A view into the minds of teens: The Making of the PVHS Lip-Dub

As writers for these high schoolers, you need to keep up with what teens are doing, viewing, living, thinking. I love the sarcasm and smiles on these kids, plus the pure genius!

Featured on the HUFFINGTON POST: PVHS Lip-Dub: a not to be missed youtube of what is going on in high schools today.

UPDATE #3: THE HOWS & WHYS OF GETTING PUBLISHED

Below is an updated compilation of posts that I think (hope) will help you get published. Enjoy!

UPDATED & EXPANDED: WHAT MAKE A BOOK SELL 

DO TRENDS INFLUENCE WHAT/WHO AGENTS CHOOSE TO REPRESENT? 

UPDATED: HOW TO QUERY ME & WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR

2 YouTube INTERVIEW WITH ME:)

FORMULA FOR A QUERY LETTER 

QUERIES & SYNOPSIS: How to Get an Agent Salivating to Read Your Manuscript  

HOW TO SUB QUERIES and FULL MS IN THE DIGITAL AGE 

RESEARCHING AGENTS 

RESEARCHING COMP BOOKS 

TITLES & COVERS-YOUR BOOK'S BILLBOARD

 
ACTIVATE YOUR STORY 

HOW TO PLOT YOUR BOOK 

MY AGENT HATES MY WIP! #@*&%# 

REJECTION REVISITED 

EVEN CONTEMPORARY BOOKS NEED RESEARCH 

YES, YOU CAN WRITE A MYSTERY! Guest blog by Sisters in Crime President Judy Clemens 


FOR ALL PICTURE BOOK WRITERS, READ THIS!

Long live incredibly amusing graphic novel sagas!"

Review of the Day: Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex

February 15th, 2012

Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian
By Michael Rex
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (an imprint of Penguin)
$5.99
ISBN: 978-0-399-25521-2
Ages 6-10
On shelves now
Michael Rex has made a career of sorts out of spoofing classic children’s books of yore. As such, Goodnight Moon becomesGoodnight Goon, Runaway Bunny is Runaway Mummyand Curious George is the stellar Furious George Goes Bananas. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but parody ain’t nothing to sneeze at. Now Mr. Rex switches gears a little. You can go on spoofing picture books until the cows come home but why limit yourself? If you’re going to rework a classic go big or go home. Go for the gold. Take on a classic in the best sense of the term. You don’t need to have read Conan the Barbarian to enjoy Mr. Rex’s new graphic novel series Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian but knowing the books won’t hurt your appreciation either. Basically, if you’ve been waiting around for a series about third graders with swords and deadpan deliveries your prayers have been duly answered.

Read School Library Journal Fuse #8's full freak'n fabulous review here! 

"Long live crazy pulp classics! Long live incredibly amusing graphic novel sagas! Long live Fangbone!"

FIRST PEEK AT DARE TO DREAM...CHANGE THE WORLD

I am excited to share the artwork that will accompany BRUCE COVILLE's poem, RIPPLE!

art by ©J Beth Jepson 2012

Pubbing Fall 2012 from Kane Miller Books, Dare to Dream … Change the World pairs biographical and inspirational poems focusing on people who invented something, stood for something, said something, who defied the naysayers and not only changed their own lives, but the lives of people all over the world.

The poets included were chosen not only for their talent, but because they too have informed, inspired and engaged young people throughout their careers with both their actions and their words.

I was thrilled to work with 30 top American children’s poets including: 

Alan Katz

Alice Schertle

Bruce Coville

Carol Tanzman

Curtis Crisler

David L. Harrison

Denise Lewis Patrick

Elaine Magliaro

Ellen Hopkins

Georgia Heard

Hope Anita Smith

Hope Vestergaard

J. Patrick Lewis

Jacqui Robbins

Jane Yolen

Janet Wong

Jill Corcoran

Joan Bransfield Graham

Joyce Lee Wong

Joyce Sidman

Julia Durango

Kelly Ramesdell Fineman

Laura Purdie Salas

Lee Bennett Hopkins

Lisa Wheeler

Marilyn Singer

Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Rose Horowitz

Stephanie Hemphill

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

HEY, YA WRITERS--CHECK IT OUT: HIGH SCHOOL LIP DUBS PROLIFERATE & GO VIRAL

Did you know that High School students across the country are creating lip dubs, showing off their amazing talents and school pride?

PVHS Lip Dub Open House 2012 - Check it Out

Above is my kids' High School, Palos Verdes High School in Palos Verdes, CA

This video was written, organized, filmed, etc. by high school students, including the amazing camera-work.

As writers for these high schoolers, you need to keep up with what teens are doing, viewing, living, thinking. 

Yes, we adults all know about facebook, twitter, pininterest and blogs, but that is also where we adults are. Teens find a way to get away from us by video-chatting, face-timing, excessive texting, FML, the list goes on and on. 

You want to write authentic teen books that are not set in the 1980's (because that is when you were a teen and you don't want to be encumbered by current teen technology/attitudes/way of life), make sure you know how today's teens are living/feeling/thinking.

Even contemporary books need research!


