Marketing yourself. Yeah, forget the hokey-pokey. We know what it’s really all about in this game. You poor authors and illustrators. Isn’t it enough that you sweat and strain to create the highest quality literature for the generation that will inherit the earth after we are dead and gone . . . and now you’ve gotta go and publicize your own book yourself?!? Who’s the yahoo who made THAT rule up? I feel your pain, and so in an effort to help you I shall direct you, today anyway, to someone who shows that the best way to bring attention to yourself is to be creative, low-key, and involve a lot of other folks. The author of Will Work for Prom Dress, Aimee Ferris (she of many names) has for the past few weeks been “posting daily photos of ‘mystery YA authors’ in their angsty teen best (showcasing a range of tragic teen fashion choices), as well as a few truly surly anti-prom shots on http://willworkforpromdress.com/ in anticipation of my upcoming book release on Feb 8.” She’s calling it the “Promapalooza” and promises that in the future weeks there will be serious cases of “Man Perm” an “Agent Week” and much much more. What she has up already is pretty impressive though. I’m not giving away who the cute gal in this photo I lifted from her site is, but I will say that she has a picture book out this year (and she’s definitely not me).
- New Blog Alert: One of my favorite children’s book illustrators is now penning one of my favorite children’s book blogs. Meghan McCarthy participates from time to time on the Blue Rose Girls blog, but I always secretly hoped she’d strike out on her own someday. She has one of the more distinctive personalities, and her penchant for what kids like gels with what I like. So it is that she has begun Children’s Books: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and it does not disappoint. Between talking about the mounted heads of Dr. Seuss to comparative studies between YouTube videos utilizing Post-It Notes (I am SO stealing one of those for Video Sunday) Meghan is constantly interesting and never dull. Just like her books.
- Speaking of Blue Rose Girls, we’ve all heard of authors and illustrators talking about getting “the call” that told them they’d won a Caldecott or a Newbery. But an agent talking about getting “the call”? I’ve never heard of that one before.
- Well, geez. I was all set to tell you about Ward Jenkins and his crazy contest to convince enough people to “Like” his Facebook profile page for the upcoming picture book Chicks Run Wild. He said that if 300 people “liked” it he’d wear a chicken suit. The happy ending? It hit 333 as of this post. Didn’t need my help. Chicken suit-up, Ward my man.
- All sorts of folks have been sending in images of dads reading to their kids to James Preller’s 11 Comments on Fusenews: Laika Chow!, last added: 1/19/2011
More than just a dog that dies — a dog you have to shoot yourself. Even better!
ew, what next, SOUNDER kibbles?
when, oh please, when will they stop destroying jay ward cartoons? who watches those things? my kids loved the originals when i showed them the DVDs and had no desire to see any of the movies that were made because the “looked dumb.”
and while i agree about john hodgman, i think he’s more deserving an original creation for voice work. something in the pixar family, i believe.
finally, i’ve had my eye on picking up a copy of suzuki bean ever since i found out about it a year ago. i’ve read the scribd copy but its become a sort of fetish desire object for me. i cannot explain why.
They named the dog food after a dog that GOES MAD, then dies. Hm. Nutrition at it’s best. Wacky.
You know, I would’ve suited up and worn that chicken suit in public even if I *didn’t* hit that magic number 300.
It’s crazy the things we have to do to get our books noticed!
I loved All of a Kind Family, and I was a Catholic kid growing up in the New Orleans area. I also loved Miriam Chaikin’s books, although hers were more subdued and serious (from what I remember…it’s been a while, but I think one of the siblings was chronically ill?).
Hodgman did do the voice of the dad in Coraline. And I too am horrified by the notion of a Peabody movie but . . . . GAH! Not to have Hodgman, if you’re going to make the film anyway, seems the greatest crime of all. Downey Jr. can be Sherman, if he wants.
Why stop at rabid dead dog food? How about Velveteen Rabbit Food (plush and inedible and maybe tinged with scarlet fever, but LOOKS Real) or Wanda Gag Cat Chow (dosed with fertility drugs)?
And thanks for the All-of-a-Kind shout-out, Betsy!
rams, that sounds like a great/horrible tagline for the bag “Old Yeller Dog Chow – for the dog you have to shoot yourself!”
I too loved All-of-a-Kind Family. Thanks for the heads up on that lovely article!
I live in KC, but haven’t been to the Reading Reptile in a while. I might have to scoot over there and see what’s what with the DNA collection…
Thanks for the shout out, Elizabeth. Much appreciated,
James Preller (Fathersread.com)
Enjoyed the All-of-a-Kind Family article so much!! (There are five of the books, but I only knew about four of them till I was a parent, when I found the fifth.)
Also, there’s a great article linked in the All-of-a-Kind Family comments – links to a post about fictional characters reading about other fictional characters (as Henny in All-of-a-Kind Family waits early for the sequel to Anne of Green Gables, a plot point I had forgotten).
http://eveninaustraliakidlit.blogspot.com/2011/01/to-get-all-meta-on-you-books-about.html