Integrating Library Programming into Your Campaign
Libraries Are Top-of-Mind Because the Big Annual Library Conference Is Currently Underway
I’ve got libraries on my mind, and for good reason. Happening right now is “ALA,” the biggest annual conference for librarians put on by the American Library Association. It takes place in a different city every year, and this year it is being held in Philadelphia, PA, June 26-30.
This is a giant conference/trade show attended by librarians, educators, vendors relevant to libraries, publishers, authors, distributors and more. But ultimately it’s a show for the librarian community to come together to attend panels and events, make presentations, learn the latest across a wide spectrum of issues and developments impacting libraries, meet with authors and publishers, see the newest products, books, and services from relevant vendors, and most importantly, network.
If AWP is the major show for writers, and Winter Institute is the big event for booksellers (both of which I have written about in this newsletter), ALA is the headliner conference for librarians.
I’ve been fortunate to attend ALA in the past. The most recent show was in that post-covid period where in-person conferences were just gearing back up again. It was in June 2022 in Washington D.C. I attended that show because we had been able to secure programming opportunities for several of our authors. Absolutely loved everything about the show — the expanse of the convention hall and the thrum of activity every which way; the incredible opportunity it presented for our authors to meet librarians from all over the country; to get deeper, more nuanced insights into the issues libraries and librarians are facing and how they are approaching the challenges; and most of all, just getting a chance to talk to librarians and learn more about their programs and what’s front-and-center for them at the level of their locales and communities.
I’m not attending the show this year, but I did want to mention that one of the authors I have the privilege of working with right now, Sam Sussman, will be there as a featured author on the Gala Author Tea panel. If you are at ALA and have a ticket to the sold-out Author Tea, please make sure to say hello to Sam and get a signed copy of his galley!
Sam’s novel, Boy from the North Country, will be published by Penguin Press this Fall (Sept. 16, 2025), and getting a showcase on this panel is an absolutely incredible (and well-deserved) opportunity for a debut novelist. I mention this because it’s a great example of the types of programming opportunities available to authors. Important note: getting an author programming slot at ALA is publisher driven, and it’s competitive on many levels. The biggest showcases go to well-known authors and high profile people (no real surprise here, that’s just the nature of the game at conferences and festivals across the board). But ALA programming is most certainly something that you, as an author, should have on your radar and goal list, because it’s very impactful to have ALA programming as one of your campaign elements. And there are most certainly opportunities for non-famous authors — discovering talented new voices is always an imperative for programmers and attendees.
SOME NUTS AND BOLTS INFO:
— As already mentioned, ALA is an annual conference that takes place in a different city every year (yes, it’s in my Book Industry Event/Conference Calendar). It’s a great opportunity for authors that have books scheduled to come out in the Summer and Fall seasons. In 2026, ALA will take place in Chicago, IL, June 25-30. So for all you authors who have Summer/Fall 2026 books, start strategizing. Especially helpful is if you live in or near Chicago — this helps keep costs down for your publisher if you get proposed and selected for a programming opportunity.
— All the publishing trades have excellent coverage of the conference — Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness, Library Journal. But I also really encourage you to check out Words and Money, which was co-founded and launched earlier this year by my dear friend and publishing expert extraordinaire Erin Cox. Words and Money is specifically focused on library coverage, and they will be at the show covering all the happenings. This is great way to not just learn more about the conference, but about the major topics and issues libraries are contending with in the current moment.
