Get Wild at Kid Lit Drink Night Next Saturday!

The weather's turning and it's time to fortify ourselves against the cold and dark by gathering our writerly and illustratorly selves together in good cheer! That gathering will be Saturday, September 28, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Noble Fir in Ballard. The Noble Fir has the reputation as the favorite and best-attended gathering spot for our KLDNs, so please come find out why. And don't forget the best dirty limerick contest! All entries must be read aloud by the writer, decisions are final, judges are allowed to be fickle and capricious and sore losers will be required to come up with a dirty haiku on the spot. See you next Saturday! (Hosted by Brenda Winter Hansen, who owes me a drink)

Kickstarter or indiegogo? Two authors, two choices.

For those of you at the monthly Professional Series meeting who heard firsthand from Panda Chronicler Anne Belov and her Kickstarter experiences, here are two more locals who have forged a path along the same lines of crowd sourcing support for their writing projects.

Brenda Winter Hanson dives into crowd-sourced funding for her mermaid novel.

Assistant Regional Advisor Brenda Winter Hanson has started her own site, through indiegogo, to help her get to a writing workshop that will allow her to delve into her entire manuscript. Here's her story, which takes us through her thinking behind this decision to go public. To view her campaign site, click here. Go, Brenda!

Karen Kincy

Another local author, the novelist Karen Kincy, turned to Kickstarter to help fund her newest book. In a recent interview with the Chinook Update, below, Karen shared her success story:

Q: Is this a new frontier for you? How did you decide to pursue this avenue? Other people doing it?   What made you head in that direction?

My project for Shadows of Asphodel was my very first Kickstarter, and I was inspired to do it after seeing all the amazing entrepreneurial projects that have succeeded on the crowdfunding platform--everything from handmade chocolates to board games to indie films. It helped me immensely to plan the logistics and marketing of the Kickstarter in advance, as well as deciding a reasonable budget to self-publish a book. I spent at least a month brainstorming with my friend and fellow novelist, Chelsea Campbell, since we have also been scheming up a co-authored book to write this summer. (Moral of this story: Talk to your writer friends! They have awesome ideas!)

Q: What happens now that you've made your fundraising goal?

After I finish the manuscript to the satisfaction of my beta readers and myself, it's time for editing, formatting, and pre-publication marketing. Shadows of Asphodel is slated for a September 2013 release. I'm keeping my backers in the loop through Kickstarter email updates. Soon I hope to share at least a sneak peak of the cover--I have already commissioned an amazing cover artist for Shadows of Asphodel, and can't wait to see the final cover.

Q: What has been the response from: fellow writers, agent, publishing folks, etc.? 

Curiosity and excitement, mostly, and a whole lot of enthusiasm from those who backed the project and spread the word. I couldn't have done it without my cheerleaders!

Q: Would you do this again? Why or why not?

I would definitely do it again. Thanks to Kickstarter, I don't have to worry about funding the initial costs of  self-publishing a book myself. And since most of the Shadows of Asphodel Kickstarter backers chose pledge levels with ebook or paperback rewards, I can effectively count those as a small batch of pre-orders, hopefully that will lead to good first reviews from those who love the book.

Back from Weekend on the Water

Brenda Winter Hansen writes about the Weekend on the Water, which took place in Port Ludlow last weekend.

See her blog post to hear all about it! See Brenda's wonderful blog for more insights, literary and culinary and otherwise.

It was, truly, a terrific, inspiring, and relaxing time for thinking about how to keep our butts in chairs through the winter!

NaNoWriMo Write-In Event

Don't forget, tomorrow is the last SCBWI sponsored NaNoWriMo write-in of the month! Meet Brenda Winter Hansen at the Pub at Third Place in Ravenna from 7-10 p.m. for a last dash toward your word count goal (whether you NaNo or not). Look for the rubber duck and an open laptop.

NaNoWriMo Kickoff Event

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo or just want an excuse to write (or sketch!) among peers while in a pub setting? Then join Brenda Winter Hansen in a NaNoWriMo kickoff at the Pub at Third Place while she hosts a write-in on Tuesday, November 1 from 8-10 p.m., or stay as late as you want! She will have her official NaNoWriMo designator (a rubber duck) so bring the tools of your trade and leave the editor behind for an evening of camaraderie!

Kid Lit Event

Thanks to everyone who showed up for the first Kid Lit Pub Night at Ravenna Third Place Books. We had so much fun, we're doing it again. On October 20, from 7-9 p.m., the Copper Gate in Ballard (6301 24th Ave NW, 98107) will be the place to meet up with fellow writers and illustrators to talk shop to your heart's content. Bring good news, probing questions, and latest reads for a couple hours of getting-to-know other folks in the Western Washington kid lit world. For more info contact your AdCom social event coordinator, Brenda Winter Hansen, at scbwiwa@scbwi-washington.org.