PAL members: Get your book on the beach — free (before Friday!)

SCBWI members at the "published and listed" (PAL) level — don't miss the chance to have one of your book titles included on the new "Summer Reading List" now being compiled by SCBWI International. If you missed the PAL member email with info, key tidbits include:

You do this:
 - Assemble the following information: ONE title, author and/or illustrator names, your (member) name if it's not already obvious, and a book description of 25 words or less. Separately (as in, not in the book description, but in additional data that won't be included in the list), indicate the genre, audience's grade level, and where you live. (Indicate one of these genres: Adventure/Mystery, Humorous, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Picture Book, Series Book)
- Email that info to readinglist@scbwi.org by day's end on Thursday, 3/31.

SCBWI will do this:
 - Put together lists by region, grade level, and genre, and make them available far and wide, both digitally and in hard copy.

Teachers, librarians, and readers will do this:
Get sand between pages and read.

Note: This particular opportunity is for traditionally published books by PAL members only. Self-published titles are not eligible this time.

Get going; summer's coming!

Published pro event this fall

I want to let all our published pros know about a great opportunity coming up this fall! YALSA's YA Lit Symposium will be taking place in Portland, OR, this year, November 6-8, 2015. I went to the one in Austin last year, and it was a blast! If folks have recent or soon-to-be-released YA books, they should see if they can get their publishers to sponsor them. More information about the conference can be found here (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/yasymposium). And the specific details to relay to publishers is below:

Author Participation   —  in-kind
YALSA’s Program Officer for Conferences & Events is happy to work with publishers to feature authors at the symposium.  Opportunities include a Book Blitz, panel presentations and keynoters for Sat. and a Sun. lunches.  Please contact Nichole  O’Connor at noconnor@ala.org or 312.280.4387.  Additional ideas for author participation are welcome.  This is an especially great opportunity for any authors you may have in the local area.

Thanks!

Laurie Ann Thompson

#scbwawwa14 Master Class: You've Got a Contract, Now What? with Justin Chanda

Justin Chanda (photo by Kim Baker)

Justin started his talk by breaking down what the different departments and people at a publishing house really do. It pays to know who does what, but ultimately, everything should go through your editor. He or she is an author or illustrator's in-house champion and coordinates the efforts of everyone involved. Ground rules? Behave like a professional, and be nice!

He shared some of the super-secret behind-the-scenes nitty-gritty details about the children's book market and how he decides where to spend a limited marketing budget and which books to spend it on. (Hint: Your book has to make money to get money.)

Finally, he gave tips for how authors and illustrators can promote their books effectively. Top recommendations included using social media well, hiring a freelance publicist, doing school visits, and reaching out to our own personal networks. 

One nugget resulted in both gasps of surprise and face palms from the audience: "Tell your editor EVERYTHING you are doing to promote your book. Send your complete schedule of events for the month ahead." This includes trips you are taking, storytimes you are leading, appearances you're doing, school visits, etc. "They can't help you if they don't know what you're doing."

Justin exudes both positivity and passion for our industry, and he generously shared his wealth of knowledge with attendees.