He got up and sat on the edge of the bedstead with his back to the window. “It’s better not to sleep at all,” he decided. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it. He was not thinking of anything and did not want to think. But one image rose after another, incoherent scraps of thought without beginning or end passed through his mind. He sank into drowsiness. Perhaps the cold, or the dampness, or the dark, or the wind that howled under the window and tossed the trees roused a sort of persistent craving for the fantastic. He kept dwelling on images of flowers, he fancied a charming flower garden, a bright, warm, almost hot day, a holiday—Trinity day. A fine, sumptuous country cottage in the English taste overgrown with fragrant flowers, with flower beds going round the house; the porch, wreathed in climbers, was surrounded with beds of roses. A light, cool staircase, carpeted with rich rugs, was decorated with rare plants in china pots. He noticed particularly in the windows nosegays of tender, white, heavily fragrant narcissus bending over their bright, green, thick long stalks. He was reluctant to move away from them, but he went up the stairs and came into a large, high drawing-room and again everywhere—at the windows, the doors on to the balcony, and on the balcony itself—were flowers. The floors were strewn with freshly-cut fragrant hay, the windows were open, a fresh, cool, light air came into the room. The birds were chirruping under the window, and in the middle of the room, on a table covered with a white satin shroud, stood a coffin. The coffin was covered with white silk and edged with a thick white frill; wreaths of flowers surrounded it on all sides. Among the flowers lay a girl in a white muslin dress, with her arms crossed and pressed on her bosom, as though carved out of marble. But her loose fair hair was wet; there was a wreath of roses on her head. The stern and already rigid profile of her face looked as though chiselled of marble too, and the smile on her pale lips was full of an immense unchildish misery and sorrowful appeal. Svidrigaïlov knew that girl; there was no holy image, no burning candle beside the coffin; no sound of prayers: the girl had drowned herself. She was only fourteen, but her heart was broken. And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled

9 Tips to Get Your Children’s Book into Libraries & Bookstores

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Guest post by Courtney Langdell

You’re holding your published children’s book in your hands—so exciting!—but how do you get it from your hands to library and bookstore shelves?

Here are our top nine tips for getting your children’s book into schools, libraries and bookstores:

1. Use a Wholesaler

Libraries and bookstores won’t buy your book through your website or Amazon. They purchase through major wholesalers, which means you’ll need to get your book on a wholesaler’s distribution list.

An easy way to accomplish this is by publishing through Ingram Spark. They’re a major distributor to schools, libraries and bookstores—and they provide print-on-demand (POD) services for self-published books. So, if you upload your book to their site, they’ll add it to their catalogue and then print and ship any copies that libraries and bookstores choose to order.

Publish through Bookfox Press, and we’ll upload your book to Ingram Spark for you!

Keep in mind, publishing through a wholesaler only gets you into their catalogue. Libraries and bookstores will still need to select your title when it comes time to order new inventory. You’ll need to make them aware of your book and of why they should buy it. More on that below.

2. Get Reviews

You’re a writer, so you can probably silver tongue a convincing pitch about why your book is a must-read. But libraries and bookstores know better than to rely on your word alone.

Reviews go a long way in convincing libraries and bookstores to stock your book!

Here are a few trusted voices whose four or five stars might land your book on the shelf. Some review for free and others require payment.

3. Do your Research

Contact a bookstore or library branch’s head of acquisitions. Libraries and small bookstores are especially keen on catering to their local patrons—so take this opportunity to ask what topics are most popular.

You can also ask if they accept self-published books (if that applies to you) and which wholesalers they use.

The main distributor that works with libraries is Baker and Taylor.

4. Create a Sell Sheet

A sell sheet provides all the important info about your book at a glance. You should include one whenever pitching to libraries and bookstores, and include the following information:

  • Title
  • Publisher
  • Picture of the cover
  • Formats and ISBNs
  • A brief description of the book
  • Any awards the book has won
  • Any 4- or 5-star reviews
  • Why local patrons will want to read it
  • Which wholesalers distribute it

5. Pitch your Book

Now that you have your handy dandy sell sheet, it’s time to start reaching out to libraries and bookstores. Jane Friedman offers a great email template for pitching your book to local libraries.

Schools are a little trickier, because they often don’t have time to dedicate to books about topics outside of their curriculum.

Try reaching out to the curriculum director at local schools and find a way to tie your book into the curriculum or common core topics. Make sure you know what grade(s) you are targeting.

6. Offer to do an Event

While you’re pitching, sweeten the pot by offering to do an event! Author readings and book signings generate buzz for your book and for the host establishment. So, it’s a win-win!

That said, some are busier than others…bookstores tend to do a lot of these events and getting one can be competitive. Check out our tips for landing bookstore readings.

As for libraries, they’ll likely have programming posted online or inside. See if your book relates to any of their scheduled programming and offer to do an event as part of their lineup.

Similarly for school libraries, offer to read to a class or a grade that is studying a related subject or theme. Schools often have wider initiatives like core values, friendship, or anti-bullying campaigns that your book might tie into as well.

7. Make a Donation

Libraries (school or otherwise) typically don’t have the same budget that bookstores do. If a library expresses interest but it’s not within their budget to purchase, consider donating a copy. This will get the book into your community and generate word-of-mouth advertising.

If a library notices your book passing through a lot of little hands, they might purchase additional copies. In addition, they’ll be more likely to buy your future books!

Be sure to follow your library’s guidelines for donations, so that the book is approved through the proper channels. Otherwise, it’ll end up in a backroom pile somewhere, or at the next library book sale.

8. Have others Request your Book

Leverage your audience! Have your readers, friends, and family request your book at local libraries and bookstores.

Those in charge of acquisitions will gladly deliver in-demand titles to their patrons, and it makes their job easier when patrons are clamoring for a specific book.

9. Have a Quality Book!

It may sound silly, but you’d be surprised! Some authors choose to self-publish without having a copy editor comb through their manuscript or they use illustrations that are too simple to capture their reader’s attention.

If your book is on a library or bookstore shelf, it is standing among the greats! So it will need to be up to snuff. Choose a quality printer, splurge on quality illustrations, and for goodness sake, hire a copy editor!

At Bookfox Press, we’ll take care of the quality for you! Publish through us and we’ll make sure you have a beautiful product that is ready for the shelf!

Related posts:

Top 20 Children’s Book Agents in 2022 How Much Does it Cost to Self-Publish a Children’s Book?

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