Libraries

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Library Musings

/ J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

I suspect that many of the people who follow my blog face the same dilemma that I do; you’d love to buy every book you read, but because you’re constantly reading, it’s just too expensive. Here are some suggestions to consider.

The next time you visit a bookstore, take note of the books you’d like to read. Check your local library’s website to see if they have copies; if not, you can suggest they order the book(s.) When I do buy books, it’s because I really want to read them, and I’m not prepared to wait for a library copy.

Depending on how long it is and how fast you read, the library’s lending period may not be long enough for you to finish reading a book. Since I’m a consistent reader, but not a fast reader, I put a hold on both print and eBook editions of longer books. I’ve finished several longer books starting with the eBook and finishing the last chapters with a print edition and visa versa.

Even if you find the subject fascinating, and you’re sure you’d like the content of an audiobook, don’t buy (or borrow) a copy until you’ve listened to a sample. I learned that lesson borrowing audiobooks from the library, only to discover that the voices of some narrators are extremely irritating. One of the reasons I don’t make videos for my website, is because I have a very nasal voice.

Although I believe it’s important to support local authors, I don’t buy a book unless I’m sure I’ll actually read it. I ease my conscience by suggesting the library buy a copy. When filling out the online form, I enter “Local Author” in the section concerning why the library should purchase a copy. Libraries are proud of the fact they support local authors, so you’re helping the library staff by bringing it to their attention.

If you’re a Blogger, the local library is an amazing resource; you can borrow a book or movie and then write a review at no cost. Don’t worry about when it was published or produced, because it’s more about helping your readers decide whether to read the book or watch the movie, then about the year it was released.

One of reasons I’m glad I self-published my last two eBooks through Draft2Digital, is because they are available through so many library distributors. If you’re curious about my eBooks, you can ask your library to buy copies, and all it will cost you is a few minutes filling out an online form.

Copyright © 2023 by J. Paul Cooper

P.S. I just noticed today that many legitimate comments have been moved to SPAM.

Writer-In-Residence

/ J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

A Writer-In-Residence is a professional author who has a contract for several months or a year with a library, university/college, or writing organization. It’s usually a paid position that allows a writer to concentrate on a project, while at the same time interacting with the public. The public aspect of the Writer-In-Residence position could involve readings, seminars, workshops, and one-on-one consultations.

A one-on-one consultation with a Writer-In-Residence is an opportunity to have your work reviewed by a professional author, and it’s usually free. You can’t, however, expect a Writer-In-Residence to read an entire novel manuscript, so it’s more likely he or she will consider a chapter of a novel, or a short story. The Writer-In-Residence isn’t a substitute for an editor, but he or she can offer advice and encouragement. A one-one-consultation doesn’t necessarily involve writing that you’ve submitted, it might be a conversation about writing careers with suggestions about where to begin.

I’ve submitted materials to a Writer-In-Residence three times; two times I met with an author in-person, and once it was all completed through e-mail. The last author wasn’t a local writer, but a distinguished writer who was visiting the library for two days. He met writers for twenty minute, one-on-one consultations, but that was before Covid-19 changed the world and just about everything went online.

Does your local library have a Writer-In-Residence? If it does, there will be a section on their website with an introduction to the author, details of what type of writing the Writer-In-Residence will review, and the maximum word count for submissions. Send in a sample of your writing, ask some questions, and let a Writer-In-Residence help you to become a better writer.

Copyright © 2021 by J. Paul Cooper

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Nine Hundred Libraries

/ J. Paul Cooper / 1 Comment

I was facing the same dilemma as every other author of a self-published eBook. How do I make my eBook, Jack: A Lady’s Cat, stand out? Was there anything I could do to bring it to the attention of readers and perhaps receive some positive reviews?

When I released my first eBook, What If? A Collection of Short Fiction by J. Paul Cooper in 2016 I had some success with libraries, but unfortunately, the title was too long, and the cover was boring. I was convinced that the cover of Jack: A Lady’s Cat was much more eye-catching, thanks to a cat who looks great in a bow tie. Sometimes a decision is based not on guaranteed success, but just because you can’t think of a better idea at the time. So, I decided to commit.

While searching the internet I found extensive lists of libraries in Alberta and Ontario, so that’s where I started. By the time I finished those two provinces, I had contacted over two hundred libraries. I then continued e-mailing smaller number of libraries in the other provinces and territories. I also contacted libraries in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

I wanted to contact libraries in all fifty states of the United States of America, and decided that the best approach would be to pick the top ten largest cities and towns for each state. So, how do you work your way through five hundred libraries? On weekdays I’d contact ten libraries, on weekends I’d contact thirty or forty libraries.

