(8/19/19) I wrote a book for you, but have you heard of it? Well, as you are reading this, I guess you have, but just imagine how many more of us there are out there. How best to find them…? Advertising? Tried that; too expensive. Social media, then? Ha ha, you really haven’t read my book, have you? No… I think libraries. Witches like books. Of that much, I am certain. And to this end, rather than call it here after having established a sound regional presence in the Big Bend of Florida and South Georgia, as well as garnering a very surprising and wonderful, albeit limited, international presence, I choose to press on! And so, today I announce the start of a campaign (#AWitchInEveryState) that may take me years, but I intend to diligently pursue it to the finish.
Finding a Witch is like finding a needle in a haystack, or is it? I won’t really know until I achieve some level of presence, a critical mass of readership if you will, and my still brand-new, independent book hasn’t even begun to reach this point; it’s still almost impossible to find me using the various sorting techniques in all the popular retail and general book databases. I hear Amazon is all about the “long tail marketing”, and the campaign I am announcing today is to be my long tail attempt to ensure that enough people come to learn of my book’s existence.
In the coming weeks, I will begin contacting libraries both large and small throughout the United States in an effort to get at least one copy (or eBook license) of my book in at least one institution in every US state. I begin with a head start, with three states already under my belt: Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.
My goal is to send no less than a book a month to welcoming libraries. Librarians interested in preempting my process are invited to contact me directly through the form on this site, and even readers may participate by nominating their local institution. In fact, if your local library accepts the donation, I will be happy to dedicate it in your name. I also welcome notices of addition outside of my process; I’ll be checking WorldCat, but even that site doesn’t list the holdings of every library. If you know of a library that has acquired my book in a state that I haven’t marked yet, please let me know.
While not officially included in my quest, US Territories are also invited to participate!
Below is the list of states, which I’ll be editing as things progress. Won’t you help me to bring aid and comfort to the witches of every state by putting #AWitchInEveryState ?
Alabama: Hardcover available at outset of campaign (1 Library).
Alaska: [EDIT[ eBook available in the Online Hoopla Collection of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Libraries
Arizona: [EDIT] eBook available in the Online Hoopla Collection of the Phoenix Public Library
Arkansas: [EDIT] Hardcover coming soon to the Arkansas County Library/Stuttgart Public Library
California: [EDIT] eBook available in the Online Hoopla Collection of the Sacramento Public Library
Colorado: [EDIT] eBook available in the Online Hoopla Collections of the Anythink Library in Brighton and the Edwin A. Bemis Library in Littleton
Connecticut: [EDIT] eBook available in the Online Hoopla Collection of the Russell Library in Middletown
Delaware: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Dover Public Library
Florida: Hardcover available at outset of campaign (4 Libraries: Tallahassee, Quincy, Crawfordville, and Monticello) [EDIT] And now eighteen more in Blountstown, Bronson, Chiefland, Carrabelle, Dundee, Greenville, Haines City, Lee, Live Oak, Madison, Panama City, Perry, Port St. Joe, Trenton, Mayo, Suwannee (at the tech center), Sarasota County (at the brand new Shannon Staub facility), and in Lee County (at the North Fort Myers Public Library)!
Georgia: Hardcover available at outset of campaign (6 Libraries and 1 Bookmobile!) [EDIT] And now two more: the Waycross-Ware County Public Library and in Bremen(!) at the Warren P. Sewell Memorial Library
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Lincoln Library in Springfield, and Hardcover(!!!!) now available at the Woodstock Public Library
Indiana: [EDIT] Hardcover now available for checkout from the Crawfordsville District Public Library
Iowa: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Council Bluffs Public Library
Kansas
Kentucky: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the McCracken County Public Library
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Enoch Pratt free Library in Baltimore
Massachusetts: [EDIT] Now available on Hoopla(digital) from the Boston Public Library
Michigan: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Detroit Public Library, the Jackson District Library, the Bay County Library System, and the Kalamazoo Public Library
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri: [EDIT] Hardcover now available for checkout from the Joplin Public Library
Montana
Nebraska: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the City of Lincoln Nebraska Libraries
Nevada: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
New Hampshire: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Concord Public Library
New Jersey
New Mexico: [EDIT] eBook available in the Online Hoopla Collection of the Santa Fe Public Library
New York
North Carolina: [EDIT] eBook available in the Online Hoopla Collection of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
North Dakota
Ohio: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Cleveland Public Library
Oklahoma: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Pioneer Library System serving Cleveland, McClain, and Pottawatomie counties
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina: [EDIT] Hardcover now available for checkout from the Chapin Memorial Library in Myrtle Beach as well as the Georgetown County Library in Georgetown
South Dakota
Tennessee: [EDIT] Hardcover now available for checkout from both the Pigeon Forge Public Library and the Anna Porter Public Library in Gatlinburg!
Texas: [EDIT] eBook now available for checkout from the Margaret Estes Library at LeTourneau University in Longview
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia: [EDIT] Hoopla E Book now available for checkout from the Kanawha County Public Library in Charleston
Wisconsin
Wyoming