Seeing your book in a library or bookstore can feel like a major author milestone. Getting there involves more than sending a copy and hoping someone finds room for it. Staff need to understand the book, the readers it serves, and the practical details of working with you.
Learning how authors work with libraries and bookstores starts with choosing a specific request: collection consideration, bookstore stocking, consignment, or an event. Each has its own decision process.
This guide focuses on U.S. public libraries and independent bookstores, with examples from published policies. You’ll find a book-information checklist, questions about supply and payment, and two outreach examples you can adapt.
Key Takeaways
- Library collection decisions, bookstore shelf placement, and author events are separate requests.
- Being available through a distributor does not mean an organization has chosen to carry your book.
- Prepare accurate edition, audience, review, and ordering information before reaching out.
- Confirm wholesale or consignment terms, including returns and payment, before supplying stock.
- Follow the current submission process and build the relationship through reliable follow-through.
Table of Contents
- 1. Read the library or bookstore’s current policy
- 2. Choose one clear request
- 3. Prepare accurate book information
- 4. Explain the fit for readers and collections
- 5. Confirm bookstore supply and terms
- 6. Propose an event with a clear purpose
- 7. Make a focused request and follow up respectfully
- 8. Track the relationship after a yes
- Two author outreach examples to adapt
- FAQs about libraries and bookstores
- Prepare your first request
1. Read the library or bookstore’s current policy
Begin with the organization’s website. Look for collection development, local-author submissions, author events, consignment, or publisher information. A library system may make purchasing decisions centrally even when you usually visit one branch. A bookstore may have different contacts for buying and events.
The American Library Association’s guidance on selection criteria explains that library choices should reflect the organization’s mission and community. Its example criteria include relevance, audience, cost, physical suitability, reviews, and the existing collection. A local connection can be useful context, while staff still make the selection decision.
For a bookstore, examine the kinds of books it carries and the events it hosts. A strong general pitch may still be a poor fit for a shop specializing in a different genre.
Record the correct submission route, eligibility rules, required materials, and any stated response window. Use the form when a form is required. If the policy says no unsolicited copies, do not drop off a stack at the counter.
Participation in the reading community can help you understand these organizations. Attend programs or browse their selections when you can. Buying something or attending an event does not create an obligation for staff to accept your book.
2. Choose one clear request
Decide what you want the recipient to consider. Asking for stocking, a launch party, a display, and a newsletter feature in the same first message gives staff several different decisions to untangle.
| Request | What you are asking for | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Library collection consideration | Staff evaluate the title for their collection | Selection criteria, submission route, supported formats, and ordering information |
| Local-author donation | A donated copy is reviewed under the local-author or gifts process | Eligibility, permitted quantity, and what happens if it is not added |
| Bookstore wholesale stocking | The store buys copies through its accepted ordering route | Availability, discount, returns status, and delivery timing |
| Bookstore consignment | The store holds agreed stock and pays according to copies sold and the agreement | Split, fees, payment schedule, stock period, and unsold-copy handling |
| Author program or event | A programming team considers an activity for its audience | Purpose, audience, schedule, fee, accessibility, and sales arrangements |
Distribution makes a title orderable through certain channels; the buyer still decides what to carry. IngramSpark’s explanation of title availability describes how retailers make their own listing and availability decisions. An online listing is not confirmation of copies on a physical shelf.
Keep your own status descriptions accurate too. “Available to order,” “accepted for consignment,” and “added to the library collection” mean different things. Confirm the outcome before announcing it.
3. Prepare accurate book information
Prepare a short information sheet, sometimes called a sell sheet, so the recipient can find essential details quickly. Use the organization’s required fields first. Keep a longer media kit available for someone who requests it.
- Book identity: full title, subtitle if applicable, author name, publisher or imprint, and publication date.
- Edition details: the ISBN for the edition being considered, format, binding, page count, and retail price.
- Reader fit: genre or subject, intended audience, and a concise synopsis.
- Supply: the actual ordering route, confirmed availability, and the relevant terms you can offer.
- Supporting information: accurate review links, relevant local ties, and useful media coverage where available.
- Author details: a brief bio, website, and a reliable professional contact method.
- For an event: a separate short description, proposed duration, audience, equipment needs, and fee.
If you need to sort out identifiers, our guide to where to buy an ISBN for self-publishing explains the starting points. An ISBN identifies a publication; it does not secure a library purchase or bookstore placement.
Inspect the physical book before offering review or sale copies. Our ebook and paperback proofing checklist can help you catch production problems. Check the spine, margins, cover, binding, and consistency between the book and its metadata.
Use a concise bio with relevant facts. Our author bio examples can help with the structure. Include a local connection accurately, without stretching a distant association into an eligibility claim.
Reviews can provide useful evidence, especially when a policy asks for them. Read our guide to getting editorial book reviews before choosing a route. Check which review sources the recipient values; paying for a review does not guarantee a positive review or a collection decision.
