How to Get Your Self-Published Book into Libraries (Without Losing Your Sanity)

There is a certain romance to the idea of seeing your book on a library shelf. Perhaps it calls to mind an older notion of cultural legitimacy, the quiet dignity of a spine standing among thousands of others, waiting for a curious reader to pull it out.

However, if you’ve spent any time in the self-publishing trenches, you’ll know this ideal doesn’t materialize by accident. If anything, libraries are among the last institutions where the values of curation and discernment remain in full force. Libraries are not obligated to validate our ambitions simply because we think our work deserves it. They are stewards of public trust with finite budgets, and their caution should never be conflated with hostility (although a library’s rejection can be exasperating).

If you’d like to see your book included in your local library’s collection, it helps to approach the process with a clear head and a willingness to see your work through a more objective lens. This guide is my attempt to help you do exactly that, without surrendering your sanity in the process.

Libraries Are Not Obliged to Care

Perhaps that sounds uncharitable, but I find it useful to begin here. Libraries are not in the business of affirming that every creative effort is worthy of their catalogue. They are tasked with acquiring books that justify their cost: books with demonstrable relevance, demand, and longevity.

To that end, it’s not enough to be earnest about your work. It’s not enough to proclaim that you have something “important to say.” Relevance is evidenced, not declared. As writers, we are often told to show rather than tell. The same applies when making a case for your book. Libraries tend to prefer books that carry at least one of the following qualities: a clear local connection (authorship or subject matter), professional reviews from outlets like Library Journal or Kirkus, distribution through reputable wholesalers, or some proof that real patrons are already asking for it.

In other words, your book must look, feel, and behave like any other book that belongs on the shelf. Anything less, and the odds of serious consideration decline precipitously.

Metadata: The Unsexy Foundation of Discoverability

I wish it were otherwise, but nothing in this process begins with your passion. It begins with metadata.

A book that is impossible to catalogue is a book destined to vanish. If you are distributing through IngramSpark, you are already a step ahead, as most North American libraries source titles there. But simply uploading a manuscript is not sufficient.

At minimum, your book requires an ISBN. In some markets, it’s also helpful to obtain accurate BISAC codes, a Library of Congress Control Number (or equivalent cataloguing data in Canada), a clear description, and trade discount terms that won’t make a library acquisitions manager laugh out loud. Also, while it’s unpleasant to think about, you should give buyers the option to return your book. Having this option selected makes it much more likely that people will actually purchase the book. If any of this feels opaque, my Self-Publishing Checklist is a helpful primer, and I’d be happy to discuss in a consultation call.

Design: The Unforgiving Mirror

One of the more enduring illusions in self-publishing is that your words alone are enough to carry your book’s credibility. It is a comforting thought. It is also demonstrably false.

A library is not in the habit of acquiring books that look homemade, no matter how “authentic” you believe that aesthetic to be. A book with a flimsy cover, sloppy typography, or cheap binding is unlikely to withstand more than a few check-outs. But more importantly, it signals amateurism. And no library wishes to appear careless in its acquisitions—especially one answerable to public scrutiny.

A professional cover that clearly communicates genre, an interior layout that is legible and consistent, and, ideally, a hardcover edition labeled “Library Edition” will do more for your credibility than any rousing appeal to the librarian’s sense of charity. If you need examples or guidance, our cover design and formatting services are good starting points.

It bears repeating: design is not a decorative flourish tacked on at the end of the publishing process. It is the only way to develop a cohesive and compelling author brand, and the most effective way of turning passersby into customers, and customers into lifelong fans. To learn more read my recent blog post on the importance of book design.

The Quiet Work of Generating Demand

It’s easy to assume that once your book is listed in a wholesaler’s catalogue, librarians will discover it by osmosis. In reality, most will not.

Librarians are inundated with options and have neither the time nor the budget to investigate every obscure title that comes across their desk. This is where you must cultivate demand by deliberate action.

Ask your supporters—friends, family, colleagues—to request your book at their local libraries. A single request may accomplish nothing. A dozen or more will be hard to ignore.

Likewise, a modest article in a regional newspaper or a local radio interview can tip the scales. Librarians, after all, are members of the community. They are not immune to the ripple effects of local enthusiasm.

As part of our custom publishing packages, we offer customized pitch letters to help you get your book into libraries. These are proven formulas for attracting attention to your book.

The Sell Sheet: Your Book’s Passport

When you finally approach a librarian, you will need something more substantial than a hopeful email. A professional sell sheet remains the most effective tool you can provide.

It should include the essential data: title, ISBN, format, price, distributor information, a short description, and any notable reviews or endorsements. But beyond that, it should answer a simple question: why will patrons care about this book?

This is not the place for sweeping manifestos about your artistic journey. It is the place for clarity, brevity, and proof that you understand your audience.

Submitting to the Toronto Public Library (and BiblioBoard)

For Canadian authors, Toronto Public Library represents both an opportunity and a particular set of expectations.

If you wish to submit a print book, be prepared to provide a thorough dossier: ISBN, price, binding, your credentials (especially if the work is nonfiction), and a rationale for why the title merits inclusion. Importantly, TPL will not order from author websites and does not want unsolicited copies.

If your ambitions are digital, the Indie Author Project offers a more approachable route. Submissions are made via BiblioBoard, a platform that allows your ebook to be reviewed by librarians and potentially made available in collections across Ontario. It is, if nothing else, a chance to place your work alongside traditionally published titles in a library context—an opportunity that ought not be dismissed.

A Few Final Words

I’m often asked whether this pursuit is worth the time, the expense, and the occasional frustration. My answer is invariably yes, provided you understand what you are seeking.

Library inclusion is not about instant sales, nor is it about vanity. It’s about staking a claim to a more enduring form of legitimacy—the sort that persists when the social media algorithms have moved on to other amusements.

If you would like help preparing a library-ready edition, or simply want to avoid the more predictable missteps along the way, I’m always glad to talk. You can learn more about my services here, or join our next Self-Publishing Masterclass for a broader perspective.

Your book deserves a place where it can be discovered—quietly, over time, by readers who never saw your Facebook ads and never will. Let’s make sure it gets there.