On the Bright Side...

When things get incredibly hectic and I find myself revising one of my own manuscripts, writing a reading guide for another author's book, and keeping things moving on the appearance front for the authors with whom I work at Simon & Schuster, sometimes I feel the need to read something that has nothing to do with work.  Tonight I am opening up Sara Zarr's Story of a Girl.  Just for me.  Just to remember that I love this business, and writing, and reading good books.  I mean, when you look at it that way, things could be a lot worse, huh?

The Business of Children's Books - On Titles and Reading Guides

Happy Friday, all!  This is my second post today.  Busy, busy.  First, a bit of business.  Thus far, I have been trying to distinguish craft-and-review blog entries from book-biz entries by title (The Business of Children's Books plus subhead and a #).  I am giving up as the numbering and subhead thing is just becoming a project of its own.  I'll try to keep the titles somewhat helpful and will add labels.

So, returning to the READING GUIDES (and please note that the HEADING TO NYC blog entry actually contains the introductory material for this topic)...

Here are a FOUR TIPS for writing DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.

1. Be wary of plot-based questions.  While this is useful for teachers trying to ensure chapters are being read, it is NOT fun for young readers and feels like busywork (more school, not reading fun). I recommend asking plot-related questions in terms of theme.  For example: "In Libba Bray's A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY, how many times do Gemma and her friends visit the Realms?  Compare and contrast these visits.  Do they evolve, shift?  How do the characters change as a result of each visit?"

2. Encourage readers to connect their own experience to the story.  For example: "In the opening chapter of  Barry Linga's THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FAN BOY AND GOTH GIRL, the narrator describes the social dynamics on his schoolbus.  Do his descriptions remind you of your own school bus scene?  Does having to ride the bus, versus driving/getting a ride, affect your social standing at school?  If you ride the bus to school, do you consider it a pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant experience?  Explain your answer."

3. Consider questions that will help students understand how literary techniques enrich the story while also identifying with the story.  For example, "In Louis Sachar's HOLES, what is unusual about the main character's name?  What is the author conveying to readers in the naming of his characters, and the descriptions of the way characters are given names?"

4. Bring in the outside world.  For example: "In LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow, the narrator is being closely monitored by his school and government.  Do similar monitoring systems exist in your world?  How might you relate the current issues regarding airport security to the way students are supervised in the world of the novel?  How do you feel a balance should be struck between security and privacy?  Cite examples from the story in your response."

Note that, depending on the genre (picturebook...MG...YA and everything in between), the balance between different types of questions changes.  Regardless, I encourage you to consider a variety of angles as you develop your question list.  Hopefully, this will give many types of readers opportunities to connect with the book.

Weighing in on the E-Book Situation

Just read in the Wall Street Journal that Hachette Book Group (Little Brown, Grand Central Publishing, etc.) has joined forces with Macmillan in pushing for an agency model for e-book sales.

Went onto Amazon and did some random, unsystematic research.  Did note that, while Randy Susan Meyers' new title, The Murderer's Daughters (St. Martin's--Holtzbrink/Macmillan family) and F. Paul Wilson's Jack: Secret Histories (Tor--Holtzbrink/Macmillan) have no buy buttons, Stephanie Meyer's Twilight (Little Brown--Hachette) is still for sale. So, I guess Amazon hasn't wrapped Hachette's knuckles quite as hard as Macmillan's. (As I meandered through Amazon, though, I actually think I spotted a couple Macmillan titles whose "buy" buttons have not been stripped--not telling which as I'd like those authors to be able to sell their books!)

I'm no lawyer and I don't know the statistics, but I do wonder about the legal issues surrounding a book/e-book seller with Amazon's market share linking its willingness to distribute traditional books to the pricing for ebooks.  Hmmm...

Oh, writers, writers.  Do not read the news today.  Go into that dark, scary place inside your head and write something wonderful.  Do not let the dark, scary places out in the world and cyber world interfere with your art, your craft, your heart!

Highlights of SCBWI New York Conference

1. The absolute charm and energy of Francesco Sedita, and the uncanny perspective and incisive intelligence of Julie Strauss-Gabel at the Friday writers' intensive.

2. Libba Bray's awesome keynote. Woke up this morning and promised myself to be a giraffe unafraid to jump off a cliff and then try to grow wings (that's a picture, huh?). Want to know what I'm talking about? Check out the SCBWI Team Blog.

3. Alvina Ling's eloquent and thoughtful presentation on the literary novel. And Tina Wexler's heartfelt enthusiasm and hope for writers and books in these chaotic days of publishing.

4. The astonishing number of Washington writers represented in NYC this past weekend! I was repeatedly amazed by the folks from the Western Washington chapter of SCBWI and feel extraordinarily grateful for all that they do for children's book writers in our rainy, coffee-addicted corner of the world. Seriously. Joni, Laurie and Kim (and Jolie and Jaime, and all the rest of you adcom superheros)--you are amazing!

5. Wonderful conversations with friends old and new. Thanks, Dawn, Jennifer, Nancy, Kathleen, Leah, Jim, Michelle, Angelina, Susan, Barb...

I return to my computer overwhelmed, frightened, challenged and excited but most of all more determined than ever to write my best and tell my own stories.