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Quarterly program

Shelf Life

Every quarter, readers in the Tri-Cities vote on a book by a local or regional author. We buy the winner from a local indie bookstore and place copies in free libraries and book exchanges across the metro.

Now open · Summer 2026

Our first Shelf Life shortlist celebrates Pride month. We're looking for books by LGBTQ authors or featuring LGBTQ main characters, available through a Tri-Cities indie bookstore. Submissions and nominations are open now.

How it works

01

We build a shortlist.

Each quarter, 3 books are randomly drawn from the eligible submission pool. All eligible books have an equal shot. The only constraint: the shortlist has to include variety in genre or bookstore source.

02

You vote.

Voting runs for two weeks. Each vote is a $5 donation to Folklore Society. That money goes directly to purchasing the winning book. No middleman, no overhead.

03

We buy local.

The winning book gets purchased at full retail from whichever Tri-Cities indie bookstore carries it. We split purchases across stores when more than one stocks the title.

04

Books hit the shelves.

Each copy gets a Folklore bookplate inside, then goes to a free library or book exchange across the metro. Take it, read it, pass it on.

Our bookstore partners

A book is only eligible for Shelf Life if it can be ordered through one of our Tri-Cities indie bookstore partners. The winning book determines where the copies come from. We always buy at full retail.

Current partners include BAGG Books (romance, dark romance, romantasy), Wildflower Fiction (contemporary romance), Ink Drinkers Bookshop (sci-fi, horror), and Adventures Underground (sci-fi, gaming). As more stores join the program, the range of eligible genres grows with them.

Get involved

Vote.

When voting is open, cast your $5 donation-vote for the book you want to see in free libraries across the Tri-Cities. Follow us on Instagram for announcements when each new shortlist drops.

Follow for updates

Submit your book.

If you're an author based in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho with a published book available through a Tri-Cities indie bookstore, we want to know about it. We pull from the submission pool each quarter to build the shortlist.

Author submission form

Nominate a book.

Know a great book by a local or regional author? You don't have to be the author to suggest it. Tell us the title, who wrote it, and why it belongs on a Shelf Life shortlist. We'll take it from there.

Nominate a book

Host a book.

Maintain a free library, book box, or community book exchange in the Tri-Cities? Registered Little Free Libraries and homegrown book boxes are equally welcome. We deliver a copy each quarter and ask that you place it on the shelf.

Volunteer your library

Common questions

Yes. Each vote is a $5 donation to Folklore Society. That money goes directly to purchasing copies of the winning book from a local indie bookstore. The program runs entirely on votes.
The book must be published (no manuscripts or preorders), written by an author based in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, and orderable through at least one Tri-Cities indie bookstore. Any publication path works: traditional, small press, indie, or self-published. Publication window is the last five years. The program focuses on young adult and adult readers. Children's books and middle grade titles are not eligible.
Yes. Books whose primary purpose is religious instruction or evangelism are not eligible (fiction and nonfiction that engage with religion as a theme are welcome). Books that promote discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or national origin are not eligible. Folklore also reserves the right to exclude any title whose author is the subject of credible public allegations of abuse, harassment, or predatory conduct.
Every eligible submission goes into the quarterly pool. We use a random draw to select 3 books, with one constraint: the shortlist must include at least two different genres or two different bookstore sources. We don't hand-pick based on personal preference. The community vote is where the real selection happens.
No. Registered Little Free Libraries, homemade book boxes, church bookshelves, community book exchanges, whatever form your free library takes, if it's in the Tri-Cities and open to the public, it's welcome. We're aiming for geographic spread across Richland, West Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco.
For the pilot, we're starting with 5 locations. As the roster of partner libraries grows and voter turnout increases, so does the number of copies. More votes means more books.
Directly to purchasing the winning book from a Tri-Cities indie bookstore, at full retail. Remaining funds cover bookplates and delivery. Any surplus rolls into the next quarter's fund.

Stay in the loop.

Get notified when voting opens, see which books made the shortlist, and follow along as copies land on shelves across the Tri-Cities.

No spam. Just events and updates.