YAPS

What's it really like to have your first book come out? I'm finding out this summer--it's very nice (of course), but nothing like I imagined it would be! My picture book, The Secret-Keeper, came out in May. The publisher, Atheneum, had given me two dates, a release date and a publication date, but the date Amazon listed seemed to be more in line with what actually happened, to my amusement and surprise. Even so... Amazon said the book was coming out on May 23rd, a Tuesday. The Friday before that, I went to Barnes and Noble to look over the latest picture books. (I tend to drive bookstore clerks a little crazy by pulling 10-15 new releases off the shelves, reading them--in the case of picture books--or looking them over--in the case of intermediates and YA's--and then leaving the whole stack to be reshelved. But then, I buy quite a few along the way, so no guilt here!) Anyway, I walked along the stack of books checking titles, only to see 12 copies of MY picture book sitting there with the others!

Ulp! Eep! My first thought was, Who put my own little private book out with all these REAL picture books? I then had to remind myself that my book HAD become a real book, just like Pinocchio had become a real boy!

I soon learned that I could go to bookstores that carried my book and offer to sign them, also generally schmoozing with the clerks so that they would be more aware of me and my book. (This is no problem, as I genuinely like people and talking with them!) The first time I signed a book, however, I realized I had two little problems: one, I didn't know WHERE in the book authors customarily signed; and two, I needed to practice my signature! This last is because I generally only use my signature as my full name, Kathryn Coombs, to sign checks, credit card receipts, and legal documents. But I go by "Kate" with everyone who knows me, and that's the name I'm using for my books. So I pulled out my checkbook register, flipped to an unused page, and practiced writing my signature with Kate so I wouldn't automatically shift into signing the books with Kathryn! Oh, and a kind clerk at the excellent children's bookstore--Children's Book World in Los Angeles--showed me where to put my autograph. I got a good laugh out of all of this!

Later, since so many friends and acquaintances asked me to inscribe their books, I started coming up with little phrases to use, especially for people I didn't know directly, like "so-and-so's granddaughter."

I also discovered that a bookstore I had previously quite liked, Borders, was NOT carrying my book (though they would order it for people); Barnes and Noble immediately moved to the top of my list of mainstream booksellers! Another funny thing that happened is that in one bookstore, the head clerk said I would have to show some ID before I could autograph the books. This instantly led me to imagine scenarios in which people came in off the streets claiming to be authors and falsely signed picture books... (DAMN those imposters!)

More true confessions: I paid nearly $40 bucks to read the Kirkus review of my book because I couldn't stand waiting to get a copy sent on by my editor. The thing is, I could read the first SENTENCE online, but then I was stuck. I resorted to signing up for a month-long membership. That review was a really expensive paragraph, but I was relieved to find it was positive! My favorite review language about The Secret-Keeper is this phrase from Booklist, though: "the often-lovely language used by first-time author Coombs."

Last year, the book had been a Junior Library Guild pick, but a few weeks after its publication, I got some more good news--my picture book was selected as a Parent's Choice-Recommended title for 2006! I promptly went online to find out more about this honor. How wonderful to find my little book in the company of books by Jane Yolen and Kevin Henkes! (Pinching self again...) I should give huge credit to the illustrator, Heather Solomon: her art is so breath-taking that people tend to fall in love with it at first sight, after which the story-telling is a guaranteed success!Perhaps the most amazing thing about my first-book summer is that it is also going to be my second-book summer. My first intermediate novel, The Runaway Princess (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux), is coming out in August. Fortunately, this time around I got a preview of the Kirkus review well in advance--and was pleased to find out that they like this book, too! They call it "a delicious princess romp" and say my language is "witty and tart and fun." For all one hopes not to care too much about reviews, it's a relief to start off on a positive note, especially with the first book--or two.Oh, and let me tell you--after having been an associate member of SCBWI (the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) for many years, it was a thrill to finally contact them and say, "My first book came out; make me a full member, please!" Plus, when I go to the August national conference, in L.A., I will be attending the Published Authors' Reception as (you guessed it) an actual published author! Woo-hoo!So there you have it: "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," a short essay (though not, sadly, in five paragraphs) about how I became a children's book author! For those of you who are embarking on the same journey, I will warn you of a bit of irony; though I've written some 40 picture book-length stories over the years, The Secret-Keeper was the VERY FIRST ONE. I wrote it 20 years ago. (As you can imagine, I've since revised it a bit.) So if you really love writing for children, hone your craft and keep at it!Kate Coombs,July 4, 2006

Posted by Gerb at 2:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

The saying goes, "good things come to those who wait," but we all know (and the song tells us) "the wai-aiting is the hardest part."

