I am a local author, and my husband and I currently run a local literary reading series from our home. Over the course of the last year, we have hosted more than 70 unique Washington, DC-based authors of novels, poetry, short fiction, and essay collections. However, many of these authors, including ourselves, published or are in the process of publishing with smaller presses and thus find it difficult to gain the visibility to sell widely. Further, many Washington, DC bookstores don't have a section for local authors of literature. It is difficult to gain readership, even in local venues.

Using an example that has worked in other countries such as Japan, Sweden, and Germany, we are fundraising to purchase a book vending machine to be placed and operated in a heavily trafficked part of DC. Some schools have them, but to our knowledge, they are not common items in public places in the U.S.

We are hopeful that by getting the necessary licenses and placing a machine in a heavily trafficked area, we could give local authors more visibility and also sell their books. We would change stock every month so that each month featured new authors, representing a range of literary styles and tastes and also representing the spectrum of literary, experiential, racial, gender and socioeconomic diversity of the DMV region.