Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 92
August 20, 2013
Photo of Filipino boy reading book goes viral, prompts donations to help with his education
I love stories like this. After GMA News Online ran the above photo and story, the photo went viral on Facebook and prompted readers to send donations to help him with his education. More info on Book Patrol.
Related info:
Photo of street kid stirs action in Manila (Book Patrol)
August 19, 2013
Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster resolve dispute
Yay, so relieved to hear that the B&N and S&S dispute has been resolved. Just received the following email from Carolyn K. Reidy, President & CEO of Simon & Schuster, sent to S&S authors and their agents:
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TO SIMON & SCHUSTER'S AUTHORS AND THEIR AGENTS
I am very glad to announce that Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster have resolved their outstanding business issues, and look forward to working together on promoting your great books.
We thank you for your support during this most difficult period. I and my colleagues have felt keenly the effect this trade dispute has had on books published during this time and have tried nevertheless to achieve the best possible distribution and marketing for your books, which we know are the product of many years of effort. If you have any questions about a specific title of yours, please speak with your publisher.
While my greatest preference would be that the events of recent months had not happened, we are all pleased that once again we can focus entirely on the most important and enjoyable part of our business: bringing your books to readers everywhere and helping you find the audience your books deserve.
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Publishers Weekly posted a brief update today.
Even though the dispute is resolved, it's still worth giving some blog/social media love to the following Simon & Schuster Children's books that were affected:
August 18, 2013
Self-promo tips for children's book illustrators, by Jen Betton
My SCBWI Illustration Mentee friend Jen Betton has an excellent 2-part post about how children's book illustrators can promote themselves:
Friday postcard sampling via Penguin art director Giuseppe Castellano @(pinocastellano), posted on Twitter
Self-Promotion (Part 1): What To Include
Self-Promotion (Part 2): Postcards and Emailers
August 16, 2013
Cartwheel/Scholastic submissions update
Since some of you have been asking...
To Inkygirl readers who submitted their manuscripts to Cartwheel/Scholastic during the special window in July, please note that the estimated response time (for those who included SASEs, that is) is expected to be around 6 months, according to Celia Lee.
Fingers crossed for those who submitted!
August 14, 2013
I'M BORED enhanced ebook, book narration and another reason I love Twitter
One of the many reasons I love Twitter is because of the conversations and connections that can happen because of casual mention.
For example, I discovered that the narrator of the enhanced ebook version of I'M BORED was Cassandra Lee Morris while listening to an updated version of the ebook:
I decided to tweet about my Instagram video above. I always try to @mention people when possible, so did a quickie search for Cassandra. Lo and behold, I found her!
Here's an excerpt from the ensuing conversation:
:-)
If you'd like to buy a copy of the enhanced version of I'M BORED with Cassandra's hilarious reading, you can find it on iTunes.
August 13, 2013
CRANKENSTEIN trailer and Twitter crankylaunchfun with Dan Santat
I've gotten hooked on Dan Santat posts on Instagram lately, started following links, and have discovered some of the entertaining book trailers he's created. I've posted some of these below. Dan's also way entertaining on Twitter. Today, he's being cranky in honor of CRANKENSTEIN's launch:
WARNING: I will be cranky all day today in honor of my new book with @BergerBooks (But fear not, It's all for show) #Crankenstein
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) August 13, 2013
For CRANKENSTEIN, written by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat, just launched from Little, Brown:
For CARNIVORES, written by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Dan Santat, published by Chronicle Books:
For SIDEKICKS, a great graphic novel written and illustrated by Dan, published by Arthur Levine Books:
August 12, 2013
Registration now open for SCBWI-Montreal conference (Oct. 4-6, 2013). I'm giving the opening keynote!
I had a fantastic time at the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA earlier this month and will be posting a bit about that soon, but I wanted to also announce that registration for the SCBWI Canada East Fall Conference in Montreal is now open. It's my first SCBWI faculty position, and I'm thrilled to be part of the event this year. I'll be giving the opening keynote! Nervous but also waaaay excited.
Conference promo above & conference info PDF put together by SCBWI Canada East Illustrator Coordinator Peggy Collins.
More info: SCBWI-Montreal conference brochure PDF - Registration
Here's more info some of the other faculty members and attendees:
I met David Diaz when I was chosen for the 2010 SCBWI Illustration Mentorship Program; he was one of my Mentors. In addition to being on the SCBWI Illustration Board, David's been hugely supportive of the Mentorship program, generous with his time and knowledge (including opening up his home to some of the Mentees once a year for a creative retreat). David won the Caldecott Medal in 1995 for U.S. picture book illustration in Smoky Night (HMH Books For Young Readers) written by Eve Bunting. He's illustrated many other books and won other awards since. You can find more info about David and his work:
NCCIL profile for David Diaz - Wikipedia entry for David Diaz - David Diaz on Facebook
Laurent Linn is my fantabulous Art Director for Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Laurent was so patient with me as I navigated my very first book illustration project (I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black) and I had so much fun working with him on Naked! Just about to start working with him on my very first picture book that I'm writing AND illustrating, Where Are My Books?
