How To Launch an Author Awards Program at Your Library: Curating Self-Published Books, Reaching Out to the Community

In 2013, author David Vinjamuri spoke at the American Library Association annual conference about the roadblocks that publishers employ to restrict access to materials by self-published authors in libraries. This led to the launch of the Soon To Be Famous Illinois Author Project, which aims to turn self-published authors into success stories, thereby demonstrating the significant role played by libraries and librarians in finding audiences. In this work, Stam (marketing specialist, Eisenhower P.L., IL) and Clemmons (public relations coordinator, Gail Borden P.L., IL) present a "how we did it" volume that will benefit librarians looking for advice on promoting self-published writers. The editors collect perspectives from the library marketing team that eventually went on to win the John Cotton Dana Award for this effort. Also included are excerpts from the first two winning works along with background essays on subjects such as library marketing strategies and the history of the self-publishing industry. The apparent lack of diversity in this group is offset by meaningful observations about practices in the area of collection development that make the story universally relevant.