Valentines Day Contest!!!

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Throw pink confetti!  Open the chocolates!  It’s here!  It’s here!

The VALENTINES DAY CONTEST!!!!

And do you know why I’m so excited?

It’s not because I’m about to publicly humiliate myself with my sample entry.  (Although I suppose that does beg for a certain amount of excitement.)

It’s because I’m going to get to read all of your FABULOUS entries!!!

At least I hope I am.  Was anyone able (or willing?) to write one?

We shall see…

For any who may not have heard yet and who might like to join us in our contest, all the info is HERE.  (Please scroll down below the slugs, and please note the word count, slightly raised from the original.)

Meanwhile, for your roll-on-the-floor-and-possibly-die-laughing-at-me pleasure, here is my sample:

Fishing Valentine

So it’s Valentines Day and we’re in the Secret Clubhouse.
We is me, my little brother Ty, and our dog, Leroy.
Not Bronwyn.
I’m boss of the club because I can talk.
Ty and Leroy are perfect sidekicks because they can’t.
Bronwyn wore a dress to school today.  Traitor.
“Here’s the problem,” I tell them.  “Valentines Day is so full of silly it ruins the only decent girls.”
“Lala,” says Ty.
“Exactly,” I say.  “Pink overload.  It’s probably poisonous.”
Ty and Leroy do not disagree.
“Luckily, I have a plan.”
Here it is:
1. Cancel Valentines Day.
I am a master of simplicity.
Someone bangs on the clubhouse roof.
It’s Bronwyn.
“Go away!” I say.
Ty eats some dirt.  Leroy wags his tail.  Traitor.
“I’ve got worms,” says Bronwyn.  “Want to do some Valentine fishing?”
Fishing Valentine?
Maybe her mother made her wear that dress.  “Okay,” I say.
As we head for the fishing hole, I make up a Valentine for her.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Girls are gross
Except for you.

Yikes!  Looks like the pink poisoned me, too!

SO.  After that, I think everyone should feel pret-ty confident they can do better!  I had trouble getting an idea I could squeeze into such a low word count.  This was 22,067 words at the outset.  (Well.  I may be exaggerating a little :))

This time I am remembering the link list on the first try (yay me!) so get your entry-specific links right on there so we can all come applaud your genius!  I can’t wait to read everyone’s stories!!!

Remember, this post will stay up until Monday evening, and you have until 5PM EST Monday to post your link.  Then we’ll have a special post Tuesday with the finalists for you to vote.

Ready?

GO!!!
(Oh, and P.S. I am being featured today, February 11, on Kai Strand’s blog, on the topic of industry love!  Should you care to pop over and have a look, I wrote about my indie :))

Also, please check the comments – there are at least 2 entries posted there, one under jrzoch and one under my name due to posting trouble.

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Slugs In Love

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You know, I just LOVE Perfect Picture Book Friday!  All week I’ve been downright tingly with excitement because I’m going to share arguably one of the best love stories ever.  Are you ready?  It involves slugs.  What’s not to love? 🙂

Slugs In Love
Written By: Susan Pearson
Illustrated By: Kevin O’Malley
Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, November 2006, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8
Themes/Topics: love, friendship, perseverance, humor, Valentines Day
Opening:  “Marylou loved everything about Herbie – how his slime trail glistened in the dark, how he could stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar window, how he always found the juiciest tomato.  Though she never spoke a single word to him – she was too shy – she thought about Herbie every morning and every night and most of the hours in between.


On Monday, while she grazed in the strawberry patch, Herbie filled her mind and a love poem filled her heart.  She wrote it in slime on the watering can.”

Brief Synopsis:  (From Publishers Weekly) “Herbie keeps finding Marylou’s poems, etched in slug slime and full of devotion, but Marylou keeps missing the longing letters he writes in return.  While she watches his every move, he can’t find anyone who knows where she is so he can meet her.”  How will the “slime-crossed” lovers ever meet?

Links To Resources:  Cool Facts About Slugs, Doorknob Valentine, Finger Puppet Valentine – (and with a little ingenuity, the last two could incorporate slugs! :))  Kids could make up their own poems like Herbie and Marylou.

Why I Like This Book:  It’s sweet and it’s funny.  It’s maybe not technically a Valentines Day book (as in, it’s not about Valentines Day) it is about love/friendship on a level that I think kids can relate to.  Because Marylou and Herbie can’t seem to connect, there’s the added fun of rooting for the heroes. And the art complements the story perfectly.  It’s so wonderful – really, I think it takes a genius to make slugs look so expressive 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Now then.  I hope you’re all geared up for our Valentines Day Contest which opens tomorrow!  Having spent some time (I’m not saying days, but, seriously, days!) trying to come up with my sample entry, I am deeply regretting setting the 150 word limit.  Kudos to any of you who pull it off!  After extensive MERCILESS cutting mine is only down to 178.  I realize that I tend to the verbose, so maybe no one else is having a problem.  But if you’re struggling, I’ve decided to up the word limit to 200.  Because it’s Valentines Day and all about sharing the love, right? 🙂  So a little recap on the contest guidelines:

A children’s story, poetry or prose, maximum 200 words, about unlikely Valentines, posted on your blog (or in the comment section of mine) between Saturday February 11 and Monday February 13 at 5 PM EST.  Add your entry-specific link to the link list on my blog so we can all come read your entries!  There will be no new post on Monday so the link list will stay up.  Instead, I will have a hitherto unheard of Tuesday post to celebrate Valentines Day, and that post will list 3 finalists (or possibly a couple more – you know how bad I am at choosing :)) for you all to vote on.  The winner will be announced on Friday February 17 and will receive his/her choice of a copy of Ann Whitford Paul’s Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation To Publication or a picture book ms critique from yours truly.

