KidLitCon 2014 Focuses On Diversity

This year, the 8th Annual Conference of, by and for people who blog about children’s and young adult books (including librarians, authors, teachers, parents, booksellers, publishers, and readers) will be gathering October 10th and 11th at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in Sacramento, CA.

Organized by Sarah Stevenson and Tanita Davis from Finding Wonderland and Jen Robinson from Jen Robinson’s Book Page, the conference theme is "Blogging Diversity in Young Adult and Children’s Lit: What’s Next?" The program, coordinated by Charlotte Taylor of Charlotte's Library, is of high interest (and enormous synergy) for those of us who write and illustrate works for children.

As they say on the KidLitCon splash page at the Kidlitosphere,

"What we would like to do with this year’s KidLitCon (along with our usual goals) is discuss what book bloggers can do to make a meaningful difference in increasing diversity in children’s and young adult literature. This year’s keynote speaker will be Mitali Perkins, an author whose focus has long been on “books between cultures for young readers”. Among other things, Mitali will talk about how bloggers can be agents of change in the conversation about diversity in children’s and young adult literature. Shannon Hale, who has written eloquently on the need for writing non-neutral characters, and who helped launch the Great Green Heist Challenge, is also expected to participate in the conference via Skype.
  We will talk about other issues of interest to children’s and YA book bloggers, too. But it is also our hope to make a bit of noise on behalf of diversity in children’s literature. It is past time for that."

You can find the schedule of keynotes and panels here, along with registration info at this page.

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

KidLitCon 2012

Your KidLitCon 2012 Greeter, Patience

KidLitCon is the annual conference for people who blog about children's literature.

This year the conference will be held on September 28 and 29 at the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York city, and it's being put together by School Library Journal Fuse #8 blogger Elizabeth Bird, who is also an author and the New York Public Library's Youth Materials Collections Specialist. 

The schedule for the Saturday conference has been released, and I chatted (via instant messaging) with my friend, social media expert, author, and conference faculty member Greg Pincus to find out more...

Lee:  Hi Greg! Tell us about Kidlitcon!

Greg: Hi Lee!  It's a great conference (now in its 6th year) about blogging and children's literature. But it's also about social media, books, writing, book reviewing, promotion, libraries, and much more... all with a children's and YA lit focus.

Lee: I saw on the schedule that Maureen Johnson will be giving the closing Keynote!

Greg: Yes! I can't wait to hear her. She's one of my favorite Twitter folk to follow. Oh, and she can write a little, too :-)

Lee: For authors and illustrators of books for kids, it sounds like there's a lot of sessions focused on platform, marketing and the benefits of being an online presence.

Greg: There are, indeed. And I think the panels on book reviewing - why bloggers do it, how they do it, how they want (or don't) to interact with authors and illustrators - are really valuable, too.

Lee: I thought the title of your session was really intriguing: Avoiding the Echo Chamber. Tell us more about what you're going to address.

Greg: I love folks in children's literature. A lot. I'm flying to New York to hang out with some, in fact. That said, when we're talking about "spreading the word" about books, whether our own or children's literature related in general, I often feel that we spend a lot of time preaching to the converted and not much time talking to the rest of the world. And I think that's a missed opportunity online. Folks are many things - that standup comedian or social media strategist online is also very likely a parent or aunt or uncle or or or. They can become champions and word-spreaders and buyers. But not if we don't include them in the conversation.

Lee: And you'll be sharing the things authors and illustrators can do to get past that echo chamber of other authors and illustrators (and our families and friends?)

Greg: I will! And they are magical secrets! Or, really, some basic ways of thinking about what we do online as well as tips and ideas and actions to take.

Lee: Love leaving a session with a plan of action! Any more thoughts to share about KidLitCon?

Greg: The conference itself is free this year - always a plus. And if it's like prior years, the attendees are wonderful, passionate, children's lit loving folks, and hanging out with them for a day is inspiring. And it's a great way to forge new relationships. (And, as an aside, I hope publishers take advantage of the con being in NYC and send some folks to check out the kidlitosphere space....)

Lee: The day does end with a New York City kid lit drink night!

Greg: It does, indeed.

Lee: Have a great time, and thanks for telling us about Kidlitcon 2012!

Greg: Thanks for asking, Lee!

You can find out more about KidLitCon 2012 here.

Greg Pincus blogs about children's literature and poetry at GottaBook and social media at The Happy Accident. He is the author of a poetry collection, The Late Bird, and his debut novel, The 14 Fabulous Fibs of Gregory K., is due out from Arthur A. Levine Books. 

And here's Maureen Johnson's twitter feed.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Autumn: A Great Time for ConferenceTravel!

