Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 59

Three Questions For Barney Saltzberg: Advice For Young Writers, Pencil Sharpener Inspiration and INSIDE THIS BOOK (ARE THREE BOOKS)

Barney Saltzberg is the author and illustrator of close to 50 books for children, including Beautiful Oops!, Arlo Needs Glasses, Andrew Drew and Drew, and the bestselling Touch and Feel Kisses series with over one million copies in print. Not only that, but he's also recorded four albums of music for young people (!). See the children's concert clip later in this post.

I was lucky enough to meet Barney at ALA earlier this year and more recently discovered his BEAUTIFUL OOPS!...I can't believe I missed this wonderful book before! Those of you who've seen my found object art demos can guess why I fell in love with this book. Do check out Barney's Celebrate Oops! campaign, an initiative designed to build confidence and turn accidents into teaching moments.

You can find out more about Barney and his work at his website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

Synopsis of INSIDE THIS BOOK (ARE THREE BOOKS) from Abrams:

"Inside This Book is a tribute to self-publishing in its most pure and endearing form. Three siblings create three books of their own using blank paper that they bind together (in descending sizes to match birth order). One sibling’s work inspires the next, and so on, with each book’s text and art mirroring the distinct interests and abilities of its creator. Upon completion of their works, the siblings put one book inside the other, creating a new book to be read and shared by all!"

Q. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?

I photographed an electric pencil sharpener that my picture book writing teacher extraordinaire, Barbara Bottner gave me when I was working on my very first book which she mentored me through. It mean so much that she believe in me enough to work with me above and beyond, and for her to think enough of my work to give me a pencil sharpener to encourage my drawing. I couldn’t help but add the giant pencil to the photo. It is only fitting. This was a present from my wife and children many years ago. Talk about support and encouragement to dream big! Both of these are important mementos in my studio.

When I was in elementary school, my teachers often sent me home with notes; “Your son has potential, but we don’t know what to do with him.” I am sure that if I were in school now, I would be diagnosed with a number of learning issues. Luckily, I had a teacher, Mr. Maurer, in the fifth grade. He realized I couldn’t spell, (or multiply, or conjugate, etc;) but he recognized that I was a story teller. I wrote a book that was inspired by this years ago called, (Phoebe and the Spelling Bee) Every week, the day before our spelling test, Mr. Maurer would give me the spelling list and have me make up a story on the spot, in front of the class. I never practiced. I winged it every week. I loved the challenge. Looking back at my childhood, I realize that Mr. Mauer found a way to let me shine, in an otherwise, dismal time in an academic setting. He was a truly amazing teacher.

That’s a long winded introduction to my life as an author/illustrator. I find myself standing in front of thousands of students every year as I travel around the world. It never ceases to amaze me that I am being given an opportunity to address children. When I was in school, drilling a hole in the clock with my eyes as I willed it to be 3:00 so I could go home, I never imagined that I would return to so many schools as a published author. (And, love being there!) I always make a point of saying, “For those of you wondering, if you don’t give up, it gets better! I am the poster child for tenacity.” (Then I explain what tenacity means!)

Q. What advice do you have for young writers?

My advice for any writer is to be open. So many of us are certain we have the next ‘big thing’. My story has seventeen sequels. I see it as a movie. If things go right, there could even be a theme park modeled after this book. Dolls, toys, etc. SLOW DOWN. Editors are really smart. Listen to them. I have learned to ‘sleep on it’ for a night (at least) when an editor makes suggestions. This would also go for a critique group as well. Try on the suggestions and see how it feels. I also recommend reading your work out loud while you are proofing things. Also, have someone else read it out loud to you. You will have an opportunity to ‘hear’ your story in a way that is only possible when someone else reads it to you. Also, you know how to read your own stories and it is really helpful to see if the reader gets tripped up or lost or better yet, if they fall in love with your story. That will usually only happen after a million and six re-writes.

