A Thought for the New Year: Giving the Gift of Reading--In Reverse

In the publishing industry, and as parents, we think a lot about ways to connect kids with books. Bookstores and libraries, school book clubs and fairs, and perhaps the advent of hand-held electronic readers may incline this techno-savvy generation more toward reading. I believe another important part of nurturing the love of books is to show how books and stories build connections between people--build community.
I've got a simple, inexpensive, low-tech suggestion that has been both fun and enlightening at our house where, in truth, books are plentiful. Beyond access, the best way I have found to connect my kids with books is to let THEM recommend books to ME. Each year, around the holidays, I ask each of my boys to suggest a book they'd like me to read.

Consider this notion akin to kicking a soccer ball around the back yard with your child and letting him or her give you a little "coaching" along the way. It allows them to invite you in to their world--to share their expertise and interest. Reading their recommendations provides opportunities for unique conversations. Like friendship, love of reading is enriched by reciprocity. This year, let your kids give the gift of reading to you--and see what you learn about them.

If you're interested, here is this year's book list:

From 15-year-old: THE WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE by Lois McMaster Bujold. A wonderful adventure about a young man with physical disabilities but a brilliant and adventurous spirit. Two tantalizing quotes: "...he was plugged into a commercial network of enormous complexity. Ninety percent of success seemed to lie in asking the right questions." (P. 99. Okay, for a book written in 1986, that's a pretty prescient take on the Internet, huh?); "I've always thought of myself as agnostic. It's only lately that I've come to--to need for men to have souls." (P. 323. Not going to explain but I do recommend you read the book if you have an interest in the ethics of war.) Best insight? My teenager loves quality sci-fi AND beautiful language. Yeah!

From 13-year-old: THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins. Haven't read CATCHING FIRE yet but read HUNGER GAMES (discussed previously on this blog). This is a case where I shared the book with my kids and now we've all been bitten by the HUNGER bug. He's already passed the book along to the nine-year-old as well.  After HUNGER we had some pretty intense debates as to Peeta's motives (and I've come to realize this son is a bit of a romantic).  Now the thirteen-year-old is chafing at the bit for me to finish CATCHING FIRE so we can chat some more.  It's been fun to discover this family favorite.  And we can't wait for the third book to come out in late summer.

From 9-year-old: THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE by Kate DiCamillo. While he also enjoyed THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX last year, he favors TULANE as a little less "classic" (possible boy translation: princess-y) with a more complex plot. I think the illustrations are gorgeous.  My son and I both found the story heartfelt and touching. Third grade has been a year of great change for all of my kids and it makes sense to me that my soul-searching nine-year-old connects with this exploration of family, friendship and love.

From 3-year-old:  Dr. Seuss's HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. Well, obviously I've read this a million times--often to him! But he's really connected with the story this year--even wanted us to hold hands and sing around an outdoor Christmas tree last week. Frankly, he loves the music from the cartoon, too, and it's still playing around the house on December 29. Best thing about this recommendation? It's given me a break from Mercer Mayer's THERE'S AN ALLIGATOR UNDER MY BED, which I also enjoy but have thoroughly memorized.

THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS #4

SCHOOL & LIBRARY APPEARANCES, Part III: GETTING THE GIGS

The holidays are upon us. You're trying to finish the shopping, get the cards out, endure the hassles of travel... Are you managing to write at all, much less promote your work? Well, in the midst of my own cookie-baking frenzy, as promised, here are some tips for getting school and library gigs. (Be warned, this is a long post.)

Particularly at the outset, developing appearance opportunities is hard work, though it can get easier as you build your reputation, garner good reviews, and sell copies of your book. Remember that getting gigs requires putting yourself out there (sometimes affectionately called shameless self-promotion). If you don't have the stomach for it, school and library appearances may not be the way you want to promote your work. If you love connecting with readers, talking about books and writing, and spending a bit of time away from the keyboard, appearances are probably for you. Commit to not neglecting your WRITING. Decide how much time you want to spend each week on marketing and make sure it does not impinge on your manuscript hours. THEN...

1. Make yourself find-able online. Dedicate a page on your website and link your blog, Facebook page, etc., to your appearance program. So, if I were to Bing or Google "Author Appearance" and your name, I'd find your appearance page. Keep it simple without long, scroll-down-requiring descriptions. PROVIDE clear and easy steps for inquiring about an appearance and DO NOT make this a note to your family email address. If you don't have a .com website, open a separate email account with a name like "appearancesbyauthorname@live.com." It looks more professional.

