Business: Agencies Helping Clients Self-Publish E-books

Via Publishers Lunch comes this news from Nelson Literary Agency, the latest literary agency coming up with "ways to help their clients self-publish" or, in the language of the agency, answering the question: "what is an agent to do if clients want assistance making backlist titles available in eFormat?"

Their Digital Liason Platform, according to Kristin Nelson, lets clients "self-publish their content within a supported environment." It differs from a publishing house model in that "our clients maintain full control of their titles. They are not granting them to us. They have full say on covers, editing, pricing, etc. The program is voluntary so if they want to participate on our DLP, they can, but they are also welcome to handle their backlist themselves."

NLA offers a full-service and distribution-only option, with authors asked to commit to a two-year term of license on the full-service model "since we undergo all the expense and that would be rather uncool for a client to let us do that and then pull the title a month later." In the full-service model, the agency handles the file conversions; connects clients with designers, copyeditors, publicists; distributes through all venues; and "uses our individual leverage with all the venues to promote."

Interesting to see how so many aspects of our kid lit industry are changing.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

The 100 Story House... and other ways physical books are finding new life... and new readers

The 100 Story House project from documentary filmmaker Julia Marchesi and artist Leon Reid IV is a fascinating take on what Julia was noticing going on in her Brooklyn, NY, neighborhood:  people were leaving books they were done with out on their stoops, for passers-by to take at will. 

So Julia and Leon teamed up and have launched a kickstarter campaign (fundraising from the grassroots up) to fund their vision of the 100 Story House, a six foot tall sculpture of a Brooklyn brownstone home with windows that open to allow anyone to access the books inside. 

A rendering of what the completed project will look like - the little books on legs by the side are intended to express that books have their own lives in this, their own temporary home...

Free, with a take-a-book, leave-a-book ethos, The 100 Story House is one of a string of projects aiming to get physical books into more physical hands. 

In the UK, where the phone booths are iconic but increasingly irrelevant in our age of cell phones and mobile devices, James Econs took an abandoned booth,

built library shelves above the phone space so it would still be usable, and then filled those shelves with books, calling on people to take a book and replace it...

He calls it the world's first "PhoneBoox."  He also dubbed his action "Socially Beneficial Creative Vandalism."

And then there's the very cute "Little Free Library" Project, where they're setting out to get these:

All over the world.  Their mission? 

• To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide.
• To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.  
• To build more than 2,510 libraries around the world--more than Andrew Carnegie!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

ps - I found out about all these cool projects via this Trendcentral report.

Do You Have An Artist Statement? Make Coming Up With One Your Valentine's Day Resolution

The 2012 Year of the Dragon stamp

I liked this Brian Klems' tip from Writers Digest, and while Valentine's Day is closer to Chinese New Year (Happy Year of the Dragon, everyone!) I think it's well worth considering:

Your New Year artist statement: You do have one, don’t you?

From those first drafts to that Pulitzer Prize party, I believe that your writing should be inspired by something much deeper than getting rich or getting famous or getting even with your ex. It should cohere with your own personal vision or belief system.


This is a good time to look within yourself and ask some tough questions about what you write—and why. How much does creative writing actually matter to you? Why do you even bother? Your honest and highly personalized answers will help you write a brief artist’s statement. I’m not talking anything Hallmark or biblical here. I’m talking about a simple, heartfelt statement that will sustain you over the next year. It will help you to balance your writing with working and parenting and commuting. It will serve as your daily reminder, your check-in with your creative self.

For illustrators as well as writers, I think this is a great exercise:  What's your Artist Statement?

And yes, please share it in comments.

Here, I'll be brave and share mine first:

"My mission is to write the books that had I read them as a kid would have changed my life." 

There.  That wasn't so hard.

Now it's your turn.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

ps - This post is a great illustration of how the 2012 Comment Challenge worked:  I went to Linda Gerber's blog (she participated in the challenge), and the Writer's Digest article was a link in one of her posts.  This blogging and social media stuff is cool, isn't it?

pps- you can find the stamp image and more info about the 2012 Year of the Dragon design by Chen Shaohua here.

ppps - Happy Valentine's Day!

Business: Amazon and "The Publishing Ecosystem On The Brink"

The Authors Guild published this article "Publishing's Ecosystem on the Brink: The Backstory" on their website, detailing Amazon's impact on the publishing industry.  It's essential reading, covering and explaining concepts like "the agency model" for ebook pricing, the blackout of MacMillian's buy buttons, the loss of Borders, Amazon becoming a publisher, and so much more.

