Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Is Your Librarian Your Best Friend?



A librarian can become your best friend when it comes to steering you in the right direction. When I was starting out as a writer, I began with writing poems for children. I didn’t know where to send my poems. I hadn’t had a clue. But then I thought, who better to ask than a local librarian. She would know the answers.

So I went to the library one day with my poems in hand. I asked her where is my market? Can you help? She suggested a market guide called Children’s Writer’s & Illustrators Market by Writers’ Digest. I looked through the book and decided to send out my poems. I eventually found a market for my poems in the magazine publishers section. The librarian also suggested other reference books too.

Sure, writing poems or books is great but what happens if you don’t know how to market. The poems or book gets left on the shelf. I spent hours reading books that had everything to do with how to market my work. There’s allot of help out there if you search for it.

There are so many writers out there that write well but do not pursue publishing because they don’t know the first step. I am saying that if you simply go to your public library, you can succeed by letting your librarian steer you in the right direction!

Mine did. In my mind, she is my best friend.

I dedicate my first published book, Read to Me Rhymes: Seasons, published by McGraw-Hill Children’s publishing and taken over by School Specialty to my “best friend” my librarian. If it wasn’t for her I would not have acquired my dream of being published!