Yesterday I Rocked the Drop!!!!

Rock the Drop 2012

Once again, Readergirlz and Figment did ROCK THE DROP in honor of Support Teen Lit Day on Thursday, April 12th. All I had to do was find some YA books that I wanted to share with the world and then

* Snag a bookplate, created by the uber-talented David Ostow (who blogs hilarious cartoons here), and then proclaim that I will ROCK THE DROP! I love proclaiming things so this was already gonna be fun.
* Print a copy of the bookplate and insert it into a book (or 10!) to drop on April 12th. The goal is to drop a book in a public spot (park bench, bus seat, restaurant counter?) Lucky finders will see that the book is part of ROCK THE DROP!
* Snap a photo of your drop and post it at the readergirlz Facebook page. Then tweet the drop at #rockthedropwith all the other lovers of YA books.

You can visit the readergirlz blog for more news and pictures before, during, and after the event!

Here’s how it went down…

I picked three books that I had on hand. Class of 2k12‘s Megan Bostic— NEVER EIGHTEEN, from YA Outside the Lines I had THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer Hubbard and I had an ARC from of IMAGINARY GIRLS from Nova Ren Suma.

In each book I included a class of 2k12 bookmark and a TOUCHING THE SURFACE bookmark.

I also added in the readergirlz Rock The Drop bookplate.

Since I planned on getting out of the house and doing some writing (in addition to wanting to try to catch the finder of the book) I decided to take all three books with me to Panera.

So I planted to books and waited–going through my emails with one eye on the lookout. I was in between the breakfast and lunch crowd so I figured I needed to get a little writing done while it was slow. I got lost in my manuscript and when I looked up…all the books were done. For a moment I felt some panic. I’m usually very careful to screen perspective new parents of books that I loved. What if…

But I decided that when you Rock the Drop you’re moving outside your box and you never know what’s going to happen.

Do you like to give books as gifts? Do you have one go to book that you give everyone? Any great stories of book gifting? Planning on Rocking the Drop next year?  You know I am–I’ll have my own book to leave too. <3

Tags: Class of 2k12, Imaginary Girls, Jennifer Hubbard, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Megan Bostic, Never Eighteen, Nova Ren Suma, Readergirlz, Rock The Drop, The Secret Year, YA Outside the Lines

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I have this babysitter, Amy.

I love her for all the usual reasons–like she watches my children once a week so I can go to my dance class, she’s cleaned up vomit, she plays games with my competitive yet whiny kids and she plans awesome crafts and projects. My boys adore her.

But I love her for my own selfish reasons–she’s my friend. And I had to tell her that in the acknowledgment pages of my book.

“And to Amy Miccio, boy-watcher extraordinaire, you are important to me.”

I could write another book–a book of reasons why she has become someone special in my life–but one will be enough to convince you it’s true…

She made me my first paper crane for my birthday. And then she helped three little people that I love make the second, third and fourth…

And I am reminded that there is nothing more special than having someone say…you are important to me. I am too warm and fuzzy to ask a question–just talk amongst yourselves.

Tags: Babysitter, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, paper crane, Touching the Surface

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I thought that I’d do a funny post highlighting some of my greatest birthday presents of all time. I mean–heck I’m 42 this year–I’ve gotten some great stuff. But my mind kind of went here first and wouldn’t go anywhere else…

If my dad was still alive–today would have been the day he shaved his winter beard. He did it every year for my birthday. He knew how much I “hated” his scruffy kisses when he rough-housed with my brother and I. He used those scratchy whiskers as a weapon in the tickle wars while putting us to bed. It was the perfect torture. Ironically, after all of the initial complaining I did–begging him to shave it off–every year I got used to it. And every spring, when March 19th rolled around,  I’d be sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast and trying to figure out why he looked so funny that particular morning. I think the trickster in him  loved that, as much as he liked to get me with his scruff. I wish he was still here to give me that present–it was one of my favorites.

What’s you’re favorite birthday present?

