Campaigns: Case Study of an Indie Author Partnership with Libraries

Our #publishingopenup campaign guidebook

ALLi's #PublishingOpenUp campaign exists to nurture better understanding between indie authors and all players in the field of publishing, so that they may work together more effectively for mutual benefit. In our campaign guidebook, Opening Up to Indie Authors by Dan Holloway and Debbie Young, one of the many areas we address is the potential for self-publishing writers to collaborate with public libraries, so we were delighted when ALLi author member Raegan Teller drew our attention to a success story involving her local library. Over to Raegan to explain…

When the Richland County Library in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service this year, I didn’t think I could be any prouder of them. Our library was one of ten institutions nationwide to receive this well-deserved award.

In recent years, the library has become a community resource beyond books. Yet, when I and a fellow author approached the library about partnering with them to celebrate National Indie Author Day on October 14, I was once again reminded of their excellence.

Not only were they eager to support indie authors on that day, they agreed to sponsor “Indie Author Week,” which included programs for those already self-published  and for aspiring writers seeking guidance.

Richland Library's Indie Author Week

After months of planning, the week kicked off with a Skype keynote presentation by ALLi’s Debbie Young, followed by a discussion with the executive director of the Southern Independent Bookseller Alliance (SIBA) on the “new normal” of how bookstores and self-published authors are finding ways to work together.

Tuesday night’s offering was a workshop taught by a local indie author about building discipline around daily writing and being tenacious about achieving your writing goals through years of hard work and diligence.

On Wednesday night, I facilitated a discussion about working through the myriad decisions an independent author must make on buying or using ISBNs, selecting the book’s imprint, as well as choosing among POD providers and distribution options.

The library closed out the theme week with a panel of four authors: three indies and a traditionally published author who provided balance to the discussion. The panelists provided their insights and experience on changes that have taken place in the traditional publishing world in recent years, as well as the current state and future of self-publishing.

The indie authors shared their paths to self-publishing and what it has meant to them.

Due Thanks for an Excellent Event

While there are many others behind the scenes at the library who brought Indie Author Week to fruition, a special thanks to Sarah Gough, Programs and Partnerships Librarian at Richland Library, and to Kelsey Truluck and Lucy Hamilton for their hard work and support.

• I know I learned a lot, as did all those who participated in the events.
• For the library, it was an act of faith and a commitment of time that I and the other indie authors appreciated.

Raegan Teller writes mystery novels

I am proud to have the Richland Library on my team and look forward to many years of partnering with them to build a robust indie author community in our area.

OVER TO YOU If you have a success story of collaboration with your local library service, we'd love to hear about it!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ALLi'S #PUBLISHINGOPENUP CAMPAIGN