Why Libraries Matter
Libraries are one of the most overlooked markets for self-published authors. Every borrow puts your book in front of a reader who might never have bought it, and many of those readers go on to buy the rest of a series, recommend it to friends or request your next book. Libraries also pay: when a library buys a copy of your ebook or audiobook, or a patron borrows it on a pay-per-checkout platform, you earn a royalty.
Library lending has been growing, and distributors report library royalties rising faster than many retail channels. For indie authors, getting into libraries is now mostly a matter of choosing the right distribution settings.
How Libraries Get Books
Public libraries rarely buy directly from authors. They order through the same channels they use for every publisher:
- Ebook and audiobook platforms such as OverDrive (whose reader app is Libby), Hoopla, cloudLibrary and BorrowBox. Librarians browse these platforms' catalogs and buy or license titles for their patrons.
- Print wholesalers, whose catalogs librarians use to order physical books.
- Patron requests, where a reader asks the library to buy a title, which often prompts the librarian to look for it in the channels above.
Your job is to make sure your books appear in those catalogs, priced and described in a way librarians accept.
Ebooks: Library Platforms
The simplest way for an indie author to reach library ebook platforms is through a distributor. Draft2Digital, for example, offers library channels including OverDrive, Hoopla, BorrowBox, cloudLibrary and Vivlio Libraries. You tick the channels you want, set library prices where the platform allows, and your ebook enters each platform's catalog for librarians to find.
Some platforms are reached through other aggregators too, and a few accept direct accounts from larger publishers. For most authors, one distributor covering several library platforms is far less work than managing each separately.
The KDP Select Library Exception
For years, authors in KDP Select assumed they could not put their ebooks in libraries, because Select requires ebook exclusivity with Amazon. That changed in September 2025, when Amazon updated its KDP Select help page to say that library distribution is an allowable exception to the exclusivity rule.
In practice, you can keep an ebook enrolled in KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited while distributing it to library platforms. The condition is that you choose library channels only. Sending the same ebook to other retail stores or subscription services would still break Select's exclusivity.
For authors who rely on Kindle Unlimited page reads, this opens a new audience without giving anything up. If you use a distributor, select only its library channels for your Select titles, and check KDP's current help page before you start, since program rules can change. Our guide to what KDP Select is and when it pays covers the rest of the program's rules.
Library Pricing and Lending Models
Library platforms do not work like retail stores, and pricing reflects that.
- One copy, one user: the library buys a copy that one patron can borrow at a time, like a print book. Others join a waiting list, and popular titles may get extra copies.
- Pay per checkout: the library pays each time a patron borrows the book, with no waiting list. Hoopla is the best-known example.
- Time-limited or metered licenses: some platforms offer licenses that expire after a period or a number of loans.
Library ebook prices are often set higher than retail, because one purchase serves many readers over time. Distributors usually suggest a library price or let you set one per platform, and some allow prices as low as $0.99 for series starters. A modest library price can encourage librarians to take a chance on an unknown author, while a series starter priced low can lead libraries to buy the rest of the series.
Print Books for Library Shelves
For physical books, libraries order through wholesale catalogs. Publishing your print edition through a distributor that lists books in those catalogs, such as IngramSpark, makes your paperback or hardcover orderable by libraries. KDP's Expanded Distribution also offers paperbacks to some libraries, but librarians generally find books more easily through the major wholesale catalogs.
Libraries prefer durable editions. Hardcovers last longer on the shelf, and a professional interior, a clear spine and accurate metadata all help. Use your own ISBN so the book is listed under your imprint consistently everywhere.
US authors can also apply for a Library of Congress Preassigned Control Number before publication. It is free and gives librarians a catalog number to reference, which can make your book look more like the titles they normally order. For the trade-offs between Amazon's print service and wholesale distribution, see our comparison of KDP and IngramSpark.
I format professional print interiors and ebooks and set up metadata that helps librarians and readers find your book.
Audiobooks in Libraries
Library audiobook borrowing is popular, and the same platforms that lend ebooks also lend audiobooks. To reach them, your audiobook must not be exclusive to ACX, and you need an audio distributor that serves library platforms. Authors who publish audio non-exclusively often find that libraries become a steady source of listeners and income.
Getting Librarians to Order
Librarians buy books their patrons want, and they rely on signals of quality and demand.
- Ask readers to request your book. Patron requests are one of the strongest signals. Add a line to your newsletter and back matter: "Prefer to borrow? Ask your library to order it."
- Start local. Introduce yourself to your local library, offer a talk or workshop, and mention that the book is available through their usual platforms.
- Gather reviews. Professional or trade-style reviews, awards and strong reader reviews all help a librarian justify a purchase.
- Make metadata complete. Accurate categories, a clear description, series information and age range help your book surface when librarians browse.
- Price series starters to invite sampling. A library that buys book one and sees it borrowed is likely to buy the rest.
- Be patient. Library adoption tends to build slowly, then compound as patrons borrow and request more.
Mistakes That Keep Books Off Library Shelves
- Pricing library ebooks like retail without thinking it through. Too low can undervalue a book that many patrons will read; too high can put off a librarian trying an unknown author. Start with your distributor's suggestion and adjust.
- Using a platform-only ISBN for print. A free ISBN tied to one platform may list the book under that platform's imprint and limit where it can be sold. Your own ISBN keeps the edition consistent in every catalog.
- Leaving audio exclusive by default. If you want library listeners, choose non-exclusive distribution before you publish the audiobook.
- Thin metadata. Librarians browse by category, audience and series. Missing series numbers or vague categories make a book harder to find and harder to justify buying.
- Forgetting the readers. A short note telling readers they can ask their library for your book costs nothing and is one of the most effective library marketing tools you have.
Tracking Library Income
Library earnings arrive through your distributor's reports, usually broken out by platform. Because lending builds slowly, look at library income over several months rather than week to week, and note which titles libraries buy repeatedly. Those are often the books worth promoting to readers who borrow.
Your Library Checklist
| Format | What to do |
|---|---|
| Ebook (wide) | Enable library channels in your distributor and set library prices |
| Ebook (KDP Select) | Enable library channels only, nothing else |
| List through a wholesale distributor with your own ISBN; consider a hardcover | |
| Audiobook | Publish non-exclusive and use a distributor that reaches library platforms |
| All formats | Complete metadata, reader requests, local outreach |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Distributors place indie ebooks and audiobooks on library platforms, and wholesale print distribution makes paperbacks and hardcovers orderable by libraries.
Yes. Since September 2025, Amazon treats library distribution as an allowable exception to KDP Select exclusivity, as long as you choose library channels only.
Yes. Depending on the platform, you earn when a library buys a copy or each time a patron borrows the book.
Libby is OverDrive's reading app, which many public library patrons use to borrow ebooks and audiobooks.
Not necessarily. Library prices are often higher than retail because one copy serves many readers, though low prices on series starters can encourage libraries to try a new author.
Make sure it is available through the library's usual platforms, introduce yourself, offer an event and encourage local readers to request it.