Tags: Birthday, Birthday Presents, Dad, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini

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I don’t know if I mentioned that my friend Linda Hanlon and I have taken over as co-conspirators co-coordinators for The Hudson Valley Shop Talk. This is my local writer’s group for the SCBWI Eastern New York. We had our second meeting of the year yesterday (I missed the first get together due to attending the New York SCBWI Conference) so for me, it felt like the first. I’ll admit it–I was a little nervous but I think it went well. We are still in a kind of transitional phase, trying to see what works best for the group. But I thought I’d share some of my thoughts with you and see what you guys like out of your writer’s groups.

First of all, this group is a very mixed bag. Not everyone will be able to attend all the time, there will be a mixture of illustrators and writers from picture book to novel and there will also be a range of members from newbie to published.

This is a tough group to work with. Because of the diversity it can be very hard to meet everyone’s individual needs IF you think of Shop Talk as primarily a place to get a critique done on your work. But you guessed it–I don’t think of it that way. I know you’ve heard me mention this before, but I think of these Shop Talk meetings as a tribe gathering place–almost like a family reunion. All good families have a mixture of people at varies ages and stages of life and for Shop Talk to be an effective tool for all of us, I think we need to treat it as our tribal reunion for the month.

Here is what I see happening at a successful Shop Talk…

*Information and resources are readily available-Anyone new, walking in for the first time, should have a plethora of information about the SCBWI at their finger tips. Every month we will be adding more resources to our reference documents.

*A monthly book club where we all read one PB and one MG/YA book and briefly discuss it as WRITERS. It’s an optional exercise but it helps us all to learn to read with an eye towards craft.

*A monthly topic. On Saturday we talked about critique groups. We touched upon the traditional skills that are needed to give feedback. We also addressed a common occurrence–negating our own worth when it comes to giving feedback. We need to acknowledge that our critique skills will grow with time and practice, but that we are all capable of giving a thoughtful response as a reader. Then we discussed a blog post by Kristen Lamb, which suggest that we would benefit from  being a Non-Tradtional Critique group. I have to agree. It is my personal belief that there is a limited amount a large, mixed, rotating group of people can truly do for each person’s individual manuscript. Instead we need to focus on learning general critique skills, working with big picture plot/synopsis critiques, creating relationships that will result in successful critique partners/groups and beta readers. We also need to utilize the diversity in our tribe to foster mentorship within the group. I began attending Shop Talk meetings with no real knowledge or skills about writing or publishing–I learned everything I know from the SCBWI and other children’s writers. I feel that there is no better way to say thank you for what I was given than to pay it forward. I’m inspired by the idea that the Hudson Valley Shop Talk will be a community where we all share and learn from each other.

*We need to take it to the streets–or the book stores or the restaurants or online. For this group to harness the power of it’s members we need to be in contact more than just for 2+ hours a month. Friday some of us will be heading to one of our local independent bookstores for a YA author event. We’ve got an online group on Facebook to help stay in touch and we’ll be putting together an email list so we can stay connected. Additionally,there are SCBWI conference events, book festivals and more coming down the pike. I’m excited to get to know everyone a little bit more.

I’ll be honest–I’m sure some of our best laid plans–well you know how that goes LOL! But I’m hopeful and really, isn’t that the best way to be? So, now it’s time for you to step up dear reader–whether you’re in my local Shop Talk or not. You don’t even have to be in a writer’s group to have an opinion of what you’d like out of a group. Spill.  Tell me your wishes. Share your best tips.

Tags: critique, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Linda Hanlon, SCBWI, SCBWI Eastern NY, Shop Talk, Touching the Surface

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It’s Sunday.  Technically it’s Super Bowl Sunday and I’m sitting in the middle of a football party in my living room. I’m in the big chair in the corner with my lap top and a heavy-duty set of ear plugs, digging into this last conference post that took place last Sunday. I’d like to say this is dedication, but truly it’s not.  I’m *gasp* not a football die hard and I only feel compelled to even be in the living room (instead of hiding upstairs) because my kids think I should be thrilled about this spectacular sports event. I do not begrudge them the excitement and passion of the game, I feel the same emotion when I go to the “Super Bowl” of kid lit writing events.  To each his own and if you like both…more power to you.  Let’s kickoff this last conference post!