See you tomorrow with Valentines stories.  I can’t wait to read yours and I sincerely hope there will be more than one entry 🙂

And now, since I forgot last night – SO SORRY everyone, please blame the fever 🙂 – here is the link list for this weeks Perfect Picture Books.

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 26th Pitch

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Good morning, everyone!  Time for another episode of Would You Read It!

But first, I would like to thank Mona, Catherine and Kelly for the Liebster Award, and Catherine and Kelly for the KreativBlogger Award – both awards I have not had the pleasure of receiving before, so thank you all so very much!!!

I know I’m supposed to list some stuff about myself and pass the awards on to others, but as you all know I’m terrible at that.  Plus it seems like pretty much everyone I know has received these awards in the last week.  So forgive me if I just say thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Now, it’s on to the Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Sarah in the Ireland!  (I think she may be the first entrant from Ireland!)  Sarah is 19 and a biomedical science student.  She claims she’s only a wannabe writer, but I say hop over and check out her blog – she has a great sense of humor! 🙂

Working Title: Starstruck
Age/Genre: YA
Pitch: Seventeen year old Katie literally stumbles into Matt’s life one icy January morning. Within two months they’re friends, and in three, they’re dating. But there’s a snag. Matt is a movie star and teenage heart-throb. Katie’s living the dream that every other girl her age has, but the dazzle of having a famous boyfriend only lasts so long. How will Katie cope when the line between dream and nightmare becomes blurred? 

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 Sarah 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.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

P.S.  Remember the Valentines Contest, only a few days away!  Check here for details (please scroll down to the bottom of the post.)

Straight From The Editor! #5 and Oh Susanna – How Do You Know When Your MS Is Ready?

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Happy Monday, Everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Mine was full of family, music, super bowl, and birthday cake 🙂  Not too shabby 🙂

I don’t know if you caught the half-time show, but I’ve got to say, Madonna is older than I am but looks way better.  (Also, there are those who say she sings better, but the jury’s still out on that one…:))  It may have something to do with the fact that she does dance workouts etc for about 17 hours a day whilst I sit at my computer exercising only my fingers and my passion for birthday cake 🙂  I think I need some legions of Roman soldiers to march around with… and maybe I should wear those thigh-high boots… wouldn’t they just be perfect for vacuuming and driving the kids to soccer?  I can just see myself hopping out of the car at the Cumby’s down on the corner to fill up on gas in that outfit… Or maybe strolling into Stop & Shop 🙂

google images – doesn’t that look exactly like me?

Anyhoo…

On to today’s news of interest!  First, we have Straight From The Editor.

You will recall Margaret’s pitch:

Working Title: Home Is Where The Bird Is
Age/Genre: PB
The Pitch:  Bird thought he found his perfect birdhouse – until he encountered the mouse living inside.  After a feather-raising experience house hunting on his own, Bird asks Mouse for help.  Mouse leads Bird on a hilarious tour of unconventional housing options.  As winter looms, will Bird accept anything but his perfect birdhouse?

Here are editor Erin Molta’s insightful comments:

It’s a cute premise. I would make it a tad more concise and add in some unconventional housing options. Perhaps something like this:

Bird found the perfect birdhouse, but Mouse lived inside. After a feather-raising house hunting experience, Bird asks Mouse for help. Mouse leads Bird on a tour of unconventional houses, such as XXXX and XXXX. Will Bird ever find a house that’s the perfect home for him?

I hope you all find this helpful and instructive! 🙂

Next, we have today’s Oh Susanna question!

Oh Susanna!


How long does it take for you to write a book?  What’s your process?  How many revisions?  How do you know when it’s right to submit?


Signed, 
I Don’t Know What I’m Doing

Dear I Don’t Know,

You ask excellent questions to which, I’m afraid, there is no specific or right answer 🙂  The long and the short of it is, the process varies from book to book.  (And in the following discussion, I’m sticking to picture books, since that is what I assume you’re referring to.)

But let’s see what I can tell you.  It takes me anywhere from a couple hours to a couple months to write a book, on average.  (This does not take into account the pre-writing time – the time where I’ve got part of the idea and it’s rolling around in my head but isn’t ready to be formulated into words.)

Once I’ve got enough of the idea formulated to start writing, I usually write out picture books in longhand.  I know – so last century – but there’s something about the physical act of writing, the flow of ink on the page, that facilitates my thinking.  So first drafts are most often pen and paper.

Once I’ve got a draft, I type it into the computer, and that is always the first revision.  The story never goes into the computer exactly as it’s written on the page.

The next part depends on the quality of what I’ve got at this point.  Every now and again (rarely!) I get it close to right the first time and the story doesn’t need too much revision.  But most times it needs quite a bit.  I ALWAYS come in at too high a word count, so there is always cutting to be done.   It takes a few tries to see how I can cut without losing my story – and in fact, hopefully, make it stronger.  Usually this part of the process helps me to make sure I’m actually telling the story I mean to be telling (or that I know exactly what my main theme, or the point of my story is.)  The number of revisions can vary from 1 to 20 or more.

