CDL-SELF-PUBLISHED WORKS (Responses #1-3)

Original posting on this topic appears below; the responses follow it:

From: "Jeanne Walsh" <jeanne_at_brooks.lib.vt.us>


Does anyone in their selection policies cover self-published works? We have 
been getting several donations from authors who have had their manuscripts 
published by iUniverse or 1stBooks.

I do not want to reject these out of hand but need some guidelines to 
apply. And I do not want read each and every "book" that comes our way.

Please forgive any cross-posting.

Thanks
  _____________________________________________________
Jerry Carbone, Library director
Brooks Memorial Library
224 Main St.
Brattleboro,Vt. 05301
802-254-5290 ext 101
<http://www.brooks.lib.vt.us>http://www.brooks.lib.vt.us
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(1)  From: Earl Lee <ewayne_at_pittstate.edu>

I would assume that most libraries would to treat a self-published
book the same way they treat any other gift book.

Would this be a book you might consider for purchase?

Does it have local interest (a local author)?

Is it a popular topic that would be of interest to your patrons?
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(2) From: FernReiss_at_aol.com

You might want to differentiate between POD
(print-on-demand) books such as iUniverse and
1stBooks, and independently published books.

Our (Peanut Butter and Jelly Press) books, for example,
are independently published.  They are all award-winning,
bestselling titles.  They have garnered reviews in Publishers
Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist; they are Writers
Digest Book Club selections and BookSense selections;
and they contain CIP data and sell in large quantities to libraries.

POD books are unlikely to meet any of these criteria.

And independent publishers are coming out with some of the
best (and bestselling) books in America today.  (Witness
the popularity of "Eragon," which was originally self-published.)
It would be a shame to tar all those books with the POD brush.

Best,
/Fern
"The Publishing Game" series for writers
http://www.PublishingGame.com
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(3)  From: "Metter, Ellen" <Ellen.Metter_at_cudenver.edu>

We don't have a policy, but perhaps a few comments if I may:

My feeling is, as a self-published author myself, that self-publishers need 
to make an effort to get reviews of their works.  So, I will sometimes do a 
Google search to see if a reputable person or publication has commented on 
the title.  I know that some great books can slip through that were simply 
never reviewed, but..

Also, a person's credential can show if they were the right person to write 
a book.

I must admit that I tend to just reject the iUniverse fiction titles I 
receive.  They never seem to come with any publicity and there's only so 
much time to do follow-up.

Ellen Metter
Humanities Bibliographer
Auraria Library
1100 Lawrence Street
Denver, CO  80203
Phone: (303) 556-4516
Fax: (303) 556-3528
ellen.metter_at_cudenver.edu