Working with Authors to Promote Your Collection

Key takeaways: 

• Author visits are a solid bet for community interest. They can bring in new visitors and boost circulation simply by increasing foot traffic.
• There are multiple ways to find authors for programs at your library, you just need to know a few tricks and techniques and keep at it.
• Author visits are strong enough programs that they can influence other programs, as well, and help draw attention to special collections that normally don't get to be in the spotlight.

When I’m not working at NoveList, I’m writing! I am a pre-published author and belong to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, through which I’ve become acquainted with dozens of fellow creatives.  

The author community is dear to me — and one thing dear to them is libraries. Every single published member would say “yes” to an author or illustrator program at a library, in some form or another. Being the author at an author visit is a dream of my own, too. With the perspective of my friends in mind, as well as my expertise in library marketing, here are reasons and ways to work with authors to promote your collection.

How can authors help libraries promote their collection?

Author visit programs are a solid bet for community interest. It’s not easy for readers to meet an author, especially for free. And if you’re in tune with the types of books your community reads most, an author that fits the bill can bring in high program attendance. The foot traffic alone can boost circulation.

These programs can also shine a light on books a patron may never have had any interest in before. But, because they get to meet an author in real life, they’ll consider it for the first time ever.  

And further, an author visit may be what pulls a person into the library for the first time. That fresh-faced new person could go on to be a library regular, checking out hundreds of books in their lifetime, all because of the special magic of seeing these people in real life. It’s the person behind the paper-and-ink curtain. When libraries join forces with authors, great things happen. Below are some tips on working with your local author community, as well as authors more visible on the national level.

How do you find and contact authors for a library program?

“We usually just start by looking up the author’s website,” says Heidi Buljung, Senior Librarian for the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). Heidi manages the successful, annual community-wide book club called “All Pikes Peak Reads” at PPLD. This multi-month program includes a selection of titles for three age groups and a variety of related programs, including author visits, for each book. “Most of [the authors], especially newer authors, want to be contacted. Our conversations often start by just filling out the contact form on their website, and they get back to us. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no, right?”

But it isn’t always that easy. One of the biggest challenges, according to Heidi and her coworker, Senior Library Associate Bryan Matthews, is when the author just doesn’t get back to them.  

“If going through their website doesn’t work, I’ll often move on to their publisher’s website,” says Bryan. “The publisher may be the one approved to make direct contact with the author anyway. And sometimes you’ve got to get creative.” Bryan, along with a dedicated committee, has been running PPLD’s “Mountain of Authors” program for twelve years. This big program is a one-day, expo-style event held at their district’s largest location. Authors sign up for a table and a day of networking and book sale opportunities, and patrons get to attend and meet local authors, buy their books (directly from the author, not the library), and get them signed. This year's program will also include a writing workshop for tweens and a teen poetry workshop. 

Here are some pro tips from Heidi and Bryan for securing more author visits at your library:

• Figure out where an author has visited before. This may be listed on an author’s special events calendar on their website. Contact those places and ask if someone there can introduce you to the author.
• If you’re aware that a book has won an award, try contacting the award institution. Someone there could make the introduction.
• Reach out to the author on their social media platforms. “The worst they can say is no, right?” Heidi repeats with a chuckle.
• Knowing someone who knows an author personally is a valuable connection. It’s often these opportunities which offer the smoothest program planning, as you might be quickly introduced to the author, and you can work with them directly to set up the program.
• For a bigger, more acclaimed author, go to the speaker’s agency (or speakers bureau) or their publishing house, such as the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau. Representatives in these agencies help make program logistics easier, since they handle the travel and lodging for authors. “Plus, once you work with one of these representatives, you’re on their radar,” says Heidi. “They learn what kinds of programs you offer for authors, and then they may start reaching out to you. It’s important to cultivate these kinds of relationships.”  

Virtual author visits:  

Here are two pay-by-subscription organizations that can help you offer virtual author visits:

• BookBreaks.org connects school libraries to children’s authors.
• The Library Speakers Consortium connects public libraries to a wider array of authors for virtual talks.

Go through local writing organizations:

• Find children’s authors and illustrators through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (it’s global!). Reach out to your region’s contacts and ask them if they have any members interested in visiting your library.
• Search for writing groups or writer groups in your area. There may be small, local groups or regional groups you can reach out to.

Partnerships sweeten the deal for authors

Sweeten the deal for authors and reduce the workload on your library by partnering with other groups that would also benefit from the author’s visit.

“We work with numerous other groups in town, like schools and nearby colleges, for author visits,” says Heidi. “Once, we helped arrange for a local author to present at their old high school! And we work with Poor Richard’s (a favorite local bookstore) quite a bit. The library doesn’t sell books, obviously, so we bring in Poor Richard’s to sell books during the author visits at the library. Authors love this because we’re helping them sell their books. And the bookstore loves it, because they’re engaging with the community outside their walls. It’s a win-win-win.”

I also recommend arranging for the author to have a visit at the bookstore while they’re in town. Adding to the itinerary makes a trip more worth the author’s time, as they also have the potential to sell more of their books. "Staff at the bookstore are well-connected to authors, too, so sometimes they’re the ones who initiate the visit and bring us into the mix,” adds Heidi.

Bryan says, “If you’re lucky, the publisher will reach out to you and ask to include the library as a stop for a book launch tour while they’re in town. If that happens, it’s great because they’re paying for everything and handling their author’s travel and lodging.”

How to leverage an author visit program to promote your collection

Here are some ideas for promoting your collection during the actual author visit:

• Hold the visit in a space surrounded by bookshelves. If you’re hosting the event after hours, clear out the tables and get people in proximity to the shelves. Getting eyes on the books is part of the battle, and this set-up will make the event photos look good, too.
• During the intro to the program, or in the wrap-up at the end, assign a library staff person to talk about the collection. If a historical fiction author is there, talk about how many historical fiction titles are in the collection, or what kinds of special historical collections exist that the audience might be interested in.
• If the program takes place during normal hours of operation, wheel in a few carts with the author's other books, or read-alikes, and/or related books for people to check out after the program. Put a big sign on the carts to make sure attendees know they’re there.
• Create an exhibit to be on view during the program to showcase your collection. Put related books or items from a special collection out on a table right at the entrance of the space you’re hosting the author in.  
• Get clever with co-programming. Say you’ve got a memoir author who researched their own history to write their book. After the author visit, hold a genealogy database how-to program or hold a memoir-writing workshop. This idea is all about connecting the dots between the individual author’s book and the related library resource. 

Leigh Gaddy is the Marketing Specialist at NoveList. She is currently reading The Astral Library by Kate Quinn.