Would You Read It Wednesday – The 49th Pitch!

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Wow!  Do you know what I just realized?  This week’s pitch is #49, which means we’ve been doing Would You Read It for almost a whole entire year!  And week #52 – the WYRI Anniversary – is going to coincide with final week of the Olympics!  I have a feeling this calls for a celebration of some kind… I’m just not sure what 🙂  Feel free to make suggestions!  Especially if they involve chocolate cake 🙂 and open flame 🙂

All we need here is a little photoshopping so it says
BLUEBERRY HILL 2012 🙂

I actually do have a special Would You Read It announcement today.  Remember that poll I took last week?  Well, some late voters changed the picture a bit.  The results indicated that the majority of you were happy either way, but a fairly large group were in favor of change, while only 3 people felt it should definitely stay the same.

So here’s what we’re going to try.  Beginning with July (you know, the month we’re in right now… last time I checked anyway… :)), any pitcher WHO WOULD LIKE TO (it is not in any way, shape, or form required!) may rewrite their pitch before the pitch pick based on the feedback they received from all you generous and helpful readers.  They will just have to get their rewrites in to me before the last day of the month.  Sound good?  I’m game to give it a try if you are.  If we all decide we hate it, we can always go back to the old system 🙂  But a lot of people have asked about it and would like the opportunity to improve, and I’m all for encouraging improvement 🙂

I would also like to take this opportunity to say how much fun I’m having with Summer Short & Sweets!  I’ve been amazed and gratified at how many people have been participating, and everyone is so creative and talented!  It’s such a pleasure to see what you all come up with that I find myself eagerly looking forward to Fridays!  Thank you all for being such great sports 🙂

But now, onward!  It’s time for today’s pitch which comes to us from the lovely Vivian whom I’m sure you all remember from last month’s incredibly informative guest post for the self-publishing mini-series, but just in case you don’t know her, here’s a little info:

Vivian Kirkfield has been involved in the care and education of young children for over 50 years.  From babysitting to teaching kindergarten and Head Start to raising her own three children while operating a home daycare, Vivian’s passion for picture books encouraged her to write her award-winning book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking.  She shares her mission to help every young child become a lover of books and reading during her school visits with kindergarteners and her presentations to parent and teacher organizations.  Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 Challenge was the catalyst that started her writing picture book stories again…and now she can’t stop!  Many of her stories are based on her experiences as a teacher, mother and grandmother.  The Tomato Turner is a true story about her own family…and she plans several sequels…Confessions of the Tomato Turner and The Tomato Turner Returns.
Vivian’s book/author website:  http://www.positiveparentalparticipation.com

And now, here is her pitch:

Working Title:  The Tomato Turner
Age/Genre:  Picture Book (ages 3-8)
The Pitch:  Stuck in the middle between a brainy older brother and an adorable baby sister, four-year old Peter is determined to do something spectacular that will make everyone proud of him – when he sees the basket of green tomatoes on the kitchen counter, he seizes the opportunity to astonish his family.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Vivian improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in August, which is not very far away at all at this point, so we could really use some new pitches!!
Vivian is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

And before we all go off to our wonderful Wednesdays, I wanted to mention a special upcoming treat!  My friend and fellow author, Tiffany Haber, had her debut picture book release yesterday!!!  Here is her book:

Awesome, no?!  And here’s where the special treat part comes in: Tiffany is coming over to visit with us here on Monday July 23 – that’s in like 5 days! – and along with what I’m sure will be a fabulously entertaining post, she will be giving away a signed copy of this exceptionally fun-looking brand new book!!!  Mine is on order and due to arrive tomorrow.  I can’t wait to read it!

Alrighty.  You’re excused.  Have a lovely day 🙂  Hope to see you Friday for Short & Sweets!

Meet Steven Petruccio, Author/Illustrator – And A Giveaway!

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I am so excited to be able to kick off this hot summer week in July by introducing you to Steven Petruccio! He is a very talented author/illustrator (and a very nice person! :)) and I think you’ll really enjoy what he has to share.  Not only that, one lucky commenter will win a signed copy of Steven’s book Puffer’s Surprise!  More on that at the end…

Puffer’s Surprise is part of the
Smithsonian Oceanic Collection

So please join me now in welcoming Steven!

SLH:  Steven, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today!  Let’s jump right in, shall we?  When did you first become interested in writing and/or illustrating?

