Hounding Editors, Agents and Authors at the SCBWI Winter Conference

Okay, so, the title of this post is a stretch. I didn't really "hound" anyone - I was more of an active observer at my first writer's conference, but I had to work in the puppy theme! I also needed an excuse to post (grainy) pictures of me with famous authors and illustrators.

Honestly, the only productive thing I've done with my first writers conference experience was share it with my children's schoolmates.

The third graders have been reading Tomie dePaola's books. So, after hearing about my trip and seeing photos from the book signing, our lovely and enthusiastic librarian encouraged me to talk to the 3rd grade classes about my "meeting" with Tomie dePaola. Note: I do not have a 3rd grader at the school; The third graders have no idea who I am. Note, also: It was a conference with over 1000 in attendance; I heard Tomie speak briefly from the podium and then met him - even more briefly - at the book signing. Nevertheless, I came up with a "lesson plan" (teachers everywhere should be cringing, as I have no background in education). I went in on St. Patrick's Day, talked about seeing Tomie at the conference, showed them some delightful video interviews with Tomie on Reading Rockets, and read Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato. I think it went well. Three classes and no one asked to leave to go to the nurse or the bathroom. I'll call that a success.

I then went to my daughters' first grade classes and told them about meeting Marc Brown. They all know and love the Arthur books, so I talked about Marc's process (words first, then pictures) and how he comes up with his story ideas (from his children and his own childhood). My girls also shared their "books" with their classmates - they are each in the process of writing and illustrating a picture book. (Their idea - not mine - honest!) Each of their books is about a problem they are having and a creative solution. I've since heard from the girls that some of their friends are now writing and illustrating their own books, too. I can't ask for better results than that!

For my son's 5th grade class, I modified my talk to include anecdotes and tips shared by some of the authors at the conference. For example, I asked them how many times they revised their work before handing it in? Two? Three? How many times did they think Marc Brown revised his work before sending it to his editor? According to Mr. Brown, he revises his work at least 30 times before he considers it ready to submit. (You should have seen the looks on their faces!)

On story ideas, I borrowed from Francine Pascal's "what if's" and gave them some examples from books they have been reading. For example, "Who can identify this book from its basic idea: What if an 11 year old orphan suddenly discovers he is a wizard?"

I also shared some advice from David Almond with the 5th graders: "Dare to [look] stupid ... the process of writing rubbish is valuable." "Imagination is like exercise - the more you use it, the more [energy] you have available."

Along with some quotes from the authors, I handed out a list of places for the students to get their writing and artwork published, including:

Fern’s Poetry Club at pbskids.org

Scholastic Writing With Writers

The Young Writers Club

Highlights for Children

Potluck Magazine

Stone Soup: The Magazine by Young Writers and Artists

Finally, I shared my growing collection of signed books with the students. Their favorite? Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhardt's Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs!

Barking up the wrong tree?

My goal is to write children's books. Picture books. The kind that kids and parents love to share over and over. So, I've been sending my manuscripts to children's book publishers. The big ones. The ones that publish the beautifully illustrated library bound books that I envision for my stories. Seems like a reasonable approach. Right?

Perhaps not. Apparently, the picture book market is very slow right now. (Unless, of course, you are a celebrity. But that's a post for another day...) And, from what I'm hearing, I have at least two strikes against me:

Strike # 1 - No Agent. If you follow the Writer's Market listings, you'll notice more and more children's publishers closing their doors to unsolicited/unagented material. It simply doesn't make sense for them to invest time reading through the slush pile when they can receive pre-screened submissions through agents. (For more background on this, see Candy Gourlay's, "Notes from the Slush Pile, " 05/02/05)

Does this mean I'm going to run right out and find an agent? I'm not sure. I spoke with many aspiring children's writers at the SCBWI Winter Conference last month. More than a few of them had signed on with agents... and never heard from them again. In his breakout session, even Marc Brown cautioned against jumping into a contract with an agent who will then earn a percentage of your sales for the life of the book. (Now, I don't imagine that I'll have the success that Marc Brown enjoys, but that may be even more reason to keep as much of my earnings as possible!)

Strike #2 - No Experience. Okay, that's not entirely true. How about, "No experience publishing work for children?" It seems my 11 years of experience writing for adults - including one published book and numerous work-for-hire documents and newsletters - counts for little or nothing in the world of children's publishing. While my resume speaks to my ability to meet deadlines and complete projects from concept through publication, it says nothing about my ability to write for children or, perhaps more important these days, to market and publicize my work. (Or maybe that's strike #3 - no platform?)

So, what to do? Step back. Reevaluate. Maybe I have been barking up the wrong tree. Maybe, as I approach 40 and switch genres, I need to think about working my way up again. From the bottom. (ugh!) You see, I wouldn't necessarily expect a children's author to be able to step into my shoes and write for adults, would I? For crying out loud, what does someone who writes for little kids know about communicating technical information to grown-ups?! Right? (wink, wink) So, why should I assume that I immediately be accepted as a children's writer?

Okay! On to "Plan B" - researching children's magazine markets, reworking some of my manuscripts to fit their format/style/needs, and looking at my idea file - some story ideas that didn't seem right for a picture book may be just the thing for a magazine.

Keep an eye on that success tracker in my side bar. I'll be adding new markets and, hopefully, some new numbers soon!

Just what I needed...

a diversion I can justify: blogging. At least I'm writing. (Right?)

April's issue of The Writer Magazine was just the nudge I needed to add blogging to my list of current distractions. According to Marilyn Ross's article, "Blog, blog, blog,"

"blogging encourages a writing routine, teaches pithiness and helps hone your skills...[and] encourages writing excellence."

How could I not immediately begin blogging?

Now, to fit it in with my other vices ... Pop and Drop, Soduko, and lurking on the SCBWI message boards...