Eve Hallows Book Series

The Thanksgiving holiday means different things to people who celebrate it.

2010-10-12T05:02:00.000-07:00

Many people look forward to this particular holiday simply because the majority, if not all, of their family members will be together for the first time this year.
It is a time of happiness and catching up on the lives of the others. This is a true Thanksgiving tradition that never goes out of style.

The Thanksgiving holiday means different things to people who celebrate it. As it usually provides a four day weekend, for a lot of people it is a holiday that is highly anticipated as a small vacation from work or school. This has thrilled children for years to know that they not only get a huge meal with all the family members but they also get four days of cartoons, sleeping late, and playing. So it is easy to see why the children enjoy this special holiday.
For many older people, this is a holiday of simply being grateful and giving thanks for what they have received during the year. This is the true meaning of Thanksgiving especially when the current year has been so much better than ones past. When everyone is gathered around the table for the holiday meal, they may each be asked to share what they are most thankful for that year. This is actually a tradition in many families that is repeated each year.

Halloween from Around the World

2010-10-12T05:00:00.001-07:00

Halloween from Around the WorldHalloween in Spain
In Spain the black cat is considered to be bad luck, especially if you let it cross your path, come into your home or even onto your ship. In Spain also a special pastry known as the Bones of the Holy is eaten on this day.
In Spain November 1 has become a public holiday. On All Saints' Day Catholics attend church services in honor of the saints, the martyrs and those who have died for the Catholic faith. People may also visit their family’s graves to beautify them with wreaths and small lanterns. Sometimes a mass is said at the gravesite and the grave sprinkled with holy water.
On November 2 or All Souls' Day, Catholics attend a special Requiem masses, where they remember those who may be close to them that have died. Prayers for the dead are said and votive candles are lit to honor their memory.
March 13-19 in Spain is Las Fallas which is in honor of St. Joseph whose feast day is on March 19. There are fireworks, bullfights, music, costumed revelers and parades. Giant models of people or papier-mâché effigies called ninots are stuffed with fireworks and burned.
The bonfires and burning of effigies is done to "blazing away" the last vestiges of winter and welcoming the glow of the summer Sun.