While the SCBWI Annual Summer and Winter Conferences are consistently fabulous, I must admit I always long for an equally awesome autumn event. I adore traveling this time of year. No sweaty luggage lugging. No stuffing winter coats in the overhead bin. Just bordering-on-brisk, leaves-ready-to-change, settling-into-your-airplane-seat-wrapped-in-a-cozy-sweater loveliness.

Fortunately I'm headed northwest next week, off to the KidLitosphere's 5th Annual KidLitCon held this year in Seattle September 16-17. Most of SCBWI TEAM BLOG will be there. And Scott Westerfeld. And lots of talk about promotion and blogging and social media and marketing and all sorts of useful things. If you aren't headed that way, I'll clue you into the action via my blog, Twitter (etc.).

If you've also got the fall travel bug, be sure to check out all the terrific upcoming regional SCBWI events. Some may involve a short drive and some a short plane ride. Either way, you can squeeze in a little writing/illustrating/publishing-related jaunt before the holidays:

• Click here for a list of September SCBWI events.
• Click here for a list of October SCBWI events.
• Click here for a list of November SCBWI events.

Are you attending a fall conference or event (SCBWI or otherwise)? Share your destination in a comment and clue in others would-be travelers.

Wednesday Tweet Roundup: All #kidlitcon Edition

It's humpday which means it's time for me to share some of my favorite tweets of the last week from the many writers, illustrators, editors, agents, and publishers who are out there sharing information and joining in the conversation on Twitter.

Click on the Twitter handles (@name) to find each tweeter's page should you wish to follow them or read more of what they're saying. Follow the included links to read the articles or blog posts these tweeters recommend.

Remember--whether you're signed up with Twitter or not, you can read tweets and click links to find helpful blog posts, useful articles, and timely news bits (like the ones below).

This week's picks (and a few links) are all from Kidlit Con 2010 which I attended last weekend in Minneapolis so enjoy, bloggers! (It was fun to attend a conference where the word "platform" meant Blogger or WordPress.) A lot are my own tweets (because tweeting is a great way to take conference notes) and it's heavy on a handful of other users who joined me in the #kidlitcon tweet-o-rama!

You'll find Greg Pincus' transcript of all the #kidlitcon tweets here. Below I've pulled out some gems  and categorized them (on blogging, blog tours, virtual school visits, kidlitosphere, and more) so they're easier to follow for those of you who didn't attend.

After you read my post, promise you'll start including "sciency fiction" and SNAPping in your vocabulary. And don't miss the Periodic Table of Cupcakes.

MAGGIE STIEFVATER ON BLOGGING TWEETS

@teacher6th: Maggie Stiefvater keynote speaker BLOG writing since 2006 “blog years are like dog years”

@alicepope: Maggie Stiefvater: first thing she learned about blogging: the world doesn’t need another blog.

@JensBookPage: Having a voice of your own really helps when blogging says @mstiefvater

@alicepope: Maggie S: Boring people offline are boring people online and sometimes interesting people offline are boring people online.

@alicepope: Says @mstiefvater: blogging is a conversation–answer your comments

@mosylu: Maggie sez: online me is 10% of me. You don’t need to share everything

@alicepope: Says @mstiefvater: You make a personal connection when you blog. People will know your cat’s name.

@mosylu: Maggie sez: Blog readers are real people. They have an offline life #kidlitcon

@alicepope: Ten years ago, my career arc would not have been possible, says @mstiefvater. Blogging made it happen.

@alicepope: Don’t blog when you’re sick, tired, or drunk, says @mstiefvater (same goes for tweeting, I say)

BLOG PLATFORM PROS & CONS TWEETS

@teacher6th: Cons of Blogger: basic designs-not unique, limited plug-in/add on, doesn’t support threaded comments out of the box

@teacher6th: Pros of Wordpress: ease of proven tech, upgrades/ backup is taken care of, supported threads and servers, lg community

@teacher6th: Con to Wordpress: premium costs, no custom themes or option , cannot upload plug-ins, supported by ads U cannot control,

@teacher6th: Pro wordpress.org cn run multiple sites on same software install, complete control publish 2 Facebook & twttr, ultimate freedom

@teacher6th: Wordpress.org cons: need your own hosting provider, need more technical knowledge to set up & run, need 2 do own updates

@teacher6th: Posterous Pro: easy 2 use, micro blogging platform, mobile blogging, several document types used

@teacher6th: Tumblr Pro: micro blogging, easy to use, supports most media, bookmarklet tool, can reblog (embedding on other sites),

@teacher6th: Squarespace Pro: custom, seamless blog importing, handles most everything, design & themes good

@teacher6th: Squarespace Con: $$ 13-40 month average is $20

@teacher6th: Livejournal cons: hard to customize, more of a gated community/not as open, ad supported in free accounts

@CERodriguez: Gave props to @Squarespace, my web hosting platform, at #KidlitCon session for best blogging practices. I hope more writers will use it.

