Went to SeaWorld–San Antonio this weekend with Anne who was doing research on dolphins.
I love that about this job. You get to find out about whatever ties into the book and often that’s naturally just whatever intrigues you (because those things simmer in your subconscious until the related plot/character idea pops out).
And sometimes you get to find out about whatever’s in the subconscious of the other writers in your life.
Papa’s Latkes by Michelle Edwards, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (Candlewick, 2004). Sisters Selma and Dora are facing their first Chanukah after the death of Mama. Papa is bringing home the ingredients for the latkes, but who will make them and how will the family celebrate with Mama gone? Warm, tender, deeply affecting prose;
Greg’s site has been updated to include the cover art and flap copy for his new novel, Tofu and T.Rex (Little Brown, 2005); surf by and check it out!
These thoughts on the picture book market from newly contracted author Chris Barton, whose first picture book recently sold to Charlesbridge.
“I think the answer is a combination of some of the theories you mentioned, with a couple of others folded in. Consolidation among retailers hasn’t been much of an issue in the past few years, but we are still seeing fallout from the consolidation of so many publishers under the roofs of Time Warner,
Reigning theories among children’s authors on why the literary trade picture book market has basically tanked:
(a) celebrity picture books
(b) mass market picture books (ie., Disney tie-ins)
(c) chains burying the indies
(d) the decline of school/library budgets
(e) the increased emphasis on testing
(f) a natural dip in the age 4-7 reader population (this is closely related to the idea that baby boomers are saving for retirement and don’t have grandkids yet)
(g) the economy
(h) competing media
(i) the growth of bargain outlets
(j) an undervaluing of children’s literature
(k) parents expecting five year olds to be reading Harry Potter
(l) a combination of the above…
Just received my evaluations from my novel-writing class at the League, and I’m so honored. Lots and lots and lots of 10s. Woo woo! Thanks to the participants!
Hit the BookPeople and Waterloo Records catalog party with Greg. Drinks on Judd from Penguin Putnam; great catching up with Gillian from S&S and the glamorous and brill Jill from BP, among others. All of this at Opal Divine’s. Swooped by between dinner at Hyde Park Bar &
I hear this week from Jacqueline Briggs Martin, author of On Sand Island, illustrated by David A. Johnson (Houghton Mifflin, 2003), a Golden Kite honor winner.
She sends her “irregular” newsletter, republished here with permission.
Booktalk from Second Avenue
When I sent out the first of these notes in August,
Debut children’s picture book author Varsha Bajaj is on my mind today. She’s the author of How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight? (Little Brown, 2003). Varsha and I met when I guest taught a class on writing children’s books that was led by Kathi Appelt and Debbie Leland. I got to know each other better at a dinner at last year’s TLA conference in San Antonio with Greg and his editor,
I taught a class today for the Writers’ League of Texas on writing the YA novel. It was such a sparkling class–filled with thoughtful, attentive writers asking great questions. It inspires me to talk to beginners–so much potential. I hope they enjoyed it half as much as I did and learned…something!
I also brought home a stack of partial mss and just finished sending out initial thoughts to the writers via email.