Hello!
So what’s cooking on Planet DC this week? Well, quite a lot if you must know.
First of all, it’s the London Book Fair this week and I’ll be going to as many seminars, stands and events as I can over the course of the event. It starts tomorrow – Tuesday and ends on Thursday. It’s going to be at the World famous Earls Court Conference center in West London. I’m looking forward to meeting fellow authors and keeping abreast of all the latest industry trends. I have to admit that my visit last year gave my writing and publishing career a big boost as I was able to meet certain industry big-wigs and discover what was working for other authors. Some of the highlights from last year included:
- Meeting the folks at the Amazon Kindle stand and being advised on who to contact with regard to placing my books in the appropriate category.
- Attending the seminars at the AuthorRight stand with the Q&A with British author, Nick Spalding been a highlight.
- Chatting with a popular review blogger after a seminar who introduced me to influential bloggers in the U.K.
One of these bloggers is eagerly sought after by the big publishing houses to review their books and I’m happy to say she’s now an acquaintance who has reviewed several of my books.
- Meeting the wonderful folks at the My Little Big Town Publishing stand whose advice have been very instrumental in my social media growth. I look forward to working with them at some point in the future.
If you’re going to be at the London Book Fair, you can either let me know by dropping a comment or tweeting me @davidchuka
Every now and then, I love walking into a book store and reading a few pages of the Kidlit and Middle Grade books on display.
I happened to pick up this book by Jim Smith title ‘I’m Nit a Loser’ last Friday at Waterstones after reading three chapters as it had me cracking up. I ended up buying the book and will be doing a review of it later. This is the kind of book I would have loved to have read when I was an 8 to 10 year-old. I would love to write a book like this at some point in the future as it just has a nice blend of silliness, humour and oddly named characters with unique idiosyncrasies that’s just up my street. The book has very funny illustrations with characters with very big and bendy noses. I signed up to the author’s publisher newsletter and will most likely be picking up the other books in the series.
Easter’s just round the corner and I wanted to draw your attention to two of my books that I know will make a wonderful addition to your loved ones library. Counting to Ten and Sharing my Easter Eggs is a book for Kindergarten/Preschool students. It’s a fun rhyming book about a young girl whose been given a basket of Easter eggs to share with her friends. One of the rhymes goes
Here’s One for Tommy, who likes all things Yummy.
The other book is ‘Billy and the Monster who Ate All the Easter Eggs’ this third book in the Billy and Monster series see Billy visiting Grandma Chocalicious who loves chocolate even more than Billy and Monster. Billy learns about moderation in this funny book for kids. I have read these books to various kid groups at schools and events and it’s always well received. I’ll be visiting Woodberry Preschool in Southgate, North London next week and I’ll be reading these two books to them. They’re both available in digital and paperback formats. Grab one of them in time for Easter.
By the way, you still have a chance to win a signed copy of Billy and the Monster who Ate All the Easter Eggs. Simply click the link below and you could very well win of the 2 copies up for grabs.
I have to admit that our special guests on Author Interview Thursday these last few weeks have really been good and the feedback from readers of the interviews have been very encouraging. On the hot seat this week is Jeanne E. Rogers who has just published her first Middle Grade book titled ‘ The Sword of Demelza.’
In my interview with her she talks about the role social media plays in building an author’s platform, the research process in writing her book, tips on writing great dialogue, what to do in Connecticut and so much more. You really have to tune in to find out all the good stuff on offer on AIT!
So that’s it for this week. I’ll be having a great time at the London Book Fair and will do a post about it later this week. Do have an outstanding day and DREAM BIG!
Kirsty reports from the London Book Fair.
First impressions? Wow.
I have never been to the London Book Fair before, and I’m not sure I knew what to expect as I approached the forbidding entrance to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. As soon as I was through the front door, though, I was swept up in a mush of people and sound, everyone and everything seemingly zooming in a multitude of directions. After a minor panic of “where the hell am I going?” I found the ‘Exhibitors’ door, flashed my snazy LBF badge and that was it. I was in.
Chaos presented itself to me, albeit it suited and booted chaos, and I decided the first order of business was to find the OUP stand. L605 my post-it note said. “That’s all well and good,” says I, “but where on earth is it? And more the point, where on earth am I?”. There was no use looking at the map on the wall. There were so many people peering at it that I fear it might have well as been a Tube map for all the good that was to come out of it.
