Hi All,
Blogger recently alerted me that they will no longer support blogs hosted via ftp. That's Greek for "that means me." So I've had to make some changes and move my blog to run within the all-powerful blogger machine. There will be some cool new features - so it's not a bad thing - but it will mess with some of you who subscribe to my RSS feed. If you would like to keep receiving my posts via email - please re-subscribe by going to http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=dulemba. Update: I've tried to transfer your subscription to the new address, so if you continue to receive posts from me, you don't need to do a thing!
If you'd just like to visit or bookmark my blog, the new address is http://dulemba.blogspot.com/. (You can also re-subscribe there.)
Either way - THANK YOU for following!!!
I LOVE Google Alerts. If I didn't have my name and books listed there I never would have known about a fantastic project recently created at Dixie Elementary Magnet School in Lexington, Kentucky. Their inspired teachers and supporters recently hosted a week-long project exploring traditional folktales and how the arts connect diverse cultures. It was written up in their All About Kids online magazine. Do you recognize some of the art in their mural? Yup, they featured Paco and the Giant Chile Plant and Soap, soap, soap. I was so tickled, I contacted the school and I will have the great pleasure to meet these talented kids and inspired teachers in person this March. I can't wait! Go to my visits page to learn more about inviting me to your school!
There has been a lot of stink in the book world over Google's right (or not) to scan books. It's all very complicated and makes my head spin. But I have to say, something like this is a pretty cool way to get the word out about my titles. This is Google's new preview feature. And so far my three books in the ParentSmart KidHappy™ series are available. They even include reviews if you click through to view the preview larger online.
The only thing I don't like is under "Get This Book" they don't connect to Indiebound, offering viewers a way to buy the books from their local independent bookseller. Wassup widdat??? See the other previews at my ParentSmart Activity Page.
Learn about proper parenting language and the power of choice in, Ready for Bed! , Ready for the Day!, and Ready to Play! - click the covers!
Gustaf Tenggren was one of the masters of the early days of picture books. He set a standard we still work by today. He was also one heck of a marketer. He started out with Disney but quickly realized it did him no good to sign his work 'Disney.' Hence, the Tenggren books and the golden days of the Golden Books. Did you have a "Tenggren Tell-It-Again Book" when you were a kid? Do you recognize the style? Go to AnimationArchive.org for a fantastic summation of Tenggren's work at Gustaf Tenggren and the Genesis of the Golden Book Style.
• Facebook claims that 50% of active users log into the site each day. This would mean at least 175m users every 24 hours… A considerable increase from the previous 120m.
• Twitter now has 75m user accounts, but only around 15m are active users on a regular basis. It’s still a fair increase from the estimated 6-10m global users from a few months ago.
• LinkedIn has over 50m members worldwide. This means an increase of around 1m members month-on-month since July/August last year.
• Facebook currently has in excess of 350 million active users on global basis. Six months ago, this was 250m… meaning around a 40% increase of users in less than half a year.
Need photos you can use for reference, or your blog, or whatever, without worrying about stepping on somebody's copyright? Go to Wikimedia Commons and have no fear! It is a "database of 5,805,961 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute." Groovy!
For those of you who can't shell out the big bucks for Photoshop - have you heard about Gimp? It's a "freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring." And it may make your life a whole lot easier...
Have you discovered Illustration Island yet? The latest group of posts covers some great advice for illustrators about Art Reps: Art Rep 101 - Tips for Creative Professionals. I personally don't have an Art Rep, mostly because I'm an author too which makes me a bit of an odd bird. But that's not the right option for everybody. On the fence? See if these posts help you figure out what's right for you.
