborate With Authors For Events

SPEAKER_01 12:04

I love this one too. Um, we've talked about this in other shows, you know, kind of what's going to be more important, what's going to kind of take the lead in terms of marketing, promotion, things like that. Networking, collaborating with other authors. I still think that author, like most authors, miss out on a lot of opportunities across the board. I don't want to get off track sort of focused on libraries, but there's so many great collaboration opportunities if you if you network with other authors. But that definitely goes for local opportunities as well. You know, if you are in a writer group and you know that you've got other published authors, especially if you write in a similar genre, you know, there are so many ways that you can leverage this to benefit the library, you know, for an event that you might be able to pitch them for. So if you have other authors that are already that you know that you can network with locally, talk about what you might be able to do for the library as a small group. And that might be a great way for all of you to network not only with your library staff more, but to also get in front of more local readers. And it might just be something different and unique that the library hasn't done before that they go, okay, we haven't tried that. Let's give that a shot. That sounds interesting, you know?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that I love that idea. I mean, I love the um, I love the uh doing collaborations with other authors. I think bookstores, a lot of bookstores started doing that when they were getting a lot of independent authors that were um uh when they were getting a lot of independent authors across their door, and they said, well, let's just do, you know, a mystery night or a romance night or something, which was great for it was it was great for the bookstores, great for the authors.

Make Events Easy For Staff

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Um the one thing, and and when I read this in context as I was I was reading an interview with the librarian, she mentioned to be be cautious of events that require lots of staff time. And her example of this was like if you're doing a children's book reading or something where you might have, you know, lots of kids present or something. I mean, typically they'll be there with their with their parents, but um, ask them what kinds of events are non-starters for them, right? So if you're thinking about doing, like, I mean, uh if you're if you're doing any kind anything related to creativity where you're saying, well, okay, so I'm gonna need everybody to bring, we're gonna do crafts, because my book is about crafts. Are we gonna do something just run it by the librarian because um sometimes they're they they might be a little bit limited on on staff, staff and staff time.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Right, exactly. This is another, and we've talked about this before for other event pitching, you know, local pitching for just general events, and that is something you have to be so careful about because nobody is twiddling their thumbs staring at the wall with nothing better to do. So anytime you want another local business to help you get the word out, to help, you know, introduce you to their clientele, anything like that, you have to make it worth your while and you have to make it easy for them to say yes. So you can't present it as something that will require a lot of their time, attention. They're not there to hold your hand. You know what I mean? You really gotta show up with a great idea that you know will benefit and or entertain the patrons, you know. Right. That's what they're looking for.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

Right, right, right, right, right. Exactly. Um Yeah, I mean, and I think that the more that you can participate with the more that you can become involved with the library. And you know, librarians, the other thing though too is these libraries talk to one another. So if you live in an area that has a few libraries, um you could start doing events just uh, you know, across the board and really, really, really get into the library network, get your book in there, start doing events, and just really becoming a staple with local libraries.

Join Existing Programs And Volunteer

SPEAKER_00 16:16

So um and I think that, you know, any of the because a lot of times libraries, and I'm sorry, I I know you were talking about um events and things like that, Amy, but a lot of libraries have ongoing events. Oh, yeah. So check their calendar to see if there's anything that you could just participate in. Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Yes. Absolutely. I think that's so smart. Like I mean, our local library does such an amazing job for being in a relatively smaller community. And I'm always so impressed at how much they offer and for different age groups and for different interests. And again, it's not always about books. You know, they really do try to be a community hub and resource for a lot of different activities and interests and needs. So it's also really great to think outside of the box, get creative. You know what I mean? How else can you participate where it's not just about read my book, read my book, order my book? It's all about my book. Like we get it. Like that's that's the end goal. You want more people to know that you have a book out. But it's amazing how much you can accomplish by kind of shaking that off sometimes and focusing on the bigger picture of just being present and getting to know these people and participating. And again, like you said, Penny, show up to some of these events, you know, participate in them. And then once you get to know your library better and what they have coming up, ask if there's a place for you to step in and help out at a future event. You know, that's a great way to get your foot in the door too. Just volunteer to be there and help out with an upcoming event. And that's a great way to get to know the staff too.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Yeah, it really, really is.

Thanks And Closing

SPEAKER_00 17:55

Uh, I want to thank you all so much for listening and for your feedback and your show ideas. We got some really, really great show ideas recently. We love those all the time. And um thank you for being a listener. We're in our fifth year now. We're very, very excited. And we hope that so far the new year is going well for you. We will see you next time, and thank you again so much for listening. Bye bye.