YAPS

Back from Brief Hiatus...

2007-08-15T16:21:00.000-04:00

...to bring you the following info on a new publishing resource for young writers, courtesy of Marsha Skrypuch.

Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off!
is a new print magazine devoted to publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, and artwork by children ages 6-12. We do not charge teachers, children, or their parents any sort of publication fee.

The magazine offers children a wonderful opportunity to get published!

Children do not have to pay to submit, and we do not charge any sort of publication fee for works that get accepted. Successful contributors receive a free one-year subscription, three additional copies of the issue containing their work (also free) to share with family and friends, a free T-shirt, and a free bookmark. We also send a letter (free of charge, of course) of commendation to their school principal, favorite teacher, or other individual. At present, we do not pay successful contributors.For more information, go here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/newsletters/rrnews
http://blog.reading.org/archives/002905.html

More coming soon.

~kc

Mahtab's new blog!

2007-07-31T23:02:00.000-04:00

Mahtab Narsimhan, brand new fantasy author extraordinaire, has a new blog. Check it out.

Writing Contest For Kids

2007-04-10T00:54:00.000-04:00

Just heard this writing award has been reinstated.
If you are a young writer from Alberta -- give it a shot!

You can find more information on the website for the Young Alberta Book Society at www.yabs.ab.ca.

Think you're funny? Enter to win the Martyn Godfrey Young Writers' Award, sponsored by the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association.
Martyn Godfrey thought he was funny too - so funny he took on a student's dare to write a book and ended up writing 40! To celebrate Martyn's memory and love for reading and writing, the Young Alberta Book Society started the Martyn Godfrey Young Writers' Award.
The Martyn Godfrey Young Writers' Award is an annual, juried writing competition open to all Alberta students in grades 7 through 9.
Students are asked to submit a humorous short story (between 500 and 1500 words) along with a cover page to the Young Alberta Book Society by May 11, 2007.
Two winners will receive trips to the 2007 Writers Guild of Alberta's Youthwrite Camp in Bragg Creek, Alberta and half day visits from an Albertan author, illustrator or storyteller to their schools during Taleblazers 2007.
For full contest and entry details, please visit our webpage at http://www.yabs.ab.ca/or email the Young Alberta Book Society at info@yabs.ab.ca

~kc

Saskatoon!

2006-12-06T09:34:00.000-05:00

Saskatoon!
I flew in to Saskatoon on November 24th for a book event for Kobzar's Children that evening at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada. This was an amazing visit for so many reasons. The Ukrainian Museum of Canada is a phenomenal place. There are so many unique Canadian and Ukrainian artifacts that I could spend days there.

The museum also owns a large collection of William Kurelek original paintings and the Kobzar book event was held in the William Kurelek room. I had never seen a Kurelek up close and I was mesmerized by the minute detail. One could see the texture of every blade of grass and each wrinkle on every face. I could spend days in that room alone! William Kurelek grew up just miles from my father's childhood home and many of his paintings remind me of my father's stories about his childhood.

Added to this excitement was the fact that several of the anthology contributors were able to participate in the book event. Danny Evanishen came in from BC because the museum was holding a Christmas Yarmarok the same weekend. Danny has a number of Ukrainian folk tale collections through his own Ethnic Enterprises company. And his wife Jean makes beautiful Trypillian style pottery.

I had the opportunity to meet Larry Warwaruk for the first time at this event and was able to catch up with Linda Mikolayenko, who braved through a snow storm to get to Saskatoon.

Each contributor did a brief reading and gave some anecdotes about writing. Larry told a hilarious story about his first book launch. Linda was in her expressive storytelling mode and Danny was, well, Danny!

The room was packed to capacity. There were even people listening in from the hallway. The museum sold out of all the hardcovers of Kobzar's Children and most of the softcovers.

Here's a photo (above) of the contributors who participated. From left to right, Danny, Linda, Larry and me.

Visiting The Willows

2006-11-11T18:08:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, November 8, I went to The Willows Community School in
the Los Angeles area for my first official, all-day school visit. (I
did a brief reading at a school in Burbank last month.) What an
adventure! I presented all day, working with grade levels 1-6.

The kids were well-behaved (for being kids!) and asked some good
questions. I was particularly happy to find out how well-read these
kids were. I spent some time talking about how I became a writer by
being a reader, telling them funny stories about my childhood
escapades as a bookworm and then asking them about their favorite
books.

I was reminded of just how much I like kids. They have a wonderful
energy, and their personalities aren't hidden by layers of social
masks as adult personalities tend to be.

Things I learned:

1. Don't worry about "selling" your books. Just put on a great show for the kids. The librarian at the school confided in me that a well-known author came to visit some time ago and was a real turn-off because he spent the whole day "selling" his books. Of course you're going to read from your stuff, but it's so nice to talk about things like books and writing from a broader standpoint, and to riff off of what the kids say as well. This is for THEM! (Besides, it's like the rule of "Show, don't tell"; if you do a good job for the kids, your books will basicallly sell themselves.)

