Yearly archive for 2012

Reading Beyond The Lists

By on June 29, 2012   /   For Parents, Op-Ed  

There might be one lurking in the pile of papers on your counter. Maybe one is hiding in the depths of your child’s backpack. Perhaps one is stuck to your refrigerator with a cutesy magnet from your last vacation. Aliens? Zombies? Unicorns? No, book lists.

Whether they are assigned, suggested, or chosen, book lists are popular ways of navigating bookstore and library shelves. Yet, part of the joy of reading is in discovery. I think we may be doing a disservice to our kids if we rely too heavily on lists, especially if we allow the lists to prevent our kids from developing their own book hunting instincts.

When I began educating my children at home, I became aware of the Charlotte Mason Method, an educational philosophy popular among home-schoolers of all creeds and faiths. Those familiar with this method will recognize the terms twaddle and living books. Mason advocates the use of narratives and biographies, what she would call living books, over dull, dry, piecemeal textbooks. The latter she calls twaddle, and that definition has grown to include what those of us in the industry refer to as mass market books. Twaddle encompasses books that are deemed to be fluff, without educational merit, or watered down.

I have seen this anti-twaddle position outside of the home-school community as well, even if the same terms are not used. I fully understand that parents desire quality reading material for their children, and that viewpoints on moral and cultural content may vary. However, I am bothered when parents solely rely on lists, many of which are stagnant and seldom include children’s literature published within the last few decades. The word twaddle carries a derisive connotation, and I cringe when it is sweepingly used to describe contemporary children’s literature.

Jeff Carney, an Associate Professor of English at Snow College in Utah, states, “If you want kids to write well (and thus to do well in school and in life) they must be able to read well. My best students are avid readers. My worst can’t stand reading. It’s really that simple. Obviously, different kids grow to love reading in different ways. The important thing is that it happens in the first place. If twaddle plays a role in there somewhere (perhaps part of a mixed diet?) I don’t see how it can matter.”

I believe that sticking too closely to recommended reading lists can be like the new recess rules popping up at elementary schools. No tag. No running. No pumping your legs on the swings. Perhaps these rules keep a child safer, but they also dampen excitement, joy, and discovery. It isn’t healthy to box in our bodies or our minds. 

Naturally, parents want to guide their children’s selections. Book lists are a great tool for that. They are also a good starting place if you are totally lost about where to begin, but there is adventure to be found beyond the lists.

This summer, encourage your children to read a variety of books in the same way you encourage them to eat a variety of foods. Realize that choosing a light read is probably no more harmful than sampling the pickle flavored snow cone from the ice cream truck. Skip into your library. Search the shelves the way you’d hunt for seashells on the beach. Pump your legs, swing high, and soar into summer reading.

 

 

Graphics courtesy of  Open Clip Art Library.

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Agent Alyssa Eisner Henkin Interview and Giveaway

By on June 28, 2012   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways  

I’m thrilled to welcome agent Alyssa Eisner Henkin to the Mixed-Up Files.  Alyssa is a 1998 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Trident Media Group in December of 2006, she spent seven years at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, where she edited the New York Times bestselling LITTLE QUACK, as well as the popular THE MOTHER DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB, and THE WEDDING PLANNER’S DAUGHTER. Alyssa is currently seeking commercial middle grade and young adult novels, as well as projects with crossover appeal in women’s fiction.

 

Thank you for visiting us!  Between all your editorial and agenting experience, how has the market changed, how did you adapt to it, and what new changes do you think agents might make in the future? 

While we’re in a climate of great change, I think publishers are choosier now more than ever. I’ve heard a refrain lately of people looking for books that have a very unique and lyrical voice, but at the same time are “not so different” that they can’t comp to other popular books.

Additionally, authors now have the ability to publish their own books through Amazon and other etailers without a major publisher backing them. While it’s still often a long road between independently publishing one’s book and getting a publisher to notice it and pick the book up in a big deal, it’s definitely a strategy that I’ve seen already, and one that I suspect we’ll see more and more of in the months ahead. Editors and agents are often “trolling” the highest ranked books on Amazon and B&N.com and figuring out if there is a way to expand those brands beyond just the ebook arena by publishing them in hardcover, paperback in foreign markets, selling film rights.

 

It’s amazing to see how many middle-grade books are being self-published now.  What do you think about the quality of those books, and when do you believe it’s okay for a writer to consider that route?

I love the fact that self-publishing no longer has the stigma associated with it that it did at earlier times. Not only are the John Lockes and the Amanda Hockings of the world making money by selling their ebooks online, but plenty of mid list authors as well as newbies are making considerable cash as well.

While self-publishing ebooks might not be the right strategy for every book, and particularly not for every MG book, considering that a lot of the readers in that age group are not yet reading on e-readers, nor are they on Facebook in the same way that teens are, it is definitely the right strategy for some.

My own wonderful client, Adam Glendon Sidwell made a huge foray by independently publishing his MG book EVERTASTER, which hit #52 overall in books on amazon.com and #1 in children’s mystery books on his first day of publication. A veteran of the special effects film industry, Adam decided to take this route after I could not sell his fun, funny, clever, and page-turningly delicious book EVERTASTER to a major publisher. I had gotten close to selling the book to 2 different major publishers, but while the editors championed the book, sales came back and said it was too quirky. And yet these rejection letters we were receiving sounded more like sell sheets for the book! One editor said “this was like GOONIES meets RATATOUILLE meets THE DA VINCI CODE, and kids would literally eat this up.”

While EVERTASTER is certainly a quirky story. It’s also a very commercial one. It’s both a mystery and adventure in which the worlds pickiest eater goes in search of The Gastronomy of Peace, a recipe so delicious, that one who finds it will never want to eat anything else. And it’s a battle to the finish, since evil forces are in search of this rare delicacy, too. And securing its ingredients takes Guster and his brainy sister across the globe from jungles to icy peaks to medieval castles.

Shortly after the submission rounds concluded, my agency, Trident Media Group, launched its own ebook publishing platform. We serve as advisors to our clients who wish to publish their own books and consult on marketing and price strategies, covers, copyediting, and every other facet of eBook making. Adam and I agreed that EVERTASTER seemed like the perfect first MG with which to launch Trident’s impressive roster of original eBooks. The fact that he and I had been editing and revising it for the better part of two years definitely spoke to the quality of the work as well.

 

What are some great ways for authors to promote themselves and their books?

I think the more authors can do to utilize online resources, the better. In the case of EVERTASTER, Adam and his brand team (i.e. family members) spent two months prior to publication building up a huge fan-base for the book on Facebook and Twitter. He also created a blog and a trailer, sought out quotes from other authors and interviews on influential blogs. And he kept his growing fan base in the loop every step of the way, by tweeting and posting on FB every time something new happened with the book. He also sponsored contests on Goodreads, did cross-promotion with a pie company, and even put up the first chapter page-by-page on Facebook.

While the ebook is launching with a splashy and fabulous trailer, the paperback version of EVERTASTER already made huge waves on Amazon on June 14th. Adam specifically created a trade paperback so he could have something to take to schools, as opposed to just creating an ebook. Thanks to Adam’s great story AND his ability to strategically use social networking, EVERTASTER was successful right out of the gate. Picking the right meta-data categories to put one’s book in when selling it online is essential, too. Otherwise, it might not be found in a search.

 

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve seen authors make? 

I think authors should utilize editors and copyeditors to make sure their book is in great shape before they put it up online. I also personally think that authors should take advantage of as much free online publicity as they can, and not outlay a lot of cash for banner ads or other expensive advertising until they at least are in the black and have some revenue from their first phase of sale to invest.

 

I’d love to know the titles of some of your favorite middle-grade novels, and why you love them so much.

NUMBER THE STARS and THE WILLOUGHBYS by Lois Lowry both top my charts. Both so beautifully-written and astute, yet each so different.

I’m also a huge fan of THE LEMONADE WARS by Jaqueline Davies. It teaches math in a very subtle way, while also telling a very compelling and heartfelt story.

I also greatly enjoyed THE BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE: The Shadows by Jacqueline West and found it a great balance between spooky adventure and a very relatable character.

 

Do you have a manuscript wish list?   

