GLBA Spreads the Word Through Regional Access

In May, the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) unveiled a new program to help publishers get the word out to booksellers and to the public about books of particular interest to those in the Great Lakes region. Based on Book Sense's national Advance Access Program, GLBA's Regional Access Program provides a targeted audience for books in all categories that are "set in or about any of the states abutting the Great Lakes down to the Ohio River and into the Plains."

The program works in the same manner as the national program: Monthly, GLBA e-mails regional independent booksellers with news of galleys, reading copies, or finished books that publishers are offering for review. Booksellers contact publishers directly to request a free review copy, which store staff will read and then decide whether to stock and, hopefully, nominate for the Book Sense 76.

Publishers wishing to make offers through Regional Access must send an e-mail to GLBA Executive Director Jim Dana that includes a description (two sentence maximum) of the book, with title, author, publisher, subject category, number of free copies offered, and an e-mail address to which the booksellers can write directly to request a copy.

Participation in the program is free for GLBA members; nonmembers' cost is $100 per title.

Dana said that the debut of the Midwest Independent Bestseller list at the end of July is helping to draw attention to the advantages of getting regional titles into the hands of independent booksellers through Regional Access, and as fall approaches he is looking forward to increased publisher participation.

For more information on GLBA's Regional Access program, contact Jim Dana at GLBA, 208 Franklin, Grand Haven, Michigan 49417 or jimd@books-glba.org.