The British Library has been in touch to request my debut novel, Soldier Doll. It wants to add it to its collections. I know. I could hardly believe it myself, especially as the collections include historical gems ranging from the Magna Carta and Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebook to Jane Austen’s manuscripts. Sublime company, to say the least!
Actually it was more of a demand than a request. I recently began printing my book under my own press name. As a result, I am now legally required to send the Library a copy of anything I publish. The system, which I admit I’d never heard of, is called Legal Deposit and has been part of English law since 1662. It’s there to ensure that everything published in the UK – books, newspapers, journals, digital – is preserved for the future.
The collections hold more than 170 million items. Together they take up over 746 km of shelving. To put that in perspective, it’s equivalent to the distance from London to Aberdeen. Around 70% of the Library’s print collection is held in a 44 acre site in Yorkshire, which is where my book is off to.
I wonder what will sit either side of it? Probably not the MC, Leonardo or Jane but still, I’d love to know.