Partnerships for libraries: monetise the readership you serve
You’re a trusted gateway to readers in your community. ZOMZEY connects you with authors and publishers who want to reach them, you choose what fits, and you get paid securely.
Every paid collaboration arranged through ZOMZEY should be clearly labelled as an ad, as explained in the Advertising Standards Authority’s guide to making clear that ads are ads.
Helpful guides: 100 ways independent bookshops earn more and how to get a book into bookshops. Curious what your space could earn? Try the free Earnings Estimator.
You connect readers with books every day. Let's help that work harder for you.
An independent bookstore is so much more than shelves, it's a curated, trusted space readers come to for recommendations. That trust is genuinely valuable to authors and publishers, but turning it into reliable income beyond retail margin is hard. Author events take effort to organise, paid placements are an informal handshake at best, and there's no easy way for the right authors to find you. ZOMZEY changes that. Authors and publishers post real, paid opportunities, table features, window displays, events, staff-pick placements, and you simply choose the ones that fit your shop and your readers.
How it works for libraries
It’s simple. Browse opportunities from authors and publishers wanting to reach your readers. See one that fits your library and community? Make your offer and set your terms, an author event, a featured collection, a reading programme. If they choose you, you deliver it, and you get paid securely through the platform. You stay in control, you only ever take on what genuinely serves
What makes ZOMZEY different
On ZOMZEY, you’re valued for the genuine reach and engagement you offer, not a social metric. Every partnership you complete builds your verified track record, and the stronger it grows, the higher you rank and the more authors and publishers seek you out. Every Member is verified and every deal is funded through ZOMZEY Protected Payments before you start. We built ZOMZEY so the trusted institutions that champion reading get supported for the audiences they serve.
Who you'll work with
All kinds of Members come to ZOMZEY wanting to reach the readers your library serves.
Independent Authors
Authors wanting talks, events and featured listings with community readers.
Publishers
Publishers wanting their titles featured and championed to engaged readers.
Children's & YA Authors
Authors wanting school and family reading events and programmes.
Non-Fiction & Educational Authors
Authors wanting talks and features that suit a learning audience.
Local & Debut Authors
New and local voices wanting a trusted community platform.
EdTech & Course Influencers
Influencers wanting to reach learners through a trusted community hub.
Showcase your library, and we'll help it shine
On ZOMZEY, your profile is how authors and publishers find libraries like yours, so we'll help you build a strong one. ZAi helps you present your library, describe your community and readership, present your options with confidence, and pull your best events into a showcase. Every partnership you deliver builds your verified track record automatically, lifting your ranking and bringing more Members to you. Showcase your library to be searched and found by the authors who'd love to reach your readers.
Ready to do more for your readers, and your library?
Sign up free as a Hub, build your profile with ZAi's help, and start choosing the opportunities that fit your community. Free to join, and you stay in control.
Partnerships for libraries: your questions
Is ZOMZEY free for partnerships for libraries?
Yes. A library joins free as a Hub, is listed in Discover free and pays commission only when a paid partnership completes. Shops and Communities Pro is optional and lowers the commission once you are trading regularly; the pricing page lists every figure, and that is all it costs to start partnerships for libraries.
How are partnerships for libraries paid?
The author or publisher funds the deal under Protected Payments before the event or programme runs. You deliver it, upload evidence such as a dated photograph of the event or the featured collection, and the payment is released to your payout method once the Member approves it within the review window. The written agreement on the deal page settles what was promised.
Do partnerships for libraries need to be labelled?
Where an author or publisher has paid for a featured collection, a display or a newsletter mention, say so where readers see it. An author event that the author has paid to hold is an event, not a review, and the library’s own recommendations should stay exactly that. The ASA and CMA guidance linked above explains what counts.
What should a library charge?
Price partnerships for libraries by the work and the audience: an author evening with a room and promotion, a reading programme over several weeks, a featured collection for a month, or a mention in the library newsletter, each with a clear description and a price on your rate card. The free calculators give a starting range.
What evidence does a library upload for partnerships for libraries?
Dated photographs of the event, display or collection, the attendance or loan figures the offer promised, and a copy of any newsletter or social post that carried the mention. Evidence lives on the deal page, so approval is against what you both agreed, which is what makes partnerships for libraries easy to run alongside the day job.
How do partnerships for libraries attract the right authors and publishers?
Describe your readers and your community honestly, show past events in your showcase, connect your accounts so your figures are validated, and keep your rate card current. Every completed deal adds a review and lifts your Star tier, which is what authors and publishers compare when they choose a library.
Can a public library take paid partnerships for libraries?
Many libraries already charge for room hire and run paid author events; partnerships for libraries on ZOMZEY work the same way, with the agreement and the payment recorded. Check your own service’s policy on income and sponsorship first, and keep anything paid for clearly separate from the library’s own recommendations.
What if an author changes the brief after I accept?
Changes are agreed on the deal page and recorded next to the original terms, so nothing changes until you both say so. If the new ask is more work, quote for it before you agree; partnerships for libraries stay in your control when the record is kept in one place.
Can an agency represent a library?
Yes. Hubs can join an agency roster by consent and leave the same way, keeping their own account throughout. The agency pitches for you and takes its agreed share automatically through ZSplit when a deal is released.
In short, partnerships for libraries earn when the activity genuinely serves your readers and the payment is protected. ZOMZEY brings the authors and publishers to you, records the deal and holds the money until you have delivered.
What a library can list
A room, an event slot or another service, with the date, the fee, what the fee covers and who supplies copies. Friends groups can list services too. Paid mentions must be labelled as advertising, and never presented as the library’s professional recommendation.
Get a service or give a service
Libraries are one way into ZOMZEY, and the platform is open to everyone. A library can also book a creator or an author for an event.
More questions
Is this only for public libraries?
No. Any library, Friends group or community space can list a service.
Do we have to accept every author?
No.
Is there a monthly fee?
No.
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