Q. What are you excited about right now?

My current book is one I published with Abrams, Appleseed Press called, Inside This Book (Are Three Books). I am a huge Emily Gravett fan and she opened my mind when it comes to the physicality of books. I had done many interactive books like Beautiful Oops and A Little Bit Of Oomph before, but I started adding flaps to some of my picture books as well. Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep, and Andrew Drew and Drew are all picture books with additional flaps. As a musician, I am really aware of the rhythm of a page turn so having the additional flaps in a picture book adds to the way a story unfolds. (Literally and figuratively) Inside This Book (Are Three Books) is a story about three siblings who are given three different sized blank books and how each child creates their own, individual book and what they do with them. Physically, it’s like Russian dolls, with books. I was delighted that Abrams was open to the concept of binding three sequentially smaller books inside of one book. My hope is that this book will help to inspire a whole crop of budding writers and illustrators.

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

Free print-ready poster: Tim Federle quote about books

I've added a new print-ready poster to my For The Love Of Reading page:

You can download the poster here.

For more free print-ready literacy posters, activity sheets, bookmarks and more, see For The Love Of Reading. You can also browse my full Print-Ready Archive for teachers, librarians and young readers.

Comic: Picture Book Restaurant

SIX by M.M. Vaughan

I cannot resist a middle grade novel with unique/cool technology as a hook, so was intrigued by the basic synopsis of SIX by M. M. Vaughan (Margaret K. McElderry, 2015): Parker and his sister Emma, with the help of secret advanced technology, can communicate between themselves through their thoughts. When their father is kidnapped a few years after their mom's death, Parker and his sister are determined to find him.

Loved the mystery and action in SIX, the unexpected plots twists, and especially liked Parker's sister Emma. While Emma's deafness plays a role in their mystery-solving (she's very good at lipreading, for instance), it's not an Issue. Also loved the humor.

I'd like a SEQUEL, please!

You can find M.M. Vaughan (a.k.a. Monica Meira Vaughan) at http://www.mmvaughan.com/, on Facebook and on Twitter at @NoSleepNeeded.

Monica shared some excellent advice in Chuck Sambuchino's "7 Things I've Learned So Far" blog series, including:

No news means...absolutely nothing.

Don't send your manuscript out to every agent at once.

Use your time well while you're waiting to hear back. Read the article to find out more.

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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts. 

Don’t wait for your Muse. Be there every day & eventually she'll start showing up.

 

I love what Stephen King said about not waiting for one's Muse to show up.

“Don't wait for the muse. As I've said, he's a hardheaded guy who's not susceptible to a lot of creative fluttering. This isn't the Ouija board or the spirit-world we're talking about here, but just another job like laying pipe or driving long-haul trucks. Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you're going to be every day from nine 'til noon. or seven 'til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he'll start showing up.”

- Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

The comic above is also available as an Unhappy Muse greeting card in my online card shop.

Golden Marmot Award: Chuck Wendig's "If you like a book" tweet

 

 It's been a while since I've awarded the Incredibly Prestigious and Exquisitely Ephemeral Golden Marmot Award, but this week it NEEDS to go to Chuck Wendig for this wonderful tweet.

In addition to following @ChuckWendig on Twitter, I encourage you to read his Terribleminds blog. (*** To those offended by strong language: be warned that Chuck embraces it. :-)) While his focus is not specifically on children's books, many of his posts contain nuggets of wisdom useful to writers all genres.

Three Questions For Christian Trimmer: Advice For Young Writers, Ben Clanton and SIMON'S NEW BED

Christian Trimmer photo credit: Walker Brockington.

In addition to being a debut picture book author, Christian Trimmer is an editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. I love his enthusiasm for kidlit/YA on his Twitter feed, plus he's edited some pretty amazing books. Like THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH by Daniel Kraus (here's what I posted about the book), which comes out from S&S BFYR this October.

You can find Christian Trimmer on Twitter at @MisterTrimmer, his website at Christiantrimmer.com and the Simon & Schuster BFYR team page.

Synopsis of SIMON'S NEW BED, written by Christian Trimmer and illustrated by Melissa van der Paardt:

"After a lazy afternoon of watching cat and dog videos, I was inspired to write this harrowing tale of the deep-rooted tension that exists between siblings. Much like Cal and Aron Trask or the daughters of King Lear, Simon and Miss Adora Belle are in a never-ending battle for supremacy. Also, cats stealing dog beds!"

Q. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?

I’m a huge Ben Clanton fan. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers recently published his Something Extraordinary, which I was very fortunate to inherit from Julia Maguire (who is now at Random House). Ben’s stories are so sweet and playful, and his art is wonderfully expressive. He and I are working on a bunch more books together. He happened to be in New York for BEA this year, and we hung out at the Art Auction. He had donated a fantastic piece to the auction, and I put in a bid on it—I was desperate for more original art for my office, specifically Ben Clanton art. Ben saw my name on the sheet, and he was all, “Christian, you really don’t have to do that” to which I responded, “Ben, I want to do it” and he said, “I mean, you really don’t have to do that.” I thought he was just being modest or shy. At the last minute, someone outbid me. But as it turns out, which I discovered when we met at the S & S offices the next day, he had packed a different piece from the same series—this one—for me. All together now: Awwww!

Q. What advice do you have for young writers?

1. Be nice. To everyone.

I know that this is advice you give to a small child, but it’s really applicable when you’re an aspiring writer. Because when it’s time for your book to come out, the book that you’ve spent years perfecting, the story you’ve cried over and on, the manuscript that represents everything good about your mind and soul…you want people to think of you fondly. Because when people like you, they want to support you. So maybe they buy your book. Maybe they talk about your book with their teacher friends. Maybe they share your Facebook status update. More than that, you never know from where the next great opportunity is going to come. As an example, I recently ran into this restaurant manager that I’ve known for a couple of years. He’s a great guy and so good at his job, and I’m always happy to see him. This most recent time, I mentioned that my debut book, Simon’s New Bed, was about to come out. He was so genuinely excited for me, and not only that, he reached out to his mom who oversees the nursery division at one of the best schools in New York. Now, I’m scheduled to read to her students in October!

2. Everyone has her/his own path.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed in our glorious industry. Advice is flying at you from every direction, advice from editors and agents and other writers, published and not. But it’s important to regularly remind yourself that this is your journey, and it’s not going to look like anyone else’s. For a long time, despite hungering to create something, I resisted writing. As a book editor, I’m surrounded daily by gifted writers, many of whom have studied the craft for years, who have masters degrees, who have written for TV shows, who have won awards. I often thought, Don’t bother. Leave it to the real professionals. But something clicked one day, this acceptance that I had something worthwhile to say. So I finally took the chance. And I sold the first picture book manuscript I wrote, and then the second, and then the third. I still have moments of insecurity, but I’m getting better. So, listen to the advice that others are giving you and take the advice that makes sense to you. Then, go create!

Q. What are you excited about right now?

My Fall 2015 list is AWESOME. I’m, of course, excited for all of those books, which you can find here. But I’d like to single out a novel that my colleague Ruta Rimas is editing called The Way I Used to Be. It’s by Amber Smith, and it’s beautiful and devastating and empowering. It comes out this March.

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

Font Nerd Table comic, thoughts on font faces and my favorite Comic Sans song ever

For those interested, the Font Nerd Table comic above is now available as a greeting card in my card shop.

I do admit that I over-used Comic Sans and Papyrus when they first came out. Fontfaces are so much like fashion, aren't they? You have the basic fontfaces which never seem to go out of style, like Helvetica and Times Roman. But then there are the trendy fonts which are massively popular for a short period of time but then fall by the wayside.

Like Comic Sans. And speaking of Comic Sans, here's my favorite Comic Sans music video ever:

Insider kidlit trivia: Andrew Huang, who makes a guest appearance as a rapper in the video above, is also the voice in Greg Pincus's book trailer for The 14 Fibs Of Gregory K.

Three Questions with Patricia Newman: Advice For Young Writers, Penguin Paintings and her new EBOLA book

 

Patricia Newman is the author of fiction and nonfiction titles, and magazine articles for children. She writes what she wants to know and has covered topics as diverse as ocean plastic, trains, fighter pilots, and Ebola. Although many of her books have received critical acclaim, she writes for the kid she was to hook the next generation of readers. She is a frequent speaker at schools, libraries, and conferences.