Sunday January 29th, 2012

8:30-9:00  AWARD PRESENTATION for the Tomie dePaola Award and the Art Showcase winners but first a HUGE shout-out for the staff of the SCBWI.

Feel free to stop reading and give them a little standing ovation…I’ll wait.

Now, on to the Portfolio Showcase Winner: Mike Curato

This could have easily been a picture of me standing in front of the cupcake counter at the Magnolia Bakery.  Mike obviously knows how to capture a moment!

You can check out the art from the rest of the winners on the SCBWI Conference blog and also find artwork from more of our talented illustrators on the SCBWI’s Illustrator Gallery.

9:00-9:15  SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT by Jane Yolen

I don’t know about you, but I get tingly just thinking about Jane Yolen speaking–she always captures my attention and has something fantastic to say.  This year was no exception.  The SCBWI has started the Jane Yolen Mid-List Author Grant.

Here is what Lee Wind on the SCBWI Blog had to say about it…

“Congratulations to Mary K. Whittington for winning this year’s inaugural Jane Yolen Mid-List Author grant! A published author who hasn’t had a new book come out in a while, Mary recently had a stroke, and is halfway through writing a new novel using voice recognition software. Jane calls Mary her hero, and hopes the grant helps her get that novel finished and out into the world.

And our cheers as well to Ann Whitford Paul and Barbara Diamond Golden for their honor grants.

More information about the Jane Yolen Mid-List Author Grant (and how to nominate a mid-list author you know for next year) will be forthcoming on scbwi.org, where you’ll find information on all the author and illustrator Grants and Awards.”

Yes…Jane Yolen is made of awesome!

9:15-10:15  PANEL: METHODS TO THE MADNESS: THE PROCESS OF MAKING PICTURE BOOKS: Featuring the Bookmakers Dozen and  moderated by Laurent Linn

Don’t hate me–I loved the Bakers Dozen, but there were just too many people for one panel.  So many, I’m not even going to list them all.  It took me the first half hour of the presentation to figure out who was who.  But I did jot down a couple gems from Peter Brown…

*If you plan on making a career in this business–you have to be an idea factory!

*You need to take the reader into account–you don’t want to make the best book ever that no one reads.

*You don’t want to be the last one to write a vampire book–you want to be the first one to write a robovamp book.  Don’t steal that.

Time to goof off a little before the next panel…Lin said to stretch.

Scott, Jodi, Kim and Sam

Allan, Justin and Scott…ready to tackle the agent panel. LOL!

10:30-11:30  PANEL” THE CURRENT MARKET FOR YOUR WORK: FOUR AGENTS’ VIEWS

Moderator (LO) Lin Oliver

(GK) Ginger Knowlton, Agent, Curtis Brown LTD.

(RB) Regina Brooks, Founder and President, Serendipity Literary Agency, LLC

(CR) Chris Richman, Agent, Upstart Crow Literary

(KW) Ken Wright, Agent, Writers House

***I’M INTERRUPTING THIS BLOG WITH A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT…THE GIANTS HAVE SCORED A TOUCH DOWN!!!!  EVERYONE SEEMS EXCITED. NOW BACK TO OUR REGULAR PROGRAMING.***

State of the market…

(KW) Every time I make a submission, editors are asking where is this book going to go and how is the author going to get me there. The days are gone when someone can acquire a book just because they “like it.”

(GK) Exciting, Exhilarating, Exhausting

What are you looking for?

(CR) Voice…but a lot comes down to the hook.

(KW) I choose based on what I know about individual editors.

(RB) My job is to come up with ways to position the book.

(GK) Lots of debut novels being published, so agents and editors are looking for fresh voices.

(KW) YA is going to continue to trend.

On building a career author…

(GK) Nurture every connection–small community, play nice.

