Borrow From Indie Bookstores - Market Upcoming Titles

 Libraries are not in competition with bookstores. Enthusiastic readers frequent both and a patron who tests a new to them author at the library is likely to buy that author's books at a bookstore. Develop a relationship with your local bookstores and work with them. As library workers, we can also learn from some of the great ideas that come from indie bookstores. 

One great thing I see in indie bookstores like Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL and Gibson's Bookstore in Concord, NH is marketing upcoming releases with signage and an invitation to pre-order a title. They often include a blurb, a cover image, and author information. Pre-orders are an important way for a publisher to know there will be demand for an individual title. 

Assuming that a patron knows as much as we do about the library is a mistake. Library workers spend hours at the library and are familiar with its services, collection, and programs. Many patrons have a particular reason they visit the library or a way they use the building, missing things that might interest them. It's our job to highlight even the most basic services to catch those patrons who are unaware or who have forgotten about them. 

Either in a separate display or as part of the new bookshelf, create signage with upcoming titles and information about your request/holds list. Invite patrons to place holds either on their own or by asking staff for more information. Include QR codes to your OPAC or eBook collection as well. While it's understandable that bestsellers will need to be included, mix in some books that might be flying under the radar as well. 

You will need to have a workflow to change out the upcoming releases regularly as books are published and arrive at the library. Work with your acquisitions department and selectors to be aware of which titles have been ordered for your library. 

Visit indie bookstores in your neighborhood and on your travels. You will learn a lot. 

Talk About the Books You Love

 On his Twitter account, author Joe Lansdale shared some ways you can help your favorite author promote their books. I thought I would note them here and mention ways you can have patrons help give their favorite authors the spotlight. 

1 - Preorder their books. 

2- Put titles on your Goodreads "Want to Read" shelf. 

3 - Good reviews on more platforms.

4 - Social media posts about the books you love. Tag the publisher and the author. 

5 - Let your local library know that you are interested in their book

For library purposes, 1 and 5 function the same. Set up a display and social media posts promoting your Patron Suggestion form. Let your patrons know that they can recommend titles for your collection. Your patrons may make you aware of books you have not heard about, in genres you are less familiar with, and emerging trends.

Regarding number 2, if you have book clubs at your library, you can set up a group on Goodreads for it. Those staff who lead book clubs can spend a little time at one of their meetings showing Goodreads, StoryGraph, and any other book tracking sites you like, demonstrating how to add books and indicate what forthcoming titles they are interested in. 

There are some passive programming ideas in 3 and 4. Set up a way either on paper, via email, or an online form by which patrons can submit book reviews to you. Establish a system for posting those reviews on your social media and in your building. This will help develop a community of readers at your library and will allow your patrons to help each other find great reads. You can tag the author and the publisher in these positive reviews. 

There are two things to note about patron book reviews. The first is that you should never post or put out negative reviews on your social media or in your building. Negative reviews are helpful in finding books you might love because the reason someone hates a book could be why you would love it. If someone seeks out reader or professional reviews, it can be assumed that some will be negative. This program should be about building positivity. If someone comes into your building or looks at your library's social media and sees their favorite book being trashed, that could color how they feel about the library. 

The second is that you need to decide if you are going to redact the patron's entire name, use initials, or just first names. Make certain that participants are aware that you will be posing them for other readers to see. With younger readers, you may need to get parent or guardian approval. 

Follow Joe's suggestions and help your readers generate hype for the books they love and the authors whose work has inspired them. 

July Book Displays Ideas

 StokerCon and a vacation threw me off my schedule but I am back! Hopefully, you have started to plan your book displays in advance and won't need all of these ideas except for fill-ins. 

July is named for Julius Caesar. Create a display with titles about Roman history and Julius Caesar. An ongoing series could be a display tied to the stories about how each month got it's name. You can pick and choose from the various reasons given for how each month got its name depending upon what works with your collection.

The first holiday that July brings to mind is US Independence Day. Beyond fiction and non-fiction about the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence, remember that to include the stories of those outside the Founding Fathers. Check your collection for titles about the experience of Black Americans, women, and Native Americans. You could also put up a display about other battles for independence or about other historical events which occurred around the same time. 

Canada Day is July 1. Time to check for Canadian authors in your collection as well as travel books and fiction set in Canada. 

Aliens are an option twice in July (although they really are always an option.)July 2 is World UFO Day and July 21 Invite an Alien to Live with You Day. Science fiction as well as the non-fiction about alien encounters. Pair it with a display of youth materials.