I was recently approached by a wonderful organization - Operation Write Home. They bring together card makers and soldiers in a special way. Card makers create cards which are then shipped to the soldiers overseas. The soldiers can choose a card, personalize it and mail it to their loved ones. It gives card makers a wonderful venue to share their work (and a good reason to create more!), and soldiers a special way to connect with family. So why did they get in touch with me? Turns out my coloring pages work just like "digi-stamps." Card makers and scrap bookers discovered them a while back and have been using them like crazy. I get lots of emails with pictures of their wonderful creations - it's so fun! (It's also why some of my images are now available as stamps - because some card makers still prefer those.) All this came about when Linda L., a card maker, discovered my site and forwarded my information to Operation Write Home. (Thank you Linda!) Yesterday, they featured my work on their blog inviting card makers to get creative with my images in "Tutorial: Digital Stamping" - yay! I am thrilled to have my images used in this way - can you imagine all the warm fuzzies? I do ask that creators mind my Angel Policy (copyright), and hope they'll have a look at my books (which is why I started creating my coloring pages to begin with). Other than that, I hope they email me their creations. There's some serious time and amazing talent being used to create these beautiful cards and it just tickles me to no end to see them and know they are spreading smiles!
So you know about my iPhone app Lula's Brew, right? (In the app store, search "Lula.") Here's why I felt the push to produce it - click the squares to read some impressive facts about the proliferation of iPhone apps... By the way, my article "My 1st iPhone Picture Book App" should appear in an upcoming issue of the SCBWI Bulletin. In it I describe how I created my app. Be looking for it!
I'm off on an interesting venture and for the first time I'm going to share my process a bit on my blog. I'm writing a new young adult novel. It's rainy and heavy outside - winter in Georgia - the perfect time to hunker down and concentrate my creativity on this process. Which is not an easy one, I must admit. I circle like a dog for ages trying to get my brain into the story, and once there, I don't want to leave even though it's all consuming to my being - a fun but sometimes uncomfortable place to be. One of the things I like most about writing is pulling from my own experiences and seeing how I can connect dots to things previously unconnected. In that vein, one of my all-time favorite musicians, Michael Hedges, and his playing style ("slap harmonics" and "tapping") will figure prominently in my story. That won't be his name in the book, but anybody who knows music will recognize him. Why do I love his music? Have a gander at this - one of my all-time favorite songs - Michael's music set to "I Carry Your Heart" by E.E. Cummings (turn your sound up):
But while "I Carry Your Heart" is wonderful, it doesn't begin to show off what Michael could really do with a guitar. For that, have a peek at "Ritual Dance" (yes, that is ONE man on ONE guitar):
You may recognize the song as it was used in the movie "August Rush" played by Kaki Kings. Get some previews here. And check out "Bari Improv" which is completely inspired by Michael's style (I'm guessing "Rickover's Dream" or "The Rootwitch"). Here's the clip from the movie:
Unfortunately, as it so often happens with the truly talented, Michael is no longer with us. He died in a car crash in 1997. But I got to see him in concert, completely inspired, several times before he died (boxing shorts and all). Rarely have I ever felt so exposed to completely raw, pure, genius as when watching him play. Every now and then as I write, I stop and listen to Michael do his thing. It sends chills through me, which I hope I then apply to the page with my words. These are the things that inspire me.
Author Book Tour Turns Endangered Species - it's a long article by John Douglas Marshall of The Indie Reader Magazine, but an incredibly thorough read on the birth, height and decline of the book tour - the why and the loss the decline is to our communities. If you're interested in the marketing side of books (and if you're an author, you should be), this is a must-read. Some quotes from the article:
(Stuart) Applebaum says that Random House remains committed to book tours as its "primary instrument for book promotion," but he also states, "The lousy economy is not inhibiting our book-tour decision making as much as the decline in available appropriate local media outlets. If we can set up a respectable number of worthwhile interviews and appearances for our authors, ones that have some potential to move the sales of their book, we most likely will encourage their visit to that city."
Author events have greatly increased the visibility of local bookstores, played a significant role in their being transformed into informal community centers. . . Crowded monthly author calendars enhance a bookstore's reputation in the city, ensure some foot traffic, too.
Can you believe our stats here at dulemba.com!? We had over 6,000 hits on a recent Tuesday and we've been floating close to that number ever since! Many, much, big-o thanks to all my loyal followers!! It seems only a few months ago I was wondering when my stats would grow to over 2,000 hits a day. But I'm learning that stats don't move by slow increments - they exponentially jump. In other words, rather than struggling around 2,000, the stats quickly doubled and then tripled. Wow. Another fun thing to do is look up the ranking on ://urlfan - dulemba.com ranks #119,109 out of 3,783,534 websites! I'd say that's pretty darned good, yah? So THANK YOU for sharing my books and my coloring pages with your friends and family!!! Ho, ho, ho indeed!
