Rosanne Parry Collaborative Marketing Event

Rosanne Parry did a workshop at our April conference on collaborative marketing--which is all about putting the focus on the book-loving community rather than trying to be the solo rock star author. If you are interested in seeing how that works in action, stop by A Third Place Bookstore, 17171 Bothell Way NE this Sunday, May 22, at 2 p.m. Rosanne will be playing with kid musicians and reading from her new book SECOND FIDDLE. Third Place Books has been consistently generous in hosting children's authors and is an ideal venue for planning a group book event, so come support a local indy bookseller and think about your next collaboration!

For more information on Rosanne, and her work, visit her website.

Collaborative Marketing: Strength in Numbers with Rosanne Parry #SCBWIWWA

Reported by Liz Mills

Rosanne Parry is the author of the picture book DADDY’S HOME and the middle-grade novels HEART OF A SHEPHERD and SECOND FIDDLE. She lives in Portland, OR, and writes in a treehouse in her backyard.

In a straight-talking presentation peppered with heartwarming anecdotes and personal experiences, Rosanne took us through the steps to creating a collaborative marketing plan for our books or future books. While it is a reality that large publishers do not have deep promotional pockets for all their authors, there are ways to collaborate with each other as authors to celebrate the writing and reading community, establish a presence in that community, and hopefully sell books along the way. These partnerships can even focus on one aspect of your book, as in the event Rosanne did for SECOND FIDDLE, in which young musicians came and played pieces related to her book and provided a wonderful evening of entertainment in support of a good cause.

Rosanne focused her talk on two core ideas: tips on things everyone can do according to their book’s genre, and what authors should keep in mind as they brainstorm an appropriate marketing plan. Using the rubric Local, Level, Topic, and Clan, she encouraged us to read widely in our genre and get to know our fellows, so that we can partner with them effectively and meaningfully. I know I’ll be working on my marketing plan over the next few weeks, looking for creative ways to collaborate with and contribute to my community, helping to nurture a love of reading.

2011 Conference Series- Faculty Q & A with Rosanne Parry

I love our faculty for our 20th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference! They are so talented, diverse, and just wonderfully fun! One of those is Author Rosanne Parry! You can check out her Conference Bio here, and read her great answers to the Faculty Q & A below!

What is the best and worst advice you were given when you started in children's literature?

The worst advice I ever got was that you had to “know someone” in the industry to break in. I have yet to meet an author who had an inside track from the start.

I got some really great advice from a workshop Linda Sue Park did last summer. She said, “To succeed as a writer you need talent, passion, and discipline, and if you have to, you can do without either talent or passion.” It’s not easy advice to hear but it’s wise, and it’s kept me on track in a challenging year.

What advice would you now give someone starting out in children's literature?



Finish something. Take your strongest story idea, focus on it exclusively, set a deadline and finish it.

What favorite author/illustrator blogs, websites, Facebook pages, or Twitter accounts do you follow?


The best agent blog I’ve read lately is Jennifer represents… by Jennifer Laughren.

The best general introduction to children’s literature can be had in daily doses from Anita Silvey at the Children's Book-A-Day Almanac.

For all things Middle Grade try From the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors.

Where do you do your best work?


Love my tree house! I can work anywhere, and because I have a big, busy family I usually do, but I love to work outdoors more than anything, so my husband and kids built me a wonderful tree house in the back yard, and I work there all summer long. 


What are you most looking forward to about being part of the 2011 SCBWI WWA faculty?



I’m very much looking forward to catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones. It’s always invigorating to talk with writers at every stage of the process. I’m going to be leaving on a research trip right after the conference so I also have a few people whose brains I’d like to pick about historical and cross-cultural novels.

Attendees are often nervous to meet faculty at a conference. What, if anything, makes you nervous about being part of the faculty?



One of my day jobs has been teaching SAT prep to 17 year olds in an un-air conditioned classroom in August—that’s a tough crowd. Teaching writers is all joy! I won’t make you do any algebra, I swear! Maybe a teensy bit of vocabulary, but no analogies. Promise. J

What do you like most about your job?

I love, love, love school visits! It’s a long exhausting day, but the kids are so fun, and I’m always inspired by the dedicated teachers and librarians I meet.

What do you like least?



Spelling. As a child I became hooked on fonix. I’ve struggled with it ever since. It’s not pritty.

Thanks Rosanne!! You can find out more about Rosanne, and her work, on her website. Sadly, our conference registration is full, but you can still get your name on the waiting list. Visit the event website for more information.

2011 Conference Series-Distinguished Faculty: Rosanne Parry

Registration is full for our 20th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference, but the wait list is open! Go to the event website and get on the waiting list asap! And to give you that little bit of extra motivation, we're going to introduce another one of our very talented Distinguished Faculty; Author Rosanne Parry.

Rosanne has written a picture book, and two novels; including SECOND FIDDLE; her newest book that is coming out March 22. Here's what Rosanne says about her newest book:

It’s a girls road trip adventure set in Berlin at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was great fun to write and should strike a chord with anyone who has ever loved making music with their friends.

She has also written short stories, newspaper, and magazine articles. She is a member of the Class of 2K9.

Here's an interview from Boys Read Boys Rule, and an article on novel revision on Darcy Pattison's blog. Here's a little preview of that article (definitely worth a read):

Sometimes good revision means writing a scene you know you’ll never use

You can find out more about Rosanne (including some fun facts: she can play the violin, and juggle), and her work on her website.

Summer Writing Workshop with Rosanne Parry

Upcoming 20th Annual Children's Writing & Illustrating Conference faculty member Rosanne Parry would like to announce that she will teaching the YA section of the Summer Fishtrap Workshop in Joseph, OR, on July 11-17, 2011. Rosanne says, 

"Any one out there looking for a good workshop in a beautiful place, keep Summer Fishtrap in mind!"

Details can be found on the Fishtrap website.