# Do Libraries Shun Self-Published Books? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187 "2016-01-15T02:21:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/21 "2016-01-16T00:36:06Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > When we lived there the Princeton Public Library had a large bookcase of “Our Princeton Authors.” No ebooks back then, and the shelf had books by unknowns like John McPhee and Joyce Carole Oates. (Who doesn’t live in Princeton, but close enough.) Our local library has one of these types of shelves too … but we have a writer’s colony here and I’d shudder to see my self-published book (if I had one) next to those! ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/22 "2016-01-16T09:19:09Z")
[The Illinois Library Association seems supportive of indie SP authors.](https://www.ila.org/initiatives/soon-to-be-famous-illinois-authors) As a note regarding quality control, a book has to be nominated by a librarian to be entered into the contest, which means talking to one and asking/getting them to read your book, first. Also, shelf space? You know libraries [lend out ebooks](https://www.chipublib.org/browse/ebooks/) these days, right? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/23 "2016-01-16T19:32:13Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > Many of the self published books brought to my library are really, really bad. We get quite a few children’s picture books. We finally had to quit reviewing them because it’s just not worth the time it takes to read them. The librarians now won’t consider a book unless it has professional reviews. Is it possible to pay a professional reviewer to review your books, or do professional reviewers normally review what they want and the challenge is one of advertising heavily enough for the reviewers to notice? ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/24 "2016-01-16T20:33:12Z")
To the best of my understanding: An author can send out an Advance Review Copy (ARC) to whomever they want. Whoever receives it is not obligated to read it, much less review it. For legal reasons (FTC disclosure rules), reviewers are required to disclose if it was sent to them for free. I imagine a bribe/payment would also have to be disclosed, which means more people reading the review would look at it askance. So it’s not really to anyone’s benefit to do so, since readers would be less likely to take the review as legitimate. There are probably book blogs where you can pay for a review, but I doubt someplace like the NY Times would sully themselves that way. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/25 "2016-01-16T21:11:00Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > An author can send out an Advance Review Copy (ARC) to whomever they want. Whoever receives it is not obligated to read it, much less review it. For legal reasons (FTC disclosure rules), reviewers are required to disclose if it was sent to them for free. I imagine a bribe/payment would also have to be disclosed, which means more people reading the review would look at it askance. So it’s not really to anyone’s benefit to do so, since readers would be less likely to take the review as legitimate. All ARCs are sent to reviewers for free. There’s no need to disclose it because it’s expected. It’s the same for movie reviewers and theater critics. The assumption is that the value of the book/tickets is too small to be an influence. Restaurant reviewers don’t get free meals, but they are usually reimbursed for their expenses. Most professional reviewers don’t accept self-published books: there are just too many of them. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/26 "2016-01-16T21:27:12Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > All ARCs are sent to reviewers for free. There’s no need to disclose it because it’s expected. > > It’s the same for movie reviewers and theater critics. The assumption is that the value of the book/tickets is too small to be an influence. > > Restaurant reviewers don’t get free meals, but they are usually reimbursed for their expenses. > > Most professional reviewers don’t accept self-published books: there are just too many of them. Book bloggers [have to disclose freebies](https://www.nosegraze.com/what-book-bloggers-need-to-know-about-ftc-disclosures/) when they review. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/27 "2016-01-16T21:51:43Z")
Some libraries still have book drops, no? What happens if a book that wasn’t a library book was dropped off? If it was in good condition (no ink, not from another library, etc) would they really throw it out? ---
**Author:** ![StarsApart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@StarsApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarsApart)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/28 "2016-01-16T22:41:50Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Some libraries still have book drops, no? What happens if a book that wasn’t a library book was dropped off? If it was in good condition (no ink, not from another library, etc) would they really throw it out? At the library I work for, we would keep it separate for a few weeks in case the person accidentally dropped off a book they wanted to keep (this happens a lot, as well as books that patrons intended to return to a different library). After that amount of time, we would consider it a donation. Donations are either sold in our bookstore, which is run by our Friends of the Library organization year-round, or more rarely added to the collection. The Friends go through donated books and have criteria from our selectors about what books to look for as possible additions. Recent books (within 1-2 years), local authors, and books set within our state are more likely to be passed on to selectors. Of course, that’s no guarantee they would then end up in the collection. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/29 "2016-01-16T23:11:35Z")
A self-published book can be good enough that libraries will want it, but then, in that case, publishers are likely to want it, too. Andy Weir’s _The Martian_ started out as a self-published e-book on Amazon, but it’s got a “real” publisher now. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/30 "2016-01-17T08:05:56Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > All ARCs are sent to reviewers for free. There’s no need to disclose it because it’s expected. Well, except you snipped the pertinent part: > [@Kaio](#): > > An author can send out an Advance Review Copy (ARC) to _ **whomever they want.** _ > … > There are probably _ **book blogs** _ where you can pay for a review, but I doubt someplace like the NY Times would sully themselves that way. There are more things in the modern book market, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Getting reviewed by a bunch of low-level book blogs can lead to attention from big book blogs can lead to attention from reviewers at the well-known publications. No one starts at the NY Times; and no one builds a marketing platform overnight with a single review. > [@](#): > > Most professional reviewers don’t accept self-published books: there are just too many of them. Which is why word-of-mouth through other avenues is so important. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/31 "2016-01-18T04:51:06Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Some libraries still have book drops, no? What happens if a book that wasn’t a library book was dropped off? If it was in good condition (no ink, not from another library, etc) would they really throw it out? It would not be thrown out. At my library we give all donations to an organization that works with us called: “Friends of the Library.” They in turn organize all donations and then have a huge book sale in April at the fairgrounds. Anything that is not sold is usually donated to St.Vincent de Paul. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/32 "2016-01-18T05:09:22Z")
My local library will accept self-published books if they deal with local history or local tradition somehow. Our local library has a nice collection of such, and I used them to learn about my new home when I moved here some years ago. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/33 "2016-01-18T05:48:06Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Some libraries still have book drops, no? What happens if a book that wasn’t a library book was dropped off? If it was in good condition (no ink, not from another library, etc) would they really throw it out? The library I volunteer at has two drops in the lobby - one for checked-out items, and one for donations to the library. (They also have two drive-up slots on the outside of the building, one for audio-visual material and the other for everything else.) We check donated books to see if they were placed in the wrong slot (sometimes they are) and make sure that anything with a library bar code, ours or anyone else’s, has been withdrawn from circulation. Our local library system probably has 20 different facilities in the network, and then there’s interlibrary loan which the librarians handle. We do sometimes get books dropped in the donation slot with a note on it saying, “Put this in circulation” for whatever reason, but probably 99% of the time, we don’t. A documentary about the Titanic on VHS, in a well-worn box? Um, no. A romance novel that includes a passing reference to a small town 40 miles away? Nope, not putting that in circulation either. People who really want something put into circulation need to talk to the library staff. Right now, we don’t even sell VHS or cassette tapes in our library bookstore unless they are children’s or seasonal titles, and sometimes not even then unless they are in the wrapper. A library in the next town does, so I cart them over there whenever I’m going that way. My town’s libraries do the bookstore only - no big sales - and list higher-priced or rare items on an Amazon account, which has raised several thousand dollars for them just in the past year alone. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/34 "2016-01-18T05:51:35Z")
We also send things that we don’t want to put in the bookstore to a company called Better World Books, which sells their books online, usually on Amazon too, and gives us a percentage of the profits. They’re controversial, but they provide free boxes and shipping, so we don’t mind. A sizable percentage of their Amazon sales consists of penny books, so we don’t see a check very often; they send us one when our cut reaches $50. Some booksellers have bragged about sending BWB their trash, which includes books infested with black mold. :rolleyes: :mad: That’s terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/35 "2016-01-19T00:25:50Z")
In addition to the space being taken up and the time needed to review an unpublished book, you have to remember that there is a cost to adding any item to a library’s inventory and a cost to updating the inventory every year. It’s not exactly a free book. Back when most of the books that I read were physical books, if I thought that a book to be donated would be a good candidate for circulation I’d contact the acquisitions librarian and if she was interested I’d drop off the book to her directly. Usually it was the adult acquisitions librarian, but the children’s acquisitions librarian was really happy that I always bought the hardback Harry Potter books and always donated them. Also that I read them fast. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187/36 "2016-01-28T03:00:04Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Does today’s library “world” and the world of the independent (indie) author/self-publisher ever meet? From my little corner of the world, it seems the library shuns independent authors. Is this the case, in general? Does anyone see any inklings of this trend changing as self-publishing gains momentum? …Your thoughts? No, they do not purchase or even shelve self-published books. They are given many of them and they are likely to be recycled or thrown into the batch at the next used book sale. Indeed, unless it’s a recent bestseller even donated traditionally-published books that have pedigree go into the book sale boxes. There are probably exceptions but selection and curation is a large part of their job and they don’t just throw books on the shelves because they were given to them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-libraries-shun-self-published-books/743187.md?page=1)