When I was younger, I used to reflect that one bonus of being a vampire would be more time to catch up on all of one’s reading. However, I’m unlikely to get turned anytime soon, so I want to spend my reading hours wisely. We all have a variety of ways to find our next books to read. I’m a sucker for book displays at the library, digital displays on my library’s website, and the suggestions that my colleagues here at NoveList provide me with through NextReads newsletters. Something about knowing that people have taken the time to gather a collection of books together makes me feel more confident that I’m not going to waste my time on a book that doesn’t speak to me.
LibraryAware customers love our book flyers. But many libraries don’t realize that every LibraryAware subscription also includes the entire suite of NextReads newsletters! This award-winning service connects readers and books through curated reading recommendations, coming straight from your library to your customers’ inboxes. But what do we really mean by “curated reading recommendations?” What value does the selection and curation done by NoveList experts bring to you and your patrons?
NextReads newsletters help busy librarians build connections with readers through monthly book suggestions delivered right to customer inboxes. Our professionally trained librarians have extensive experience in both readers’ advisory and collection development. In addition to reading extensively in the genres and topics they specialize in, each librarian also monitors trade reviews, awards, social media, and other industry sources to identify high-quality titles. These experts support you by providing thoroughly vetted book lists while also giving you complete freedom and flexibility to customize your NextReads newsletter drafts to meet the reading needs of your community. You can ‘set it and forget it’ by using our selections and annotations or switch out titles to spotlight the parts of your collection you’d especially like to promote. (Here are more ideas for promoting the service.)
What are some of the things we look for when choosing books? We try to include books that readers may not have found on their own. We want them to discover new reading experiences through your library, giving them something to request that may not already have a huge holds list. Everybody knows It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, but what about The Reunion by Kayla Olson or I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan?
We also strive to include books that reflect a variety of lived experiences and perspectives. We know this is important to you and your customers, and it is a driving value both for NoveList and the librarians making the newsletter selections.
The librarians working on NextReads also keep a close eye on publishing trends, popular culture, and patron interests. They creatively highlight both new and older titles, such as a recent “influencers and social media” theme in the Fiction A to Z newsletter, a selection of books for the Mystery newsletter related to the film Knives Out (and timed to coincide with the release of the sequel, Glass Onion), and the recent Horror newsletter which featured some of this year’s Bram Stoker Award nominees. These are just a few of many examples of NoveList librarians spotlighting the ways in which libraries can continue to make use of their existing collections while also keeping up with the latest releases.
From careful vetting of each title to thoughtfully written annotations, you can count on NextReads newsletters to offer something for every reader in your library.
Victoria Fredrick is the Director of Book Discovery. She is currently reading Come with Me by Ronald Malfi.
