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.

INSIDE STORY: Call for entries

Do you have a new book, or one coming out soon? If so, you may be eligible to present at Inside Story, our SCBWI Western Washington region's twice-yearly celebration of new books! We invite our membership and area booksellers, teachers, and librarians to view 2-minute presentations from the first 15 or so eligible PAL members who apply. The deadline is April 1st, but only a fool would delay.

Here are the details:
Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m.
Mercer Island Books
3014 78th Ave SE
Mercer Island WA 98040

Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. To be eligible, you need to be able to say "yes!" to all of the following:

• You are an SCBWI member at the PAL level and your profile at SCBWI.org is updated to reflect this.
• You live in the official Western Washington region. If you’re a member and uncertain which region you’re in, please check your member profile on SCBWI.org.
• Your publisher is on SCBWI’s lists of recognized (traditional) publishers; (found in the Market Surveys section of the SCBWI Publication THE BOOK, available to members for free download here).
• Your book is released between four months before or three months after April 30.
• Your book is readily available through normal trade channels (e.g., Baker & Taylor).

To apply, please fill out and submit the application form found here.

Please honor the maximum word count where given. Our quick edits might not be what you have in mind! And if you haven't heard back from us within a week, please contact deb@deblund.com.

If you're not planning to present this time around, please mark this event on your calendar anyway. We'd love to see you there!

Sincerely,

Deb Lund, Library and Bookstore Liaison
SCBWI Western Washington

Confessions of a Conference Virgin, Part Two

Testimonial by Emily Russin (Chinook Update editor and AdCom member):


I was, to be honest, quite terrified before last year's SCBWI conference. I was a newbie, I was unpublished (still am!), and I didn't know that many people. Heck, I assumed that I'd be hugging the walls and keeping my head down, taking notes. My roommate, once of my dear friends from high school, was busy helping out behind the scenes and seemed to know everyone. Okay, not seemed. She did know everyone. I figured I'd be the Weekend Wallflower.

Did this turn out to be the case? Nope. Not even close. The things I anticipated the most––the agent/editor/fiction panels, the coveted proximity to Industry Folks, writing feedback, precious publishing and writing advice––which were the most relevant to my work-in-progress––were great, thank you, but the other categories I'd glossed over during the registration process walloped me even harder: an illustrator's keynote (the amazing Melissa Sweet, whose talk about her creative process and play-at-work mantra resulted in the fabulous and meticulously researched picture book, Balloons Over Broadway); the portfolio showcase (I must have collected three dozen incredible sample images); and the sheer concentration of bodies in the same room that housed brains passionate about my passion. This realization caught me and held me fast. And, yes, I even mingled a bit and made new contacts and reconnected with some familiar faces. (And yes, people were nice and friendly and interested in hearing what I was working on. Unfailingly so.) As far as my writing feedback from the wonderful Jenny Bent, let's just say I was so impressed by her that I kept intentionally throwing myself in her path, willing her to take me on as a client even though I was nowhere near ready. But wow, I got to talk to an agent, a real live agent! Now I follow her on Twitter....

What I was told, more often than not, was true. The nuggets of information that hit you from unlikely sources resonate and stay with you. I still hold close the idea that work can be, and should be, like play. Whether you're playing with words or images, it's a hands-on, creative process that has all sorts of possibilities and paths to take. When you're doing this work/play all alone for most of the year, it's so, so beneficial to have a place like the SCBWI-WWA conference to remind yourself you're not entirely in a vacuum. The fact that it's here, where we live, is such a gift.

So, I chatted with people next to me at the table during cocktails. I learned about others' work, and found an acquaintance/friend from Spokane to sit with at lunch the next day instead of hugging said walls. I opened myself up and found that everyone else was part of the same tribe. A committed, witty, dedicated, and warm group––and they all made room for this newbie.

Now I'm part of the advisory committee that is helping organize our upcoming conference, and I couldn't be more overwhelmed and excited. As a newbie at this side of things, I am heading into this year's event as a second-time attendee. I'm still eager to learn, to rub shoulders with the VIPS, and to let those serendipitous aha! moments take root and get me through another year of the work I love.

Won't you join me?

Confessions of a Conference Virgin, Part One

Testimonial by Lynette Sandbloom:

Three years ago I was part of the writing program at UW. Probably 98 percent of my class went to the SCBWI conference that year, but I didn't because I wasn't sure I was ready. When they all came back after the conference, I really wished I had signed up. Everyone had so much fun, the conference was so inspiring. I heard that over and over.

Last year, I signed up and was blown away by the whole thing. It was amazing to be with so many people interested in the same thing, listen to so many creative people give talks, share information, and give wonderful tips on how to succeed. I took it all in and loved every single minute that I was there. I also loved that when you signed up for a talk on one subject, you could change your mind and attend something else. The breakout sessions were often small and personal and whether an art director, agent, or editor was giving a talk, I learned so much. In addition, many of the authors/illustrators were happy to sign books for you. I had one signed by Matt de la Pena and I told him my name. He wrote in my book something like, "Let your voice be known." He was so nice to talk to and that inscription felt so personal.

There are many opportunities to send your work or illustrations out after the conference to the editors and agents that attend. This is often the only way to have your work be seen. It is like icing on the cake.

I sat in on the First-Time attendee talk, too. I liked it. The wrap-up was fabulous and began as a parade. The entire conference felt like a party that I didn't want to end. It didn't matter for a second that I was a beginner. I only wish I could go to more of these! Truly, you will enjoy it so much.

