The Library Speakers Consortium is launching in July 2022 with the goal of increasing access to the most interesting and impactful authors of our time.
Right now, only the largest and best funded library systems can regularly afford the speaking fees of top authors. Our vision is to change that dynamic by pooling the resources of hundreds of library systems to dramatically expand access to these programs for all patrons.
The Consortium will create 2-3 online bestselling-author events per month which will be streamed to patrons of every member library. These will be live events with interactive Q&A sessions where participants can ask questions directly to the author. We are highly committed to offering a diverse mix of perspectives and will ensure that half or more of speakers will be women and/or people of color.
Books and authors selected will cover a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres including historical fiction, contemporary fiction, romance, OwnVoices, poetry, business, personal growth, social justice, history, art, culture and more.
Author talks will be “white-labeled” on each library’s microsite so they will look like they are coming directly from your library. This means your library will get the credit for offering these amazing talks even though you don’t need to spend any staff time creating the content.
Below are the first nine author talks planned for Library Speaker Consortium members. We are incredibly excited to offer a vibrant mix of best selling authors and Pulitzer Prize winners on a wide range of interesting topics.
JULY 2022
ALKA JOSHI
Join us for an author talk with New York Times Bestselling Author, Alka Joshi, on her book, The Henna Artist. The book was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and has received numerous readers choice awards.
JULY 2022
DAVID ALLEN
David Allen is the New York Times bestselling author of Getting Things Done and is widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts on personal productivity. This talk will focus on how anyone can get more done with less stress.
AUGUST 2022
MICHELE HARPER
The Beauty in Breaking is a “riveting, heartbreaking” memoir that explores how a life of service to others taught an emergency room physician how to heal herself. This interview with NYT bestselling author, Michele Harper, will offer participants poignant insights into self-healing.
AUGUST 2022
LIZ MOORE
Join New York Time Best Selling Author, Liz Moore, for a discussion of her popular thriller, Long Bright River, and other other works. Long Bright River was named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR and was A Good Morning America Book Club pick.
AUGUST 2022
MARCIA CHATELAIN
Join 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner for History, Marcia Chatelain, for a fascinating exploration of a surprising history of cooperation among fast-food companies, black capitalists, and civil rights leaders, who—in the troubled years after King’s assassination—believed they found an economic answer to the problem of racial inequality.
AUGUST 2022
LIZ WISEMAN
Join Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author and leadership expert for a discussion of how the best leaders (Multipliers) differ from the worst (Diminishers). Liz will also discuss her latest book, Impact Players, and the key behaviors anyone can implement to drive real results in their organization.
SEPTEMBER 2022
HERNAN DIAZ
Join 2018 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Hernan Diaz for a discussion of how his debut novel from a small press won international acclaim and on his latest novel, Trust, which has been name a most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Vulture, Oprah Daily, LitHub, Goodreads and more.
SEPTEMBER 2022
MICHELE BORBA
Join internationally renowned educational psychologist and parenting expert, Michele Borba, to learn the seven traits that science says matter most to support children for a life of happiness and success.
SEPTEMBER 2022
SIMON WINCHESTER
Join New York Times Bestselling Author, Simon Winchester, for a wide ranging talk on writing, history, technology and the making of the modern world. Winchester is an esteemed journalist, an author of more than a dozen books and was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2006.
Our team has many years of experience working with authors and publishers to create amazing online programs. We’ll be leveraging these connections to bring amazing author talks to patrons of Library Speaker Consortium members.
Below is a small sample of the book talks we’ve hosted in the past to give you an idea of our teams experience:
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The idea for the Library Speakers Consortium grew out of a similar program for college alumni associations that our team manages called the Alumni Learning Consortium. As a partnership of more than 100 colleges including NYU, University of Missouri, NC State, Miami University and Washington State, the Alumni Learning Consortium creates author talks for alumni of our member schools. This partnership has allowed schools to offer their alumni dramatically more programming and our goal is create an even further reaching program with public libraries that will reach entire communities.
We’re a team of people in love with reading, obsessed with personal growth, and relentlessly focused on empowering other people on their journey of lifelong learning.
Request a demo and explore how joining the Library Speakers Consortium can increase access to amazing authors for your patrons.
Request a Demo
