Earlier this week I said that I was working feverishly on various projects to get them done before submissions started. One of those projects is the cover for the fourth in the Sacred Books Series, The Book of All Things.
I have developed various covers, one of which is my favorite, and one which is the author's. They are not the same.
So, I could now use a little help from all of you. Below you will find the top three cover options (so far). Look at the covers, click them to see them full size, and then ask yourself, "Which book is the one I would want to buy?"
After that, please vote in my cover poll below. The more input I get, the more statistically significant the outcome. So vote! Show your friends and family and have them vote!
Thanks!
Basic Black | 
Rainbow Connection |  Heavy Metal |
<a href="http://polldaddy.com/s/099C6E1E76DC3AE4">View Survey</a>
Just think, in only 5 days (5 days!) our submission period for picture books will begin. We’ve been bracing ourselves getting very excited over the prospect of all of those submissions. We've also been getting some great questions that I want to share with you today.
If I'm submitting several books in a series, should they all go in one email or still be submitted in separate emails?
Actually, if you have several books in a series, you only really need to submit the first one. After all, if we don't like the first one, we probably aren't going to be to into the rest of the series, especially if they build on one another or are interdependent. What you should do for that first one though is make sure you include in your cover letter that it is the first in a series and then describe the series a bit.
However, if you would still like to send multiple books, be sure to send them in separate emails. With the dummies this is essential to make sure the emails don't get to large and don't come through, but even with the manuscripts we prefer that they be separate for internal housekeeping reasons.
Can I submit early?
No.
Really, there would be no point. We're not going to look at them before the 15th. In fact, this week is a busy week to ensure that we will have time to start processing through the submissions next week. Also, we're trying to keep that email open for questions right now. If a bunch of submissions start coming in, those questions are going to get lost.
Can I submit more than five?
No.
Seriously, if you can't narrow it down to five, you aren't being discriminating enough. Have a trusted, yet honest, friend help you. I really should only be asking for 1 or 2, but I'm aware that what I think is your best isn't what you may think is your best. So, I'm giving you the benefit of a few more submissions. After all, picture books are short and can be gone through pretty fast.
I don't have a completed dummy, but I am a professional illustrator interested in illustrating my own book. What should I do?
In that case, submit with the authors and do a regular manuscript submission (Subject line: Fantasy or Science Fiction Picture Book Submission), but attach a sample illustration from your book instead of a dummy. Illustrations should be high resolutions jpgs, gifs, or pdfs.
My dummy does not contain any color illustrations. Can I still submit it?
Obviously if you are never planning on black & white or spot color illustrations, you do not need to change your plan now. My request for a color cover and at least one full color illustration is to get an idea of your style, not because I am only considering color picture books. I'm willing to look at any illustrative style or medium or color palette. The more complete the dummy, the better sense I will get, but I can still work off rough but comprehensive sketches. However, again, please have at least the cover and one illustration complete. It's hard to visualize your water color style if all I see are pencil sketches.
Yesterday I told you to not bother an editor/agent about the progress of your manuscript in the slush system. However, if you haven't heard from them within their stated response time (for me three months), you can follow up.
Keep in mind though, that you need to be polite and nonobtursive. Remember to not make demands or accuse the editor of laziness or slowness. (Admittedly no one has ever done that to me personally, but I have seen ones that other people have received. And let me tell you, nothing inspires someone to immediately go look up and accept your manuscript than an accusatory email. Wow, I could literally feel the sarcasm dripping from my fingers as I typed that last sentence.)
Instead, send a small polite email that tells your name, the day you submitted, the manuscript name, and politely, politely, request a status update.
If you do that, you won't offend anyone, and you'll get the info you are dying to receive.
Now normally croup involves an annoying cough and is easily treatable. Sometimes, however, it involves vomiting, coughing, paleness, and an asthma-like wheeze (that's what I though it was) that does not stop for anything, and at 2:30 in the morning requires a trip to the ER. My child, of course, had the second one.