SJP:  I’ve done both for as long as I can remember…bet you never heard that before.  I always drew more than I wrote but ideas were always floating around in my mind for new stories.  I used to read comic books on my stoop in Brooklyn and then go to my room and copy the pictures.
Steven at age 4 – ready to take on anything 🙂
SLH:  Were you encouraged by family/teachers?
SJP:  My dad is really a wonderful artist.  He made his career in advertising as an art director and studio manager.  He used to bring work home with  him to retouch the old-fashioned way, with an airbrush. I remember spending time at his side while he painted away and I was amazed at the results.
A drawing Steven did at about age 5… a natural talent!
SLH:  You are both an author and an illustrator, so which comes first for you, the story or the art?
SJP:  I’m more of an illustrator, that’s the part I really love, so I always see a character first and imagine what he or she might do after that.  I know all about characters whether I create them or not, before I draw or paint them.  I imagine what they’re like outside of the story.  It makes it easier for me to imagine what they are doing or what they might do.
SLH:  Is there an author/illustrator who has been especially inspirational or instrumental in your own development as a writer/illustrator?
SJP:  Well. I learned art from my dad.  I had no art classes in grade school or high school but my dad would show me how to draw things and I’d observe him at work.  My parents made sure I had pencil, ink and paper and all the art books I wanted.   My dad arranged for me to meet Burne Hogarth who wound up writing a letter of recommendation for me to attend The school of Visual Arts in NYC.  I’m a throwback to a time when illustration was not far removed from fine art.  The technical quality of my work is really important to me, the basics, you know…  good composition, creative use of color and value and so on.  N.C. Wyeth is my biggest influence in illustration because of his own story and because of what he was able to do with the printed page.  I maintain a written dialogue with his grandson, Jamie Wyeth, who has mentioned how much he likes my work.  Recently he wrote to tell me that he was working on a huge painting of a shark jawbone and he has my original cover painting for “SHARKS!” hanging right next to it in his studio!
A drawing of Tarzan Steven did at age 14.
He had no art education, so he learned from comic books.
An ink drawing of Tarzan Steven did at age 16.
SLH:  What was your first published children’s book?  Tell us about the moment when you got your first offer!
SJP:  Understand that being an artist was not seen as a practical career choice and I was encouraged to seek advertising work because my older brother, who always drew and painted as well, followed that path.  My goal was to make a living drawing and painting everyday.  As an illustrator just staring out, you take whatever comes along.  I started getting magazine work even before I graduated from SVA and did mostly editorial work for three years.  I was then asked to illustrate some books that another illustrator had backed out on but I had to alter my style a bit to do so.  I needed the money so I took the job.  The first time I really got to use my own ideas was in a Little Golden Book titled “ Dr. Hilda Makes House Calls”.  It was a fun book to do, I got to create my own characters in my own environment and I totally enjoyed it.  Seeing it in print was very satisfying.
SLH:  Where/when/how do you get your ideas?
SJP:  Well, as the illustrator, the story generates the ideas for the characters  and settings.  I always try to put my own twist on things stylistically and compositionally.  As an author my ideas come from my own experience.  I may see a person and they remind me of something or generate a potential character or I may see a place and something there inspires a story…it just happens.  The coloring/activity books I’ve written and illustrated for Dover Publishing ( American Legends and Tall Tales,  History of the White House, History of the Civil Rights Movement in America and Roadside Attractions) were ideas my editors and I developed to make them as interesting and informative as possible.
SLH:  What has been the most challenging thing you have faced as an author/illustrator?
SJP:  If you’re familiar with my natural science illustrations you’ll notice how detailed my illustrations are.  That’s not by accident or pure imagination.  I research every detail for every blade of grass or seaweed that I paint.  For my book, “Exploring Underground Habitats” I had to wait two months for  a scientist  to return from a research trip so I could get accurate reference for a particular cave spider!  Researching is always a challenge but well worth the effort.
SLH:  What has been the most wonderful thing that has happened to you as an author/illustrator?
SJP:  Okay, so I wake up every morning and get to do what I’ve always wanted to do, what I love to do.   Now that’s wonderful!
SLH:  Do you do school visits?  Would you be kind enough to briefly describe your program/presentation?  What is your preferred age range and group size?  Do you have materials available for parents/teachers to go along with your books(s)?
SJP:  I’ve been doing school, library and museum visits for the past twenty years.  Now, understand that I was very shy as I was growing up.  I also sing and play guitar and when I was younger my parents would ask me to play for relatives ,so I would go into another room, close the door and then play and sing.  Needless to say, I overcame that shyness.  When you really know about what you do it’s easy to talk about it and teach others about it.  I went to see some authors and performers who visited my kids’ classes when they were in elementary school and was later asked by their teachers to come and talk to the class about what I do.  I actually liked it!  I saw what kids were interested in, what they wanted to see and hear and what the teachers expected from me.  I also make sure that my programs meet art-in-ed learning standards so it’s not just fun…it’s funducational!  I have a general program which I can alter depending on the age group and two workshops to give practical experience and develop an appreciation of the creative process.  I give teachers follow-up materials so they can continue learning about picture books and illustration.
SLH:  What advice do you have for authors/illustrators just starting out?
SJP:  I’m currently advising three young artists who want to become illustrators.  They approached me and that shows me their passion and desire to be creative.  I do teach at Marist College in the Studio Arts Department as an adjunct one night a week because I want to teach young artists the practical things they need to succeed.  I tell theses young illustrators and art students the ups and downs of the industry.  It’s hard work, long hours, shorter and shorter deadlines, constant marketing, negoiating and continuing to grow as an artist.  I tell them all to be persistent!  Any creative field is difficult, know that starting out, be prepared for rejection…and more rejection, believe in your work and keep producing new work.  Don’t give up!
SLH:  Can you give us any hints about what you’re working on now?
SJP:  Right now I’m working on a new book about American Heroes also, a big educational illustration project and sending out dummies of my own stories as well as developing new stories and dummies.
SLH:  Do you attend writer’s conferences?  Enter contests?
SJP:  I don’t know everything and I love learning new things and hearing the stories of other creative people.  I attend conferences when I’m asked to be on a panel or do a book signing only because I’m usually busy working on a project.  It always seems that conferences that I’d love to attend ,just to see and hear other people, are always around times of deadline crunches or painting projects.  ( I also paint for exhibition regionally and nationally.)  As for contests, most of the books I illustrate are not eligible for competitions because they are part of a series.  I’ve never been one for competitions anyway.  I do enter my fine art work in juried exhibits though, to gain exposure for that part of what I do.
SLH:  What has been your best selling book so far?
SJP:  Ah, sales figures…see, this is a business.  We do have to be mindful of how our “product” is received by the public and sales is the way to do that.  So far, my best selling book has been “ Dolphin’s First Day”, (Soundprints Publishing). It has been in print for years and released in many countries.  The Smithsonian series has really been good for me in terms of sales but I put so much into those books that it’s gratifying to have them appreciated by young readers, parents and critics alike.  Most of my titles for Soundprints are still available.
SLH:  Any marketing tips?  What have you done that has worked well?
SJP:  Well, I have an illustration  agent, Storybook Arts, Inc. and I’ve had an agent for a long time.  We market through our own website and a variety of other sites as well.  I maintain my own site and blog when I can as well as Face book , Twitter , ( although I’m terrible at updating) LinkedIn,  Behanace and SVA Alumni Portfolio.  I try to maintain personal contact with Art Directors and Editors I’ve worked with.  By the way, many people do not have agents, it’s a personal choice depending on how you want to conduct your business.  So don’t let the fact that you don’t have an agent deter you from pursuing your goals.
SLH:  Where can we find you?
SJP:  You can learn about me and see my work at:
www.stevenjamespetruccio.com
www.sjpetruccio.blogspot.com.
http://storybookartsinc.com/artists/petruccio.html
http://www.childrensillustrators.com/illustrator-details/SJPetruccio/id=2001/
…and to see some of my fine art:
http://www.saatchionline.com/SJPetruccio
SLH:  Reader question:  how important is it to have a story?  Can you just entertain and make people think, or do you have to have a story to make a picture book?
SJP:   Well, really the most important thing is the story.  Whether it’s told in words, pictures  or words and pictures.  If the story is terrible who will want to read the book.  I don’t want to read stories that are uninteresting or not entertaining in some way so I don’t expect my readers to settle for less.  I tend to illustrate stories  that I feel I can bring something to visually.  My own stories have to be interesting to me and not just something I think someone else will find interesting.  I think I’m my worst/best critic.  Stories can be JUST entertaining or JUST thought provoking or… C)  All of the above.
Just for fun quick questions:
Left or right handed?  Righty!
Agented or not?  Illustration agent.
Traditionally or self-published?  Good ol’ fashioned, traditional publishing.
Hard copy or digital?  My book “SHARKS!”  will be available digitally…otherwise I’m a hard copy guy.
Apps or not?  Let’s say…not yet.
Plotter or pantser?  Plot, plot, plot.
Laptop or desktop?  Both…as well as iPod and iPad.  Oh, and remember those things called ‘pen” and “paper“?  I still use them!
Mac or PC?  Both for writing/business.  Mac for art.
Day or night worker?  Whatever the client needs me to be in order to meet a deadline.  I’m an early riser anyway.
Coffee or tea?  Coffee…unless you can find the blueberry tea that Starbucks discontinued.
Snack or not?  Oh yea…you gotta snack!  Make sure you exercise each day though, get up from that desk or chair and move around.
Salty or sweet?  Uh,  is pizza an option?
Quiet or music?  Music…jazz, some classical,  indie rock or golden oldies.  I used to play and sing in a club to afford my art equipment so I covered many genres of music.
Cat or dog?  Used to have a cat…now a fish!
Currently reading?  Biography of Michelangelo ( Kindle ) and re-reading New Art City ( hardcover)
…and now for something completely different ( homage to Monty Python)…
Forging a living out of something you have a gift or talent for is a great thing.  It’s hard to do it alone and I have my wife, KathyAnn, to thank for her support from the very start.  In good times and in bad as they say, she has encouraged everything I do and has been my biggest fan.  Her own artistic background, having worked in NYC as a graphic designer for CBS Television and DC Comics, and sense of design and style have been invaluable to me.  My kids provide support as well while nurturing their own creative side.  My daughter is a wonderful dancer and singer and my son a budding young photographer/videographer and internet entrepreneur.  Surrounding yourself with people who support you, encourage you and inspire you is crucial to your success.  Tolerate those who say you can’t because they can’t and be encouraged by those you see doing what you want to do everyday.   People have been writing and illustrating for ever and ever…why not you?
SJP

(See?  Didn’t I tell you what a nice person he is? :))
Thank you so very much for going us today, Steven, it was a real treat!
And now!  Anyone who would like a chance to win the signed hardcover copy of Puffer’s Surprise, please leave a comment below.  Tell us what you most enjoyed about the interview, or if you have a question for Steven ask away!, or just tell us who you’d like the book for!
Have a wonderful day, everyone, and tune in Wednesday for Would You Read It with Vivian (who I’m pretty sure is pitching a picture book but I can’t seem to find that info at the moment, so it will be a surprise :))

Summer Short & Sweet – Week 2

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Happy Friday, Everyone!

Hurray!!!  It’s time for another Short & Sweet!  But first…

I have returned from The Pine Tree State where I still did not see a moose!  I saw signs – “Moose Crossing”, “Watch for moose in roadway” and just plain

but although pretty much everyone else in the northern hemisphere has seen an actual moose, I still haven’t.  Don’t get me wrong… I do not want to meet one in my car at 60 mph!  I just want to see a real one looking serene in his or her natural surroundings 🙂 preferably alongside a cute baby moose 🙂

Anyway, onto business.  The winner of the June pitch pick, whose pitch will go for a read by editor Erin Molta, is none other than the fabulous Lori with her pitch for These Little Piggies!  Congratulations, Lori!  And congratulations and thanks to all who bravely put forth their pitches – you are all winners in my book just for stepping up to the plate!

In other Would You Read It news, the vote for whether or not to keep the system the way it is was TOTALLY evenly split and indecisive!  So now what?  I don’t know.  I’ll have to think on it.  While I think, nothing will change.  If anyone has thoughts or opinions, please share 🙂

Now then, are you ready?  Let the fun begin!!!!!!!!

Today’s Short & Sweet will work best if you don’t peek 🙂  I’m not sure quite how to accomplish that on a blog post, so let’s go on the honor system – no scrolling down yet!

First, pick a number from 1-10.  Got it?  Write it down.

Now pick a number from 1-10 again and write that down.

Now do it again.

And now one last time.

(BTW, it’s okay of you pick the same number more than once.  If you want to make it really random you can roll a pair of dice and just discard any 11s or 12s you roll, or take an ace-10 out of a deck of cards and randomly choose cards.)

Hopefully you now have 4 numbers between 1 and 10 written down (for example, I have 3, 7, 1, and 5)

Now, use your first number to select from this list:

     Character:

  1. A pirate who likes to sing
  2. A little girl who doesn’t want to practice her violin
  3. A zookeeper with a lost animal
  4. A 5 year old girl with a rainbow umbrella
  5. A homeless child
  6. A boy whose father is a Navy SEAL
  7. A monster who is afraid of thunderstorms
  8. A disobedient robot
  9. A sailor who is far from home
  10. A six year old boy who can’t ride his two-wheeler

Use your second number to select from this list:

     Setting:
  1. a museum
  2. a national park
  3. a playground
  4. a big city
  5. a birthday party
  6. the porch of an old farmhouse
  7. an enchanted forest
  8. a fancy restaurant
  9. the moon
  10. Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Shop

Use your third number to select from this list:

     Time:
  1. first day of school
  2. the Fourth of July
  3. during a thunderstorm
  4. in early autumn
  5. sitting down to breakfast
  6. bath time
  7. the first warm day of spring
  8. during church
  9. a winter evening
  10. after a fight

And use your last number to select from this list:

     Situation/Challenge:
  1. something embarrassing has just happened
  2. someone feels like giving up
  3. someone has to keep a secret
  4. an important decision has to be made
  5. someone has lost something
  6. someone has found something
  7. someone’s pride has been injured
  8. something is where it shouldn’t be
  9. someone has been chosen for something
  10. something has made someone mad

You should now have a randomly selected character, setting, time, and situation/challenge – everything you need to prompt a story!

In the comments below, list the 4 you got and write 50-100 words of whatever story they suggest to you!  Don’t agonize!  Don’t over-think!  We’re all among friends.  Just write!  All we’re doing here is priming the pump.  If all you can squeeze out is 50 rusty words, that’s fine!  You wrote 50 words in the middle of your hectic, busy day!  But maybe, just maybe, 25-50 more will trickle out a little less rusty, and maybe after you’ve written your 50-100 here you’ll find you’ve got a gush of clear water rushing forth and a whole  new story will well up and land on your list of accomplishments for today!

