The New York Times Magazine has an interesting piece on how he's transformed publishing.
826 Seattle needs volunteers
826 Seattle, a non-profit writing center for kids, needs a hand. Here's where you can get your good karma and spend time listening to and observing kids. How many volunteer opportunities will actually improve your writing? Drop-In Heroes Needed: Recent changes in semester and work schedules have pulled a number of volunteer tutors from our... Continue Reading →
What First Page sessions are like
Kristin Nelson posted about a first pages session she did with Kate Testerman (both are agents, and Kate even came to one of our conferences).If you're considering a First Pages session at our upcoming conference, read this so you know what to expect.An excerpt:-out of the 20 we read, Kate and I would have asked... Continue Reading →
This really makes me want to visit Beach Lane Books
Here's a photo of their offices, snagged from Jaime's CocoaStomp blog, in which she has a lovely interview with Allyn Johnston. One really great way to know if you should pitch an editor is to get to know that editor a bit in person. Check it out, and see if Beach Lane Books (which published... Continue Reading →
Another cover controversy
Remember the whole LIAR business? There's another problem with a too-light-skinned character on the cover of a book. This time, Bloomsbury's cutting off the supply of the U.S. edition until a replacement cover can be issued. And they're apologizing:Bloomsbury is ceasing to supply copies of the US edition of Magic Under Glass. The jacket design... Continue Reading →
Old James Thurber interview
This one's on Paris Review, and if you've ever had a piece of art or writing come out not exactly as you'd intended, you have to check it out. The first bit: Well, once I did a drawing for The New Yorker of a naked woman on all fours up on top of a bookcase—a... Continue Reading →
Extreme makeover: picture book edition
The always interesting ShelfTalk blog at the Seattle Public Library has a post up about the transformation certain picture book characters have taken.If that putz Arthur denies his nose job or claims he was just fixing a deviated septum one more time, we can now remind him that his old covers don't lie.Check out the... Continue Reading →
Revisions class
Eileen Robinson and Harold Underdown, children's book editors, have a program called Kid's Book Revision, and they're offering a class that starts on Feb. 20.Get the details here.
Because if you’re going to torture yourself
...with your Amazon page rank, you might as well make it international.Here's the tool: Aaron Shepard's Sales Rank Express.
Science writers: a contest to enter
Our critique group coordinator Lois Brandt sends this along:Children's Writer is having a science writing contest. Deadline is February 27. These are great contests, free to subscribers. If you don't subscribe the $13 reading fee with get you an eight month subscription to their excellent newsletter.Science:An article on a science topic for age 11, to... Continue Reading →