Here's an excerpt:

Burning Down the Houses

Brad Stone’s Businessweek story discusses Amazon’s campaign to prevent other booksellers from securing a foothold in the booming e-book market and the company’s furious reaction to Random House’s decision last March to adopt agency pricing for e-books, just as five of the other “Big Six” trade publishers had the previous year. (Before agency pricing, Amazon could sell e-books from Big Six publishers at deep discounts, taking losses at a rate that Barnes & Noble could never afford to match. See How Apple Saved Barnes & Noble, Probably for more.)

Mr. Stone writes that after Random House’s March 2011 agency-pricing announcement,

Amazon could no longer run the best play out of its playbook – slash prices and sustain losses in the short term to gain market share over the long term. … “For the first time, a level playing field was going to get forced on Amazon,” says James Gray [of UK bookseller John Smith & Son and formerly of Ingram Content Group]. Amazon execs “were basically spitting blood and nails.”

Amazon’s response to Random House’s move was stunning and swift:

The next month, an Amazon recruiter sent an e-mail to several editors at big publishing houses, looking for someone to launch a new New York-based publishing imprint. “The imprint will be supported with a large budget, and its success will directly impact the success of Amazon’s overall business,” read the e-mail, which was obtained by Bloomberg Businessweek.

And of course, Amazon has announced it is launching its own publishing imprint.  Go read the full article at the Author's Guild site.

And in related news, regarding the new deal Houghton Mifflin Harcourt struck with Amazon, Josie Leavitt, An Independent Bookseller writing in Publishers Weekly, responds:  What Fresh Hell Is This? 

"This move by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt underscores that the publishing playing field is shifting away from indies. Amazon is turning into the Walmart of the book world who dictates prices with threats of Buy Now buttons being removed, the insidious price checker app, etc."

and

"I’m tired of publishers I’ve supported wholeheartedly for the entire time I’ve been open, now forcing me to choose between buying some of their books and supporting the very company that seeks to put me out of business, or not buying the books at all and potentially losing those sales to the company that seeks to put me out of business."

And the reaction to Amazon becoming a publisher is growing into a boycott of Amazon.com titles

"Canada’s Indigo Books and Music has joined forces with U.S. bookstore chain Barnes & Noble in refusing to stock or sell any books published by online rival Amazon.com – including upcoming titles by James Franco, Deepak Chopra and Ian McEwan – with both chains now accusing the online giant of using predatory tactics that weaken an already struggling book industry."

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee  

My thanks to Darcy Pattison for reprinting the Author's Guild article in her Fiction Notes newsletter.

Maurice Sendak is Interviewed on the Colbert Report

There's a lot of buzz in the kid lit and publishing community about this two-part interview Maurice Sendak gave to comedian Stephen Colbert.

Here's a taste

Stephen Colbert:  "Every celebrity is out there cashing in on chidlren's books and I. Want. In.  What's it take for a celebrity to make a successful book?  What do I got to do?"

Maurice Sendak:  "You're started already by being an idiot."

Be forewarned, if you're easily offended, don't watch: It includes political views and censorship and frank talk and marker sniffing ...and lots of laughs.


part one

part two


Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Innovations in Book Marketing: Sara Wilson Etienne's HARBINGER

Starting a new series of case studies in book marketing, Sara Wilson Etienne shares about the marketing she's done for her debut YA novel, Harbinger, out today.

When I sold my first book, Harbinger, a year and a half ago, I thought I was ready. I had a website with a blog. I had an active Facebook page. I had a husband who was great at graphic design and web stuff. What more could a girl ask for??? Then I figured out…

Promotion can really suck.

Turns out, promoting yourself can be awkward and expensive and a ton of work. Shockingly, it’s not fun to feel like a telemarketer interrupting people’s dinner. Talk too much about your book and people get tired of listening. Talk too little and no one will hear you. And there are people everywhere telling you WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING OR ELSE. Or else your book will never make it onto the shelves of Barnes and Noble. Or else you’ll never get a second printing. Or else pterodactyls will time-travel forward to personally shred every copy of your book.

