Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 40
October 3, 2016
Award-winning indie children's book author Lucy Ravitch shares tips and clears up misconceptions about indie publishing
Lucy Ravitch is the author The Pancake Menu, a children's interactive book that helps kids practice math skills as they play restaurant. The book won the 2016 Bronze Independent Publisher Award in the Children's Interactive category, and was also the bronze Reader's Favorite award for Children's Concept Books for 2016. Lucy says she has loved math since she was young and love showing kids that learning is FUN. Lucy launched her own company (Enjoy Learning Something) to publish her books and blogs at KidsMathTeacher.com. She lives in sunny Southern CA with her husband and five children.
I usually focus on traditionally published authors and illustrators in my blog, but I was so impressed by Lucy's enthusiasm, business acumen and success in her indie publishing ventures that I thought Inkygirl readers would be curious to know more. Thanks so much to Lucy for taking the time to answer some questions!
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Q. What inspired you to write The Pancake Menu?
While studying Elementary Education in college we were required to make a book in our KidLit class. I created The A to Z Pie Menu (It had a pie and a price and at the end asked "What will you order?") and years later my 3 and 1 year-old children would play with it, so I planned out several menu books for kids--The Pancake Menu being one of the 15 different options of menu. Next up are The Pizza Menu and then The Sundae Menu.
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Q. Did you try to get your book traditionally published first? Or did you know from the beginning that you wanted to self-publish?
I tried to get an agent and go the traditional publishing route for five years (2009-2014). The last year of those five, I was getting more information about going independent and when I made the decision to give it a try I was totally scared, but kept my drive to do it!
I loved the control I got to have over my project in the long run, and when I take it to schools and events the profit is much bigger. Although, there is a downside that I don't have a marketing department to push my book onto bookstore shelves and in front of several people. Going indie is much more of a grassroots effort with a lot of word of mouth/online social sharing involved, which also takes time to grow and develop, and it's a LOT of work for the author.
Q. How do you find your illustrator for your Math Concept Story series? Are you paying them a flat fee, royalties, or do you have another arrangement?
I supported several Kickstarter projects before mine went live and when I went to the LA Times Festival of Books 2015 I recognized the books of this author/illustrator from the KS I supported. I got his business card, bought one more of his books, and I simply loved his artwork! Turns out Travis Hanson has been doing illustration for over 20 years and I thought his style was great for my particular project, so I called him up when I felt we could begin the project. We will be doing a flat fee for the book layout sketches and a flat fee per finished page. Royalties are too difficult for me to handle at this stage of my business.
Q. You’ve done such a great job at spreading the word about your work. What strategies have you found to be the most effective?
Great question! Word of mouth and having a free informational bookmark or giveaway item that tells people where they can buy the book is a must. Plus, I often give a few extra bookmarks to some people and ask if they can give the bookmark to people they know who might like my book. Great bloggers who are good with social media sharing goes a long way as well! I've had a few contacts of mine that have nice blogs and a good amount of Twitter and FB followers do a blog post. Every few months they Tweet about the old post and it is wonderful! I notice a few sales each time they Tweet about the post they did.
Q. What have you found to be the biggest misconception that people have about indie publishing?
The biggest misconception to me is people thinking Indie publishing doesn't result in a good quality book. If you do it right, you can use a good printer overseas who will work with you. You can hire out for editing and even illustration and layout if you need to (or you can be a bit like me and learn how to do some it yourself). Ultimately, you should still know what people want and find your niche. I felt my project needed to get out to the world and since it was such a different kind of book that no publishing house seemed to want to take on, I did it myself. I'm happy to say it's in the Library of Congress, it's sold on Amazon through Amazon Advantage, I have Baker & Taylor as a wholesaler, and I've entered it into several awards and it won the bronze IP award for children's interactive books in 2016.
