WSJ on Kindle and Reading...

If you've visited Amazon.com at all lately, I'm sure you've noticed that they're really pushing Kindle, "Amazon's revolutionary wireless reading devise." (It's $399 with free 2-day shipping by the way.)

Yesterday The Wall Street Journal's columnist Daniel Henninger wrote an op ed piece on Kindle and reading. Scary/sort of surprising fact from the article: "The average 15- to 24-year-old spends seven minutes daily on 'voluntary' reading. " Wow. Seven? Are they voluntarily reading the backs of cereal boxes during breakfast? (It's ten minutes on weekends. A chapter of something?)

I wonder how much time I actually spend on "voluntary" reading. Maybe I should do a journal for a week or two and see. And I guess it depends on how one defines reading (which Henninger's piece discusses). What counts? Books of course. But what about newspapers, magazines and blogs? Is it odd that we need to have a discussion about what constitutes reading?

How much do you read on a daily basis? And would you read from a hand-held electronic devise over a printed book or a magazine? (I didn't think so. Neither would I.)

SCBWI Winter Conference Registration Is Open (Sigh)...

I just received the brochure for SCBWI's 9th Annual Winter Conference on Writing & Illustrating for Children held in NYC February 8-10, 2008. Why the Sigh, you say? Because I'm not going--it's not in my travel budget. (Everyone keep your fingers crossed that my budget is approved for the August LA event. I want to be there and be blogging.)

I know New York in February is generally not all that pleasant. But somehow attending the Winter Conference warms one up! This year's event includes keynotes addresses by Nikki Grimes, Carolyn Mackler, Susan Patron (of Newbery/ "scrotum" fame), Richard Peck and David Wiesner. There are also breakouts with editors the likes of David Gale (S&S), Jennifer Hunt (Little, Brown) and Mark McVeigh (Aladdin). And they offer pre-conference extensives for both illustrators and writers. Lot and lots of children's publishing industry-related fun! (That I will miss.)

SCBWI, if you're reading this and you want to let me come for free, I wouldn't turn you down. And I'd bring lots and lots of door prizes!

I hope lots of you can go and tell me all about it.

Vintage Children's Book Illustration Slide Show...

My co-worker Rachel (editor of Novel & Short Story Writer's Market) sent me a link to an interesting and wonderful little slide show on Slate featuring illustrations from the late-1800s up through the mid-20th century (including a Maurice Sendak illustration for The Hobbit). (You have to watch an ad if you're not a Slate subscriber, but it's kind of amusing.)

The illustrations featured (and I think the copy on the history of children's books as well) were culled from Timothy G. Young's Drawn to Enchant. The art in Young's book is from the collection of Betsy Beinecke Shirley. She left her extensive collection of books, original illustrations, manuscripts, and ephemera to the Library of Yale University. Young is the curator of the Betsy Beinecke Shirley Collection of American Children’s Literature.

National Book Award and Other Stuff...

• The National Book Awards were recently given and Sherman Alexie won in the Young People's Literature category for his first foray into YA, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. (Little, Brown). This is cool. I like Sherman Alexie and have read a number of his books for adults. I was keeping my fingers crossed for Kathleen Duey, though, and I'm bummed she didn't win for A Resurrection of Magic: Skin Hunger. But it's cool that her book gets a silver finalist sticker and I'm showing her cover in this post and not Alexie's. (I hope you found the right shoes for the ceremony, Kathleen. Zappos seldom does me wrong.)
• The New York Times Book Review recently published a special section on children's books (which features a review of Alexie's aforementioned award-winner). You can find it here. Be sure to click on The Best Illustrated Books of 2007 for a wonderful slideshow.
• I can't stop watching Gossip Girl. Oh I love that Chuck Bass. Anyone else think he's Logan Huntsberger with a healthy dose of 1980s James Spader?
  
• I've been light on the blogging lately--busy, busy pre-holiday stuff. And I'm off work all next week, eating pumpkin pie and whatnot, so my blog will be pretty quiet. After the holiday, I'll be back with more updates to listings in the 2008 CWIM. Stay tuned!
  

Halloween Continues at My House...

My son got a package in the mail yesterday--a copy of Frankie Stein, a wonderfully fun and monster-y picture book by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Kevan Atteberry--who was the sender of this tardy Halloween treat.

After Murray and I opened the package, we sat on the floor of his room to read it but never did make it through all the text because my little monster lover was fascinated with the illustrations. (He digs the ghost and rat that appear page after page observing the antics of cute little Frankie Stein's parents as they try to make Frankie a little more monstrous.)

This is a great book to add to your sorta spooky picture book collection. And this is my public shout out to my pal Kevan--thanks for the book!

2008 CWIM Updates...

If you subscribe to my monthly CWIM e-newsletter, you know I've just begun contacting publishers, publications, agents, etc. to gather updated information for the 2009 edition of CWIM. My November newsletter, which mailed on Monday, featured a number of book publisher updates. (If you didn't get it, email me a alice.pope@fwpubs.com and I'll forward you a copy. You can subscribe at cwim.com. Just don't read the copy on the site when you go there--I haven't gotten around to updating it from the 2007 CWIM. Just stick to the newsletter sign-up box on the upper right.)

