Thursday, September 27, 2018

Listen to SCBWI's Newest Podcast: A Conversation with Daniel José Older



Daniel José Older is the award-winning and best-selling author of middle grade, young adult, and adult books, including Shadowshaper, Half-Resurrection Blues, and Dactyl Hill Squad.

Daniel speaks with Theo Baker about craft, process, diversity, "the secret heart of your story,"  and much more!

Listen to the episode trailer here.

Current SCBWI members can listen to the full episode here (log in first).

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Stirring Advice from Tayari Jones to Writers in Difficult Times

The National Book Award–nominated author Tayari Jones spoke to winners of the Rona Jaffe Foundation’s award for emerging writers, and her speech included these powerful words:
...we are a nation and a planet in crisis and we must each use our resources to create the world that we want to call our own. There was a time in my life when I sat at my writing desk to spend a few hours each day, looking inward, telling my story. This was art, of course. As the descendants of Africans held in slavery in this country and denied literacy, sometimes at the penalty of death — I believed that whatever I might write was an act of defiance. And it was. And it is.

However, this is not enough.

My message to you today is not just advice for writers and artists. This is a call to action for all of us, each according to her ability. This is a plea for truth telling in all of its complexity. I am asking you to be brave enough to forsake likes and shares in favor of revealing potentially unsettling realities.
and
I push you to responsibility, but I don’t want to deprive you of the delight of creation and the pleasure of your imagination. Rather, I urge you to find and claim your voice, mission, and joy all at once. Rejoice in resistance. Seek out the satisfaction of hard work. Learn to revel in forward motion.
Read the full speech at Electric Literature here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Finding Book Clubs for Your Book - Some Ideas, and a Community Sharing



It's a dream, isn't it? Having a book club choose your book to read, and then discuss?

Yet what are all the ways you can find book clubs that might be interested?

Some ideas, and then, in comments, please add your own suggestions:

1. Ask librarians, both public and school, if they have a student book club. Or an adult book club that reads children's or teen books.

2. Ask Bookstores if they host a book club that might read your category of book.

3. If you're already connected to a group that has regular meetings, can you convince them to become a book club for one meeting for your book?

4. Try searching meetup.com and/or reader's circle.

5. Explore Goodreads for book clubs.

6. Find a "mentor text" - a recent book in your category with the same target audience, and do some internet searches for that book title and the words "book club" -- the book clubs that chose that book might be interested in yours, too!

7. Imagine you are searching for a book club. Who would you ask? Where would you look? Try those people, online, and real-world locations, and see what you can discover.

And of course, ask your fellow illustrators and writers in the SCBWI community! Chime in here, in comments, with your own suggestions for how to find book clubs that might be interested in your book!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee




Monday, September 17, 2018

Illustrators! Enter the SCBWI Narrative Art Award Contest for a Chance to Win an All-Expense Paid Trip To #NY19SCBWI



About the SCBWI Narrative Art Award
Each year, a rotating panel of judges will provide an assignment and will judge the submissions. The theme and specific assignment will change year-to-year, but the general goal will be to show sequence and narrative. The prize is an all-expense paid trip to the SCBWI New York Winter Conference. The winning illustrations will be displayed during the New York Portfolio Showcase (in conjunction with the conference). We will also have an online gallery displaying the submissions to the award for any member who submitted to the award and wants to participate.
2018 SCBWI Narrative Art Award
Assignment
Create three illustrations from the same story that display Dilemma/Conflict/Resolution.
– There must be three different characters in the story 
– Your art style must be appropriate for one of these two specific audiences/book genres (Choose one):
                Full color, intended for a picture book for 4 to 7-year-olds
                – OR –
                Black and white, intended for a MiddleGrade book for 8 to 11-year-olds
– Do not include text in your images
Theme
In honor of the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, depict a narrative of a misunderstood monster from literature, fairytales, or folktales appropriate for your audience. 
Criteria
The judges will look for images that tell a visual story with clarity and nuance. The images should reflect a range and escalation of mood and emotion.
Prize
The prize is an all-expense paid trip to the SCBWI New York Winter Conference. The winning illustrations will be displayed during the New York Portfolio Showcase (in conjunction with the conference). 
How to submit 
– You must be a current SCBWI member to submit to this award.
– Deadline: Submissions are due by midnight, PST, September 20, 2018. (The winner will be announced November 17)

Get all the details here, and good luck!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

(Posted Monday September 17, 2018 to give everyone entering the extra day.)

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Advice on Writing Series from Stephanie Greene (via Cynsations)



In this excellent interview at Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations, Survivors: Stephanie Greene on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's Author, Cynthia asks Stephanie (the author of four series) to share some insights into writing series.

