Traveling to the 2014 SCBWI Winter Conference In New York? Witness The Power Of The Re-Write

Revision, Revision, Revision.

It's powerful stuff.

 Check out this awesome performance by Sir Paul McCartney and Jimmy Fallon - singing the original version of the lyrics for a song we all pretty much know by heart...

  Scrambled Eggs.

This is a still capture of the performance, which you can watch on youtube here.

And get ready for a weekend overflowing with inspiration, business, craft, opportunity and community!

Make sure to check in to The Official SCBWI Conference Blog for all the live blogging from the conference floor and our latest project, The Conference Illustrator Journals. You can also follow the tweet-happenings with the hashtag #ny14scbwi

Here's to an amazing conference!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Author Angela Scott Shares The 3 Reasons Most Writers Give Up and her 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn't

I really liked this post at Angela's blog:

One of Angela's reasons why writers give up:

Reason #1: Writing is hard. It is. The writing process, at times, can be incredibly fun and rewarding. When the words flow and nearly write themselves, it's amazing. It's almost a high type of feeling. A rush. But there are other times, many times, in which writing just plain sucks--the words do not come; or the words DO come, but they are crap; editing (it's a pain in the butt, but SO necessary. Do not skip this step. Just saying); promoting and marketing (UUUGGGHHH); and then coming up with another great idea. Oh the pressure! No wonder I feast on lots of migraine pills, chocolate, and caffeine.

And one of her reasons why you shouldn't give up:

1) Remember why you write. If you are writing for fame and fortune, then I guess you better get out now. But if you are writing because you love the written word, or you feel as though you have a story to tell and want to share it with people, however many that will be, THEN you must keep on writing. If it makes you happy, then do it. Nothing else matters. None of it. Not the rejections. Not the lack of readers. None of it. Write because you have to.

She ends with an encouraging call to action:

I will be successful. I will taste it. Maybe not today or tomorrow or a year from now, but success will be mine. I'm pretty determined to find out what flavor success tastes like. I hope you want to find out what it tastes like too.

It's a pretty great post. Go check it out.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Timing of Releasing Books In A Series Is Changing...

As reported by Julie Bosman in this week's New York Times, "Impatience Has Its Reward: Books Are Rolled Out Faster"

"While the television industry has begun catering to impatient audiences by releasing entire series at once, the book business is upending its traditional timetable by encouraging a kind of binge reading, releasing new works by a single author at an accelerated pace."

There's arguments on both sides - releasing the books quicker keeps an audience hooked. Leaving more time between novel releases lets you build that audience.

What's not mentioned is that the author still needs time to WRITE the books (unless the first book release is delayed until future books in the series have been written...)

For those of us writing/illustrating, or contemplating, series work, it's a fascinating development to consider.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Sony Shuts it's eBook Store. And that means...?

In the wild, wild west of publishing e-books to electronic devices, Sony is packing up their e-book bags and leaving town.

As announced on February 6, 2014 and reported by Dianna Dilworth at GalleyCat,

"Sony, one of the early players in the eBook business, has closed its eBook store The Reader Store. The company did not explain why it shut down, but despite being early to the scene, Sony has been lagged behind Amazon and others in device innovations and eBook sales penetration.
 All Sony client accounts will be transferred to Kobo, the Canadian-based eBook store that is owned by the Japanese commerce giant Rakuten. All accounts will transfer to Kobo in March."

Sony's upbeat press release about closing their e-book store.

For people reading on their Sony Reader™, Xperia® tablet or smartphone, it's cool that their e-libraries will still exist, but there's some nervousness (I'm seeing the tweets) about what this means in the larger sense.

What about the Nook? (That's Barnes and Noble's e-book reader.)

Are we seeing a replay of 8-track versus cassette, just in a wider field? (Okay, now you all know I grew up in the 80s! And for those of you younger than that, that's what music was on after vinyl records, before CDs, waaaay before MP3 players and digital files.)

Or is there an intrinsic uncertainty to buying an e-book, since it's ephemeral and not an object? In which case, much of what's online is ephemeral, too - including this blog post!