The standard in book reviews, Kirkus, is closing. (Nielsen is also shutting down 'Editor & Publisher.') Okay, they had a reputation as the snarky reviewers. And they even let publishers pay them for reviews. Hm. But it was probably inevitable that Kirkus would close since so many newspapers have closed their book review sections and blog reviewers have become so prolific. But I'm bummed. It's the death of a standard, an institution. When I got into this business, I set bars in place by which I would grade my success. Getting a starred review from Kirkus was one of those bars. And now I'll never have the chance to jump it. But truly, bloggers have replaced the need. And blog reviewers are most often unpaid, passionate readers writing about what they love. You can't get a more honest opinion than that. Want to follow some great online children's book reviewers? Anastasia Suen has a great list at Blog Central: Children's Book Reviewers.
I ADORE this post by Kim Norman at Author Visits by State: Why do authors charge fees for school presentations? If you're a media specialist, librarian, teacher, or interested parent - please read this article!!! I spend so much time responding to requests for speaking engagements that start out sounding sincere but don't pan out because the inquirer actually wants my services for free (or ridiculously low pay). It's HOURS away from my work (why they are interested in me in the first place), and it can be hurtful - why would anybody assume my time has no value? Especially when I really do love doing school visits. I love the energy created from sharing my passion with kids – seeing their eyes light up when they are inspired and fascniated - there's nothing like it. Now I know there are some schools who truly who cannot afford my visits (or anybody else's) and I am working on finding ways around that. (Hope to share soon.) Because a visit with an author or illustrator can truly change lives. When a real person shares how they successfully accomplished their (seemingly impossible) dreams, children's dreams move from far-fetched ideas to actual possibilities for their future. It can mean everything to them. You can learn more about my school visits (and even see me in action) on my VISITS PAGE.
Looking for an agent? I have two new tools for you today... Per Publishers Weekly, WEbook Launches AgentInBox to Connect Authors and Agents Online. WeBook, an online writer's community, is offering a new service for writers to narrow down their search for an appropriate agent - AgentInBox. Agents sign up (free) to have their criteria posted and have qualified submissions forwarded to them (there are eight agencies so far - I'm betting mostly for the adult market). Writers can submit their queries and after being vetted as a qualified submission (properly formatted, query matches submission, etc.) their submissions will be forwarded to the appropriate agent. What a fabulous idea! I hope we see more of this - especially for the children's book market. Not sure it's a good tool for our genre just yet, but I'll keep you posted as I learn more.
AuthorAdvance is in beta but looks like it could also be a good tool. I'm not sure it's so much search engine as it is information on agents you're researching, but it looks interesting. My agent is in there too!
I love changing out my background patterns with the seasons but I can't decide which color I like best this time - will you help? To see how they work with the main content of my blog (lots of orange) you can see the blue option on my blog, the green option on my home page, and the yellow option on the latest Coloring Page Tuesdays Alert. (You can sign up to receive the Alert to your in-box every week - click here.) Which do you like best? (Take the poll.) Thanks!
UPDATE! And the winner is ... BLUE!!! I'll be going through the site and updating the backgrounds. Thanks for all your votes! :) e
Wow. Have you seen inkpop? It's a new forum created by HarperCollins to let their teen community choose which books they consider for publication - and it's a completely radical idea. Submitters post their books (finished or not) and readers comment. The most popular books move up in the rankings and once a month the top five choices are reviewed by the publisher. Talk about a new way to do things. And such different interaction with readers! They're reading and they're actually having a say on what will become a physical book. Trippy. Very, very trippy. Could this be the future of publishing?