Oh, and if you find it’s too hard to include all 4, it’s okay to just use 1, 2, or 3 of the prompts you picked – the exercise is just to get ideas and words flowing 🙂

Here’s my example in case you don’t quite get it:
The numbers I chose were 3, 7, 1, 5, so I get

Character #3 – a zookeeper with a lost animal
Setting #7 – an enchanted forest
Time #1 – the first day of school
and Situation/Challenge #5 – someone has lost something (which accidentally overlaps with the character description so I’m only going with one lost thing!)
Given these prompts, I might write the following 50-100 words:
George took his job as zookeeper of the enchanted forest very seriously.
At the end of each day he checked that the unicorns had plenty of magic meadow grass.
He made sure the griffin’s nest was comfy and the sphinx had his book of riddles.
He tested the mermaids’ pool – it would never do if it was too cold!
He made sure the dragon had plenty of fresh water in case he set his bed (or anything else!) on fire.
Then he double-checked that all the cages were locked, said, “Good night my friends!”, and went home to his supper.
But on the first school day of the year, with Miss Venus’s class field trip due any minute, George arrived to find that the Loch Ness Monster, had gone missing!
“How can this be?” he moaned, wringing his hands.  “I was so careful!  And Nessie’s cage is still locked!”

(OK.  I’m wordy.  And I got caught up 🙂 149 words.)
See how easy?  Ready, set, WRITE! 🙂  I can’t wait to see what you come up with! 🙂

P.S.  For anyone who’s just finding Summer Short & Sweets, full info is on that link or above in the tab 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 48th Pitch

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Boy is this summer a whirlwind!

Whilst you are munching your Something Chocolate (might I recommend the pain au chocolat this morning?)

and sipping your coffee, I am wandering around in the Pine Tree State, hopefully not hopelessly lost, as we continue our quest for institutions of higher learning.  (The Pine Tree State’s connected to the Green Mountain State, right?…  Or is it connected to the Granite State?…. Or the maybe the Bay State?  Or the hip bone…  You know, I put far too much trust in my GPS.  She could totally take advantage of me if she wanted to!  Her name is Jill, by the way.  After all that wondering what to call her, I discovered on the way to Nantucket she already had a name.  But I digress…)

So anyway, I have a question for y’all today.  And it actually has to do with Would You Read It – can you imagine? An on-topic question?  What is the world coming to? 🙂

What I’m wondering is this:

Are you all happy with the Would You Read It system the way it stands, or do you think people who have pitched should have a chance to enter a new and improved version of their pitch for the pitch pick at the end of the month if they wish?  Poll below.  (You know how I love polls :))  Please opinionate:

Alrighty then!  Now that we’ve addressed that little issue, it’s time for everybody’s favorite Wednesday dilemma, Would You Read It!!!

Today’s pitch comes to us from the amazing Rita whom I’m sure you all remember from her Elephant And Dolphin Pitch last month, and from her wonderful and helpful post on self publishing Meg The Egg.  But in case you somehow missed her bio, Rita says, I have always loved writing letters, plays, stories any thing really since the age of 9. I have 3 kids that have made me stop writing for awhile but now two of them are at university and the youngest is 15. I used to be a dog sitter, an airline hostess and a secretary but now I spend lots of time as storyteller (costumes and strange voices and all) and my most frustrating of jobs: a writer. I write in my basement and I love children, animals and travelling. Teaching children how to read is a parental necessity. My website is www.ritaborg.us

Here’s the pitch!

Working Title:  What’s Wrong With Molly Zwirl
Age/Genre:  Chapter Book (ages 6-9)
The Pitch:  Molly, an immigrant girl from Europe settling in the USA, is just like the girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead.  She tries so hard to be good but when her grandparents come she just has to be bad.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Rita improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in August, which is not very far away at all at this point, so we could really use some new pitches!!
Rita is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And I am looking forward to seeing you all on Friday for the next installment of Summer Short & Sweets!
P.S.  If you missed Monday’s post with the Q&A by editor Erin Molta click HERE – you won’t want to miss it!  And if you missed Monday’s post with the June pitch pick click HERE and let your voting voice be heard!  (Those of you who are alert at this hour of the morning may notice that both HEREs lead to the same there, but I’d hate for you to miss anything good :))

Q&A With Editor Erin Molta, Plus Pitch Pick #9, Plus The Giveaway Winners!

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Apparently I have too many things to post for the number of post days I have.  I have no idea how this happens.  I’m usually so reserved with my words 🙂  (I hear you laughing!  Don’t worry – I couldn’t say it with a straight face either :))

ANYWAY, today we have a bit of a smorgasbord.

First, we’re a little behind on the June Pitch Pick.  See what happens when we all go on vacation? 🙂

Here is a little refresher:

#1 Laura

Working Title:  Uncle Larry
Age/Genre:  PB
The Pitch:  A true story about Uncle Larry, a special child/adult who grew up on a farm, trained and loved animals, liked to play and work, got into mischief, and taught us how to love someone a little different by loving everyone himself.

#2 Rita

Working Title: Elephant And Dolphin
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch:  Elephant and Dolphin meet every morning by the sea. But Elephant lives on the land and Dolphin lives in the ocean.  Elephant eats grass while Dolphin eats fish. Elephant trumpets and Dolphin clicks.  How can these two play together with the differences they have between them?  Elephant and Dolphin find out how friendship overcomes everything.

#3 Lori

Working Title:  These Little Piggies
Age/Genre: Rhyming Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch:  In this Mother Goose mash-up, five little piggies are living happily in a shoe until a callous old woman forces her way in and turns their lives head over tails.  The piggies decide to set a trap for the old woman so, the first little piggy goes to market… the second little piggy stays home…  Will they succeed in giving the old coot the boot?

#4 Anna

Working Title:  Hug-A-Bug Travels To Egypt
Age/Genre:  Picture Book (ages 3-8)
The Pitch:  Fasten your seat belts and prepare for a high-flying trip with Hug-A-Bug to the famous Giza Pyramids. On his visit, he wows the reader with the exploration of hieroglyphics and Egyptian phrases. During his travels, he meets up with someone who needs a hug. Who will he meet this time? 

Please vote below for your favorite by Wednesday July 11 at 11:59PM EDT.

The winner’s pitch will go for a read by editor Erin Molta (who is here with us today! – so exciting!)

But hang on for one more second before we get to Erin because I have other exciting news, too – the winners of the giveaways from our generous self-publishing mini-series authors!

And the winners (as chosen by random.org) are…..

For the set of 3 hardcover Gator’s Gang picture books from Suzanne McGovern – Catherine J!!!

For a paperback copy of the fabulous Show Me How from Vivian Kirkfield – Beth S!!!

For an e-book of The Adventures Of Lucy Snigglefritz from Patrick Milne – Vivian K!!!

