How to Get a Self-Published Picture Book Into Libraries in Canada

Libraries matter more to picture books than to almost any other kind of book. Children's sections are some of the busiest shelves in a Canadian public library, storytime programmes run every week, and a single branch copy can be read by dozens of families. For a self-published author, getting into a library system is also a quiet signal of credibility that helps with schools and bookshops.

The good news is that Canadian libraries do buy self-published books. The less good news is that they buy them through a process, and an author who understands that process gets a much warmer reception than one who simply drops off a copy at the front desk. Here's how it works and what to do.

How Canadian public libraries choose books

Most public library systems in Canada have a collection development or acquisitions team. In larger systems there is often a dedicated children's selector; in smaller towns the head librarian may do everything. Either way, they are weighing a few questions:

• Will local families borrow it? A clear hook and an age range help them see where it fits.
• Is it professionally produced? Cover, binding, trim size, editing and illustration quality all count. A picture book that looks self-published struggles here.
• Can we order it easily? Selectors prefer to buy through the wholesalers they already use, with an ISBN, a price and proper metadata.
• Is there local interest? Many systems actively collect local and Canadian authors, and some have a dedicated local-author collection or donation policy.

Step 1: Get the basics right before you pitch

Before you contact anyone, make sure your book is easy for a library to buy:

• An ISBN in your own name. Canadian publishers, including self-publishers, can get ISBNs at no cost through ISBN Canada, run by Library and Archives Canada.
• Legal deposit. Books published in Canada are subject to legal deposit with Library and Archives Canada. Check the current copy requirements on their site; it's a legal obligation, and it also puts your book on the national record.
• Distribution libraries can use. Make sure your book is available through a channel that library wholesalers can order from, at a discount that works for them. Canadian libraries commonly order through library suppliers such as Library Bound and Whitehots, so ask your distributor or printer whether your title can be ordered that way.
• A library-friendly format. Hardcovers last longer in circulation. If you only have a paperback, that's fine, but say so up front.

Step 2: Find the right person

Look on your library system's website for "suggest a purchase", "collection development" or "local authors". Many systems have an online form for exactly this, and using it is both polite and effective. If there's no form, the branch's children's librarian is a good first contact; they can pass your details to the selector and, crucially, they run storytime.

Start local. Your own municipal library, then neighbouring systems in your province, then the bigger urban systems. A local author with a local connection is far easier to say yes to.

Step 3: Send a one-page sheet, not the whole book

Selectors want the facts quickly. The publishing industry uses an Advance Information (AI) sheet for this: one page with the cover, title, author and illustrator, ISBN, format, page count, trim size, price in Canadian dollars, publication date, age range, a short description, and how to order. Add one line on local relevance (you live in the area, the story is set in Canada, or it supports a curriculum theme). Our step-by-step guide to making a sell sheet for your picture book shows what goes where.

Keep your covering email short:

Hi [Name],

I'm a picture book author based in [town], and I'd love [Library] to consider [Title] for the children's collection. It's a [one-line hook] for ages [3–6], available in [hardcover/paperback] through [distributor/wholesaler].

I've attached a one-page information sheet with the ISBN, price and ordering details. I'd also be glad to offer a free storytime reading at any branch.

Thank you for considering it,
[Name]

Step 4: Offer a storytime or event

Libraries are always programming. Offering a free storytime reading, a drawing activity or a seasonal event (Family Literacy Day in January is a natural fit) gives the children's librarian a reason to champion your book, and it often leads to the library buying copies for the event. Bring a simple sign-up sheet for families who'd like a signed copy, if the branch allows sales.

Step 5: Register for Public Lending Right

Canada's Public Lending Right (PLR) Program, run by the Canada Council for the Arts, makes annual payments to eligible Canadian authors and illustrators whose books are held in public libraries. Self-published titles can qualify if they meet the programme's criteria, which cover things like citizenship or permanent residency and the type of book. Registration opens once a year, so check the current eligibility criteria and deadline on the PLR website and register each new title. It won't make you rich, but it's money for books already on the shelf.

A note on French-language libraries

If your book is in English only, focus on English-language collections first. Libraries in Quebec and francophone communities collect mainly French-language titles; a French edition opens those doors, but it's a separate project.

Keep track and follow up once

Log every library system you contact with the date and outcome. If you hear nothing in a few weeks, one polite follow-up is fine. Check the library catalogue a couple of months later; if your book appears, thank the librarian and offer that storytime again.

Do it faster with templates

The Picture Book Launch Kit includes a fill-in Advance Information Sheet (the exact one-pager library selectors and bookshop buyers expect), a Metadata Checklist so your ISBN record and categories are right, an Event Checklist for storytimes, and an Outreach Tracker to log every library you contact. There's a full chapter on bookshops, libraries and special sales, plus a Pricing & Profit Calculator to check your wholesale discount still leaves you a profit.

It's a 47-page PDF with 18 templates, an instant download, and it works for Canadian authors as well as UK and US. See what's inside the Launch Kit.

Just getting started? Download our free Picture Book Launch Checklist for a one-page plan of the months around publication.