Laurent began his career as a puppet designer/builder in Jim Henson’s Muppet Workshop (how cool is that?!?), creating characters for various productions, including the Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island films. With Henson over a decade, he worked primarily on Sesame Street, becoming the Creative Director for the Sesame Street Muppets, winning an Emmy Award. Currently, at Simon & Schuster, Laurent art directs picture books, middle-grade, and teen novels, including I, Too, Am America, by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Bryan Collier; Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo by John Lithgow, illus. by Leeza Hernandez; The Scarecrow’s Dance, by Jane Yolen, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline; Better Nate Than Ever, by Tim Federle; and the Rot & Ruin YA series by Jonathan Maberry. Laurent is Artistic Advisor for the annual Original Art exhibit at the Society of Illustrators in New York.
More info: www.LaurentLinn.com. On Twitter: @LaurentLinn.
Bonnie Bader is the Associate Publisher of Frederick Warne and the Editor-in-Chief of Penguin Young Readers/Early Readers, imprints of Penguin Young Readers Group. At Warne, Bonnie overseas the Peter Rabbit, Spot, and Flower Fairies publishing programs. She also oversees all of Penguin’s leveled readers, which fall under the imprint, Penguin Young Readers. In addition, she will be starting up an 8x8 picture book program, Penguin Core Concepts, which will launch in Spring 2014.
She continues to edit several bestselling series including George Brown, Class Clown and Magic Bone by Nancy Krulik, Almost Identical by Lin Oliver, and Here’s Hank by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, coming out in 2014. Bonnie is also a member of the SCBWI Board of Advisors.
Here's a great pre-SCBWI-LA interview that Jolie Stekly recently did with Bonnie.
On Twitter: @BonnieBader.
Linda Pratt, Agent, Werner and Pratt. After 20 years at the Sheldon Fogelman Agency, Linda Pratt and long-time colleague, Marcia Wernick, established the Wernick and Pratt Agency in January, 2011. The agency specializes in representing creators of children’s books. “Our philosophy is client care that focuses not just on individual books, but the long-term careers of our authors and illustrators in the ever-changing world of publishing.” Linda’s clients include LeUyen Pham, Richard Peck, Denise Brunkus, Sharon G. Flake, and Kathryn Erskine among others. She also enjoys introducing new talent. Two 2013 debuts are author/illustrator Aaron Becker’s JOURNEY (Candlewick) and middle-grade novelist Judy Hoffman’s THE ART OF FLYING (Disney-Hyperion). Linda is a member of AAR, SCBWI, and served on the planning board for the Rutgers Oneon-One Mentoring Conference for five years.
More about Linda:
On the Wernick & Pratt agency site - Agent Spotlight on Literary Rambles
Jill Santopolo is an executive editor at Philomel Books, an imprint of the Penguin Young Readers Group, where she edits everything from board books for the youngest of readers to edgy novels for teens. Her list of authors includes many award-winners and New York Times bestsellers, most notably Andrea Cremer, David Levithan, Jane Yolen, T.A. Barron, Felicia Bond, Olivier Dunrea, Lisa Graff, Alex London, Peter Abrahams, and Erin Moulton. Prior to coming to Penguin in August of 2009, Jill worked for seven years at HarperCollins Children’s Books, where she once had to dress in a pig suit and hand out cupcakes to booksellers (she edited a lot of books there, too). Jill holds a B.A. in English Literature, an M.F.A. in Writing for Children, and a Certificate in Intellectual Property Law. In addition to working as an editor, Jill is also the author of the Alec Flint series (Scholastic 2008, 2009), the Sparkle Spa series (Simon & Schuster, 2014), and the Follow Your Heart series (Puffin, 2014). In her spare moments, Jill teaches fiction writing online for McDaniel College and is an M.F.A. thesis advisor at The New School. Once in a while, she sleeps.
Website: Jillsantopolo.com - Twitter: @JillSantopolo
And ME!
Photo: Beckett Gladney is a writer and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. Her debut picture book, WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?, will be published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in Spring 2015. Her illustrations appear in I’M BORED (NYTimes Notable Book) and NAKED! (2014), both written by Michael Ian Black, published by Simon & Schuster BFYR. She also has upcoming book illustration projects with HarperCollins Children’s (RUBY ROSE books by Rob Sanders) and Random House Children’s (MITZI TULANE books by Lauren McLaughlin).
Plus a few other upcoming projects she can't talk about yet. ;-)
Debbie is represented by Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown Ltd.
For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @inkyelbows on Twitter.
In addition, there will also be a special presentation during the conference for: Jennifer Lanthier, a Canadian children’s author who recently won a Crystal Kite award for her book, The Stamp Collector (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2012).
