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
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
So, I’m writing this post pre-conference because I know how tired I’ll be when I get back on Sunday evening, but surprisingly…I’m tired now too. Ya know–from all that packing and the dirty rotten cold that I’ve been fighting with all week. So, before I take some Nyquil and fall asleep, I thought I’d share with you some of my best packing tips for a conference since they’re fresh in my mind. Yes, I know this post would have been fantastic about a week ago, but I wasn’t packing then. Think about it as a well-prepared post for all those spring conferences coming up. Now on to it…
1. Dress in layers-you never know what the temp in the room is going to be like and it can change from room to room.
2. Wear comfortable shoes. Your fancy shoes should be comfortable and then also bring a REALLY comfortable pair and plan your outfit around them for Sunday–because by then your feet hate you. Also for Sunday’s outfit–I’ve learned to wear a really cool shirt (like a short sleeve) as my base layer because often that is book signing/I’ve already checked out of my room day and you are carrying enough stuff to make a pack mule look dainty. And because of that you might sweat…a little. I’ve learned this the hard way–trust me!
3. Pack enough chocolate for you and all your friends. I feel this should be self explanatory. If it is not, we will schedule a private tutorial.
3. If you already have books from an author that you want to get signed–pack them! Sounds like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many times I’ve forgotten mine. Grrrr
4. Camera!!!! Especially if you have family and/or blog. For the family–(private use only) I try to take pics of things that I couldn’t possible adequately explain to them. If you’re blogging about the conference, your reader will get so much out of having visuals to go with your recap. I personally feel it really makes a difference and I know I always gravitate to the recaps with l0ts of eye catching pics.
5. Pack a sturdy bag for all the books you buy. You always think you might not buy so many but when a speaker talks about a book it becomes personal and it’s hard to resist buying it.
6. A list (even if it’s a mental one) of gifts that you might need to give. An author signed book is great for family and friends, charity (I get one or two for my children’s school library) or for a contest on your blog.
7. BRING BUSINESS CARDS!!!! I can’t stress this enough. Part of the fun of a conference is meeting wonderful new friends. You want these new friends to be able to stay in touch. I’ve meet the BEST PEOPLE EVER at my conferences.
8. These next items are going to be light in your suitcase but they are still important to bring with you–an open mind. Take it all in. Take notes. Take time to digest it. Let it all wash over you.
9. Take confidence. You belong at this conference. YOU ARE A WRITER AND THIS IS YOUR TRIBE–DO NOT FEEL LIKE A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN IN YOUR OWN TRIBE.
10. Bring kindness–not everyone packs #9 when they prepare for a conference, especially their first one. Be a friend. Do not let people eat alone, sit on the sidelines or feel like they do not belong. It costs you nothing to be kind, thoughtful and to remember what it felt like when you lack confidence. Be a leader.
I’ll be back on Wednesday with some after-action conference review. In the meantime, what’s your favorite conference tip? Did any of my tips make your to-do list? Do you have a link to a review of the conference you’d like to share? Come on–give me something because *yawn* I need to stay awake.
Tags: Conferences, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, NY12SCBWI, Packing Tips, SCBWI, Touching the Surface, YA Author, YA Book, YA Novel, YA Writer
By the time you grab your coffee and read this, I’ll be eating a bagel at the Marketing Workshop at the New York SCBWI Conference. That’s a thumbs up for bagels and marketing knowledge and a raspberry for getting up that early in the morning. Thinking ahead–yes, I AM talking about me. *gives you the stink eye* I planned out today’s blog post and Monday’s because I’ll be spending my first day after the conference in bagel detox. And sadly, reclimbing Mt. Laundrious as my kids have come to call that pile of clothes in their closet that almost touches the ceiling. Cheeky little bugger aren’t they. So, since I was out in the wild at the train station, this morning, I thought that In The Wild would be a wonderful theme for today’s blog.
Not too long ago I mentioned that my local B&N had relocated the YA department from–right next to the kids section…to snuggled up in the adult section. I asked my friend Linda (who works there) how the change was going and she gave it a thumbs up. I also promised some pictures of the new arrangement…
A display table that is chock full of books and the aisles behind the table are all YA!
So many of my favorite titles and authors hanging out on the shelves.
Sorry, these didn’t look this blurry on my phone. Grrrr…
And as I was wandering around, petting and hugging the books, I found some books that I’d never seen out in “The Wild” before. You can click on the picture to find out more about the book and it’s author.
Double Apocalypsie Trouble–Click on the pic for a link to more info about Brodi Ashton’s EVERNEATH and click HERE for more info about TEMPEST by Julie Cross
UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi–An Apocalypsie!!!
THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney–one of Michelle Wolfson’s Wolf Pack!!!!
DARKER STILL: Magic Most Foul Book #1 by Leanna Renee Hieber–Also and Apocalypsie!!!
Another Apocalypsie!!! FRACTURED by Megan Miranda
Another Wolf Pack author!!! Two out of three of the PARANORMALCY series by Kiersten White–Did I tell you that I’m reading ENDLESSLY RIGHT NOW!!! Yes, be jealous.
My class of 2k12 girl–Robin Bridges with THE GATHERING STORM Book#1 of the Katerina Trilogy
Apocalypsie Double Trouble! Click on the picture for a link to Brodi Ashton’s EVERNEATH and click HERE for more on TEMPEST by Julie Cross.
My Simon Pulse Housemate–Lucas Klauss with EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE
Apocalypsie and NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR Marissa Meyer and CINDER!!!!!
I can’t even tell you how exciting it is to see all these books out in the wild. So exciting!!!! Can’t wait to stop in again soon and see who else is peaking out at me from the shelves.
FYI–I’ll be blogging about the conference when I get back, but in the meantime you can follow the conference live from twitter–just follow #NY12SCBWI I’ll do my best to keep you up to date. So, have you read any of the books that I’ve spotted out in the wild? What did you think? Any that you’re lusting for?
Tags: Apocalypsies, Arissa Meyer, Barnes & Noble, Brodi Ashton, Daisy Whitney, Julie Cross, Kiersten White, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Leanna Renee Hieber, Lucas Klauss, Megan Miranda, Michelle Wolfson, Robin Bridges, Simon Pulse, Touching the Surface, Veronica Rossi, Wolf Pack, YA Author, YA Book, YA Novel, YA Writer
