Wheelers is a library supply company that is used by many public and school libraries in Aotearoa to purchase stock. You can list your book with them by filling in the form on this page.
They will do all the work of cataloguing, processing, invoicing libraries, etc. for you, and take a percentage of the sale price.
Why would you do this? Most public libraries have fewer backroom staff these days, and with hundreds of new books being added every year, there’s simply no time for librarians to individually buy every book from separate vendors, then create a complete catalogue record for them and process them (add protective covers and strengthening tapes). This is why the Library has a few dedicated suppliers who do a lot of that work.
Since all the backroom work must be done for every single title, it’s conceivable that even a donated book could cost the library more money than one purchased from a library supply company. (Which is one of the reasons we do not accept donations.)
Note: cheapest price is not the only consideration for libraries — supporting local authors is part of our mission! But to support local authors best, we want to see their books available in libraries all over the country, and using a library supply company is the best way to do that. If you do get your books into several NZ libraries, remember to register for the Public Lending Right scheme!
Not every library uses Wheelers, but many do. If you have a specific library you want to ask to buy your book, it’s best to contact them directly. Please see the related article ‘Does my self-published book fit in the Library’s collection?‘
If you’re a self-published author in the Manawatū and are having problems listing your book with Wheelers, please get in touch and we’ll see if we can help!