ADVICE ON HOSTING BLOG TOURS TWEETS

@alicepope: Michelle Corriel: When answering blog tour questions, don’t cut and paste answers from blog to blog.

@alicepope: Corriel: Come up w/ interesting questions for authors interviewed on your blog. ‘Did you always want to be a writer’ is not one

@thepageturn: Good blog interview question for authors: What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

@thepageturn: Corriel: Another quality (and fun) question to ask authors on a blog tour: Are you a plotter or plunger?

ADVICE ON PLANNING YOUR OWN BLOG TOURS TWEETS

@lovelyleann: Authors talking about blog touring. “Self promotion is a necessary evil for authors” and blog tours is a great way to do this.

@alicepope: Swati Avasthi: To authors embarking on blog tours–the one that it’s most hard on is you. Make it as easy on everyone else

@alicepope: Avasthi: When planning a blog tour, reach out to lot of different types of bloggers.

@alicepope: Avasthi: Don’t have too many blog tour stops (26 is too many; 10 or 12 is better).

@alicepope: Avasthi: Have a media page on your website for bloggers with info, bio, etc.

TIPS ON VIRTUAL VISITS TWEETS

@teacher6th: social media is opening up author visits and creating its own booking agendas

@teacher6th: social media has changed authors mindset on sharing and connecting to readers

@alicepope: Preparation is key for both authors and schools when it comes to school visits says @TeachingBooks

@alicepope: If your school visit not is a public event, you’re not allowed to take pictures of kids and post them online

@alicepope: Before a Skype visit, do a pre-check. See how you and your setting look onscreen

@MaryLeeHahn: But authors shouldn’t be expected to offer Skype visits for free.  

@teacher6th: charge for a skype vist? Personally I never pay for Skype because my school can’t pay…students do buy their books….

CYBILS & KILITOSPHERE TWEETS

@MaryLeeHahn: Kidlitosphere is about COMMUNITY.

@alicepope: The @cybils honor "the organic chicken nuggets of children's books," says Jen Robinson of @JensBookPage

@thepageturn: More than 1000 eligible nominations for Cybils this year! Crazy!

@thepageturn: 200 ppl applied for 100 slots as Cybils judges. Wow.

@mosylu: ways to support: donate, spread the word, buy bling, buy nominated titles thru the #cybils blog

@susan_marie: @MotherReader talking about http://www.kidlitosphere.org/

@mosylu: Maureen Kearney don't forget the carnival of children's literature: http://bit.ly/drD0Hv

@mosylu: blogging as a group also builds community within the group. We’ve found that in the kidlitosphere too!

@BookMoot: “Cynsations is THE place to start for authors in the Kidlitospere.” Liz Burns

KIDLITCON ADVICE TO AUTHORS TWEETS

@JensBookPage: “I never want to see an author trying to be a good writer but spending all their time online”

@mosylu: authors who interact should be passionate/energetic/engaged because otherwise it’s a waste

@JensBookPage: “I never want to see an author trying to be a good writer but spending all their time online

@alicepope: Laura Lutz from Harper Publicity says don’t embark in social networking and blogging if you can’t fully embrace it.

@teacher6th: mg & ya authors need to reach out to the mommybloggers, teachers & librarians

NOTEWORTHY MISC. KITLITCON TWEETS

@thepageturn: Blog I haven’t heard of before: Children’s War. All kids books about WWII. Fascinating!

@mudmamba: Thinking about how blogging the backlist/out of print books will tie in well with the rise of e-books.

@mudmamba: Amen! “If you don’t want it public, don’t put it online.” Big old period right there.

@alicepope: Janet Fox: play to your strengths when it comes to social media and participate.

@lovelyleann: Periodic Table of Cupcakes at book launch of Reininvention of Edison Thomas. Awesome! http://plixi.com/p/52414778

@alicepope: Llewellyn has a SNAP Committee–Social Networking and Publicity. That must catch on! And be verb-ified. Authors, get SNAPping.

@LizB: Libraries need professional reviews to inform buying decisions & also to provide backup for book challenges.

@thepageturn: Robinson: We all want to get paid to blog…but as soon as we’re paid, it becomes work. Difficult to keep it fun.

@alicepope: Houtman: wants to get a new genre term adopted–‘sciency fiction.’ Who’s on board?

@mudmamba: I think I’m only 1 at #kidlitcon matching all 3 of these criteria (a) not female (b) not an organizer (c) not named Steve.

@mosylu: major thanks to the organizers: Andrew Karre, Ben Barnhart, and Brian Farrey