 Thanks, Jeff, for hosting me at The Little Blog of Murder. I’ve always loved the name of this blog.
I thought I’d share my thoughts about libraries. Here goes:
LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY EVENTS – Do They Help Or Hinder Sales? By Morgan Mandel
I’ve loved libraries for as long as I can remember. When Dad took me and brothers there, sometimes we’d get books on vacation loan. That meant we could check out huge piles and keep them for a whole month. I’d always look for Cinderella, my favorite. My high school library produced another huge find – Dick Francis. I loved reading his mysteries.
Since then, I’ve checked out more books than I can count. I’ve enjoyed most of them, though I can’t remember each name and author. There are too many. I could never have read so many without the library.
When my first book, Two Wrongs, was published and I saw it on my local library’s shelf, a thrill rushed through me. I was actually an author. People could read what I wrote. That was an awesome thought. Girl of My Dreams followed. With it came another rush.
Soon my new romantic suspense, Killer Career, will reside on my local library’s shelf. It’s already been ordered. Once again, I’ll feel a thrill when I see it there. The thought is almost heaven.
It’s the almost that sometimes bothers me. Every time someone checks out one of my books, that means one less sale. Every time I participate in a library presentation and audience members reserve my book instead of buying an autographed copy, I’ve lost a sale.
Those are realities I’ve learned to accept. I don’t dwell on them. I prefer to look at the plus side. Readers are enjoying my books no matter how it happens. My name and work are out there getting exposure. Of course, it would be nice to make more sales, but I understand the lure of the library. After all, it’s in my blood as well.
Still, there are lots of libraries, not just in the United States, but all over the world. If each one bought at least one of my books….
What about you? Do you love or hate libraries?
Morgan Mandel enjoys variety as an author. She writes mysteries, romances, and even has a dog book in the works. Her latest release is the romantic suspense, Killer Career, published by Choice One Publishing Co. Changing jobs could be a killer when Julie McGuire latches onto her sexy psychotic mentor, despite the warnings of her best friend and law partner, Dade Donovan. To save herself and Dade, she must face her greatest fear: claustrophobia. Killer Career is available at major distributors such as Ingram, at Amazon.com, Bn.com, Target.com, Mobipocket.com, and By Order at Bookstores.
Morgan’s still available back list includes Girl of My Dreams, a romantic comedy about the misadventures of a reality show contestant, and Two Wrongs, a romantic suspense involving wrongful imprisonment.
Morgan is a past President of Chicago-North RWA, presently serves as Library Liaison for MWMWA, and belongs to Sisters in Crime and EPIC.
You’re invited to visit her website, www.morganmandel.com, at her daily blog , http://morganmandel.blogspot.com, or any of her group blogs at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com, http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com, and http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com. You’re also invited to join Morgan’s Ning site, at http://bookplace.ning.com
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I love libraries. My parents said we moved when I was 12 because I’d finished the one in our neighborhood.
I try new authors there. I read the hard cover books when they first come out, and if I like them, I keep reading AND buy them in paperback, which is what my budget permits.
And, more importantly, one of my publishers, Five Star, targets the library market. This means that they LOVE it when a library buys my books, and I love what my publisher loves. I also feel that asking people to fork over hard cover prices today is tough–so yeah, ask your library to carry your favorite books. And try new ones.
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Thanks again, Jeff, for hosting me here today.
That’s funny what Terry said about having to move at 12 since she’d finished the library in her neighborhood.
That was then. Today, we’d have a long way to go to do that. Also, nowadays we can order books from the Library System even if they’re not at our own library. So, Terry won’t have to move again!
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
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I know a few people who use libraries exclusively – they never buy books so I’d never be able to sell to them anyway. But if the book is available for them to check out of the library, maybe they’ll tell a friend how good it is and that person may run out to buy it.
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This IS a right neat little blog, Morgan…gotta agree with you! I love libraries per se but to tell you the truth the last time I was in one, well, I can’t remember so at least there are some of us out there who will still buy your books, lol. We just don’t have a nice one too near us or I probably would camp out for days. On the other hand, I have that enormous TBR pile…I have my own library!
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Libraries are suffering really badly in the current times. However one can still see so many differances just from town to town. My toens library does stuff for young children and mine visit all the time, but nothing much for writers, will not even take a free book, yet ask us all the time to help them. Ohter toowns within a stones throw have good writers meetings etc.
Thank you for sharing Morgan
by Barry Eva
on August 17th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
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Our library is the best. My husband, who doesn’t lilke to read much, uses it more than I do. He likes to check out DVDs. Once in a while he’ll check out a non-fiction book about something like old children’s shows, things like that. There’s something for everyone there.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
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I love libraries and try not to be concerned about the fact that people getting my book from the library are lost sales. That’s a fact of the business that we have no power over. And at least the library had to purchase the book.  I also focus on the idea that I am building a reader base that may purchase a later book if they really enjoyed the book they got from the library.
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Funny,when you’re not an author you don’t think about such things as lost royalties when you check out a book from the library. It’s all in the POV.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
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Our little town now has a library. Woo-wee! It’s a pretty one, too. Love libraries.
Helen
Straight From Hel
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It’s a toss-up! It’s a lost sale at that moment, but if enough people are requesting your book, the library will order an extra copy or two. And as you said, what if every library ordered even just one copy?
Library sales are not impossible, though. My friend, author p.m. terrell, does ONLY libraries and moves around 100 copies an appearance. Whatever she’s doing, she’s doing it right!
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I love libraries. As a kid, I loved to read -still do, except now I have shelves full to finish reading before I check any others out!
Good luck on your book, Morgan!
Chris Verstraete
Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery
by chris v
on August 17th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
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I guess we’re really lucky our library has so much to offer for all ages.
But, I also have that giant TBR pile autographed by authors I’ve met and/or know really well on or off line.
I do try to read those before checking out a library book, but sometimes if I see a famous author’s book I think I’ll like, such as Mary Higgins Clark, I’ll check it out of the library.
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Morgan….Libraries buy books….and sell more books for authors than you could ever imagine.
Think of them as one of your most powerful marketing agents on your team.
by David
on August 17th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
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I’ve been on some panels and plan to get on more at libraries in the area. If nothing else, it’s a way of giving back to the community. Lots of audience members are starting out and eager to learn.
Morgan Mandel
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Morgan,
I just spent 5 weeks on the road in a book tour. Visited over 30 libraries. I do feel that usually a library sale is only 1 book. But here in Florida they have what they call a ‘book bag’ for book clubs. The bag contains 5 of the same books for the club to read and discuss, then the club will invite the author (if local) to their meeting for Q & A. If the author has the next book available, the club usually purchases it then and there.
I realize that an author doesn’t make much on a library sale, but if your next book isn’t in the library, the individual who borrowed the first one from the library will probably go out and buy the next one.
We do what we can to get our name out there. Marketing is the name of the game. Good luck on your blog tour.
Gwyn Ramsey
http;//gwynramsey.blogspot.com
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I like the idea of book clubs, that’s for sure. Also, if the libraries buy 5 books, that would really be great. I guess the trick is to get the book clubs interested in the book.
Morgan Mandel
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I have always loved libraries. True, booksales aren’t always great at library events, but I have had many opportunities come up because of a librarian’s help. They are the last true heart of books and authors.
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It’s true. You never know what may turn up at an event which can lead to something really great. Sometimes it’s just fun to get together and talk about writing and that’s good, too.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
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But it isn’t necessarily a lost sale. Just because a person checks the book out from the library doesn’t mean they would ever have bought the book in the first place if buying was the only way they could read it. Libraries allow people to take chances in their reading that they could not otherwise afford to do.
I could NEVER afford to buy each book by every new (or unread) author; and who could read that much?! But if I like the library book and intend to read more by that author, I’ll usually buy my own copies of future books and often I’ll even buy a copy of the one I read at the library so I can have a complete collection. The library allows me to take a chance - more than one chance even - on an author that I’m not completely sold on.
by Naomi Johnson
on August 19th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
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That’s true what Naomi says. That’s why libraries are so great.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
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I echo Naomi’s perspective. I check out, on average, 5-7 books a week from the public library (train commute to work). There is no way I could afford to purchase the number of books I read. I’m also far more adventurous when it comes to selecting books, or taking a chance on an author or even a genre with which I’m not familiar. However, when I find a book or series I like and want to re-read, I buy it in hardback.
Most of the book series I own came from a single chance selection from the library shelf. I could have been an interesting title, or a creative jacket cover, or the placement on the shelf (oh, need to stretch my back, so might as well grab one off the bottom shelf) or even location in the library (too tired to walk that far, lets see what Fiction A-C has to offer). Litmus test for me is to turn to page 97, read it, and if I’m interested, check it out. If I find myself wanting to check it out again, I buy it instead.
As a note, when I really like a series, and the library doesn’t offer all the books, I Google the author to get a complete list of books in the series and buy them (hardback only). Bonus- I find really fun websites like The Little Blog Of Murder while looking for an author. Casey Daniels, my library system only has your first two Pepper Martin books, so you’re on my shopping list. The rest of you listed here, think I’ll check you out Monday when I go to the library for my weekly visit. I’m not a web-fan, but I really enjoyed your website.
by Valerie Sarich
on September 13th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
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