He is now absolutely fine thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and modern steroids. In fact, contrary to the doctor's predictions, he slept all of last night without a single wheeze or cough, and the croupy cough has in fact entirely disappeared.
I, on the other hand, did not sleep much at all choosing instead to sit in his room waiting for the moment when his breathing would become bad enough that I would have to stick his head in the freezer. (An actual remedy for croup. I am not making this up.) Fortunately that moment never came.
The result of all this is that I have (to all appearances) a healthy, rested toddler, and a zoned out Mama who not only can't remember what I planned on talking about today, but also can't think of something in it's place. I will resume discussing whatever it was I was discussing when I can once again remember what that was.
Ah, first time parenthood.
Like I said yesterday, the body of your electronic cover letter should be exactly the same sort of thing that you would put in a traditional hardcopy cover letter. Let's review what the content of each of those paragraphs should be:
- Introduction
This paragraph is where you set the context for your submission. Did you meet the agent at a conference? Are you responding to a manuscript call? Were you referred by someone else? What this is not the place for is explaining how this book was written for your child/grandchild/niece or to explain that these are the true exploits of your most amazing and adorable cat. No matter how true these things may be, I don't need to know them, and they will mark you as an amateur.
- One-Two paragraph pitch
The next one or two paragraphs should be your pitch of your book. Like a published book's jacket copy or a written, more detailed elevator pitch, this is a teaser that gives the overall major plot arcs of the story, a feel for the major characters, the genre and age range of the book, the themes you tackle, possibly the setting (if important), and anything else you feel is important and will help set your book apart from the other comparable books out there. You are not quoting or paraphrasing the text, merely summarizing, but if possible you should still try to convey your voice -- your own distinct writing style that makes your writing sound like you.
(*NOTE* These are very difficult to write but extremely important to get right. If this paragraph(s) does not interest the editor/agent reading it, there's a very good chance the rest of the letter and your manuscript will not get read either. This is not to paralyze you into incapacitating writer's block inducing fear, but merely to make you aware of the importance of a good pitch.) - Series pitch
If you see your book as the beginning of a series, this paragraph is the place to tell me about it. However, if you don't see this as a series (and despite the tale bookstore shelves may tell, not every book is the first in a series), do not suddenly try to develop one for your cover letter. Just skip on to the next paragraph. Besides, if your editor/agent ends up seeing it as a series, they will be happy to tell you. You'll then be left with the pesky little detail of trying to think one up. Worry about it then.
- Biography
This is the place to tell me a little bit about yourself. But be professional here. I would like to know if you have a PhD in literacy or an MA in Children's Literature. I don't want to know that you've been reading children's books since you were a child. Also, this is the place for any professional associations that you belong to like SCBWI, Writer's Leagues, etc. - Conclusion
Since we are discussing cover letters for unsolicited manuscripts (and yes, answering a manuscript call is still technically an unsolicited manuscript), you would then thank the agent/editor and sign the letter. However, if we were discussing queries, this would be the place to politely ask to submit the manuscript.
Format-wise, the body of your email should look the same as a regular business letter: single spaced paragraphs with no indent and a double space in between. Do not use strange fonts or sizes. They will not make your email stand out, but merely make it annoying.
For a great discussion and annotated query letter, see
Brooklyn Arden's post from a year ago. Although a query letter, all of the pertinent information is the same. I greatly admire this editor, and if you don't already follow this blog, you should consider doing so. She is a great resource of information.
In this day and age of electronic communication almost completely overtaking all other forms, I feel that electronic submissions are only going to become more and more common. As more agents and editors want files they can read on-screen (either on readers at home or on computers at work), more and more authors will be emailing instead of mailing submissions. This means we need to discuss electronic submission formats and etiquette. To that end, I'm going to devote the rest of this week to this very subject.
First up, let's discuss the electronic cover letter.
Now, in a traditional hard copy submission, you would place your cover letter on top of your manuscript. It would look like a standard business letter with the date, contact information, and the actual content of the letter. Obviously, an electronic letter is going to differ in several ways:
- You don't need to date it or include your email or mailing address of the recipient.