When I’ve got it as good as I think I can make it, I PUT IT AWAY for at least a week or two.  This is a VERY important part of the process, because right when I first finish I always think this story is the best thing I’ve ever written and there’s likely to be a huge bidding war over it along with fierce fighting for movie rights 🙂  At this euphoric stage, my judgement is completely unreliable, and sending anything out in that frame of mind is a huge mistake… as I will realize when I take that story back out in a couple weeks… at which point I will wonder how I can have the unmitigated gall to call myself a writer at all and will seriously consider going to get a job at Stop & Shop bagging groceries!

Point being… always give your story a rest and then go back to it fresh.  You will usually see things you can make better.

As to when it’s ready to go out on submission, unfortunately there’s no exact answer.  Generally, you will have a gut feeling that it’s ready and there’s nothing more you can do that’s really going to improve it significantly.  (You can tweak forever, but there comes a point where you’re not really improving anything, you’re just messing around.)  But here are some things to ask yourself to see if you’re ready:  Have you told the story you want to tell?  Have you created a character we can care about, challenged him/her with something important and relevant, and resolved the problem in a satisfying way?  Is every word the best choice you can make for it?  Have you read it out loud to yourself, your toddler, your husband, your dog, and anyone else who will listen?  Have you had someone who has never seen it read it out loud to you?  (Often, especially with rhyme, this is crucial to make sure the story flows well.)  Have you had a couple beta readers or critique partners look it over?  Is the language lyrical, rhythmic, asking to be read over and over?  Does your story have re-readability (i.e. will a child want to hear it many times and will an adult be happy to oblige?)  Have you left half the job for the illustrator and given him/her plenty to work with?

If you have done all these things and feel that the story is the best you can make it, then it’s ready to go.  And sometimes the submission process itself will give you feedback.  20 form rejections in a row for the same story may mean it needs more work (or that you haven’t targeted your ms properly, but that’s a topic for another day!)  Rejections with any kind of personal feedback are a good sign and something you can learn from.  And of course, hopefully!, you will get an acceptance! 🙂

If you write a strong story that feels more like a one-time read (fun once, but unlikely to be asked for over and over) or that doesn’t have a lot of scope for illustration, you may have a magazine piece rather than a picture book.  That is great, too.  Not every story is strong enough for a picture book, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good story.  So make sure you have a children’s magazine market list of some type so you can target those stories too.

I hope that answers your questions at least somewhat!  I hope our esteemed readers will also chime in with their answers to your questions!

Before going off to scrub the bathroom tile grout with a tooth brush whilst wearing my Madonna boots, I just want to remind everyone about the upcoming Valentines Day Contest!!!  If you haven’t heard of it yet, click here and scroll to the bottom!!!

See you Wednesday! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Shark Vs. Train And A Few Extras! (Including A New Contest!)

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WOW do I have lots to share with you today!  I’m going to try very hard to be concise… we’ll see how I do 🙂  Let’s start with the Perfect Picture Book! (But definitely read to the bottom because there’s good stuff down there!!!)

As I mentioned briefly in Wednesday’s post, I’m very interested in adding another category to the Perfect Picture Book List – Best Books For Boys – because of the amount of discussion I’ve been involved with recently over getting boys engaged in reading.  So I bumped another book so I could post this one today:)

Shark Vs. Train
Written By: Chris Barton
Illustrated By: Tom Lichtenheld
Little Brown Books For Young Readers, April 2010, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8
Topics/Themes: Humor, Imagination, Play
Opening: “Who will win?  Well, that depends on if they’re… in the ocean… or on railroad tracks.”
Brief Synopsis: (from SLJ starred review) “When a boy with a toy shark faces a train-wielding companion, it sets off a series of imaginative and very funny contests between fish and machine.  The result of each battle depends on the setting.”

Links To Resources:  Downloadable Shark Vs. Train poster and activity sheets, Shark Vs. Train Activity Guide.  Challenge kids to pull out their own two toys for a competition and see who they think will win at what.

Why I Like This Book:  It’s fun!  The reader sees two boys pulling toys from a toy chest before there are even any words.  One gets a shark, the other, a train.  This leads to the imaginary world of who will win? in a variety of ridiculous situations where sometimes the shark has the upper hand (as in high diving), sometimes the train is favored (as in the burping contest) and sometimes neither one is cut out for the job (as in their scoreless video game where they say, “It sure would help if we had thumbs!”)  The pictures are hilarious, as are the scenarios in which the shark and train compete.  I think any child would enjoy this book, and it may be one that is especially appealing to boys, even those who aren’t big on reading, because the text is very short but the imagination (and potential for play) can run on long after the story is over!

I hope you all enjoy Shark Vs. Train as much as I do!

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

OK.  Now onto a couple other important things…

Yesterday, Phyllis and I went on a school visit for Groundhog Day.  (If I get a picture I’ll insert it, but as of this writing I don’t have any yet 😦 )  Anyway, one of the kids asked Phyllis, “What is your middle name?”

Well.

I had never thought about it!

Shocking, I know.

But of course Phyllis must have a middle name.

So I had some ideas…  and so did they…  and so I now present you with Phyllis’ full name.  Are you ready?

Punxsutawney Phyllis Princess Snowy Sunshine Macaroni Hotwheels Groundhog Hill!

How’s that for fancy?

Phyllis and I LOVE it!!!

We are going to say it as many times every day as we can possibly think up excuses for.  As in, “Would you be so kind as to pass the maple syrup, Punxsutawney Phyllis Princess Snowy Sunshine Macaroni Hotwheels Groundhog Hill?”

In other news, we have a winner for the December/January Pitch Pick!  It was a tough choice, as always, and as usual I wish everyone could win, but since it can only be one, the voters have spoken.  This month’s winner, whose pitch will be sent to editor Erin Molta for review and critique, is

Margaret!!!!!

Congratulations, Margaret!  Your pitch is winging it’s way through cyberspace as we speak.  Actually, I hope it’s already there because I sent it last night right after I wrote this 🙂  To everyone else, thank you all so much for submitting your pitches.  I know how hard it is to put your work out for others to see and critique, so you’re very brave.  And we all learn so much from every pitch, so thank you all!

And now, last but not least – definitely not least! – it’s contest time again!!!

Valentines Day Contest
google images

Having skipped January, I really couldn’t pass up February because, as we all know, it has way better holidays than March for contest fodder 🙂  SO. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a children’s story, poetry or prose, 150 words maximum, about unlikely Valentines.

You must post it on your blog, (or in the comment section of this blog if you don’t have a blog), between Saturday February 11 and Monday February 13, and add your entry-specific link to the link list that I will put up on Saturday February 11.  (There will be no new post on Monday February 13 so that the contest post and link list can stay up.)  Entries must be posted by 5 PM EST Monday February 13.  Three finalists (which, judging by my track record probably means anywhere between 3 and 6 :)) will be chosen and posted in a special Valentines Day post on Tuesday February 14 for you all to vote on for a winner.  The winner will receive their choice of either a copy of Ann Whitford Paul’s Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation To Publication, or  a picture book manuscript critique from me.  For all you 12X12ers out there, look on this as a chance to get your February story written along with potential for a prize!!!

OK.  That’s it.  I’m done.  How’d I do on brevity? 🙂

Perfect Picture Book bloggers, please remember to add your links below!  Have a great weekend, everyone, and start dreaming up those unlikely Valentine stories – only 150 words – you can do it! 🙂

(P.S.  I apologize in advance for the fact that I will be late visiting everyone’s blogs today as I have 9 hours of driving to do starting at 7 AM followed by my husband’s birthday party when I get home… but I’ll get there eventually :))

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 25th Pitch

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Oh, joy!  It’s Wednesday!  That means grab Something Chocolate and settle in for Would You Read It 🙂

google images

(Mmmm!  Excellent choice!  (And yes, that is too a perfectly healthy breakfast!  Look!  There’s fruit!  Also something green!))

First, though, I’d like to remind anyone who hasn’t voted for the December/January Pitch Pick to please go here and vote.  The winner will be announced Friday!!!

Second, as you know, I like to sweeten the pie a little (tee hee) by offering a random prize each month to one of our dedicated Perfect Picture Book bloggers.  You get one chance for every book you posted in the month.  (There were 96 books posted in January – not counting mine which makes an even 100!!! – not too shabby, eh?)  I enter them all (except mine) into random.org and voila! we get a winner.  November’s was Stacy, December’s was Clar, and January’s duhn duhn-duhn duhn-duhn duhn DUHN! is Miranda!!

Miranda, come on down!  This month’s bag o’ goodies (which changes every month depending what I’ve got kicking around :)) contains hardcover copies of Red Sings From Treetops, The Busy Life Of Ernestine Buckmeister, and April Fool, Phyllis! and a paperback copy of Jean Auel’s The Land Of Painted Caves (which is not for kids, but I just happen to have a brand new spare copy!)  Please select one and Email Me (see that handy button over there?) with your choice and it shall be yours 🙂  All you other PPB bloggers, thank you SO MUCH for the wonderful job you do every week!  We are growing such a great resource!  The next thing I want to add to it is Best Books for Boys (since it seems many people have a harder time engaging boys with reading) so please let me know if you have found any of the titles already on the list especially engaging for boys, and if you add a title that fits that category, please be sure to bring it to my attention!  And who knows?  Next month YOU could be the lucky winner!

And now – got your Something Chocolate? – it’s time for Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Dede who says she quit writing more times than she can remember. She stashed her drafts and turned her attention to more practical pursuits – her day job, the ever-present laundry pile, the bills. Despite her lack of attention, characters kept nudging until she gave in and finished writing their stories. Here’s one of them. The others can be found on her website.


Ready?

Working Title: Summer of ’71
Age/Genre: MG
The Pitch:  When eleven-year old Fiona peered through the broken slat of the caretaker’s shed at the back corner of the West End Cemetery, the last thing she expected to see was a girl about her own age, asleep on the dirt floor. Thus begins an unlikely friendship that carries them through a summer of bullies, a best friend’s betrayal, and a life-changing tragedy. 

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 Dede 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.  Pitches are currently queued through April 4, but there are lots of openings after that, so send your pitch for a chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Dede is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

Pitch Pick # 5 AND Oh Susanna: How Do You FInd And Pay For Illustrators?

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Happy Monday Morning Everyone!

In case you need a little cuteness to start your week (or maybe spark a story) here is some cute overload for you 🙂

cute overload piglet 🙂

Doesn’t your day feel brighter and happier now?  Really, how could it not in the face of that extreme cuteness?! 🙂

I have about 30 things I want to share with you today, but that would really take too long, so I’m going to keep it down to 2.  (Very restrained of me, don’t you think?)