You can find more info about Patricia Newman on her website - Facebook - Twitter and Pinterest.

Synopsis of EBOLA: FEARS AND FACTS (Millbrook Press, Oct. 1, 2015):

"From 1976 to 2013, the virus killed about 1,500 people. So why in 2014 did it kill nearly seven times that number? Ebola: Fears and Facts takes kids behind the sensational headlines to address their questions and concerns about the virus. What are the symptoms? Can we catch the virus? How does it spread? Find out how the 2014 epidemic compares to past Ebola outbreaks, and outbreaks of other infectious diseases. Ebola: Fears and Facts will help kids better understand this most-feared disease."

Ebola: Fears and Facts Book Trailer from Jim Bentley @Curiosity_Films on Vimeo.

 

Q. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?

I love this picture! You might think it's a finger painting from my kids' preschool days, but it's not. My daughter is a zookeeper, and one day, she "asked" her penguins to paint me a picture. They walked across the canvas as an enrichment activity-can you see their footprints?-because they would do anything for my daughter. They loved her (as do I!). So, their artistic efforts hang in a place of pride. Her penguins even inspired a picture book that I'm currently revising.

Q. What advice do you have for young writers?

When I was a kid, it was hard to get excited about writing prompts. I never felt like I had good ideas, or perhaps I was too afraid to commit them to paper. So even though I was a good student, I guess you could call me a reluctant writer. Now, I love to write because I'm writing about the things that matter to me.

I know several schools encourage students to keep journals in which they write a few lines every day. If kids don't know what to put in their journals, I suggest making a list of things they love, and then choose something from the list to write about--even if the grammar and the spelling aren't perfect. Every day, go a little deeper into the topic. For example, ice cream would be on my list of things I love. On day one, I might write whether I like cups or cones (wafer vs. sugar vs. waffle) and why. On day two, I might write about the flavors I like. On day three, I might explain how I eat an ice cream cone, i.e. whether I eat the point off first or lick all the ice cream off the top and how I control drips. It doesn't matter what you write about, but you do have to be interested in it.

Q. What are you excited about right now?

I love writing about the natural world because whenever I take a close look, something fascinating is happening. Currently, I'm hard at work on two books about different aspects of the ocean. One of the books will feature epic photos from PLASTIC, AHOY! photographer Annie Crawley.

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

Poll Results: Do You Dog-Ear Pages In Books?

Thanks to those who answered my dog-earing survey! Exactly 100 people responded. I know the percentages don't add up to exactly 100; I think SurveyMonkey was rounding up or down.

It was fun to see how OPINIONATED many of us are about dog-earing pages in books; non-readers just wouldn't care, would they?

Most of the pro-dog-ear comments focused on the "books are made to be loved" theme, said that the content is much more important than the appearance of the book. Some said that while they don't dog-ear pages themselves, they love coming across dog-eared pages in used or library books because they're like clues left behind by previous readers.

Those against tended to regard the practice of dog-earing pages in other people's books as a form of vandalism.

Some dog-ear their own paperback books but prefer keep some (like rare or autographed editions) in good condition. Some only dog-ear their books that they know have a short shelf life and will be replaced with updated versions, like school textbooks.

Here are just a few of the comments about dog-earing books while reading:

"I hate dog-ears, because when they inevitably tear off, they take words and page numbers with them!" - @IshtaWrites

"Dog-earring a book is like marking a Rembrandt with a magic marker just to remember where you left off on your museum tour!"

"Dog-ears, margin notes, post-its... all signs I love a book. Autographed books are the exception; I like to keep those in good condition."

"I was shocked to learn that people deliberately dog-eared books to mark pages. I thought dog-ears were just remnants of unhappy accidents by careless readers."

"I unfold them whenever I find them!"

"You can always find a bookmark. A receipt, a bit of ribbon, a business card. To me, a dog-eared page indicates a certain lack of imagination." - Marty Coady Fabish

"I've seen too many older books with the once-dog-earred corners now falling off."

I do not loan books to people who will not take care of them. One should not write in or dog ear or otherwise damage someone else's books ( or public library books).