And for a paperback picture book of Meg The Egg from Rita Borg –  Erik (I don’t know you’re last initial :))!!!

Catherine, Beth, Vivian, and Erik, please email me so we can organize book signing and mailing!

And now, the post we’ve all been looking forward to for some time, our Q&A with the fabulous Erin Molta.  Erin is an experienced senior editor of picture book, early readers, chapter, middle grade, and YA books, as well as novelty and licensed titles. She has been in children’s publishing for more than twenty years and has a keen understanding of early reader through YA audiences. She has an excellent reputation with established authors, illustrators, and agents.  She is currently evaluating manuscripts for 
publishers as well as freelance editing for prospective authors before submission to publishing houses.


Questions from readers are below in blue, answers from Erin in green.


From Clar:  For Erin: I wonder if a ms with monsters and bedtime is has been written about too much and if she would just throw it in the trash without reading the whole pitch or does she think there’s a chance for it to go through. 
Though it has been done, it’s all in the matter of the telling — because it’s such a universal topic a fresh take on it is always welcome.
From Coleen:  I’m always curious to hear what kinds of manuscripts publishers are buying right now. 🙂
Ha! They wish they knew! Publishing usually goes in cycles. For a while it was Harry Potter and fantasy. Then there was Twilight and other paranormal-type books. Now it seems, in YA at least,that suspense is the up and coming genre. For middle grade books there doesn’t tend to be such a flocking to the genres and subgenres. Every publisher is looking for the next best thing—the next Harry Potter or Goosebumps, Percy Jackson . . .
From Julie H:  I guess I’d have to say my top curiosity right now is whether editors are still finding picture books to be a hard sell and, if so, whether she thinks that will change any time soon.
I think the picture book market is picking up a bit—mostly because it follows the baby booms. And there are more babies now.  Even with e-books and Apps, parents still want books to sit down and read to their kids.
From Darshana:  Any tips for PB authors (not PB author/illustrator) for writing unique/quirky PB under 300 words. I have noticed a lot of PBs I like are written by author/illustrators that are short on text, where the humor and quirkiness is carried in the pictures. I know I can come up with clever stories however since I am only a PB author, I get nervous about using too many illustrator notes, as that could turn-off an editor. 
Illustrator notes don’t necessarily turn off an editor, but they should only be used to point out what may not be obvious from the text—for instance if you are imagining that the characters are animals as opposed to people or if you are envisioning a twist that must be present in the art. No need to describe clothing or setting unless it directly impacts the story.
From Julie R-Z:  Questions for Erin:
Vocabulary: when and why does an editor like or dislike BIG words (son’s 1st gr. teacher called them million dollar words!) in a PB manuscript?
It’s all about appropriateness. If big words further the plot or are essential and are the best word choice for the story, then they are OK. You don’t want to have the story that as a parent etc. is reading they have to stop to explain every 5th word to a child. Then it becomes a vocab lesson and not an enjoyable read. The more important part of writing is not the words themselves but how they are used. If you say Jane is melancholy you are saying she is sad but if you show us why she is sad—“Usually when Jane came home from school, Gramma would be sitting at the table stirring milk into her coffee, reading the historical romances they liked to share. There would be an apple on a plate for Jane. Today there was no Gramma and no paperback book. Just an apple—on a napkin. Jane’s chest felt heavy and her eyes welled up.” You bring the scene alive and a reader will get the melancholy feeling by showing rather than telling.

Cliches: I understand that’s a no-no, but when used sparingly is it not appropriate if it can teach apre-schooler about the meaning behind a cliche?
Again, it’s all about the story. If you are writing a story about clichés or if they serve to bring the scene alive—then used sparingly, they are fine.

In general do editor’s agree on common mistakes or are the peeves more often personal? If so, give us the dirt Erin!
There are no general peeves—but words for the sake of the words as opposed to the story is a common mistake that most editors detest –and typos and spelling mistakes in a query are a no–nofor us all.
From Jarm:  I also would like to know what place there is in the publishing world for picture books with more than 800 word counts. I was thinking of PBs for older children on non-fiction topics, that are woven into a story, such as “Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride” by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
Any place—again it depends on the editor. Nonfiction normally does lend itself to longer text, but check publisher’s lists and see who tends to publish more nonfiction picture books. Clarion tends to, as does Charlesbridge and smaller presses like Eerdmans and Bearport Publishing.
From Kirsten:  I’m most interested in hearing what makes it out of the slushpile (for nonfiction) and why. What are editors looking for on the nonfiction side?
Editors tend to follow the school curriculum so check out a standard curriculum—say 4th graders do the American Revolution and 2nd graders learn about the night sky and maps. Seasonal topics, too—books about apples, pumpkins, and growing things, if done in a fresh unique way, are some popular topics. Animals are popular, too, but again, something new like unusual animal friendships or animals that have strange stories—like a penguin who shows up on a beach in Florida. Cute animals don’t hurt either.
From Penny:  a question that I have been wondering about…when I read online in submission guidelines that a publishing house/agent is closed to submissions except for folks they’ve met at a conference OR REFERRALS FROM OTHER PROFESSIONALS…I always wonder just who all is included in those OTHER professionals. Does it mean just other editors/agents? Can it mean another published author? Does it ever happen that a published someone that runs a critique service happens upon a manuscript they refer onto one of the publishing houses/agents who is closed to submissions except for the circumstances I mentioned. 
Yes J A referral from a published author will make it past the editorial assistant’s eagle eyes. It has happened that a published author has recommended someone and they have been published.
From Erik:  I would like to know the top three common mistakes writers make and what makes her want to read a MS.
Hmm . . . top three mistakes. #1 is when an author tells the story rather than showing—see above for how describing a scene and making a reader feel the character’s feelings works better than using big words or just saying, Jane was sad. #2 is sending manuscripts full of errors. That’s an immediate turn-off. #3 When an author tells you how their kindergarten class or their kids and kids friends love the manuscript. Of course they do. What kids are going to tell their teacher/parent/grandparent that they DON’T like their story?

I do hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did, and Erin’s answers will be helpful to you!

Come on over on Wednesday and help Rita with her MG pitch!  Have a great day!

Welcome To Summer Short And Sweets!!!

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Did everyone have a nice 4th of July?  I hope so!

I’m happy to report that we celebrated with homemade blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream (that’s white and blue, anyway, even if we a little short in the red department) and watching the fireworks above the valley from my parents’ back deck 🙂

And now, at last, it’s finally Friday and time to kick off Summer Short & Sweets!!!

First things first…..

