The Librarian’s Guide to Book Programs and Author Events

From hosting authors to planning and coordinating book activities such as book signings and book clubs, libraries are perfect venues for readers to interact directly with authors and their books. And mounting literary programming can be easier than you might think. In this guide Booklist’s Brad Hooper inspires, encourages, and advises librarians in providing a wide range of programming that targets their communities of book lovers. Incorporating interviews from librarians in the field who share insider tips, this resource includes step-by-step guidance adaptable to any type of audience, from children and teens to millennials and older adults; shows how to plan author readings, coordinate book signings, and put together and moderate an author panel; offers marketing and outreach pointers, including interviewing authors for local radio, library podcasts, or webinars; lays out the nuts-and-bolts of organizing and hosting book clubs, with suggestions for facilitating book group discussions; presents ideas for creating displays of “staff favorites” and other ways to get staff involved and engaged; and explores programs for community-wide book events, such as “One Book, One City.” Using this guide, libraries can connect book lovers eager to learn about recent and noteworthy books to authors and fellow book lovers.