Library Copies

Writing any book takes a great deal of time and only a few become best sellers, so most writers do not derive a living wage from their book-writing efforts. Yet books are important to any culture, especially those telling a story of importance to that culture.

The Commonwealth Government recognises the unremunerative aspect of literary endeavours in our small national market place via certain schemes to support the work of Australian writers. The minimum requirement for an author to share in the payments under these schemes is that his or her book needs to be held in at least 30 public libraries around Australia.

Libraries tend to order only those books they think will be of interest to their own local 'constituents'. It is difficult to get the message across to many librarians that men who arrived on the First and Second Fleets have descendants all over Australia, not just in the environs of Sydney. Likewise, the descendants of Cornish immigrants like the Dennis family are spread all over Australia.

Hence this message. If you enjoyed any of my non-fiction family histories and would like me to keep on plugging away at producing them, your help as a 'salesperson' would be much appreciated. Please show your own personal copy to your local librarian, point out the relevance to your local community, and request that a library copy be ordered. Thanks a million!