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In my school visits, I often shock audiences by revealing that it took THREE AND A HALF YEARS from the day I got the idea for Shark Vs. Train until the official publication date. And then I tell them that The Day-Glo Brothers took EIGHT years, and they all lose their minds — especially those who haven’t yet hit the eight-year mark themselves.
But some upcoming books of mine — and projects that might become books — will end up having gestation periods that make The Day-Glo Brothers look positively possumlike.
The two picture books I’ve got on tap for 2015, The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch and Pioneers & Pirouettes: The Story of the First American Nutcracker, made their first appearances in my computer files in 2006 and 2003, respectively. And the picture book manuscript I’m working on revising this week dates back to October 7, 2002, but it has a way of getting new life breathed into it periodically. Maybe this latest version is the one that will take, but even if it’s not, there’s something immensely satisfying in having an editor point out potential in it that I’d never noticed before in all these years.
The thing is, such projects continue having potential for me only when I continue paying attention to them, or at least when I routinely check in on my files to see if anything about them grabs me anew. There’s a project I had pursued — a biography of trombonist Melba Liston — that I took my eye off of for too long, and I learned this week that someone else has beaten me to it. My consolation is that this summer I get to read Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, the version of Liston’s story that Katheryn Russell-Brown and Frank Morrison have created for Lee & Low, and that’s something for me and you both to look forward to.
In the meantime…
0 Comments on Two lessons in keeping an eye on your files as of 1/1/1900
Some terrific news came this week from the Buckeye Children’s Book Award, and I’m honored as can be that Ohio’s youngest readers have selected Shark Vs. Train as their favorite book of 2011. Thanks for reading and voting, kids — don’t ever, ever stop!
0 Comments on Thank you, kids of Ohio! as of 1/1/1900
Yesterday morning, I learned that Shark Vs. Train is among the 2012-13 nominees for the Association of Indiana School Library Educators’ Young Hoosier Book Award. Yes, I posted the happy news in the usual social media spots. But I also took the time to email the YHBA committee chairs to thank them directly.
It took a little doing to find out who the chairs are and track down their email addresses, but nothing compared to the work that the committee did in narrowing the candidate titles down to the 55 or 60 that made the final middle grade, intermediate, and picture book lists. (It’s a good-looking bunch of books. Seriously, you should check it out.) I truly am appreciative of the committee’s efforts, and I’m honored to have now had both The Day-Glo Brothers and Shark Vs. Train on YHBA lists, and I want them to know that.
Besides, I learned earlier this year just what a big payoff there can be for my spending a few minutes chasing down that contact information and sending an email. When Shark Vs. Train was named to the Texas Library Association’s 2×2 Reading List, I emailed my thanks to the committee members. From that one act of basic good manners came an invitation for a solid week of presentations at the nine elementary schools in the district of one of those committee members.
If I had been inclined to see such a thank-you email as purely optional, that turn of events surely cured me of it. Saying thanks for that sort of recognition isn’t optional; it’s a must-do. And I don’t think it’s enough to simply exude an appreciative vibe via tweet or status update — I really believe that the thank-you is more genuine and sincere when it goes directly to the people being thanked.
The bottom line: Authors and illustrators and any other professionals using the one-to-multitudes reach of social media, don’t forget the power of the one-to-one thank-you note.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get this blog post up on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn…
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It’s been hard keeping quiet about this, and now I don’t have to. From Publishers Weekly:
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has bought world rights for Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld’s companion picture book to Shark vs. Train, for publication in spring 2013. Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency is the agent for the author, and Amy Rennert at the Amy Rennert Agency is the agent for the artist.
But I will tell you how pleased I am to be working again with Tom, Shark, Train, Alvina, and the rest of the crew at Little, Brown. And I can think of at least one other person who will be glad to see the arrival of spring 2013…
0 Comments on What? You thought Shark and Train were through squabbling? as of 1/1/1900
Libraries and librarians have been sending some great news my way lately.
In the past few weeks, I’ve learned that The Day-Glo Brothers is a nominee for the 2011-2012 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards Program sponsored by the Pennsylvania School Libraries Association, and that Shark Vs. Train has been named to three nifty lists:
I just wish that libraries and librarians were on the receiving end of more good news lately. I wrote about this in my Bartography Express newsletter last weekend:
We all love our libraries — even Shark and Train — but it’s never been more important that we take the time to say so. State and city and school district budgets this year include deep, shortsighted cuts for libraries and librarians and the services they provide. These are bad news for all of us and especially for the children in our society. If we want to be a better educated, better informed, better prepared people, none of us — not one — will come out ahead if these sorts of cuts go through.
The Texas Library Association has provided this tool for emailing Gov. Perry and state senators and representatives to advocate on behalf of the institutions — and the people who make them run — that are such a vital part of our society, democracy and culture. If your state library association does the same, I urge you to take advantage of it.
One bright spot for librarians, at least, is the new book by one of their own, Jeanette Larson. In her post-librarian career (though I really wonder if such a thing exists), Jeanette has written the lovely Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas, just published by Charlesbridge. It’s a beautiful book, and I hope you’ll all be able to find it on the shelves of your local library.
0 Comments on Love from (and to) libraries and librarians as of 1/1/1900
My mother is visiting this weekend. Coincidentally, a few friends let me know this week that they’ve seen Shark Vs. Train — with a little-bitty mug shot of me — in Scholastic’s “Favorite Authors and Illustrators” catalog:
So, if you were wondering how old you have to be before you’re no longer excited about showing your mom the brand-new Scholastic catalog — I’m not sure, but it’s older than 39…
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My previous book, The Day-Glo Brothers, made all three of those lists last year, so I figured there must be a lot of overlap among them — if you’ve made one, you’ve made them all. But according to SLJ’s Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog, only eight titles hold that distinction this year:
It shows up at the top of the list, but that’s just alphabetical-order-by-author’s-last-name at work. First, last, or in the middle, I’m delighted to be included on a list that features so many impressive titles. And it’s certainly nice to receive this vote of confidence for a book that I’ll be reading aloud to nine — count ‘em! — different audiences this coming week.
If you’re coming to the Texas Book Festival on Sunday but are already booked (har har) during my reading/signing between 11 a.m. and noon, I’ll also be signing books and giving away Shark Vs. Train posters at the Kirkus Reviews booth at 4 p.m.
0 Comments on A bit more about the Texas Book Festival as of 1/1/1900
Six months before its publication date, Can I See Your I.D.?, has gotten a big vote of confidence from Junior Library Guild, which as selected it as one of the books its members will receive next year. (Here’s a quick guide to how JLG works.)
That’s the week’s biggest news, but there’s been other good stuff as well:
Electronic versions of The Day-Glo Brothers are now available from Readeo and TumbleBooks as well as from Ripple Reader.
Janelle at Brimful Curiosities has nominated Shark Vs. Train for the Cybils award for Fiction Picture Books. The nomination period closes this week — have you spoken up for your favorite books of 2010?
The book trailer for Shark Vs. Train is in the running for School Library Journal’s first-ever Trailee Awards, and I sure would appreciate your vote. In case you haven’t seen the terrific job that Little, Brown did, here’s a look right now:
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There’s been some great interstate news of late for both The Day-Glo Brothers and Shark Vs. Train.
Yesterday’s mail brought an envelope with a return address of “Executive Residence, State of Wisconsin.” I last visited the state for the wedding of a cousin who had both Metallica and Lou Reed played at his reception. A great time was had by all, but that was five years ago this weekend, so I was reasonably sure that the statute of limitations had expired.
Sure enough, the mail was entirely unrelated. It was a letter from First Lady of Wisconsin Jessica Doyle informing me that Shark Vs. Train has been picked as September’s featured Primary book for the Read On Wisconsin! online book club. (See this post from Rebecca Hogue Wojahn for more on this year’s selections.)
On its own, that would have been terrific enough, but it’s coupled with news that The Day-Glo Brothers is a nominee for the Land Of Enchantment Book Award (sponsored by the New Mexico Library Association and the New Mexico Council of the International Reading Association) and has also made the 2010-2011 Reading List for the Maine Student Book Award (sponsored by the Maine Library Association, the Maine Association of School Libraries, and the Maine Reading Association).
Many thanks to the folks in Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Maine for their recognition of Bob and Joe and Shark and Train!
0 Comments on Good news from Wisconsin… and New Mexico… and Maine as of 1/1/1900
First off, Austin-area folks, I’ll be reading and signing Shark Vs. Train this Saturday, June 26, at the Arboretum Barnes & Noble.
For details on the event, info on my other upcoming appearances, and other news about me and my books, check out the latest edition of Bartography Express (available online through mid-July).
I received PDFs this week for the galleys of Can I See Your I.D.?, the cover of which is beyond captivating — I can’t wait to share it here.
I’m happily submerged in the research for a new picture book biography. “Happily,” as in “I got my kicks during my lunch hour this Tuesday by rooting around in the microfilm section of a university library.”
For Can I See Your I.D.? (Dial, 2011), a young adult collection profiling ten people who pretended to be someone they weren’t, the voice I use is as much a presence in each story as the person I’m writing about. That wasn’t an accident, but it also wasn’t something I had in mind at the outset of the project or deliberately worked to come up with.
As I remember it, I had stacks of research on two of my subjects, ideas for several other candidates, and not a single word written down. Then one night it occurred to me that maybe I could write these profiles in second person, the better to put the reader behind the mask of each masquerader. I tried it and liked the results, and although the editor who had first shown interest in the project was appalled, from then on, I couldn’t imagine not writing this book that way.
So, what’s my New York Times news? Shark Vs. Train has made the Times’list of best-selling picture books! Thanks so much to all of you who have helped put it there, and especially to the independent booksellers who have been so wonderfully supportive of the book.
0 Comments on From Hunger Mountain to The New York Times as of 1/1/1900
I’ve cooked up a new presentation combining elements from both Shark Vs. Train and The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors.
If you want to see it, and you’re in Austin this week, you’re in luck. I’ll be debuting the Shark and Train and Bob and Joe Show this Thursday afternoon at a “Meet the Author” event put on by the Writers’ League of Texas and the Austin Public Library.
The details:
Thursday, June 10th @ 2PM
Ruiz Branch
Austin Public Library
1600 Grove Blvd., 78741
FREE and open to the public!
0 Comments on Join me (and Bob and Joe and Shark and Train) this Thursday! as of 1/1/1900
I didn’t realize just how much fun I’d had at the Shark Vs. Train party at BookPeople until I saw the photos my friend Courtney took. (Thanks, Court!) I’ve put a couple of them on permanent display on my Author Visits page, but here’s one more:
0 Comments on More photos from BookPeople as of 1/1/1900
First things first: I’ve begun an open-ended giveaway of a free copy of one of my books every time I send out an edition of my email newsletter Bartography Express. Details are in the orange box on my home page.
Speaking of filling a mailbox with good stuff, big big cardboard boxes arrived left and right at Rancho Barton this week. Shark Vs. Train posters. Shark Vs. Train its own self — my author copies. A fresh shipment of the daylight-fluorescent pens I use to sign The Day-Glo Brothers. Postcards, business cards, and bookmarks featuring both books.
About those bookmarks…
I took 11-year-old S to Austin’s BookPeople yesterday morning to pick up his long-hungered-for copy of R. L. LaFevers’ brand-new Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus. Being a self-promotional kind of guy, I took along a handful of bookmarks to drop off at the the BookKids desk. Otherwise, though, it was just a father-son outing, with me dressed nattily in what I planned to wear later while stirring up seven tons of pollen mowing the yard.
In the parking lot on our way into the store, though, we overheard a mom talking to her three young children about a book about a shark and a train. S and I smiled at each other, amused by the coincidence. I introduced myself to the woman, gave her three bookmarks, and we went on our way.
Just inside the store, we saw a sign advertising the April 3 storytime at 11:30 a.m.
I looked at my watch.
It was 11:27.
And we began to figure out what the BookKids staff upstairs confirmed a few moments later: The woman in the parking lot was talking about Shark Vs. Train because it was being featured at storytime right then — a fact she had obviously known, and which I most certainly had not.
And I could tell by the expressions on the staff members that they weren’t expecting to see me during Shark Vs. Train storytime any more than I was intending to be seen right then.
I felt a combination of giddiness and mortification. Part of me felt like Tom Sawyer at his own funeral, about to get to listen in on proceedings never meant for my ears. And part of me felt like I’d walked over my own grave, accidentally passing through a place I’d have avoided (or at least dressed better for) had I but known.
So, what did we do? We dropped off the bookmarks, picked up the book we’d come to get, and laughed about it all the way home. Just the two of us — well, and Theodosia Throckmorton.
0 Comments on Incoming Goodies Vs. Mailbox Capacity; also, free stuff as of 1/1/1900
3) This Tweet from Bunch of Grapes Bookstore on Martha’s Vineyard
“If today is any judge, I’m going to sell about 20 million copies of SHARK VS TRAIN this summer…”
4) This blog post from Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, Virginia
“Shark Vs. Train just hit our shelves today and instantly became my new favorite…”
5) This recommendation from Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh, North Carolina
“Adults and kids alike will be howling with laughter, no matter whose side you’re rooting for…”
Digging around in my email archives just now, I found this note that accompanied the first draft of Shark Vs. Train that I shared with my agent three and a half years ago. I’d forgotten what it felt like to have this story come out of nowhere, but reading this note makes me want to experience that feeling as often as possible.
Hey, Erin,
Here’s something that came together just this past week. It’s barely 300 words, and [my seven-year-old] is beside himself every time he reads it. Enjoy, whenever.
Chris
***
Shark Vs. Train’s official publication date is next Thursday, on (seriously) April Fool’s Day. That feels pretty good, too, and I’ll celebrate by sending out a new edition of my occasional Bartography Express newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, just sign up in the “Join” box on my home page.
Will someone hire me as librarian-for-the-day just so I can share Chris Barton’s and Tom Lichtenheld’s new title, Shark Vs. Train, with a group of children, followed by Bob Shea’s 2008 title, Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime? I think it quite possibly could be the Loudest and Most Entertaining Story Time in Recent History.
But I’m here to focus on the former title, released by Little, Brown earlier this month. In fact, as mentioned in my tremendously creative post title up there, the author and illustrator are joining me for late-night cyber-coffee to discuss the book. And its illustrator, Tom Lichtenheld (you do remember this wonderful madness, don’t you?), will share some rejected spreads from the book, once the coffee starts brewing. Yup, these spreads have little post-it notes on their backs that say “kick me.” But rejects have never been so welcome, I say. You’ll see why below.
0 Comments on One impossible Shark vs. one impossible Train at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast as of 1/1/1900
A neat piece of news about The Day-Glo Brothers came my way yesterday: Korean publisher Munhakdongne has bought translation rights. I don’t know how long it typically takes for a translated version to become available, but it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll get to have a look at it here just as soon as I get my hands on a copy.
Shark Vs. Train had some great news of its own this week, in the form of its first review — and a starred one, no less, from Publishers Weekly:
This is a genius concept … Just when readers will think the scenarios can’t get more absurd, the book moves into even funnier territory. … Lichtenheld’s watercolor cartoons have a fluidity and goofy intensity that recalls Mad magazine, while Barton gives the characters snappy dialogue throughout.
(You should know that Tom Lichtenheld supplied lots of snappy dialogue himself.)
Finally — and I do mean “finally!” — it looks like my young-adult nonfiction project with Dial has a title that will stick, after having had several that turned out not to be so sticky. Can I See Your I.D.? True Stories of False Identities is scheduled to publish in spring 2011. I’ve spent the past week responding to final edits, and soon I’ll get to see sketches from illustrator Paul Hoppe.
But it’s Paul Hoppe, so really my only question is just how terrific they’re going to be…
0 Comments on That book, this book, and the next book as of 1/1/1900
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