4. Explain the fit for readers and collections
Explain who might want the book and why it belongs in this particular conversation. A specific description gives staff more to evaluate than “everyone will love it.”
For a workplace romance, that might be adult readers who enjoy slow-burn relationships, everyday settings, and emotionally focused stories. A regional history could emphasize its documented local subject. A practical nonfiction title could identify the problem it helps readers understand.
Your presentation should support that description. If the cover sends a different genre signal, our discussion of how book covers affect credibility can help you identify what needs attention before outreach.
Follow the library’s collection process
Read the collection and local-author rules separately. State the relevant audience, provide requested edition information, and use the designated route. Public, school, and academic libraries serve different purposes; a proposal suited to one may need a different basis at another.
For example, Sno-Isle Libraries’ author-submission guidance defines local-author eligibility and allows eligible authors to donate one or two physical copies for review. Staff decide whether to add them, and donated copies are not returned. This is that system’s process, not a rule for every library.
The ALA’s gifts and donations guidance recommends clear acceptance and evaluation policies. A donation is not a purchase order or a promise of permanent shelf space. Ask what happens to a copy if it is not selected, and follow the library’s current instructions.
Check digital formats separately
If you publish an ebook or audiobook, check whether the library can acquire that edition through its supported vendors or lending arrangements. A retail purchase link alone does not establish that route. Sno-Isle’s guidance addresses ebook submissions separately from physical donations.
Readers who genuinely want a title can use their own library’s suggestion process where available. Let them make an authentic request according to their library’s rules; avoid treating repeated requests as a way to bypass staff review.
5. Confirm bookstore supply and terms
A bookstore needs a book that fits its readers and can be supplied on workable terms. IngramSpark’s guide to approaching bookstores emphasizes understanding the audience and store fit. Prepare a concise explanation and follow the store’s contact process; an unscheduled sales pitch can interrupt customers and staff.
Understand the wholesale route
If a store orders through a wholesaler, confirm the edition, price, availability, discount, and returns status. IngramSpark’s explanation of wholesale discounts notes that a wholesaler may retain part of the discount and pass part to the retailer. A publisher’s wholesale discount is therefore not automatically the bookstore’s margin.
Do not assume every store requires the same percentage or accepts every supplier. Ask which terms apply to the proposed order, and confirm that your publisher or distribution setup actually offers them.
IngramSpark’s returns guidance explains that returnable copies can generate charges back to the publisher, including applicable handling or shipping costs. Print on demand does not eliminate returns when returnability is enabled. Review the current agreement and your exposure before changing that setting; returnability does not guarantee stocking.
Put consignment details in writing
Consignment is a different arrangement from a wholesale purchase. As one example, Third Place Books’ consignment policy considers local interest, production quality, season, and shelf space, with individual locations managing their titles. Its stated physical requirements include perfect binding and a title on the spine. Confirm the current details with the relevant location.
Before delivering copies under any consignment arrangement, make sure both sides understand the terms.
| Detail | Question to settle |
|---|---|
| Stock and condition | Which edition, how many copies, and how will delivery and condition be acknowledged? |
| Price, split, and fees | What is the selling price, what does each party receive, and are there additional charges? |
| Sales and payment | When are sales reported, when are payments made, and what records will be provided? |
| Duration and unsold copies | When does the placement end, and who arranges collection or shipping of remaining stock? |
| Loss or damage | What does the agreement say if copies are lost, damaged, or missing? |
| Promotion and reordering | What will each party do, and how will replenishment be approved? |
Illustrative consignment calculation: suppose a book sells for $20, the store keeps 40%, and the author’s copy costs $6 to produce. The author receives $12 for a sold copy, leaving $6 before delivery, fees, taxes, and other expenses. These are example figures, not a statement of any particular store’s full terms.
Use your actual costs when deciding what you can offer. Our self-publishing cost breakdown can help you account for expenses beyond printing. Keep cash spent on unsold inventory in view as well as the amount retained per sale.
6. Propose an event with a clear purpose
A useful event proposal explains the experience for attendees. “Please host my book launch” leaves many questions open. A focused discussion, reading with a moderated conversation, or practical workshop gives a programmer something more specific to assess.
For an imaginary romance author, one possible program is “Building Slow-Burn Tension in Everyday Settings”: a short reading, an explanation of a few craft choices, and a guided writing exercise. It needs to fit the venue’s audience and the author’s actual experience.
Sno-Isle’s program-presenter guidance asks for a program description, intended age group, delivery format, speaking fee, online presence, and presentation experience. It also explains its own rules about authors selling books at programs. Other venues may set different requirements.
- Name the audience and what attendees will learn, discuss, or experience.
- Suggest a duration and format, with enough detail to assess the program.
- State your fee and practical requirements clearly, including whether a virtual option is available.
- Confirm who supplies books, who processes sales, and whether selling is permitted.
- Agree on dates, promotion responsibilities, accessibility arrangements, and cancellation procedures.