(CR) The more attractive you can make yourself, the more likely we are to want to work with you.  (No…not physically attractive. *head thump*)

11:30-12:30  CLOSING KEYNOTE: KEEPING YOUR FOCUS by Kathryn Erskine

I love how animated and enthusiastic Kathryn is!

F-freedom

O-organization

C-creativity

U-understanding

S-sharing

Here’s the best of each category…

FREEDOM

*Create whenever you can.

*Free yourself from the guilt that you’re taking time away from other people.

*Free yourself from self-doubt. Do you remember what books got awards when you were 15? No–you remember what books moved you.

*Whenever you think about hanging it up–remember there is a kid out there who needs you.

ORGANIZATION

*Organize your workspace.

*Organize your MS–Scrivener.  (I’m a personal fan.)

CREATIVITY

*To be creative you really have to take care of yourself.

*Being creative is hard, sublime, ridiculous.

*You’ve got to do what works for you.

UNDERSTANDING

*What do you want to say?

*Understand your audience–how to relate you your readers.

SHARING

*At some point you have to let your “baby” out into the world, but have it ready.  Taking some time to do it right is worth it.

*Published of now, take some time to connect with your readers NOW.

STAY FOCUSED…

*You know your passion–that’s why you’re here.

*talent plus determination.

*Books save us.

12:30-1:00  DOOR PRIZES AND CLOSING REMARKS

1:00-3:00 AUTOGRAPH PARTY!!!!!!

Chris Crutcher and Me!!!!

Making a cyber friend into a real life friend.  Cindy Rodriguez and Me.  And yes, I have on my TEAM WOLF PACK T-shirt!!!!

Class of 2k12 love–Me and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Kim and Kathryn Erskine–totally LOVE her!!!!

Kathryn Erskine signed one special for my Fishkill Frogs!

Me and my best buddy, Jodi Moore–author of WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN. *love*

Me and the love triangle queen, Cassandra Clare.

Cheryl Klein is AWESOME!!! That’s all I have to say. *grin*

Lin Oliver signing for my boys who ADORE her books!!!!!!

The perfect end to a perfect weekend. (Magnolia Bakery)

Hope you enjoyed my virtual tour of the NY SCBWI Conference.  Next I’ll be heading to the Eastern PA 20th Annual Pocono Mountain Retreat, where I’ll be spending the weekend with…drum roll…Laurie Halse Anderson. *SQUEE*  If you’re not too far away, think about signing up, I’d love to hang out with you.

Any conferences in your future?  Tell me where you’re heading–I always love to hear about your writing adventures and I’d love to read about what you’ve learned along the way. Were you at NY?  What was your highlight? And who won that Super Bowl?  And were you watching?

Tags: Cassandra Clare, Cheryl Klein, Chris Crutcher, Class of 2k12, Jane Yolen, Jodi Moore, Kathryn Erskine, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Magnolia Bakery, NY12SCBWI, SCBWI, Super Bowl, Touching the Surface, Wolf Pack

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One of my favorite parts of the conference is Lin Oliver‘s stats and joke during the welcome.

I’ve come to look forward to them. So with out much ado…the 13th Annual New York Conference stats…

*1,148 people in attendance (a sold out show)
*301 were published authors and the remainder are pre-published because that’s how we role in the SCBWI
*392 were women, 56 were men and 700 were UNKNOWN. I met a few of the 700 and they were confused but very nice.
*There were 867 writers in the house and 485 illustrators
*19 different countries were in attendance, including Aruba and Jamaica. Yes, you are correct if you guessed that Lin was singing.
*We also had 49 out of 50 States in attendance but because South Dakota actually showed up this year, Lin was stumped as to who was dissing us.

You have to have the right kind of person to follow Lin Oliver and we were not disappointed.

9:00-10:00 KEYNOTE: TURNING REAL LIFE INTO FICTION – Chris Crutcher

Here are some of my best walk-aways…

*If you want to make life important…shorten it.

*The language of grief, the language of hard times–they need to be told in their native tongue.

