Aaron Starmer's Blog, page 7

DWEEB Paperback and Negative Reviews

When I was young, books were paperbacks. I knew of hardcovers, of course, but I rarely ever read a book in hardcover. I thumbed through cheaply produced, light-weight volumes that would split at the seams by the time I'd gotten to the final chapters. That was fine by me. I wasn't a collector of objects. I was a collector of stories and I shelved them in my mind.

Many of the paperbacks I read were published under the Yearling imprint. According to their web site, Yearling has published beloved ...

How to Write an Award Winning, Bestselling Children's Book

A lot of people stop by this site because they're curious to learn what it takes to not only write a children's book, but to write a successful one. Some authors appear at workshops where they charge hundreds of dollars to dispense such insider tips. Not me. Today, I'm giving the good stuff out for free. I only ask that you thank me in your acknowledgements and cut me in on any foreign rights. It's a fair trade for this invaluable wisdom. Let's get down to it.

First off, the old advice is...

Self-Publishing: Should I or Shouldn't I?

I rarely write about the publishing industry, about eBooks and that of-the-moment stuff. Fact is, I'm not that knowledgeable about it. My writing process is pretty unique. Since I'm a major league luddite, I write all my books by nautical flag. I string them up on a schooner that I sail down the Hudson River. The editors at Random House all stand at their windows, eyes to spyglasses, and they take turns calling out what they see:

"Blue stripey one!"

"Like the Swiss flag, only with yellow...

The Missing Link

I was once an addict. Shocking, I know, but before you go calling Dr. Drew and booking a 20/20 interview, let me provide some clarification. My addiction was a common one for young'ns and agoraphobes and the pasty-skinned of this world . I was obsessed with video games. Many of my pre-teen and teenage years were spent slaughtering goblins and dunking over Larry Bird. Time, money and opportunities to chat up girls were wasted. And what do I have to show for it? An unhealthy knowledge of Kid...

School Visit: Thank You Washington Township!

This week I had the distinct pleasure of visiting two schools in Washington Township, NJ, a charming little community in the northwest corner of the state. According to Wikipedia, Jean Shepherd, author of The Christmas Story, once lived here. I didn't see any leg lamps in any windows or kids with tongues stuck to poles, so I can't confirm that fact. But I can confirm that the kids of Port Colden Elementary and Brass Castle Elementary schools are a welcoming and inquisitive bunch, and about...

This One Goes Out to the Ladies

When I was a tot, my pals and I would gather in my garage, set up some pots and pans as if they were a drum-kit and wield some tennis rackets like stratocasters. We'd pop Def Leppard's freshly minted Pyromania into the Fisher Price tape deck and crank that puppy up to its fattest arrows. We'd charge the neighborhood gang a nickel a head to watch us lip-synch and strum the nylon to Billy's Got a Gun. Rock and roll, friends. Rock and roll.

Flash-forward about five or six years. I'd pop some...

The Only Ones: Cover Revealed

This morning I had my last look at my new book, The Only Ones, then I sent it off to the publisher for the final shoeshine before it decamps to the printing press. Yes, it's not going to hit the shelves until September 13, 2011, but for all intents and purposes, it's done. There may a tweak here or there, but the work that remains is primarily of the marketing and PR variety. I wish the book goodluck and godspeed and I pledge that I'm going to do my darndest to promote the heck out of it...