First, the December/January Pitch Pick.  Because of the holidays, we only had 2 pitches in December, so they’ve been added into January’s for the vote.

Here is your quick pitch pick refresher:  (try saying “quick pitch pick” three times fast, especially on Monday morning :))

#1 Christie 1

Working Title:  Draggin’ My Tail
Age/Genre: PB
The Pitch:  Orville the dragon loves to fly, but when he quits breathing fire, his wings fail him.  Orville has to figure out how to get his fire back so he can lift off again.
#2  Vicki
Working Title:  Finding Sophie
Age/Genre:  YA
The Pitch:  When Sophie is forced backward in time to 1895 Paris, she takes the identity of a missing Jewish girl and falls for a young Zionist. As the window home closes, Sophie must decide whether to unlock a mysterious heirloom’s secrets and return to her own life of a potential prima ballerina, or live as someone else in the past and lose herself forever.

#3  Abby
Working Title:  What If?
Age/Genre:  Early Picture Book (ages 2-5)
The Pitch:  Little Lucy has a vivid imagination which shines through all of the “what if” questions she asks about the world around her.  With her creative perspective on things, the world holds limitless possibilities for both her and the reader.

#4  Jane
Working Title:  Nana, I Miss You
Age/Genre:  Picture Book
The Pitch:  Jamie, who wants to spend time with his nana, is upset because she becomes seriously ill.  But her thoughtful gift, when she finally goes into a hospice, reveals her love and gives him a new interest.

#5  Margaret

Working Title:  Home Is Where The Bird Is
Age/Genre:  Picture Book
The Pitch:  Bird thought he found his perfect birdhouse – until he encountered the mouse living inside.  After a feather-raising experience house hunting on his own, Bird asks Mouse for help.  Mouse leads Bird on a hilarious tour of unconventional housing options.  As winter looms, will Bird accept anything but his perfect birdhouse?


#6  Christie 2

Working Title:  Solomon’s Raisin Farm
Age/Genre:  PB
The Pitch:  Last year, Solomon was finally old enough to help with the harvesting of the raisins, but it rained. This year, he prays for no rain so the crops won’t get ruined and the family can make money at the festival. Will the rain hold off this year so Solomon can finally prove to his family that he really is old enough to help out?

OY!  What a tough choice!  But please vote for your favorite below.

<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/5889704/”>Pitch Pick #5</a>

The poll will be open until, oh, let’s say Wednesday Feb. 1 at 11:59 PM EST.  I think I can squeeze announcing the winner in with Friday’s Perfect Picture Book 🙂

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, our very first installment of Oh Susanna!  Wouldn’t you know the very first question to come in was a REALLY hard one!  One might even call it a doozy!  But I am too much of a play-by-the-rules type to skip it and start with an easier one 🙂 so here it is…

Joanna asks:

I have a manuscript that I have written for uTales (eBooks), and am struggling to find an illustrator as they are either too busy or don’t want to do the 50/50 standard uTales collaboration, but want money up front, which I do understand. I am not sure I want to go this route, but have been wondering where to go to find out how much one would pay an illustrator independently for a typical length PB? and what sort of contract would be drawn up? i.e. Who then owns the book etc?

Well, Joanna, you have asked a question that is out of the realm of my experience.  But here’s what I think:


I’m guessing the answer to this may be on a person-by-person basis.  Different people are going to feel comfortable with different arrangements.  I can understand why an illustrator would want to be paid up front – doing the illustrations would be a big investment of time and energy – but if that isn’t workable or comfortable for you perhaps it’s a question of finding an illustrator who is willing to work “on spec” so to speak.  Right in our own 12X12 group there are any number of talented illustrators.  Many more on LinkedIn.  Perhaps you can post (in Linked In groups, 12X12, Children’s Book Hub, etc.) that you’re looking for an illustrator willing to work on spec.  An illustrator who is looking to break into picture books might be more willing to wait for the pay off because of the opportunity for a publishing credit.  Even if the project doesn’t end up selling, the illustrator would  own the illustrations and could use them as part of his/her portfolio and will be able to show future interested parties that they are capable of producing a picture book length work.  If you’re up front about what you want, hopefully you’ll get responses from people who are interested in doing it that way.

As for the standard fee, I’d be very interested to know the answer to that too!  My experience to date has been with publishers who choose and pay for the illustrators, so I have not been involved in paying illustrators.  In traditional publishing, the deal is 50/50 – the author and the illustrator usually get the same amount (so I’m told :))  They get paid an advance and an agreed upon percentage of royalties.  The publisher keeps the percentage until the advance has earned out.  After that, the author and illustrator receive the royalties, usually twice a year.  (For clarity’s sake, if you get an advance of $1000 and a 5% royalty on a book that retails for $16.95, you’ll earn .85 for each book sold, so you have to sell about 1177 books to earn out your advance.  After that, you get .85 for every book sold delivered in a royalty check twice a year.)

