Library Speakers Consortium

Partnership Of Libraries Bringing Bestselling Author Talks To Communities Of All Sizes

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. Our consortium has more than 250 member library systems which each range in size from less than 100 to more than 2 million patrons.

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Let’s talk about how we can help you bring amazing author talks to your community.
ELEVATE YOUR PROGRAMING

How It Works

The Consortium creates 2-3 online bestselling-author events per month which are streamed to patrons of every member library. These are 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 are “white-labeled” on each library’s microsite so they will look like they are coming directly from your library. This means member libraries get the credit for offering these amazing talks even though you don’t need to spend any staff time creating the content.

Livestream

Additional features of the program include:

Ability to share as many or as few of the programs with your community as you prefer.
Microsites that are customized to display individual library’s logos, colors, and photos.
Programs will be archived for patrons to access “on-demand” at their convenience.
Registrant reminder emails and a thank-you email with a link to the archived recording.
Interactive Q&A sessions with participants during each event.
Marketing copy and pictures for each event.
Detailed analytics of registration, live views and archive views.
License to screen events in-person for patrons without reliable internet access.
Accessibility features including event captioning and WACG compliance.
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Let's Elevate Your Programming
THE SPEAKERS

Upcoming Author Talks and Our Experience

We are incredibly excited to offer a vibrant mix of best selling and award winning authors in the coming months on a wide range of interesting topics.

JANUARY 2023
xkcd Webcomic and What if? Series Creator : Author Talk with Randall Munroe
New York Times bestselling author of What If? and How To and the hugely popular webcomic xkcd

FEBRUARY 2023
Back in a Spell: Author Talk with Lana Harper
New York Times bestselling author of Payback’s a Witch and From Bad to Cursed

FEBRUARY 2023
Tastes Like War: An Author Talk with Grace M. Cho
2021 National Book Award Finalist and TIME and NPR Best Book of the Year

FEBRUARY 2023
Author Talk with Sadeqa Johnson: Award-Winning Author of Yellow Wife
Recipient of the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the USA Best Book Award for Best Fiction

MARCH 2023
Author Talk with David Epstein: Bestselling author of RANGE and THE SPORTS GENE
New York Times Bestselling Author of Range and The Sports Gene

MARCH 2023
Southern Inspired: Author Talk with Celebrity Chef Jernard A. Wells
Award Winning TV Host, Celebrity Chef, and Bestselling Cookbook Author of Southern Modified and Southern Inspired

MARCH 2023
Bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris: Author Talk with Pam Jenoff
New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale and The Lost Girls of Paris

APRIL 2023
Author Talk with Kate Beaton: Bestselling Cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant!
NYT Bestselling Cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant! and Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands

APRIL 2023
New York Times Bestselling Author of Ordinary Grace: Author Talk with William Kent Krueger
#1 Bestselling Author of More Than 20 Books Including This Tender Land and Lightning Strike

MAY 2023
Raising Anti-Racist Children: Author Talk with Britt Hawthorne
New York Times Bestseller and a Nationally Recognized Anti Racist and Anti-bias Educator, Speaker, and Advocate

MAY 2023
Not Funny: Author Talk with Academy Award Nominated Jena Friedman
Comedian, Filmmaker, and Creator of AMC’s Indefensible and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman on Adult Swim

MAY 2023
Author Talk with Courtney Summers: New York Times Bestselling YA Author
Edgar and Odyssey Award Winning Author and NYT Bestselling author of Sadie

JUNE 2023
The Fun Habit: An Author Talk with Mike Rucker, Ph.D.
How the Disciplined Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life: Lessons from Organizational Psychologist Mike Rucker, Ph.D.

JUNE 2023
An American In Provence: Author Talk with Award-Winning Photographer Jamie Beck
New York Times Bestselling Author of An American in Provence

JUNE 2023
Author Talk with Tananarive Due: Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda Contributing Author
Award-winning and bestselling author of sixteen books, including the Blood Colony, The Living Blood, The Good House, Joplin’s Ghost, and Devil’s Wake

Our team has many years of experience working with authors and publishers to create amazing online programs. Below is a small sample of the book talks our team has hosted in the past to give you an idea of our team’s experience:

Our Members

Our member library systems come from 40+ states and serve more than ten million cardholders. Pictured here is a small sample of our 250 plus member systems.

Livestream

Our Team

We’re a team of people in love with reading, obsessed with personal growth, and relentlessly focused on empowering people on their journey of lifelong learning.

Abi Hobgood
Sales Specialist
Becky Brent
Partnerships Manager
Brandon Adler
Operations Manager and Author Talk Host
Chris Williams
Chief Financial Officer
Frederick Coleman
Operations Associate
Hannah Meyers
Sales Specialist
Julia Cutler
Operations Manager
Kyra Schwalm
Operations Associate
Leigh Mikovch
Partnerships Manager
Zach Rubin
Executive Director

Let’s Talk

Request a demo and explore how joining the Library Speakers Consortium can increase access to amazing authors for your patrons.

Request a Demo
Let's Elevate Your Programming