But I also found, as I dipped my toe into the promotional water, that I did love doing some things. I loved emailing one-on-one with YA book bloggers…it was so great checking out their websites, getting to know them, seeing what was going on in that part of the world. I also loved chatting with people in the infinite cocktail party that is Twitter. And I loved doing things that let the world of Harbinger sneak off the page and into our real world. And I realized that was the first important rule when promoting your book.

Pick something fun. Something you’re good at. Something that fits your book.

I picked the Holbrook Academy website.

My husband, Tony, is an artist and a technical genius. We love fitting my words and his pictures together to make something new…for example, he illustrated a map of Holbrook Academy for the end papers of Harbinger. As well as a wonderful tarot card illustration. Together we dreamed up a website for the school in my book, Holbrook Academy. We matched scenic, slightly corporate pictures with the creepy doublespeak of Holbrook.

It was fun to dream up the website for my world, but when I talked to Putnam about it, they asked me an important question: what would keep people coming back to it once they’d been there and looked around?

Content?

Yikes! Yes, as we have all seen from the flurry of Superbowl ads this week, good promotions have entertaining content.

Around that time, one of my artist friends asked if he could get an early copy of Harbinger so he could create my first piece of fan-art. I loved the idea! And the light bulb didn’t just go off, it exploded in my head! Harbinger-inspired art would be great content! This is something that fit my book and something I could put together well.

It’s not a coincidence that my main character, Faye, is an artist and a ton of my friends are also artists. All my stories come out in words, so I’m in awe of people who create visually. So I reached out to illustrator friends of mine and the Holbrook Academy sketchbook was born.

 

I gave twenty-five incredible illustrators and artists advance copies of Harbinger and asked them to pick a moment, a character, a scene that they loved and create a piece of art around it. Then I reached out to YA book bloggers and asked them to reveal the pieces of art.  This is where I stumbled across the next important part.

Think outside the box. But not too far outside.

The responses I got from bloggers were excited. Blog tours were something they recognized, but this was a new twist. An art blog tour. People were psyched about the idea, but they still knew what to do with it. I also sent the bloggers fun swag along with the ARCs, a plush figurine from the book (made by one of the artists), a Holbrook Academy brochure, and a lanyard with the date of Harbinger’s release....unique, but still familiar.

picture by the Fable Faerie, one of the YA Bloggers who got the ARC and swag

Even though I was asking other people to do a lot of work, I was overwhelmed by the support people showed Harbinger. The artists got involved and thought about more artists that might want to join in. Then people thought, if we’re making art, why not have a gallery show?

The real-world gallery show is on March 3rd, at The Hive Gallery in downtown LA.  Details are here on facebook. The online gallery is here.

As the art came out and bloggers posted it, more bloggers got interested. This is what you want, you want energy to snowball. You are only one person. Your voice is only so loud. But as it turns out, with other people’s help, you can build a megaphone.

Get other people involved and excited, and your book will become much bigger than yourself.

That same rule applied to the Harbinger book trailer too. I live in Los Angeles, so it seemed a crime not to make a live action book trailer. I talked to a friend of mine about it and he talked to his friends and soon the trailer got bigger than all of us. I’m not going to say much more about the trailer, since I’ve already written a whole blog post about it. Except I will say this, once people got excited, the trailer became an unstoppable force.

Shooting the Harbinger trailer

As your book goes through the steps toward publication, it stops being yours… first your agent, then your editor, then the design team, then bloggers, and finally readers!

This is what you want…for other people to feel excitement and ownership over your book. For people to make your story theirs.

That is what a good book promotion idea can do for you. It may still be a lot of hard work, it might cost some money, but turns out…it doesn’t have to suck.

Thanks Sara!

Inspiring, isn't it?

Here's the trailer for Sara's debut, "Harbinger"




Illustrate and Write... and Market Your Books On!
Lee

Twitter Archeology: Layers and Layers of #NY12SCBWI

Twitter gives a fascinating window into the three days (intensive Friday + Saturday and Sunday) of the Lucky 13th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City.

A few tweets were re-tweeted more than 100 times, spreading the information to literally tens of thousands of ‘followers’ – the name for groups of people sharing brief tweets (messages under 140 characters.)  The most re-tweeted of the conference:

@cuppajolie “You ban those books, you ban those kids.” Chris Crutcher #ny12scbwi

There were some great quotes independently tweeted by lots of people, like:

@Emberchyld #NY12SCBWI Sunday in three tweets 3) “There’s an agent on this earth whose divine assignment is to represent you.” – Regina Brooks #inspiring

(That line by Regina - who tweets as @serendipitylit - was also tweeted by @kitgrindstaff, @bananas, @mbrockenbrough, myself - @leewind, and re-tweeted a lot!)