Halloween in Ireland/Celtic

2010-10-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Halloween in Ireland/Celtic
Thousands of years ago there was a tribe of farmers called the Celts. They knew that the sun helped make their crops grow, so when autumn came the sun began to fade and they believed that the sun would be winter's prisoner for six months.
They were worried that the sun would not return so to make sure it did they held a festival on October 31. During which, they asked the sun to return safely in the summer. All the cooking fires were put out and a huge bonfire was lit on the hillside. Here they prayed the sun would shine brightly after winter was over.
The next morning they would return to the hillside take a piece of the burning wood from the remains of the bonfire and light new fires so as to bring good luck. Feasts were held over the new fires and people would dress up in costumes made out of animal skins. It was believed these costumes would protect people from bad luck.
This is how Hallowe'en is said to have begun and is still celebrated today.
Cats were considered by the Celts too be spirits and that cats could predict the future.
In Ireland the black cat was considered to be bad luck and if it crosses your path while walking or crosses the threshold of your home or ship it was considered bad luck.
In Ireland children would cut scary faces into hollowed-out turnips, large rutabagas, or potatoes. Then place and candle inside them.
Children once enjoyed throwing cabbages and turnips at doors at Hallowe'en time. Smashing bottles near windows was also done in fun.
The Celts referred to Halloween as The Samhain Festival. It was during this time that you would lead your livestock home from summer pastures to the winter shelters. Samhain Eve was a time when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead grew thinner, and ghosts ventured toward the warmth if people's homes and hearths. On the Eve the Celts built bonfires in memory of their departed ancestors and left food and drink on their tables overnight for eating by the ghosts.
The tenth-century abbot of Cliny Odile changed Samhain's name to All Saints' Day. October 31 became All Hallows' Eve or Hallowes' Even, and eventually would become Halloween. Halloween is now for the children, whose practice of trick-or-treating has its roots in the English custom of "soul-caking". From medieval times onward poor people would beg door-to-door for spiced cakes that the householders would award as payment for prayers the beggars promised to say for the householders' ancestors. This song was referred to as the soul-cakers song.
In Ireland they continued to practice their deep-rooted, ancient pagan rites well after the arrival of Christianity in the middle of the sixth century. The Church fathers had become concerned that the popularity of non-Christian festivals was growing at the expense of Christian holy days.
Pope Gregory I, in 601 issued a decree to his missionaries about the faith and customs of the people whom he wanted to convert to Christianity. Gregory knew that it would be impossible to eradicate the beliefs of the natives totally and so suggested to his priests that they "convert" them whenever possible.
If the native people worshipped at a well, or sacred grove, Gregory informed his missionaries to enshrine them to Christ and let the worship continue.
Gregory's successor Pope Boniface IV in 609, declared May 13 All Saints' Day. Unfortunately, while pagans were happy to add All Saints' Day to their calendar, they were unwilling to give up their existing festival of the dead and continued to celebrate Samhain.
Intent on eliminating the ongoing power of the pagan beliefs, Pope Gregory III followed in the footsteps of the earlier Christian leaders and intentionally united the Christian All Saints' Day to the festival of Samhain. He then moved All Saints' Day to November 1, which became more commonly known as All Hallows. Because Samhain had traditionally fallen the night before All Hallows, it eventually became known as All Hallows' Even' or Hallowe'en.
Previous church leaders to Gregory III discouraged the Samhain tradition of wearing frightening costumes, but Gregory decided instead to allow people to dress up in honor of the saints. Other traditions, such as begging for food and kindling, were made legal by the Church, providing that any food that was given to the beggars would be given to the poor, rather than to appease the spirits.
The Church also added a second day to the festival, this fell on November 2 and was called All Souls' Day and was dedicated to the souls of those who are still left in purgatory. These souls had to endure the punishment of purgatory for their sins. It was believed that the lighting of candles and the saying of prayers for the dead would shorten the time they were to suffer in purgatory before they would rise to heaven.

Halloween in Britain

2010-10-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

Halloween in Britain
In Great Britain everyone wants to welcome the friendly spirits so special soul-cakes for them. When children in costumes called upon their neighbors' homes on Hallowe'en they would be given soul-cakes too!
In some parts of Britain Hallowe'en in the past was known as Mischief Night. It was a night for mischief making. People would take the doors off their hinges on this night. The doors were also often thrown into ponds, or taken a long way away.
In England it is said that elves road on the backs of the villagers' cats. The cats had fun but the villagers did not and would lock their cats up so that the elves could not catch them.
Children were told not to sit in the circles of yellow and white flowers were fairies have danced as they may be stolen by the fairies. It was also bad to sit under the hawthorn tree because the fairies loved to dance on them and if they saw them their tempers would be prickled.
In England the black cat was considered to be good luck were as a white cat was considered to be bad luck.
In England children make "punkies " out of large beets. They cut out a design of their choice into the beet. Then they carry them through the streets and sing the Punkie Night Song. They knock on doors and ask for money.
In some parts of England turnip Lanterns are place on gateposts to protect homes from the spirits.
In England Halloween was nicknamed, Nutcracker Night or Snap Apple Night. Families would sit before a great fire in the hearth, roasting nuts and eating apples. They told stories and played holiday games. It was an evening of great fun and merriment.
In England they continued to practice their deep-rooted, ancient pagan rites well after the arrival of Christianity in the middle of the sixth century. The Church fathers had become concerned that the popularity of non-Christian festivals was growing at the expense of Christian holy days.
Pope Gregory I, in 601 issued a decree to his missionaries about the faith and customs of the people whom he wanted to convert to Christianity. Gregory knew that it would be impossible to eradicate the beliefs of the natives totally and so suggested to his priests that they "convert" them whenever possible.
If the native people worshipped at a well, or sacred grove, Gregory informed his missionaries to enshrine them to Christ and let the worship continue.
Gregory's successor Pope Boniface IV in 609, declared May 13 All Saints' Day. Unfortunately, while pagans were happy to add All Saints' Day to their calendar, they were unwilling to give up their existing festival of the dead and continued to celebrate Samhain.
Intent on eliminating the ongoing power of the pagan beliefs, Pope Gregory III followed in the footsteps of the earlier Christian leaders and intentionally united the Christian All Saints' Day to the festival of Samhain. He then moved All Saints' Day to November 1, which became more commonly known as All Hallows. Because Samhain had traditionally fallen the night before All Hallows, it eventually became known as All Hallows' Even' or Hallowe'en.
Previous church leaders to Gregory III discouraged the Samhain tradition of wearing frightening costumes, but Gregory decided instead to allow people to dress up in honor of the saints. Other traditions, such as begging for food and kindling, were made legal by the Church, providing that any food that was given to the beggars would be given to the poor, rather than to appease the spirits.
The Church also added a second day to the festival, this fell on November 2 and was called All Souls' Day and was dedicated to the souls of those who are still left in purgatory. These souls had to endure the punishment of purgatory for their sins. It was believed that the lighting of candles and the saying of prayers for the dead would shorten the time they were to suffer in purgatory before they would rise to heaven.
The Tradition of begging for food soon was replaced with souling or Soul Caking. The idea was for children to go from door to door asking for money to give to the poor and a soul cake to have for themselves. Every cake they would receive, the children would say a prayer for the souls of the dead.
Soul cakes were called many different names throughout England such as Saumas or soul mass cakes which were dark fruitcakes, another cake was covered in caraway seeds and made into a bun.
In the North of England the tradition of lighting bonfires was central to the Halloween celebration. Superstition was still strong as a result of the aftermath of the witch-hunts; witches were believed to take to the air to harass everyone at Halloween.
Halloween was called Tan Day for the township of Lancashire. Tan day was so named as it was the Celtic tein, or fire and pitchforks full of burning hay were flung into the air to scare the witches. Another reason was the heat and the smoke of the bonfires would also drive away any airborne witches.

Halloween in Canada

2010-10-08T05:19:00.001-07:00

Halloween in Canada
In Canada people welcome trick-or-treators by placing pumpkins called jack-o'-lanterns in their windows.
Also in Canada it is bad luck for a black cat to cross your path, enter your home, or even enter your ship.
In Canada people give trick-or-treaters sweets to make sure they are not played a trick on.
Children make Jack-o'-lanterns for hallowe'en.
Dressing up as witches, ghosts and beasts for trick-or-treating is done also

What is Halloween actually a celebration of ?

2010-10-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

Most holidays commemorate or celebrate something. But what about Halloween? What is Halloween actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual where folks get together for parties, dress up in Halloween costumes and bob for apples?
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.
One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.
Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.
Some accounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thought to have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits. Other accounts of Celtic history debunk these stories as myth.
The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.
In Greek mythology, goddesses of the underworld were often used to invoke the Samhain. Popular Greek Goddess costumes portray Hecate and Medusa. Hecate was the most favored goddess by Zeus, and wandered the emptiness between the worlds of life and death looking for souls of the dead. Both were considered serpent goddesses, and their ancient dark legends spawned myths such as vampires, who fed off the living using venom and snake-like fangs. Ritualistic dress includes snake adornments and three headed masks. Today, Hecate is often referred to as the goddess of witches.
The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.
The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.
The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.
According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.
The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

Halloween Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Glaze

2010-10-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

Recipe
Yield: about 36 cookies
They're not shaped like pumpkins, but these moist, cakey cookies are made with pumpkin puree, so they're perfect for school Halloween parties and Thanksgiving snacking.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
For the cookies:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Make the cookies: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium-size bowl.
Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. Bake the cookies until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove them with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze: Combine the cream, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, and butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and let simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. Transfer the glaze to a heatproof bowl, stir in the vanilla extract, and let cool until thickened, about an hour.
Place a parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet under the cookies on the wire rack. Spoon some of the glaze over each cookie, picking up each cookie and working over the bowl to let any excess drip back into the bowl. Place the cookies back on the rack and let stand until the glaze is firm, about 1 hour. Halloween Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Glaze are best eaten on the day they are made, though they will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.