Here's one of those things we talk about in Los Angeles: Earthquakes are a risk we all know about, even if it's usually in the back of our minds. But, let's say you're buying a condo - it's a 20 story building, and you're buying a really nice place on the 15th floor. Congratulations - it's awesome, except...
 IF there's an earthquake and
 IF the building is red-flagged (yeah, there's even a term for it when a building needs to be demolished and taken down for safety) and
 IF that building doesn't have earthquake insurance (and some buildings vote to not have it) Then, um, where do you live?
What you now own is, essentially, a slice of sky, 150 feet up in the air above the plot of land where the building used to be.
Do you have money to rebuild? Is there earthquake insurance? What's your backup plan? 

Of course, it would be a public relations disaster to let an e-book reader format fail and have all those customers lose their e-libraries, and Sony does seem to be taking care of things. Borders, when they went out of business, had their e-readers get covered by Kobo as well. And maybe the threat of that bad P.R. (and a posse of unhappy customers) is ultimately our insurance.

What do you think?

Between the cowboys and the earthquakes, that's a lot of metaphors. It's an interesting time, out here on the digital frontier. Isn't it?

Illustrate and Write On!
Lee

The 2013 Crystal Kite Winner Profiles: Florida's Augusta Scattergood (for "Glory Be")

The winner of the 2013 Crystal Kite Award for the Southeast Region (Florida/Georgia/South Carolina/North Carolina/Alabama/Mississippi) is Augusta Scattergood for her middle grade novel, "Glory Be."

Augusta Scattergood, winner of the 2013 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award!

I contacted Augusta to find out more...

Lee:  Please tell us about your book!

Augusta:  My debut novel, GLORY BE, is set during Freedom Summer, 1964, in a small town in Mississippi when the town's Community Pool is about to close rather than integrate. Gloriana June Hemphill, Glory for short, can't understand all the changes swirling around her. Why would anybody close her pool during the hottest months of the year? Why is her sister, who's been her best friend forever, mostly ignoring her? Even Glory's friend Frankie is mad that she's befriended a girl visiting from up north. Just about everything this summer has turned upside down. And it's up to Glory to figure it all out.

Historical fiction written for ages 9-12, GLORY BE was edited by Andrea Pinkney and published by Scholastic Press. It's been named to six state lists of children's recommended books and was one of Amazon's Best Middle Grade Novels of 2012. And now it's won the Crystal Kite for the Southeastern Region!

Lee:  How long have you been involved with SCBWI, and can you share what you feel you've gained by being a member?

Augusta:  Where do I begin. I joined SCBWI as soon as I left my library career, in 2001. I met my wonderful agent, Linda Pratt, at a summer conference in Maryland, at a MD DE WV regional event. When I moved to Florida, I immediately connected to a critique group, and since we've been here, my Tampa Bay SCBWI connections have been invaluable. I presented GLORY BE on the First Books panel at the Miami SCBWI conference in 2012 and made many new friends there. In my other role as book reviewer, I have reviewed books for the Bulletin. Quite honestly, I suspect my own novel would be languishing in a bottom drawer without the support of SCBWI.

Lee:  Do you have any advice to share with other children's book writers and illustrators?

Augusta:  Instead of giving writing advice, most of which we all know and try very hard follow, here's a little advice about navigating your book's Debut Year. Stay connected to other writers who have their first books out. If you aren't interested in joining the actual group to publicize them, find an email buddy you can "talk" to and keep in touch! Even if you aren't a scrapbooker, save all the amazing souvenirs (I have mine in a big binder). Find at least one writer beginning the path to publication and pay it forward in the same way others helped you. And, of course, enjoy every minute of those first exciting months.

Thanks, Augusta!

And here's what SCBWI Florida's co-regional advisors have to share about their region:

We are a diverse community of hardworking volunteers dedicated to making your dreams of becoming published authors and illustrators for kids and teens a reality. Through our Florida Regional Conference, held every January in Miami, our Mid-Year Workshop, held every June in Orlando, and lots of smaller events throughout the year and state, we put YOU in touch with top agents and editors in the children’s book industry. A wonderful place to share ideas, make new friends, find critique groups near you, and learn more about the market, SCBWI Florida is the only writers/illustrators support system you’ll ever need. 

 You can learn more about SCBWI Florida at their website here.

And to find out more about Augusta and "Glory Be," visit Augusta's online home here.