Q. What do you see in the future for your publishing house? Or what would you LIKE to see?
I see Enjoy Learning Something publishing all my Kids Menu Books that I feel will sell well. Even though I had the idea for 15 different menus, I only think I'll do the best 5 or so (unless there is a huge demand for more of them). The Math Concept Story Series will be a hit among educators and parents too! I am not certain how fast I could have the publishing house grow (as I have a large family and other things take much of my time), but within the next 10 years I would love for it to grow to have more people working for the business and produce 2-3 books a year of other people's work as well as my own. It would be totally awesome if it was acquired as an imprint of a bigger house, like Klutz is now an imprint of Scholastic.
Q. Congrats on your successful Kickstarter campaign! What advice do you have for authors who are considering going that route?
Thank you! Kickstarter is a great crowdfunding platform among the others out there. It is a lot of work to run a campaign and then fulfill the orders. I recommend having everything lined up as much as possible before you go live. Your video should be brief and true to your work, your story with pictures, and make simple level rewards (too complex and you'll get too many questions or people may just not support). I worked for six months on my Kickstarter before it went live and I feel that paid off. After all, Good Morning America reached out to me when they were looking through Kickstarter campaigns for interactive kids products in April of 2015.
Q. What has the response been like so far?
Very positive! When people get to look through my book they are impressed and often say, "I would have loved to have this as a kid!" or "My nephew will love this!" So far the response from teachers and their students, as well as parents of the children who have the book have given me great feedback! One person used it during their family reunion breakfast for everyone to look through and choose from the options. The book is geared toward children ages 7-10, but kids as young as 3 have been playing with it and are being introduced to math skills with money and cooking measurements early. A special needs outreach program bought the book to practice social skills and cooking for their classes.
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Q. What are you working on now?
I am working with an amazing illustrator to layout and do final illustrations for the first book in my Math Concept Story series which I plan to run another Kickstarter for next year or possibly later this year, with anticipated release June 2017.
I am also trying to finish up The Pizza Menu--testing dough recipes and making the directions. After that I will begin illustrations for that, the second book in the Kids Menu Book series! Tentative release March 2018.
While working on manuscripts is a big chunk of time, working to arrange school visits and attending those take time too. I am also researching and implementing how to grow a successful children's publishing house.
Good luck with your Math Concept Story series, Lucy! And thanks so much for visiting Inkygirl. - Debbie
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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.
October 1, 2016
Three Questions for Jeff Szpirglas, author of SHELDON UNGER vs THE DENTURES OF DOOM
Who could not want to read a book with a title like Sheldon Unger vs The Dentures Of Doom? This new middle grade book comes out from Star Crossed Press on October 1st, 2016. You can find more info about Jeff Szpirglas at Twitter and Facebook, and more about Sheldon Unger vs The Dentures Of Doom on Goodreads and the Star Crossed Press book page.
Q. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?
This framed letter was written to my grandmother by Orson Welles, about two weeks after Citizen Kane’s theatrical release, and printed on way-cool Mercury Theatre stationery.
Who knew my grandmother had any interest in writing? I only learned about it as a grown man forging my own writing path. It turns out that during her formative years in Chicago, my grandmother had the same nanny as Welles himself. She interviewed the nanny for her high school paper. Years later, her interview was excerpted, sans credit, in a big biography on Welles. My grandmother also dabbled in fiction, and this letter is Welles’ polite response to her.
This letter is also coincidentally also the kernel that became Sheldon Unger Vs. The Dentures of Doom. I’d long envisioned a story about a smart-alecky kid like myself, who’d written off his grandmother as a cranky curmudgeon, and then discovers something amazing from her past. A letter from a famous celebrity wasn’t enough to fuel the fire of story for me, but an ancient set of evil, living dentures? That did the trick.
Q. What advice do you have for young writers and/or illustrators?
Go with your guts. My instincts often take me to strange places that may not be commercially viable, but it’s what drives me as a writer. Case in point: I’m now trying to sell a picture book called “Barfbeard.” It’s about a seasick pirate, and there’s more puking in it than a Farrely Brothers movie. It’s a joyous manuscript that will likely scare away every book marketer in America.
