What is ALA?

A non-profit organization based out of the United States, the American Library Association is the oldest library association in the world; promoting libraries and library education on a global scale, with over 57,000 active members.

Why attend the Midwinter Meeting in Seattle?

Looking to capitalize on this networking opportunity to get our brand promoted across the library landscape, Austin Macauley’s presence at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle was something we had in mind for months; booking a stand at the event was a no-brainer.

With librarians and publishers represented from across the North American market, the Midwinter Meeting was the perfect opportunity to network in this space and further develop our existing relationships with professionals attending this event.

AM table display at the event with a selection of our adult and children’s titles.

What did Austin Macauley do while attending?

Setting up our stand when our team arrived with heads high; we were very excited to be present and engage at this event which plays host to the largest gathering of librarians on the continent.

One of Austin Macauley’s audience engagement factors while in attendance was our “Indulge in Self-Help Contest Giveaway,” which featured a selection of our health and well-being titles, including Habiba Zaman’s Beautifully Bare Undeniably You, Barbara Halcrow’s Ultimate Self-Care, A Holistic Guide for Strength and Balance in Changing Times, and Carrie Schell’s Yoga Recovery.

Our book giveaway allowed us to interact with scholarly library representatives from across the country and the chance to receive aesthetically pleasing tote bags with gifts inside.

We also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from digital media and computation analytics companies including: Hoopla, Overdrive, Edelweiss, and the Combined Book Exhibit. Our focus was to continue fostering these relationships and to assess the evolving technology publishing space in order to master our marketing techniques within the US market.

Additionally, we were able to meet with Ms. Kristin Norell, CEO of The Children’s Reading Foundation, to finalize our partnership with their organization. Ms. Norell was also able to provide keen insights on how to secure more opportunities for our children’s authors in both the library and private bookseller space.

Kristin Norell (left), CEO of The Children’s Reading Foundation, stands with Jade Robertson (right), International Director of Austin Macauley, as they present their new partnership.

What did we learn?

In addition to meeting with and fostering new relationships with a high volume of industry contacts, Austin Macauley was able to gain many valuable insights from ALA Midwinter in Seattle in 2019.

From our new partnership with the Combined Book Exhibit, we now have access to feature our author’s titles at book shows around the globe, even if we’re unable to be physically present as the publisher. Additionally, our new partnership with The Children’s Reading Foundation will provide us with increased visibility for all our children’s titles moving forward.

What’s next?

After a successful showing in Seattle, Austin Macauley will be making our way to Washington D.C. this summer to attend the 2019 ALA Annual Conference from June 20^th – 25^th. We hope to see you there!