So here's the scoop with me... I wrote a couple of books and started looking for a publisher, an agent, anyone who could help on the road to seeing those books published. I queried. I waited. I sent in partials or fulls. I waited some more. I got some "really nice rejections," complete with handwritten notes, but no takers.

Meanwhile, I kept writing, working on other projects. I truly believe this is a key element in the waiting game. For one thing, it kept me busy (which is not to say that I didn't obsess about the queries still "out there," I did. I just didn't completely obsess.) More importantly, it kept me ready when the Big Opportunity popped up. Which was...

Marsha heard through a colleague that Speak was accepting proposals for a series called Students Across the Seven Seas (SASS) about American girls and their adventures as they travel abroad. An agent was gathering proposals for consideration for this series and if I'd like, she could put me in contact with him. Well, that was a no brainer. Here I was living in Japan and (this is where the keep writing part came in handy) had just been playing with a story with a total teen chicklit tone, so I was up for the challenge. I set aside my other projects and wrote up a proposal and some sample chapters for the SASS series book.

More waiting.

This time, the waiting paid off. I was thrilled to receive an offer from Puffin. That agent is now my agent. The book, NOW AND ZEN, will hit the shelves in September.

Since that first sale, I have since sold another SASS book set in Finland and received a three-book deal on another manuscript... a book I had been working on while waiting for answers on the others.

So, yes, I know waiting. Yes, I know that waiting is one of the hardest things to do. But I also know now that in the end, if you never give up, all that waiting is like, totally worth it.

Gerb

Posted by Gerb at 3:15 AM | Permalink | Comments

Muriel Wood and I had a wonderful launch at Freckled Lion Bookstore in Georgetown on Thursday for Aram's Choice.

There were two signing times -- from 1 til 2 and from 7 til 8.

I met Muriel and her husband David at the former site of the Georgetown Boys' Farm just before 11:30am so that Bonnie, the superintendant of Cedarvale Community Centre and park, could show us around. Bonnie was so very gracious. She let us wander around inside the building that used to be the Boys' living area. We went through the top floor which was the dormitory, the kitchen, the former classrooms, everything. And then she kindly took us through her own home, which used to be where the housekeeper of the Georgetown Boys' Farm lived. We got lots of photos. Muriel is in the process of doing the illustrations for Call Me Aram, which is the sequel to Aram's Choice.

I got to Freckled Lion at about 12:30am and downed a protein bar for lunch. People began to arrive at around 12:45 and we had a steady stream until about 3! All of the Georgetown Boys themselves have died, but many family members came. Also, a number of my writer friends came, including Gillian Chan and her son Theo, as well as Elizabeth from the Books and Writers Forum, and Marina and Hélène from private kidcrit. Also, lian from TWUC and her mother Helen, who has written about one Georgetown Boy herself.

Many many Armenians came, including Carl Georgian, whose father's story is the seed for all of my Armenian novels. Also Arsho Zakarian, who has helped both Muriel and myself in a thousand research ways. For the families of the Georgetown Boys, this signing was like a reunion. We heard many stories and shared laughter and tears.

We also found out where Stop 69 was! That was the radial railway stop for Georgetown and where the Boys got off the train. Muriel and I had guesstimated that it was about a mile from where it really was.

Sylvia Lesak, F&W publicist, was also there and she stayed until the evening. Then Tracey Dettman, marketing rep came and Sylvia left for home. We had lots of people come for the evening signing too, so we ended up staying until past 9pm.

Kate of Freckled Lion did a wonderful job of hosting this event. She had a huge tub of ice that was filled with all sorts of flavoured waters, and there was iced tea and hot coffee and all sorts of cookies and there were strawberries (not the saniflush kind!).

Georgetown itself is a nice place. It has a thriving downtown, friendly people and a country feel about it. And as for Freckled Lion, all I can say is I wish we had a bookstore like that in Brantford!

Posted by Marsha Skrypuch at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments