First Book is proud to partner with many talented authors. We appreciate the support of Barbara Taylor Bradford, Laura Numeroff, Mary Pope Osborne, James Patterson, Rick Riordan, Nora Robertson, R.L. Stine, Mo Willems and many other dedicated authors.
How Authors Can Work with First Book
First Book welcomes the involvement of authors in advancing our mission of getting books to kids in need. Some things that authors can do to support First Book:
- Donate proceeds from the sale of your book: First Book can provide branding and messaging to convey that the book purchase is also helping to provide books for children in need.
- Sponsor a book distribution: Authors can financially underwrite the distribution of a large quantity of new books to children in their hometowns or other communities.
- Issue an e-book challenge: Authors who sell their books independently can challenge their readers by promising a donation to First Book if a title makes it to the Top 500, Top 10 or Top 20 on Amazon’s Kindle store.
- Raise awareness online and via social media: Authors can celebrate their support of First Book by featuring First Book’s logo and web address on their own websites, encouraging their fans to follow First Book on Facebook and Twitter, and sharing or re-tweeting First Book messages.
- Encourage community programs and Title I schools to register with First Book. As part of their own promotional efforts, authors can plan visits to low-income schools and programs and encourage these groups to register with First Book for permanent access to books.
Resources for Authors
First Book offers resources to help authors spread the word about us at events and as part of their own outreach and marketing efforts.
- Marketplace flyer: Click here to download a PDF flyer describing the First Book Marketplace.
- Registration flyer: Click here to download a PDF flyer telling local schools and programs how they can register with First Book to get great new books for the children they serve.
- Website badge:Show your support for First Book! Download this “I Support First Book” badge and display it on your website, linking back to firstbook.org. We’d love for your fans to visit our site and learn about First Book and the work that we do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before contacting First Book, please check the list of frequently asked questions below.
- Will you publish my book?
First Book is not a publishing company. We distribute books purchased from or donated by publishers. - Do you buy books from authors?
When purchasing books, First Book deals directly with publishers. We do not purchase books directly from authors, and we do not sell unsolicited titles through the First Book Marketplace. - Will you review my book?
First Book does not review books. Our website, blog and social media channels are used to promote our own campaigns, partnerships and initiatives. - Will you introduce me to publishers?
Though we work with most major publishers, we’re not able to introduce new authors to our contacts. - Do you accept used books?
First Book distributes only brand-new books to the schools and programs we serve. We recommend contacting Better World Books or another worthy organization that specializes in used book donations. - Can I donate copies of my book?
While we appreciate this generosity, First Book’s distribution systems are set up to allocate large scale donations in excess of 5,000 titles. We encourage authors who wish to donate smaller quantities of books to place them locally with deserving programs and/or Title I schools. Please encourage any groups not already registered with First Book to do so to ensure many more books on an ongoing basis for the children they serve.
If your question isn’t answered here, and you’d like to help us provide more books to more programs and schools serving children in need, please contact our Publisher Relations team at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .