The conference was a delight
to attend, because of all the information and inspiration I received, but more
importantly, because of all the warm and passionate people I met. Lin OliverÕs
priceless humor every time she took the floor still makes me chuckle, and that
alone was probably worth the steep tuition. I definitely plan to attend again
next year!
On Friday morning, to
introduce the faculty members at the conference, they had everyone file by and
say one word, exactly one word, to the audience. It must have been tough for
the faculty members to select one word to represent them, but it was
enlightening and fun for the audience.
The Glitter Ball on Saturday
night was a blast! My husband and almost-two year old daughter joined me, and
we had a wonderful time dancing the night away. My daughter must have sensed
the warm vibes from the kid-loving writers and artists on the dance floor,
because she was unstoppable! The next morning, I made several new friends of
attendees who came up and told me my toddler was adorable at the ball.
Remember, these are just my
impressions of what the speakers said, and I definitely didnÕt take exhaustive
notes. Some speakers, like Bruce Coville and Donna Jo Napoli, were so
enchanting, that I entirely forgot to pull out my notebook till their talks
were over. And I missed some main speakers and at least 90% of the workshops Ð
had to, because there were about eleven parallel workshop sessions!
I have notes from the
following speakers Ð you can read them all or use these links to jump to
specific talks:
Enjoy! ~Lara
MAIN SPEAKERS
Friday, August 6,
9:30-10:30am
(Her one word was rhythm.)
ÒI am here to tell you a
story.Ó This is a great opening line. People love stories.
Somerset Maugham said,
ÒThere are three rules for writing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.Ó
Rules for living (from the
internet):
- Show up
- Pay attention
Research is facts that she
loves knowing. She probably uses 10% in her writing, and the other stuff gives
her a secure place to write from.
Loves to read RogetÕs
Thesaurus sitting in her rocking chair.
The advantage of being a
writer is you donÕt have to get it right the first time Ð unlike, say, brain
surgery!
Wants children to care about
things.
As an aside - Children must
be solicited for their opinions. That develops their voice.
Friday, August 6,
10:30-11:30am
Character Danitra BrownÕs
favorite color is purple. People assume thatÕs NikkiÕs favorite color as well,
and often wonder why sheÕs not wearing it. Lesson: When you make a choice for a
characterÕs preference, you have to live with it for perpetuity.
Friday, August 6, 2-3pm
Wendy is Executive Editor at
Delacorte (Knopf-Delacorte-Dell), an imprint of Random House. They are located
at 55th and Broadway in NY, and Chip Gibson is the Publisher.
Wendy specializes in Middle
Grade and YA, and she has a staff of 10 editors.
Year is divided into three
publishing spans:
Jan-Apr, May-Aug, Sep-Dec
Work for 2004 list started
in 2001. Signing books right now for 2007.
Wendy edited A Great and
Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. 77000
copies have sold between Dec 2003 and Aug 2004. Libba did a pre-pub buzz tour
in four cities.
Submit good work to contests
even if it doesnÕt meet all the contest rules. Work submitted to a contest will get read. It may be published although it canÕt win
the prize.
Ostrich Eye by Beth Cooley got published by winning the
Delacorte YA contest.
Write Òcover copyÓ for your
manuscripts Ð itÕs a great exercise.
Saturday, August 7, 2-3pm
Jodi is an agent at Writers
House. Used to be a corporate litigator, so loves the legal and contract
aspects of her business. Writers House takes a branding approach to new
authors. Jodi thinks Amy Berkower is the best agent in the business Ð she
represents Dav Pilkey (of Captain Underpants fame) and Paula Danziger (presumably now her
estate).
How to contact an agent É
ItÕs a special relationship
Ð has to be a good match. Call the main number at agent to inquire. Send a
query letter with the same tone as manuscript. Include sample writing. No
photos! Send manuscript on an exclusive basis for six to eight weeks. Feel free
to call after four weeks to remind. Be nice to the assistants!
For picture books, authors
can have more than one house. That market is hurting a bit. Quality and
originality must be exceptional. Editorial advice: Two elements, engaging
characters and a strong narrative voice, MUST be present. CanÕt sell without
those. Also, something unique, special Ð a hook for marketing and promotion, is
good.
Check out structure and
quality of books in your genre that are selling well.
Join a critique group.
Know your voice.
Know your market:
- Easy reader, age 5-8
- Chapter book, age 7-10
- Picture book, max six page manuscript, writing can be
lush, characters no older or younger than market you are writing for.
Sunday, August 8,
9:30-10:30am
This well-published author
taught a course in Moscow on childrenÕs writing and illustration, for writers
from recently democratized countries. This was sponsored by the Soras
foundation.
