Opinion polls say that about 80% of Americans fancy themselves as a published author. Discouragingly, the odds of becoming a bestselling author are about 1 in 50000 so that would give any aspiring writer 0.0025% chance of becoming successful. However, this 8-year-old boy from Idaho beats the odds by using his own cheat code for success – sneaking his self-made book into a library.
Dillion Helbig loves to write and draw, he has dreamed of becoming an author when he grows up. But the talented young writer couldn’t just wait that long. He just completed his 81-page illustrated book which he wrote and illustrated by hand in a red-bound notebook given by his grandma. His self-made graphic novel The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis tells the fascinating story of how his exciting adventures started when the star on top of his Christmas tree exploded and created a portal leading to different places in time and space.
Boy Snuck His Self-Made Book Onto The Shelves And Now Has A 125-Person Wait list
Don’t judge a book by its cover… or the age of its author! Over Christmas break, 8-year-old Dillon Helbig crafted an 81-page fictional masterpiece, snuck it onto the shelves of his local library, and it now has a 125-person waitlist.
Via @NPRWeekend ? https://t.co/vGEddIjfHY pic.twitter.com/UlhPbVblHI
— GBH (@GBH) February 7, 2022
After he had finished his self-made book, the second-grader knew he had to share it for everyone to read. But how can he publish it by himself? Then a cunning idea came – he thought of sneaking his book into the library and slip it onto the shelf, hoping for somebody to find it and take time to read. So when he and his grandma visited the Lake Hazel Library in Boise, he cleverly put his plan into action.
“I always be sneaky, like how I get chocolate,” Dillon says. “There was a lot of librarians that I had to sneak past, so do you know what I did? I covered up this part and covered the back with my body and just snuck it in.”
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The sneaky boy slipped his self-made book onto a shelf of the graphic novel section in the fiction shelves. A couple of days after his successful stunt, Dillon decided to confess his deed to his parents. His mom immediately called the library and after apologizing for what her son did, she asked the staff not to throw the book away so they could retrieve it. Little did she know that the library staff have found Dillon’s book not long after he snuck it onto the shelf. Alex Hartman, the branch manager of Lake Hazel Library, also found the illustrated novel amusing that he even borrowed it for his 6-year-old son to read.
“His parents were worried we would find his book and we would get rid of it,” said Hartman. “Which was an unfounded fear because if there’s ever a place a book would be safe, it would be here.”
Dillon Helbig, 8, wrote a book that he wanted everyone to read. So he slipped his sole copy onto the shelves of his local library.
The book, a richly illustrated tale about traveling back in time after a Christmas tree star explodes, was a hit.https://t.co/SwkgkuuG2N
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 1, 2022
After getting the permission of Dillon and his parents, the library officially included the self-published illustrated book in its collection. But if you’re planning to borrow it from the library, you’ll have to wait because the wait-list is up to 125 people as of today. The book is so well-loved that the library awarded its first-ever Whoodini Award for Best Young Novelist to Dillon to recognize his talent and incredible potential as an author. With so many people wanting to get their hands on the popular children’s book, Hartman has suggested to Dillon and his parents to create a digital version of the sole copy to provide access to more people.
8-year-old Dillon Helbig wrote and illustrated 81 pages of his very own book, and was determined to get it onto library shelves.
When librarians found it, they made it available to check out.
It’s become a sensation, and dozens of people are on a waitlist to read it. pic.twitter.com/Vpmm3fM2SK
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) February 3, 2022
After his story went viral online, many people kept asking what Dillon is up to after the successful launching of his self-made book. Much to everyone’s excitement, the young writer revealed that he’s currently working on a sequel to The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis. The young writer teased that the second part will introduce new characters including his dog Rusty and a cameo appearance by The Grinch. Furthermore, he’s also working on another book entitled The Jacket-Eating Closet. Needless to say, we’re all eager to witness how this budding writer achieve his dream of becoming a bestselling author at a very young age.
Watch the interview with Dillon on the video below
Source: Lake Hazel Library Instagram