"I used to - and lay them face down, too. Don't know why I stopped, but now it bothers me when people crack the spines...I don't lend to people who dogear, at all." @jjmcgaffey

"I did until I discovered Post-It flags! My dog-earing days are over." - @adams_jac

"I can't stand reading a book that has been dog-eared."

"NEVER NEVER NEVER ... and don't you dare put a pencil mark in any of the books either ... unless it is one of mine and you are signing the book! Books are like a newborn - pristine and untainted!"

"When I read books I view it as a whole and I think that people who dog ear pages view books as parts of a whole. I highlight non-fiction but never dog-ear...just who I am!" - @dad2ella

"I don't even crease the spine!" - Tuhin Giri

"Dog-ears are my waymarkers to significance/brilliance. Like the X on a pirate's treasure map that denotes: here be the gold! :)" - @KathyHolzapfel

"Post-it notes are my most common form of bookmarks. I've been gifted others, magnets that fold over the edge of a page, standard cardstock or leather bookmarks, a decorative rubber band like dealio. I still usually revert to blank post-it notes. - Jen Distad, avid reader (="

"Absolutely, never, ever, ever! As an elementary library specialist this is one of my pet peeves. I always have slips of paper or bookmarks available for the students to use. It's my attempt to stop dog-earring from happening."

"Will dog-ear paperbacks that I throw away after I've read them. I will never ruin a proper book."

"Books have always been special to me. They are my friends, especially during life's lonely times. I try not to scuff up my friends." - @cherylreads

"I will sometimes dog ear nonfiction books (that I own) that I'm reading for research to help me find key pages later. For some reason that feels okay, but dog earring novels doesn't." - @megancrewe

"I occasionally dog-ear library books if they're already battered and manky, but wouldn't do it to a new book. (The same goes for my own books, actually; it depends how manky they are to start with, and whether I bought them second-hand or not.)" - @miriamjoywrites

"I try to never dog-ear someone else's copy of a book, (including library copies), but I dog-ear my books all the time. I don't mind reading dog-eared books -- in fact I'm fascinated by the places where people have stopped reading. If they dog-eared at a critical point, I think, "How could you actually set the book DOWN at this point?" What could have drawn a reader away? Perhaps they will be returning to that spot to savor an author's words? Maybe they didn't understand something? So many interesting questions come with dog-eared pages! Fun poll, Debbie! :)" ~ Patricia Toht

"I don't understand why anyone would dog-ear the pages in SOMEONE ELSE'S book. That's like visiting a friend's house and deliberately sprinkling grape juice all over the living-room carpet. I once loaned my copy of the fourth Harry Potter book to a number of friends. One of them apparently felt it was okay to correct one of the errors in the book (in pencil, but still) and hand it back to me without a word. I'm still not sure who it was." @angrykem

"Don't lay the book open or fold the front over the back. Breaks the binding and the book wears out FAST." - @deoris1

"I also read books in the bath."

"I think dog-earing books that aren't yours is really rude. If they're yours, I don't care, but I don't do it to mine."

"I don't mind if other people dog-ear their personal books. It is annoying if it is a library book!" - @lehmanac

"I use to dog ear pages but I don't anymore. I'm a recovering dog ear pages person. ;)" - @daydreamreader

"I used to hate and avoid it, but a few things changed that. I started reading masses of ARCs (which fall apart after two reads) and I'd go through them so quickly and switch books so often that I'd start trying to use pens or hair ties or other books or whatever I had on hand to mark my place, and some of those things can warp the book or break the binding if you're not careful, which to me is worse than a dogeared page. Around the same time came a pretty heavy rise in ebooks, whose sterility I dislike. You CAN'T dogear an ebook. I love the realness of touching pages. So yes, now I'm willing to fold down a tiny corner if I don't have a bookmark, and I unfold it when it's time to move on." - @infamousfiddler

"Gah! Dog-earing makes me twitch. - @joannelevy :)"

"I buy a lot of used books and it's interesting to see what's been dog-eared. I use post-it tabs." - @joyjoycorcoran

"I try not to if they're not my own but sometimes I just can't help it ;)" @almemoore

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Curious about my other publishing industry surveys? Feel free to browse current and past Inkygirl Surveys online .