But, we bloggers are brave and hardy souls, so I took a deep breath and threw myself into the throng. As luck would have it, the OUP stand has a large blue tower in the middle of it, so I located it relatively quickly, accdentally swinging my laptop bag into only a handful of other visitors. It, like its partners around it, was a seething mass of table and chairs, and what I presume to be very important meetings. I wouldn’t disturb anyone, I would just go wandering. Who knew what bookish delights lay in wait?
And here is the highlight of Day One so far: crabcakes. Freshly cooked crabcakes, prepared before my very eyes. Look! See?
They were delicious. And as if that wasn’t enough, look what I, er, accidentally stumbled upon next door:
Champagne, you say? Well, all in the name of blogging! See what I do for you readers? Such a hardship.
Catch up with me over the next three days as I bring you the best of the London Book Fair 2008 - and especially check out the edited highlights of tomorrow night’s Oxford World’s Classics Official Launch! I can’t wait. I love my job.
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The local library is hiring for a three hour per week job because they got some money and decided to expand the library hours. This is great news. Unfortunately, they need to hire a person to help out during some of those hours and it’s hard to find someone who wants to make a commitment for a job that pays less than $25 a week. The library — which I have been working for helping them with their website and their OPAC — asked if I would train to be an on-call librarian there and that’s what I’ve been doing.
The funny joke about all my weird techie/bloggy/travelling stuff is that I started down this path because I wanted to live in the country and I didn’t want to be a teacher, work in the post office or be a police officer. I mean I like books, love to read and love to help people, but first and foremost I wanted to be a small-town librarian. This is the first “job” I’ve had where I actually did that. All my other jobs have been at larger libraries, school libraries or the weird circuit rider library job that I mostly do now. So I got to train on things I’ve never really learned before like how to use the circulation system and the barcode reader, how to operate the lift, how to transfer a call, how to keep teenagers happy but civil, how to call people and leave a message that their books on hold are are in without saying what the book is, you know the drill.
And, it should come as no surprise that this work was hard, and interesting, and engrossing and kept me so busy I didn’t check my email for three hours which is unusual for me during a work day. Michael Stephens and Michael Casey discussed the need for many of us with specialized jobs to switch off with other people, walk a mile in their shoes, or work a shift at their desk, to get an idea of what their real challenges were. Its good advice.
One of the librarians and I had a good laugh over thinking about the idea of IM reference for the YA librarian who has to monitor the teen computer area and is rarely near her own desk. There may be ways of making it work, sure, but in the abstract it was a totally ridiculous idea given how she works. It’s good for techie people like me to know that before we start offering our oh-so-helpful advice. Anyhow, I had a good but tiring day. Apropos of Banned Books Week I also like their title “Going to the Field” which reminds me of this part of one of my favorite poems by Wendell Berry.
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
One of these bloggers is eagerly sought after by the big publishing houses to review their books and I’m happy to say she’s now an acquaintance who has reviewed several of my books.
I happened to pick up this book by Jim Smith title ‘I’m Nit a Loser’ last Friday at Waterstones after reading three chapters as it had me cracking up. I ended up buying the book and will be doing a review of it later. This is the kind of book I would have loved to have read when I was an 8 to 10 year-old. I would love to write a book like this at some point in the future as it just has a nice blend of silliness, humour and oddly named characters with unique idiosyncrasies that’s just up my street. The book has very funny illustrations with characters with very big and bendy noses. I signed up to the author’s publisher newsletter and will most likely be picking up the other books in the series.
In my interview with her she talks about the role social media plays in building an author’s platform, the research process in writing her book, tips on writing great dialogue, what to do in Connecticut and so much more. You really have to tune in to find out all the good stuff on offer on AIT!
Hi David, The London Book Fair sounds like an amazing experience, so much to learn and take in. I would love to get over there one year. My book has been on display there through my Australian Self publishing company, Inspiring Publishers, who have offered for me to tag along sometime, perhaps next year.
You would love it Sandra. This year there were quite a few celebrity authors in the building and the workshops and seminars were inspiring and informative. Hope to see you next year