Congratulations, Augusta!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

The Unreliable Narrator: Lance Armstrong's Books Are "Protected Speech" and the court rejects claims of "False Advertising"

The story as reported in Cycling News "US judge rules Lance Armstrong lies are protected speech"

A little background from Cycling News:

Five readers of the 'It’s Not About the Bike' and 'Every Second Counts' had filed a suit in Sacramento federal court against the books publishers Random House, Armstrong, his manager Bill Stapleton and associate Thomas Weisel, asking for more than $5 million in damages, claiming they were fooled by the books and that they should have been described as fiction.

At the time the books were considered as inspirational, especially for cancer sufferers, and true accounts of Armstrong['s] career and comeback from testicular cancer. Their contents were shown not to be true after Armstrong was suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), lost his seven-Tour de France victories and then confessed to doping.

The legal ruling from late last year (as reported in publishers marketplace)...

A month after holding a hearing on a proposed class action lawsuit against Lance Armstrong for making false statements in his books IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE and EVERY SECOND COUNTS, California Federal court Judge Morrison England threw out most of the suit. Siding with Armstrong and his publisher Putnam (named in the suit along with new parent company Penguin Random House), he wrote: "The Court concludes, despite plaintiffs' allegations that the Armstrong books contained false and misleading statements, that the content of the books is afforded full First Amendment protection," England wrote in his 39-page ruling, issued Tuesday afternoon.

The plaintiffs, who sought $5 million in refunds and other damages, tried to make the case that Armstrong's untruthful claims that he never used performance-enhancing drugs constituted false advertising that deceived customers into buying his books. Importantly for publishers in general, England found that the publisher's materials were as protected as the author's work: "The promotional materials relating to the Books are inextricably intertwined with the books' contents, which is non-commercial speech...Thus, these promotional materials are also entitled to full First Amendment protection as noncommercial speech."

In addition, England ruled, "The conduct at issue is the speech about the book and Armstrong's speech about whether he used drugs. Armstrong's lies about his use of drugs are simply not criminal conduct." Separately, Judge England clarified that Armstrong's books were not "advertising for a product" but his "account, albeit partially untruthful, of his life and cycling," and thus again met the standard for protected speech, and did not need to be classified as "fiction."

It's an interesting case, and something to consider as we create our characters and figure out who's telling our stories to the reader.

How reliable are OUR narrators?

How reliable are our characters?

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

p.s. If you want to know more about Lance Armstrong's fall, you can check out Oprah Winfrey's interview with him here.

Jennifer Baker: SCBWI's Second On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award Winner For 2014

This year, SCBWI awarded both Jennifer Baker and Tiemdow Phumiruk with the On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award. (Tiemdow was featured in another profile here.)

Today, we're going to learn more about Jennifer and the work she submitted that won her this award...

Jennifer Baker, Winner of the SCBWI 2014 On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award

Lee: Hi Jennifer! Pitch us!

Jennifer:  Oh man, pitch pressure! Here goes: For some the Facility is a haven, while for others, like new recruit Celia Walker, it is a place that stirs up more concern than comfort.

Disoriented and covered in blood, Celia arrives to learn of the sudden death of her parents. Not only that, but Celia’s a ‘have’ -- someone with supernatural abilities. Other recruits, and burgeoning friends, Fariza and Drew encourage Celia to appreciate what those at the Facility offer and the peace the campus provides in allowing them to forget their painful pasts and move forward.

But soon Celia finds out that there’s much more brewing than just training to defend themselves and taking classes. The peace of the Facility becomes overshadowed by extremes. And what Celia uncovers is a war brewing between those with abilities and those without.

The line between "good" and "evil" is not always distinct, and The Facility reflects that with characters whose good intentions result in bad outcomes and others who have strong motives behind ulterior ones.

Not only does The Facility give center stage to ethnic groups that are underrepresented in primary roles in literature but it reflects the decline of a contemporary civilization, not by putting readers in the aftermath of a larger dissension but by revealing the breakdown of a nation and how people come to question everything they’ve ever known.

Lee: Can you share about your journey so far in children's literature?

Jennifer: It’s been a learning process. Writing always is. I don’t think I found or fully realized my true narrative voice until 2009 when I started applying to artist residencies. Even though I’ve been writing since I was a kid, it didn’t mean I knew how to tell a story. And in writing lots of short stories and finishing The Facility—as well as a bunch of bad poetry we will not speak of—I've become much more comfortable with the whole process, or really my process, and more assured in my voice as well as the story I want to tell and the characters I want to represent.