*We tend to write for the censors instead of the people who are reading our books.

*The truth you know is the one that will get you published.

*Jesus had an older brother named Esus! Who knew? Chris’ older brother, that’s who. Bwahhhh!!!!

10:15-11:30 PANEL: CHILDREN’S BOOKS: TODAY AND TOMORROW” FOUR EXPERT IMPRESSIONS

Moderator: (LO) Lin Oliver
(RP) Ruben Pfeffer, Agent, East West Literary Agency
(BM) Barbara Markus, Strategic Innovations Advisor
(JF) Jean Feiwel, Senior Vice President and Publishing Director, Feiwel and Friends (MacMillan)
(NP) Nancy Paulsen, President and Publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, (Penguin)

Question: Significant changes in publishing? (LO)

*(RP) Much more energized and commercial publishing going on.

*(BM) We have bestseller hardcover children’s books that sell better than adult books.

*(JF) The closing of Boarders the changes in Amazon, self-publishing etc…

*(NP) Social Media. Remember, you can use it to help support local bookstores.

Question: How do you characterize the market? (LO)

*(JF) In the last 10 years you could publish just about anything. The market has forced a correction–in order to be effective you need to know your core strengths.

*(RP) Because we publish fewer titles, we have to publish titles better.

***GUEST SPEAKER ALERT!!!!***

Yes!!!! It’s Henry Winkler!!!! *heart squish*

Henry is dyslexic and he was wonderfully funny and thoughtful in his speech but I simply can’t capture his talk effectively, but I would like to add this link to a recent interview he did about his dyslexia. Henry Winkler on The Doctors.

11:15-12:45 1ST PRE-ASSIGNED BREAKOUT SESSION—YOUNG ADULT FICTION with Tara Weikum, Executive Editor, Harper Collins

Tara gave a brief history of YA and some thoughts on it…

* The OUTSIDERS–wasn’t the first book for teens but it was the book that made people stand up and take notice.

*Printz Award launched in 2000

*YA is in a major state of flux. Editors ask themselves–What is different about this book from the others I have read? Do I LOVE this book?

*Teens want to read about what is important and relevant to them.

*Voice is different for every editor.

2:00-3:00 KEYNOTE: LOVE TRIANGLE AND FORBIDDEN LOVE–CREATING AND MAINTAINING ROMANTIC TENSION IN YA LITERATURE by Cassandra Clare

*Forbidden love
-By Family
-By Society
-Because it’s unsuitable or dangerous

*Love Triangles
-Epic love vs Indecision

*The kind of love story that is fun to live is not fun to read about.

3:15-4:15 2ND PRE-ASSIGNED BREAKOUT SESSION–REVISION with Cheryl Klein, Executive Editor, Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic)

*Revision=Re-visioning

*Revision requires courage and love–be kind to yourself.

*Take the truth and put it in a story that makes money. (the best of both worlds)

*It’s much more exciting to be in the action than talking about the action that is coming up.

*Write a synopsis from the enemy’s point of view–to show balance.

*SAID is transparent, it disappears–the other tags don’t.

*Keep a copy of everything

*Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

4:30-5:30 3RD PRE-ASIGNED BREAKOUT SESSION–THE NOVEL with Wendy Loggia, Executive Editor, Delacorte Press

*Take the familiar and raft a narrative that makes me see things in a new light

*If you have a clear sense of what you want to do–it shows in your writing.

*There has to be a consumer for your book.

*Keep your reader hooked.

*If something doesn’t feel natural to you–don’t write it.

*Be aware of trends, but if you’re writing to a trend it’s too late.

I also have to mention that Wendy gave a huge shout out to my fellow Apoclaypsie Lissa Price and her up-coming debut novel STARTERS.  Of course I was *squeeing* like mad–out loud when she was talking about Lissa’s book!!!  And it gets better…Wendy gave me the ARC she was reading from!!!!!  I started it on the train and LOVE it!!!!  Contest coming soon!!!! Thank you Wendy and Lissa!!!!!