Halloween Safety for Kids & Teens

2010-10-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

Halloween Safety for Kids & TeensKids love Halloween! They get to dress up and get free candy! What a perfect holiday! Give your kids some precious Halloween memories that they'll have for life.
Some of you kids already know things that you can do to be safe, like how to cross the street, not to talk to or go with strangers and things like that. But we adults know how exciting Halloween can be and that can make you forget to be careful.
Here's some tips that we have just for you kids, to help keep you safe on Halloween night! Some of these ideas are called "common sense" ideas, that means that they are things that you should know and use every day in life. You are never too young to learn!
Never, ever go into a strangers house or even ring their door for treats unless your parents are with you and say that it's okay. There are some people in life that aren't very nice to kids and you have to be careful. Always make sure that your mom or dad is within sight when you go out trick-or-treating.
Be careful when you cross a street. Make sure to look in both directions and make sure that there are no cars coming. If you have a little brother or sister with you, take their hand and help them get across the street, too. If the street has a stop light, wait until the cross walk light tells you that it's okay to cross now, but still check before you cross, look both ways.
If you are an older kid or young teen, and going out with friends, make sure that your parents know where you are going and who you are going with. This may seem like a pain but they are your parents and they love you. They just want you to be safe.
If you can drive and are taking a bunch of friends to a party, make sure that you have enough gas to get there. You don't want to run out on a dark street, all alone, like a bad horror movie!
If you parents give you a curfew, be home when they say. It builds trust between you and them and they are doing it for your own safety. If you are going to be late, call them and let them know.
Vandalism is never cool! Throwing eggs at cars and houses is not cool. Someone has to clean it up and it could be you, if you get caught. You can also be arrested and punished as a juvenile. So, don't think that it's fun only if you can get away with it. It's never the right thing to do! Think about how you would feel if someone did that to your house and how bad it would make you feel.
Hurting animals is never acceptable behavior! Some people use Halloween as an excuse to hurt cats and that is just wrong! Not only is it illegal in most places to hurt or torture animals and punishable by law, you should never hurt a helpless living thing.
Have fun on Halloween but keep it safe, have some good, clean fun and your parents will trust you for many Halloweens to come! Showing them how responsible you can be will give you a feeling of pride and make them see just how adult you really are.

Bess The Book Bus

2010-10-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION IS COMING TO TAMPA!!! We want them to do a Book Bus Edition! PLEASE drop them a line and tell them what Bess means to you! Bess needs a lot of love after the trip! Our kids are depending on us! E-mail a couple of sentences to casting at casttampa@gmail.com about what Bess means to you. We need all the support we can get! We really need this to stay on the road guys! We only need a couple of lines from each of you about what the Book Bus means to you! PLEASE EMAIL THEM!!!! casttampa@gmail.com

2010-10-04T03:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GTd4ntlbcM

2010-08-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Show Name: RR Tracks - A GOOD STORY IS A GOOD STORY

2010-08-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Red River Radio
Show Name: RR Tracks - A GOOD STORY IS A GOOD STORY

Date / Length: 8/16/2010 8:00 PM - 1 hr 30 min
Length: 1 hr 30 min
Description:
h:58697 s:1165046 On Monday Night August 16 8 PM CENTRAL - A GOOD STORY IS A GOOD STORY with Host Marsha Casper Cook, April Robins, Freda Roberts, and Virginia S. Grenier. Their guest this week is Carolyn Howard – Johnson. Marketing Matters. Carolyn is going to discuss the importance of marketing. She has a series of book that have won multiple awards. She’s an author, speaker, publishing consultant and book promoting coach. She is a one woman show and a very special woman. She has helped many writers learn how to do the impossible – market their work using techniques that are affordable. Her expertise has helped put writers on the map She was awarded Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by the California Legislature; her home town's Character and Ethics Commission honored for her work on promoting tolerance and the Pasadena Weekly named her to their list of "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen" for literary activism. American Women's Business Association (ABWA) named her Outstanding Woman in 2007 Her nitty gritty how-to book, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER won USA Book News' Best Professional Book 2004 and the Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award. THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENUSRE SUCCESS is the second in the HowToDo It Frugally series (http://HowToDoItFrugally.com). It was named the best publishing book of 2007 by USA Book News. Her second in that series is The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success . It won USA Book New and Reader Views Literary nods. The show will also include April's Pick, Freda's favorite Classic Movie and Virginia's Perspective. Join in on the fun. You will be glad you did. THE LINK TO THE SHOW. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2010/08/17/rr-tracks--a-good-story-is-a-good-story More information can be found online at http://www.michiganavenuemedia.com

Free ways to market your written masterpiece.