I definitely am on the watch for more MG then ever, since I feel the industry is skewing to YA for its own good and that there’s a lot of room to grow in the MG cannon. I often find submissions in MG often tend to skew either very voice-driven or very plot-driven, and so I’m looking, like so many agents are, for a very fresh voice that grabs hold of the reader, but one in which high-stakes develop organically throughout the story, and don’t feel tacked on. I’m a huge fan of THE ORIGAMI YODA branding strategy, and would also like to figure out what the next “Yoda” is…J

 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?  

When you get positive feedback on a book, even if it’s by way of a rejection letter, don’t dismiss it. Had Adam not listened to the kind praise he was securing as well as thought about ways to sell his book in an outside the box manner, he’d never be among the top-selling MG mystery books on the market.

 

A lucky winner will receive a copy of WONDER written by R. J. PALACIO, one of Alyssa Eisner Henkin’s clients.  Indiebound says: In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope.  R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” —indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out. This wonderful book has made the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, UK, and Indie bestseller lists, and inspired the Choose Kind anti-bullying campaign.  Leave a comment below and our random generator will choose a winner on Saturday, June 30. 

Alyssa Eisner Henkin is also offering a second giveaway…a critique of up to 20 pages of a middle grade novel manuscript!  Please let us know in your comment if you want to be included in this extremely generous giveaway.

***For both giveaways, you’ll receive extra entries for sharing a link on your blog, Facebook, an online forum, or Twitter.  Please mention each link in a new comment so the generator will add your extra entries.  The WONDER winner must live in the US or Canada.  Good luck!

In addition to these awesome giveaways, Alyssa Eisner Henkin is also offering one more chance for writers to win a critique from her (and this giveaway is open for one picture book manuscript or up to 20 pages of an MG or YA).  Click here for more information! 

Mindy Alyse Weiss writes humorous middle-grade novels and quirky picture books.  She’s constantly inspired by her eleven and fourteen year-old daughters, an adventurous Bullmasador adopted from The Humane Society, and an adorable Beagle/Pointer pup who was recently rescued from the Everglades.  Visit Mindy’s blog or Twitter to read more about her writing life, conference experiences, and writing tips.

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Indie Spotlight: The Little Shop of Stories

By on June 27, 2012   /   Book Lists  

 

We’re heading south today to chat with Dave Shallenberger, co-owner, and Krista Gilliam, manager, of  The Little shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia.

Sue Cowing for MUF: You’ve described Little Shop of Stories as the best independent bookstore for children and their adults in the observable universe!  Obviously you’re proud of the store.  What do you do best?
Dave: I think we’re best at getting kids excited about reading and about literature.  We do this through our Summer Reading Program, our On The Same Page community-wide reading program, our author events, our school book fairs, our involvement with the Decatur Book Festival, our book-themed summer camps, and (most importantly) our own staff enthusiasm in helping kids select their next book.

 

MUF: What can kids and their adults expect when they walk in?
Krista: When people walk in for the first time, they’ll often look around and say, “Oh my gosh! This is just like that little bookstore in that movie! What was that movie?” And then we remind them that the movie they are thinking about is You’ve Got Mail. But other that that, customers can expect a friendly, knowledgeable staff, a fun atmosphere, lots of engaging events, and a great selection of books.

MUF: We at MUF are fascinated by your unique and apparently popular summer book camps, which are mostly for middle-graders.  Tell us more!
Dave: Most of our camps over the years have been book themed.  Camps this summer focus on characters from American Girl books, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the Magic Tree House series.  Any activities that we can think of that relate to the books are used.  By far our most popular camps are the ones based on the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series.  We have had, among many, many activities, archery, pedicab “chariot” races, Greek language lessons, and mini-catapult building.

MUF: How else does Little Shop encourage reading in the community?  
Krista: By being a huge part of the community. We have a Summer Reading Program where children receive treats from local businesses in Decatur (frozen yogurt, candy, cookies) for each 10 hours they read over the summer. If they make it to 40 hours, they get to come to our award ceremony and pizza party at the end of the summer. We coordinate a giant Christmas tree lighting event in the town square in December. We do school book fairs and visit schools for special events. We host five book groups here at the shop (three of which are actually for adults.)

Krista with Emiline and Marshall, two young book reviewers from the blog A Monster Ate My Book Report

Last year we started On The Same Page, our community reading program, where we pick a children’s book and then get everyone in the community to read the same book. We host book clubs, movie screenings (if there is a movie version), parties, and events all fall and end the program with a grand finale visit from the author. We work with schools to incorporate the book in their curriculum, coordinate volunteers to lead groups, and donate hundreds of free copies of the book to at-risk students. Our inaugural book was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and we had over 2,000 people participate. We’ll make the announcement for our 2012 selection at the AJC Decatur Book Festival on Labor Day weekend.

MUF: How do you select the books to carry in your shop?

Krista:  We work with reps from the publishing houses and order each quarter to bring in frontlist titles. We are very aware of our customer base and make sure to bring in books our customers will like. We mostly have children’s books, but we do have a (very hand-picked, very high quality) adult section and even have two adult book groups, so we serve the adult market as well.

MUF: As middle-grade authors, we have to ask: do you have a few favorite fiction and/or nonfiction titles, either recent or classic, that you especially recommend to middle-graders when they come in?
Krista: Right now we are super excited about Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, The Heroes Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy, and The Candymakers by Wendy Mass. We also love always love to handsell Savvy by Ingrid Law, A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, and Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Terra Elan McVoy, author of BEING FRIENDS WITH BOYS and SUMMER OF FIRSTS AND LASTS

MUF: Have some memorable middle grade authors appeared at your shop?
Dave: The most memorable middle grade authors who have visited include: Neil Gaiman, Norton Juster, Rick Riordan, Kate DiCamillo, Jeanne Birdsall, Avi, Tony DiTerlizzi, Kevin Henkes, Sara Pennypacker, Jeff Kinney, Adam Rex, etc. etc. etc.

MUF:If a family came from out of town to visit Little Shop of Stories, would there be a local family-friendly place for them to get a bite to eat after book-browsing?
Dave: Little Shop is located right on a traditional town square, right across from the Old Courthouse, and surrounded by retail and restaurants and one block from the MARTA station.  Here is a link to local restaurants.  Nearly all are within walking distance.http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=577
Particularly tasty, particularly close, and good for small kids include: Farm Burger, Pastries A Go Go, Raging Burrito, Sapori di Napoli, Sweek Melissa’s, Taco Mac, and Yogurt Tap.  If kids are a tad older: the famed Brick Store Pub.  Mature kids or no kids (and more expensive): Cafe Alsace, Cafe Lily, Cakes and Ale, Iberian Pig, Leon’s, and No. 246.

MUF: And if they could stay the whole day or even the weekend, what other family activities would you recommend to them?
Dave: Located within walking distance is a small park for younger kids (0-4).  The Decatur Cemetery is a great place for strolling and contemplation, as is Agnes Scott College.  (Emory University is a short drive.)  The city holds concerts on the town square every Wednesday at noon and Saturday at 7pm during the months of May and September.  Downtown Atlanta is a short 15-minute trip on MARTA.
Krista: We are right on the MARTA line, so you could easily visit the Center for Puppetry Arts, the High Museum of Art, the Wren’s Nest[home of Joel Chandler Harris, creator of Uncle Remus], and one of my personal favorite spots in East Atlanta–Oakland Cemetery!

MUF: Tell us a bit about  the Decatur Book Festival and your shop’s connection with it.  When’s the next one?
Krista: The AJC Decatur Book Festival happens each year on Labor Day weekend and is jam-packed with authors, book signings, art, concerts, food, activities, a key note event, and much more. We work closely with the Festival staff to coordinate the children and teen stages, and it’s our busiest (and favorite) weekend of the year.  We always have phenomenal authors and illustrators–Judy Schachner, Adam Gitwitz, Anna Dewdney, Loren Long, Tim Green, Kate DiCamillo, Rick Riordan, Lauren Myracle, Libba Bray, Stephanie Perkins, and many more.

MUF:  Thanks, Dave and Krista, for acquainting us a bit with The Little Shop.  Readers, if you’ve been to this “best independent bookstore for children and their adults in the observable universe” or think you would like to visit , please like, share, or leave a comment here.

 

 

Sue Cowing is the author of the puppet-and-boy novel You Will Call Me Drog (Carolrhoda Books, 2011 and Usborne UK, 2012) which the London INDEPENDENT recently included on its list of 50 Best Summer Reads.

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