All of these things are going to be automatically included in the email anyway. - You are going to need to have a subject line.
This line can easily be overlooked when you are busy worrying about the contents of your email. However, having a No Subject email is the surest way to have it deleted by the recipient unopened. If (like me) the editor/agent is specifically asking for a particular subject line, use it. Otherwise, here are some potential ones: - Requested Submission -- The best one, but it had better be true.
- Submission from XYZ Conference Attendee -- For people who met an agent/editor at a conference and were invited or told to submit online.
- Picture Book Submission, Teen Romance Submission, etc. -- No harm in naming it what it is.
- Unsolicited Manuscript Submission -- Probably what most submissions are, but avoid using this unless specifically told to.
- You will need to address the email to someone.
I don't mean the To: email line here. I mean that you will need to start your letter to Dear ____. This is a formal business email. Do not just start typing away as if this is a casual acquaintance. - You will need to sign your full name.
Again, this is a business email. Sign it "Sincerely" or "Thank you again" or something else appropriate with your full name. You are not just dropping them a line. You are approaching a potential business contact. - Add full contact information after your name.
This includes your phone number, website, and blog(s) if you have one. You can put your address if you like, but most likely the person will either call or reply to the email. You do not need to put your facebook or twitter links here. Even though editors and agents realize what great marketing tools these are, they are a more casual form of communication than websites or blogs. I would only have these if you have thousands of followers and you specifically mentioned them as potential marketing tools in your cover letter.
After you've worried about all this small stuff, you'll need to actually write the cover letter content. This should be the same thing you would put in a regular hardcopy cover letter. But, for folks who would like a refresher, we are going to discuss what that should be tomorrow.
Ah, a new year is upon us. And like everyone else, I have some resolutions specifically for CBAY. And I figure if I post them, that gives me some accountability (and makes it harder for me to have already forgotten them a week from now).
- Get all of the backlist and frontlist titles made into ebooks. So, far only the Book of Nonsense has been started on the ebook journey. My goal is to have all of the backlist made by April, and the frontlist as the books come out.
- Exhibit at TLA. Okay, so this one is kind of a cheat since I technically decided to do this a few days ago. But it still is going to require a fair bit of planning and work, so I'm going to include it.
- Get all those websites up. I know Forgotten Worlds. It's coming. I swear.
- Respond to submissions within 3 months. This one is going to be the hardest of all. Even with Intern and the form letter already written, it's going to take a while to work through all of the submissions I suspect I'll be getting in 2 weeks. I'm going to try though.
Now that I've got my list up, it's time for you to make your writing oriented list. I know you can do it.
Happy New Year!
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/29/2010
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In CBAY's new submission guidelines which go up to the general public on January 1, we made the following statement:
Please limit your picture book to 1500 words or less. We truly want to see manuscripts that were written as picture books. We are not interested in looking at short stories. Yes, there is a difference.
I had a couple of people ask me what that difference is -- an excellent question indeed.
Now, obviously there are some good short stories that have been made into picture books, and there are some picture book texts that would make good short stories. However, not every tale can go either way. The main difference between the two is, as you may have guessed, in the illustration possibilities.
A picture book is 32 pages long (including the frontspiece and the copyright page) which means there can be as few as 15 images (15 full page spreads over 30 pages) during the tale or as many as 120 (although that would be an extreme 4 images per page which I don't think I've ever seen). Most picture books fall somewhere in between with some full page spreads and some half page or spot illustrations. Some older or classically styled picture books will contain 3/4 spreads with the text off on one side separate from the picture. The actual layout and style of the illustrations is not important from a manuscript perspective. What is important is that there are a minimum of 15 different visual images in the text. In other words, there are at least 15 different scenes for the illustrator to draw.
Let's use fairy tales as an example. There were literally hundreds of fairy tales collected by Grimm Brothers, but only a handful are constantly being reworked into picture books. The ones that are have lots of action and changes in scenery. Take "Little Red Riding Hood." Scenery wise, you have:
- Little Red's House
- The woods
- Grandma's house -- both inside and out.
Action wise, you have:
- Little Red being given the basket
- Meeting the Wolf
- Picking flowers
- The wolf sneaking to Grandma's by the quicker path
- The wolf eating grandma (or stuffing her in the closet)
- The wolf in bed
- Little Red arriving
- The wolf showing big hands
- The wolf showing big ears
- The wolf showing big teeth
- The wolf eating Little Red (or chasing her)
- The huntsman hearing commotion
- The huntsman chasing wolf
- The huntsman killing wolf (or chasing him away)
- Roasting the wolf (or celebration)
As you can see, there is plenty of action and change of location for an illustrator to choose from. This is why this tale makes a good picture book and other fairy tales do not.
So, my advice to you, is to take your picture book manuscript's plot and break it up much like I did Little Red Riding Hood above. If you you've got lots of illustratable action, you are good to go. However, if the entire action takes place around the dinner table and is just great dialog, then you've definitely got a short story on your hands. This is not a bad thing. There are markets for good short stories for younger readers. It just means that you should not submit that manuscript to me as a picture book.
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/20/2010
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Now last week, I started talking about tailoring submissions. I pointed out that you should make sure you send your work to someone who will appreciate it. What I didn't tell you was how to gauge an editor's tastes.
There are several ways to do this:
- See if they've posted preferences anywhere.
Does the editor have a blog (like me) or is he/she specifically requesting a certain type of manuscript (also like me)? Because that's the best way to know your manuscript is going to someone who will actually look at it if the person says they are actively seeking something. - Check the various children's writers' boards.
Just because you haven't found the blog post or announcement doesn't mean someone else didn't find it. Look around at places like SCBWI or Verla Kay's site. I know my picture book submission guidelines have been put up there.
However, sometimes you won't be able to find the information this way. Then you'll have to be sneakier to figure out what those finicky editors like. You can:
- Ask around.
Perhaps you know someone who has worked with that editor before. What did he/she tell your friend about his/her preferences? - Read things the editor has worked on.
This is the method that is least precise, but probably the one you'll most often have to rely on. After all, editors do work on projects they haven't acquire and that might not be to their tastes. I know I have. However, this will be your best bet on getting to know your editor when you don't have any personal or online intel. As I've said before, to find out what the editor has worked on, simply go to any book that is in the same genre as yours and look at the acknowledgments page. A majority of the time, the author has thanked his/her editor. Voila. You now have a potential submission target.
(Now I have acquired picture books in the past, but that was for
Blooming Tree which has a very different publishing philosophy. I'm not saying I don't love those picture books. I do. They just wouldn't fit as well in CBAY. A better gauge of the kind of picture book I'm looking for now would be looking at my
existing line. After all, it should fit in with the rest of the list.)
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/17/2010
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I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm running out of time. Between finishing the 2011 book edits and layouts, getting the websites up, and working on The Book of All Thing's cover, I don't know when I'm going to get my shopping done. Fortunately, I have a gift card to my favorite independent (OK, so it's my year end bonus from BookPeople, details, details) to spend on the people left on my list.
All this has reminded me of something very important that I forgot to mention in my Great Small Press Gifts in Big Stores post -- namely that starting around January 1, CBAY Books will no longer physically be in the stores. You can still get them online, but all of the unsold stock will be returned, never to grace Barnes & Noble shelves again.*
So, if you were planning to purchase either The Book of Maps or The Necropolis in store, like me, your time is also running out.
* I would like to point out that this is just a reality of the book industry. Have you ever heard about a book that's only five or six months old only you can't find it in any bookstore? That's because a book has only 90 days to sell before it is shipped straight back to the publisher for a full credit. Barnes & Noble is very aggressive in its returns, so the CBAY Books, which have been available since early October will be going away for good starting Jan. 1. Only bestselling backlist books earn longterm shelf space at the chains.
For example, Cynthia Leitich Smith's Eternal, which debuted in paperback at #5 on the NY Times Bestseller list can't be found at a single one of our local Austin stores despite the fact that the series is popular and she's an Austin author. Interesting, no?
Personally, I hate the returns system. By the time I've paid my distributor's restock fees and tossed out the books that have gotten damaged in all the shipping, it would have been cheaper for me to just set those books on fire (and not collected insurance money). It's just depressing.
And the worst part, the returns system isn't even particularly good for the bookstores. Why do you think B&N and other bookstores have started stocking so many bargain books and non-book items? It's because those are sold at greater margins but are non-returnable. Stores need those extra percentage points to be profitable. However, I seem to be digressing (and ranting) into a whole 'nother topic. And that should probably be a discussion for another day.
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/16/2010
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Now, normally when people ask me who they should submit their work to, I point out that they need to send their submissions to someone who is going to appreciate it. There is no point in sending a glorious, future award winning, historical fiction love story to an editor that only works on action/adventure manuscripts and has publicly said that love is a waste of time. That person is not going to like your book, no matter how good it is.
And, I for example, am not going to appreciate your wonderful basic to school realistic picture book featuring all the children as animals when I've asked for fantasy and science fiction.
"But," I can hear you saying, "it's an animal fantasy."
No, it's not. Animal Farm, Charlotte's Web, Redwall, and the Warrior series are animal fantasies. Anthopomorphized animals in picture books are not animal fantasies. They are simply human replacements because some (ok, many) illustrators prefer to draw animals over humans. Toot & Puddle are fantastic, and the Bernstein Bears are classics, and I really wish I could have discovered Chester, but they are not fantasies.
However, don't despair those of you writing about cats or dogs or elephants. I'm not saying you can't submit books with animals as the characters. I'm just saying that they better be pirates or spacemen or princesses or werecats for me to consider them.
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/15/2010
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By now you've probably already looked at the Submission Guidelines for the picture book call in January. And you're probably wondering why I only want fantasy and science fiction manuscripts. Well, the answer is pretty simple. At the moment, that's the niche CBAY has positioned itself in. If you look at our list, all of the books are fantasy or science fiction. So, it makes sense to expand that niche into picture books.
However, when it comes down to it, I really want a good science fiction manuscript. There are very few science fiction picture books, and I would like to exploit that hole in the market. However, it can be very difficult to convey a science fiction world and still have a good story. I'll be excited to see what people produce.
If you want to see examples of books I wished I had acquired (but only saw after publication), here you go:
Of course, I'm not looking for duplicates of these. I'm just sharing with you some picture books I have liked and enjoyed.
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/14/2010
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Starting Jan. 15, CBAY Books will be open for 2 weeks for unsolicited fantasy and science fiction picture book manuscripts. (Sorry mid-grade and teens. Your time will come.)
That's right. After over three years of being closed for submissions, we will be open for only two weeks. After that, I don't know when we'll be open again. It'll depend on how long it takes to go through these. Polish up your manuscripts, give your critique group one last shot at them, and run spell check. It's time to send them out to the world.
And right now, the only place to find the link to the submission guidelines is here. I haven't put them on the general CBAY site (although you can access the general site from them.) I'm making the announcement here first, and then at the beginning of the new year, I'll post them to cbaybooks.com.
So, between now and Jan. 15, I'll be doing lots of posts about submissions, submission formats, my manuscript wishlist, and the like. It's going to be a writing party!
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/13/2010
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During this crazy shopping time, we all need convenience, and it's hard to be much more convenient than a Barnes & Noble this time of year. So, I've put together a list of mine, and other small press books, that you can currently walk into pretty much any Barnes & Noble and buy right off the shelf. It doesn't get much more convenient than that.
And if you plan on making a special trip, click on the books title to see if the book is in the Barnes & Noble nearest you.
From CBAY Books:
- The Book of Maps by David Michael Slater -- Although this is the third book in the series, you don't have to have read the first two. The twins start on a whole new adventure in this one as one of the oldest demons comes after them. There's a lot of action in this one, and you might just find yourself biting your nails as everyone in the world seems to be against the kids in this one.
- The Necropolis by PJ Hoover -- This is the final book in The Forgotten Worlds Trilogy, and I have to say, it's the best one yet. From an editorial perspective it's great to see how the author's writing has grown, but from a kid perspective, the book is just cool. Lots of exciting stuff happens, there's some more time travel, and we finally get to see what's happening in Atlantis. Like I said, cool.
From Tanglewood Press:
- The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn -- The New York Times #1 Bestseller (pretty good for a small press book) is always a great gift. Dealing with separation anxiety, this picture book is good whether a kid is starting school or daycare or even going to stay at Grandma's for a few days.
From Barefoot Books:
- Yoga Pretzels by Tara Guber -- A fabulous collection of yoga poses suitable for even the youngest yogi. These come on large flashcard sized cards so that you can always see exactly what it is you are working on.
(My list isn't longer because I had trouble finding small press books in Barnes & Noble stores. Nearly every presses full catalog is carried online, but it was hard to find them physically in the store. Show your support for small presses in big chains. Next time you're in a Barnes & Noble, purchase one of these books.)
I'm a techno-geek. There's no arguing that. But I'm bad about buying gadgets that I use for like a week (like that ereader I've got around here somewhere) and then never picking it up again.
So, it took me awhile to convince myself to get an iPad. Fortunately, the thing is pretty cool, and if nothing else, I'll probably use it for quite some time as a car TV for my son for roadtrips. (Although if I have to listen to Elmo's squeaky voice for another minute in the car, I'm not sure I'll be rational enough to be held accountable for my actions.)
However, being said techno-geek, one of the first things I had to do was design new wallpaper for my iPad based on various CBAY Books. Since I was working on The Amulet of Amon-Ra website at the time, I made paper for it first. And now, since just this very minute I finished that site, I'm now sharing my techno-geekiness with everyone.
Screenshots of my iPad:
And because you can also hold it horizontally:
Nope, I'm not a geek. Not a geek at all.
Want to show your Amulet pride? You can get the iPad/iPhone background here.
So, as part of my new trying to get the blog going again, I've decided to start posting about everything I think of. Like yesterday, I posted about the new Incarceron movie.
I must say this is greatly helped by having a new iPad toy. Yesterday I was able to do that post while baby took a bath. I would never dare take my laptop anywhere near the baby and water. I shudder at the thought.
So, as my first real publisher post in a while, let's talk about this blog. I've given it a new look as you may have noticed. Please tell me what you think (good or bad). I am not emotionally attached to the look of the blog in any way, so if you don't like it, I won't be offended to know.
Also, let me know what you are most interested in reading about, and I'll try to do more of that. What is more important: writing tips, marketing tips, editorial process, what? I always appreciate feedback.
By: Madeline Smoot,
on 12/10/2010
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At the beginning of this year, I read the book Incarceron, book I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought it was a great example of world building as well as alternating points of view. As we all know switching points of view, even in a teen novel, can be tricky business.
So, it is exciting to see that it may be made into a movie starring the Taylor from Twilight.
I am currently interested in all things books-to-movies since The Book of Nonsense has been optioned for development into a movie. The details as I know them are here. I'm not involved in any way since I don't hold any of the film rights, but it's still exciting to watch.
Who do you think should play the twins?
You by Charles Benoit
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Writing in the second person is always hard. Readers can become annoyed at constantly being addressed or even accused of actions that the character did instead of them. The book is hard to read, but in a powerful, difficult subject matter sense. Benoit does a fantastic job of using second person.
In fact, second person in this book is used to great effect to help illustrate the disconnect the character experiences with himself. His reality is so far removed from what he would like to be, that he uses the second person instead of the first person pronouns in an effort to distance himself. It is both a subtle and powerful technique at the same time.
I would recommend this book to all authors.
View all my reviews
One of the largest library gatherings (other than the ALA meetings) is the TLA meetings. Texas is a big state, and we've got a lot of librarians.
This year, fortunately, we aren't displaying at TLA. This gives me more time to get ready for our debut at BEA. But I am going to go with a contingency of Austin authors to walk the exhibit hall floor and look around. I'm looking forward to the opportunity (and the free stuff). There won't be as many freebies as there used to be, but I have high hopes for some good stuff -- especially reading guides.
For reasons beyond my control, the BookKids blog is not letting me type in new posts. And since I could not possibly let a week go by without meeting my reading challenge (especially on a week where I actually met it), I decided to post my review here. As soon as we get the kink worked out back at Bookpeople, I'll retroactively post this there.
The London Eye Mystery
Originally I wanted to read this book because it was a mystery. (Did you catch on my Monday post that I like mysteries?) I'm not sure what I expected, but I think I was assuming that this was going to be your typical kid mystery book. This wasn't one at all.
For starters, the narrator Ted has a never revealed disorder that is obviously some form of high functioning autism. Now before you start thinking this is another Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, it's not. But Ted does have a different way of looking at the world -- one that ends up allowing him to solve the mystery when no one else can.
The mystery itself is intriguing and well done with a trail of clues that can be followed. Basically Ted and his sister's cousin disappears from a sealed pod of the London Eye which is the huge wheel (not a ferris wheel) that gives panoramic views of London. Since it seems unlikely that their cousin combusted or entered a time slip stream, Ted and Kat decide to try to determine what happened to him. The solid mystery that follows should appeal to any mystery fans.
The autism element adds a new dimension to what would otherwise be a typical midgrade mystery. However, it neither distracts from the overall plot or intrude into the story. It just is another point that opens possibilities for discussion.
Overall, I would recommend this for kids 10 & up. Younger kids might find the book a little too tense.
Next week: I Put a Spell on You
When we talk about marketing books, we often overlook a rather key segment of the book buying population -- book clubs. Whether they are the mother/daughter variety (like the one we're starting at BookPeople), bookstore sponsored (BookPeople has a teen one of those too), school sponsored, or just a group of friends, book clubs are a great word of mouth tool for promoting your book.
So, how do you come to the attention of a book club?
- Make the NYT bestseller list.
All right, I realize this isn't the most practical piece of advice. After all, that's what we're all striving for anyway. But technically, this is a great way for book clubs to notice you. - Have book club materials available.
I've made book club specific discussion guides for all of the CBAY Books (well, 3 out of 4 -- I'm getting there). A book club has different discussion needs than your classroom setting. Give them their own material and don't make them try to adapt a study guide. - Be available to visit their meetings.
Now, of course I don't mean that you need to fly across the country to meet with a book club with 3 members. But, you can be available to meet with them via Skype or some other video conferencing service.
And for those of you who aren't published yet, it never hurts to start working on these things for your book too. For one thing, if you do a book proposal it's nice to have this available. And for another thing, it forces you to look at your book in a different way. And that's never a bad thing.
that Amulet of Amon-Ra is up for an award? Well, it is.
Leslie Carmichael's book has been nominated for a Prix Aurora Award from the Canadian Science Fiction/Fantasy community. Kind of like the Nebula's here, this is a big deal thing up north of the US border.
For more information or to vote, click here.
Congratulations Leslie!
The NBN Sales conference went quite well. I got some great feedback on the books and made some interesting networking contacts. And it seems that my double life as a bookseller makes me a valuable resource for others as well. So many good ideas were floating around.
Since many of you review books on your blogs, I thought you might be interested in a site I just discovered. Now, some of you may have been using it for years, but sometimes I’m a little late to the party.
Introducing Net Galley.com. This site is free to reviewers, bookstore buyers, etc. (although it’s not free for the publisher – grumble) and allows you to request electronic and physical readers of publishers books. I haven’t thoroughly explored the site yet, but I know I plan to put electronic versions of all my books up. It’s a greener way to preview and review books. I look forward to becoming a part.
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Heavy Metal
