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Samples, excerpts, and interior images, oh my! 

If you don't plan to release a reading copy of a specific title , or you don't want to release it widely, there is a way to make portions of your books available through CataList. You can provide samples, excerpts, or interior images of your titles that will only be made available to those within the industry who have a verified library, retailer, wholesaler, sales agent, or media CataList account. You can deliver these additional items through the BookNet BiblioShare FTP. 

All you need to do is follow our simple naming convention and drop 'em in the correct folder (i.e., either the Sample or Image folder, depending on what you're sending) within the BiblioShare FTP. 

You can also provide excerpt information via your ONIX. In the OtherText composite, the following type codes will be imported from list 33:

  • '04' - Table of Contents
  • '23' - Excerpt
  • '41' - Reading Group Guide

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Sponsorship opportunities

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In order to better engage library staff and encourage recommending, reviewing, and even requesting, Loan Stars holds monthly contests, sponsored by a different publishing house each month. Our standard practice is to offer a prize pack of two to four titles, as well as a piece or two of branded swag. These contests are promoted throughout the month through the Loan Stars social media accounts and newsletters. Each winner is encouraged to provide a photo of the books once they arrive in their new home, which is similarly promoted. These contests are a fantastic way to get your brand in front of library staff. If you're interested in running a promotion with us or have ideas for a contest that better suits your needs, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

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Samples: ISBN_Sample (e.g., 9781546789232_Sample)

Samples must be either a PDF or EPUB and loaded into the "Sample" directory on the BiblioShare FTP.

Samples, in all honesty, can be anything you wish them to be. They are a single separate file that contains as much or as little as you'd like to distribute. Common practice for samples tends to be providing the first two or three chapters of a book, including front matter. This is by no means written in stone, especially if you have an academic title and wish to restrict the table of contents from public view, or have a picture book that does not follow a chapter format. If you are providing samples of your digital books, make sure to provide an EPUB instead of a PDF. If you don't plan to produce a reading copy or only have a limited supply, samples are a fantastic way to not only boost sales and circulation by giving readers a taste of your book, but also to increase your odds of becoming a Loan Stars pick. Library staff can review a portion of your forthcoming title and recommend it, all in the same space! 


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Excerpts: ISBN_Excerpt_# (e.g., 9781546789232_Excerpt_01)

Excerpts must be either a PDF or EPUB. They should also uploaded to the "Sample" directory on the BiblioShare FTP.

A common question we hear is "what's the difference between samples and excerpts?" and, really, the difference is minimal. Excerpts tend to be shorter and more focused with the intention to hook the reader with a brief passage. Again, excerpts can be anything you wish them to be and you can upload them to CataList the same as you would a sample.


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Interior images: ISBN_IN_# (e.g., 9781546789232_IN_01)

Interior images must be image files (JPG, TIF, PNG, or GIF format) and should be uploaded to the "Image" directory on the BiblioShare FTP.

For Loan Stars purposes, this is the ideal spot for publishers of children's titles to upload previews of their books. We recommend providing at least two full spreads in order to give library staff a good idea of your book. Interior images are kept behind the login wall so only verified industry accounts will have access to these images.

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Marketing strategies

We know you publish many fantastic books each season, often around the same time. It can be overwhelming to add extra marketing support for every single title. We, at Loan Stars, are always here to help in any way we can!

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Currently, that includes promoting upcoming Loan Stars-eligible titles in our Loan Stars CataList catalogues, which are available to logged in library users from the home page. These catalogues are created roughly five months before pub date, so we encourage publishers to add titles to CataList around the same time. Please ensure a cover is included, even if it's not the final cover, along with a description and basic bibliographic information, such as the ISBN, title, main contributor, publishing imprint (if applicable), and the intended publication date. 

"Spotlight On" newsletters

Once a month, we ask publishers to tell us which books of theirs would make fantastic Loan Stars picks. We take these 4-6 books and create a special catalogue for them on CataList, as well as give our "spotlighter" free rein to tell library staff why they should recommend these titles (in 75 words or less).

All that's required is a photo and the filling out of this form: https://forms.gle/j3JNsFuG1L1ETESb6

If you have any questions or concerns, especially about scheduling, please get in touch with the Loan Stars team.

But there is so much more that can be done. And that's where you, the publisher, come in. We suggest "championing a book" by identifying a single title each month (or the months that include your releases) and encouraging library followers to get out and recommend for it for Loan Stars. This can include reaching out via newsletter, social media, author events, launches, etc. Though we find the most effective method is to offer and deliver reading copies early and quickly.

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What happens when your book becomes a Loan Stars pick


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Congratulations! Your book has been deemed an essential book for Canadian library systems by library staff across Canada. Now what? 

Share the news! 

We have materials available in the publisher section of our website that you are free to use in your own marketing efforts. We are constantly updating and adding to this collection and we are always open to creating new materials to meet your needs.

Contrary to popular opinion, Loan Stars is an endorsement, not an award. What's the difference? And, more importantly, how can you tell everyone that your book is a Loan Stars pick? We have it written in ONIX for you:

How to Endorse the ONIX for

Tagging Loan Stars picks in your ONIX feed