Jan
9
2014
This was a blog heavy week for me AND a box heavy week. I’m still purging, organizing and packing away my boxed belongings like a squirrel hoarding nuts.
So I’m tossing this one to the John Green…
What’s your favorite kind of nut? I’m a big fan of walnuts on my chocolate sundaes. *grin*
Oct
1
2013
HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!!!
TOUCHING THE SURFACE is out in paperback TODAY!!!!!
Where you can find it:
Can you believe it’s been almost a year since I became an author? And even longer since I sold my first book and got an agent. Here’s a little walk down memory lane. Humor me–I’m nostalgic today. So in no particular order because that would add a layer of organization I’m not capable of, here’s just a few of my most fabulous moments between finding my agent and birthing a paperback…
Standing outside the Simon & Schuster offices.
Apocalypsies at the LA SCBWI Conference!!!
Meeting my agent (Michelle Wolfson) and editor (Anica Rissi) for the first time. <3
Came home from a run to find my ARC’s had finally arrived!!! Such a squee moment!!!
The ARC!
Authors, Simon & Pulse friends and Writer Buds at the NY SCBWI Conference. <3
Bookmarks!!! Thanks Jeff Fielder.
Bringing my book to the Golf Bag Holder (Eastern PA Poconos Mountain Retreat with Jodi Moore.)
First book I ever signed went to Laurie Halse Anderson. Love her.
This made it feel so real.
Loved participating in the YAmazing Race with my Apocalypsies!!!
First author event, even before my book was out. LOL! With my buds from the Class of 2k12. <3
Making friends at BEA!!! Lisa and Kim.
First BEA was even sweeter because I got to spend time with my fabulous agent. <3
Blogger love <3 Finally got to meet Erica!!!!
Joining YA Outside the Lines.
It was a BEA Apocalypsie event of awesome.
Ummmm I got to hear JOHN GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!
Made amazing new blogger friends. Kim and Grace. <3
Hanging with Jay Asher at LA SCBWI–Dude, it was awesome.
Joining the Bookanistas!
Kimmiepoppins met Mary Poppins!!!! I met Julie Andrews!!!!
Signing my contract!!!!!! I AM GOING TO BE AN AUTHOR!!!
My book was at Bologna. Takes my breath away.
Wow!
My Yanni dance girls wearing TOUCHING THE SURFACE T-shirts. <3
Signing books at my book launch.
Good friends drove in from far away despite all the trouble with Hurricane Sandy.
Just an amazing experience.
Unable to thank my friends and family enough for their love and support on that special day.
More book launch at Oblong Books. I LOVE that bookstore and everyone in it. <3
Dad–there–even when he couldn’t be. The dedication.
On bookshelves in bookstores.
Kimmiepoppins finally gets a book launch in NYC after Hurricane Sandy delayed it. Mean Hurricane–awesome party.
Woo hoo!!! I got to speak at the NY Public Library.
I’m a fangirl–it’s A.S. King people!!!!!
I’m a fangirl–it’s Sharon Creech people!!!!
My first SCBWI faculty gig at the Eastern NY SCBWI Conference–where I got paid to talk with my hands about things I love.
Connecting with teen readers and making hedgehogs. *grin*
Loving on my writer mama, K.L. Going. <3 Wouldn’t be here without her.
And because you made it to the end of my reminiscing…you shall be rewarded with a chance to win a signed copy of the brand spanking new TOUCHING THE SURFACE paperback!!!!
Sep
5
2013
Jul
15
2013
It’s gonna be hot today. Stay cool by learning something new…
Gahhhh!!!!! There were a ton of these I didn’t know!!!! Which one did you find the most surprising?
Jul
10
2013
I ran across a couple of interesting articles and videos this week and decided to share…
You Can Never Predict Your Bad Reviews by Nathan Bransford
Hell with What Sells by Chuck Wendig *Warning there is some offensive language in this blog post
How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis by Susan Dennard via Publishing Crawl
There is a grassroots movement to get a song called FIX ME UP by Zach Sobiech and Sammy Brown on the sound track of the movie FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. I didn’t know Zach personally, but a writer friend of mine did and I would love it if you would take the time to acknowledge Zach and his journey.
On May 20, 2013, cancer took the life of Zach Sobiech but his legacy will live on through the beacon of love and hope he delivered through infectious lyrics and memorable tunes have imprinted on the minds and hearts of millions around the world.
Help fulfill Zach’s dying wish to help kids with cancer by supporting the charity he set up before his death- the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund at Children’s Cancer Research Fund:http://www.ChildrensCancer.org/Zach.
