WCPL Fiction Marketing:

At the Wells County Public Library we use a variety of methods to market our fiction collection and are always on the lookout for new ways of doing so. Recently we used libraryAware to create lists of new materials for nonfiction and fiction. If you're not familiar libraryAware is an online service that helps the library generate lists of new releases for fiction and nonfiction by genre or subject. Patrons subscribe to the various lists which are emailed to them monthly. We didn't get enough patron sign-ups to justify the costs of the software and staff time. Pity, it was cool and you could easily generate bookmarks and brochures from it.

For the most part we use passive means to promote our fiction. Our circulation department is in charge of creating end cap displays to promote our fiction. They are really talented and the displays created are designed around seasonal events / themes or current popular interests. I snapped some pictures of our current displays:

We also have a New Adult nonfiction display at the very front of the library, right next to the Circulation desk. This is popular area and titles get picked over very quickly: 

Recently we have been using staff bookmarks for a staff picks area, which is also very popular:

We use promotional bookmarks and flyers on occasion with mixed results. Our teen and children's staff do use blog posts to promote new fiction and nonfiction but currently we haven't had much luck with blogging adult fiction. Though not from a lack of effort. I'm guessing this is because of a reluctance by a large number of our adult patrons to use technology in general. This explains why libraryAware was a failure as well. I foresee as time goes by and the young become the old online promotion will be more successful.