PCN

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

This has been an absolutely fantastic week. It started with being contacted by a writers’ group from a neighboring town. They asked if I would come and speak to their group about my book and writing in general. I was surprised and flattered and said I’d be happy to talk to them. They seemed really pleased and excited, which put a smile on my face.

Then midweek, I received an official Library of Congress (LOC) cataloging number for Book 2. Whoo hoo! I didn’t get one for my first book, partly because as a newbie, I didn’t know I needed to apply for one before the book was published and partly because I wasn’t sure self-published books could get them. Without that all-important cataloging number and information, libraries aren’t likely to buy the book because they’d have to create the catalog entries themselves and few are willing to do that. Apparently it’s quite a complicated process, as I found out from trying to get Book 1 into my local library.

As it is, I had to go through a two-step process to get the number. First, I had to apply online for an account in the LOC’s Preassigned Control Number (PCN) program. Because I have my own publishing company imprint, my application was accepted, and I was given an account number and password. (Yay!) Then, I had to fill out another online application for the book itself. I received an e-mail the next day approving the application and giving the PCN number. (Lots of happy dancing going on!)

And then to top the week off, I received a stellar book review (which can be read HERE) from a high school student who had bought Book 1 from me at VT Comic Con last fall. (Happy dancing ten feet off the ground, at this point!)

I think I’ll be smiling well into next month.

What other celebrations are going on out there?

Today’s the day for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) where, on the first Wednesday of every month, writers get together to share their insecurities and offer encouragement. The IWSG was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can learn all about it and sign up for it here.

I donated a copy of my self-published book, Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble, to my local library. They said they’d be happy to include it in their inventory, but they need it to have a library cataloguing record out there somewhere, such as in the Library of Congress or on WorldCat.org, for them to download into their system.

I’ve spoken with people at the Library of Congress (LOC), and unless you apply for Cataloguing in Publication or a Preassigned Control Number from the LOC before the book is published, the only way to get LOC cataloguing information for your book is to send them print copies through the copyright registration process and be fortunate enough to have the LOC select the book for inclusion in the Library. No acceptance, no cataloguing info.

I’ve done some research online and found a few companies who will create library Publisher’s Cataloguing-in-Publication (PCIP) / Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC) records for a price.

For anyone who has self-published a book — how did you obtain library cataloguing info for your book? Did you go through the LOC ahead of time or use some other method? I’d love to hear about it!