2. Bring the teachers a handout. Not everybody has the background in education that I do, but it's a good idea to come up with some lesson/project ideas using your books as a jumping-off point. Again, not all of my ideas were directly focused on my books; some were about themes and genres of my books and took off in different directions.

3. Enjoy the kids. They are so excited to meet you, and they want your attention. Be very focused on each child who asks you a question--or who answers one of yours. Wait until they finish their entire question/answer before responding. (This can be tough, as they sometimes stammer and ramble a bit.) Try to personalize your response before generalizing again for the group. The bottom line is that you should take their questions and comments seriously. If they answer one of your questions in an off-topic way, never make them feel like they gave a wrong answer, but that you are collecting various insights and they have added to the whole.

4. Handle hecklers with friendly humor and pleasant deflection. For example, one student asked a question of mine with an answer based on a different story premise ("Jack and the Beanstalk," to be exact!). He was being funny for his friends, also seeing how I would handle a little challenge. I laughed and said, "That would be a great idea in a different story. Maybe you could write that sometime."

5. Be gracious and flexible with your hosts. If you are in any way a prima donna, the librarian and/or teachers are going to have you pegged (and are likely to spread the word to colleagues and other schools.) It's a privilege to present at a school - not only are you interacting with your actual readers, but you are also automatically drumming up business!

6. Overprepare. You want some Plan B and Plan C material in case anything falls flat. In addition, different audiences have different needs, and kids appreciate a certain amount of variety.

7. As author Marsha Skrypuch pointed out to me (and my father, a college professor, used to tell me), don't just lecture, ask some questions and get a discussion going. The kids love being involved - and it keeps them listening. They tend to lose interest if you drone on and on.

8. If possible, try to have your visit coincide with a book fair and have your books available there. In any case, your publisher should have a point person assigned to help set up the book end of school visits.

9. Allow plent of extra time for getting to the school. I planned for everything except the road construction that kept me from following the librarian's directions. I was glad that I'd allowed some padding when I was a mere 3 blocks from the school and had to turn back, then follow a road with no U-turns allowed for quite a while before doubling back and calling the school for new directions!

10. This school visit revved me up for writing again - a real bonus!

I'll end by saying that the 6th graders had very insightful questions, better than I've heard in some SCBWI workshops! One boy asked about how you know whether an idea is better suited for a short story or a novel. Oh, and the 3rd graders were so loving! I called on one girl who said, "I don't have a question; I have a comment: I just LOVE your book, The Secret Keeper!" At the end, they were sneaking up trying to get my autograph on scraps of paper and their teacher had to call them away.

I was really nervous about this going in, but I feel a lot better about it now that I have a full day's experience under my belt. Besides, my nerves silpped away once I got focused on the kids! The librarian must have e-mailed her friends, by the way, because the very next day I got an e-mail from another private school librarian asking me to present in April.

Kate Coombs

Aram's Choice & the Silver Birch!

2006-10-26T22:50:00.001-04:00

Aram's Choice has been nominated for the Silver Birch Award!

Here's a blurb about the reading program:

The Ontario Library Association Silver Birch Award™ reading program, now in its fourteenth year, is created and promoted to students and readers ages 8 to 11 in Grades 3 to 6. The number of participants over the last few years has been outstanding. Last year, over 200,000 students in 1000+ school and public libraries across Ontario participated in the Forest of Reading Award® Programs.

New blog!

2006-10-18T22:41:00.000-04:00

Okay -- I took the plunge. I'm starting to enjoy communicating and catching up with the antics of my fellow and sister bloggers -- and so I've opened one of my own. You can catch my latest writing-related thoughts at http://kcdyer.blogspot.com

Marsha, Linda and Kate -- why not post your blog addresses here, too?

~karen

OK, Karen. my blog can be found at lindagerber.blogspot.com

--Linda

Surrey International Writers' Conference

2006-10-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

Have spent the last month getting ready for the upcoming Surrey International Writers' Conference -- a big shiny spot in my yearly calendar. The conference takes place in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. It's great fun for all involved. Writers, editors and agents come from all over Canada, the US and Europe to help beginning writers find their way.

For the past several years, I have helped out the organizers by coordinating the contest. It's international in scope -- a lot of reading but so much fun to do! This year we had entries from as far away as Israel and Japan. For the first time this year, in addition to our Storyteller's Award for fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry categories, there is also a category called Writing for Young People. Winners will be announced at the conference on Friday night and will all be published in this year's Anthology.

I'm really looking forward to this year's line-up, though I am very sad that I won't get to see Linda G. and Marsha S. who have been a part of the conference in past years! More info can be found at www.siwc.ca

~kc dyer

Kitchener WOTS

2006-09-25T22:48:00.000-04:00

I took the one hour trek to Kitchener today to present at Word on the Street. The nice thing about Kitchener is that it isn't Toronto. It was ever so easy to park because I had a parking pass with a giant R on it, so even though it was pouring rain, I got to my own tent in record time. I haven't been to WOTS in Toronto lately (dare I admit that I avoid it?) because the last time I went, I had to park so far away that it was a real hike to get to the tents. Not fun.

Even though it was pouring rain, there was a good turnout. I did a presentation of Aram's Choice. Because of the venue (open tent, lots of noise) I didn't do a reading, but instead talked about the story behind the story of Aram's Choice. The organizers had put together a craft table for the kids to participate in once my presentation was finished. I was pleased to see that the kids were given materials to make their own individual carrying boxes. I explained during the presentation the significance of boxes in Aram's Choice: each child, upon leaving their temporary refuge in Corfu to begin their journey to Canada was given a wooden box. In that wooden box they placed all of their worldly belongings. Also, the children were not known by their names, but by the number on their boxes. After I did my own presentation and signed some books, I trekked over to a panel discussion on blogging featuring James Bow, Derek Weiler of Q&Q, Aimee Morrison, and Alex Good. During the discussion, Aimee mentioned that most livejournal users were 13 year old girls writing about angst. I think she's wrong about that. What do you think? I have a livejournal account, and I am definitely not 13.

Gutsy Heroine Types

2006-09-15T01:08:00.000-04:00

As a writer, one of my jobs is to create characters that readers will want to stick with for an entire book or series of books. These characters must be interesting. Something about them must be special or unique - larger than life. I like to read about these types of people, too. I look for books with gutsy heroines - you know the kind; they face the world head-on. You could throw every obstacle imaginable at them, but they will keep on keeping on. They're strong. They're determined. They're what we wish we could be.

Sometimes, those kind of characters pop up in real life. They're usually not flashy and loud about it, but you can just tell just by looking at them that they are the ones to watch. They're going to take the long road, to face disappointments and set backs and keep standing tall. They're going to lead the way so the rest of us can follow.

The new women members of the US Ski Jumping Team are a prime example of what I'm talking about. For most of their athletic careers, they've faced inequity and ignorance, prejudice and discrimination, but they haven't let it slow them down. They dreamed of a chance to compete on a world stage, even when there was no guarantee it would ever happen. They've shown - and continue to show - a man's world what a woman can do.

You want gusty heroine types? Let me introduce you to a few:

LINDSEY VAN started jumping when she was seven years old, back when the Winter Sports Park in Park City was first built as part of the bid to bring the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake. Lindsey was hooked, and told her mom she wanted to pursue the sport and compete in 2002. She never stopped working toward that goal, even when it meant moving to Lake Placid to train when the jumps in Park City were being reconstructed for the Olympics. 2002 came and went, and Lindsey never got to compete in the Olympics. There is no women's ski-jumping event, you see. It's the only Olympic sport (along with Nordic combined) wherein women are not included.* Still, Lindsey kept at it. The number two jumper in the entire world, she set her sights on the 2006 Olympics. Stil no inclusion for women. Now the goal is 2010.

One of the first things I noticed about JESSICA JEROME was her sense of humor. Even in the face of a lot of disappointment as far as the Olympics are concerned, she always seems to have a smile on her face. Jessica got a little taste of the Olympics in 2006 as one of only two girl frontrunners for the ski jumping event. (This basically means she jumped the hill before the (male) competitors to test speed, wind, etc. As the number three women's ski jumper in the world, she should have been able to compete, not just forerun, but I digress...) Jessica is a role model for scholar athletes everywhere - managing to maintain top grades even with a tough training and competition schedule. Sports Illustrated listed her as one of 2005's 'Noteworthy Faces in the Crowd.' Interesting, but I contend that hers is a face that stands out from the crowd.

ALISSA JOHNSON has guts. In 2003, she wiped out on the K90 and ended up unconscious with a concussion, missing half the skin on her face. A week later, she tied with Lindsey Van for 2nd place on the K90 jump. Later than season, she had another accident, this one requiring surgery and physical therapy and taking her out of the circuit for five months. But if you think that's hard, try this; in 2006, Alissa traveled to Italy for the 2006 Olympics... but only as a spectator. Her younger brother Anders, who will freely admit Alissa is the better athlete, got to jump in the Olympics, but Alissa couldn't because she is a girl. No stranger to pain, Alissa took it like a pro, cheering for Anders and fielding interviews from the international media without letting bitterness overwhelm her. She continues to train hard and looks forward to Vancouver, where, IOC willing, she will not have to watch from the sidelines.

ABBY HUGHES is another tough cookie. She may be the youngest member of the US Ski Jumping Team, but she's not one to let age - or gender - slow her down. Get this - in 2004, she competed as the only girl on the boys' team. (And helped bring her team a second place finish, I might add. In the girls' division, she placed first.)

BRENNA ELLIS isn't afraid to compete in a guy's world, either. When she first started jumping, Brenna competed in the Nordic combined event, which combines ski jumping with cross country (Nordic) skiing. She was often the only girl among all the boys. And she kicked butt! Check out her smile. This is how I always saw her - smiling. Gotta love the attitude.

Here's to gutsy heroines. May you all live happily ever after. Go Vancouver 2010!

* The reasons for Olympic exclusion are complicated and varied - from the downright silly ("It... seems not to be appropriate for ladies from a medical point of view") to the misinformed ("there may not be enough interest internationally in women's ski jumping.") The FIS (International Federation of Skiing) recently voted to give women a world class event in 2009, which they needed to have in order to qualify for consideration by the Olympic committee. Now the decision rests in the hands of the IOC, who, one presumes, will be wise enough to bring the Olympics into the twenty-first century and include women in ALL Olympic sports.

Back from the UK

2006-09-06T14:53:00.000-04:00

Hi Gang!

Back from my second trip to the UK this year -- this time _mostly_ holiday with a little research thrown in. I am working on a new series that will be set in and around the UK, past and present. The first book of the series is set in Edinburgh and the second is set in London, and I have done a bit of preliminary research on both.

In other news, I do have a new book that will be coming out this spring. More on that when we get the title settled...

Right now, along with the new work-in-progress, I am focusing my attention on the upcoming Surrey International Writers' Conference. I am coordinator of the writing contest this year and this week is the final deadline. I have _stacks_ of stories, articles and poetry around my desk, so it's off to deal with that right now.

Until next time...

~karen

The Way We See Things

2006-09-05T20:12:00.000-04:00

I know this blog is supposed to be dealing with things literary, so I'll try to make this relevant. As writers, we often look at things differently. We scrutinize things. We try to discover motivations and underlying emotions. And then, in a moment of simplicity, we are presented with an opportunity to see things as they really are. To understand a little bit more about places and the people who live there.

Monday was such a day. I had the priveledge of helping the American School host a group of kids from Kabul, Afghanistan. The only thing I knew about Afghanistan is what I saw on the news - and not much of it good. War, poverty, the Taliban hiding about. Not a very happy place. So it was with great pleasure that I got to meet the extraordinary kids from the MMCC... and to learn how truly ordinary they are.

In explanation, MMCC stands for Mobile Mini Circus for Children, which is an international NGO. In Afghanistan, there are a lot of kids who have been left without homes or families because of war. They seldom smile, let alone laugh. A majority of the towns there don't have schools or even teachers, so the kids we hosted travel around to these areas and try educate other children by acting, singing, doing magic shows and acrobatics - and most importantly, giving them something to smile about. This way, they're able teach the importance of peace, diversity, and women's rights and to educate about health issues such as malaria prevention.

The MMCC kids gave a special performance for the kids at the ASIJ elementary school. In their fancy costumes, they looked different than the other kids. Their beautiful language sounded different than the many other languages we might hear in the ASIJ community. But when they were done performing and they changed into their "regular" clothes, the differences fell away. They played, just like everyone else. The boys played soccer (pheonominally, I might add) and the girls played in the gym, shooting baskets or practicing volleyball serves. Outside, they especially liked the swings and the slides. Just like all the other kids. For all their ethnic and cultural differences, these kids were... kids.

Now, this is nothing new to me. We have about seventeen different nationalities represented at this school at a given time. But it drove home a point. We are all the same. We want the same things. We want to have fun, to be loved, to be happy. That doesn't change according to ethnic group or nationality or culture. For example, as one of the parent volunteers, I helped serve a vegetarian lunch to the MMCC guests. Guess what foods were the favorites? Potato chips and Pepsi! Also, the girls in particular really attached to the volunteers, touching our faces and telling us we were 'cute' or 'beautiful.' (They had learned a little Japanese in preparation for this trip and used the Japanese word for cute, but tried to explain beautiful.) Believe me, I was sincere when I would touch their faces in return and tell them they were beautiful, too. They liked to hold our hands and hug us and call us 'mom,' which was particularly poignant since many of them have no family of their own. They needed that physical contact. Just like any other kid.

That night, I turned on the TV and watched the latest on CNN about a car bombing in Kabul, and my eyes filled with tears. I can no longer see Kabul as some obscure, far away place populated by nameless, faceless people. It is the home of my new friends - Abida, Roona, Mishina, Samira, and little Ansar. This is what they have waiting for them when they return to their country. It breaks my heart.

To my new friends and to all kids wherever you are, from every nationality, ethnicity, culture or religion, may you find peace and joy and all the love you deserve.

Bloor West Ukrainian Festival and CFRB

2006-09-01T21:36:00.001-04:00

From August 21 to 25, I was plunged into the midst of Brantford's 3rd annual children's Book Camp and also our first annual adult Book Camp. By Friday, I was exhausted -- in a good way. The week was an outstanding success. Our best Book Camp yet.

Instead of resting after such a busy week, on August 26th, I signed at the Bloor West Festival. I was honoured that the Festival featured Kobzar's Children. It seemed that every 15 minutes or, the announcers broadcast the fact that Kobzar's Children had a booth and that I was there as well as Natalia Buchok, one of the anthology contributors.