For uTales it looks as though you must submit a completed ms along with illustrations, but that doesn’t guarantee uTales will accept your project.  Is that correct?  If they accept it, then you and the illustrator would each get 50%.  The problem, if I’m understanding, is if they don’t accept.  Then you have both put in a lot of time and effort for no publishing contract.  I’m guessing that is where your question about who owns what comes in.  I would think a fairly simple contract would suffice – you own the story and they own the illustrations.  However, if you have to pay for the illustrations up front for a project that doesn’t sell, than you have technically bought the illustrations and should own them.  Or if you pay up front for a project that does sell, you should get all the proceeds until your expense has ben covered.  Any deal is workable as long as you’re very clear about the parameters and both parties are happy with the arrangement.  If you reach the point of having a completed book that didn’t sell, however, nowadays you have the option of self-publishing.  There are many possibilities here, and if you and the illustrator agree to split proceeds 50/50 this could be another way the illustrator could end up getting compensation for his/her work. 

But Joanna and I would now both love to hear from all of you!!!  Have you hired an illustrator?  How did you handle the rights and payment?  Have you done a project for uTales or a similar entity?  How did you manage it?  Are you an illustrator?  What is your standard fee (or what have you heard is the going rate?)  Please share your knowledge and experience!  Joanna and I (and I’m guessing a lot of our readers, because this is a very interesting question!) will be eagerly awaiting your input!



Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Busy Life Of Ernestine Buckmeister

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Hurray!  It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!  (And, right after the book, we’ll find out who won the Michael Garland giveaway!!!)

Today’s choice is as much for parents and teachers as it is for kids!

The Busy Life Of Ernestine Buckmeister
Written By: Linda Ravin Lodding
Illustrated By: Suzanne Beaky
Flashlight Press, October 2011, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 5 and up
Themes/Topics: the importance of play, over-scheduling
Opening: “Each morning, while Ernestine ate breakfast and Nanny O’Dear prepared lunch, Ernestine’s father zoomed out to work and called, ‘Live life to the fullest, Ern!’  And each morning Ernestine’s mother zipped out to catch the bus and said, ‘Make every moment count, E!‘”

Brief synopsis: Ernestine’s parents want her to have every experience she can, so they pack her days with sculpting and tuba,  yoga and yodeling.  It takes Ernestine to show them that one thing she absolutely shouldn’t miss is having time to just play.

Links to resources:  What I really should say here is, “No resources!  Just go play!”  But here are some resources that are also playing 🙂  Coloring Page, and for activities, try making a daisy crown (or any kind of outdoorsy crown), or make clouds out of cotton or shaving cream and see what shapes you see in them, or build a fort out of sticks, or blocks, or an empty cardboard box.  Use you imagination!

Why I Like This Book:  Kids will enjoy Ernestine’s ridiculous schedule, her amusing list of lessons, her teachers’ funny names, the bold bright colors of the pictures, and Ernestine’s inspired solution to her problem.  As a grown-up, I appreciate Ernestine’s message that while organized activities arranged and taught by adults have their place, so too does the unstructured time to be a child and simply play.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, when I announce…  that I will be vacuuming this afternoon!

Nah!  I’m just foolin’ with ya!

(I know you don’t care whether I vacuum.  Although there are others who feel differently… :))

The winner of a Michael Garland book is none other than our delightful Robyn!!! Wahoo!  Yay Robyn!

So Robyn, please Email Me and let me know if you’d like Icarus Swinebuckle, Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook, or Grandpa’s Tractor (which was added by popular demand :))

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and join us back here Monday for the first Oh Susanna and the December/January Pitch Pick which will have to share a post unless I boot Oh Susanna for another week.  You may feel free to share your opinion on the matter in the comments – I’m happy either way 🙂

Also, if you have a few free minutes over the weekend, please pop round to some of the wonderful bloggers who have been so kind as to interview me and Phyllis this week 🙂  I’ll copy and paste the list from Wednesday to here for your convenience:

(From Tuesday Jan. 24):  Clarbojahn’s Blog: Part 2 of our interview and a giveaway of a hard cover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis.
From Wed. Jan. 25):  Sylvia Ramsey’s Blog, Thoughtful Reflections.  This one I’m not too familiar with. I wrote the interview for her at the beginning of September so it will be all new to me too! 🙂
(From Thurs. Jan. 26): Corey Schwartz’s Blog, Thing 1 and Thing 2.  This one is all about where the idea for Phyllis came from and will be in two parts.  I’m not sure yet when part 2 will be.
Friday Jan. 27:  Leigh Covington’s Blog.  This one is a (brief!) interview with Phyllis herself!  She emerged from her burrow just because she likes Leigh.  There will be a giveaway of a hard cover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis here too!
Sat. Jan. 28: Iza Trapani’s Blog, In And Out Of My Studio.  A chat with one of my favorite author/illustrators who may or may not be appearing on this blog soon (I could tell you, but then it wouldn’t be a secret :))  There will be a giveaway of a hardcover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis on this one, too!

Perfect Picture Book bloggers, please remember to post your links in the list below so everyone can come see the wonderful books you’ve chosen this week!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 24th Pitch

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I think it’s a two-cups-of-hot-chocolate morning, my friends!

With whipped cream.

And a little cocoa sprinkled on top to look pretty.

Because look at all the happiness we have to share this morning!