She talked about the ways in
which the course tried to kindle the childrenÕs writer trapped inside each
attendee.
Think of your childhood:
People
Foods
Colors
Things you liked
No reminiscing! You MUST see
the world through a kidÕs eyes. Surprise, laughter, mystery and curiosity are
important.
What makes a good book?
Test your manuscript on
children:
- Does the child like the story?
- Does the child repeat phrases or the opening?
Talent and enthusiasm for writing canÕt be taught, but thereÕs a lot that can be improved.
Monday, August 9, 9:30-10:30am
Jon is the author of the
popular book The Stinky Cheese Man,
illustrated by Lane Smith.
His primary advice is to
road test your manuscript. Read it any place where there are more than four kids
or adults or a mixed group. You need a really broad cross-section of people,
especially to cut material out.
Practice how to sit down for
five minutes, and not do ANYTHING. And work it up to half an hour. This will
give you a good sense of what is too long to hold peopleÕs attention.
Jon taught a class called
Algebra for Dancers, and he remembers a brilliant student called Bea Sage (not
brilliant in Math), who finally suggested, ÒWhy donÕt we just figure out what x equals and write it down?Ó He got his idea for a
funny book on Math from this class and Math Curse resulted.
He says, ÒLet the crud come
together!Ó É Give a manuscript time.
In his Science Verse book, all pieces (except Amoeba) are inspired by various famous poems.
Monday, August 9,
12:45-1:30pm
(Her one word was pedicure,
no wait É wrong list É!)
Libba is the author of the
bestselling YA book, A Great and Terrible Beauty, and her editor is Wendy Loggia.
She has never taken a
writerÕs program.
Smart authors are smart
marketers. She feels it is important to be respectful and courteous at all
times and use please and thank you a lot.
She didnÕt set out to write
for teens. She was a playwright in her 20s and early 30s, and thought she would
Òcircle the literary drain forever!Ó
She then worked for book
packagers Alloy (previously 17th Street Productions) and Parachute
Press. A book packager is a boot camp for writers. They usually allow only 6-8
weeks for a detailed, scene-by-scene outline of a novel. She met Wendy Loggia
through her work at a packager.
She submitted a proposal and three sample chapters for a trilogy named Gemma, the main characterÕs name and original title for A Great and Terrible Beauty, and Wendy accepted it.
WORKSHOPS
Friday, August 6,
3:15-4:15pm
Rachel is a published
author, a national speech coach and a presentation skills trainer.
Her message: Let your work
as a speaker further your publishing career. Make them want you back!
There are four kinds of
talks:
- Workshops
- School visits
- Book store readings
- Media interviews
All use foundation skills,
which she represents with a triangle:
1. Substance (= Content):
Strategies for organizing
the talk:
Never open with ÒHi, IÕm X, and
I am going to talk about Y.Ó This should be covered by the person doing your
intro. If not, get to it later. Instead, do something creative. Audiences are
creatures of hope; donÕt disappoint them. For example, Rachel opened with a
question, ÒHow many of you get a little nervous about making a presentation?Ó
(When asking a question, cue a show of hands by raising your own hand.) ItÕs
not too safe to start with a joke. Maybe just in time humor, but only if you
know youÕre a good joke teller.
Kids like repetition, and
adults like it too. Start with a main message, and tie it in at the ending.
This can be very elegant.
2. Staging (= Physical
setting of talk):
The podium is a place to put
your notes, but it should not be a place for the speaker to hide. It lets you
stay nervous. It puts a block between you and the audience; removes
accessibility and connection. Push it out of the way if you have to. DONÕT USE
IT.
In any case, you shouldnÕt
read your notes line by line. Refer to notes, maybe read an excerpt, then step
away.
You need a lapel mike in a
large room. Kids appreciate a dynamic use of space too. Make your speaker
reputation further your publishing success. (Rachel tying in main message
here.)
Pitfalls with using visual
aids:
- Note that attention goes to slide Ð not you.
- View may be obstructed to some audience members.
- Introduce slide, switch it on, step back near the
slide, then talk about it.
- DonÕt look at slide while talking. DonÕt turn your
back to the audience. FEET FORWARD, back to screen, like the weather
commentators on TV!
- What if thereÕs a lot of info on the slide? Use
pauses, while looking at the screen, then turn to audience before saying
anything.
- Note on using PowerPoint: hit B key to blank screen.
Attention goes back to you.
- Caldecott winning author-illustrator Gerald McDermott
does a great job with visual aids; donÕt miss a chance to watch him.
3. Style
Rachel spent a good amount
of time on this topic, including the audience doing an exercise with a partner:
Partner A: no eye contact,
arms crossed Ð shy, nervous speaker.
Partner B: eye contact,
smiling Ð confident speaker.
