Research and contact relevant libraries
Submit through library purchase-suggestion forms where eligible
Where a library's rules allow it, submit a purchase suggestion through the official form, once, with the identifiers and review citations that let staff evaluate the book quickly.
Why it matters
A well-made purchase suggestion is a small, respectful request that library staff can evaluate in a minute, and it is often how a first copy of an independent or small-press title enters a system. Done badly or in bulk, the same form damages the author's standing with the people who decide. The difference is entirely in how it is used.
Your part
- What you do
- Do it. You normally do this yourself.
- Who normally owns it
- Author and Library cataloger. Author submits where allowed; readers may submit under library rules
- When
- Post-publication, once the book is orderable (Research and contact relevant libraries: after publication, and only through each library's own process)
How to do it
The full walkthrough
A purchase suggestion form is how a library invites its community to recommend titles. When the policy allows an author to use it (or a reader who genuinely wants the book to), it is the cleanest route into a library's evaluation process, because it arrives where acquisitions staff expect it and in the form they want. The form usually asks for title, author, ISBN, publisher, publication date, format, and a reason; some ask where you heard about the book and whether you would like to be notified.
Fill it in accurately and completely. Give the ISBN of the format libraries prefer (usually hardcover or paperback), the publisher, and the date. In the reason field, cite professional reviews by outlet and date, mention a local or subject connection if there is one, and state how the library can order (the wholesaler or platform). Keep it to a few sentences. Submit once per library system, in the format the policy allows, and do not resubmit unless the policy invites it.
Readers may also use these forms, and a reader who wants to read your book at their library is doing something ordinary and welcome. What is not welcome is an organized campaign: dozens of identical suggestions from people who have no intention of borrowing the book are recognized instantly and reflect on the author. If readers ask how they can help, tell them the form exists and leave it there.
This is post-publication work on every path, because most forms ask for a book that exists and can be ordered.
Common mistakes
- Submitting where the policy excludes authors.
- Submitting the ebook ISBN when the library buys print through a wholesaler.
- A reason field full of marketing copy and no review citations.
- Resubmitting monthly.
- Recruiting people to submit who do not want the book.
What done looks like
- Suggestions submitted only where the policy allows, one per system.
- Every field accurate, with the preferred format's ISBN and the ordering channel.
- Professional reviews cited by outlet and date, and a local or subject connection noted where real.
- No organized campaigns; readers told the form exists and nothing more.
- Each submission logged with the date and the outcome.
Evidence. Done means someone says the work happened. Verified means you checked the confirmation, link, or public record yourself.
Sources and last checked
- Official source
- No single official page for this step.
- Last checked
- Not checked against its source yet.
- How confident we are
- Verified