Something else that’s been a learning experience is the market and knowing where you fit in. I write very character-driven pieces, especially in my short fiction, that may not be plot heavy so in writing YA I’ve realized how much more action could be woven in so that it’s not always internal crisis but internal and external that weighs on the characters and the reader.

I hesitated writing The Facility for years because I didn’t know if I could write an action-oriented book. With feedback and encouragement from my wonderful critique partners, and also reading a lot of good literature available for young adults and adults, I gained confidence that the story wasn’t all about the action but about the characters as well -- it's a balancing act, really. For me, if I don’t care about the people in the book I’m reading, I’m not as likely to follow them on their journey, whatever it may be.

Lee: Wise words. What are your hopes/plans for the 43rd Annual SCBWI Summer Conference?

Jennifer: First off, I’m excited to meet fellow Emerging Voices winner Tiemdow “Dow” Phumiruk. She and I have been corresponding since we heard the news. I’m a big fan of her illustrations. They’re so realistic and colorful.

I’ve been wanting to go to the L.A. conference for a few years but hesitated since I didn’t have a finished manuscript, so the opportunity to attend now is great. Conferences like this serve as a kind of recharging mechanism when you feel like your work may not be as good as you thought or perhaps no one is as into books because the market is not doing as well as it had before. All those outside voices, factors, and stressors that may deter you from pursuing your creative streak are squashed in environments like the SCBWI conference, so any time I can be around other artists I become a much more enlightened individual.

So my main plan is to meet other artists, writers and illustrators alike, and gain insight on their experiences and what keeps them motivated, while also hearing from agents and editors on trends and what they’re looking for. With the Emerging Voices grant I’m really looking forward to talking with and absorbing as much information about drive and persistence and the industry as I can as I draft my next novel and try to find a home for The Facility.

You can find out more about Jennifer at her website here.

Congratulations, Jennifer!

17 Year-Old Sam Berns' "Philosophy for a happy life" - Inspiration and Insight

This TEDxMidAtlantic talk by Sam is pretty inspiring, and a great reminder - for our characters and for our own lives - of how the things we share on the inside are more powerful than our external differences.


Sam recently passed away, and it's a meaningful legacy he's left for us.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Tiemdow Phumiruk: One of Two Winners Of SCBWI's 2014 On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award

We're very excited about our two winners of this year's On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award: Tiemdow Phumiruk and Jennifer Baker. (Jennifer will be profiled in a future post.)

Tiemdow Phumiruk, Winner of the SCBWI 2014 On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award

Today, we find out more about Dow and the work she submitted that won her this award...

Dow: My picture book Mela in the Jungle is a new Thai fable set near a river village in Southeast Asia. Young Mela finds herself lost in the jungle, and she needs help to get home. She meets different animals and asks for help, but only the one with the kindest heart saves her. It is a simple story with a lesson about kindness that families with young children can enjoy together. The artwork will mimic a traditional hand drawn style with a slightly modern blue-green palette. It is sure to warm your heart in less than 500 words!
An optional author's note (not included in the word count) gives background information about the Ping River in northern Thailand. It talks a little about the climate and populations of Southeast Asia, as well as some common traditions (such as how gratitude is expressed with a spoken "thank you" while putting hands together as in prayer).

Lee: Can you share about your journey so far in children's literature?

Dow: My roundabout journey in children’s literature has made me feel whole, and I love to tell people how I’ve found my way here (and solved my identity crisis in the process). I came to America at a very young age. I grew up immersed in two very different cultures, and at times it was challenging to find my place in either world. Our country has made great progress in cultural awareness over the past few decades, but there is much more to do. I’d love for children of all backgrounds to grow up knowing that they belong, no matter how different they feel they are.

As a child, I enjoyed art and creativity immensely. I wrote and illustrated my own books, cartoons, and short stories. Two things took me away from this. First, my parents strongly influenced me to choose a practical career path – after all, my mother came to the United States in 1971 with only a coin in her pocket and few belongings. She was one of many nurses welcomed to America to alleviate that era’s nursing shortage. My mother wanted so much for me to become a financially independent adult and leader. Secondly, I had an artistically gifted older cousin, and I thought my work could never compare to hers! I lacked the confidence to embrace the arts while making my way through young adulthood. These two early factors began shaping my eventual decision to become a doctor, and I chose the field of pediatrics.