Another conference moment that spread widely across the twitter-sphere:

@VLeeMahoney IMPORTANT tip → @scbwi If you can’t sum up your work in two sentences, you probably need to revise –Ginger Knowlton #NY12SCBWI

Twitter is also a great way to follow the people talking about your interests… so I highly recommend “following” SCBWI Team Blog members @leewind @jaimetem @mbrockenbrough @cuppajolie @suzanne_young as well as the scbwi twitter feed @scbwi and other conference attendees who shared tweets that resonate for you.

You can also search twitter by subject, and the conference has its own hashtag: #NY12SCBWI

By searching on that, you can work your way through the levels and days of mini-posts like an archeologist, finding people, information and inspiration that reveal a unique view of the conference.

Here are some layers of twitter I uncovered (and it’s backwards, because just like an archeological dig, you have to start at the top and work your way down through the layers to discover the civilization beneath…)

@jeniw “I love books that can potentially change a reader’s life. I’m also a big sucker for books that make me cry.” @planetalvina #NY12SCBWI

@mimicross: “The Heart wants what the heart wants” @literaticat at LGBTQ&A meet up with @leewind & @planetalvina #ny12scbwi

@KimSabatini Nurture every connection. It’s a small community, play nice.—Ginger Knowlton #NY12SCBWI

@storyconnection “Think about making books w global reach. Middle grade is the new YA.” Regina Brooks, Serendipity Literary Agency @serendipitylit #NY12SCBWI

@atlanticmoira After a welcome home hug, my son said, “You smell like New York” #ny12scbwi 

@DebtheWise Incredible conference. Incredible information. Incredible people. #ny12scbwi. See you next year!

@airliebird #ny12scbwi was so inspiring! I’m going to make a greenhouse around my ideas, FOCUS, and keep putting my stories out there!

@jeni2 “An engaged author with a platform is one of the best things a book can have.” –Editor Tara Weikum #NY12SCBWI

@illustratorsam So sad it’s over :*{ #NY12SCBWI

@loishoffman Things that make you go hmmmm… “The moon is always full when you’re on it.” - @ChrisRichman (Upstart Crow Literary) #ny12scbwi

@SamuelWalters74 Home from #NY12SCBWI – my “to do” list is now about as long as my … my novel! So many ideas … to the revision cave!

@illustratorsam I can hardly wait to get back home and go to the library. I have a HUGE list of Children’s books to read (and re-read!) #NY12SCBWI

@annelieseArt I’m already missing #NY12SCBWI and all of the amazing people that I met this weekend! But I’m so excited to go and make art now!!!

@zlikeinzorro @literaticat Great LGBTQ panel. #NY12scbwi needs more of those!

@natashasinel I won the door prize – tuition to LA conf! Feel like I won the mega millions! And now life is good. #NY12SCBWI

@SaraFujimura Mission accomplished! Got @cassieclare to sign bks for my teen #GirlScouts (& me too!). #NY12SCBWI #yalit

@kim_bak Great conference! Hung out w/friends, saw @saraagent, met my editor, learned/got inspired, set up @scbwiwwa speakers… *nap* #NY12SCBWI

@MLCillustration Also got John Rocco’s autographs!! We hit a goldmine of illustrators here at #NY12SCBWI. Great weekend…But I miss my bed!

@bananas Hear hear! @leewind: Standing Ovation for Lin, Steve, Sara and all the SCBWI staff for pulling off #NY12SCBWI

@leewind: “So go out there, and go create.” Kathryn Erskine’s Keynote Finale at NY12SCBWI 

@SamRVamos #FF: @leewind & @jaimetem @mbrockenbrough & @cuppajolie Great writing/editing tips fr SCBWI Team Blog @ SCBWI 13th Annual Winter Conference in NY. #NY12scbwi 

@RodriguezCindyL Just fell in love with Kathryn Erskine at #ny12scbwi

@mbrockenbrough Kathryn Erskine: “Talent isn’t enough. You’ve gotta have grit. Talent + determination.” #NY12scbwi

@mbrockenbrough Kathryn Erskine on research: “If you want to know what a Scotsman wears under his kilt, find one who’s willing to show you.” #NY12scbwi