Please help yourself to a beach cookie (or 2 or 5)…

…and some fresh lemonade 🙂

Ah!  Summery 🙂

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for (or at least the moment I’ve all been waiting for :))
duhn duhn duhn…. the big unveiling!!!

TA-DA!

Badge created by the incomparable Loni Edwards

Just look at this creation of beauty which you may all help yourselves to if you so desire!!!  I hope you’re able to read the part that says “Writing For Kittens” 🙂  (I also hope that if you need any art work done for any reason you will contact Loni – she does such great art and is a joy to work with 🙂  Same goes for Heather… but more about that in a few weeks… I am all about the surprises up my sleeve :))

Let’s start with a brief explanation of SS&S because I’m not actually sure I wrote this down yet anywhere 🙂

The object of Summer Short & Sweets is to keep our writing oars in even as we are caught up in the happy, busy, outdoor fun of summer.  We do not want our writing brains to go on luxury vacation because they are SO hard to jump start when school starts.  The Short & Sweets will be little fun exercises we can do together and share to keep those writing sparks flying and to make sure we write a little even while we’re playing whiffle ball, backyard volleyball, and frisbee golf, making sure our toddlers don’t fall in the pool or get swept away by ocean waves or buried by their older siblings in the sandbox, taking our pre-teens to Little League or Lego Tournaments or tap lessons, teaching our 16-year-olds to drive (I personally am sporting a whole new streak of gray hair, and the imaginary brake on the passenger side of the car is getting quite a workout :)), and tending campfires while we watch the summer sun swim down below the western hills and the fireflies come out (and if you’re at my house, watch the marshmallows catch on fire and become charcoal covered goo on a stick :))

Short & Sweets will last for 8 weeks, each Friday from today through Friday August 24.  For every Short & Sweet entry you write into the comments you will receive 1 point.  You may of course write 2 entries, (or even 3 or 5 or 7 if you are feeling inspired!)  At the end of Short & Sweets there will be prizes (which I am still working on) that will be based on the total points for the summer.  The minimum number to qualify for a prize will be 8 points – 1 each week of Short & Sweets.  If you choose to do more, you can rack up points and I’ll make sure you get something good! but you must do at least one each week to qualify.  The more points you have, the better the prizes.  I’m going to try to get you some critiques as well as signed books and other goodies 🙂  Feel free to let me know if there’s something in particular your little hearts desire as a prize.

The other advantage of Short & Sweets?  We will all inspire each other’s creativity.  Once you’ve put your challenge response in the comments, scroll through everyone else’s and see what they came up with.  Maybe your own entry won’t spark a story idea for you, but maybe someone else’s will!  (And don’t worry – everything will be vague enough that there’s no way 2 people will ever write the same story off the same prompt.  It just doesn’t work that way :))

Now then.  Are you ready for some Short & Sweet fun???

Here’s today’s challenge.  We’ll start nice and easy 🙂

In the comment section below, list the first five nouns, the first five adjectives, and the first five verbs that come to mind when you think about either the beach, the town pool, or the local ice cream shop.  (And when I say the first five, I just mean don’t spend forever on it – you can tweak the words that come to mind into more descriptive ones if you like – run into chase for example – but this whole exercise shouldn’t take more than about 2 or 3 minutes.)  Then pick one each of your nouns, adjectives and verbs and write a sentence that could start a story!

Here’s an example for the beach:
Nouns: shells, waves, sun, seagulls, kite
Adjectives: windy, salty, bright, wet, sandy
Verbs: dig, chase, squeal, laugh, splash
Howard was digging down through the wet sand when his shovel hit something hard that glinted in the sun.

See how easy?  Now you try!

And as an example of where you might go with this, if anyone wants to take Howard and run with him while you’re lifeguarding at the edge of the pool later or chauffeuring the littles around town, the obvious thing for his shovel to hit would be a pirate’s treasure chest, but what if it was something else?  An old English car that had somehow crossed the ocean and wound up on Howard’s beach… A genie’s lamp… A silver medallion with a huge emerald in the center and words in a mysterious language around the edge…  A dinosaur scale… that was still attached to the dinosaur!…  A giant’s gold-capped tooth…! 🙂

I hope you will think this is Short, Sweet, and fun!  I’m really looking forward to seeing what people come up with!  And if anyone ends up getting a story idea out of this, please tell us!  Any 12x12ers, this might be a great place to start thinking for your July manuscript 🙂

Have fun, have a great weekend, and please tune in Monday for Q&A with the fabulous editor, Erin Molta!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 47th Pitch And Then Some!

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Hola, my friends! and Happy Fourth of July!!!

Thank you all for your patience while I was on vacation!  I missed you all dreadfully!

There is nothing like a week away from your desk to make you realize just how fast you can get utterly and completely behind, but being swamped upon return was totally worth 7 days of sun and sand, wind and waves, frisbee and family dinners and flashlight tag and feeding ducklings off the dock, Madagascar III on the only rainy afternoon and marshmallows roasted over a very sketchy-looking grill 🙂  Sometimes I’m really not sure there’s anywhere on earth as beautiful as Nantucket…

… but then I get home, and it’s so beautiful here too 🙂

… and I have two little friends who are very glad we’re back 🙂  Woof 🙂

And I am glad to see you all again!

Before we get to our pitch today, I want to remind anyone who hasn’t had a chance yet to please take a minute and check out the self-publishing mini-series.  Suzanne McGovern, Vivian Kirkfield, Patrick Milne, and Rita Borg generously shared a wealth of hard-won wisdom about their experiences self-publishing, and even more generously donated books for giveaways which you can still qualify for by commenting before Thursday July 5 at 11:59 PM EDT!

Now then, grab your Something Chocolate and get ready for Would You Read It! 🙂

Today’s pitch comes to us from Carrie.  She says, I worked in educational software publishing for about 10 years, and wrote content (mostly nonfiction) for children as part of my job. It was wonderful and creative but left me little time or energy for my own writing. Like many parents, my real writing journey began when my son was born and I started reading to him. I started trying to write what I was reading to him, mostly picture books and poetry in magazines like Babybug. I committed myself to practicing as much as I could, took some classes, read some books, and started to submit some of my work to magazines. Four years later, my poems have appeared (or are forthcoming) in Babybug, Ladybug, and High Five magazines. I feel lucky to have found some fabulous critique groups and supportive communities like the 12×12 group that are helping me grow as a writer in so many ways.  Please pop over and visit her website 🙂

Working Title: Friendly Sam, The Ice Cream Man
Age/Genre:  Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch:  Sam loves dishing out ice cream to his favorite customers at the park each afternoon. But when a rival ice cream truck shows up on ‘his’ corner, Sam must find a way to out-sing, out-scoop, and out-serve the competition to keep his customers — and himself — happy.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Carrie improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in August, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Carrie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And I am looking forward to Friday, the inaugural day of Summer Short & Sweets!!!  Are we going to have fun or what?!  I am SO tempted to show you the gorgeous SS&S badge that the awesomely talented Loni Edwards has made for us… SO TEMPTED!  But I will restrain myself (and by restrain myself I mean will someone please tie my hands behind my back!)
So tune in Friday – same bat time, same bat channel!!! 🙂

Self-Publishing Mini-Series – Meet Rita Borg

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Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to the lovely and talented Rita Borg!  Thank you so much for joining us, Rita!

First, a little background.  Rita says,

I started writing when I was 9 years old. I loved the Waltons and Little House on the Prarie. John boy and Laura set me off writing. But when my 7 year old sister died of cancer, I could not pick up a pen. I was 23 then. But after my third child was born, my husband told me of a writing competition he found on the local newspaper. I entered but I did not win. But the editor called me up and told me how much she enjoyed my essay about the murder of a toddler in England. She asked if would I like to start writing articles for the paper? I said yes and my writing career started.I have been writing and learning about writing ever since.
I was educated at Blessed Sacrament School and St. Jean Baptiste High School in New York and studied children’s writing with the Institute of Children’s and Teen’s Literature in Connecticut. I also read for a diploma in child psychology at the European Institute of Education. I reside on the Mediterranean island of Malta, where I regularly perform storytelling and creative writing workshops in schools across the country. I am also a freelance writer for local magazines and newspapers, a mother of three, and have published four picture books aimed at early readers, as well as an anthology of short stories for older children. My books have received multiple printings as well as peer-acclaim and recognition at the Malta National Annual Literary Awards. My last book, Don’t Cross the Road, Holly!, was chosen as the best 2009 Children’s Book in English. I am a member of the Society of Children’s Writers & Illustrators of the USA, as well as its chapter in the British Isles.

Now then, onto the interview and all those helpful tidbits you guys are eagerly awaiting 🙂

SLH: Did you try the traditional publishing route?  What was your experience?
RB: I have been studying the craft of writing for the past 12 years. Lately, I got in contact with an editor. She helped me out with several picture book manuscripts. I chose the best one and sent it off to 20 publishers and some agents in England. Most of the publishers I contacted wrote back saying how charming the book was, or it is a great story, or it would be great illustrated. Yet, no one wanted to take a chance of publishing it. Is it because I live so far away in Malta? So I decided to do it myself.

SLH:What made you decide to pursue self-publishing?
RB: I already have two published books but they are in the Maltese language. The publishers here in Malta obviously want to promote their language. However I grew up in New York City, my first language is English. So, I self-published three bilingual Maltese English picture books. But they could only be distributed in Malta which has a population of only half a million people. So I started thinking about self publishing outside the country with a company like CreateSpace.
Rita’s office

SLH: How did you go about self-publishing? (specific details about how you researched and located the company you went with would be great)
RB: I didn’t do that much research to be honest. I heard about CreateSpace; many authors were using it, so I decided for my first book it would be good to go with the experts.

SLH: Did you hire an editor?
RB: Hiring an editor is a must. I had one during the writing of the story and hired another one through the company and was part of the publishing package.

SLH: How did you choose your illustrator?  How did you work out paying the illustrator and did you have a contract?  Did you have a lot of back and forth discussions with your illustrator about the art?
RB: The illustrations are again part of the package if you so wish. CreateSpace sent me four names of illustrators and I chose the one that I saw best fitted the theme of my book. I chose two that I really liked. My first choice was available to work and in six weeks she drew all the illustrations. There was one or two which I changed some aspects of the pictures. But I was lucky, I had little to change and I loved the simple, colourful illustrations at the start.

SLH: Did you hire a cover designer or did your illustrator design the cover?
RB: I hired both. The cover designer was again part of the package which I purchased. The cover designer sent me 3 different types of covers. I especially liked one and then the illustrator drew it. I just added more hay in the nest under the egg for comfort’s sake 🙂

SLH: What formats is your book available in?  Hardcover?  Paperback?  E-book?  Print-on-demand?
RB: So far, my book is only as a Print-On-Demand paperback picture book. I first want to see how well the book sells before I turn it into an e-book. Self-publishing can be quite expensive if you are not careful with your money.

SLH: How have you gone about marketing your book?  What has been most successful?
RB: Along with advertising on Facebook, being interviewed here is my first attempt at marketing. I still have lots of work to do! I need to contact reviewers, give giveaways, and do more interviews. It’s going to be fun. Also, if I had been traditionally published, I still would need to market myself. So I am learning a great deal from all of this.

SLH: Do you do school/library visits or library/bookstore readings/signings?  How did you go about getting them?  How have sales been in relation to those visits?
RB: I visit libraries and schools all the time in Malta. I am a storyteller by trade. This is the best way to sell books. It is the personal touch rather then a book on the shelf. I plan to do a lot of visits to bookshops, libraries and schools for my book Meg the Egg, too.

SLH: What advice would you give other authors who are thinking about self-publishing?
RB: JUST DO IT! Don’t let the people at the gateways of publishing ruin your dreams.

SLH: Any particular pitfalls to avoid?
RB: Check and check everything you do. Don’t be flippant; be diligent. No one cares about your book more than you do.

SLH: Anything else you’d like to say? 🙂
RB: This was an adventure, a scary, intrepid adventure but if my book sells and the children love reading it, it is very worth it when you have given up on traditional publishing.

Thank you so much, Rita!

If you’d like to find Rita online, you can visit her Website and like her on Face Book.

And, as if all that information weren’t enough, Rita has kindly offered to be available to answer any questions you might have so fire away, AND she is giving away a copy of Meg The Egg (which is very cute – I have read it!) to one lucky winner!

All you have to do is leave a comment saying why you’d like the book.  And if you want to be nice and “like” Rita on Face Book while you’re here, that would be lovely but we are not twisting any arms 🙂

And that, my friends, concludes our mini-series on self-publishing.  I know some of the posts were long – our authors were so very generous with their knowledge and expertise!  I hope you all learned a lot, and that those of you who were previously hesitant about self-publishing now feel more confident and prepared to take it on!

Self-Publishing Mini-Series – Meet Patrick Milne

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Today I’m delighted to introduce you to the third guest in our self-publishing mini-series, Patrick Milne.