Seth Godin, "10 Bestsellers: Using New Media, New Marketing, and New Thinking to Create 10 Bestsellers" at the 2009 O'Reilly Tools of Change Conference for Publishing. Y'know, I've thought of this speech so many times since I first heard it. I've quoted it, I've told friends about it. And it's pretty much changed how I think of books. So I figured it was time to share it here. And between this and a conversation I had with friends the other day - I don't think there's any technology out there that is going to replace the book. I do, however, think that how we think of books will change. Of course, in the end it all comes down to content - and for writers, that should lend some sense of empowerment and security. Now if we can just figure out how to make a living at doing what we love!
I recently received an email from Cathy F. asking about my current equipment set-up and method. It's been a while since I talked about it, and I recently upgraded, so I thought I'd reply publicly.... For those who have any idea what this means... I currently work on a Mac Pro Tower OSX Version 10.5.8, 2 x 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor, 10 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 Memory (the tower is beyond the end of my desk - somewhat hidden) with a 9x12" Intuos 3 Wacom Tablet and dual monitors (one is an Apple Cinema Display). I often lean my Wacom tablet against the edge of my desk like I would a drawing pad - I like that it keeps my head up rather than leaning over a drawing table. My foot rest was made by my Grandmother - I love it. I use Adobe Photoshop CS4 and while I still have Painter IX, I've been staying in Photoshop lately - playing with all their cool new brushes. My scanner/printer is behind my chair on top of one of my filing cabinets, and our music server is behind me. Along with my bulletin boards which play backdrops in my YouTube videos, and "Winnie" - my favorite teddy-bear growing up (I crocheted him that sweater). Oh, and I used iMovie and Photoshop to create my book trailer for SOAP, SOAP, SOAP. As for method - I still often sketch by hand - with separate elements all wonky over a page. I scan and arrange my compositions in Photoshop. Although more and more I'm drawing directly into my computer (in Photoshop). I work at 100%, 300ppi, usually in RGB and switch to CMYK later (this is a carry over from working with Painter which in my version doesn't support CMYK). I send my art files to my Art Directors either on DVD, via FTP or through YouSendIt.com. This is an example of the manuscript, thumbnail sketches and those wonky all-over-the place sketches from my latest picture book Soap, soap, soap. Once finished, I hold them together with a bulldog clip and keep them in a bureau drawer in my office closet. As far as my website - I designed it myself in Photoshop and upload everything through Dreamweaver. I lean on that program VERY heavily. I still host through directnic.com although I may be asking too much of them lately. I send out my weekly "COLORING PAGE TUESDAY ALERTS" and my every-now-and-then "e's news" using YourMailingListProvider.com. So, that's it - this is my cave and where I play. I love my space, and my toys and sharing them with you!
At this summer's SCBWI National conference in LA, several of us had the opportunity to shoot video to be posted in the new SCBWI Speaker's Bureau. Mine just went live! Have a looksie... (hubbie says I'm a goof). Click here to learn more about my speaking engagements! :)
Have you heard of filedby? They're trying to build a database of all authors and I signed up for my "free" page (you get more features if you pay). Well, the guys at filedby have been showing me some serious love and I'm so flattered. My page on their site was featured in their latest email newsletter and my book trailer for SOAP, SOAP, SOAP is the featured trailer on their home page right now! So, have you checked out filedby? What do you think????
Have you heard of Cory Doctorow, author of the smash YA, LITTLE BROTHER (2008), and creator of BoingBoing? Well, he's been turning publishing on its head for some time now. And he has a new book coming out, WITH A LITTLE HELP. Once again his marketing approach is ... unconventional to say the least. Of course, that's the point. Read about his marketing strategy for WITH A LITTLE HELP at E-Reads: What Can Publishers Learn from Cory Doctorow? And follow up with the sales progress at none other than Publishers Weekly: Doctorow's Project: With a Little Help. Whether you agree with his methods or not, you have to pay attention. He's paving new ground.
Great article in SLJ, This Blog's for You: Ten of the best blogs for folks who take kids' lit seriously (but not too seriously), written by the infamous Elizabeth (Betsy) Bird, Children's Book Librarian. I've been following Betsy's blog Fuse #8 for YEARS now and she's turned blogging and children's book reviews on their head in that time. In this article she talks about the beginning of her blog, her favorite blogs to follow now, and the impact of blogging on the children's lit world in general. Good read.
My Marketing Strategy: The Snowball Effect at Cynsations!