2010-08-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Free ways to market your written masterpiece. Marketing your book whether you went the POD, e-book, or traditional route can be a daunting process. Figuring out what works and what doesn’t can take time, energy, and if you’re not careful a lot of money. When I first self-published my science fiction novel GETTING OUT ALIVE, I had already done quite a bit of research into ways to market my novel that didn’t eat into my pocket book. Here are the top 8 ways I’ve marketed my book and seen results: *Create a presence on the web. There are many ways to do this, but having your own website to promote your writing is the best way. There are lots of places that have free webpages, but Bravenet.com has everything you could ever want (webjournals, tell-a-friend service, guestbook, and mailing lists to name a few) and this includes free hosting. *Sign other author’s guestbooks. The author is not the only one who reads the entries, and make sure you add your website address even if they don’t give you a spot to put it. Put it beneath your name when you sign your entry. *Be a regular on message boards, answer newbie’s questions, and don’t forget to add your signature with your website address. The important thing to remember here is to pop in on a regular basis, otherwise it looks like the only reason you’re there is advertise, and participants won’t take you seriously. *Join writers groups online and post, post, post! That’s not to say you should inundate any group with advertising e-mails about your book, but rather to participate in the discussions. If you have a signature line at the end of your e-mails this will do your advertising for you. *Speaking of signature lines, create one and add it to all of your e-mails. This is one of my favorite freebies. People do read signature lines and I have actually ordered books because I found them via the signature line. *Give away free PDF electronic versions of your book (not too many now, just 2 or 3) in return for reviews. This has worked very well for me, and I’ve gotten some good reviews from doing this. Readers like free and are usually more than willing to write a review in return. *Trade electronic versions of your book with other published authors and do a review for each other. *Once you have reviews post them on your website and anywhere else you can. There are many places to post reviews for free, just search on google for book reviews. See if your reviewers will post their reviews for you at these websites

Angels At My Side Book Trailer

2010-08-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

Charles Dickens

2010-07-16T07:36:00.001-07:00

Dickens, Charles, 1812–70, English author, b. Portsmouth, one of the world's most popular, prolific, and skilled novelists.
Early Life and Works
The son of a naval clerk, Dickens spent his early childhood in London and in Chatham. When he was 12 his father was imprisoned for debt, and Charles was compelled to work in a blacking warehouse. He never forgot this double humiliation. At 17 he was a court stenographer, and later he was an expert parliamentary reporter for the Morning Chronicle. His sketches, mostly of London life (signed Boz), began appearing in periodicals in 1833, and the collection Sketches by Boz (1836) was a success.

Soon Dickens was commissioned to write burlesque sporting sketches; the result was The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1836–37), which promptly made Dickens and his characters, especially Sam Weller and Mr. Pickwick, famous. In 1836 he married Catherine Hogarth, who was to bear him 10 children; the marriage, however, was never happy. Dickens had a tender regard for Catherine's sister Mary Hogarth, who died young, and a lifelong friendship with another sister, Georgina Hogarth.

Maturity
The early-won fame never deserted Dickens. His readers were eager and ever more numerous, and Dickens worked vigorously for them, producing novels that appeared first in monthly installments and then were made into books. Oliver Twist (in book form, 1838) was followed by Nicholas Nickleby (1839) and by two works originally intended to start a series called Master Humphrey's Clock: The Old Curiosity Shop (1841) and Barnaby Rudge (1841).