Sheldon Unger Vs. The Dentures of Doom is one of those journeys to that sweet spot where comedy and horror oscillate wildly. I wanted to make the horror real and visceral, and the jokes like punches to your ribs. When I was 11 or 12, I discovered horror movies and heavy metal. With Dentures, I wanted to channel the same buzz that I was getting from scary movies and blistering power chords. I wrote the story to satisfy my own creative impulses, but knew that there were other 11 year-olds out there who are probably interested in the same kinds of weird genre-bending fare.
Q. What are you excited about right now?
I’m generally excited by the ideas that hit me at any given moment. The story I’m working out in my head (and in little notebooks during my walks and runs) is about an impossible skull.
I’m also completely absorbed into what my 4 year-old twins are up to. I’ve turned my son into the world’s biggest Star Wars fan, even though I have to skip past all the scary parts for him. But it’s renewed my enthusiasm for that universe, and rediscovering details about even the most minute of characters, like Bossk the bounty hunter, and the inner workings of Boba Fett’s spaceship, Slave I. I can’t wait to get him started on Classic Doctor Who.
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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.
September 26, 2016
September 13, 2016
CLARA HUMBLE AND THE NOT-SO-SUPER POWERS by Anna Humphrey, illustrated by Lisa Cinar
[image error]CLARA HUMBLE AND THE NOT-SO-SUPER POWERS is the first novel in a fun new middle-grade series written by Anna Humphrey and illustrated by Lisa Cinar, coming out from Owl Kids this week.
Not sure about the rest of you, but I clearly remember desperately wanting superpowers when I was a child.
The superpower I wanted the most: to be able to move things with my mind. I wanted to fly, of course, but even back then I knew that flying was beyond my own potential superpower capabilities. Plus as fun as it looked on tv and in movies, flying could quickly turn very bad and even fatal if things went wrong. But moving things by just thinking about it? Well...what was the harm in at least giving it a shot?
Like the star of CLARA HUMBLE AND THE NOT-SO-SUPER POWERS, I started giving coincidences a hopeful extra spin. In Clara's case, her not-so-super powers helped her cope as she dealt with the impending departure of her friend and 80-year-old next door neighbour and other issues going on in her life.
Synopsis (from the Owl Kids site):
Clara Humble may seem like your average fourth-grader who doesn’t look before she leaps, but she has a secret: she thinks she might have superpowers. Which is convenient, because things aren’t going so well for Clara. Students from rival R. R. Reginald are moving into her school for the term, and Clara’s favorite neighbor, Momo, is moving to a faraway retirement home.
Together with her best friend, Bradley, the winsome and overconfident Clara becomes convinced that her knack for making liquids spill, overhearing her parents’ conversations, communicating with her pet chinchilla, and maybe even mind-controlling teachers could be used to put a stop to these injustices. Sure, these “powers” may not be as impressive as built-in Wi-Fi or the ability to barf data clouds—both hacks possessed by @Cat, the bionic superhero of the comic book series Clara is creating—but they’re Clara’s best bet.
Told in Clara’s clever, funny, and strikingly authentic voice, this novel kicks off a new series by inviting readers into this memorable character’s inventive mind to share in her misadventures. Annotated with Clara’s comic sketches, it’s a fast-paced read with a spot-on perspective of life as a 10-year-old that kids will surely relate to.
Some Things I Loved:
- Clara's fun drawings (channeled via Lisa Cinar) are a great enhancement to the story, and it was fun as well as enlightening to follow the adventures of caped superhero @Cat, whose own stories often parallel what's happening to Clara in real life.
- The friendship between Clara and Bradley.
- Moving moments like the final discussion between Clara and Momo. "I don't need you to be my hero, Clara. I just need you to be my friend."