2. Get started by using your connections-- friends, colleagues, family. One lovely author-friend is expert at this and her books MOVE off the shelves everywhere she goes. Her profit margin is not high but, in terms of book recognition and sales goals (paving the way for future books), her efforts are paying off. The strategy: Every time you have plans to hit the road for any reason, and have already handled your travel and lodging costs, let people know. Try putting an announcement on the destination school district's listserv; ask area librarians if they are interested in a visit or can help spread the word; and ask connections in the educational field for contact names. Your message? "YOU, author of X, will be visiting CITY on DATES. Interested schools can contact YOU at XXX. Fee is $X or free with the purchase of a classroom set of books (note that when you are soliciting appearances, fees must be low or even free, and book purchasing requirements can be time-sensitive) for a one-hour presentation." Include a headshot and/or book jacket image--pictures lend credibility. Give the local paper a call and offer to give an interview or write about your "author's experience" visiting their town.

3. Get "reviews" for your presentations. It's often as easy as asking. Provide a "review form" for completion by every host. Make sure there's a signature line for hosts to grant permission to be quoted on your website. On the review form, invite hosts to provide an email address for you to keep in touch and/or contact information for friends or colleagues they feel would like more information about your programs. Collect information and learn from feedback.

4. Tell fans and followers where you'll be and how things go. Website or blog posts noting cities or towns you are visiting or cute anecdotes about young readers you meet in these places make you seem both accessible and friendly. Post good book AND appearance reviews.

5. Reach out to educators in all situations. Several authors with whom I work give my name to teachers and librarians they meet everywhere from literary events to the supermarket to social functions. The authors then send me a list of folks to look out for and, when these people touch base, I can be very responsive because I know how and why they came to request this author (while I generally recommend consistency with regards to fees, requests coming through authors in this way sometimes, though not alaways, have a prearranged fee exception or waiver due to a personal connection). A SIDE NOTE: Make sure you have a nice business card and share it liberally.

6. Specialize. Does your middle grade novel's protagonist study gymnastics? Does the bad-boy romantic interest in your YA fantasy play in a rock band? Reach out to organizations focusing on activities or topics related to your book, especially if you have some background in these areas.

7. Educate yourself. Learn what interests reading specialists, librarians and other educators through organizations such as the International Reading Association (www.reading.org), the American Library Association (www.ala.org), NCTE, NCSS and NSTA. If one of these organizations is holding a conference in your area--go! At least visit the exhibit hall. Talk to people about your book and show your appreciation for the contribution other conference attendees make to literacy efforts. I have personally picked up writing and speaking gigs by attending ALA and NCTE events, not to mention learning a ton.

8. Inform your publisher. Every author would like their publisher's marketing and publicity staff to fill their calendar with book tours and high-profile conference appearances. That these folks cannot offer every interested author all of the appearance opportunities they would like is simple math.  However, they HONESTLY DO submit your work for all appropriate rewards and advise you of all specific and appropriate appearance requests. Better to advise your editor, publicist and marketing contacts of appearances you have scheduled and, very occasionally, send along a nice quote from a particularly successful appearance. This way, you're not asking for opportunities your publisher cannot provide but instead showing that you're ready and waiting should the right chance come along. Nice. Subtle. Much appreciated. Professional.

Getting gigs is quite a process, huh? Maybe you're exhausted just thinking about all this work as you sit amidst a pile of unwrapped presents with scotch tape stuck in your hair (er-that's not autobiographical!). In fact, these techniques can become as routine as your exercise regimen or doing the dinner dishes (note I did not choose fun routines but necessary and helpful ones). Take things at your own pace--you can always do more or scale back. I recommend enjoying the cookies and the eggnog this week, and maybe you can add one or two of these ideas to your New Year's book promotion plans.

Whence all the ski imagery...?

Gearing up for a holiday in the mountains.  Here I am (center, in blue) with some of the family on the slopes at Thanksgiving.  My ski name is "Ace" (to be clear, I am a terrible skier, but I talk tall!).  My sister's ski name is "Lightning Panda" because you know that pandas are known for their swiftness and agility--she's on the far right, in red.  Despite this tag, she is actually the better skier.  The best thing about skiing is that it is so difficult for me that I can think of nothing else but fall line of the slope and getting to the bottom.  It is incredibly liberating to have to focus that hard--to be truly in the now. I return to my computer refreshed and thrilled to be writing. (I've been looking for a few good reads that offer a teen's perspective on what's special about being on a mountain.  Try Justina Chen Headley's Girl Overboard.)

THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS #3

SCHOOL & LIBRARIES APPEARANCES, PART II: HOW KNOWING YOUR HOST HELPS SET THE STAGE FOR A SUCCESSFUL APPEARANCE

As writers, we learn to wait--for responses to our queries, for publication opportunities, for the evolution of a sold manuscript into a bound book, for royalty checks. Like a fine wine, publishing is often a process that takes time. And we've made our peace with that. So, it can be a bit jarring when the book comes out and suddenly people want to schedule things for yesterday, including events where you find yourself talking to tots about your story then switching gears and talking to their parents and educators about literature and learning with only a ten-minute break in between. Keeping calm in the rushing waters of book promotion requires a whole new kind of Zen.


Within this chaos, school and library appearances have a special place. They differ from bookstore and other publicity stops in one primary way: The coordinator of your appearance (your host), is likely to be someone for whom arranging an author or illustrator visit is not a typical part of his or her job description. This does not diminish (and maybe even enhances) the host's energy and enthusiasm for arranging your appearance. And I am not trying to scare you. But it is important when you are considering hitting the school appearance circuit that you understand what you are getting into and, if you’ve been lucky enough to do a book tour, how very different a beast this is.

Here are a few things to note about school and library event hosts:

1. This may be the first time your host has arranged an author appearance. PTA's, for example, which fund many author visits, often pass down the role of book fair coordinator, etc., to a new parent volunteer every year. Tight school and library budgets may mean that author appearances are not annual events, so even experienced coordinators may be rusty.

2. Your honorarium and fees are likely to be a big chunk of your host's annual budget. Thus your appearance, though possibly somewhat routine from your viewpoint, is a very significant event (and investment) for them.

3. Your host may or may not have chosen the right author or illustrator for their learning community. Face it, you may have been invited in part because you are local, reasonably priced, available or a favorite of a particular educator or parent. This does not make you the best fit for the entire group you will address.

How can this understanding of your host translate into more successful appearances?

ACCEPT THE BACK-AND-FORTH. Be willing to discuss the details of your itinerary, from scheduling the date to determining how many presentations you will make (I'd suggest limiting it to three/day) and to what grade level combinations. Share your experience regarding optimal grade-level breakdowns, realistic expectations for a classroom visit, assembly presentation, 15-minute book signing time. If the school would like you to share a breakfast or lunch with faculty members or select students, confirm whether this will be a formal or informal event. This conversation will help you know what the day will look like and thus be able to prepare effectively and for the right grade levels.  It will also help the host clarify his or her expectations, setting the stage for satisfaction on all sides.

RESPECT THEIR FINANCIAL CONCERNS. If costs are a concern, consider offering a discount if the host can find a nearby school to book you as well, noting that this will enable them to share travel and hotel expenses.  This may make long-distance appearances more worthwhile for you but also shows that you understand the host's need for value, especially these days.  If you want to do the visit, be willing to roll up your sleeves and appreciate the financial situation in which the host is working.  Whatever the budget, remember, they reached out to you because want to connect their young readers with a real author!  A very cool objective.

PUT IT IN WRITING. Whether you yourself, your publisher, or a freelance booking agency confirms your appearances, make sure there's a document that notes the date, fees and payment schedule, cancellation requirements, address and contact information for both yourself and the host, and some itinerary details or limits. (I've recently found that many authors have been very positive about my addition of an end-of-confirmation note asking that a school representative or volunteer be available to assist the author and to please be sure to have teachers remain with their students during assembly presentations and classroom visits.) The process of writing up this document can help both you and the host to get a very clear sense of your appearance.

WHEN YOU CONFIRM, SEND ALONG SOME EXTRAS. Once a school is on your calendar, help them prepare by getting in touch 6-8 weeks before your visit. This enables you to politely ensure that your host is still in place and expecting you. At this time, send along a little more information, such as a list of discussion questions for your book, a quick note about your presentation, or a list of web links where students can learn more about you. This will increase the likelihood that your host will prepare their students (your audience) well, which always makes for a better visit.

As I'm writing this, I realize I've put the cart a little bit before the horse. I've explained how knowing your host can help set the stage for a successful school or library appearance, but I still haven't explained exactly how you can "get the gigs" as one rock-star author I know puts it. While it's not an exact science, there are some tricks. So I'll take a cue from Margaret Peterson Haddix and leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger here. More on how to help potential hosts find you next week.  Though, I really do apologize for making you wait!