And we read out passages
that she handed out.
About gestures:
They are classified into
three zones:
Zone 1: AVOID
Small gestures very close to body, actions like penguins, chickens,
spiders (finger push-ups), unless describing these creatures, or perhaps a
mouse!
Zone 3: AVOID
Gestures very far away from
body, unless describing a giant or a dragon!
Zone 2:
Open gestures, above hip and
below head level.
Loosely alternate right and
left hand usage.
When talking about lists of
issues, use your arm level to demarcate each issue.
Move a few steps away to a
new standing location when you move on to a new topic.
Rachel, for example, moved
to three different positions forming a triangle on the floor when she
introduced the concepts of substance, staging and style.
She showed us some video
clips of speakers using Zone 2 gestures. She said she is cursing us with this
knowledge, because we will never look at a speaker again without analyzing the
zone they are in. This is so true Ð IÕve become a much more critical audience
member now!
She had audience members
volunteer to read ten quotes without and with gestures for us to see the
difference.
About voice:
Be aware of tone and vary
it. The main idea is variety.
Rate : Fast <-> Slow
Pitch: High <-> Low
Volume: Loud <-> Soft
For example, watch Geoffrey
Fieger, Jack KevorkianÕs lawyer, if you get a chance. He is very good at voice
modulation. You NEED to sound like you care about your topic!
Back to 2. Staging:
Pattern disruption is key.
Attention span is less than 15 minutes for adults. The level of attention drops
off in a wavy pattern with time. So, disrupt the pattern.
Closings:
Use the opportunity to make
a memorable summary and exit. You donÕt want to end a talk saying, ÒNo more
questions, okay thatÕs it then.Ó
RachelÕs closing line: ÒTo
make a living as a writer and illustrator, make them want you back. Thank you.Ó
Other useful tips:
- Try to connect to people before the talk Ð move
around and chat if you can.
- Presentation is more important even than the content.
- Cue audience to ask questions at the end of the talk
if questions get too disruptive.
Sunday, August 8,
10:45-11:45am
(Their joint one words were shameless
promotion.)
This unusually close
author-illustrator team did an informative session about their amazing
marketing and publicity efforts for their É All Day Long books.
The session was opened by a
short talk by Erin Vincent, the charming Community Relations Manager of the flagship
Barnes & Noble store at the Grove in Los Angeles. (During my LA visit, I
went to this store on Sunday night around 10pm, and I was amazed at the number
of small children who were in the store and around the nearby fountains that
late Ð I canÕt imagine how busy the store is when more kids are awake.)
Erin requires book signings
to be set up by emailing or faxing her. She cannot return phone calls. If you
have a book under contract, now is the time to meet librarians and booksellers.
Tips for a picture book signing:
- Be on time or early.
- Talk to the kids.
- Read the book.
- Do a finger play or song.
- See what you extract from the book to plan ahead for an activity.
Priscilla & Francesca
had these tips to share:
- Can get oversize copy of cover done as a poster at
KinkoÕs for a couple of bucks.
- They went to NY and appeared in the outside audience
of the Today show. They went early and took a banner of the hosts. They say you
must be willing to embarrass family and friends!
- They appeared on the Wayne Brady Show. They recommend
getting into the audience of shows and trying to be included as a last minute
guest.
- Take your book everywhere and show it when asked.
- Use cover image on back of binders, T-shirts,
postcards. Leave postcards places, send them to potential customers. Sources
for economical postcard printing: www.4over4.com, www.modernpostcard.com,
www.4by6.com, www.postcardpress.com. For other
promotional products: www.squeekers.com
and www.cafepress.com. Do chocolate
wrappers, clear decals for windows, flyers, envelopes, address labels É
- Create brochures, and use your baby pictures on them.
- Include book reviews on cards to people who matter.
- Google your book and see what comes up!
- Your local school district will have lists of local
schools Ð contact librarian or art teacher to set up visits.
- For book promotion, see RoxyanneÕs tips at www.smartwriters.com and Kelly Milner
HallsÕ articles at www.kellymilnerhalls.com.
KellyÕs website has a great summary of tips from a roundtable she conducted at
the conference, called Marketing for Authors.
- Instead of a book signing, call it an ice cream
social, a pajama party Ð do something fun and different.
- Contact community magazines and provide book signing
info when doing interviews.
- Submit to a regional news article in the local SCBWI
bulletin.
- Promoting through the media TV and radio Ð put on
workshops or contests for the community and when they are covered, tie in book
news.
- Do event announcements in local newspapers or
magazines. For magazines, publishing cycle requires 6 month advance planning.
- Most publicity legwork must be done three months before publication date.
Thanks for visiting! ~Lara