July 3 is  the Start of the Dog Days of Summer which can be matched up with July 26's National Dog Photography Day. Besides a book display, create a passive program and encourage patrons to submit photos of their pets. You can post them in the library and/or on your social media. 

Summer Fruits is an easy book display/book list to create because you can use books with fruit on the cover or in the title. Supplement it with fruit-oriented cookbooks. 

Ice cream/freezers/snow is a fun idea for a book display in the heat of summer. There are plenty of books with ice cream, snow, ice, cold in the title. We have done this at my library in the summer even though our winters bring no snow. The idea of both this display and summer fruits is to showcase your backlist around a fun theme. Any library worker can help keep these filled in. 

Bicycles and motorcycles are popular during the summer. Bring out non-fiction about bicycle and motorcycle travel and repair. There are also plenty of fiction titles with bikes in the title or on the cover.

Shark Week remains popular with the public. Look for all the shark books and sea/ocean/underwater horror. Don't forget to set up a youth display as well. In our library, sharks rival dinosaurs in popularity. 

The 1969 moon landing is a great time to showcase your science fiction backlist as well non-fiction about space travel and the solar system. 

Use Bastille Day on July 14 to showcase French history and fiction about the French Revolution. There are likely DVDs in your collection set in this time period. 

July 25 is Puerto Rico Constitution day, celebrated also in some US cities. Find your Puerto Rican history and travel books and pair them with books by Puerto Rican authors. Recent Bram Stoker award winners Gabino Iglesias and Cina Pelayo are a good start. 

July 31 is Harry Potter's Birthday beyond the fact that this best selling series needs no help from us to find readers, there are other well documented reasons to avoid promoting this series. Use this holiday to help your patrons find read alikes for the series. Some patrons may have completed the series and would appreciate some other series to start. Here are a few lists to get you started. 

Naperville Public Library Harry Potter Read Alikes 

Pembroke Public Library Harry Potter Read Alikes

Goodreads Harry Potter Read Alikes

Enjoy your July and summer book displays!

Pride 2024

 While I did post about #QueerAllYear, June is when Pride displays appear in most libraries. During this particular time, there is stress is some libraries about setting up a Pride display given the current political climate. Talk to your supervisor, your administration and work with them on creating the display that will best serve your community. It can be difficult but it is often a question of adjusting what you set up to both promote your collection while not having your June spent arguing with bigots rather than celebrating the LGBTQ community. Ideally, the would not have to make any changes but I understand that sometimes it will be necessary. 

As with all these celebratory months, please focus on something other than the darkest parts of history and tragedy. Include biographies about inspirational LGBTQ people and their successes. Do a display with queer artists, poets, and musicians. There are queer cooks, politicians, and humorists.  While there are always struggles and painful moments, every community is more than that.  

There are plenty of lists and articles out there. Use them pull out fiction by LGBTQ authors who your patrons have not discovered yet. Look past literary fiction to other genres and set up a display with romances, horror, and mysteries. Science fiction and fantasy also have a lot of great works by queer authors. 

Books for younger children and teens are often those which cause the most tension. I usually put most of the displays for these months in a central walkway, outside of the children’s department. This allows those who want and need the books to discover them, learn that we include them, and take them without asking for help or searching. The young adult fiction usually empties the fastest. 

Post your great Pride or Rainbow book month displays and tag me in your posts so I can see them. 

Stoker Awards Speech - Karen Lansdale Silver Hammer Award

 I was asked several times about making the text of my Karen Lansdale Silver Hammer Award speech available. The text is below. 

I would like to thank the board, including those who were on when I started. Meghan learned how many questions a librarian can ask after one makes a simple query. Love to the Halloween Librarians who are huddled out there somewhere. They volunteer to help get more horror in libraries and to promote the genre anyway they can. They have made StokerCon a wonderful gathering place for librarians curious about horror. Special thank you to Becky Spratford, our secretary and head Halloween Librarian. She is the one who convinced me to join the HWA and to volunteer. She has poured so much energy into the organization over the years. Those who volunteer as board members put in hours and hours of work every week and they deserve our thanks for helping to keep the HWA alive and running.  The StokerCon chairs and volunteers spend a year planning this conference. There are many people who are long time volunteers who have spent many hours doing the work that keeps everything moving forward. It’s not glamourous work but the managers and coordinators of our committees deserve our thanks as well.

When I see people snark online that the HWA should do this or why hasn’t the HWA done that, I consider responding. I don’t but I consider asking them how much more they want Linda Addison to do or if they are willing to tell Brian Matthews there is just one more thing we need him to do. Because when I think about the HWA, that’s what comes to my mind immediately – the wonderful individual souls who spend their free time helping the authors, poets, artists, publishers, editors, academics, librarians, and horror fans move the genre forward. I would encourage everyone here to remember when they talk about the HWA or interact with those who work in membership, chapters, social media, and all the other committees that they are talking to individuals who take time away from their own careers, families, and creative endeavors to help other horror creators and fans.

It's difficult to remember that because outside of this conference so much of our interactions are online. It is easy to forget that StinkySock87 on some website is also a person. But so is that big name author that you tagged in a post. Both may be giving up some of their time and energy to help the horror community that gathers in the unique place that is the HWA. It’s a special thing that was created – this unique organization that promotes horror. We don’t necessarily know their individual stories or what they are dealing with behind the screens and scenes. But we know they are human, and we can reserve some consideration, empathy, and understanding – whether they are mega big author 1000, someone just starting out, or someone in between.

We can all remember the legacy of Karen Lansdale, someone who came along, filled a void, and said “I’ll do it.” She did hours and hours of tedious work to help the Horror Writers Association grow from an idea to an organization. It wasn’t glamorous work. She photocopied, made calls, answered mail, typed up newsletters, had a full-time job and a family. The work she did is echoed in the work of all the volunteers who step up and join Karen Lansdale is repeating “I’ll do it.” They answer questions, post on social media, help chapters, process applications… I would like to thank all of them and to acknowledge the hard work they do, not for their personal glory or for recognition but because, like Karen, they see a need and are willing to do it for the love of an organization that allows all of us who love horror to come together, celebrate it, and to move it forward.    

USE YOUR OWN LATEST READ AS INSPIRATION.

 Read a great book? One that stuck with you? Use it to inspire a book display or list! As an exercise to show that there are plenty of ways to approach a book, I have made multiple posts using one book to inspire a display. 

You don’t even need to mention the book in the display. Pick one aspect of the book – setting, theme, character, and use it to fill in a display. A romance novel set in New Orleans can inspire a display about that city. A horror novel about a dysfunctional family? A historical novel about 14th century Japan? Fill it in with a mix of genres and a simple sign. 

This is another way that you can use a popular/best selling title to create a display without using valuable space to promote a book that your patrons have already heard about. Advertise your holds list (no, not everyone knows how easy it is) and find some other books that can be tied into that great book you just read. Use a sign that says "Waiting for [popular title]? Try these while you wait!" 

Here's an example using a very popular title that some of you may have read: 

Right now, the book with the most holds at my library is The Women by Kristen Hannah. This is a coming of age book about a nursing student during the Vietnam War era. It's also about idealism, sacrifice, and commitment. A TikTok video referenced historical fiction and "boss women." Pull out any of those and you can have a book display. If your first choices get checked out, pick another aspect and fill it up again. 

Please don't just use other novels by Kristen Hannah. Her novels are best sellers and don't need our help circulating. 

Pull out books by Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American authors about the war to give your patrons another perspective. 

Library Journal has some read-alikes for The Women.

Richland Public Library created a list of books written by Vietnamese authors. 

A Goodreads list of books on Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective. 

June Book Display Ideas

 June is nearly here and the year is closing in on its midpoint. The big holidays for the month are usual topics for book displays and lists along with Pride month which I will cover in a separate post. But there are some other possibilities. 

June 1 is National Pen Pal Day which calls to mind epistolary novels and non-fiction about letter writing. 

Pair up June 4th’s hug your cat day with June 15th’s National Dog Dad Day. There are plenty of adult and juvenile fiction options here. 

June 6 is D Day. Books about World War 2 are always popular. Whether fiction or non-fiction. 

June 8 is Best Friends Day. If epistolary novels are not to your taste, why not find books about best friends? Identify books that could be best friends. 

June 14  is World Blood Donor day. While this is a great opportunity to join forces with your local blood bank, it also should remind you of vampires which are having another moment. 

June 16th is Father’s Day Even if you use books with dad, father etc in their title, it's a great book display. Don't over think the theme. Mix in some non-fiction. 

June 19th Is Juneteenth. I hope you have enough youth books for a display. Pul out fiction and non-fiction surrounding the years after the Civil War and the end of slavery in the US. 

June 24th is Midsummer. Besides Pagan books on the subject, you could do a display of books with floral covers and create a midsummer garden of book covers. 

National Garden Week (June 2–8) This is another time you can create a garden of book covers with floral themes in addition to non-fiction books on the subject. 

National Roller Coaster Week (June 16–22) You likely have some youth titles on the subject and perhaps some books for coaster enthusiasts. Look into thrillers which could be described as a roller coaster ride.