A hosted event does not automatically include a collection purchase or an ongoing shelf placement. Ask about those separately if they are relevant.
Once an appearance is confirmed, our author book fair checklist can help you plan materials and logistics. Adapt it to the host’s rules and space rather than bringing a full display setup without checking.
7. Make a focused request and follow up respectfully
Keep the first request short, specific, and easy to route. Explain the book or program, the intended audience, and why you are contacting that organization. Provide what the policy requests and make the desired next step clear.
Avoid large unsolicited attachments. A concise link or small information sheet may be appropriate when the policy allows it. If staff request a review copy, confirm the format and destination before sending it.
Follow any stated review period and instructions about follow-up. If no timing is given and follow-up is permitted, allow staff several weeks before sending one brief status inquiry. That is a suggested courtesy, not a universal response deadline.
An unanswered message is not an acceptance. If the answer is no, thank the recipient and record it. Ask about a future submission only if the response leaves that possibility open.
8. Track the relationship after a yes
A yes is the start of practical follow-through. Confirm exactly what was accepted: a review copy, a paid order, a consignment placement, or a particular event. Keep the relevant written agreement or confirmation.
- Record the organization, contact role, request, submission date, and response.
- For stock, record the edition, copies delivered, condition, agreed price, and placement period.
- Track reported sales, payments, returns, and any approved replenishment.
- For events, keep the confirmed time, format, fee, equipment, sales arrangement, and promotion deadlines.
- Set a reminder for the next agreed action, including collecting unsold copies.
If you are responsible for sending physical stock, our guide to packaging and shipping books can help you protect the copies. Include the identification or delivery paperwork the recipient requests.
Reconcile your records before offering more stock. A cordial check-in about the agreed next step is more useful than repeated promotional messages. Ask before publishing staff comments, private correspondence, or an implied endorsement.
Two author outreach examples to adapt
The following examples use fictional author Mara Ellis and an imaginary novel, After the Last Shift. Adapt the details and send only the information requested by the recipient. Use a required submission form in place of email when the policy calls for one.
Example: library collection consideration
Subject: Local-author collection consideration — After the Last Shift
Hello Collection Services team,
I’m Mara Ellis, the author of After the Last Shift, an adult contemporary workplace romance. I’m submitting the title for consideration through your local-author process.
The book may interest readers who enjoy slow-burn relationships and stories set in everyday working life. My information sheet provides the edition, ISBN, publication details, synopsis, and ordering information requested in your guidelines.
Please let me know if further material is needed through the published review process. Thank you for considering the title.
Mara Ellis
Example: bookstore consignment consideration
Subject: Consignment consideration — After the Last Shift
Hello Book Buying team,
I’m Mara Ellis, author of the adult contemporary romance After the Last Shift. I’ve reviewed your consignment guidance and would like to submit the book for consideration.
It may fit readers looking for a slow-burn workplace romance with an emotionally focused story. My information sheet includes the edition, retail price, synopsis, and proposed delivery quantity.
If the title is a suitable fit, I’m happy to follow your review process and confirm stock, payment, and collection details before delivery. Thank you for your time.
Mara Ellis
These examples demonstrate a focused request. Before using either one, replace the fictional details, provide every required fact, and make sure any referenced information sheet is actually included or linked in the permitted way.
FAQs about libraries and bookstores
Can self-published authors work with libraries and bookstores?
Yes, where the organization’s policies allow it. The library and bookstore examples above include routes for local or self-published authors. Eligibility, collection fit, production quality, supply terms, and available space still affect the decision.
Does an ISBN or distributor listing guarantee shelf space?
No. An identifier or ordering route helps staff identify and obtain an edition. The library or bookstore still decides whether to acquire, stock, or display it. Confirm physical placement separately from an online listing.
Should I donate my book to a library?
Read the library’s donation and local-author policy first. Donate only through an accepted route, with an understanding of what happens to the copy. Acceptance of a donation may not mean collection placement, and a donated copy may not be returned.
Do libraries require professional book reviews?
Requirements vary. Reviews can be part of collection evaluation, while some local-author routes have different criteria. Follow the specific policy and provide accurate links to the reviews you have. Avoid purchasing a review on the assumption that it secures a library order.
Can libraries pay authors or allow book sales at events?
Some library programs consider speaking fees, as the Sno-Isle presenter guidance illustrates. That does not guarantee a paid booking. Confirm the fee, approval process, payment arrangements, and rules on book sales with the host before accepting or announcing the event.
Prepare your first request
Choose one suitable library or bookstore, read its current guidance, and decide which outcome you are requesting. Prepare accurate information, explain the reader fit, and use the designated process.
Your next step: write one sentence stating what you want considered, followed by one sentence explaining why it fits that organization’s readers. Use those sentences to keep the rest of your submission focused.
Policy examples checked October 16, 2026. Requirements differ and can change; the linked official guidance and the organization’s current instructions should guide your submission.