@mbrockenbrough Kathryn Erskin is giving us an Oprah moment, almost: She has sandalwood-scented tea light candles for us. Awww! #NY12scbwi

@NeelySSimpson #NY12SCBWI To be creative you have to take care of yourself – Kathryn Erskine

@JustAGirl_LJ #NY12SCBWI Did Kathryn Erskine read my private journal? self doubt, guilt are regular visitors in my soul

@mbrockenbrough: Kathryn Erskine: “If you ever think about hanging it up, think about the one kid out there who needs you.” #NY12scbwi

@cameron_crane “I like the idea that my best books are yet to come.” – Peter Brown #NY12SCBWI 

@bananas OH: my brain can’t hold any more brilliant information! #NY12SCBWI #WritingConferenceProblems

@JustAGirl_LJ At my first conference in 2007, ebooks were a “joke”. This year, “transmedia” is a common phrase. Publishing is changing so fast. #NY12SCBWI

@ktubb @kim_bak: Hallelujah. RT @leewind “Middle Grade is the new YA.” Regina Brooks at #NY12SCBWI” :)

@scbwi Take away from the agent panel: work on those first pages, lots don’t read synopsis. Not hooked by writing = won’t read the rest #NY12SCBWI

@KimSabatini My job is to come up with ways to position a book. Regina Brooks #NY12SCBWI

And that's barely back to the agent's panel on Sunday! See how much fun it is?  And those are just the tweets that resonated for me.

Go do your own twitter search now, and uncover a twitter archeologist's view of the craft, business, inspiration and community that was the #NY12SCBWI experience!

The Lucky 13th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference Starts Tomorrow!

In keeping with the celebratory spirit of a whole weekend packed with kit lit business, craft, inspiration and community, here's "The Joy Of Books"



I found this amazing stop-motion video here, via author Terri Farley.  Thanks, Terri!

And as you travel and prepare for the conference, make sure to catch up on all the pre-conference faculty interviews at the Official SCBWI Conference Blog.

Here's a cool tip for conference attendees:

If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can download the free mobile guide to the 13th Annual Winter Conference. You'll be able to plan your day with a personalized schedule,  get schedule and room  information and read speaker bios.  You can also browse maps of the event space at the Hyatt, share pictures and follow the #NY12SCBWI Twitter feed direct directly from the app. 

To get the guide, choose one of the methods below: 
Download 'Guidebook' from the Apple App Store or the Android Marketplace
Visit   http://guidebookapp.com/get  from your phone's browser 
Once you have the Guidebook App search "SCBWI" under "download guides" and download "SCBWI Winter Conference".

The app is compatible with iPhones, iPads, tablets, and Android devices.

Whether you're attending or not, you can follow along at both the Conference Blog and with our twitter hashtag, #NY12SCBWI

Illustrate and Write and Conference ON!
Lee

Staying Current - What are you going to read from 2011?

Linda Sue Park spoke at the 2007 SCBWI Summer Conference about how you really need to immerse yourself in reading the kinds of books you want to write.

If you want to write picture books, she said, then you need to read 1,000 picture books.  She lowered the number for novels (I believe it was to 500) but her point was loud and clear: How can you successfully write it if you don't understand the format in your bones?

And it's true for illustrators as well - you'll become a better illustrator if you've studied 1,000 illustrated books!

Yet with all the Children's and Teen books (including self- and vanity- and print-on-demand) coming out every year, how do we decide what we're going to read?

There are three main ways:  Best sellers.  Awards.  And word of mouth.

Best sellers. 

Publishers Marketplace recently published a list of the 15 top selling print books as tracked by Nielsen BookScan in the outlets they cover for juvenile titles.

2011's Top 15: Juvenile Books 
1 THE HUNGER GAMES*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; trade paperback; 9780439023528) 1,578,000
2 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 6: CABIN FEVER, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover; 9781419702235) 1,563,000
3 CATCHING FIRE*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; hardcover; 9780439023498) 985,000
4 INHERITANCE, Christopher Paolini (Knopf Children's; hardcover; 9780375856112) 900,000
5 MOCKINGJAY*, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic; hardcover; 9780439023511) 853,000
6 THE SON OF NEPTUNE, Rick Riordan (Hyperion; hardcover; 9781423140597) 699,000
7 THE THRONE OF FIRE, Rick Riordan (Hyperion; hardcover; 9781423140566) 535,000
8 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE UGLY TRUTH*, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover; 9780810984912) 524,000
9 ELF ON THE SHELF*, Carol Aebersold (CCA&B; hardcover; 9780976990703) 500,000
10 THE WIMPY KID DO-IT-YOURSELF BOOK*, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; 9780810989955; hardcover) 488,000
11 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 2: RODRICK RULES*, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover; 9780810994737) 338,000
12 GOODNIGHT MOON*, Margaret Wise Brown (Harper Festival; 9780694003617) 329,000
13 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID*, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover; 9780810993136) 309,000
14 THE LOST HERO*, Rick Riordan (Hyperion; hardcover; 9781423113393) 294,000
15 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3: THE LAST STRAW*, Jeff Kinney (Amulet; hardcover; 9780810970687) 289,000