— A favorite topic of mine while attending ALA was hearing from librarians about their library’s programming. And in a very natural way, these conversations led to event bookings for our authors. I mention this because it’s a good reminder to check in with your local library and think about ways to integrate a library event into your campaign. Libraries host amazing events and programs! You certainly don’t need to attend ALA to make this happen. A couple of examples from two authors I recently worked with: the Edison Public Library held an incredible launch event for Pallavi Sharma Dixit’s debut novel Edison last Summer. And
Weiner just recently got to read from her debut novel A Gorgeous Excitement as part of a LIVE from NYPL Happy Hour reading series event.— ALA also reminded me of Library Reads. This is similar to the Indie Next program (read my series about Indie Next here), but instead of booksellers nominating titles, librarians vote for the books that make the Library Reads monthly list. I will dig in deep on Library Reads next week. But will say here that one of the authors I worked with in the past who attended and was on programming at ALA got voted onto the Library Reads list. That’s a great example of how an author making connections and building awareness at ALA led to something impactful for their book’s overall campaign.
That’s it for now. If you’re actually at ALA in Philadelphia, I hope you get to meet Sam Sussman and many other authors, and overall have a fantastic time at the conference.
QUICK ROUND-UP OF GREAT THINGS TO CHECK OUT
Wonderful to see that prolific author interviewer
has joined this platform. If you aren’t familiar with Bianca’s work, I encourage you to check out her ever-expanding archive of interviews with authors (as well as publishing industry folks) at her Book Notions book blog. Great to see her expanding her coverage with new features, like exploring the writing routines of authors, here on Substack. Check out her latest posts, including this recent spotlight she did on author Jennifer Probst, and give her a follow/subscribe.
Be sure to check out
’s fantastic “Writing Advice Remix” interview series that she’s been posting up at her newsletter Craft with Kat. I especially like the reframing of advice based on the author’s experience — very insightful! The latest interview is with author Puloma Ghosh:
Finally, I was very happy to see Nishant Batsha’s forthcoming book — A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart — shouted out in the New York Times’ round-up of anticipated Summer books. The novel officially publishes this coming Tuesday, July 1, and I highly recommend you add it to your Summer reading list. Nishant has a slew of events planned as part of the rollout, including a launch event on July 9 at Rizzoli Bookstore in Manhattan. Learn about the book here, and see the full schedule of events here.
And you can listen to Nishant discuss his writing career and the new book in this engaging interview on a recent episode of the podcast Immigrantly:
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Read last week’s newsletter, which is a deep dive on digital galleys / NegGalley, a key element of the pre-publication process:
Thanks as always for reading, sharing, and commenting. We just had quite the heatwave here in NYC. Not the smartest thing to be doing in such weather, but I still did my daily runs in the park. I quite like the experience of running in such extreme heat and humidity, to tell the truth — the park is emptied out, and things seem to move in slow motion, or not at all — the dance of the butterflies is more like a submerged drift, the birds take an extra two beats before they fly off at quarter-flutter speed, and there’s a radiated haze to the seasonal green of the tall grass and trees at their leaf heaviest, all of which sizzle away and sway not a millimeter. Running through this baked landscape is like motioning forward in the perpetual wake of a fever-dreamed yet perfect nap. Long live the Summer! Hope you have a great Summer Friday all the through the weekend (which looks to be much cooler, at least in NYC).
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ABOUT THE WRITER OF THIS NEWSLETTER
I’m
, an author and longtime book publishing professional who has held leadership positions at publishers such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Blackstone Publishing, and Abrams Books. Currently I’m working directly with authors and publishers as an independent marketing and publicity consultant to grow their platforms and successfully launch their books. Visit my website to learn about the book marketing and publicity services I provide, and how we can work together.
Yes!! I would also add (from a public librarian perspective) — we love to host authors doing something other than just reading (which can often have sad attendance numbers, unless the author already has a strong fanbase, or the library has a very strong speaker series going). The *topic* draws attendees, rather than the book. We've had cookbook authors come in and do "food history" lectures (with snacks), graphic novelists do drawing workshops, and poets lead generative writing sessions. I've seen historical fiction authors at other libraries offer histories of costuming or lectures/talks on various topics they researched for their book. Lots of richness to be found in the space *around* the book, not just in it!
Thank you so much Jeffrey for featuring Book Notions in your article ☺️📚