In 2003, when I spent time as a stay-at-home mother, I found the opportunity to play with art again. It wasn’t long before I realized that creating books for children was a serious passion. Though I returned to work part time, I knew I could never leave this huge part of me behind again.

By 2011, I knew I needed to join SCBWI. My learning has been exponential since I did. Not only has SCBWI helped me grow as an author/illustrator and develop my style, but it has completed me as a person through new friendships in a community of like-minded, like-hearted people. My critique group, started by fellow RMC-SCBWI member Tia Christine, has been invaluable to me.

The guest artists at our local conferences have given me the majority of my art education. Also, I’ve entered many SCBWI contests (my favorite part of membership!) and have seen myself grow by pushing to a new level with each entry. So I sound like a paid advertisement now, don’t I? Well, it is all because I am truly grateful to SCBWI for this journey, for helping me find out who I really am.

As a winner of this year's On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award, Dow will get an all-expense paid trip and free tuition to the 2014 SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, August 1-4. That's where her award will be presented and she'll receive a manuscript consultation with an industry professional, an additional meeting with an industry professional, and tuition to the Summer Conference Writers or Illustrators Intensive.

Lee: What are your hopes/plans for this summer's conference?

Dow: As for the exciting matter of attending the LA SCBWI Summer Conference: I can’t wait to be there!! I am so happy to share my work and meet new friends in the field. Of course, I would love to connect with an industry professional who sees value in my work, and every conference is more exposure towards that goal.

It is my dream to be published traditionally one day, so that my stories can help children see the strength that lies in our diversity. I plan to promote my current book projects and my illustrations in general. But mostly, I intend to enjoy basking in the light and vibrance of over a thousand creative souls! It’s where I belong.

To find out more, you can visit Dow's blogfolio (portfolio) site: www.artbydow.blogspot.com and her blog: www.happydow.blogspot.com

Congratulations, Dow!

The SCBWI Winter Conference Is Coming Up February 22 & 23, 2014!

While the Friday intensives are sold out, you still have a chance to attend the Saturday (Feb 22) and Sunday (Feb 23) of SCBWI's giant international winter conference in New York City.

We'll hear keynotes from Sharon Draper, Elizabeth Wein, Kate Messner and Jack Gantos!

We'll learn from panels on

The Art of the Picture Book, with illustrators Peter Brown, Raul Colon, Marla Frazee, Oliver Jeffers and Shadra Strickland, moderated by publisher Arthur A. Levine.

The Future of Authorship with Paul Aiken (Exec. Dir., The Author's Guild), Jean Feiwel (Senior V.P. Publishing Director Macmillan Children's Books), Jane Friedman (Web Editor, Virginia Quarterly Review) Abbi Glines (best-selling Author) and Timothy Travaglini (Director of Children's Acquisitions, Open Road Media.)

and Banning Books: Where do we stand? with Joan Bertin (Exec. Dir., National Coalition Against Censorship), Ellen Hopkins (Best-selling author whose books have been challenged), and Susanna Reich (Chair, Children's and Young Adult Book Committee, Pen America Center.)

We'll get to go deeper in our choice of two of seventeen breakout workshops on:

Writing Picture Books - Jeannette Larson, Senior Exec. Editor, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Getting and working with an Agent - Dan Lazar, Agent, Writer's House
Writing Contemporary Fiction - Anica Rissi, Exec. Editor, Katherine Tegen Books
Developing and Selling a Series - Sara Shandler, Senior V.P., Editorial, Alloy Entertainment
Submitting and Marketing Your Work - Harold Underdown, Independent Editor and Author
Building a Fantasy World - Karen Wojtyla, V.P. and Editorial Director, Margaret K. McElderderry Books
Writing Historical/Period Fiction - Kendra Levin, Senior Editor, Viking Children's Books
Implementing Self Promotion for Illustrators - Laurent Linn, Art Director, Simon & Schuster BFYR
Creating Picture Book Art - Lily Malcom, Art Director, Penguin
Developing Children's Content for the New Media - Roxie Munro, Author/Illustrator
Creating Nonfiction - Maris Polansky, Assoc. Editor for Nonfiction and Reference, Scholastic
Writing New Adult Fiction - Tessa Woodward, Editor, HarperCollins
Building an Author or Illustrator Platform - Jane Friedman, Web Editor, Virginia Quarterly Review
Crafting and Editing Your Portfolio - Marijka Kostiw, Art Director, Scholastic
Developing Your Illustration Style/Brand - Holly McGhee, President and Founder, Pippin Properties, Inc.
Writing the Classic Middle Grade Novel - Nancy Siscoe, Senior Exec. Editor, Knopf Books
Writing Paranormal, Sci Fi and Thrillers - Kate Sullivan, Editor, Little, Brown Books
Writing in Verse - Jane Yolen, Author of over 300 books for young readers.

