How do I get my book into a library?

There are a million posts online about how valuable libraries are in our world. Wait, there’s a place you can get books to read, for free? And community internet? And borrow videos just like old-school Blockbuster? This is beautiful, and amazing, and there are thousands of authors in the world who got their first love of reading through libraries.

So, as an author, it stands to reason to get your book into a library. But how do you do that as an indie author?

When I published my second book in 2025, I decided that I was going to do this properly, no half-baked promotion for me. Getting my book online was easy. Amazon KDP and Ingram Spark made this pretty straightforward. Bookstores were a delightful dream, however (many bookstores don’t take independent authors, buying instead from book distribution companies, which are stocked primarily from publishing houses).

But libraries? Hmmm. I’d heard of various independent authors getting their books into libraries, and I wondered how it could be done. Should I send a message to the library, saying I have a book they could buy? Should I just bring a copy into my local library?

I reached out to an old friend who works in libraries, and got some good answers. They helped me formulate this process:

• Libraries, like bookstores, buy from a book distribution company. If your book is listed there, they’ll most likely get a copy. NZ libraries generally buy from Wheelers.
• You can list your book on Wheelers by filling out this form: https://libraries.wheelers.co.nz/info/new-title . HOWEVER! They may not wish to list your book. This may be because they have too many in that genre, or another reason. Filling out this form isn’t guaranteed in getting your book there, but if you don’t fill it out you’ll never know.
• If Wheelers list the book, then libraries will be able to see it and buy it from them. If a library wants it, they’ll talk to Wheelers, who will send you an order form, and you can send the book to them to distribute. Yes, they’re the middle man. But they’re the middle man for all libraries in NZ.
• Last, once your book is listed on Wheelers, I recommend going to your local library’s website. Auckland libraries have a submission form where you can request a book they don’t have. Again, like step 2, this isn’t a guarantee that your book will get bought by that library. But if you don’t ask, you don’t get. You might even like to ask your friends/family/readership network to also go to that link, because the more people who want to see that book in a library, the more likely it is that your library will buy that book.

I hope this helps any author who’s keen to get their book into their local – or even not local – library. Remember that libraries usually want to showcase local authors and local work, so you’ve got nothing to lose by requesting yourself to be included.

Want to read my book for free? Check it out