First, through some unknown cosmic whirlijig (I just made that up because it sounds good and it looks good :)) I am being featured on 5 different blogs in the space of a week!  Normally I am not that popular.  I think this has to do with Phyllis 🙂  Who wants you to remember what’s coming next week and how exceptional she looks in her tiara, so here:

This is me, Phyllis, wearing the tiara that the Grace Church preschoolers made me last year, and the scarf Aunt Leslie made me to match my first book.  Kind of takes your breath away, don’t it? 🙂

Because most of the bloggers are my very good friends, I do hope you will go visit them.  (Also, there could be a book in it for you :))

Here’s the run-down in case you’re interested:

Yesterday (Tuesday Jan. 24):  Clarbojahn’s Blog: Part 2 of our interview and a giveaway of a hard cover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis.
Today (Wed. Jan. 25):  Sylvia Ramsey’s Blog, Thoughtful Reflections.  This one I’m not too familiar with. I wrote the interview for her at the beginning of September so it will be all new to me too! 🙂
Tomorrow (Thurs. Jan. 26): Corey Schwartz’s Blog, Thing 1 and Thing 2.  This one is all about where the idea for Phyllis came from and will be in two parts.  I’m not sure yet when part 2 will be.
Friday Jan. 27:  Leigh Covington’s Blog.  This one is a (brief!) interview with Phyllis herself!  She emerged from her burrow just because she likes Leigh.  There will be a giveaway of a hard cover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis here too!
Sat. Jan. 28: Iza Trapani’s Blog, In And Out Of My Studio.  A chat with one of my favorite author/illustrators who may or may not be appearing on this blog soon (I could tell you, but then it wouldn’t be a secret :))  There will be a giveaway of a hardcover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis on this one, too!

I don’t know Sylvia, but all the others are wonderful writers with great blogs.  I hope you will do them the favor of a visit!

Next, you still have today to comment on Monday’s Author/Illustrator Interview with Michael Garland for a chance at one of his books!  If you haven’t read the interview and commented yet, hop on over after you finish Would You Read It and leave your thoughts for today’s participant.

Which brings me to today’s participant, the lovely Christie whom you’ve already met thrice before – she’s that prolific!

Here we go!

Working Title:  Solomon’s Raisin Farm
Age/Genre:  PB
The Pitch:  Last year, Solomon was finally old enough to help with the harvesting of the raisins, but it rained. This year, he prays for no rain so the crops won’t get ruined and the family can make money at the festival. Will the rain hold off this year so Solomon can finally prove to his family that he really is old enough to help out?

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 Christie 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.  Pitches are currently queued through March 14, but there are lots of openings after that, so send your pitch for a chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Christie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Please join us Friday for Perfect Picture Books!  And the winner of the Michael Garland book giveaway!

Author/Illustrator Interview: Meet Michael Garland (And There’s A Giveaway!)

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Happy Monday Everyone 🙂

I’m delighted to be reinstating this feature as a monthly special on my blog.  I love having the opportunity to talk with talented, creative people who are making a go of it in this very competitive field.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn – about what works and what doesn’t, what the particular challenges and rewards are, what is hard and what comes easy, and how different people go about accomplishing their work.

These interviews will usually take place on either the third Saturday or the third Sunday of the month (I haven’t decided yet :)), but since January started on a Sunday and there’s so much going on as the new year kicks off, I bent the rules by a week.  Then, due to the squirrelly internet out here in the boondocks, the art for the post didn’t come through in time, so I couldn’t post yesterday.  So here it is today instead, bumping Oh, Susanna into next week.  Such is the way of things sometimes 🙂  But well worth it for today’s interview!

It is my very great pleasure to present this month’s Author/Illustrator, Michael Garland!

Michael Garland

SLH:  Michael, thank you so much for joining us today.  We’re thrilled to have you!  Let’s start with some just-for-fun quick warm-up questions 🙂

Agented or Not?  Not
Traditionally or Self-Published? Traditionally
Traditional or Digital Format? All books so far started in traditional format, but some have been converted to digital.
Apps or Not?  3 apps: Icarus Swinebuckle, Henry’s Parade, and Angel Cat.
Plotter or Pantser? Plontser 🙂
Laptop or Desk top?  Desk top
Mac or PC?  Mac
Day, Afternoon or Night Worker?  Writing – brain freshest in AM; drawing – second nature and can do any time.
Coffee or Tea?  Coffee
Quiet or Music?  Writing – complete silence; painting/drawing – any noise is fine but usually choose CNN, the Golf Channel or the History Channel.
Currently Reading?  In The Garden Of The Beasts by Eric Larson

SLH:  Now for the more involved stuff!  When did you first become interested in writing/illustrating?

MG:  I began drawing as a very young child.  I drew to entertain myself.  I even made little books, although I didn’t really think of them that way at the time.  My parents were lavish with their praise and encouraged me.  When I reached Kindergarten, the teacher was equally enthusiastic about my work.  It was quickly and readily apparent that I could draw better than the other kids.  My teachers would hold up everything I drew to show the other students… which was never true of my math tests 🙂  I went to a Catholic boys high school where there was no real art curriculum.  But afterwards I attended the Pratt Institute.

(Here are a few samples of Michael’s recent book covers to give you a sense of his talent!)

SLH:  So illustrating really came first for you.  When did you begin writing as well?

MG:  It was a leap for me to finally write a story myself.  I had always thought of myself as an illustrator, not a writer.  But after I had illustrated a number of books for other people, I began to think how much fun it would be to tell my own stories.  The first book that I both wrote and illustrated was called My Cousin Katie and was based on my own daughter.  Having written about one child, I wanted to wrote about the others, so My Cousin Katie was followed by Circus Girl and Dinner At Magritte’s for my other children.  These three titles remain among my favorites, along with Leah’s Pony, the house for which was modeled on a house near me even though it takes place in Texas; The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, which has remained in print for a long time; Santa Kid, which I illustrated for James Patterson; and The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle The Bulldog and Noelle’s Treaure Tale which I illustrated for Gloria Estefan.