*These editions were first published prior to 2010

And of course, the NY Times, USA Today, and many other publications have their own best-seller lists to consult.


Awards.

You can also look at the Award winners, which tend to come out the following year (so in 2012 we'll find out which books won for 2011.)

Just yesterday the ALA announced the top 2012 awards in children’s and young adult literature as the finale of their ALA Midwinter Meeting!

There are LOTS of authors and illustrators you'll recognize and cheer on - and some of them you can even congratulate in person at #NY12SCBWI!

Like John Rocco, whose "Blackout" was named a Caldecott Honor Book!  And Peter Brown, whose book "Children Make Terrible Pets" was made into the Andrew Carnegie Medal-winning best children's video!

Little, Brown, HarperCollins, Henry Holt, Delacorte Press/Random House, Scholastic, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Lee and Low and Macmillian are all well-represented among this year's winners... and among our #NY12SCBWI faculty!

The Cybils nominations for 2011 are out as well (these are the book blogger awards.) And here are some past award lists to explore:

SCBWI's 2011 Golden Kite Awards

SCBWI's 2011 Crystal Kite Winners

The 2011 Newbery Winner and Honors Books

The Other 2011 Association for Library Service to Children Award Winners

And there are also diversity-focused lists and awards, like the 2011 Rainbow Books (for GLBTQ kid lit), the Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipients (awards given to African American authors and illustrators for outstanding contributions to literature for children and young adults) and the Sydney Taylor Book Award (books for children and teens that portray the Jewish experience.)


Word Of Mouth.

Talk to others and get their recommendations.  Booksellers.  Librarians.  Friends.  Read kid lit blogs and book reviews. 

For those of us creating content for children, it can also be fascinating to focus on a single editor's output by looking at the lists of published books that accompany their conference bios, and also the "edited by" document at scbwi.org.  (Here's how to find it:  sign in at scbwi.org, go to the resource library, just getting started, SCBWI publication guide online, getting started: preparing and submitting your work, click on "Edited By: A House-by-House Listing of Editorial Credits" and it will download as a pdf. file to your computer.  An excellent resource!)

So this year, let's heed Linda Sue Park's advice - and read broadly and deeply in our genre and age category!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

SCBWI members working to ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program

Many members of the Kid Lit Community are taking action via this petition at whitehouse.gov, that states:

Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to learn, to participate, and to compete in today’s world.

"The fight for school libraries continues" is how  Erica Silverman, SCBWI member, author and librarian put it.

My thanks to Erica and Martha Brockenbrough, SCBWI Team Blog member and author, for sharing this information with me so I can share it with you.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Technology in Publishing: Embedded Videos in E-books!

A QR code... think of the possibilities!

From the world of nonfiction publishing, this is really interesting:

As reported in publishers lunch and The Hollywood Reporter

Rachel Ray is moving to Atria.  After nine books with Clarkson Potter, Ray tells the WSJ she wants to make her new cookbooks "exciting for people using their Nooks or iPads" and says she was attracted by a Tom Watson golf book Atria published last year that used QR codes editorially to link to instructional videos.

Atria says they will use QR codes in Ray's THE BOOK OF BURGER, due in June, to link to instructional videos as well.

Here's the info on the Tom Watson golf book, that sells it with this twist on the technology:

Special Bonus for this multimedia eBook edition: Each chapter includes an embedded, instantly viewable video of Tom Watson teaching key lessons.

Of course, this twist on the technology makes me wonder what we kid lit authors could do with this in our nonfiction... and fiction! 

Ask yourself:  What might YOU create?

Exciting times we live (and write and illustrate) in!