Now I'll give you a some magazine updates I've gotten over the past few days. Get out your 2008 CWIM and a red pen. Here we go:

• New Moon: The Magazine for Girls & Their Dreams: (page 258) The contact name for submissions is now Melissa Harrison, Managing Editor.
• Pogo Stick: (page 260) This magazine is no longer published.
• Davey and Goliath's Devotions: (page 246) The editor is now Becky Carlson.
• Yes Mag: The Science Magazine for Adventurous Minds: (page 268) This Canadian magazine has a new address and contact names. 501-3960 Quadra St., Victoria, BC V8X 4A3 Canada. Publisher: David Garrison; Editor: Shannon Hunt; Art/Photo Editor: Sam Logan.That's all for now.

I'll keep sharing updates as they come in as long as you promise it won't keep you from buying the 2009 CWIM. (It's gonna be good.)

2008 CWIM Excerpt: Candie Moonshower on Dealing with Rejection...

In the 2008 CWIM, author Candie Moonshower (The Legend of Zoey) offers 10 (giant but essential) steps for writing and publishing your first novel. Here's her advice on handling an important step every writer must take: learning to handle rejection.

Part and parcel of the writing biz are the rejections. You will get them. In fact, you need to get them! Because after you've received a few rejections, it dawns on you that rejections aren't personal.

Instead of looking at rejections as overwhelming obstacles, try to view them as part of your development as a professional writer. New writers aren't the only ones who receive rejections. Published authors submit manuscripts that garner rejections, too. If you never submit out of fear of rejection, you'll never allow an editor the opportunity to call you with an offer!

Learn to deal with rejections by:

• Not submitting manuscripts too early. Like fine wine, your manuscript isn't ready until it has been written, rewritten, critiqued, revised and polished. When you send in work that isn't ready for an editorial look-see, you're cheating yourself by knocking that editor off your list of possibilities.
• Replacing worry with work. My mother always says that it's hard to worry when you're scrubbing a floor. I find it hard to worry about rejections when I have another manuscript ready to send out the door.
• Starting on a new project as soon as your manuscript has left the building (again, you're replacing worry with work). Always have a new, exciting project going that will take your mind off your mailbox.
• Never whining, ranting or crying about rejections except to your most trusted writing friends and, perhaps, your spouse. You, especially, never want to complain about rejections to those agents or editors who, potentially, might have one of your manuscripts in their hands someday.

For Moonshower's complete article, see the 2008 CWIM (page 25).

Debut Author of the Month: Crissa-Jean Chappell...

YA novelist Crissa-Jean Chappell's debut Total Constant Order, which was just released from HarperCollins, focuses on Fin, a teen who's got a lot to deal with. She's recently relocated to Florida, started at a new school, and her parents split up. And all these things put Fin's OCD in overdrive.

Chappell, who grew up in Miami, holds an MFA in screenwriting and an interdisciplinary PhD in film theory, philosophy, and literature. In addition to writing, she also teaches creative writing and cinema studies at Miami International University of Art and Design. Here she talks about writing her first novel, finding her agent, blogging and more and offers some advice to unpublished writers.

You've published a number of short stories and your debut book Total Constant Order started as a short story collection. Tell me about that evolution--what led you from short stories to novels?

My first "books" were 90-minute audio cassettes that I mailed to my cousin in Massachusetts. I'd write the epic script and act out the voices, not to mention the music (my totally awesome ghetto blaster, cranked to ear-piercing decibels in the background) and the cheesy sound effects--footsteps, falling rocks, etc. Sometimes I would Zip-loc my tape-recorder in a plastic bag and splash around in the pool. (Kids, don't try this at home).

In college, my creative writing professors focused on short stories. I grew used to thinking in terms of shorter formats, much like my old-school cassettes, and the thought of writing a full-length novel terrified me. I started out writing a collection of interconnected short stories. After a series of false starts, I threw that project out the window and began working on Total Constant Order, featuring Frances Isabelle Nash (Fin for short), a character that I had created years ago.

Total Constant Order was sold at auction to HarperCollins imprint Katherine Tegen Books. How did you find your agent Kate Lee (of ICM), who orchestrated said auction?

I met my agent in a very postmodern way: over the Internet. At the time, I had grown frustrated with licking stamps, sending out snail-mail queries, and receiving rejection letters months later. I decided to kick-start my agent-quest and fire off a round of emails. Kate responded to my cyber-query in a flash. I didn't realize that she had a reputation as the "agent to the bloggers." To this day, we correspond primarily through email.

What was the publication process like for you? From reading your 21 Steps to Publishing a Novel, it sounds long/exhausting/exciting. What would you say surprised you the most?

After working as a freelance journalist, where everything moves at light speed, I've learned that the book-publishing business is turtle-paced by comparison. My book was sold back in 2005 and it's finally hitting the shelves two years later. I've learned that it takes time to establish a marketing plan for a first-time author. HarperCollins has been so cool about sharing the process with me. For example, an author usually has little say in the cover design of their book, but they listened to my suggestions and I'm thrilled with the result.