Natalia and I decided to get there together. We wanted to arrive at about noon, so I drove to Natalia's Oakville apartment, arriving at 11am and from there we drove to the Kipling subway station. We figured there was no point in driving into Toronto, seeing as the parade was from 11am til noon and roads would be closed. Natalia brought some books with her -- 35 to be exact -- because the organizers only had about 100 copies and we were afraid of running out. Natalia fit her 35 copies into a rolling suitcase.

When you travel with a rolling suitcase, you find out all sorts of things about the public transit system. Like where the elevators are (and that there are elevators) and that it's impossible to roll a suitcase through the subway turnstiles.

So we got there. Our booth was supposed to be at the corner of Bloor and Glendowynne Streets. We got there just before noon. We saw a booth, but it was abandoned. We also noticed that the Festival stopped at Kennedy -- a full block east of where we were supposed to be.

So, with rolling suitcase in hand, we fought our way through the crowds, looking for someone (anyone!) identified as a Festival volunteer. We got to almost what we thought was the end of the festival before finally landing upon the Festival volunteer booth. There we met Natalia Wilson, volunteer extraordinaire. She explained to us that she was not happy with the placement of our booth and was waiting for a new booth location. No sooner had I used the portapotty and Natalia had purchased a plate of perogies than Natalia W and another volunteer led us down the street to the new location. I felt sorry for the other volunteer. He had a cart filled with boxes of books (and also Natalia B's rolling luggage) and he had to maneuvre it through dense crowds and heaving sidewalks. He valiantly pushed forward until Natalia Wilson found the ideal spot -- at Durie and Bloor, immediately to the east of the children's midway and close to the centre of the whole festival!

I stood there with the boxes and Natalia B's suitcase (Natalia was still struggling down the street, perogies in hand) while Natalia W went to find a table and accoutrements for our booth. In the meantime, I stood there with the boxes, feeling like a street hawker. I did get some interesting stares, so I took out one copy of Kobzar's Children and held it in front of me, smiling like an idiot.

Once the table arrived, in a flash, Natalia W got the tablecloth on, the display up and books spread. Within moments, clusters of people arrived. We had a steady cluster til after 4. In fact, neither Natalia B nor I even got a chance to sit down for the whole four hours because it was so busy!

In the midst of our signings, Melanie Melnyk fetched us to be interviewed at the CFRB booth with Ted Woloshyn. What a lovely man! Natalia B had never done live radio before and he put her immediately at ease. He asked intelligent and perceptive questions about the anthology and commented on the fact that such a collection was needed. And then Natalia had an opportunity to talk about her story contribution, based on her father's experience in a DP camp after World War II.

Natalia's story is fabulous. It's called A Bar Of Chocolate and is about a Ukrainian teen in a DP camp who dresses as a girl and goes on a date with an American soldier in order to get some chocolate. Not only is the story true, but it's hilarious.

Many people came to our booth and many had already read Kobzar's Children. Those people had lots of enthusiastic good things to say about the collection. This was Natalia's first signing experience, so I was glad that it was such a positive one. We also sold every book in Natalia's suitcase and almost all of the others on hand.

One problem we had was that both Natalia and I wanted to sign our names plus "Enjoy!" so we had a bit of a contest to see who could grab the book and sign first. Whoever got it second signed "best wishes".

On the Sunday, Connie Bilinsky and Sonja Dunn signed. I heard that their signing was also very well received.

SCBWI Conference - and Book 2!

2006-08-19T11:39:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I went to the SCBWI Summer Conference, conveniently held here in Los Angeles. (Convenient for me--not sure the East Coasters would agree!) I was still dragging from having moved to a new home the weekend before that, so I skipped a few sessions. Still, I made it to most of the conference and had a good time, as always. I met a couple of editors; I also got some good ideas on publicizing my work from Alexis O'Neill's workshop.

Since my nametag was yellow (for published), I found that several unpublished writers (blue tags!) approached me to ask "how I did it." I'll just share one overriding impression, which may sound cynical, but should instead be considered realistic. That is, a lot of aspiring writers want to write picture books, but they're kind of barking up the wrong tree.

I understand that a picture book just seems like a more manageable chunk of writing. Plus, these "young" writers point out hopefully, though the picture book market had been considered kind of dead, editors at the conference were talking about signs of renewed life. I'll add that the editors were ALSO saying that it's not enough for them to like a picture book manuscript anymore; they have to LOVE-LOVE-LOVE it to consider buying it. I can attest to this--I've sent my editors picture book manuscripts that they did like, but they wanted a shockingly powerful love connection in order to feel compelled to produce a book! Furthermore, editors told us that they prefer to hire writer-illustrators for picture books whenever they can."Yes," the young writers told me, "but I have a good idea."

Okay, hit me.

So they shared their ideas. And I struggled to find a way to say something far more diplomatic than "No, that is NOT a good idea. "On a related note, one writer sounded like she had YA potential, but when I brought it up, she said, "My writing teacher tells me that, too, but I want to write picture books." So here are various pieces of advice. From the heart:

1. Your idea is NOT fresh enough if it is your first idea, your second idea, or even your third idea. You have to generate a LOT of material to come up with something fresh enough to ignite an editor's interest.

