WHITE PAPER

Five Crucial Mistakes Should Avoid With Self-

A SELF-E WHITE PAPER Five Crucial Mistakes Libraries Should Avoid With Self-Publishing

A SELF-E WHITE PAPER

With the number of indie authors in the market expected to increase and a steady demand for independently published , many libraries are interested in how their programming serves their communities’ desires to take up their pens. Hugh Howey, Andy Weir, L. Penelope and other popular traditionally published authors who started their literary careers as self-publishers spark readers’ imaginations not only for their fictional stories, but also for their personal stories of success.

Libraries inhabit a space uniquely • Ignoring the facts about self- suited to self-published books — one published books where stories can be both created and • Overcomplicating the process circulated. However, incorporating self- • Making choices for indie authors publishing can seem like a daunting task • Being too inclusive or exclusive for many libraries. It poses challenges • Letting self-published books exist associated with acquisition, of course, in a vacuum but also with curation and potentially even with outreach. This white paper This paper then demonstrates that outlines five mistakes libraries should with the right tools and programs, avoid when incorporating self-published libraries can feasibly and seamlessly books into their services and programs: support community members at any stage of their writing journeys, and help connect their stories to the rest of the community.

FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING 2 publishing trends and the availability of Mistake 1 self-published in the . Ignoring and publishing trends By leaving self-published ebooks out of their In addition to serving their patrons’ collections, libraries risk literary appetites, libraries pride themselves on keeping up with the not reaching a crucial latest trends in technology. eReading component of their has been on the rise for years, a fact that over 90% of libraries respond to by patronage: those that offering lending services. Despite engage in eReading and indie authors choosing ebooks as their are willing to explore format of choice, only 20% of libraries carry self-published ebooks.1 Consider books regardless of who this in conjunction with the rise in publishes them.

In order to reconcile both reading trends — that is, the increase in eReading and the increase in the reading of independently published books — with publishing trends — that is, the increase % of libraries carry of ebooks by indie authors in the 20 self-published ebooks book market — libraries must include self-published ebooks among their Source: Library Journal Self- Published Book Survey Report 2016 collections.

popularity of books by indie authors and the rise in the number of indie books in the book market, and you soon realize the dissonance between reading and

1 Library Journal Self-Published Book Survey Report

FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING 3 seem to require less time and energy Mistake 2 to process, but even with popular self- Spending more time or publishing services and distributors like money than necessary Smashwords and FastPencil, libraries are forced to sift through titles to find those relevant to their location. Libraries that decide to acquire self- published ebooks find that they are Yet another set of challenges posed is faced with two sets of challenges related to funding. related to time and resources. One set of obstacles that librarians are familiar with 17% of public libraries is adding the books to their catalogs and state that they do not collections, both of which are often time- include self-published consuming tasks. ebooks due to budget concerns.2

In a time when consumers are While these books are certainly much increasingly turning to locally produced cheaper than traditionally published goods, it’s not surprising that libraries print books and ebooks, circulation that choose to add self-published constraints that limit how much an indie books to their collections would prefer eBook can be read often discourages to include those written by authors in libraries from considering the addition their region. While many local authors worth the monetary investment. Buying are willing to donate print copies of ebooks individually through established their books, the cost associated with vendors is always going to be more producing a print book could limit the expensive than subscribing to a growing number of books and authors that can collection. be included in libraries’ collections. What’s more, because these books Instead of expending too much energy sometimes require extra effort to be to maintain and grow their collections of acquired, some libraries must also self-published ebooks, libraries should charge authors a specialty handling maximize their efforts by turning to tools fee, further limiting the number of that simplify acquisition and curation books and authors available. Ebooks scalably and economically.

2 Library Journal Self-Published Book Survey Report

FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING 4 Mistake 3 Unfortunately, obtaining third party recognition Being too inclusive or exclusive of self- once again superficially published materials limits the number of titles that can be Another set of challenges that is unique included in a library’s to self-published writing is perhaps the most prevalent concern for librarians collection, as most indie who want only the best for their readers: authors, even those with quality. Indeed, 21% of public libraries state that they do not include self- very positive reviews, published books due to concerns over must pay to be reviewed poor content quality.3 The problems with being too inclusive are obvious. Even in the first place. the most good-intentioned, big-hearted librarians who want to feature as many As with having to pay to produce a print local authors as possible among their book, this excludes authors that cannot collections are deterred by the risk of afford these review services regardless offering an abundance of low quality of the merit of their books. It also books to their patrons. hinders patrons who seek locally written books from having a larger selection Naturally, libraries want to provide the from which to choose. best literature for their patrons. When it comes to self-published work, third If libraries want to include locally-written party recognition, such as reviews from books based purely on their merit rather reputable sources, is the easiest way for than their authors’ financial assets, the librarians to distinguish books of higher harsh reality seems to be that librarians quality. must vet them for quality. With 26% of public libraries stating that they do not have time to read and evaluate self-published books, it comes as no