Fin, your main character, talks about having a voice in her head "ordering me to listen." As a writer, do you have such a voice guiding you?

I bet most writers would admit, "Yeah. I hear voices in my head." I hear the sound of my characters talking to me. They spill their guts and whisper their darkest secrets. That's what makes writing so much fun. It's like dreaming with your eyes open. Every morning, I roll out of bed and stumble over to the computer and plug myself into an imaginary world. When I was a kid, I used to keep Trapper Keepers full of descriptions and drawings of my "invisible" friends. I still think about them and wonder what they're doing.

Tell us a little more about Fin and your book.

For the past two years, I've been secretly writing as my main character, 15-year-old Fin, in a Diaryland blog called "Sunshine State." I didn't want to write about myself (What I ate for breakfast. Or: What I bought at the grocery store). There's a lot of pressure on authors to blog as a way of reaching out to their readers. I'm a big fan of Megan McCafferty's "retro blog," in which she posts hilarious snippets of her high-school diary. Sarah Dessen's Livejournal features her favorite TV obsessions. I also love Blake Nelson's minimalist musings on his subway encounters with Prada-clad rock bands or the Zenlike nature of cows, etc. But I'm too shy to reveal large chunks of my private self: so I've kept an online journal under my real name, which is mostly about my publishing journey (because I'm obsessive and I like to keep track of things). At the same time, I've been blogging as Fin as my alter-ego in cyberspace.

At first, I shunned the idea of blogging. I shrugged it off as a distraction. Then, as Fin's readers began to respond to the stories, drawings and pictures I posted online, I realized that it is a valuable experience. Instead of sitting in my room, pecking away on a keyboard, I was connecting to people in an interactive universe. Writers live a very solitary life. For once, I didn't feel so alone.

You said that in college you were known as "the-chick-who-writes-about- teenagers." Why do you think you're drawn to creating teen characters? Why do you feel that "teenagers are the most interesting people on the planet"?

I still don't feel "grown up." In a kid's point of view, a day moves by slowly. They're always experiencing new things. Adults often complain that a week will fly by and they barely notice. I believe that it's easy to fall into a routine as you grow older...the daily grind of driving to work and all the responsibilities that fall on a person's shoulders. Sometimes when I talk to adults, it seems like their world has become so small. They chat about their jobs, the car they just bought, their mortgage, etc. As a college professor, I spend my days talking to teenagers. They haven't quite learned how to hide themselves yet. They blurt out their thoughts and opinions. They're desperate to have someone listen and take them seriously. (I get the feeling that they're used to being shooed away). I never grow tired of listening to them.

You've said Total Constant Order is based your own experience with OCD and that you are displeased with how the disorder is portrayed in the media. Why do you think it's misunderstood?

It's difficult to portray obsessive-compulsive disorder in TV or film because the action is primarily taking place inside the character's mind. Fin feels like a volcano. On the outside, she is sitting quietly at her desk. On the inside, she is ready to blow up. Thayer feels the same way when he takes Ritalin. I wanted to show that OCD is not a punchline to a joke. It's not about funny rituals: like tapping a light switch or counting footsteps. It's about feeling as if your life has slipped out of your control. I think that many teenagers can relate to that experience.

One review said that Miami is like a character in your novel (certainly a more interesting Miami character than the one in a certain David Caruso program). Here's another chance to tell us how Real Miami and TV Miami differ.

Miami must be the most misunderstood city in the United States. Those postcard-images of palm trees, pink flamingoes and sunny beaches are a mirage. Most often, you get a glimpse of a few neon-soaked avenues on South Beach (which is an island) and not the city itself. I wanted to depict the "real Miami," from the cookie-cutter McMansions of the Kendall suburbs to the graffiti-splattered industrial wasteland of downtown, the manatees hovering in canals and the hip-hop kids with the souped-up Hondas, fast food joints like Pollo Tropical, and Cuban coffee stands, a schizophrenic mix of urban sprawl and primal swamps. That's the Miami I know.

Megan McCafferty told you the YA community is filled with kindred spirits who remain forever teen, and it's important to help each other out. In that spirit, any favorite YA novelists you'd like to mention?

The blogging authors that I've mentioned are some of my favorites. I grew up devouring a lot of sci-fi and fantasy (think: Ursula K. Le Guin and Zilpha Keatley Snyder). In fact, the video game based on Snyder's Below the Root was one of my first experiences in thinking about interactivity and the way we read books.

(One more question since you don't like odd numbers). If you could give unpublished writers two pieces of advice, what would you tell them?

Everybody has a different story about their path to publication. If you listen to those stories, you'll hear a lot of conflicting information. I've learned that rules are meant to be broken (For example, many literary agencies say, "Don't query via email," and yet, that's how I met my agent). I was also told that teens don't like to read a lot of description. After hearing this a few times in my rejection letters from literary agents, I cut out some of my descriptive paragraphs. Then, when I met my agent, she encouraged me to put back what I had deleted. So my two cents would be: Write the book you want to read. And don't give up, no matter how many times you hear the words, "Not for me." Maybe it's not for them. It's for somebody else.