How to Get Your Book into an Australian Library

This is a specialized post for Australian authors wanting to place their books in Australian libraries. If you have an Australian publisher, they will likely manage this for you, but if you’re self-published or have an offshore publisher, you’ll need to do it yourself.

My publisher is in the US, so I did it myself. It took so long that I’ve written it down to remember for next time and to share with others.

Why should I put my book in Australian libraries?

It’s a legal requirement that all publications by Australian authors be placed in the National Library of Australia (NLA). I’m not sure what the penalty is if you don’t, but why not preserve a piece of your legacy? To find out more about Legal Deposit, check this link: https://www.nla.gov.au/using-library/services-publishers/legal-deposit.

Another perk for Australian authors in Australian libraries is the Lending Rights Scheme – ELR (Electronic Lending Rights) and PLR (Print Lending Rights). More on this later.

How do I submit my work to the NLA?

You can give them either a physical copy or an eBook, or both. They encourage eBooks as it’s cheaper and takes less storage space. Either way, your legal obligations are covered.

To deposit a physical copy of your book, mail it to:

Legal Deposit
National Library of Australia
Canberra ACT 2600

To deposit an eBook, go online to National eDeposit Service (NED) https://ned.gov.au/ned/. Even if you’re not self-published, you’ll have to sign in as a publisher, unless your overseas publisher will do the legwork for you.

Filling out the form as a self-publisher should be straightforward, but if you have an overseas publisher, ask them if you can use the publisher’s business name with your contact details, so you can manage any ongoing interactions.

Once your login is established, to deposit your book, re-login and select the type of book you want to deposit.

After you’ve made your deposit, your book will automatically be registered on Trove, https://trove.nla.gov.au/about/what-trove, an interface to Australian stories managed by the NLA in collaboration with a range of other organisations. This makes your book easily searchable online. There might be a time delay before this happens, so be patient.

Is that it? Can I go to my local library and find a copy of my book?

Not so fast! Many libraries will only buy from their preferred book distributor – a number of specialised booksellers make it easy for the library by doing the required bar codes, covering and labelling – so you must also be registered with them. Each state seems to have a preferred distributor, and some individual libraries support their local bookshop, so best to ask.

In Victoria, most libraries purchase through James Bennett. Bayside and Port Phillip do for sure but Mansfield Libraries support their local bookstore. My friends in Queensland say their local library prefers Peter Pal. I believe NSW uses James Bennett, but I’m not sure about the other states. If you have information about this, please let me know and I’ll update this post to include it.

How do I register my book with the distributor?

To get into a bookshop, you need to approach the bookstore owner. If they are willing to stock your book, they typically charge 40% commission.

To get into James Bennett, go to this link https://bennett.com.au/publisher-services, download the form, fill it out and email it to them.

Peter Pal has an online New Publication Submission Form, which you can find https://www.peterpal.com.au/index.php/new-publication-submission-form/. They say if you’re already on Nielson Book Data, there’s no need to fill out the form. They also have a useful FAQ section at https://www.peterpal.com.au/index.php/peter-pal-self-published-and-independently-published/.

Check your application has been processed by the distributor (you can call them to ask) before approaching your library. I called James Bennett a month or so after emailing my form and they processed it while I was on the phone. Once the distributor has confirmed your book is available, contact your library to ask them to stock your book.

If your friends are willing, have them borrow the book from their local library. If their library doesn’t stock it, they can request it. The more libraries you are in, the better, see Australian Lending Rights.

What is Nielson Book Data?

Nielson Book Data keeps a register of ISBN information and tracks sales data. Note it only records print book sales, not eBooks. If you want to be on Peter Pal, make sure you’re on Nielson Books, otherwise, the only advantage I can see is to have your sales recorded. Please let me know if you have better information about this.

I believe your publisher, or your printer/distributor, eg. IngramSparks, will submit information to Nielson Book Data, but if you’re self-published, you may need to do it yourself. To find out if your ISBNs are listed, try this helpful email address: pubhelp.book@smb.nielseniq.com. My books were in their database, and they told me my ISBNs were already listed, so I didn’t pursue it further.

If you need to register your ISBNs, create an account on Nielson Title Editor through this link: https://www.nielsentitleeditor.com/titleeditor/

The Australian Lending Rights Scheme.

The Australian government pays authors whose books are in libraries. The calculation is based on factors such as how many books you have in libraries and your royalty rates. You need a minimum of 50 books stocked to be eligible and only receive payment if the amount due exceeds $100.

To apply, register at https://lendingrights.arts.gov.au/. You don’t have to wait for your books to be stocked to apply.

Conclusion

As you can see, getting your book into Australian libraries can be a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating experience. Much of my effort was spent simply trying to figure out the process. I hope these notes make it easier for you. And if your publisher does all this for you, lucky you!

Next time: an interview with Paul Flavel on Capturing Memories of John Martin’s