A VIRTUAL HAPPY FRIDAY

For the last hour, I have been struggling to complete my introductory post on Virtual Author Visits. This is a huge topic right now, the subject of much discussion amongst writers, and amongst the marketing and publicity folks within publishing houses. There are some amazing things going on in the virtual world and also some frustrations. The topic is far too big for a single post, so consider this an introduction.

Virtual Visits, for the purposes of this conversation, include Skype, chats, blogs and vlogs, and any other internet medium through which authors connect with school or library groups.  At this point, Skype seems very popular.  Authors are handling Skype requests in myraid ways. Many offer free short (10-15 minute) Skypes with book groups, etc., and only charge for longer Virtual sessions. (If you're doing this, please share your experiences--thanks!). There are authors who Skype for free, those who charge a fee or require minimum book purchase, and every possible permutation and combination in between. Some just find the medium challenging (shy!) and are nervous about charging because they are not sure they are any good at virtual appearances. Others love the high-tech stuff. In sum, there is a lot of experimentation going on.

At work, I routinely receive requests for authors to Skype or otherwise "virtually visit" with school or library groups. With school and library budgets shockingly tight, it is not surprising that this is an appealing notion.  But, though the idea seems great, the hows of a successful virtual visit are still being figured out.
Here are a few third-party sites for those investigating Virtual Visit options. Not endorsing any of them as yet but it's good to know what's out there. Please do share your experiences or any other resources you may have found for Virtual Visits: Skype an Author; Teaching Books; SchoolTube; EduBlogs.

So the resources and interest are out there.  The big question, in my opinion, is how can authors build great relationships with schools and libraries, have successful interactions with students, and encourage readers to BUY THEIR BOOKS through Virtual Visits? What does it take to develop a thoughtful, payment-worthy Virtual Visit program? Next week, I'll look at some authors who are innovating in the virtual visit arena and a few I think are handling the medium with great success.

For tonight, I'll end with a Happy Friday book note: I finished THE FARWALKER'S QUEST on Tuesday (loved it, especially the notion of "The Forgetting") and am halfway through AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES (artfully drawn protagonist and hilarious footnotes).

THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS: It's YALSA (ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association) Teen Tech Week 2010

The Teen Tech Week program was started by YALSA in 2007. It is a national initiative aimed at helping teens access and responsibly use their library's non-print resources. Curious? Click here for more YALSA Teen Tech Week details.

Got a bit behind on the blog recently because I was working behind-the-scenes on my third-grader's school  production of "Willy Wonka Junior" (he was an Oompa-Loompa). I love to see kids sharing their talents on stage and, though this was a giant group (over 100 performers, grades 1-6), the production was fabulous and full of life. There's actually a segue here to Tech Week: I took an informal survey of the cast and discovered that far more kids had seen a movie version of this story than had read Roald Dahl's CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Hmmm. Here's a case where I'm not sure I'm glad the kids had the tech resources to skip over the book though, admittedly, it was over the reading level of much of the cast. Still, this has me thinking hard about what I'll call Tech Platforms for School and Library visits.  So, having spent some time discussing reading guides (one type of content you can put on your website), I'm going to write a few posts on "Technology and Author Promotion."  I'll begin on Friday with some thoughts on school and library visits via SKYPE and the experiences a few of my authors have had with this medium.

THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Checking Reading Guides for Balance

I just sent out a reading guide for the first book in a fun new series. I was happy to be a part of this project but also nervous because I know the author is excited about this series and I wanted to be sure to do justice to this book and those that will follow.


So, although I finished writing the guide this past Friday, I did not send it out. Instead, I put it away for the weekend. Today, I opened up the file and looked for what I call "balance" in the piece. Here are some questions I asked myself:

1. Am I happy with the number of discussion questions? Do they flow together meaningfully? Have I included all of the major characters, plot elements and themes in one way or another? Do I feel that I have encouraged readers to see the elements in the story that the author is excited about exploring?

2. Are my activities balanced in terms of writing exercises, research, creative/arts-based activities, debate/interactive activities, etc.? As I look at each activity, can I imagine one real, specific kid who might enjoy it (another reason I recommend working in classrooms!) or one situation in which it might be useful?

3. Do I feel that the guide is practical for use by educators and by parents? Will students find some questions or activities interesting and appealing without adult guidance? Are there some easy, quick things to do as well as more complex suggestions?

After I tweak the material to satisfy the above, I print out a hard copy of the guide. Note that this is the same thing I would do for a draft of my own fiction. I take a look at the shape of the text on the page. Do some activity descriptions look too long? Do some questions look too short? And, of course, I do a red pencil line edit.

Finally, I type in my corrections, drink a cup of tea, wait a half an hour and take one final look. Just like any piece of writing, part of knowing when you are "finished" is a gut feeling. However, this is writing not just for myself but in support of someone else's hard work and ideas, so instinct has to be just a part of the equation. Examining the guide for balance gives me a metric for checking that I am honoring the objectives of the author and the publishing program.

BLAMING THE OLYMPICS FOR ALL THE BOOKS I HAVEN'T READ THIS WEEK

You know life is too hectic when you've got three books piled on your nightstand.  And, despite this blog heading, I can only partly blame the action in Vancouver.  Between jazz band, lacrosse, basketball and the upcoming school musical, my kids have kept me in chauffeur-mode for much of the week.  Just trying to keep my head above water, working, driving and definitely just writing-on-the-side!  That said, I have promised myself a few cozy hours by the fire this weekend.  Here's what I'll be reading...

In anticipation of the sequel, THE TIMEKEEPER'S MOON, coming out next month, and on the recommendation of my nine-year-old who could not put this one down, I MUST finish Joni Sensel's THE FARWALKER'S QUEST.

My thirteen-year-old has become a huge  Gordon Korman fan.  POP moved him so much that he was talking about it for literally weeks.  And he says SCHOOLED is great, too, so I've gotta get on that bus!

I'm hooked on everything John Green--his karma, his website, his blog and, of course, LOOKING FOR ALASKA.  So, there's nothing for it but AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES.

Having library books sitting waiting for me at the table is tantalizing fun.  Despite the frustration of not having finished them all (and the very real possibility of some library fines this month), I am much happier seeing the books there than looking at an empty wooden tabletop.

Have the Olympics interfered with your reading time?  Let's commiserate.  Or feel free to suggest some more titles to pile on my table.  And many thanks!