And don’t think you can sit down now–it’s off to the Gala where they had *drum roll* a mashed potato bar with toppings!!!  If I hadn’t died and gone to heaven, I would have taken a picture. But here are a couple shots from the night.

Kim and Greg Fishbone-Founder of the Class of 2k7

Kim and Lynda Hunt Mullaly–Class of 2k12

And of course, long after the Gala was over, I was still talking to old friends and making new ones in the lobby…

Hanging with my Simon Pulse peeps–Hannah Moskowitz, Kim and Michael Strother. <3

Yes, that is Chris Crutcher hanging out with us!!!!!  Life is good.

I’ll be back on Monday with the final installment from the conference, but in the meantime, have a great weekend!

Tags: Apocalypsies, Cassandra Clare, Cheryl Klein, Chris Crutcher, Class of 2k12, Conferences, Greg Fishbone, Henry Winkler, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lin Oliver, Lissa Price, Lynda Hunt Mullaly, NY12SCBWI, SCBWI, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse, Starters, Touching the Surface

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I’m going to start my conference blog a little unusually. I’m going to begin with John Green and his newest YA novel THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. I’d decided that I wanted to read this on audiobook and I’m so glad that I did. The voices–they brought one of the most beautiful stories to life that I have ever read. Now I bet your asking what this book has to do with the conference. Well, I was five chapters from the end when I boarded the train to head to the city for the Marketing Intensives. I knew it was foolish to try to finish this book in such a public place but I couldn’t stop myself.

Yes, I cried on the train–no–that’s a lie. I sobbed on the train. I frightened the conductor. I tried to pass it off as the side effects of the cold that I had, but when the train stopped and I stood up to gather my things, I saw a writer friend sitting a few rows over. Seeing that one friendly face was my undoing. I put up a finger and and tried to explain, with tears running down my cheeks, how I was forever changed because I had read a book.

Yes, the regular commuters exited the train briskly, mouths gaping–glad I only ride the morning train once in a blue moon. But I’m not ashamed. It was that kind of book and I don’t think that there is a better way to kick off a conference than to walk into it with you heart open and your soul bared. I can’t really write a review of this book, because the truth is I’m not that good of a writer. It will take me a lifetime and many rereads to this story to be able to adequately express what it means to me. So, for now, I shall simply say…thank you John Green.

No longer slobbering, friend in tow, I was happy to easily navigate my arrival tasks of checking in, registering and eating a bagel slathered in cream cheese.  I also got a chance to hook up with a few old friends and meet a new one before kicking off the Marketing Intensives.  I’m going to share some of best nuggets of the day with you…

9:00-10:100 USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO YOUR BEST ADVANTAGE

(SD) Sarah Dickman, Senior Account Executive, Odyl.net

(SR) Susan Raab, President, Raab Associates, Inc

(DS) Deb Shapiro, Founder, Deb Shapiro & Co.

*Once you have a clear sense of what you bring to the table, the better able the publisher is at working with you in marketing. (DS)

*If you have to choose between a website and Facebook, pick FB because you already have 850 million users at your disposal. (SD)

*Think in terms of stages and move forward from where YOU are. (SR)

*How do you quantify the money you spend on marketing? You have to look at it long term, but even then, it’s hard to say. (DS)

*Kids will notice if you are disingenuous with them. Don’t try to fake who you are. (DS)

*Have on page as an author–You are your brand! (SR)

*It’s important to communicate with your publisher so you don’t duplicate efforts. (DS)

10:00-10:30 CREATING BOOK TRAILERS AND OTHER RANDOM ACT OF PROMOTION

Darcy Pattison, Author/Teacher

*Book trailers are a decade old.

*There are three types of trailer-the power point aesthetic, the movie trailer aesthetic and the YouYube Aesthetic

*The idea matters more than anything.

*An autograph allows a reader to take away a little piece of you–a trailer is like this too.

If you’d like to check out some of Darcy Pattison’s trailers–a really fun one is THE BISON vs WOMAN ICE SKATING COMPETITION.

10:30-11:30 PROMOTE  YOURSELF VIA CURRICULUM AND SCHOOL VISITS

(NG) Nick Glass, Founder, Teachingbooks.net

(DHT) Deborah Hochman Turvey, Founder, Visitingauthors.com

*Getting your school visit information up on a website is imperative because librarians do not have the time to be on the phone with you for too long. (DHT)

*Suggestion: Do five visits free and then start charging (DHT)

*On pricing: Not getting enough visits–charge less.  Getting lots of visits–charge more. (DHT)

*Prepare yourself for schools and classes!!!! (DHT)

*DON’T GO IN THERE AND READ YOUR BOOK.  They want to hear about your process, your childhood, your experiences.  Bring Pictures. (DHT)

*I read books that are “not my kind of books” because the author won me over with their passion and personality. (NG)

*Creating lesson plans: It’s about using the test. (NG)

*You can apply to speak at conferences. (NG)

*Many schools do not let students play You Tube videos, so embed your trailer on your website.

*Never underestimate what a librarian will do if they like you. (NG)

*Teachingbooks- “A Google for reading.”

11:30-12:15 DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE WEBSITES

Maddee James, Owner, Xuni.com

*Why do you need a website?

-Homebase on the internet.

-Readers and Publishers expect you to have one.

-You’re responsible for creating your own online presence.

-Readers want to find out more about you.

-You’ll be amazed at how many visitors you get.

-Collect fan names-newsletter.

-Can even help you find an agent/publisher

*MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE IS UP TO DATE!

*Your name is your brand.

12:15-1:15 LUNCH!!!!

1:15-2:15 WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH PUBLISHERS: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO AND WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

****Side note–Cindi Tamasi Hamilton just so happens to be an old friend that I hadn’t seen in ages.  It took us a minute to figure it out LOL!!! But so nice to see her again and now we can keep track of each other in the cyber world!!!****

Cindy Tamasi Hamilton, Director of Publicity,HarperCollins

Tracy van Straaten, Vice Presiden of Publicity, Scholastic, Inc.

*What should I be doing before I get a Publicist?

-Create a list of any personal media contacts, booksellers or librarians

-Provide your editor with information regarding inspiration for your book, back story, things that might be interesting and helpful in pitching your book.

-Build your social media presence on FB/Twitter etc…

*If there is a trend-group marketing might be very beneficial. (ex-Paranormals)

*Sometimes seasonal or topical books from different houses can be beneficial because they will get lumped together.

*Your book being in the catalogue is one of the single most important things for your book!

2:15-3:00 TWEET PROMOTE AND BRAND YOUR WAY TO MARKETING SUCCESS:” STRATEGIES AND REAL WORLD SCENARIOS

(TB) Tracy Barrett, Author

(RM) Roxie Munro, Author/Illustrator

(LO) Lin Oliver, Author/SCBWI Co-Founder

(SR) Susan Raab, President, Raab Associates, Inc

*A mid-list author needs a specific brand-your style and your choices mold you. (RM)

*Throw yourself a launch party. (LO)

*Invite your author friends to the party and highlight their books too–what is good for one is good for all! (LO)

*Make a trailer-it can be done for little or no money. (LO)

*Spend money on a website and put your website on the cover of your ARC and book. (LO)

*When you FB/Twitter–DON’T JUST TALK ABOUT YOURSELF. (LO)

3:15-4:00 NEW DIRECTIONS IN PUBLICITY: EMERGING TRENDS

Jason Kintzler, Founder, PitchEngine

*This social media thing is just a baby-no one has the answers no matter what the size of the brand.

*My initial info comes from FB/Twitter–I only go to websites when I need to go deeper.  It’s not about the website.

*It’s becoming less about reviews and more about what your friends are reading as marketing goes mobile.

*You shouldn’t worry about devices when branding–worry about content.

*Try to find ways to make yourself more relevant.

*Grow your brand by hi-jacking the conversation. Look outside the box.

