Digital Library Services

Attention indie writers: wondering what to do with your NaNoWriMo masterpiece? Or do you have a manuscript you'd love to share with library users?

You're in luck! With three library services — BiblioBoard, Pressbooks and the Indie Author Project — you have all the tools you need to format your book and share it with the world.

Here's how to publish your book and share it with library readers, in three easy steps:

1. Create a BiblioBoard account.

BiblioBoard is a digital library of self-published ebooks. It features books by local authors as well as a selection of  the best indie ebooks from across North America, curated by readers at Library Journal.  (See the Indie Author Project, below). 

Creating an account is free. You only need to make up a username and password — all other information is optional. And it gives you access to thousands of self-published ebooks, as well as to the Pressbooks publishing service.

2. Use your BiblioBoard account to log in to Pressbooks.

Pressbooks Public is online software that lets you design and format any kind of ebook, including:

• PDF: for print or print on demand
• EPUB: for Apple iBooks, Nook, Kobo and most other ebook platforms
• MOBI: for Kindle
• Webbook: your book in website format, either private or public

Pressbooks Public is free to use. It provides professional-looking templates for formatting your book. There's a detailed user guide and a collection of videos to help you get started.

3. Submit your formatted book to the Indie Author Project.

The Indie Author Project is a publishing community built to help libraries find and share the best indie ebooks. The Indie Author Project partners with curators, including readers from Library Journal. These readers vet every book submitted. They select some titles for distribution across North America via BiblioBoard (see above). But if your book is not selected, or you only want to distribute it locally, you can still include it in Biblioboard's Indie Ontario collection!

Submitting your book takes a few simple steps. It costs nothing. And you'll retain copyright, so if you want to publish somewhere else later on, you're free to do so.

Do you have a manuscript you're burning to share? Are you participating in National Novel Writing Month? Let us know in the comments!