Friday I had the honor of being a guest blogger at Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations! She asked me to share my marketing strategy. And since I get a lot of questions from you guys about exactly that - I hope you'll go have a read: Guest Post Elizabeth O. Dulemba on Marketing - The Snowball Effect. But that's not all! Cynthia is also giving away a signed copy of SOAP, SOAP, SOAP (all-English or Bilingual)! Click Here to enter the drawing! (Told ya there would be more giveaways!) Cynthia Leitich Smith is the author of the FABULOSO novels TANTALIZE and ETERNAL. (Click the titles to view some very cool book trailers.) As well as RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME and many others. Cynthia and I met at the SCBWI LA conference a few years back and I have so appreciated her support of my career. She's also one of the most popular bloggers on children's lit today. So look around and learn more about her!
Click the cover to learn about my newest picture book, Soap, soap, soap and Soap, soap, soap ~ Jabón, jabón, jabón.
...was this past Saturday and it was a HIT! We had two speakers, Donna German of Sylvan Dell Publishing as our Publisher/Art Director and Mark Braught as our Pro-Illustrator. Mark assigned a homework project to those who signed up early and they dove in and took it very seriously. Mark was so generous with his time, I received rave comments on how much people learned from him. Donna gave an impressive power point presentation on how Sylvan Dell works, what she looks for, and her relationship with illustrators. Sylvan Dell is one of the more forward thinking publishing houses when it comes to technology. They are almost entirely paperless, accept submissions electronically, and their new eBooks are becoming enormously popular in schools. (Here I am showing off one of their eBooks.) We held the event at the Decatur library and it was absolutely perfect. Joe Davich of the Georgia Center for the Book stuck around to be tech guru during the presentation - thank you Joe!!! Donna Bowman worked her magic and made the otherwise bare room come alive. (she's the one who makes Southern Breeze look GOOD!) So, between our two speakers and all the background support we had quite the line-up! Each speaker gave informative talks and then homework assignments were shown. Donna G. did a quick overview of the artwork and portfolios on hand. (We do this quickly on purpose to give an idea of how little time illustrators have to make an impression.) Many of the illustrators balked at adding their work to the tables when they saw some of the more professional portfolios but we all said "That's why you're here!" (Including Donna G. who was extremely supportive.) We didn't have anything like this when I was starting out. I had to go make my mistakes in person during interviews - gads. So it is a pleasure to make this opportunity available to others through Southern Breeze! The illustrators left with a better idea of how to prepare and present their portfolios, how to advertise themselves, and how to fine tune their own work for their desired market. In other words, they left smarter than they came in. The feedback has been outstanding and heartfelt and I couldn't be more pleased.
James Gurney, author/illustrator of the Dinotopia series, is brilliant. I've been following his blog for some time and it's been like a fine arts course online. With this, James proves he can be a complete nut too. See the Unicycle Painter here. Follow James' blog (highly recommended), Gurney Journey, here.
Free Web Series on Social Media and the Book Industry
Yesterday I 'attended' the first of a series of webcasts by Greg Pincus of Gotta Book and Mark Blevis of Just One More Book about Social Media and the Book Industry, and I learned a ton. Both are experts in the field and the lineup still has lots to offer in the coming weeks:
September 10: (sorry I didn't tell you before!) Finding the Conversation: Who's talking about you and what they're saying.
September 17: Twitter: More than "What are you doing?"
September 24: Bloggers/Podcasters are People, too: Engaging with the social media community
October 1: Remarkable Uses of the Internet to Promote Books (and the People Behind Them).
There's a fantastic post at Heather Vogel Frederick's blog "Set Sail for Adventure" called First Draft Blues. Several authors gave their quick summation. For instance:
“Writing a first daft is like driving through a howling snowstorm. Your headlights pick out only a few feet of the snowy tunnel ahead of you. If you go slow, don’t stop, and keep just a bit of the edge of the road in sight, you might make it without slipping off into a ditch or crashing into something large right in front of you.” — Shutta Crum
There are tons more and they're all golden so go to the blog to read more.