Stephanie breaks series down into character-driven, concept-driven, and hook-driven, explaining that,
There are different kinds of series, of course. If you have a character in mind who you believe will appeal to enough kids that they can successfully carry a series, develop that character to the best of your ability in the first book. Three of my series have been character-driven. I first created a character who I liked. In every case, it was my editor who asked for more. (There are countless character-driven series; read as many of them as you can, especially in the genre in which you want to write. Study them. Figure out what makes the character appealing to children.)
She cites The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne as a "prime example" of concept-driven series, suggesting,
If you have a concept, develop it in one book and see what happens.
The third approach, as Stephanie tells us,
...is to develop a “hook.” That’s a feature about the character that can be repeated in subsequent books. Many series employ this device. The trick is to make it an intricate part of the story and not a superficial tag-on. I inadvertently created my Princess Posey (G. Putnam's Sons, 2010-2018) series of early chapter books because I gave the character in the first story - what was meant to be a stand-alone book – a hook: Posey’s pink tutu makes her feel brave. It was my editor’s decision the tutu [hook] could carry a series.
In all instances, the focus is to create the best possible book one, knowing it might be a stand-alone, and aiming to make it as good as it can be.

It's a wide-ranging interview, well-worth reading in its entirety.

Thanks to Stephanie and Cynthia!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

How Many Copies of Your Book Have To Sell For It To Be Considered A Success?



The easy answer is "enough to earn out your advance" if you're traditionally published, and maybe "enough to earn back your investment" if you're financing publication yourself through either hybrid or author-publishing.

The more complex answer, according to author and publisher Brooke Warner of She Writes Press, in this article Reframing Publishing Success in Publishers Weekly's BookLife, is an honest look at numbers.

While many authors state that selling 10,000 copies is their goal, Brooke cautions that “it’s an unrealistic benchmark for 95% of authors, and it’s especially unrealistic for debut authors.” She goes on to explain:
“In 2015, Lynn Neary reported a story on NPR called “When It Comes to Book Sales, What Counts as Success Might Surprise You” that noted that one of the books shortlisted for that year’s Man Booker Prize had sold fewer than 3,600 copies and another fewer than 3,000.”
Her advice includes this gem:
“Debut authors would do well to think of their first books as an investment in themselves and their futures. It’s common book publishing wisdom that the needle doesn’t truly begin to move on book sales until authors publish their third book. As such, this industry requires patience, and selling 1,000 or 2,000 copies of a freshman effort is something worth celebrating.”
And Brooke adds a reminder to:
“Celebrate the small victories, such as moments of connection with readers, a glowing review from a stranger, and the potential that these kinds of victories have to propel the next book.”
It's an article well-worth reading.

Illustrate and Write On,\Lee

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Who are the booktubers YOU follow?

YouTube videos on books. The people that make them are called "Booktubers." They're reaching teens. They're reaching hundreds of thousands of readers.


In this New York Times article, Meet the YouTube Stars Turning Viewers Into Readers, Concepción de León introduces those not in the know with some of the biggest Booktubers reaching "millennial and teenage audience."

There's Christine Riccio, whose channel is PolandBananasBooks

Jesse George, whose channel is Jesse The Reader

Kat O’Keeffe, whose channel is Kaytastic

and Ariel Bissett, whose channel is the eponymous Ariel Bissett

As Brittany Kaback, of Big Honcho Media, said of Booktubers' influence,

“I think for a lot of the people who are into watching BookTube videos, it feels like taking a recommendation from a friend.”

It was noticeable that the Booktubers featured in the New York Times article were predominantly White, so I did a little looking around, and found another great roundup of Booktubers by Tiffany Hall over at BookRiot that included a few people of color, notably:

Monica K. Watson, whose channel is She Might Be Monica

Literary Prints and

BrandonTheBookAddict.

Who are your favorite Booktubers? Are they on your radar to reach out to about your next title?

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Writing Advice from Laini Taylor (via Publishers Weekly's BookLife)



New York Times and USA Today-bestselling author and National Book Award Finalist, Laini Taylor shares some excellent writing advice over at BookLife, including:

Never sit staring at a blank page or screen. If you find yourself stuck, write. Write about the scene you’re trying to write. Writing about is easier than writing, and chances are, it will give you your way in. You could try listing 10 things that might happen next, or do a timed freewrite—fast, non-precious forward momentum; you don’t even have to read it afterward, but it might give you ideas. Try anything and everything. Never fall still, and don’t be lazy.

Go read the full article here - it's well worth it.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee