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Stacks of Promise

Publishers and librarians have forged a new relationship, Danuta Kean investigates

A new relationship has blossomed between libraries and publishers. Gone is the suspicion that the interests of adult borrowers and buyers are in conflict. Instead, there is widespread recognition that borrowers buy books and public libraries offer an unprecedented opportunity to reach markets untouched by bookshops.

"All the research shows that the relationship between borrowing and buying by adults is strong and there is a general understanding now that people who borrow more books are likely to be buying more books," says Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust.

At the heart of this change has been the Reading Partners scheme, pioneered by Miranda McKearney, founder director of the Reading Agency. The scheme marries publishers in search of new markets and marketing opportunities with local libraries, and has resulted in a boom in library-based events aimed at all ages, from author tours and literacy campaigns to integrated television marketing, such as "Sinister Summer", a HarperCollins' crime promotion run through Living TV in July and backed by flyers and point of sale material in libraries.

Kate Millin, assistant director of Libraries, Archives and Learning at Dudley District Council sums up the change in attitude. "Publishers did not see that libraries added anything to their offer for a long time," she says. That has slowly changed, she adds. "Mainly through the Reading Partners programme."

Clare Harington, Hachette Livre Head of Group Communications, says the scheme has been vital because it dealt with one big issue for publishers who wanted to work with the sector: it provided a central point of contact through which to communicate with both libraries authorities and individual libraries.

It also reflected a more subtle approach to marketing books to potential buyers. "The whole point of Reading Partners was to be able to get closer to readers," explains Harington, whose publishing group includes Little, Brown, Orion, Hodder & Stoughton and Headline. "Up until now we had relied on retailers to do that. Librarians have a very close relationship with their borrowers. Most have reading advisers and they also have an enormous amount of affiliated reading groups."

Because librarians are not in the selling business, their recommendations to readers are untainted by suspicions about co-merchandising. Because hard cash is not involved, readers will also take risks on librarians' recommendations, Harington says. Once readers have tried one book, the hope is that they will buy more by that author. As a result promotions through the network enable publishers to win over readers for an authors' entire canon, not just their latest book.

Sandeep Mahal, senior partnerships project manager at the Reading Agency, oversees the plethora of projects run by the RA with publishers.  As well as providing access to new markets, public libraries offer publishers unique and cost-effective research, she says. "A lot of Reading Partners' work is with the growing network of readers’ groups. They are proving a very effective way of publishers getting direct reader input, reviews and feedback to inform their planning for reading promotions."

Hachette's Claire Harington believes debut authors talks to library reading groups help seed a market for their work and give them confidence, because the audiences have invariably read their work and will engage actively in discussions of it. "It's a great way of getting word of mouth going about an author," she adds.

It is an experience that HarperCollins also recognises. "Libraries offer a wealth of opportunities for us; ready-made reading groups, keen readers and potential book buyers," says Sarah Radford, Marketing Director, HarperFiction and Alice Moss, Press Officer for HarperFiction. "Given the volume of people who use libraries both as community spaces and to borrow books, we can reach our core audiences in a non-sales environment.  This allows readers to experiment with new authors, and helps build a strong support base for rising stars."

Much of the work done by the RA is aimed at expanding the market for books and meeting the organisation's social remit. It is a remit that benefits publishers eager to reach beyond middle class, middle aged white people.

Libraries communicate with groups, especially within the C2D2 social group and the Black and Asian communities, not accessed by traditional outlets, such as newspaper reviews and bookshop promotions. "Last year we brokered over 250 author events, attended by 14,433 readers and generated book sales of over £36,000, proving conclusively, that libraries are getting huge audiences for events, launching debut authors to keen reading groups and reaching people the book trade finds hard to engage," Mahal explains.

As evidence of this impact, Clare Harington cites an event for Constance Briscoe at Newham Library in London, which attracted 300 people. The event was supported by the excellent local bookshop, which benefited from sales at the event.

This summer Random House, which has worked with libraries across a range of promotions and age groups, supported the Headspace campaign aimed at encouraging young people to re-engage with their local library. "It was a great example of using the library as a starting point and then developing a project so that it exists in many forms and across media which are familiar to this age groups," Catherine MacMahon, RH corporate affairs spokesperson, says. She adds: "Libraries are particularly good at engaging with young and pre-school children and the number of books borrowed from UK libraries has risen in each of the last four years."