CLARA HUMBLE AND THE NOT-SO-SUPER POWERS is a strong debut in what promises to be a fun and satisfying middle grade series. You can find out more about the book at the OwlKids site, Anna Humphrey's website and Lisa Cinar's website.
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More info: Donalyn Miller's Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts.
Rescue dogs, debut picture books and advice for young writers: Interview with TOBY author/illustrator Hazel Mitchell
[image error]Cover from TOBY copyright © 2016 by Hazel Mitchell. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.
Congrats to my friend and agency sister Hazel Mitchell today on the launch of her debut solo picture book, TOBY, which comes out from Candlewick Press today (check her FB wall for a special launch day giveaway)! Even though I've never met the real-life Toby in person, I've been following Hazel's photos and posts about this sweet rescue dog via social media. And like many other Toby fans, I was genuinely distressed when I heard about Toby getting lost and I cheered out loud when he was finally found, safe. You can find out more about the real-life Toby's adventures in this post by Hazel and LOTS of info, activities, free resources and other bonus info on the TOBY Bonus Page.
Synopsis of TOBY (Candlewick Press, for ages 4-6):
"When a young boy and his father move from one house to another, they decide to adopt a dog from the local rescue shelter. But their chosen dog, Toby, is having a tough time adjusting to his new life outside the shelter—howling all night, hiding fearfully from his new humans, forgetting where to go to the bathroom, and chasing a ball through the flower bed. The boy has promised to train his new companion, and he’s trying his best, but Dad is starting to get exasperated. Will Toby ever feel comfortable with his new family and settle into his forever home, or will Dad decide he’s not the right dog for them after all? A heartwarming story about the growing bond between a child and a new pet—inspired by the author’s experience with a rescue dog of the same name."
You can find out more about Hazel and her work on her website, blog, Twitter and her TOBY Facebook page.
Congrats on the launch of TOBY! I love this story and illustrations so much.
Thanks so much, Debbie. And thank you for inviting me to Inky Girl ... and for being the launch day blogger for 'Toby'!
Q. What are your favorite bits of the book and why?
Gosh. That's a hard question, (as you know yourself!) So much changes when you're working on a book. Bits you loved, suddenly you hate. Sometimes your favorite parts of a book get cut. (kill your darlings .. yes it happens in picture books too, folks!).
One of my favorite parts of the book that I had to lose was a scene where Toby comes into the boy's bedroom and licks his hand when he's asleep. That happened to me with Toby the first week he was with us - he was SO afraid and he could only touch us when we were asleep. But that's not what you asked me! My favorite parts of the book (that are still in the book) are ... hmmm ... I think when the boy and Toby see each other for the first time in the rescue shelter, when Toby is still in the cage. It's kind of love at first sight and Toby has such a way of looking at you (in real life), like he is worldly wise.
I also love the bit where Toby has had an accident in the house and Dad is mad with him. I feel so sorry for Toby and Dad is SO harassed, a typical parent look on his face. And then there is the scene in bed, where the boy is cuddling Toby and Toby is cuddling his toy rabbit. It took me a long time to get that scene right. I had to show the boy's worries and Toby's worries and even the rabbit's worries.
So I am quite pleased with that one. And it never fails to make me tear up. And I gave Toby a tennis ball, because my agent (Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown Ltd, NYC, loves to play tennis!).
Q. Did you face any challenges in putting own dog into a picture book story? If so, how did you solve them? Do you have any advice for writers and illustrators about fictionalizing a real-life pet (or person)?
Yes I did. Not least, because it was the first time I'd attempted or thought about doing it. It happened like this: I was at a retreat and talking to children's editor Harold Underdown about ideas I was knocking around for a new dummy, but nothing was getting me excited.