3 Library Journal Self-Published Book Survey Report

FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING 5 surprise that the idea of creating and by researching publisher options and implementing a formal submission considering which is best for each process for these special cases is author on a case-by-case basis. enough to deter libraries from including self-published ebooks among their Another downfall to referring collections altogether.4 independent authors to publishers is that it puts librarians at risk of straining Libraries should find a balance of relationships between themselves inclusivity and exclusivity by using a and local authors who may become model that will allow as many of their dissatisfied with which self-publishing communities’ self-published authors as services and ebook distributors to possible to participate while highlighting which librarians refer them. Rather than the best locally-written books. risk extending their roles and creating strained relationships, librarians are safest when they are impartial to Mistake 4 external publishing and distribution services. Referring authors to third party publishing Instead of referring independent and distributing authors to third party publisher and companies distributors, the role of the library should be to provide services and tools to easily let books into the library In an attempt to help self-published and simultaneously empower authors authors, libraries sometimes refer them to make their own decisions as to to publishers. One downfall to this is commercially publishing the book. that it creates more work for librarians. Because there are numerous reasons that authors self-publish their books and numerous commercial publishing options available to them to meet their needs, librarians end up playing the role of advisor to local authors

4 Library Journal Self-Published Book Survey Report

FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING 6 4 Historians, researchers and Mistake 5 subject matter experts Letting programs for 5 Speech coaches indie authors stop at indie authors This will help round out programming and allow librarians to reach a wider range of authors at different points Libraries that serve their local indie in their publication processes. Plus, authors by including their books it broadens indie authors’ support among their collections may also wish network and connects more community to extend their services to their local members. writing community by incorporating programming. One of the most popular methods is to create writing groups and circles. How SELF-e Helps Libraries Avoid All Five But libraries shouldn’t Mistakes hesitate to think bigger. SELF-e, a partnership between Library After all, writing a Journal and BiblioBoard, strategically book is only one part of solves each mistake, making it easy for libraries to be at the center of the publishing a book. indie book movement and serve both local authors and their patrons, while Librarians should reach out to others in simultaneously connecting community their communities who have expertise or members. experience in elements beyond writing, such as those listed below. It nurtures a modern reading culture that recognizes current trends in reading and publishing. Because ebooks submitted 1 Artists and designers to the SELF-e program by local authors 2 Marketing experts are displayed on BiblioBoard’s mobile, 3 Financial advisors digital library, patrons can read them on

FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING 7 Android and iOS devices in addition to stamp of approval by being selected as on computers. This reflects not only the a “highlight,” which marks it as being growing trends of eReading and local of exceptional quality, and makes it reading, it also reflects the increasing available to be read by library patrons number of ebooks by indie authors nationally. Besides discoverability, available in the book market. authors also have the chance to earn The SELF-e program allows authors to royalties, since SELF-e books can have buy buttons next to them for library SELF-e also liberates patrons to purchase them instantly. librarians from having Because BiblioBoard partners with to undergo traditional Pressbooks’ e-publishing software for Pressbooks Public, libraries can provide processes of acquisition, in-house publishing for their local writing curation and vetting, community. This lets libraries take a neutral and self-sufficient stance to while also helping publishers, and provides yet another libraries find a balance service for authors in their area. between inclusivity and Finally, since community engagement exclusivity. is a key component of SELF-e, it encourages libraries to serve as a hub access the online submission portal for community connections. It provides outside of libraries. Each ebook that support for authors to attend and is submitted to SELF-e by an author is facilitate events like Indie Author Day, automatically included in a statewide local book festivals and more, and helps collection that features other books local writers be discovered beyond their from indie authors in the same state, immediate communities. meaning that there are no steps that librarians have to take to expand their collections. Every ebook also has the chance to receive a Library Journal

References: Library Journal Self-Published Book Survey Report 2016

FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING 8 About SELF-e Connecting Indie Books, Libraries and Readers

Libraries are driving a new era of ebook ability to identify the best indie books discovery for indie authors and small through their trusted curation process. presses. SELF-e helps develop robust local writing communities and keeps With SELF-e’s statewide collections, libraries at the center of the indie book national SELF-e Select genre-based movement. collections, the SELF-e Ambassador program and ongoing contests, there With SELF-e and Pressbooks Public, are many ways for libraries to help libraries can support their local author authors achieve recognition in their local communities from the first words they communities and beyond. type to worldwide circulation, all while feeling confident in Library Journal’s

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FIVE CRUCIAL MISTAKES LIBRARIES SHOULD AVOID WITH SELF-PUBLISHING