“How do I get my book in the library?”

The Birmingham Public Library is happy to consider books that are written and/or published locally for our collection. We are especially interested in books about the Birmingham and Jefferson County region. The library will select books based on our collection policies, the quality of a book’s content and presentation, the level of public interest, awards won, and positive reviews from professional literary journals such as Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, School Library Journal, or Publisher’s Weekly. All books added to the collection, whether from large publishers, independent presses, or self-published authors, must meet the library’s selection criteria for overall quality and relevance to our collection.

Self-Published Works

Many authors choose to self-publish rather than go through a traditional publisher. Self-publishing is defined as any publishing arrangement in which the author pays the publisher for the printing of their book. Birmingham Public Library will only consider self-published works by authors living in or writing about the Birmingham area, which we define as Jefferson County or any of the neighboring counties (Bibb, Blount, Shelby, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa, and Walker).

Library Purchasing

As a department of the City of Birmingham, the library may only purchase materials from vendors registered with the city finance department. We cannot purchase items directly from authors, and only rarely purchase materials directly from publishers. We purchase the bulk of our new materials from wholesalers such as Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and Brodart. Occasionally we will purchase materials from online sources such as Amazon or Alibris, though that is not our preference.

Donations

Birmingham Public Library will accept donations of material for the collection. However, any donated item must meet the same selection criteria as any purchased item before being added to the collection. Donated items which are not selected for inclusion are usually passed along to the Friends of the Library for resale. Donations will not be returned to the authors.

How to Let Us Know About Your Book

If you have a book you would like Birmingham Public Library to consider for its collection, please send your information to:

Collection Management Coordinator
Birmingham Public Library
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL 35203

Write or see web site for information on how to submit a book for a review:

Booklist
50 East Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611

Kirkus
200 Park Ave. South
New York, NY 10011

Library Journal
245 W. 17th St.
New York, NY 10011

Publishers Weekly
245 W. 17th St.
New York, NY 10011

School Library Journal
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010

The American Library Association - lists upcoming conferences. Information on exhibiting at each conference is available through the links for the individual events.

Alabama Library Association - lists links to all of its member activities and upcoming conferences.