For this month’s edition of Shelf-Love, we decided to do something a little different. As individuals who work in publishing, our love of words and reading, feels, to us, completely natural - something that’s existed for as long as we can remember. While it’s nearly impossible for us to imagine a life prior to devouring books for breakfast, our seemingly natural inclination towards the bookish didn’t just crop up out of nowhere.
Tell us about the title [Tin Man], which carries echoes of The Wizard of Oz
Once you have selected your One Book title, the next step is to contact the publisher of the book. Even if you have no plans to bring the author to your community, the book’s publisher can provide promotional materials such as the book’s cover art, an author photograph and biography, excerpts, review quotes, and often a reading group guide; liaise with local booksellers on your behalf; expedite book orders; and generally be a valuable partner for your One Book program.
Below are some examples of the many different approaches to selecting a One Book title. Which approach or combination of approaches is right for your One Book initiative will depend on many factors, but having a strong sense of your program goals will make choosing an approach and a book much easier.
The most successful One Book events involve partnerships with other groups and organizations from across a community. Partnerships can include financial, promotional, planning, and organizational support. Be sure to network with others in the library, bookselling, and publishing communities as well as with local schools, writing groups, book clubs, non-profit agencies, governments, and businesses.
Allow plenty of time to plan the event. Many One Book programs are in the planning stages for more than a year prior to launch. As your One Book initiative becomes established, your timeline will become more efficient.
A steering committee should be an integral part of your One Book process from the very start. Committee members can be invaluable in helping to plan, promote, and execute a successful One Book event.
One Book events can either involve the author or not. Below are some examples of related programming that do and do not necessitate the author’s participation. A well-rounded One Book campaign will take advantage of both of these kinds of activities in the lead-up to the main event.
Author events are often the highlight of One Book campaigns. To make the most of an author’s visit, you will want to consider a variety of activities and venues to appeal to your target audiences. Popular author programming include
When you are ready to publicly announce your One Book selection, do so well in advance of any scheduled One Book-related events to give people an opportunity to read the book with your forthcoming events in mind. It’s always a good idea to share the news of your selection in as many different ways as is feasible.
This guide describes the 8 main steps to planning a successful One Book, One Community program in your community. As such, it is the perfect Canadian complement to the American Library Association’s “Planning Your Community-Wide Read” guide, which is available for free download here.