#Supporting Local Authors Is Easy at the Library
Saturday, November 25, 2023, is Small Business Saturday – a day to celebrate and support small businesses, artists, local authors, and other creators! Of course, we hope you support local authors all year long! In addition to our annual Jax Book Fest which features dozens of local authors, we also invite local authors and creators to talk about (and sign) their books at Lit Chat Author Talks and Interview programs every month.
While these events are free to attend, they are a great way for authors to find new readers and for readers to find new authors!
Explore the Local Author Collection
Jacksonville, Florida, is the home of many talented writers. To make their work accessible to the entire community, Jacksonville Public Library created the Local Author Collection. If you're looking for up-and-coming local talent to support, this is a great place to start! If e-books are more your speed, you can also find works by local authors on the Biblioboard Library website or app.
Would you like to see your work on the Library's shelves? Submit your Book to the Local Author Collection or Market Your Book to the Library.
Read Zines and Locally-Made Comics
Your Library also has an expansive Zine and Self-Published Comics Collection! We hope that by offering these unique and inspiring materials, library users will gain a broader appreciation for their community (and library) and that they will feel empowered to contribute their own self-published comics and zines. That's why we have an Open Call for Zines and Self-Published Comics as well as an event celebrating the DIY and printed matter community! Join us for Duval Comic and Zine Fest (held annually in June). There's also a monthly Zinester Meetup at the Main Library on the first Wednesday of the Month (during Art Walk). Or, drop in on Saturdays from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. at Main Library for Saturday Morning Cartooning and meet with other storytellers and artists. You might even find a collaborator for your next project!
Shop and Support Jacksonville Public Library
The Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library Bookstore will be OPEN from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Small Business Saturday! If you're not already, this is a great time to become a member; it is good through December 31, 2024. Members get Buy One, Get One (BOGO) on any store item all year long and first access and special pricing during their semi-annual "Big Bag Sale."
For more information, visit https://www.fjpl.org. The bookstore is located at the University Park Branch Library at 3435 University Blvd. N.
Looking for Florida fiction authors? There's a helpful list posted (or ask a volunteer).
You can also support the Friends and the Library by donating your gently-loved books, DVDs, CDs, and jigsaw puzzles. Donations totaling less than 3 boxes can be dropped off at any branch. If you have more than 3 boxes, please take them directly to the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library bookstore.
#You May Also Like
Holiday Pop-Up Boutique Book Sale
Complete your holiday shopping at the Friends of the Mandarin Library's pop-up book sale on November 30 through December 2. The three days of the sale are open to all, but membership is encouraged and appreciated. You can join at the door for $10. Proceeds from sales and memberships are used to enhance programs and services at the Mandarin Library. The sale includes a superb selection of small books, perfect for stocking stuffers or hostess gifts, and curated boutique books.
Lit Chat Interview with Nat Glover
Former Jacksonville Sheriff Nat Glover joins us to talk about his memoir, Striving for Justice: A Black Sheriff in the Deep South, on Saturday, December 9 from 2-3 p.m., live at the Bradham and Brooks Library. The interview will also be live-streamed via Zoom. He will be in conversation with Keitha Nelson, an award-winning journalist with 19 years of experience in the field of broadcasting and co-anchor for Good Morning Jacksonville, First Coast News, NBC12/ABC25.
Are You Our Next Local Author?
Do you have a ready-to-publish manuscript? join us at the Writer's Lab in December for a hands-on how-to session with Mike Messier. He will instruct you, step-by-step, on how to write and publish fiction and nonfiction on Kindle Vella & Amazon KDP. If you bring your finished manuscript, you could even leave with a published book! Join us on Saturday, December 2 from 12- 2 p.m. at Mandarin Branch Library!
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