4:00-5:00 WHERE NEXT? MULTIMEDIA, MOBILE, ELECTRONIC AND GAME PLATFORM

(MK) Michel Kripalani, President, Oceanhouse Media

(JF) Jon Fine, Director, Author & Publisher Relations, Amazon.com, Inc

(PR) Peter Reynolds, Founder, Fablevision

Moderator: (LO) Lin Oliver

*On Publishing: The means of production have been democratized. (JF)

*Discoverability is how you can push your book to the top of that tidal wave. Lots of different ways to tell and sell a story. (JF)

*Apps have only been around for 3 and a half years. (MK)

*On the future of publishing and marketing: There is going to be a lot of money spent and a lot of money wasted.  Consider this the Wild, Wild West. (PR)

*The container for the story keeps changing, but in the end, it still needs to hold a wonderful story. (PR)

*On paper books: They are going to try to digitalize a teddy bear, but in the end, you’re always going to want to snuggle up with the real thing. (PR)

*It used to be the cover that mattered, but now it’s the meta data. (JF)

Phew…that was a lot!  The rest of the intensives wound up with a lightning round of questions and then it was off to dinner and Kidlit Drink night.  Where I got to meet up with some of the Apocalypsies and some of the members of the Class of 2k12.

Kim and Sarvenaz Tash (Class of 2k12)

If you find any of this information in this blog post useful or intriguing, I highly suggest that you follow up  with the links to find out more about these amazing speakers.  They were a wealth of knowledge. So, are there any that you think are really interesting?  I know I’ve already explored a few.  Plus, if you have any other marketing tips–feel free to share them! Coming up on Friday!! Saturday of the NY12SCBWI Conference.

Tags: Apocalypsies, Class of 2k12, Conferences, Darcy Pattison, Deb Shapiro & Co, Fablevision, Inc, John Green, Jon Fine, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lin Oliver, Marketing, Marketing Intensive, NY12SCBWI, Oceanhouse Media, Odyl.net, PitchEngine, Publicity, Raab Associates, SCBWI, Teachingbooks.net, The Fault in Our Sars, Touching the Surface, Visitingauthors.com, Xuni.com

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I don’t know if you’ve seen Pinterest–its this cool new site where you create boards (categories) that you pin (post) and repin (repost from other people’s boards) pictures and pictures with links that you find interesting.  It’s addictive eye candy and I love it.  The boards can be about food, fashion, crafts, athletics, design, people–you name it–it’s probably there. But what I really like about it, is how great a tool it is for writers.  If you like to make visual picture boards for your stories (I do) then this is a great way to do it.  It’s also a very visual way to share your vision of your book with your readers.  Here, I’ll show you what I mean…

Kim’s Pinterest Board for TOUCHING THE SURFACE

Of course it’s a work in progress and I’ll keep adding to it as I find the right pictures, but I think it’s just fun to see my story come alive in different ways.  Just like a playlist gives audio depth to writing, a picture is worth a thousand words extra words.  And we all know how long it can take to get those words just right on the page.  :o)

Are you on Pinterest?  How do you like to use it?  If you haven’t seen it before, check it out and let me know what you think.

Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Picture Boards, Pinterest, Touching the Surface

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It’s Free Plug Friday and I’m feeling a little bit like a Greek God right now.  Oh, the power.  *grin*  Seriously, this could have just as easily been a blog about my favorite brand of chocolate ice cream.  Hmmm…I may have done that already.  Anyway.  Who am I plugging today?

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Merritt Bookstore

I’m way overdue for some Indie love and there’s no better way to fix that problem than to introduce you to a bookstore that I’m in love with.  *sigh*  This is Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, NY.  My ONLY complaint with Merritt is that they’re not located closer to my home.  When I say closer-what I really mean is on my little street.  Or in my backyard, so I could wander in with my PJ’s and coffee.  

I discovered Merritt at my local Eastern NY SCBWI Conferences.  Scott Meyer (the owner) runs the SCBWI Conference Bookstore and always does an amazing job.

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