Enjoy the adventure,
Lee

Community: Announcing Three New Social Events at #NY12SCBWI (and the answer to the question: Just how much fun are these conferences?)

Here's the scoop on three community-building and networking events happening at the upcoming Lucky 13th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference on the Saturday night (January 28, 2012) after the Gala Dinner:

Find the LGBTQ in SCBWI
7:45pm-8:45pm Saturday January 28, 2012
Room: Broadway

Started at SCBWI's 2008 Summer Conference in Los Angeles and held at every conference since, a group of editors, agents, art directors, authors and illustrators will meet informally to discuss LGBTQ publishing, the submission process, who is interested and what kinds of stories they are interested in.

Maybe you've written a book about or for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer or questioning youth; maybe you're interested in doing so, and you're not sure where to begin; maybe you are just curious to learn more about this vital corner of the market for young readers. Whatever your interest in the subject matter, all are welcome. Bring a friend and any questions you may have.

Hosted by SCBWI Team Blog's Lee Wind, our special guests for this event will be Editorial Director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Alvina Ling and agent Jennifer Laughran

Alvina Ling is Editorial Director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers where she has worked since 1999. She edits award-winning children's books for all ages, from picture books to young adult novels, with some nonfiction mixed in. Some of the books she has edited include Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, a young adult series by Libby Bray (The Diviners), as well as the middle grade novel The Land of Stories among many others. She contributes to the children's book blog Blue Rose Girls at http://www.bluerosegirls.blogspot.com

Jennifer Laughran joined Andrea Brown Literary Agency in 2007. Her clients include Daniel Pinkwater, Calef Brown, Matt Faulkner, Jackie Dolamore, Ilsa J. Bick, Eric A. Kimmel, L.K. Madigan, Adam Selzer, Tara Kelly and Kate Messner, and many excellent debut authors. She is always on the lookout for YA and middle grade fiction with unusual, unforgettable characters and vivid settings. You can find her online at http://literaticat.blogspot.com


Illustrator Social
7:45pm – 8:45pm Saturday January 28, 2012
Room: Salon II

Please come join us for this unique and fun opportunity to meet with your fellow illustrator conference attendees, as well as your SCBWI Board Illustrator Committee members! It’ll be a time for networking, sharing of wisdom, thoughts and tips from conference veterans, reviewing what was gleaned from the Winter Conference thus far, and voicing your suggestions for future illustrator Intensives! Just bring yourself and a few of your business/promotional cards for our networking exchange opportunity.


International Gathering
7:45pm-8:45pm Saturday January 28, 2012
Room:  Alvin

Gather with other internationals attending Winter SCBWI conference!

There are over 50 international SCBWI members attending the Winter conference this January so after the Gala Dinner head to the ALVIN room and meet your fellow international attendees from Canada, Australia, England, Spain, Germany, Mexico, UK, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Hong Kong, France, and the Netherlands.

Christopher Cheng (Co-Chair SCBWI Advisory Board and Co-Regional Advisor Australia and New Zealand) will also advise you about the latest developments for the upcoming SCBWI Bologna gathering and about the Asian Festival of Children's Content (afcc.com.sg) gathering held in Singapore each year. These are two conferences that need to be on your radar and in your planning.

And we also want to know about your region too, so come prepared to share your tales, ask questions, and wave your flag!


The Answer To The Question of just how much fun is the conference...

There's so much vital information, and incredible opportunities to advance your career at these conferences.  There's craft and business and inspiration, lots of networking, and let's be honest - fun - to be had as well.  Imagine hanging out with your tribe for a whole weekend!

How much fun are we talking about?  Check out this video that members of the Pen and Ink blog put together at this past SCBWI Summer Conference.  (Clearly, they were in a pirate mood...)




And There's One More great Kid Lit Community Event the weekend of the conference - 

The New York Kid Lit Drink Night!

Organized by Chrstina McTighe (@LaFabuliste on twitter) and other fabulous New York Kid Lit folk (including @newsboyhat, @Aunt_Feather, and Mackenzie Reide) to overlap with #NY12SCBWI so all us out-of-towners can attend, it will be held Friday January 27, 2012, at 8pm at Public House on 41st and Lexington.  Right around the corner from the Hyatt!

So now you have great social/networking/community stuff to do both Friday and Saturday night!


Community. It's such a big part of attending the Lucky 13th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference.

And you know, just by reading this, you're part of our community.

We hope to see you there!  

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee