We don’t deal directly with publishers at all,” says Jarad Millet, who works in collection management at Birmingham Public Library in Alabama. His comment reflects the fact that, today, collections developers and purchasers make their decisions about what to acquire—in religion as with all books—using trade publications, general market resources, and a growing variety of online tools, as well as through wholesale book distribution companies. They rely on selection journals—including Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist—or online services like Netgalley and Edelweiss. Regional and national conferences also help librarians connect with new authors and titles.
Because so few libraries work directly with publishers, tracking data on how many religion titles are being sold to libraries is difficult. The most recent BookStats numbers from the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group show that religion books accounted for nearly $1.4 billion in sales across all channels—both wholesale and retail—in 2013, only about $270 million of which was to wholesale companies, sometimes called “jobbers,” such as Ingram Content Group and Midwest Library Service.
About 50% of wholesalers’ inventory goes to libraries, according to Kim Brown, senior v-p for merchandise at Baker & Taylor, one of the largest book wholesalers. Though Brown could not specify libraries’ share of its business, Baker & Taylor’s sales of religion titles were up 8% last year. She mentioned a notable spike of 23% in Bible sales, most of which probably didn’t go to libraries, and a decline of 13% in sales of faith fiction, a popular category for libraries.
What Do Librarians Want?
Because direct interaction with librarians can be so limited, religion publishers, many ramping up efforts to get their books into libraries, are left to wonder: what works to help librarians make acquisitions decisions about their books?
At the most basic level, librarians look at cost, logistical ease of ordering, and high product quality. They say that rapid delivery helps patrons get the titles they’re asking for quickly, and that well-constructed books with solid binding, print, and paper quality mean lower replacement costs for the library.
Easy access to electronic book licenses is another growing demand. At least one major publisher, Simon & Schuster, has expanded e-book availability at 200 libraries nationwide. In a recent interview with PW, Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster, called the decision “a strategic move to be in the forefront of new ways to sell our titles” in a climate where overall e-book sales are slowing down.
These things are true for all books, of course, but certain problems are unique to the religion category, and when deciding what to promote to a given library or library system, publishers might do well to be aware of an area’s religious demographic.
“We are heavily invested in acquiring patrons’ requests,” says Richard DiRusso, manager of collection development at the Pima County Public Library in Tucson, Ariz. That means that in heavily evangelical Christian areas, Christian fiction titles are often in high demand. At the Los Angeles Public Library, which serves the largest population of any public library in the U.S., patrons also ask for comparative religion titles, as well as books about religions other than Judaism and Christianity. Titles that explore the roles different religions play in daily life also are of interest, says Linda Rudell-Betts, senior librarian in the social science, philosophy, and religion department of the L.A. library’s Central Library.
Librarians Look to Detailed Catalogues—and Reader Reviews
Publishers can help librarians make the best, most efficient choices by providing thorough, clear catalogue information, Rudell-Betts says. For example, “Book summaries that indicate how the author approaches religious questions with daily living in mind are just as important as [summaries of] academic treatments of faith issues,” she says.
Logan Macdonald, collection development director at the Anythink public library system in Thornton, Colo., agrees: “The more information we have about a title well ahead of street date, the easier it is for us to make the ordering decision.” Macdonald says religion publishers should also participate more in the kinds of online book announcement webinars produced [by PW] and by Booklist. “I rarely see religious publishers participating. It would be great if we could see inspirational romances during the romance announcement webinars, for example.”
Rudell-Betts says the L.A. librarians respond most to the content and structure of the catalogues, particularly the newly formatted electronic catalogues wholesalers and distributors send to libraries. “We appreciate publishers that offer tables of contents, comprehensive summaries, and sample chapters for pre-publication purchase decisions,” he says. He also likes catalogues that offer information on similarities between new authors and better-known authors whose work the librarians may be familiar with. “Links to author blogs or other social media outlets are also very useful.”
Macdonald notes a trend of “an increase in the importance of the personal when it comes to marketing.” He turns to social media reviews, word-of-mouth interest from library patrons, and publisher-sponsored book talks for many of his purchasing decisions, something he says helps him keep up with the astounding volume of publishing, both mainstream and independent or self-published. “These personal touch points are quickly becoming the only available tools for evaluating materials ahead of publication date, since professional reviews don’t seem to be keeping up with the speed and volume of the publishing industry,” he says.
How to Annoy a Librarian
Still, print catalogues can also be a source of aggravation: Larry Neal, library director of the Clinton-Macomb Public Library in Clinton Township, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, faults publishers for “assuming that because I’ve attended a library conference, I automatically wish to receive their print catalogues.” Though he knows he should ask to be removed from the distribution lists “from an environmental responsibility point of view,” he thinks that process is “a bit hopeless, like with the mail order catalogues I get at home.”
Anythink’s Macdonald agrees publishers can do too much, saying, “There are a handful of publishers who seem to send out a catalogue, flyer, or postcard every other day, and I’m just not able to review them all.”
Librarians cite direct mail and email blasts as the most frustrating aspect of their relationships with publishers. “Staff only have so many hours to devote to purchasing,” says Kathleen U. Naftaly, director of the Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, N.Y. “These mailings or email blasts are extra, and they are generally not read.”
Birmingham’s Millet doesn’t mind receiving catalogues, but says he prefers the communication to stop there unless he decides to make an order. “The most any publisher ever does is to send us catalogues in the mail. There is no real relationship beyond that, and frankly I like it that way. Nothing turns me off more than a pushy salesperson,” he says.
Holly Lebowitz Rossi is a religion, health, and parenting writer who lives in Arlington, Mass.
