Reviews --> Library Book Purchases

Last night I heard Linda Griffin, Fiction Collection Librarian for the San Diego Public Library explain how to coax libraries to buy your novel. Imagine this: it all comes down to getting the book publicly reviewed. But wait! Before you groan over a negative customer review on Amazon--they don't count. A negative review anywhere isn't so bad, either, Griffin said. "We love controversial books."

But wait some more! Before you get all happy faced about the negative reviews your book received from your local publication, ForeWord Magazine, or even The Midwest Book Review, consider this next nugget of information Griffen dropped on us: 95% of ALL books orders by libraries are based on reviews in only five publications.

Novelists must aim for reviews in:

Booklist - The American Library Association
Library Journal - Reed Business Information
Publisher's Weekly - Reed Business Information
Kirkus Reviews - Kirkus Reviews
The New York Times Book Review - New York Times Company

Griffen also repeated much of the bad news for writers that's been reported here (increasing competition, dwindling newspaper reviews, impossibility of even considering all books published, refusals to review/stock self-published books). I won't repeat it, having received a bad review myself for accurately repeating the same information offerred publicly by a former local paper's book review editor.