Elaine McQuade, Scholastic Children's Books managing director, believes the social reach of libraries makes them a vital sector with which to engage. "Librarians have a greater reach than anyone else except schools," she tells The Deal. "Of course, authors speak to large groups of children in their schools or when teachers bring them to literary festivals. But on the whole, the only time we see large audiences of working class and ethnic minority families at weekends and school holiday author events is when they have been organised by librarians."

Of course, the children's book market has enjoyed a strong relationship with public libraries going back many years, as testified by the long history of author readings and events such as the Carnegie Prize. But the Reading Partners programme has opened up new opportunities and provided a central point through which to communicate to the entire network.

The Literacy Trust's Jonathan Douglas finds the new openness of publishers to public libraries exciting, and says that it was pivotal to the success of last year's National Year of Reading. This year a promotion done with Haven Holidays in which £1m worth of books were given away to holidaymakers reflected the virtuous circle created by the renewed excitement in publishing about the sector.

During August every family arriving at six of Haven’s biggest parks received a bag with more than £50 worth of books in it. They were also encouraged to join their local library on returning home.  Part of the Reading for Life campaign, holidaymakers were further incentivised to join their local library with a competition for a free holiday. "Publishers were fantastic in backing the campaign," Douglas says.

For smaller publishers a working relationship with the library sector can make the difference between profit and loss. Though the development of buying groups has reduced the profit margins on books sold to the sector, the network of over 4,000 public libraries in the UK offers a substantial market opportunity, especially for smaller publishers less reliant on megasellers to cover their overheads.

It is a point not lost on Bobby Nayar, who regards the sector as a natural partner for the launch of his new publishing venture Glasshouse Books, which publishes it first books next year. "In terms of their buying power, for a small publisher they are important," he says. Citing libraries like the Millennium Library in Norwich, which lends a million books a year, he adds: "Dealing with libraries like that is like dealing with a chain bookshop."

Glasshouse Books is already in talks with libraries about local publishing ventures that also engage with the substantial network of writers groups as well as reading groups run by libraries. For example, in July next year, Glasshouse will launch 33, a collection of short stories about London, through the London library network. As well as featuring the work of well-known writers, the collection will also use talent spotted at writing groups run by those libraries involved.

"Large publishers are doing interesting things with libraries," says Nayar, who worked at Little, Brown. "But it is a question of priorities. They are inevitably more focused on Amazon and the supermarkets, but for a small publisher who can make a profit with a few thousand sales, it is far more interesting working with the library sector than being completely focused on the likes of Amazon."

Though there is an overwhelmingly positive feel to the way the relationship between publishers and librarians has evolved, there are those who feel publishers need to focus on the bigger picture as well as individual promotions. Chief among these is Tim Coates, who as head of the Libri Trust has written several reports critical of the way libraries' are focusing away from stock onto non-core areas, such as the internet.

"I wouldn't criticise the Reading Agency for anything they do," he says. "But what they do is only part of what needs to be done." The focus of reaching non-core readers is important, he adds, but not if it is at the expense of the core market, which he says is undermined by a lack of investment in new stock.

Coates says as well as engaging with borrowers, publishers should engage with the politicians, both national and local, who allocate funding. "Publishers have failed to realise that they have to persuade libraries that books are important," he claims. "Computer manufacturers and software suppliers spend all their time persuading the politicians and civil servants that their products are important for libraries," he adds.

Publishers need to follow their lead, he says, by lobbying at local government conferences and in Westminster for better funding of book stock, if their share of the sector's funds is not to shrink further. He cites a reduction from £200m to £90m allocated to stock over the past 10 years. It is an important point that does not detract from the important work already done by libraries and publishers.

But despite the controversy, there is one thing that unites all in the debate about public libraries and publishing, as Random House's Catherine MacMahon points out: "Reading and free access to books are fundamental rights and our libraries act as democratic gateways to knowledge for all: no matter what your circumstance, your reading ability, your ambition or your taste." It is a point that should – and does – reinforce all transactions between the sector and the industry.