How to use this Page

What? Why wouldn't you ever use them as a reliable reference text? They always looked a nice combination of big-shiny-overview and small-detailed-insets to me. (Only disliked the one on human sexuality -- those white backgrounds and flat lighting made everyone look like boiled ham. Always suspected it was supposed to contribute to teenage celibacy.

They haven't any source notes, bibliographies, or references anywhere in the text. The facts, as they stand, are always kind of jumbled and rambling too. I don't dislike the books personally, but there are far better sources to use for reports out there.

Oh my. I'm not a librarian, just a mom. And I love them.

(Okay, so I'm also a writer. I still like them.)

(And I'm a lawyer--there ARE "better" references out there, but the EYEWITNESS books are still fun.)

Boy, that reminds me of the Hollywood Book Festival -- a pay entry fee thingee, too. At least on the Peppermint awards it states that the author maintains ownership and rights. I couldn't find anything that tells you what you really win by winning, though. "Industry professionals" review things. Uh...who? Why? And if you win, do they send your book on?

I agree there's nothing screaming "I'm a scam!" here at all, but if the upside of winning the screenplay competition is a full color poster... I'm just not feeling it myself. Would be interesting to know more.

It's policy not to trust any writing contest that demands entry fees. Those entry fees are funding the prizes.

I think Gregory hit the nail on the head here. Speaking as the spouse of an artist who is constantly assessing similar opportunities in her own field, it is certainly permissible to charge a fee (which funds prize pools) but to not divulge who the readers/judges are is to defeat one of the key purposes of such events, which is to get your work in front of people you really, really, really want to see it. That way, even if you don't win, you have achieved something. Perhaps that editor/industry "insider" will take note of your work, be more receptive to your next work, mention you to someone else, etc. When names of reviewers aren't specified, to me that reeeeeeeeks of either scam artistry or institutional irrelevance, which both work out about equally badly for those who shelled out the entry fees.

Right. If they receive just 11 entries in picture books or 6 entries in chapter books they've already funded the entire prize spread.
The cover art might be more valuable, but only if you're interested in self-publishing. Though inexperienced kidlit writers often think pairing up with an artist will improve their chances, any interested publisher will almost certainly want to commission their own cover.
Still, this is better than a lot of contests one runs across in the illustration world, that tend to be of the "send us an illustration of the theme we provide and if you win yours gets published and we give you a cash prize that amounts to far less than we'd have to pay to hire a professional illustrator in the first place" variety.

This smells like scamsville to me. Right off, it seems to promote one of the most persistent "getting published" myths: that getting art made for a ms would actually help someone get a publisher instead of being more likely to make them look unprofessional and ill informed. Add that to the entry fee and the pathetic prize money, and it seems tailored towards the hopeful and naive.

Another Hobbit Hole, hooray! Yes, this is actually built into a pseudo-hill.

Maybe that's why I like it. Hm.

What a lucky kid. Forget tree houses.

But it's a faux round door. Look at those hinges! Disqualified!

*GASP*

You are correct, oh other anonymous person. Tarnation twice over! Nothing worse than a faux round door. Standards. How they fall.

Maybe the hinges are just to throw off potential hobbit-hunters. "Is this is a hobbit hole? Nay, for the door is actually square, see." Then they go off, not knowing that the real hinges are hidden. O clever, clever architect.

Oh, good gravy. Are we now encouraging the old "I made up this story for my kid so please publish it" thing? My inbox shudders at the thought.

Though, honestly, it's not like some parents haven't done this before. Now they just have more impetus. My apologies to your in-box.

The winner is going to need that lotion with both J&J and Harper Collins taking turns screwing them.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Feel free to delete my comment.

Eric

Eh. I watch Daily Show & Colbert Report with regularity. I've heard worse.

My first picture book had one 10,000 print run. When they were sold out -- the publisher didn't publish any more hardbacks because the board books were going like crazy. Up to 55,000 by now and still growing.

My second picture book had a much smaller print run of 3,000, which ran out of stock within a month or two and they have had to go back to presses several more times. Again the board book version is outselling the hardback.

This is just to give you a general idea of print runs. 5,000 is actually reasonable for a first book. But if it gets good publicity ("buzz" as it were), I do hope they plan to reprint the winner's book.

-C.W. Bowie