SLH:  How many books have you published?

MG:  I have published about 40 books that I illustrated but didn’t write, and about 30 where I did both.

SLH:  Wow!  That is impressive!  Have you ever written anything that didn’t sell?

MG:  Oh, sure!  I have about 5 or 6 projects that don’t sell for every one that does.

SLH:  You’re ahead of the curve, then 🙂  Most people say they have 10 unsold mss for every one that sells!  Do you consider yourself an author or an illustrator first, or are the two inseparable?

MG:  As I mentioned, I originally thought of myself as an illustrator.  But now the two are really inseparable.

SLH:  You were really a pioneer in digital art – one of the first to use that medium.  Can you tell us a little about that?

MG:  The first time I used digital art was for The Mouse Before Christmas which was published in 1997.  It was hard to get folks to accept back then, but interestingly enough, it was an older editor – in her seventies – who was willing to give it a try.  Editors quickly saw how much easier it was to work with digital art.  Changes that were time-consuming and difficult to pull off with traditional painting could often be fixed in matter of minutes in the digital format.  The equipment was expensive, and the disks were huge, cost about $60 each, and could only hold about 2 paintings each, so I would hand over a stack of disks for a single book, which I then, usually didn’t get back to reuse.  But it turned out to be worth it!

SLH:  This leads into your new book – Fish Had A Wish – due out from Holiday House in February 2012 – just a couple weeks away.  You have pioneered another new art form with this.  Can you tell us about the book and the new art?

MG:  Fish Had A Wish (originally titled Fish Wishing, then Fish Wish, and finally Fish Had A Wish) was inspired because I love nature books and I wanted to write one.  So I started out with a fish.  He is bored of being a fish and imagines what it would be like if he could be something else.  It is intended for earliest readers and as such has a very short and simple text.  It was short and simple to begin with, and the editor cut it by about 1/3 again.  The new art you’re referring to is what I like to call digi-woodcut.  It’s a form of digital art that mimics woodcut.  I scan in all kinds of wood textures and then layer them in the painting.

SLH:  It’s really beautiful.  Here is the cover of Fish Had A Wish (as well as a couple interior illustrations because they are so incredible I just have to share them!):

illustration copyright Michael Garland 2012

illustration copyright Michael Garland 2012

illustration copyright Michael Garland 2012

Aren’t they gorgeous?!  Which brings me to the importance of art in picture books…  As both an author and an illustrator, what are your thoughts on the importance of writing vs. the importance of art?

MG:  A picture book is supposed to be 50/50.  The author, or the writing, tells half the story and the illustrations tell the other half.  It should be equal.  A good picture book is.  But in terms of how it’s perceived, in my experience, in the publishing equation authors get a disproportionate amount of the credit.

SLH:  A few of your books have become apps – Icarus Swinebuckle, Henry’s Parade, and Angel Cat.  What has your experience been like in this venue?

MG:  It’s been fun to see the books developed into apps.  When Icarus Swinebuckle came out, it was on the itunes bestseller list for 2 weeks and was #1 in Jamaica!  But then you get into the problem of the infinite bookshelf.  New apps are coming in all the time.  When books are available in a library, they’re right there on the shelf.  You can see everything there is to choose from.  It might not be the most extensive choice, and you might not notice everything that’s there, but it’s finite.  When apps go out, they become part of the infinite bookshelf.  Publishers are taking all their backlisted books and digitizing them.  EVERYthing is available.  So how do you even know what’s out there?  How do you find things?  As an author or illustrator, how do you get people’s attention?  This is one of the challenges facing us as we move forward.

SLH:  Do you have any advice for aspiring authors and/or illustrators?

MG:  Don’t allow one rejection to discourage you.  Or even a bunch.  And it has to be enjoyable.  If you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be doing it.  I have been 38 years in the business.  I’ve made the New York Times bestseller list 4 times – with Miss Smith And The Haunted Library, Santa Kid, The Magically Mysterious Adventures Of Noelle The Bulldog, and Noelle’s Treasure Tale.  But what I consider to be one of my real successes is that I get to do something I love.  I have never had to go to a job I hated.

SLH:  Finally, Michael, I’d like to finish up with a question from one of our readers.  She asks, is it totally important to have a story, or can you just entertain and make people think?  She gives as an example a current idea which is an adventure with a lot of imaginative things, but no story per se.

MG:  In my opinion, story is the most important thing.  The writing tells half and the pictures tell half, but if you don’t have a story, you have nothing.  You need a beginning, a middle and an end; a provocative opening, something has to happen, and then it has to resolve.  Story is everything.

SLH:  Michael, thank you so much for joining us!  It’s been wonderful hearing all you have to say!

And now, my friends, just because I like you :), anyone who comments on this post by Wednesday January 25 at 11:59 PM EST will be eligible to win their choice of Icarus Swinebuckle or Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland.

Michael’s book are available wherever books are sold.  Fish Had A Wish will be out in a couple of weeks, so go ahead and pre-order 🙂  And please visit Michael at his website where you can see the breadth of his work as well as learn about his availability for school visits.


For another great interview with Michael which focuses on his 2011 holiday book Oh, What A Christmas!, please visit Pat’s blog at Children’s Books Heal.