PENDLETON — In June, Devin Dummel, a pastor at Pendleton Christian Church, self-published his first book on faith.
Just last month, his 3-year-old son Dryden saw a copy of the book, “The Famous One,” a story sharing God’s glory, on display at the Pendleton Community Public Library.
“He was just ecstatic about it and thought it was just the coolest thing,” Dummel said. “He picked it out and saw it on his own and said, ‘That’s Daddy’s book.’”
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Dummel is one of a handful of local authors who has a book on display at the local library as part of the Works of Local Authors project, designed to help showcase and promote Madison County writers.
Kristen Case, adult programming and outreach specialist, thought it would be a good idea to recognize local talent and came up with the idea to dedicate a location to highlight and circulate local authors’ work.
Case promoted the project through flyers and was thrilled to get a positive response from many local writers, most of whom are eager to get their books and into readers’ hands.
Library staff often is approached by writers who want to do a book signing or discussion about their book with patrons, Case said.
The Works of Local Authors project allows writers at the very least to get their book into a place where people who like to read can see it and check it out.
The library has played host to local author book fairs in the past and had dozens of local writers attend, but it didn’t get as much community support for the fair as hoped. Having a prominent display for local writers will give readers a chance to find the books on their own time.
“Now, with self publishing, there is just a lot more of an opportunity for people to actually put their works together and bound professionally, so we’re getting a lot more local writers than usual,” Case said.
Case said she’s been amazed by the volume of local writing talent in Madison County. While many first-time authors will have books with mistakes, the vast majority are put together in a professional format, making them look like hundreds of other books on the shelves.
The Works of Local Authors project display also will allow patrons to provide feedback to the authors.
The books are part of the library’s temporary collection and are marked to be checked out, allowing authors a chance to pull up records to see if their book is being checked out.
The display is in the center of the library and features a few local authors to date. But, once word gets out there is a designated place for local writers to share their work, Case expects the display will expand.
For writers like Dummel, who are publishing their work for the first time, having his book on display for others to see is like a dream come true, he said.
“I’ve always wanted to write a book,” Dummel said. “The idea has been in my head for about six years. … I’m already working on my second one.”
All items submitted for the projects will be reviewed by library staff before acceptance into the Works of Local Authors project, and if accepted, will become the permanent property of the Pendleton Community Public Library.
Authors interested in submitting publications for this project may contact Case at [email protected].