Here are some lessons I’ve learned through contacting nine hundred libraries: Many libraries will not consider self-published books or eBooks, unless it’s written by a local author, or it’s about a local subject. Some libraries don’t have any room in their budgets for self-published authors, they only purchase books and eBooks by established, best-selling authors. Some libraries will only consider your book or eBook, if you send them a copy to review. Libraries are more likely to buy your self-published book or eBook, if it already has some positive reviews.

The bottom-line? Jack: A Lady’s Cat was released at the end of November 2020. So far, I’ve sold seven (7) copies to libraries. Surprisingly, I don’t regret the effort I invested in contacting libraries. Regardless of the disappointing sales results, at least nine hundred library employees now know about my eBook, and also know that I’m a Writer.

Life often comes down to a simple decision to try something, with no guarantee of success. To start moving you have to overcome inertia, but since you don’t know where you’ll end up, the decision to start moving takes courage. So, what are you going to do today, to start your next literary journey? Write an outline for a novel? Write the first scene for a screenplay? Submit a short story to a literary journal? Start doing research for a non-fiction book? Let the words flow….

Copyright © 2021 by J. Paul Cooper

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How Far is Your Reach?

/ J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

If you’ve never tried this before, here are a couple of methods for finding out how far your writing efforts have travelled across the globe.

Do a search on Google (www.google.com) using your name in quotation marks. The quotation marks are essential; if your name is George Anderson and you don’t use quotation marks, you’ll get all the results for George, all the results for Anderson and all the results for George Anderson. Next, do the same thing for the titles of your published books, anthologies you’ve been published in, and the titles of short stories, articles and essays that have been published.

It’s especially important to search for your ebooks regularly, so you’ll know if your ebook has been pirated and offered as a free download. I would suggest that you don’t click the link for the download, because it might be a hacker using a “free ebook” as an opportunity to plant a virus or tracking software on your computer. I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t recommend what you should do, if a website claims to offer a free download of your ebook.

During a recent Google search I learned that one of my published short stories has been referenced in a government document about culture. Another time I discovered a quote from one of my short stories on a science fiction website. I also found that an article I wrote for a magazine, was on the front page of a website. Since your published work represents your personal brand, you need to know where it’s being seen and commented on.

Another great resource is Worldcat (www.worldcat.org). This site allows you to find out which libraries around the world are holding copies of your books (or anthologies you’ve contributed to) in their collections. I did a search earlier today and was shocked to find out that one the anthologies I was published in, is available through Harvard, Princeton and Yale university libraries. If you don’t get a result with a title, try doing the search with the book’s ISBN.

With so many inter-connected distributors, it’s amazing how fast your book or ebook can move across the globe. My latest ebook, Jack: A Lady’s Cat was published three weeks ago, and it’s already available through online bookstores in Canada, the United States, Japan, France, Italy, Brazil, Germany and Australia. There’s no guarantee it will become popular in those countries, but since it’s available, it’s possible.

Take some time during the holidays and find out where your writing can be found, you might be surprised by how far it has travelled.

Copyright © 2020 by J. Paul Cooper

The Library Book

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The library book has a coffee stain on one page, and a piece of dried oatmeal under the back cover, but it doesn’t bother me. I like that fact that other people have also had the pleasure of reading this book. And reading, is a unique experience.

When you go to a movie, you sit in the same type of seat as everyone else, and you see exactly the same images. The lighting isn’t affected by the time of day, so other than the fact you’re viewing the screen from a slightly different angles, or eating licorice instead of popcorn, you have the same experience as everyone who sees the same movie.

With modern technology people can watch the same movie in a variety of different environments, on televisions, laptops, and cell phones, but the images stay the same. Reading a book isn’t like that. Everyone sees different images in their minds as they turn the pages. Think about that for a moment; when you write a story and a thousand people read it, you create a thousand different movies.

The worn pages of a library book also remind you that other people have enjoyed reading the book. When you borrow an eBook, you can’t tell whether it has been borrowed a million times, or if you’re the first person to read it. I sometimes visit library websites to see if my eBook, What If? A Collection of Short Fiction by J. Paul Cooper, is being read by someone, and sometimes it is, but I can’t tell how many times it has been borrowed from any particular library.

Don’t stop until you’ve finished that novel you’re writing, because there are readers who would love to see it on the shelves of their local library.

Here are some of the books I’ve read lately:

Talking To Strangers: What We Should Know About The People We Don’t Know (2019) by Malcolm Gladwell

Leviathan Wakes (2011) and Caliban’s War (2012)  by James S.A. Corey

Note: These are the first two books in The Expanse series, and James S.A. Corey is actually the pen name for two writers working together:  Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.

Chosen By God (1986) by R.C. Sproul