Zach and his lifelong friend Sammy Brown have a band called A Firm Handshake. They just released a new album with seven original songs, including “Clouds” and “Fix Me Up.” A portion of the proceeds from sales of the album will benefit the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund.
Download Zach’s new album here:https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fix…
Zach Sobiech and Sammy Brown met on a picnic blanket when they were toddlers. Since then, they have remained close friends who have shared life’s most important moments. They began playing music together when there were twelve–shortly after Zach got his first guitar–and never looked back. When Zach was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2009, the fall of their 9th grade year, Sammy remained a constant and dependable friend. As treatment options began to run out for Zach, the pair, now in their senior year of high school, formed the band A Firm Handshake, along with their elementary school friend Reed Redmond. The title song to their new EP, “Fix Me Up,” is Sammy and Zach’s goodbye song to each other. It is based on the many conversations they have had dealing with terminal illness, a refusal to let cancer define their lives, and a belief that someday they will sing together once more.
If you’d like to help get the word out you can use this tweet or make up your own…
Help us get #ZachSobiech’s duet “Fix Me Up” on The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack http://ow.ly/lquOt
Did any of these links and videos resonate with you?
May
29
2013
Apr
29
2013
I stumbled upon this and found it closely reflected my own thoughts on Twilight and it made me laugh…
For the old people LOL! What was the Twilight when you were a kid? I think it may have been Flowers In The Attic. What do you think is the new Twilight? 50 Shades would be my guess, but hmmm makes me wonder what’s coming next. These things are never predictable. Favorite part of this video? Hand’s down–John’s wife LOL! Now go forth and survive your Monday.
Mar
6
2013
Okay–you caught me. I’m sick. I’m tired. I want to go read and John Green thinks it’s important.
What are you reading right now?
Jun
8
2012
My recap of BEA 2012 in pictures!!!!
Yeah…off to a pretty good start. *grin*
My awesome roommate, book blogger at THE YA CONNECTION and aspiring author…Lisa Lueddecke. Ummm so we just happened to go right by the Hershey’s store. And they had free samples.
The Class of 2k12 Books at the Bank Street Bookstore where we talked about breaking into the business of children’s and young adult fiction.
We got our swag on!
Bank Street Bookstore provided yummy snacks and beverages.
The whole gang from L-R
Kimberly Sabatini (Touching the Surface available October 30th), Sarvenaz Tash (The Mapmaker and the Ghost), A.C. Gaughen (Scarlet), Sarah Tregay (Love & Leftovers) and Lynda Mullaly Hunt (One for the Murphys)
Someone asked me why I had such a little book…of course my answer was that I write for little people LOL!
We had so much fun with this bunch!!!
Of course a little ice cream from the “Seinfeld Dinner” never is a bad ending to a great day. Lisa and Kim.
Look what was waiting in our room from the W Hotel!!! I felt so special…((((hugs)))) to A.C. Gaughen.
Tuesday morning…the view from our room.
Lisa needs an official Times Square picture!!!!
Meeting Suzanne Lazear (Innocent Darkness) for a quick breakfast.
The registration area of BEA.
The Editors for the YA Editors Buzz Panel. Everything sounded fantastic. You can read all about it at Publisher’s Weekly-BEA 2012: Diversity Rules at YA Editor’s Buzz Panel. But I want to give a special shout out to my fellow Apocalypsies: Gennifer Albin, author of Crewel and Kat Zhang, author of What’s Left of Me!!!!
I got to spend the WHOLE day with one of my favorite people EVAH!!!! My fantabulous agent Michelle Wolfson. *Heart Squish* And a shout out to Jennifer Laughran for taking a kick-ass picture of us. *grin*
Can you spot all the fabulous Sourcebook authors I found? SEND by Patty Blout, My YAOTL buddy Geoff Herback with STUPID FAST and NOTHING SPECIAL, and some of the Apocalypsies like…Miranda Kenneally with CATCHING JORDAN and STEALING PARKER, Zoraida Cordova with THE VICIOUS DEEP and Leanna Renee Hieber with DARKER STILL and THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART. Plus a ton of other great reads!!!
Time to meet more of the Apocalypsies!!!!! We had an amazing Meet & Greet. Everyone was given a dance card to get signed by all the Apocalypsie authors in attendance. Here’s what they looked like. Each card was numbered and prize packages of books, ARCs and swag were auctioned off through out the afternoon.
So excited–I got to meet Erica Haglund of The Book Cellar and Julie Cross’ Perfect Ten.
I also got a chance to meet Natalia from Dazzling Reads. Love her!
It’s a small world! Barbra Kane (High School Librarian and Media Specialist in Jamestown, NY) and I graduated from the same college. Go Geneseo!!!
And don’t forget my buddy Grace from Words Like Silver. We saw each other everywhere…she may be tired of me LOL!
And here all the Apocalypsies who participated!!!!
After a hanging out with all the wonderful folks at Simon Pulse, I headed over to the NYC Teen Author Carnival.where I found lots of Simon Pulse authors and Apocalypsies and sometimes they were both, like K.M Walton (CRACKED) and Corrine Jackson (IF I LIE.)
Hilary Graham (REUNITED)
Lucas Klauss (EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE)
Fiona Paul (VENOM) and Lauren Morrill (MEANT TO BE)
Rebecca Serle (WHEN YOU WERE MINE)
Gennifer Albin (REWEL), Tiffany Schmidt (SEND ME A SIGN) and Katie McGarry (PUSHING THE LIMITS) There was a ton of other great authors here but I have yet to learn how to clone myself…the dystopian writers are working on that for me though.
Of course we were REALLY hungry after all that book talk so K.M. Walton, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Me and Corrine Jackson got some yummy stuff.
Are you getting tired yet? You should have seen me by the time I crawled into bed that night, but no rest for the weary because I was off on Wednesday morning to the YA Author’s Breakfast!!!!
Chris Colfer from Glee was the MC for the event. He was wonderfully funny and very touching as he talked about his own goal, from the age of 10 to have his book published.
In my opinion he seemed very genuine.
Chris Colfer, John Green (the Justin Bieber of the YA world *snort*), Lois Lowry and Kadir Nelson–Each one of these three legends was amazing. Lois Lowry received a standing ovation that was well deserved. You can watch the a live stream replay of the breakfast here…Live Stream Book Expo America
Yeah…I got this close. *sigh*
Back on the main floor I got Tom Angleberger’s autograph for my boys…they were thrilled!
Heading over to my favorite place…Simon & Schuster!!!!
And look who I found on the way…Tim Gunn. He is Fabulous!
Simon & Schuster was crazy busy!!!! I think I can see someone grabbing one of my bookmarks LOL!
I am an awesome mom! Was in line for almost 2 hours to get my oldest son a signed copy of INSURGENT by Veronica Roth! (Lisa, Kim and Jennifer)
And when you make friends on line…you might just get dubbed the Fabulous Five by the line monitors LOL! Don’t forget to check out Terri’s blog Read & Riot. And a Happy Birthday to Terri’s mom, Irene–she’ll be celebrating on Saturday with my brand new 7 year old. Cha, Cha, Cha Irene!!!
The front of the line for the DARK DAYS TOUR had been sitting w-a-y u-p t-h-e-r-e since 10 am so I won’t complain LOL!
Apocalypsie Elizabeth Norris signing UNRAVELING, Veronica Roth signing INSURGENT, Bethany Griffin signing MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH and Aprilynne Pike signing DESTINED.
Flew by Rachel Ray
And a very TALL Harlem Globetrotter LOL!
I also wanted to hit some of the Apocalypsies at their author signings. I missed a ton, but was luck to get a book from…
Sorry it’s blurry–Dan Krokos signing Lisa’s copy of FALSE MEMORY.
And TIME BETWEEN US author and sweetheart, Tamara Ireland Stone
My last Class of 2k12 event was Mix, Mingle and Win! So I mixed and mingled with two of my new favorite people Kim an Judy…making me the winner.
The Class of 2k12 Sarah Tregay, A.C. Gaughen, Megan Bostic, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Sarvenaz Tash and me.
One of my favorite BEA pics! A.C. Gaughen and her new FIGHT LIKE A GIRL T-shirts for a GLOW fundraiser. Great cause–I am so getting one! If you’re interested in buying one and supporting GLOW–leave your contact info in the comments and I’ll make sure that A. C. gets it.
And what you’ve all been waiting for…the books!
Not including all the MG books I got for the boys…here was my amazing YA haul. Keep tabs on my blog because a lot of these will be up for grabs after I read them!!!! Contests galore, but I can assure you that you will not be getting my 11yo’s signed copy of INSURGENT or my signed ARC of Lois Lowry’s book SON. <3 But that means my question must be…which book would you be desperate for me to have as a prize in a contest???? *FYI DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT is only a sample–not the full ARC, but it comes with the full paperback of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. Also–if you’ve blogged about your BEA experience–add your link so I can check it out. I had a fabulous time and I hope you did too. And if you couldn’t be there, I hope this helped you feel like you were. Thanks for stopping by.
Feb
1
2012
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.
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