New Partners: Amazon + Goodreads

by Hazel Buys

Is everyone aware that Amazon recently bought Goodreads? The pairing of a major online retailer of books (and just about everything else) and a major reading fan base suggests huge opportunities for writers of all genres. To help us get up to speed, Sarah Pinneo, author of Julia's Child (Plume, 2012) posted an entry on the Query Tracker blog site. Follow this link for Part 1:

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-authors-complete-guide-to-using.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+QueryTracker+%28QueryTracker+Blog%29&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail

While you're there, check out Query Tracker if you are new to the site, and visit Sarah's website at http://www.sarahpinneo.com/

Stayed tuned for Part 2!

Preparing For A Novel Revision Retreat

by Hazel Buys

Big news: I'm going to a writers' conference! It's big news to me, anyway. No matter how many gatherings I go to, conference attendance is a major event in my writing life.

I'm not much of  a crowd person, so it takes a bit of energy. It also takes time from my writing (yep, I tell myself I would be using the time working on my novel, even if I weren't at the conference - LOL!). Actually, it's a novel revision retreat sponsored by the MidAtlantic SCBWI, at the Roslyn Conference Center in Richmond, VA.

In preparing for this retreat, I researched ideas on what to bring, what to ask, what to wear (a sweater, even in June - conference rooms can be cold), etc. It's amazing how much advice is out there!

It will surprise no one that one must-bring item is your pitch. Yep, even if you only have a first draft and you are undertaking major revisions, you should know enough about your novel to put together a pitch.

Fortunately, QueryTracker has a great post about pitches. The post is from 2009 but it's timeless. And, admit it, we can all use refreshers on writing pitches. Take a look:

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2009/04/dreaded-pitch-what-to-include-in-that.html

Congratulations!

by Hazel Buys

A big high-five to Gigi Amateau and Meg Medina who were the subject of Bill Lohmann's column in Monday's Times-Dispatch Metro section (6-10-13). Yesterday was the kick-off of the third summer reading list for their "Strong Girls of Summer" annual project. Take a look:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/columnists-blogs/bill-lohmann/lohmann-strong-girls-is-the-goal-of-authors-summer-reading/article_ed8fe889-ba13-5acd-a004-7da55e122966.html

Visit Gigi at http://www.gigiamateau.com

Visit Meg at http://www.megmedina.com

In other news:

Google has created a wonderful animated doodle to celebrate the 85th birthday of Maurice Sendak. You don't want to miss it!

http://youtu.be/UgtEDdumbwo

What a great start to June!

Does The Conclusion Of Your Book Bring It To An END?

by Hazel Buys

First, a tip: I flew by an article by Jane Friedman that neatly categorizes publishing into 5 types. Take a look:

http://janefriedman.com/2013/05/20/infographic-5-key-book-publishing-paths/

On another note... the other night, I was reading, as a precursor to getting drowsy and dropping off into dreamland (hopefully), I realized I was actually getting irritated because the book I was reading wouldn't end. Did you feel that way at the end of the movie, LORD OF THE RINGS, FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING? A review of the movie I read lamented that it wouldn't end!

I love the LOTR series and didn't mind the stop-start rhythm of the last 15 minutes or so of the movie. But I definitely mind the stuttering end (?) of the book I am still reading. (The names have been omitted to protect the guilty.) The mystery had been solved, the guilty sent to prison, the various odds and ends tied up and I was hoping for a satisfactory wrap-up sentence before shutting down my Kindle and going to sleep. But every time I clicked the page-forward button at the end of the chapter, instead of a teaser for the next novel (I love that some authors are doing that) or an epilogue, another chapter appeared!

Which prompted me to write a note to self: when you've tied up your plot and subplots with a neat little bow, the next two words should be "The END." If there is more exposition, sprinkle it throughout the narrative, put it in an epilogue or leave it out (perhaps the best solution). Don't leave your reader wishing it were over already. There is no better way to guarantee they won't pick up your next book.

Not-to-Do List

For anyone who is new to children's publishing, here are a few common mistakes that are easily avoided. 