Dickens wrote rapidly, sometimes working on more than one novel at a time, and usually finished an installment just when it was due. Haste did not prevent his loosely strung and intricately plotted books from being the most popular novels of his day. When he visited America in 1842, he was received with ovations but awakened some displeasure by his remarks on copyright protection and his approval of the abolition of slavery. He replied with sharp criticism of America in American Notes (1842) and the novel Martin Chuzzlewit (1843). The first of his Christmas books was the well-loved A Christmas Carol (1843). In later years other short novels and stories written for the season followed, notably The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth.

Dickens lived in Italy in 1844 and in Switzerland in 1846. Dombey and Son (1848) was the first in a string of triumphant novels including David Copperfield (1850), his own favorite novel, which was partly autobiographical; Bleak House (1853); Hard Times (1854); Little Dorrit (1857); A Tale of Two Cities (1859); Great Expectations (1861); and Our Mutual Friend (1865). In 1856 he bought his long-desired country home at Gadshill. Two years later, because of Dickens's attentions to a young actress, Ellen Ternan, his wife ended their marriage by formal separation. Her sister Georgina remained with Dickens to care for his household and the younger children.

Dickens was working furiously, editing and contributing to the magazines Household Words (1850–59) and All the Year Round (1858–70) and managing amateur theatricals. To these labors he added platform readings from his own works; three tours in the British Isles (1858, 1861–65, 1866–67) were followed by one in America (1867–68). When he undertook another English tour of readings (1869–70), his health broke, and he died soon afterward, leaving his last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished. His grave is in Westminster Abbey.

Dickens's Genius
Charles Dickens is one of the giants of English literature. He wrote from his own experience a great deal—the Marshalsea prison dominates Little Dorrit, and his father was at least partially the model for Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield. Although he was expert at journalistic reporting, he wrote nothing that was not transformed from actuality by his imagination. Sharp depiction of the eccentricities and characteristic traits of people was stretched into caricature, and for generations of readers the names of his characters—Mr. Pickwick, Uriah Heep, Miss Havisham, Ebenezer Scrooge—have been household words.

His enormous warmth of feeling sometimes spilled into sentimental pathos, sometimes flowed as pure tragedy. Dickens was particularly successful at evoking the sights, sounds, and smells of London, and the customs of his day. He attacked the injustices of the law and social hypocrisy and evils, but after many of the ills he pictured had been cured he gained still more readers. Some critics complain of his disorderliness in structure and of his sentimentality, but none has attempted to deny his genius at revealing the very pulse of life.

Jane Austen

2010-07-16T07:21:00.002-07:00

Jane Austen

A watercolour and pencil sketch of Jane Austen, believed to be drawn from life by her sister Cassandra (c. 1810)[A]Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction set among the gentry have earned her a place as one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature.[1] Amongst scholars and critics, Austen's realism and biting social commentary have cemented her historical importance as a writer.

Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English gentry.[2] She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. The steadfast support of her family was critical to Austen's development as a professional writer.[3] Austen's artistic apprenticeship lasted from her teenage years until she was about thirty-five years old. During this period, she experimented with various literary forms, including the epistolary novel which she tried and then abandoned, and wrote and extensively revised three major novels and began a fourth.[B] From 1811 until 1816, with the release of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began a third, which was eventually titled Sanditon, but died before completing it.

Austen's works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the eighteenth century and are part of the transition to nineteenth-century realism.[4][C] Austen's plots, though fundamentally comic,[5] highlight the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security.[6] Like those of Samuel Johnson, one of the strongest influences on her writing, her works are concerned with moral issues.[7]

During Austen's lifetime her works brought her little personal fame and only a few positive reviews. Through the mid-nineteenth century, her novels were admired mainly by members of the literary elite. However, the publication of her nephew's A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1869 introduced her to a far wider public as an appealing personality and kindled popular interest in her works. By the 1940s, Austen had become widely accepted in academia as a "great English writer". The second half of the twentieth century saw a proliferation of Austen scholarship, which explored many aspects of her novels: artistic, ideological, and historical. In popular culture, a Janeite fan culture has developed, centred on Austen's life, her works, and the various film and television adaptations of them.

Richard Doddridge Blackmore

2010-07-16T07:21:00.001-07:00

"Richard Doddridge Blackmore (7 June 1825 - 20 January 1900), referred to most commonly as R. D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of the second half of the nineteenth century. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world. He won literary merit and acclaim for his vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside, sharing with Thomas Hardy a Western England background and a strong sense of regional setting in his works. Noted for his eye for and sympathy with nature, critics of the time described this as one of the most striking features of his writings. Blackmore, often referred to as the "Last Victorian", acted as a pioneer of the new romantic movement in fiction that continued with Robert Louis Stevenson and others. He may be said to have done for Devon what Sir Walter Scott did for the Highlands and Hardy for Wessex. Blackmore has been described as "proud, shy, reticent, strong-willed, sweet-tempered, and self-centred." Though very popular in his time, Blackmore's work has since been largely ignored. Save for his novel Lorna Doone, which has enjoyed considerable ongoing popularity, his entire body of work has gone out of publication. Consequently, his reputation rests chiefly upon this romantic work, in spite of the fact that it was not his personal favourite."

RR Tracks - A GOOD STORY IS A GOOD STORY

2010-07-12T08:59:00.001-07:00

Call-in Number: (646) 595-4478
Upcoming Show: 7/12/2010 7:00 PM
Host Name: Red River Radio
Show Name: RR Tracks - A GOOD STORY IS A GOOD STORY

Date / Length: 7/12/2010 7:00 PM - 1 hr 30 min
Length: 1 hr 30 min
Description:
h:58697 s:1119307 Beginning Monday July 12th at 8 pm Central, join host Marsha Cook and her two co-Hosts April Robins, and Freda Roberts. Marsha Cook is a screenwriter, novelist and the President of Marcus Bryan & Associates and Michigan Avenue Media. April is the CEO of Robin Falls, the creator of a wonderfully talented network of writers as well as a children's author. Freda Roberts is a talented writer and the creator of the Literary Lounge on Facebook. All three of these women especially Freda have learned how to be successful in the social network community. Marsha Cook has been the host since the show began but she has added two co hosts April Robin and Freda Roberts. They will welcome a new assistant for the show, Virginia S.Grenier; Virginia is the Founder & Owner of Stories for Children Publishing LLC. Their guests will be entertainers, novelists, screenwriters, directors, producers, publishers and publicists. There will be a special guest co host every week and to start the show off on July 12, Craig Clyde will join the show. He’s a screenwriter, novelist and Movie Director. He has directed over eighteen films and he will be discussing his new film ROOTBEER CHRISTMAS. The chat lines will be open and they welcome callers. There is a new and exciting addition that will really spice up the show … Movie and Television reviews. If you have a television show or a favorite movie that you want to talk about go into the chat room or make a call. It’s time to talk entertainment. Please feel free to call in at 646-595- 4478. Forget the stress and join Marsha, April, Freda and Virginia every Monday night at 8 pm Central. You will be glad you did.

2010-06-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

Angels at My Side

By authors Freda Roberts and Eva Rice

Illustrated by Sarada Holt

Do you believe in angels and their power and love to protect you from harm? I do and so does our authors as you this story told in poetry form that will forever renew your faith in the miracles of angels and believing in them.

As the poem unfolds we see a precious little girl about to start her day telling us that she has an angel on her side when her day begins. Reading this poem you will notice that each angel is of a different nationality and faith, making this poem an excellent source for not only teaching multicultural education to both adults and children. Angels can protect you when you tie your shoe. They can make sure that you don’t trip and fall or help your mom cook. Riding a bike and or when you want to give and share you know that an angel will always be there. Angels can do so many things and are there to keep us safe and warm and much more. Reading this poem made me smile each time I read what these different angels could do to make this little girl feel strong, safe and filled with joy.

The illustrations tell their own story and bring to light just how special each and every angel is to this young child and all of us. Boy, would it be great to have an angel on my side when I have my next book signing or to keep my mom safe and warm. If I had my wish I would want an angel to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, which is what my mom has. She is truly someone that deserves her own special angel.