Authors are always asked, "Where do you get your ideas?" Well, did you listen to my last post, "Crazy Idea #3?" That's it. That's where ideas come from - that's how they're formed. (And of course, they don't all come from my ink-eating printer, but you get the idea.) Because you know what? I haven't been able to get that little Octopus out of my head. Nope. Today while walking with my dog, that little Octopus informed me his name is "Ohi." And yup - he's afraid of everything - pointy coral reefs, slippery schools of fish, but most especially, he's afraid of the dark. Which is inconvenient considering he creates the very thing he fears the most whenever he squirts ink! And maybe Ohi has a friend... What would be the most unlikely type of sidekick - horrible and wonderful all at the same time? How about an Angler fish? They are very, very scary... but they create light. So what if this very, very scary angler fish was named Annabelle? And what if she was also afraid of the very thing she created - light? So, we have two characters. They are as different as can be, but with a lot in common on a deep, philosophical level. Somehow, they will have an adventure and help each other out. But how, what's their story? This is my job. I must figure it out. Can I do it? I hope so, because Ohi and Annabelle have something to say...
Yet another fabulous article by Harold Underdown on the inner workings of the publishing world. Click to read "The Acquisition Process". The article originally appeared in the 2010 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market which is chocked full of good information like this. Every writer should have a copy.
I've finally done it - I've created a book trailer for my first picture book as both illustrator AND author, SOAP, SOAP, SOAP ~ JABON, JABON, JABON! This is my first attempt so I'd love some feedback. Does the music work for you? How is the color? Does it make you want to rush out and buy the book!? Speaking of which - SOAP will be officially released on September 25th and I am busy putting together promotions to get the word out! I'll have a Blog Book Tour, and am reaching out to librarians, reviewers, and bookstores. (Something new: I can send reviewers and book buyers an e-galley if you like!) I'm also thinking of other media like radio, tv, etc. Do you have any contacts you wouldn't mind sharing? Oh - and feel free to forward this link, link to the book trailer, and/or embed it in your own sites if you like. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer in getting the word out about my first picture book as both author and illustrator! Woohoo!
As a book creator and volunteer in my local chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, I try my best to support my local independent children's book store, Little Shop of Stories. But some of the inner workings of a book store are a mystery to me, especially book returns, which can make it difficult to understand how to best to help my friends when dealing with festivals, school visits, etc.
Well, Josie Leavitt of The Flying Pig Bookstore wrote a great article on her syndicated PW blog called To Return, or Not to Return, in which she breaks down the process and the cost of returns. It's considerable and I'm so glad to know about this essential part of running a bookstore!
Book Trailers and author interviews have become all the rage in the children's book marketing world. I've signed up to have one made while I'm in LA (a Pro-Track author bonus). So, my mind is on how to be an entertaining subject - ha!
Sara Zarr recently went through this and filmed some of the behind the camera glamour. Have a looksie:
Sara's video isn't live yet, but you can see others like it at LB-Teens.
Today I leave for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Summer Conference. Ever wonder what a national writing conference is like? You can follow along on twitter at http://twitter.com/dulemba or follow the hashtag #scbwi09.
Of course, I'll do a big wrap-up on my blog upon my return too. And in the mean time, I have some fun posts set to go live while I'm gone. So stay tuned!
Lovely interview with Jerry Pinkney at Publishers Weekly. I can't wait to see his latest book, THE LION AND THE MOUSE.
On another note - hubbie has been getting my new computer all set up for me over the last few days. When he's finished I'll be running faster and better than ever. For the geeks among us, he got me an 8 core Nehalem tower (Mac) with a 1 TB second hard drive and the CS4 Design Premium package, which means the latest Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Acrobat, etc. I'm going to explore the new brushes available in Photoshop before we upgrade my Painter program. Very exciting! :)
Well, I completed the sketches for The Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia (Sterling, 2010) yesterday - woohoo!! Of course, I'm sure there will be some changes, but while I wait for feedback hubbie is hooking up my brand new computer!!! Woohoo again!!
I was running on a dinosaur believe it or not, so this is going to make a huge difference for me. Although I won't have as good access to my email and such for a few days. So, if you need to get in touch with me - please give me a bit longer than usual to get back to you. And I'm hoping no mail falls through the cracks as I switch between the old computer, the new one, the iPhone and the laptop. So much of my life is online anymore though - how bizarre!
Anyhow - it's all feeling like a mini-victory and my shoulders are more relaxed. We have to celebrate these mini-hurdles in this business as they can sometimes be hard to spot in and amongst all the drawn out deadlines and waiting. So, give us a mini *clink* or a cyber-cupcake. Woohoo!
It's no longer should I have a website? It's what should be on your website. Why? Because more and more readers are connecting with authors via their websites. Authors are building relationships with their readers. Don't believe it? Check out "If You Build It, They Won't Come: A Guide to Author Websites" at Publishing Trends. In this article they are quoting real numbers of readers who go looking for their favorite authors online. And the number is growing!
THE most frustrating thing I learned when I dove into this business of children’s books is how little control you have. (This coming from a control freak.) No matter what you do, you cannot make somebody respond quickly, love or buy your work. Period. The cogs of this machine will not bend to your will no matter how many emails you send or phone calls you make. Your best shot is to write the best thing in existence, or illustrate a masterpiece. But even then, it’s all relative to the taste of the reader/viewer and there are no guarantees. For most authors and illustrators, its a long, slogging journey to success (whatever that means). So how do you get through all the infernal WAITING!?
Here are my 7 Things To Do While You Wait:
1) Get yourself a vent buddy. When you’re about to hit ‘send’ on that email you shouldn’t or call that person directly - contact your vent buddy instead. Let them talk you down. This leads to...
2) Step away from the email. Or the phone. As my hubbie says, “When in doubt - wait.” Yes, that means pay attention to the little voice in the back of your head, the one you so often ignore.
3) Take a walk. Seriously. Even my piddly two miles a day gets my body and head in such a better place, I return calmer with a more realistic view of the world and this business for the rest of the day.
4) Take a shower. You’d be amazed how much clearer (and cleaner) a good shower can make things. It’s also a good place for ideas. I heard of one writer who kept a grease pencil in her shower so she could jot down ideas on the tiles!
5) Work. Yup. The only way to that best manuscript or masterpiece is to actually create it - and that takes the butt in chair method. Just knuckle down and do it.
6) Work on something else. One hit wonders rarely make it in this business. People are looking for long term career writers/illustrators. Surely you have more than one idea in you?
7) Finally, be kind to yourself. This business full of rejections can be awfully hard on an ego. Let yourself experience the downs for a reasonable amount of time (a few hours, a day) and then move on. There are more doors to knock on and better things to create.
This business is not easy and so much is out of your control to change. I hope this list helps you out of some rough spots. Of course, if all else fails, you can always make a list like this... ;-)
It freaks me out when my art does this. One of my first ever book dummies was named "Teacup." You may have seen some of the pen and ink drawings from it hanging around my website. Well, there are some good reasons you'll never see the book in print. I was just starting out and fell into all those classic beginner storytelling traps. You know them: telling not showing; a wise old crow saves the day (literally in this story); etc. But I still love the art I did for this story and the color palette rocked. So imagine my skipping heart when I came across this image the other day from Cute Overload. All I can say is Oh My God. All you illustrators out there - you ever do this? You draw a place or thing and then come across it a few years later? Or do you ever draw a character only to see somebody who looks exactly like your drawing? It's happened to me my whole life and it still freaks me out.
In the spirit of Shelli Johannes Wells' "Monday's Marvelous Marketers" I have a marketing link for you today. Unfortunately, it's true that getting published is only the first half of the incredible challenge of becoming a writer/illustrator. The second half is getting your book noticed. Yes, publishing houses have publicity departments and publicists, but more and more if you want your book to do well, you have to don a marketing hat as well. I'll write more about this soon, but today I share a great article on marketing from debut author, Leigh Brescia over at AuthorsNow!.
I don't think this video is new - but it's new to me. I also work with Photoshop and Painter. (Although I can't imagine sitting up like that to use a Cintique - I have a Wacom tablet I lean against the edge of my desk as I sit back in my chair and watch my screens.) But Mr. Low is truly a master with classical training - I learned tons watching all three of these videos (give yourself a window - you'll want to watch all the way through). Hope you enjoy.