1. Don’t get an illustrator for your picture book manuscript. It’s the publisher’s job to assign an illustrator to the project. So if you are planning to go the traditional publishing route, you don’t need to include illustrations. In fact, unless you are a professional illustrator, sending illustrations in with your manuscript is a sign of an amateur writer. A few sparse illustration notes are acceptable if absolutely necessary, but for the most part, editors and agents will be able to “get” your story without any visuals. They do this every day.
2. Don’t mention anything about how much your child or grandchild loves your book. This is the equivalent of writing “my mother thinks I’m really smart” on your college application. Of course your child loves your story, but it tells the editor or agent absolutely nothing about the quality of your manuscript. It means your child loves you. Which is wonderful, but don’t put it in a query letter.
3.  Don’t rush. It’s not a race. Too many writers are in such a hurry that they send out a manuscript that still needs work. Or they send out a manuscript to any publisher at all without taking the time to find the best fit. That is a formula for automatic rejection. Be deliberate. Be purposeful. Be professional.
4.  Don’t worry about copyrights. There are all kinds of ideas about mailing your manuscript to yourself, or paying fees to register the copyright paperwork. Forget all that. The moment you write anything, your writing belongs to you legally, lawfully, copyrightedly, and every other way. The only way that changes is if you sign a contract that assigns rights to someone else.
5.  Don’t be paranoid about someone stealing your idea. Only you can write your story. Even if someone else were to have the same idea, no two people would write it in the same way. You wouldn’t want to plaster your manuscript all over the internet, but sharing your manuscript discreetly with a writing group or a critique partner is a good idea.
6.  Don’t give up! It’s very rare that a writer’s first written work gets published. Keep moving forward. What will you write next? Develop new projects, try a different kind of writing, practice patience and perseverance. You’ll need it in this business. 

Who Taught You To Read?

by Chris Sorensen

I had a conversation this past week with one of my children that made me stop and think about how they learn to read.  Who teaches my children to read?  I would like to think I have added something positive to their life in this category, but the answer to the question is without a doubt my dear wife, their mother.

Then I thought about my own life growing up.  Who taught me to read?  And I got the same answer, my mother.  I took it one step further and had wonderful conversations with some friends and colleagues at work and almost without exception, everyone I talked to said they had learned to read from their mother.

Reading allows us to learn.  Learning gives us power.  I am so grateful that my mother gave me power.  Power to understand other people’s lives through the written word.  Power to think for myself as I read and ponder life’s questions and my purpose for being on this Earth.  Power to explore other worlds and to have the opportunity to entertain myself at just about any place or any time, as long as I have a book with me.  Thank you mom for giving me that power.

As we approach Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, I hope you take time to appreciate the power that your mother instilled in you.  If your mother is still in your life, you can thank them with a note or a phone call for all the endless hours of lap time and picture books.  If your mother is not with you still, you can show your appreciation by picking up a book and continuing to grow the power she instilled in you so long ago.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful, selfless, and dedicated woman out there who gave us so many powerful things to bless our life - including the power to read.

No kidding: Writing for kids is serious.

“A priest, a rabbi, and a children’s book writer walk into a bar…”

Last Saturday, about a hundred children’s writers and illustrators walked into the Richmond Public Library to hear author Louise Hawes give an inspiring and informative talk about our craft. Leaving her introductory joke open-ended, she went on to thoroughly deconstruct the common belief that writing for kids is insignificant. Too often it’s thought to be “easy, breezy, and—the most insidious and dangerous stereotype of all—less important.” With an engaging mix of poise and irony, she made the whole notion seem absurd. And yes, dangerous.

How so? Emotions and the constant flow of facts run high from childhood to adolescence. As children’s book authors, we’re making impressions on the most impressionable, most thoughtful people on the planet. Our work involves creating characters who can extend their hands (“gently,” encouraged Louise) to our readers and show them the way, show them how to help themselves—out of torment, through struggles, confusion, the issues that can damage for life. Our work can give them a shortcut to compassion, to wisdom, to seeing what’s essential in being human. 

If we miss that, they lose, we lose.

She cautioned us, however, that young readers want to read, not for lessons, but for joy. Tell your story—don’t teach it.

Then, under her direction, we took a closer, personal look: “If your adult self could go back in time to speak to your child self, what age would you choose? Six … twelve … seventeen? The age that comes to mind is likely the age you should be writing for.” We each wrote a letter from our adult self to the age that we had chosen. It was a heart-opening exercise for some—revisiting our vulnerability in youth—and a few tears fell. It was further proof how critical it is to reach out to those who are at a critical time in their lives.

As to the delusion it’s easy and breezy, she explained how a picture book packs a punch in a very short amount of space. How that, like poetry, every word counts. It may take seven minutes to write, or it it may take seven years.

Included in the event were breakout groups for the categories of PB, MG, YA, and NF, with Virginia authors Ellen Braaf, Ginjer Clarke, Troy Howell, Erica Kirov, Lana Krumwiede, Meg Medina, Anne Marie Pace, Brian Rock, and A. B. Westrick. Gigi Amateau, also scheduled to be a facilitator, was not able to come.

…so, taking one look at the priest, the rabbi, and the children’s book writer, the bartender says, “Is this some kind of a joke?” Look again. We know at least one of them who isn’t joking.

Cheers.

___________________

If you’re serious about writing or illustrating for children, consider becoming a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), who sponsored this event. The benefits are many.

Louise Hawes is a founding faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and an author of over fifteen books for children, teens, and adults. (I’m currently reading her adult short story collection, Anteaters Don’t Dream, and you know you’re in for an amazing read when the first line begins, “I was on fire when I met Harry Too Tall…”)

—Troy Howell