The End of the Conference: Autograph Party Photos...

After half a chocolate cupcake and half a yellow cupcake, I got some shots of the autograph party (which I didn't have to participate in because the 2009 CWIM didn't make it to the bookstore which in a way was OK because I feel a little silly signing books).


Susan Patron, Sara Pennypacker, and Ann Whitford Paul look happy about autographing.


Washingtonians Holly Cupala (who is holding one of the roses from the gorgeous bouquet her husband sent in celebration of her very recent two-book deal!) with RA Jolie Stekly and her stack of books.


The awesome Paula Yoo listens to a conference-goer as she prepares to sign her first novel, Good Enough.


Authors Katherine Applegate and Jay Asher--both of whom I interviewed for Insider Reports in the 2009 CWIM.


Rachel Cohn happily passes one of her novels off to a conference goer (note the red "Reading Is Power" bracelet) while Bruce Coville concentrates on signing.


Marla Frazee and her line of autograph seekers. (I wonder if her hand got tired.)


SCBWI RAs/authors Esther Hershenhorn (Illinois) and Ellen Hopkins (Nevada).


Down the row: Linda Zuckerman, Paula Yoo, Lisa Yee, Mark Teague, and Adam Rex (who you can sort of see).

Michael Bourret: The Long Haul...


Michael Bourret, an agent with Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, offered this session in the Published Author Track on how to maintain and build a career over the long term. He feels the career writers need three things: focus, diversity and openness.

In terms of focus, he suggests one's goal as an author is to establish a brand--think Sarah Dessen or Bruce Coville--so buyers and librarians will know how to position your books, and, ultimately, readers will know what to expect from an author. His rule for the authors he represents when they are starting out is that they must publish three books of the same type before they can branch out into other areas.

In terms of diversity, Michael is a believer in writers keeping their day jobs and being involved in other things. It's unhealthy to only talk to other writers, he says. He also cautions against telling anyone the terms of your book deal and details about contracts. He advised keeping up with networking. He told writers to be open to doing revision. And he warned against over-publishing, suggesting no more than one book a year in most cases (talking about trade books).

It takes time to build a career in children's publishing, he said, and publishers are willing to stick with you, even if you don't have stellar sales the first time out if they believe in you as an author.

What's he want in terms of submissions? He'd love a fantastic YA memoir. He loves great middle grade novels and says there's a real market for MG fiction--it's the one place in the children's market that is growing and continues to grow. He's desperate for literary writing for teens. And he wants more books for boys.

SCBWI Conference Friday--Kicks Off with Bruce Coville...

SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver kicked off the 37th annual conference with her usual wit, first introducing the faculty for the annual Faculty Word Parade where we all lined up waiting our turn to cross the stage, introduce ourselves, and utter our One Word. Vote. Hope. Revision. Tickle. Mine was Click. (Kinda lame, but it came to me a 4 a.m. when I woke up feeling all 7 a.m.-ish.) Note that 900 people in a ballroom on the other side of your microphone--wow--exciting and intimidating.

Lin said there are 900-ish attendees, 746 women, 135 men (more than usual--I've only seen one men's room converted to ladies. One year they put plants in the urinals), and 402 published authors. Then she introduced the first speaker who she promised would kick off the conference with a bang, and Bruce Coville delivered.

Bruce was at once funny and profound, a delight to listen two. I found myself so caught up in his talk that I stopped taking notes a third of the way through and didn't realize it.

He said that kids need heroes. Kids need to contribute. And children's books are the one last place children can find role models. He talked about kids entering kindergarten, tumbling in like a pack of puppies willing to sing and dance and play and pretend--but ask them to do those things as eighth graders... Every day, he said, door close in children's hearts. (I choked up a little thinking of my four-year-old turning in to a disinterested 14-year-old glued to a video game. I'll definitely be bringing him home some new books.) But it's a writer's job to kick those doors open.

And we were off...