July 21, 2013
Interview: William Alexander on writing middle grade novel GHOULISH SONG, sequel to National Book Award winner GOBLIN SECRETS (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Photo: Teri Fullerton
William Alexander won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature for his first novel, GOBLIN SECRETS, a fantasy tale about a boy who joins a theatrical troupe of goblins to find his missing brother. A companion novel, GHOULISH SONG, came out this year. William studied theater and folklore at Oberlin College, English at the University of Vermont, and creative writing at Clarion. He currently teaches at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. For more info visit willalex.net and goblinsecrets.com.
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Grades 3-7 / Ages 8-12
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Q. What was your writing process for GHOULISH SONG?
I wrote my first novel, GOBLIN SECRETS, in a meandering, gradual, and entirely unplanned sort of way. It took several years and several rewrites before I realized that I should finish the story I started rather than any of the various other narrative digressions I stumbled into along the way. But I loved the whole idea of making it up as I went along, striking off into the darkness without having the slightest idea what I might find when I get there. I still do. But GHOULISH SONG had an actual deadline, so this time I needed a plan. I tried to teach myself how to use an outline, how to travel with an actual destination in mind. I ended up somewhere in between. I had the outline / travel itinerary all planned out, but I also gave myself permission to strike out sideways whenever roadside attractions caught my eye.
Am I trying to squeeze too much out of the travel metaphor? Probably. I did make my deadline, at least.
Other than my struggle to learn how to use outlines, the most important thing about my initial process was finding the right soundtrack. Zoe Keating set my mood perfectly for writing dark fairy tales.
Q. How did GHOULISH SONG get published?
My first book contract miraculously called for two books, and this was the second one. Publishing the first one took very much longer. I spent years finding an agent.
William in his office. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)(Credit: AP)
I was absurdly lucky to end up at Barry Goldblatt Literary, mostly because Holly Black is a friend and former teacher of mine and she told me that they were looking for new authors. This is not to say that it's all about who you know! Really. Please don't go about networking with that in mind. Don't try to meet people just because they might be useful to you. This is a community, not just a series of business contacts, and networking only actually works when you are not doing it for selfish, businessy reasons. Be a part of the community.
William Alexander and editor Karen Wojtyla at the National Book Awards. Photo from SLJ.
Anyway, my agent spent another year finding a publisher, and my publisher spent many months revising their entire contract process, and after that my editor--Karen Wojtyla of Margaret K. McElderry Books--and I spent a long while completely revising the manuscript (see above re: actually finishing the story I had started). She read a far better book than the one I had written, and made me want to write that book instead. After all of that I switched agents when the agency reshuffled.
As I understand it, this process is always very, very slow. The only way to get through it without going mad is to ignore the stuff that's out of your hands and work on the next book in the meantime.
Above: William's acceptance speech for the National Book Award.
Q. What advice do you have for aspiring middle grade writers?
Read widely and wildly. Never condescend. Kids are accustomed to moving through a world that they do not understand, encountering unfamiliar ideas and vocabulary along the way. This is already a daily experience for them. Only as adults do we fool ourselves into thinking that we already understand the world. Only as adults do we get grumpy about stumbling over words and ideas that we don't already know. Kids are more flexible. They have to be. Trust them to be.
I write for kids because I've never needed books more than I did at eleven. Eleven is a strange, vulnerable, precarious time. You're not yet an adolescent, but you can see it coming, and you're scared, and you should be. Middle Grade readers need to gather resources, examples, possibilities, stories, new masks to try on, new colors to dye their hair, anything and everything that will help them through the transformations of adolescence. The books we read at eleven help us decide who we want to become.
We should take that seriously--but not too seriously. This still needs to be fun. Don't forget to have fun. Middle Grade readers also need pressure valves, escapism, escape.
Above: "A very brief reading in my living room, recorded on my phone."
Q. What are you working on now? Any other upcoming events or other info you'd like to share?
I'm currently finishing up AMBASSADOR, my first science fiction novel. A boy named Gabriel Sandro Fuentes becomes the ambassador of our planet. Meanwhile his parents are getting deported from the country.
I say "finishing" with great optimisim. Hopefully the book will be done soon...
Where to find out more info about William Alexander and his books:
Goblin Secrets website - Twitter: @williealex - WillAlex.net
Related articles:
School Library Journal article about debut author William Alexander winning the National Book Award
Salon article about William Alexander
National Book Foundation page about William Alexander winning the NBA
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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.
July 19, 2013
My interview on Simply Messing About: How Inkygirl.com was born, my writing/illustration career, time management and more
Thanks to Renee Kurilla for interviewing me on Simply Messing About, a wonderful blog about creating children's books.
Topics covered include:
- How I ended up selling my website for writers and moving to Philadelphia for six months (away from my husband!)
- How Inkygirl.com got started
- Time management
- Why I encourage aspiring children's book writers and illustrators to attend SCBWI conventions
- Introverts and networking
- How to get out of a creative rut
- How to maintain a positive attitude
Read the full interview on Simply Messing About.
