Unique Books Profile

Unique Books is an American-owned and woman-owned small business. Mary Jo Hunter bought this excellent customer service oriented company in 1997, and it is now 17 years old.

Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Unique Books is dedicated to its tradition of distinctive attention to libraries. We offer a wide range of personalized services aimed at the special needs of public libraries, such as simplifying the selection process for you.

Small press titles are chosen for the timeliness of their content, as well as their accessibility. Only about one out of every five titles that publishers submit to us is chosen to offer to libraries. Unique does much of the quality control work for its selectors.

Knowledgeable library consultants offer years of experience in books and libraries. We have been lucky enough to hire many former librarians and other book industry professionals. Our team is proud to be known as “the book people company”!

Several selection service tools are available to make profiling easy and take the work out of the small press search. SoSmart, a standing order program that allows you to plan your small press development for the year, before the ink on the books is even dry! Select Smart, a highly customized monthly program that allows librarians in larger systems to preview titles for multiple branches. And Smart Kids, to fill the needs of your younger readers, from Pre-K to Young Adult, picture books to graphic novels.

Unique Books meets the challenge of maintaining a current database of the highest circulating categories. Our particular specialties include:

• African-American Interest
• Business (highlighting personal finance)
• Career
  (with special attention to home-based businesses and a strong range of blue to white collar guides)
• Consumer Health
• Crafts
• Collectibles
  (with an emphasis on the elusive oddballs)
• Decorating and How-To Home Design
• Graphic Novels
• Hispanic
• Homeschooling
• Juvenile
• Practical Gay and Lesbian Studies
• Practical Parenting (from primary to teen)
• Young Adult

And of course music, social issues, automotive, cookbooks and all the rest. See services for a complete listing of categories.

Unique Books offers a full range of processing and cataloging for the outsourcing library.