Library Journal’s SELF-e program allows submitted books to be shared with patrons of participating libraries across Wisconsin. If a book is selected by Library Journal, it will also be available alongside other great indie reads in participating libraries across the U.S. and Canada.
This service is free for all authors, no matter how they have chosen to indie publish. The submission process takes about 5 minutes, and users are welcome to submit as many ebooks as they would like. Books must be:
- A PDF or an ePUB file
- In the English language
- An original work to which the submitter owns the rights
Once submitted, the book will be passed through the Library Journal review process, and submitters will be notified within 4–6 weeks if their book has been chosen as a SELF-e Selection.
Library Journal is actively reviewing Adult and Young Adult Fiction submissions at this time. We are accepting Nonfiction, Poetry, and Children’s submissions, but are still working on plans for when they will begin actively reviewing those genres.
All submissions, regardless of audience or genre, may be included in Wisconsin collections, if submitters so choose.
For authors interested in the submission terms, below is a summary of the agreement. The full agreement can be found here.
Authors submitting to SELF-e give the SELF-e program a non-exclusive license to make their eBook(s) available to public library patrons via subscribing institutions in the public library market. Participation in SELF-e does not restrict authors and their other publishing service providers/future publishers in any manner from promoting and selling their ebooks to any market, including the public library market via other vendors. Authors also reserve all intellectual and propriety rights in the work— SELF-e does not infringe upon that.
Although the agreement states that authors must request removal of their work in writing and that it will take up to 180 days, in practice, authors can request to have their book removed from the program in print or email and it will be removed as soon as possible.
Overall, authors can continue selling/distributing their work through other channels, can have their title removed from the SELF-e program at any time, and still maintain total ownership of their work.
Follow SELF-e on Twitter or check out the SELF-e website for information for libraries and authors. Watch the WPLC webinar with BiblioBoard about SELF-e and Pressbooks.
Pressbooks, the Wisconsin Author Project, SELF-e, and BiblioBoard Library are all made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services