Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 241
August 22, 2016
Writing and Publishing: It is a Business
If you are a writer who wants to sell your work, you are going to have to keep something in mind. Publishing is a business. When you get feedback from an agent or editor, don’t take it personally. They are critiquing your work, not you. As a writer, that can be hard to remember. We […]
August 21, 2016
Women in Science and Women in Sports
What a great way to start my week. My two most recent books are out from Abdo Publishing. Women in Science and Women in Sports are part of the eight title series, Women’s Lives in History. The most difficult part of these two books wasn’t deciding what to include and what to leave out. That said, that was […]
August 17, 2016
Publicity: TeachingBooks
When I opened the e-mail, I wasn’t sure how to react. I’d used the Audio Name Pronounciations on TeachingBooks.net to help students learn the names of their favorite authors. Once you hear some of them, you never forget how to say them. Scieszka rhymes with Fresca. But why would they contact me? Sue Bradford Edwards. […]
Biography: How to write about someone who isn’t well known
My audiobook of the moment is Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The title may be all Typhoid Mary all the time, but after listening to the first 1/3 of the book, I’d have to say that the focus of the book is on George Soper. […]
August 16, 2016
What Makes a Publisher Your Favorite?
Recently, a writing buddy and I were discussing “favorite” publishers. She has a few things to say about one of my favorites which got me thinking — what makes a publisher a favorite? Book topics. I have to love the types of books they publish. Whether fiction or nonfiction, the books themselves are what I […]
August 15, 2016
Comparing Word Counts
“How long should my chapter book be?” “I want to write a picture book biography like the ones Holiday House publishes. How long should it be?” When my students came to me with questions like this, I used to refer them to Renaissance Learning’s AR Quiz store. Unfortunately, when Renaissance stopped selling quizes individually, I […]
August 14, 2016
Holiday House Sold
Last week the publishing world found out that the independent children’s publisher Holiday House had been sold. John Briggs, Holiday House president, made the decision to do this so that he could retire. The publisher was purchased by “a new company formed by growth equity investment firm Trustbridge Partners.” Although I’m sure this company has […]
August 11, 2016
New Award for Matt de la Pena
Late last week the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) honored Matt de la Peña for taking a stance on intellectual freedom. Some of you may not remember the event in question but back in 2012, the Mexican American Studies programs was terminated in Tucson, Arizona. For some areas, this might be underwhelming but Tucson has […]
August 10, 2016
Passive Voice: Pros and Cons
Big Bad Rule: Eliminate passive voice from your writing. You’ve heard this rule. I’ve heard this rule. Pretty much everyone who has been writing for over a week has heard this rule. Unfortunately, there are two problems with this rule. To eliminate it, you have to be able to identify passive voice. Sometimes passive voice […]
August 9, 2016
Follow Your Passions
“Follow your passions.” That’s the advice that we so often get about writing. Write what you love. So I look at the things that I love and I think … maybe. The list includes: Textiles/knitting – Color and textures mesmerize me even if my skill level is so-so. Science – biology, rocks, animals. I love […]