Harold suggested I write about Toby ... this was at a time when I was posting online a lot about Toby as we'd just fostered and adopted him. A lot of people were following Toby's progress and had taken him into their hearts. I HAD thought about writing about Toby, but then so many people seem to write about their dogs, right? And quite frankly I thought a story about how Toby came to live with me and my hubby was just boring. I couldn't think of a story arc around that, apart from Toby's progress from fearful dog to trusting dog. And THAT was taking a long time and is still ongoing.
I needed a story that would hold the attention of a child. So I toyed around with it a bit and thought, why not give Toby a different family? He could still be the real Toby, but in a different setting. I needed a child in the story that young readers could relate to and to create emotional energy with Toby.
So I sat down to sketch and the boy in the story appeared. He was just right. Not too young, not too old. At first I put both parents in the story, but when I was brain storming at Candlewick Press with Liz Bicknell (editor), Ann Stott (art director) and Carter Hasegawa (assistant editor), we decided maybe just the boy and his mother would be more interesting. And then I went home and thought, no, he is just with his Dad.
We don't know why it's just Dad, the reader can fill that in. That created a nice emotional triangle between the boy, his Dad and Toby. At the beginning of the story they've just moved house and the boy is lonely. They adopt Toby, who turns out to be much more of a handful than they expected. Dad isn't coping very well (again the reader can fill in the spaces as to why) and thinks Toby may not be the right dog for them.
The boy has to try and solve the problems with Toby and we see his frustrations too - as well as Toby's lack of co-operation. So that created the crisis. Does it all turn out well? You'll have to read the book! I do like that there are unanswered questions in the book, that a lot is left to the reader's imagination and that the ending is a bit like real life - open ended. Not everything is cut and dried. There is room for discussion.
Looking back, what started out as a straight forward adopt-a-dog book turned into a book that looks at the emotional undercurrents that even a small child can understand - when things don't turn out like you hoped, when a parent gets overloaded, when there seems no solution and everything might go wrong. I am totally of the opinion that children understand so much more than we give them credit for. (As do dogs!). I hope that readers will find deeper emotional currents in the book than just the surface story, and that that's what will make a child want to read it again.
So my advice to writers and illustrators telling a story about a real life animal (or person) in a fictionalized setting? Ask yourself: what's at the heart of the story? In my case it was the emotional development of Toby and friendship and trust with the boy. That stayed true to my real life experience, (having a fearful animal can be very frustrating!). I was able to create a story arc with new characters that were age appropriate.
Always consider the same elements: theme, mood, setting, voice, POV, arc and most importantly, story. What I found worked best in this story was simplification. It's a story any child can understand told from a child's point of view. It's quiet and emotional about real life ups and downs. It might be more difficult to do this with a real person, although we all take bits of people we know and put them into our characters, right? But I am not sure I could give a real person a fictional life. Animals and inanimate objects seem to be easier!
Click image above to watch the replay of Hazel's TOBY webinar.
Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?
My best piece of advice is read and read and read.
And if you want to illustrate - draw and draw and draw.
Study the writers and illustrators you love and see how they put their stories together and how they create their illustrations.
Nothing can replace practice, both in writing and illustrating, or in any artistic profession.
Get to know what you like, what interests you and write and draw about that, about what's in your heart.
And spend as much time around seasoned authors and illustrators as you can.
But most of all - don't stop creating.
Q. What are you excited about nowadays?
I am always excited to start on a new project. And to finish ones that are languishing in my 'in tray'. Alongside a couple of picture book dummies, I have a middle grade mystery novel set in England that I REALLY want to revise and send to my agent. That's a real departure for me ... and new things are always exciting!
Hazel Mitchell has always loved drawing and still cannot be reliably left alone with a pencil. She has illustrated many books for children including Imani’s Moon, One Word Pearl, Animally and Where Do Fairies Go When It Snows? ‘Toby’ is her author-illustrator debut from Candlewick Press. Her work has received several awards and been recognized by Bank Street Books, Learning Magazine, Reading is Fundamental, Foreword Reviews, NYCReads365, Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, Charlotte/Mecklenburg , Chicago and Maine State libraries among others. Originally from England, where she attended art-college and served in the Royal Navy, she now lives in Maine with her poodles Toby and Lucy and a cat called Sleep. She still misses British fish and chips, but is learning to love lobster. Find out more about her at Hazelmitchell.com and is represented by Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown Ltd., NYC.