2. Your idea is NOT fresh enough if it is overtly didactic or overly sentimental. (Remember "show, don't tell"?) If your plot runs along the line of "Betty the Bunny hurts her best friend Mary the Mouse's feelings and then makes up with her by sharing some special cheese," forget it.

3. Your idea is unlikely to sell if it is what editors today call too "quiet." Today's kids are pretty rowdy (and TV-trained to want action); sweet lullaby-type books aren't selling much, especially if they're by first-time authors.

4. Just because it's a short form doesn't mean picture book is an easy form! Really, it's harder to write a good poem than a good story because of the tightness of the format. My picture books, for example, mostly aren't written in classic short form--I'm writing fairy tales, a longer genre for older children. Be aware that you MAY not have a picture book mind and voice because you MAY be better suited to writing for intermediate or YA readers. This is not a terrible fate--writing longer manuscripts is like writing many short pieces (chapters) strung together!

5. Anyway, if you think your picture book ideas are that astonishing, you probably haven't read what's out there. You should have read HUNDREDS of picture books before you try to sell one (not write, sell)! You should be familiar with classics like Where the Wild Things Are and Millions of Cats, later arrivals such as Good Night, Gorilla and Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom, as well as newcomers ranging from Punk Farm to Show Way. (Yes, Show Way is "quiet"--it's also poetic, unusual, and written by an established writer.) Reading voraciously in the field will let you know where you stand so that you won't miscalculate the marketability of your work; it will further give you the impetus to evolve as a writer and thinker. For example, at the conference, one editor mentioned a new fantasy called Fly by Night, and I had read it the previous week. When he wondered in his panel discussion why it wasn't doing better than they had hoped (so far), I had an opinion--yes, the language, the metaphors, and the characters are incredibly good, but the politics are a bit murky, and the book IS a little dark. Perhaps these factors are slowing the development of a market? But really, I concluded, it's too soon to tell. And when another editor gave an example of a book that, unlike most manuscripts, DIDN'T need editing, I knew why. It was a book on an obscure, possibly dull topic, so many of the audience members took the example to mean that THEIR obscure, dull manuscripts had a chance, too. Not me. I own a book by that author-illustrator, Shaun Tan. It's called The Red Tree. It's beautiful and strange and really, in my opinion, not for children. Shaun Tan is like the Neil Gaimon of picture books. So anything he produces is likely to be highly creative, visually striking, fresh and risky and POSSIBLY more oriented to grown-up collectors than child readers. If an editor found himself unable to edit Shaun Tan, that's because it's difficult to edit a unique, complete little universe--and that would be a Tan book. So maybe I know a little TOO much about the world of children's books--but anyone aspiring to write for kids should really immerse him- or herself in the field at least enough to know the classics, award-winners, and best-sellers!

Okay, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I'll conclude by saying that my second book came out last week--YAY! The Runaway Princess was fun to write, so I assume/hope it's also fun for kids to read. My editor sent me another good (early) review from The Horn Book, so that's encouraging. The Kirkus review is already out, and is also positive.

I'd better go finish unpacking my kitchen... the dishes and canned goods are in the cupboards, but the pots and pans continue to taunt me in their clangy little voices!

--Kate

First-Book Summer

2006-07-05T02:09:00.000-04:00

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

Worth the Wait

2006-07-04T03:15:00.000-04:00

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

Wonderful book launch for Aram's Choice!

2006-07-01T17:58:00.000-04:00

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!

come to my book launch!!!

2006-06-26T17:22:00.001-04:00

Aram's Choice

By Marsha Skrypuch, Illustrated by Muriel Wood

Coming up to the anniversary of the "Georgetown Boys" arriving in Canada, we pay tribute to their journey through this beautifully illustrated children's novel that touches on the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Join author, Marsha Skrypuch and illustrator Muriel Wood, as they welcome the families of the original Georgetown Boys to the official launch of Aram's Choice.

The launch will be held at:

The Freckled Lion, 87
Main St. S. in Georgetown, ON
June 29 th , 2006 from 1-2pm and 7-8pm

From the New Beginnings series, comes Aram's Choice, a story that follows the life of a boy who loses his family in the Armenian genocide in Turkey and is exiled in Greece. The book follows Aram while he travels to Canada with forty-seven other Armenian boys in what was Canada's first international humanitarian effort.

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch first heard about the Armenian Genocide seventeen years ago while doing research for a magazine article about the first "Georgetown Boys" -- a group of 47 Armenian orphans who were rescued by Canada in 1923 and were housed and schooled at a farm in Georgetown, Ontario.

After interviewing the son of a "Georgetown Boy," Marsha was left with more questions than answers. For example, why were all of the rescued orphans male? Why were they all between the ages of eight and twelve? What happened to their parents? What happened to their sisters?

After years of research, Marsha was able to write Aram's Choice. Based on true events, this book gives children a chance to learn about effects of genocide through one that the Turkish government has long denied ever happened.

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is the author of many books for children, including Silver Threads and Enough as well as her YA novels, The Hunger and Nobody's Child, which was nominated for the Red Maple Award, the Alberta Rocky Mountain Book Award, and the B.C. Stellar Award.

Muriel Wood has been illustrating books for children since 1964, including the Canadian classic, The Olden Days Coat written by Margaret Laurence. Other books that she has illustrated include Old Bird, and the first two titles from the New Beginnings series, Lizzie's Storm and Scared Sarah.

Aram's Choice
By Marsha Skrypuch; Illustrated by Muriel Wood
Ages: 8-11, Grades: 3-6
ISBN: 1-55041-352-X hc; Price: $18.95 CAD
ISBN : 1-55041-354-6 pb; Price: $10.95 CAD
Available: June 29 th , 2006
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
195 Allstate Parkway Markham, Ontario L3R 4T8
1.800.387.9776 www.fitzhenry.ca

Contact:
Sylvia Lesak,
Marketing & Publicity Coordinator
905-477-9700 x 212
slesak@fitzhenry.ca

Signing at BookExpo Canada

2006-06-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

I drove to Toronto bright and early yesterday morning to get to BookExpo for a nice solid day. I took Brantford novelist Joan Itoh Burk with me. Her first novel is just out with Brindle & Glass, called One Chrysanthemum. She has published a number of cookbooks in the past and she's the food writer for the Brantford Expositor. We have known each other for quite a long time. In fact, we swapped manuscripts before either of us had novels published. She did a signing at BookExpo and she had a long and satisfying lineup. Her novel looks fabulous. I grabbed me a copy.

I love going to BookExpo! What a book-aholic's dream come true: being given a shopping bag or three, and being let loose amidst brand new free books. Autographed, no less!

I did a signing of Kobzar's Children at 3:30pm. I was expecting a non-existent line-up seeing as the whole tradeshow closes down on Monday afternoon, but there was a huge lineup. I heard so many nice comments about Kobzar's Children too. Many of the people who waited in line for an autograph said that it was wonderful that there was finally a book out like this -- stories about Ukrainian immigrants -- spanning a century. Reps from Chapters in Oshawa and Ancaster both asked if there could be a Kobzar signing. Very nice.

Muriel Wood, illustrator extraordinaire for Aram's Choice was also there. We had hoped to be signing Aram's Choice also, but full-colour illustrated books are always printed in either China or Hong Kong and Aram is still on the open sea. He's due to land sometime next week. So instead, Muriel and I signed postcards. I have only one copy of Aram's Choice right now. I can hardly wait til the rest arrive!!

Aram's Choice -- rejections are worth it

2006-06-08T22:32:00.000-04:00

I may have gone through 100 rejections in the past, but it was worth it. My 7th and 8th books came out this month!

I just got back from Ottawa a couple of hours ago. This has been an incredibly busy week, with Vancouver over the weekend and Ottawa yesterday. I had to get up at 3:30am on Wednesday to catch a 6:30am flight out of Hamilton. Did three school readings plus presented at a teachers' meeting, then was driven to my hotel to freshen up, then was picked up again and taken to the Armenian Embassy, where the book launch of Aram's Choice was being held.

Aram's Choice isn't even out in Canada until June 20th, but when I was going to be in Ottawa for these school readings, I contacted Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of Canada and he arranged this launch! My publisher got 30 or so copies of Aram's Choice couriered from Hong Kong for the event. Leishman's Bookstore of Ottawa was there to sell those and my other books too. They (as well as the others) sold out in a flash. Seeing as I didn't have a copy myself yet, I grabbed one as my reading copy and told Leishman's I was keeping it. The F&W rep was there too, so that was okay.

First, the Aram's Choice is BEAUTIFUL! This is my second book out this month. Kobzar's Children is also BEAUTIFUL!!!

It was really neat to do this at the Armenian Embassy. The place was packed and I was the guest of honour. It didn't finish until 11pm. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I got back into my hotel room.

Muriel Wood, the illustrator for Aram's Choice, had a limited edition print made of one of the double-spread paintings in the book. She had that couriered to Stephen, the Ottawa Fitzhenry & Whiteside rep. I presented it as a thank-you to Aris.

The Committee gave me the diary of a survivor as a gift (one that I don't have, which is great) plus an Armenian DVD that I don't have, plus a dozen long-stemmed roses. The roses were packed really well so I took them on the airplane with me. The security people were intrigued by the flowers and also by my chattervox:

http://www.chattervox.com

which lit up their security lights. When they found out I had just launched a book at the Armenian Embassy, they all crowded round (it was not rush hour for them!) and wanted to see my books. It was pretty funny. They were oohing and aahing.

We're doing another launch of this book on June 29th in Georgetown Ontario -- Aram's Choice is about one of the 110 Armenian orphans who are known as The Georgetown Boys. That launch will be held at Freckled Lion Bookstore:

http://www.downtowngeorgetown.com/freckled

Muriel Wood, illustrator extraordinare, will be signing too!

Memorable rejections

2006-06-05T23:16:00.000-04:00

Hmm,

The Gerb wants us to write about memorable rejections. I gues the most memorable would be those first 100. That was before I had ever met any other writers and had no idea how to submit a manuscript. I didn't even know who to submit it to.

I had written a 500 page dreadful novel and took it to the local photocopy place and got a gazillion copies made, then packed it up and sent it to every publisher I could find. I found the addresses in a publishing directory at the library.

I was so unaware of the whole process that I sent that manuscript off to the Canadian Authors' Association, The Writers' Union of Canada, various other writers' federations. I also sent the big fat novel to religious publishers and erotica houses.

I think the first rejection I got was something like this:

Dear Ms ____

Thank you for sending us your manuscript, Shadows in the Sand. Unfortunately, we only publish cookbooks.

Yours truly,

Mr. Book

Here I am...I think

2006-06-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

Okay, sister YAPS -- here goes. My first blog entry. Oh, the suspense! Will it take? Will my words be relegated to Blog Ether? Will Linda delete them due to triteness overload? Only the YAPS know the truth...

~karen

Memorable Rejections

2006-06-05T21:26:00.002-04:00

Friends who know me well can't believe that, tender-hearted as I am, I've been able to handle all of the publishers' rejections over the years. I received about a dozen years' worth before I sold anything, and believe me, I've continued to collect them since.

Looking back, I see a slow trend upward: first I used to get form rejection letters, then eventually I started getting form rejection letters with little hand-written notes scribbled on them, and finally I started getting personal rejection letters bearing bits of encouragement and flashes of interest.In general, some editors are better at letting you down easy than others.

One recent rejection, brief and slightly snarky, said something like, "I don't see why any children would have an interest in this story." I thought to myself, "Yeah, because fighting with your siblings and wanting to get back at them was an experience strictly limited to MY family growing up!" Another, from an agent, said in essence, "I heard you have some other stories that are really good. Can't you send me THOSE?"

The thing to remember is that editors have personalities, and one thing you're looking for is a good "fit" between your story and an editor's unique taste. That said, I'm always surprised when I meet aspiring children's book writers who have such confidence in their own brilliance that they don't go out there regularly and skim or read the newest picture books, intermediate fiction, and YA novels at Barnes and Noble (or wherever)! I do that so I'll KNOW how good or bad my writing is by comparison and have something to shoot for as I try to improve my work. Also, I don't want to inadvertently come up with a plot that's similar to something already in print. (It happens--the opposite of serendipity, I guess!)

Oh, and here's my secret for protecting my tender heart: even before a piece comes back, I have planned which publisher I'll send it to next (usually using my handy-dandy Children's Writers and Illustrators Market). After the initial pang of getting the rejection, I turn right around and send the story off to my next victim. Unless, of course, the editor has given me any hints about what's not working. Then I give some serious consideration to those suggestions, as I've found there's a much better R-word than Rejection, and that's Revision!--

Kate Coombs

Memorable Rejections

2006-06-05T21:26:00.001-04:00

I have to confess I wasn't quite as gutsy as Marsha. My submissions, and by logical order, rejections, reached a much narrower field of editors and agents. However, I also went the route of not enough research on several of them.

One editor's website looked as if she accepted email queries. After sending mine, I received a terse reply that electronic submissions were not allowed. Oops. I still wanted to put my manuscript in that particular editor's hands, but after that gaffe, I felt too stupid to send her a snail mail query.

Another time, I had been referred to an agent of one of my friends. This agent liked my work, but passed on the manuscript because it wasn't her "thing." She referred me to yet another agent who she thought might be a better fit. After several emails back and forth, I sent him my manuscript. He rejected it, stating that I should know he did not do fantasy. Another oops... because of the referral, I had never even thought to check.

And then there was the agent who liked my stories, but kept wanting me to make my characters younger or older to "be more marketable." Erg. (And, yeah, I made the changes and never signed...)

Two of my favorite rejections came from an agent who had made the mistake of giving praise for one of my synopsi at a writers' conference, so I boldly asked if I could submit the manuscript to him. He graciously allowed me to do so. And then graciously rejected the thing. A year later, I cornered the poor man again - at the airport. This was after another writers' conference. He was probably tired and anxious to get home, and not the least bit interested in sitting through yet another pitch. But he allowed me to show him my synopsis right there in the waiting area. And passed. (That was the fastest turn-around I'd ever had!)

But what made his rejections stand out in my mind was that, even though I had gone about things in the wrong way, he took the time to point out exactly what did and didn't work with my work. To this day, I appreciate the insight. Sadly, such feedback is becoming less and less common because an increasing number of writers use the comments to either blast the editor/agent, or to pester the person ceaselessly, thinking they have an 'in.' Don't do it, people! Use the rejections as a learning tool and get on with it.

But do your homework first.

Gerb