How do I become a published author?

Well, one way is to be a Wall, and invite people to ask questions: my answers are published here daily! But I think you mean you want your books sold at bookstores or articles in magazines. Start by learning the craft of writing: take a writing workshop or journalism course here at BC, or at grubstreet.org. Write. A lot. (Get a job as a stringer at a local newspaper to get lots of practice!) Send pieces to magazines or literary journals (subscribe to writersmarket.com for listings & how-to, &/or browse the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market at the O’Neill Reference Desk: PN3355 .F47). If you have a plan for a non-fiction book or have finished a novel, get a literary agent (O’Neill PN163 .G853) to try to land a publishing deal. Or just go your own way: self-publish via Amazon, and be ready to do a lot of self-promotion! Best of luck!

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.