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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.
September 12, 2016
September 7, 2016
Why I Love SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS! Plus Three Questions with Marcie Colleen
Just read the first two books in Marcie Colleen's debut chapter book series, SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS, just launched this week from Imprint/Macmillan. Omigosh, I am in love with these books. Here are just a few reasons:
- So many laugh-aloud moments, for both kids AND adults. What I especially loved: the humor aimed at adults is NOT the "nudge nudge wink wink, we grown-ups know so much more than the kids" type of humor and is also NOT mean. It's just pure fun.
- Not only are these books excellent for those who already read independently, but they'd also be fantastic read-a-louds
- The illustrations by Steve James are SO fun: bright colors, adorable, full of energy.
- The stories are sweet and positive without being cloying. I just want to hug all the characters. Yes, even the grumpy ones. ESPECIALLY the grumpy ones. :-) Marcie conveys a positive message in an original and totally entertaining way.
Check out the first two pages of the first book in GNAWING AROUND (first book in the series), posted with permission:
I still haven't decided which of the woodland creatures I identify with the most...each one of them has some characteristic that makes me think, "Omigosh, that is SO me sometimes." Young readers are bound to identify as well.
You can find more info about the Super Happy Party Bears! series on Marcie's book page.
Marcie Colleen has been a teacher, an actress, and a nanny, but now she spends her days writing children’s books! She lives with her husband and their mischievous sock monkey in San Diego, California. Occasionally, there are even doughnuts.
I met Marcie through the SCBWI, and she is amazing. So enthusiastic, supportive, fun, plus she makes fantastic classroom guides for teachers. I hired Marcie to do the teacher guides for all my books and am super-happy with her work.
You can find Marcie at ThisIsMarcieColleen.com and on Twitter at @MarcieColleen1.
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Synopsis of the Super Happy Party Bears books:
"To the Super Happy Party Bears, everything is a good thing. Their entire attitude can be summed up in one word: YAY! They love doughnuts, dancing, and above all else—a good party. Not so for the rest of the animals living in the Grumpy Woods. They find the bears terribly annoying."
Thanks to Marcie for answering THREE QUESTIONS:
Q. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?
When I am stuck and not knowing what to write or simply feel like what I do is not important, I try to focus on why I want to write for children.
One particular reminder has a prominent place by my desk.
It is a mud-caked, red LEGO brick.
When Hurricane Sandy ripped through New York City and the surrounding area in 2012 it changed life for many. I was supposed to run the NYC Marathon on November 4, but it was canceled due to the devastation. However, my entire running team chose to travel to Staten Island anyway, not for the start of the marathon, but to help with clean up.
For hours I worked with one family to empty their basement. Their belongings were muddied beyond recognition. Heaps of destroyed toys, holiday decorations, and photographs. It was heartbreaking. My mind swirled with the stories of each item.
Before taking a wheelbarrow-full to the already overflowing piles on the curb, I pocketed this red LEGO brick.
To me it symbolizes the hardships in life that affect us all, even children. Through my books I hope to bring a smile or a giggle to a child’s day. To provide an escape among life's mud. If I can do that, even slightly, I will have done what I set out to do.
Q. What advice do you have for young writers?
I didn’t get where I am by myself and you don’t have to, either. Countless teachers, mentors, family members, and friends helped me and encouraged me along the way. Never be afraid to seek advice or ask questions. It’s how we learn. It’s how we succeed
Q. What are you excited about right now?
I am excited about strangers reading my books. To think that people I don’t know will be reading my words is both terrifying and exhilarating.
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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.