UPDATE: PVHS Lip Dub in the Huffington Post: 

WATCH: Amazing High School Lip Dub To Nicki Minaj And Will.I.Am

IMAGINE HOW AMAZING OUR NEXT GENERATION WOULD BE

‘Amazon’ tax for online sales wins unanimous Senate money committee support; floor vote next

If only this was NATIONWIDE and ALL the taxes collected went straight to education, imagine how amazing our next generation would be.

If only salaries for teachers and administrators were able to attract the best of the best to educate our children and teens, imagine how amazing our next generation would be.

If only the above was part of the conversation, imagine how lawmakers would be forced to listen to those who want to improve our country rather than those looking to save a buck and/or look out only for their own ass.

Washington Post Headline: ‘Amazon’ tax for online sales wins unanimous Senate money committee support; floor vote next By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, February 7, 9:27 AM/RICHMOND, Va. — A bill to force online retailers such as Amazon to collect the same sales taxes that mall discount stores and corner bookstores assess from their customers has won unanimous support from a key Senate committee.

Sen. Frank Wagner’s bill would close a loophole that gigantic Internet merchants use to avoid collecting Virginia’s 5 percent tax.
Supporters say it would boost Virginia’s treasury by hundreds of millions of dollars annually merely by collecting taxes already on the books.  Read full article here!

WHAT MAKES A BOOK SELL?

 I have added to this previous post because like the pub industry, I am evolving and have more to say on the subject....

What makes a book sell to a publisher, and sell-through to readers?


It is NOT how fabulous your website or blog is. It is NOT how many facebook or twitter friends you have, how many publishing links you forward or put on said website, blog, facebook and twitter. It is not how much editors and agents like you, though being a pain in the arse will NOT help you in any way, shape or form.

What sells a book is THE WRITING coupled with an ORIGINAL, COMPELLING CONCEPT!

You have heard that great writing will rise to the top and find its way. Yet we all know that not all great writing sells. There is marketing and sales to contend with, and even in my 3 short years of agenting I have had quite a number of books that editors loved and sales and marketing told them that it would sell, but just not enough....and the books are still not published. Breaks my heart. Breaks the editors' hearts. And oh, the author. So very unfair. BUT, publishing is a business and fair is not the leading part of the equation here.

But couple GREAT WRITING with an ORIGINAL AND COMPELLING CONCEPT and you are 75% there. The rest is luck, timing, bizarre unknown factors that none of us understand but we kill ourselves trying to, and kismet. When HARRY POTTER, TWILIGHT, WIMPY KID, 13 REASONS WHY, etc were brought to acquisitions meetings and given the green light, publishers made an educated guess that these books would sell. They make those educated guesses on other books (and in some cases pay big advances and pump marketing dollars into them) that are equally fantastic but for some mysterious reason never find their audience. I worked in marketing for a couple of decades and this is just how it goes. What made the Pet Rock, Silly Bands, Chia Pets, Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear Soap, etc sell? Don't know.

Is it all word of mouth? Is it superior product--maybe yes in books, but in Pet Rocks?

So let's talk about 'superior product in books'. In my opinion, the ORIGINAL, COMPELLING CONCEPT outweighs mediocre writing, but the better writer you are (LEARN YOUR CRAFT!) the stronger CAREER you will have as a writer be it traditional published or self-published.

And to the self-published, $0.99 sales price may get you a heck of a lot of first time readers (if you are so lucky) but if your writing is crap, who the heck is going to buy your second book? Let me quote my friend and 80+book author Kathleen Duey: Almost no one expects musicians to get good on an instrument without years of lessons, books, years of practice. There is a similar learning curve for writing. (read full post here)

So, my advice to writers other than the all important LEARN YOUR CRAFT---

1. Brainstorm concepts and pitches before you commit to a new book.
Even if you love your your new idea....write 10 more to get your creative juices going and see if you can come up with something better and/or improve on your original idea.
Brainstorming without self-criticism is an excellent way to unearth your creativity.

2. If you have a critique group/agent--consider picking the 3 that you most want to work on and share it with them to see if you are on track to writing something truly original and compelling.

3. Find the manuscript voice you want to work with. This is not Author Voice--Author voice is your unique voice that permeates all your work, this is the Manuscript Voice--the tone you want to tell this particular story in.

4. Write 3 chapters in your chosen Manuscript Voice and see if it is working. Share it with your critique partners, and, if you have this kind of relationship, with your Agent. While these first chapters may end up in the dumpster as many first chapters do, it is the tone/ characters/ setting/ concept/ freshness/ uniqueness that must shine through. Sometimes we come up with an amazing concept but we just cannot write an amazing manuscript to do the concept justice. I find this all the time in queries....amazing concepts with pages that are not compelling. If you cannot write to the chosen concept, pick another one. You have a list of 10+. Or brainstorm again.

5. Be absolutely mindful of every character you choose to put in the book. Why are they there? How do they move the story forward? What is interesting about them that will make a reader care about following them from page to page to page? What would make a reader demand book 2 and 3 because they can't bear to say goodbye to these characters? This is a must even for stand-alones. Don't you love that feeling when you slow down at the end of a book because you just don't want it to end?

6. Plot the heck out of the book. If you are a pantsers (as opposed to an outliner), no problem. Just make sure you go back through one full revision with the plot in the forefront of your mind asking How can I make this book UNPUTDOWNABLE?

I could go on and on but I want to hear from you...what do you think makes a book sell?