A top literary agent answers some common questions about publishing in "Basic, basic, basic Questions". Pretty spot on. Thanks to Anastasia Suen for the link.
I recently signed up to receive updates from a funky little clothier called ModCloth. I love their retro-vintage fashions and really enjoy browsing the quirky things they offer. I also like the way they market - they’ve created a fun community with contests to name their clothing, post themed pictures wearing their clothes, and this latest one - to write about a Terrific Transformation. Well, I’ve been through a few in my life and one is actually on topic - my transformation to becoming a children’s book author and illustrator. I often mention how I always wanted to create picture books - if only the journey had been as easy as the dream. In college I studied Graphic Design. Upon graduation, freelancing wasn’t a realistic option for a single girl out there on her own (and who wanted to keep a roof over her head). So for twelve years I was a corporate in-house illustrator and graphic designer. But I stayed somewhat on course - most of the companies I worked for were child-oriented. I drew Snoopy for Buster Brown apparel, created characters for candy wrappers for Brach’s candy - I even created animations for the Stone Mountain laser light show. But all the while I dreamed of one day creating children’s books. During my last corporate position I actually started taking my dream seriously and started creating very rough (very bad) picture book dummies on the side. And then I met my wonderful husband who saw what the dream meant to me and told me to go for it. Long story short - I quit my day job (I’d been working since I was fourteen, this was no small decision), and continued to freelance while I researched the heck out of my newly claimed industry. I also had to figure out what my illustration medium/style was (I was great at creating other people’s looks but had no idea what my own was). I worked, I experimented, I sent out mailers. I tried to figure out everything I could to break into what turned out to be a very difficult field to break into. (Who knew?) THREE YEARS into my efforts (and after dozens of rejection letters and late night gut-checks - what the heck was I doing!?) I received a call to illustrate my first trade picture book from Shen’s Books. It was a Cinderella story written by Renee Ting - The Prince’s Diary.Wow! Since then things have gone pretty well. Not easy, mind you (not easy at all!) - but well. I’ve illustrated several more books. And after SEVEN YEARS of rejections, my first picture book as both author AND illustrator comes out this Fall from Raven Tree Press! Woohoo! It’s an adaptation of the classic Appalachian Jack Tale SOAP, SOAP, SOAP! and comes in both English and bilingual versions. The dream is finally reality. I am finally what I was was always meant to be - a children’s book author and illustrator. This has definitely been “career/life number two” for me - but the one I wanted all along. And it has required every ounce of my dedication, resolution and stubbornness (yes, there can be a good side to that trait). So, yes ModCloth and the world - I was transformed - from the life I had to the life I dreamed. And I continue to work very hard to make it as sweet as possible. Thanks to ModCloth for getting me to talk about it!
ModCloth went through their own transformation. It’s a sweet story too and you can read about it here. (The flower graphics are from their website.)
Fantastic guest blog post on Nathan Bransford's blog the other day about a side of the biz we seldom hear about: Book Sales Demystified. We create the stories and it's hard enough to get a publisher to love them. It's sobering to think they then have to face the challenge of sales teams and bookstores. Anyhow - this is a highly informative post and a good read. Thanks to Anastasia Suen for the heads up!
Lovely article on the man I attribute with turning me into a children's book illustrator - Garth Williams. You probably know his work. He illustrated Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and The Little House on the Pairie series. But I remember him for The Golden Book of Elves and Fairies. I grew up reading my mother's copy and it is now threadbare from all the time it spent in my hands. And maybe I shouldn't say I read it - I devoured the illustrations. I would sit for hours trying to figure out how to climb into the magical worlds he created. All my illustrative efforts since then have been to recreate that wonder for me or somebody else. All of them. So, if ever I had a hero - Mr. Williams would be top of the list. Thanks to Jenny Schwartzberg of the Newberry Library in Chicago for the heads up!
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Have you heard of 
It freaks me out when my art does this. One of my first ever book dummies was named "Teacup." You may have seen some of the pen and ink drawings from it hanging around my website.
Lovely article
