The fast-paced changes in electronic publishing make self-publishing and distribution accessible for anyone with computer access, including public computers at the library. Libraries have always supported authors with research assistance – now we have the unique opportunity to support writers by teaching them the skills and techniques for writing fiction and self-publishing it through the available and emerging platforms. Many libraries have books about writing and the writing life, and many have fiction books to check out, along with book discussion groups to discuss those books. Content creation is the next step for libraries who want to connect with their communities. Libraries can center themselves in the community by partnering with writing initiatives like National Novel Writing Month or hosting a Community Novel Project to bring together many authors to write, edit and publish a novel collaboratively. Libraries are trained primarily to evaluate books based on review sources and self-published works are often excluded from their purview. To stay engaged with these emerging writers and readers, libraries can support and encourage fiction writers using their books, programs, initiatives and community connections to keep libraries central to the culture of reading and writing.

The Community Novel Project is a true community effort from start to finish. The 2013 project, Speakeasy, began with an organizational meeting, where writers from our community met to discuss how the 2012 pilot project could be improved and expanded, and established a premise for the story. Participating authors waited for their week to write, as each successive chapter follows the lead of the chapters published before. Each author was also asked to contribute an author biography and photo to be included with online chapters and in the print edition of the book. Community members interested in copy-editing used open source software DokuWiki for tracking changes during online collaborative editing. Our audiobook version was recorded into GarageBand on an iMac by a community volunteer. The weekly episodes were released through iTunes and were made available for download on the weekly blog post about the new chapter. As the chapters were published and the project gained momentum, authors gained experience promoting their novel, including interviews for the local newspaper and recording a audio podcast that was aired from the library’s website. Each author was also given the opportunity to complete an interview about his experience as a participant in the project, and those interviews were published on the website between new chapters. Several authors were given the opportunity to promote the finished book at the Kansas Book Festival, at the TSCPL vendor table. Our library’s support of writers and authors has expanded in additional ways include writing and editing workshops, National Novel Writing Month events and an Author Fair. The entire project has been evaluated, repeated and expanded in successive years.

In 2012, a pilot project, Capital City Capers, developed the collaborative model and tested the timelines, producing a locally written novel between the initial concept in January and successful Book Launch in September. In 2013, more than 20 writers contributed chapters for the novel Speakeasy, which was serialized on the library website from April to August 2013. The novel is available as a complete edition in print, audiobook, and e-book format. In 2014, the demand for participation in this project continues to grow, with new writers and editors joining the community novel team each year. For the third year, a new pilot project, a 10-chapter juvenile novel, opens more opportunities to participate in the creation of a novel and allows writers to create content for a younger audience. This novel will be illustrated, so the project also offers an opportunity for community artists to contribute their talents. Participants are learning skills like web publishing and print layout. In successive years, new writers are encouraged to participate and experienced writers are able to take new roles in the development, publishing and marketing of the projects. As more libraries and organizations express interest in the project, we are challenged to better document our experiences and create a model which is able to be adapted and replicated. This project models the evolving skill set necessary for writers wishing to self-publish their own work in digital or print on demand formats and establishes the library as a trusted resource for 21st century writers.