Hometown Hoopla II - Support your Local Library

As writers, I think we sometimes spend too much time focused on book sellers. Sure, they are an essential ingredient in getting our novels into the hands of readers, but not the only ingredient. I would venture to say that the public library in your town does as much or more to help eager readers find new authors as any book store.

Libraries exist with public funds, but we must remember that private contributions allow libraries to flourish. In my neighborhood we have the Fairfax Library Foundation, whose mission is to provide supplementary support to enhance Fairfax County Public Library programs and services. It’s all about gathering public support for the Library, and they are always coming up with cool new ways to do that.

For example, they produced a regular online show called BookCast. BookCast is thepodcast of the Fairfax County Public Library which, by the way, is located in thelargest Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. More than a million people live in my county, and most of them use the library.

So you see, it was a marvelous opportunity for me to be interviewed recently by Fairfax County Library Director Sam Clay on BookCast. Sam turned out to be an excellent interviewer who asked the questions readers would ask if they got the chance. He does a great job of introducing writers like me to potential readers. It's an easy way to learn a lot more about me and my books, and other writers who are my neighbors.

So support your local library, and support mine by listening to my podcast on BookCast.