There's also a portfolio showcase, a Gala Dinner, presentations of the Tomie dePaola Award, the Jane Yolen Mid-list Author Grants and the Portfolio Showcase Awards, and of course, an autograph party...

The faculty are stellar - the information you'll get is essential - and the opportunity to move your career forward is remarkable!

The breakout workshops are filling up fast - to find out more and register, visit the conference page here.

Oh, and check out the pre-conference faculty interviews by SCBWI's Team Blog (including discussions so far with Emma Dryden, Jean Feiwel, Jack Gantos, Elizabeth Wein - parts one and two, and Kate Messner.)

Make sure to bookmark The Official SCBWI Conference Blog for all the pre-conference interviews and the live blogging from the conference floor.

We hope to see you there!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Kate DiCamillo has been named the next National Ambassador To Young People's Literature!

Kate DiCamillo signs a book for a young fan during the ceremony where she became the National Ambassador To Young People's Literature / Photo by Shealah Craighead, as on the Library of Congress blog

“I want to remind people of the great and profound joy that can be found in stories, and that stories can connect us to each other, and that reading together changes everybody involved.” — Kate DiCamillo, from her interview on PBS' Newshour

Kate DiCamillo has been named the Library of Congress' next National Ambassador to Young People's Literature, succeeding Walter Dean Myers, who was appointed in 2012. DiCamillo will spend the next two years traveling (including required appearances at the National Book Festival and Children's Book Week.)

Kate is the author of "Because of Winn-Dixie," the recent "Flora and Ulysses," and Newbery Award-winning "Tale of Despereaux."

Our congratulations to Kate, to whom we'll give the final words of this post:

"I feel so fortunate to have ended up where I have ended up, as somebody who gets to tell stories for a living. But I didn't start writing until I was almost 30 years old. And I didn't get published until I was 36 or 37. So -- but it was something that I always knew that I wanted to do. And I finally sat down and started trying to do it. So, hey, let's hear it for all the late bloomers and for dreams coming true, right?"

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

ps- you can read some great quotes from Kate's swearing-in ceremony at the Library of Congress here.

Fascinating Numbers About Children's Book Sales

As reported in Publishers Marketplace this week, Nielsen president Jonathan Nowell and director Jo Henry presented statistics on the commercial marketplace for children's books at the third-annual "Launch Kids" conference.

Their data was from Nielsen Bookscan (point-of-sale data from physical and online bookstores) and Bowker surveys (Nielsen bought Bowker recently) of over 6,000 book buyers and a separate survey focused on children's books of about 3,000 people.

Some highlights:

"children's books now comprise 34 percent of the print market as measured by Nielsen Bookscan -- up from 30% in 2011." 

"physical stores have retained their importance as a place to purchase children's books, still accounting for 62 percent of non-YA children's book sales (in units)."

ebooks comprised "about 15 percent of all children's sales over the past two years." 

Nielsen found a sharp increase recently in what Henry called "pester power," as kids increasingly are finding and asking for the books they want to read. (This category ranked well above all other "discovery" factors.) 

"half of teens still have a strong or general preference for print"

and maybe most shocking,

the number of teens who say they do not read for fun increased sharply in 2013. In quarterly 2012 surveys that number was around 20 percent, but in spring 2013 it was 30 percent and in fall 2013 it jumped to 41 percent. "I can correlate this research with similar work we did in the UK," Nowell said. "I find this the most astonishing statistic; if it was not true in both territories, I would question it."

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee