In the beginning, I mostly had a stomach ache about all the things I knew I should be doing but wasn’t. Then I started to do some things—mailings, building an online presence, commissioning a book trailer, planning big events—and the source of my stomach ache shifted a bit. I was still worried about all I wasn’t doing, but now I was able to spread the worry out, as I had no idea if there was any worth to what I was doing. My picture books were all over the map—two nonfiction and two about a buffalo—heading to kindergarten and learning to play drums.
And now I’m in the funny position of trying to take the things that may or may not be working to help promote my picture books and applying them to my brand-spanking-new-to-the-world novel.
Oh! The Stomach Aches You’ll Suffer!
I know that for picture books, I need to appeal to the parents, teachers, librarians and booksellers who help match books with children. The same is still largely true with middle grade, but in a different way that I haven’t been able to wholly figure out yet. I spend a fair amount of time thinking about this.Allow me, if I may, to draw your attention for just one moment to the psychological theorist Jean Piaget, who studied his own children as the basis for his child-development theories.
I have a twelve-year-old girl, a reader, right here in my house!
What attracts the twelve-year-old Vernick to a particular book?
The cover. Definitely. And the recommendation of a trusted friend. (Two factors that have strong effects on adult-reader-me, too.) And two factors that writer-me has no control over.
This is why I try not to think too much. But I have the kind of brain that gnaws at things: a rodent brain.
All this is a dizzying roundabout way of saying that though my path here has been heavily weighted and full of rodent-think, I ultimately arrived at a philosophy akin to the Shrinking Violets message: for now, until I figure out more, I’m doing the things that come naturally.
For a long time, blogging was not on that list. I was repeatedly told I had to start a blog. I started one in conjunction with my nonfiction baseball picture book and quickly learned that the world really doesn’t care how much I hate Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett. Also: I am passionate about baseball, but I didn’t really enjoy blogging about it.
I was disheartened.
I was encouraged to try again. It’s possible I was a little bullied, too—pushed to try again even though I didn’t want to.
Still, I jumped in, reluctantly. I started a blog about literary friendships—real-life writer-friends and the friends people find in children’s books. I figured until I found my footing, I’d interview other writer and illustrator friends and shine a light on them.
I discovered some things that delighted me: a shocking number of children’s writers wanted to be young Laura Ingalls; Roald Dahl, a writer whose books were not on my childhood radar, had a profound impact on many of the writers and
3 Comments on Guest Blogger Audrey Vernick: The Rodent Brain Approach, last added: 10/4/2011
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What a great post! I've been wondering lately whether blogging and connecting with other writers would help me reach my audience. I have to say no (I also write nonfiction picture books and middle grade). But I do think the connections and friendships you make help tremendously. Thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations on your new novel!!
I agree it's a great post! I've also been doing more of what's in my comfort zone, because there are so many possible promo activities that nobody can ever do them all.
A couple of other items that pop to mind as I read this:
Blogging isn't a "must." People who don't like it don't have to do it. Really.
For anyone who writes picture books or middle-grade books: I recommend live events. Story times, book festivals, local fairs. Those events attract some YA readers, but they always bring out families with young children in droves. If I wrote PB or MG, I'd book as many of those events as possible. There are lots of towns and cities that have them; I never realized many until I wrote a book!
Authors often think they have to reach their readers directly or all is lost. But we can connect with readers indirectly, too. An author of children's books need not fret if her blog doesn't attract children, or if her local appearance draws mostly adults. Because the secondary audience is important, too: parents, teachers, librarians, grandparents, etc. In fact, the younger the child, the more likely that the child is not the one purchasing the book.
You're right that we all have to find our own comfort zones!
I love this post. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with a rodent-brain :) As a picture book author, I struggle all the time with the idea of reaching my audience - or at least the people who buy for them. Like many others, I love how blogging has connected me to the writing community, but if the purpose of my blog is supposed to be reaching consumers, well, I don't think I'm doing that.
Jennifer is correct that live events are most effective. But it would be nice to figure out a way to make our online presence productive too. I just haven't figured it out yet. Gnawing on that... :)