Checklist category
Libraries
Libraries buy books through their own processes, and almost never because an author asked them to. Prepare the sheet and the review links a librarian needs, learn each system's purchase suggestion or author submission policy before you contact anyone, use the routes that exist, and then track what was actually acquired. Respect for the process is the whole strategy.
The tasks in Libraries
3 tasks, 8 steps
Prepare the library pitch
2 stepsYou have one page a librarian can act on: the identifiers, formats, price, availability route, and any professional reviews, in the order a selector reads them. Librarians decide from data, not from enthusiasm.
ConditionalThree months before publication, before you contact any libraryAuthor and PublicistYou normally do this yourself.Library or cataloging
Research and contact relevant libraries
4 stepsYou have found each library system's actual policy, used the route it publishes, and recorded what you sent and what happened. The process is the strategy here.
ConditionalAfter publication, and only through each library's own processAuthor and PublicistYou normally do this yourself.
Monitor reported library reach
2 stepsYou check the public catalogs now and then and keep a dated note of what they reported. Holdings data is partial and slow, so it is a rough picture rather than a score.
OptionalQuarterly after publication, then once a yearAuthorCheck again on a schedule, or after something changes.
Common questions
What does a librarian actually need to see?
Identifier per format, publication date, price, how to order it through their supplier, the subject area, and any professional review. A sales pitch without an order route is unusable.
From Prepare the library pitch.
Do I need reviews before I approach a library?
Not always, but a professional review is the single strongest signal in this context, so it is worth collecting the links you do have into one place first.
From Prepare the library pitch.
Can I just email a librarian and ask them to buy my book?
Most systems ask you not to. They publish a purchase suggestion form or an author submission policy, and using the published route is both more effective and more welcome than a direct pitch.
From Research and contact relevant libraries.
Is a purchase suggestion a guarantee?
No. It is a request that goes into a selection process with a budget and a policy behind it. Many are declined, and a decline is not about the quality of your book.
From Research and contact relevant libraries.
How many systems should I contact?
The ones with a real connection to the book: where you live, where the book is set, and where its subject has a readership. A mass mailing to hundreds of systems is the thing librarians ask authors not to do.
From Research and contact relevant libraries.
Does a catalog show every library that owns my book?
No. Coverage is incomplete, some systems do not report, and records lag by months. Treat what you find as a floor, not a total.
From Monitor reported library reach.
Why save the date with the evidence?
Because holdings change and public pages disappear. A screenshot with a date is the only version of this that is still meaningful a year later.
From Monitor reported library reach.