DC Public Library Wants to Add Local Self-Published Authors to Their Catalog

18.04.2019 Nate Hoffelder 2 Comments

A couple weeks ago I shared a link to a DCist post about the DC Public Library launching a program where local indie authors can submit their books for consideration as new additions to the DCPL catalog. I don’t think this program is getting enough attention, hence this post.

The program in question is called the DC Writers Project. In its current iteration the program is open to authors of adult and YA fiction. Between now and 31 May, anyone with a DC library card can submit a book for consideration. The book has to be distributed  through either Draft2Digital, Smashwords, or Kobo Writing Life and be available through OverDrive. (All three of these platforms distribute to OverDrive, which may explain why they were chosen.)

If you want to recommend a book, there’s an online submission form. You are limited to just one submission, so chose carefully. Library staff will review a sample chapter for each submitted title, select the titles that best match the library’s criteria of  "entertaining, well-crafted works of fiction that will appeal to many D.C. readers", and then buy the ebooks through OverDrive.

The plan is to create a special collection focused on local authors, and promote the collection at the top of DCPL’s OverDrive homepage. "We’re just excited to support local writers," says librarian April DeRome, who oversees DCPL’s electronic collection.

image by JuliaC2006 via Flickr