By way of introduction, Patrick says, “I always enjoyed writing stories as far back as I can remember, though by the time I hit high school, I’d lost interest. It wasn’t until I took a writing course in university as an elective that I really started taking any creative impulses seriously again and eventually majored in professional writing and communications. It was chiefly short prose that I studied throughout school and it wasn’t until my sister, Stephanie Faye, embraced her animation talents that we decided to try a children’s picture book together.”

SLH:  Did you try the traditional publishing route?  What was your experience?

PM:  We didn’t really even think of the traditional publishing route initially. We just tried to get the story together as much as possible in a 32-page structure, which was difficult because it was the first time we’d done anything so short. It was definitely an exercise in brevity! During the process, it seemed any time we brought up the idea of a publisher and looked around at their respective websites, or researched agents, either they weren’t accepting manuscripts or you had to jump through hoops to get it to them. We continued working away until the story took shape and by then, we both really loved it and couldn’t have fathomed changing anything about it. 

SLH:  What made you decide to pursue self-publishing?

PM:  Once we got our hard copy proof copy back from the printer, Stephanie, the book’s artist, took it to a small publisher’s fair in Vancouver. She got interest from several companies but each had their own list of changes they wanted to make. By that point, we’d been working on the book for so long, Stephanie especially with all of the art and coloring, that thinking about incorporating their changes was just too overwhelming. At that point, we officially decided to move ahead on our own.  

SLH:  How did you go about self-publishing?

PM:  We found a small printing company in Winnipeg, Manitoba called Art Book Bindery that had a great reputation. We knew we wanted to do at least a small run of print copies so we worked with them. The electronic version was formatted and uploaded to Amazon several months later.

SLH:  Did you hire an editor?

PM:  No, I’ve had several jobs as a copy editor in the past so I was very confident in my own abilities. We also passed it around to some family and friends to make sure everything was coherent and had a nice flow and rhythm to it, but the words, sentences, and grammar I was very possessive about. Outside opinions were really key for us because when you work on the same story and the same sentences, you can miss little things

SLH:  How did you choose your illustrator?  What kind of contract do you have with her?  Did you have a lot of back and forth contact with her as she created the illustrations?

PM:  My illustrator was my sister, Stephanie Faye, who is a graduate of Capilano University in British Columbia and had been working in children’s television and animation for several years previous. We sent the manuscript back and forth over email and had conversations over Skype about it. Once she began the illustrations, she sent her drafts to me through email and we discussed them every few days. It was a very collaborative effort for being so far apart.


SLH:  How did you get your book from conception to e-book format?  Is it also available in hardcover or paperback?  Print on demand?

PM:  We currently sell the print version through our website and at various local craft sales around Christmas time and it does quite well. The ebook version, Stephanie formatted from her finished files and they were formatted in a .mobi file for the Kindle and uploaded to Amazon. We’re working on getting it into different places on the web to broaden Lucy’s availability but as of right now, those are the primary outlets.

SLH:  How have you gone about marketing your book?  What has been most successful?

PM:  Selling the print copies at various fairs has been the most successful approach for the print version. The electronic version has been totally different. There are thousands of ways of going about marketing our book, the only problem is where to start. We currently use Twitter and Facebook and I’ve started a blog called So Much To Be Read to help build a community and get the word out on other children’s authors and illustrators just like me who are self-published. There is so much more to do and I feel like all we have to do is just start!

SLH:  Do you do school/library visits?  How has that worked with an e-book?  How have sales been in relation to the visits?

PM:  We did a seminar with a local grade seven English class that was doing a unit on writing their own picture book and sold many of the print copies there but no e-book versions that I know of. It’s something we’d certainly like to keep doing.

Patrick’s office

SLH:  What advice would you give other authors who are thinking about self-publishing?

PM:  I think the single most important thing to understand is that finishing the book is only a small part of what self-publishing is all about. Depending on your hopes for the book and what it might become, all the rest is marketing – thinking about who your audience is and where to find them and how to get the word out about your book without coming across as a desperate spammer! On the one hand, it’s a very frustrating process, but on the other, you’re only as limited as your imagination. Furthermore, there has never been a time in history when reaching people has been as simple as this. We get a lot of motivation and inspiration from keeping that in our mindset.


SLH:  Any particular pitfalls to avoid?

PM:  Trust your instincts and stay true to what your book is all about and why you wanted to write it in the first place. If we had decided to incorporate the changes suggested to us by the various publishers, I don’t think I would feel quite as passionately about Lucy Snigglefritz as I do now, or as proud. If it set us back from getting a publishing contract, so be it. I don’t see any evidence these days that working with a publisher is any less challenging than the self-publishing route.

Thank you so much, Patrick!  It is so interesting to hear from different authors who have chosen this route.  We all have a lot to learn from you.

Folks, please feel free to visit Patrick on his Website, follow him on Twitter @fayemousbooks, or network with him on LinkedIn.  Patrick has kindly offered to be available for questions, so please ask if you have any!  In addition, he is giving away a free e-copy of The Adventures Of Lucy Snigglefritz – I have seen it and it’s very cute even on my black and white Kindle! – so if you’re interested in qualifying, please leave a comment saying why you’d like to have the book!

Thank you all for joining us!  Have a great weekend!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 46th Pitch

41 Comments

Boy are you guys going to be happy today!

Want to know why?

Because today’s post is SHORT!  You will probably think you’re on the wrong blog, it’s so short!

This is for two reasons:  first, I know the last 2 posts were LOONNGG! and I appreciate you reading all the way through them.  There was no real way to shorten them except to do them in halves, and I felt they flowed better in one piece.  Also, I would have had to post every day to fit them all in that way!  Second, you may have noticed I’ve been a little absent.  That’s because I’m technically on vacation with my family 🙂  So there you have it.  Short post 🙂

Today’s pitch comes to us  from Anna who you may remember from April.  Anna has a background in teaching and strives to entertain and teach children about different cultures in her writing.  (I believe this book has been self-published, but Anna is still hoping to strengthen her pitch for marketing purposes.  Very appropriate that it is the pitch that falls in the middle of our self-publishing series! :))

Here is her pitch:

Working Title:  Hug-A-Bug Travels To Europe
Age/Genre:  Picture Book (ages 3-8)
The Pitch:  Fasten your seat belts and prepare for a high-flying trip with Hug-A-Bug to the famous Giza Pyramids. On his visit, he wows the reader with the exploration of hieroglyphics and Egyptian phrases. During his travels, he meets up with someone who needs a hug. Who will he meet this time? 

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Anna improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in August, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Anna is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!