I would encourage all of you to go. If I can answer any specific questions, I would be happy to.

Give yourself a getaway-- and hurry

Coming to our 22nd Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference? Hurry if you want to take advantage of the great room rate that the Marriott Redmond Town Center provides as part of our conference package.

The special conference rate of $115 a night is good only until March 30 -- not much more than a week. You can share a room (and the cost) with a writing or illustrating pal to:

• Save yourself an early-morning drive.
• Ensure you can fully enjoy KidLit Drink Night or schmoozing with other attendees or faculty late into Saturday night.
• Steal a little extra time for writing, drawing, brainstorming, or reveling in a weekend to focus on your career instead of your day-to-day commitments.

Make it a getaway weekend and reserve a room at the Marriott now! Use this reservations link to get the conference rate.

Story Chairs installation opening event

You are cordially invited to this innovative audio installation that takes storytelling to the next level. To learn more about the individuals involved, please click here. Congratulations to our very own Tina Hoggatt for putting this amazing project together!

Washington Lawyers for the Arts tax workshop

ANNUAL EVENING TAX WORKSHOP FOR ARTISTS AND THE ATTORNEYS

REPRESENTING THEM

 
WHERE: Theater Schmeater, 1500 Summit Avenue, Seattle

WHEN: Tuesday, March 26, 7–10pm

REGISTER: Registration begins at 6:45pm. To register, click here to visit Brown Paper Tickets online, or call 800.838.3006. To pay at the door, RSVP to Washington Lawyers for the Arts at 206.328.7053. Please note that the event is subject to cancellation; visit thewla.org or call 206.328.7053 for more information.

FEE: $50 for attorneys (includes 2.5 CLE credits (pending)); $25 for artists & others

 

Designed specifically to address the arts and entertainment issues, topics to be covered will include:

• What deductions can be claimed
• What tax forms to use and how to fill them out
• How to keep business and tax records in an organized manner
• How to minimize the chances of getting audited

"All the information at an affordable price," and "I knew next to nothing about taxes before this workshop; now I have some great info" are just two of the many favorable comments we received from previous workshops. Space is limited for what is sure to be a popular event, so early registration is encouraged!

Book marketing tips from Jessica Schein

If you didn't catch Jessica Schein's illuminating discussion of marketing your books in today's social media-obsessed world, you're in luck––Jessica has very kindly permitted us to reproduce a cheat sheet for your benefit. And believe me, Jessica knows a thing or two about a thing or two....

You're welcome!

Reminder: Kid Lit Drink Night TOMORROW!

Why Attend a Writing Conference?

It seems like we're getting more than the usual amount of queries from hesitant attendees this year, asking if we think they should go to the conference.

Basically, we say that whether or not you attend any event or workshop is up to you. You can review the conference details and decide if it would be a good fit for your needs. We try and offer rounded programming to serve everyone from newbies to pros, writers and illustrators. But you're the only one who can decide whether it's a good match or not.

If you're just starting out on your career in children's or YA books, you should know that getting published is not easy. It's not impossible, but it's far from easy. Fortune favors the polished and prepared.

We are admittedly biased. The SCBWI WWA conference is put together by a large team of volunteers. It takes hundreds (thousands?) of hours to plan and prepare for such an event every year. So if we weren't passionate about how important it is for our writing community, we couldn't do it. It's an investment—you invest the registration fee (which we try to keep as low as possible), and we invest our time and energy trying to make it the best that it can be. But we're enthusiastic because we have seen the benefits that a conference setting provides. We've met friends and critique partners, gathered inspiration and tools, and made connections with professionals that have benefited our careers. We've heard success stories from attendees. The conference is a great way to prepare yourself and gather the skills you need to succeed in your quest. And the benefits don't stop once you've been published. Our conference team still loves to attend conferences, even more so when we're not organizing them ourselves and can soak up the programming.

I wrote a post on conference expectations a couple of years ago for my agent's blog (you'll never guess where we met), because I wasn't really sure what was happening at my first conference either. You can read it here, if you're interested.

And if you decide that the SCBWI Western Washington Conference next month (!) is a good match for you, you can find the details and register here. But don't wait, we're over 80% full and usually sell out, because people that go once tend to come back. We promise to make it the best we can. But we're not asking you to trust us with your hopes, dreams, and ideas. We're asking you to trust yourself.

Hope to see you there!

Last day to VOTE!

In case you haven't heard:

TODAY is the last day to log your vote for this year's Crystal Kite Awards! Please take the thirty seconds to log into your SCBWI Member accounts and hit the "What's New In My Region" link to find the Crystal Kite tab. 

Some really worthy folks whose books are just fantastic deserve your support.

On behalf of the eventual winner, THANK YOU.


So...get to it!


With love and the most gentle of nudges,

Your Advisory Committee

Models wanted for picture book

FROM CRAIG ORBACK:

I am on the lookout for models for a great picture-book project: 

I am illustrating a biography of the man pictured above (a Holocaust survivor 

living in Portland) and need two individuals to model as him. Looking for two 

brothers (if possible) ages 14-15 and 17-18. It would be great if they resembled 

him somewhat (he is from Poland). Looking for more of a rounded face and thin 

body. Please spread the word! 

I'm looking to take the first set of pictures sometime in March. 

I can pay a little, and you would receive a published children's book! 

You can learn more about my work at http://www.craigorback.com.