The authors call their angel mother. I call mine Dad. When you look up above and thank God for the wonderful things we have and the guidance he gives us to succeed in life and be safe, remember to say a thank you for all of the angels that he sends down each day to be at our sides and take the clouds away from the storms and gusts out of the wind to make our days calm and tranquil and special.

This is great book to teach everyone about angels, love, guidance and appreciating life in general.

This book gets Five More Special Angels.

So you think children these days are simply not reading

2010-06-16T06:07:00.001-07:00

So you think children these days are simply not reading as much as they did in the past? The publishing industry doesn't seem to think so. They say the recession period saw the sale of children's books go up and make profits.

Shantanu Duttagupta of Scholastic India Pvt Ltd said: "It's a misconception that children these days are losing interest in books. If that were true, we wouldn't have published the number of books that we do every year and wouldn't have made profits during the recession period last year!"

"We publish around 80 new books every year. Overall, there are roughly around 1,500-2,000 children's books published every year in India. The children's books publishing industry is thriving," Duttagupta told IANS, while arranging a few books at Scholastic India's stall in the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair.

Rajesh Kumar Bhagat of Grolier said: "The demand for children's books is definitely there. We publish educational books and have more than 20 new titles every year."

The advent of computer games, video games and the like have most youngsters hooked these days. As a result, book reading doesn't seem to be an apparent hobby children take to - prompting the National Book Trust (NBT) to do a survey.

NBT chairman Bipan Chandra said: "We are doing a national readership survey to find out if kids are actually reading less these days and, if not, what are they reading so that the publishing industry can cater to their needs accordingly.

"If you ask my personal opinion, I don't think kids are not reading. We have seen a big jump in the number of people registering in our readers club over the last few years," Chandra told IANS.

According to Duttagupta, one of the main reasons why the children's book industry remained unaffected during the meltdown was the absence of "fear" in the kids' minds about money.

"The price of a number of books went up during that period, but kids don't have the fear psyche like adults do. They don't think 'I should save now'; if they like a book, they buy it. That's one of the main reasons we remained unaffected," Duttagupta said.

If anything, what has changed is the kind of books that children are reading, he said.

"Books based on latest TV shows like 'Hannah Montana', on movies like 'The Golden Compass', 'Ben10' and the like are very popular and we are catering to that market. Also, there is this book called 'Captain Underpants', which has a lot of grammatical errors but kids simply love the humour and the mistakes - parents, however, discourage their children from reading it," Duttagupta told IANS.

These may be the books that kids love, but the genre that sells the most is educational reference books.

Anubhav Sharma, a publisher, said: "Reference books in different subjects like English, maths, chemistry and other sciences are the most sought after. Encyclopaedias are also in big demand."

Duttagupta added: "Reference books do so well because parents buy them for their kids and not necessarily because kids like reading them!"

Blog Talk Radio

2010-06-16T04:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2010/06/17/a-good-story-is-a-good-story-with-host-marsha-casp

Have you ever wondered if you have an angel walking beside you through life? If you have never believed in Angels starting on June 17 at 12 PM ( Central) you will. Please join Host Marsha Cook and her assistant Abbi Glines as they welcome Margaret Doner, Sam Oliver and Freda Roberts who will discuss their life long work.

Freda Roberts will start the show with a wonderful reading from her book Angels At My Side. In Freda’s book each angel is of a different nationality and faith making this book an excellent tool for teaching multicultural education to both adults and children.

Sam Oliver is the author of “Angel of Promise” That’s his latest work, but he has spent his life writing books to define what life is really about and how we can open ourselves to new experiences. The next time you think Heaven is a place you go to when you die just close your eyes and open your heart as wide as you can. When you open them, listen to your heart. It will tell you "welcome home." Sam Oliver, author of "Angel of Promise"

Margaret has written many books and screenplays is going to explain how Past Life Regression Therapy recognizes that emotional, mental, spiritual and physical trauma will be carried from one lifetime to another until it is resolved. Sam will also be discussing the 7 promises we make at birth to the angel promised to us and the promise our angel makes to us as well. This is a discussion you won’t want to miss. Most importantly all three of these guests are very charitable and give their time for various organizations.

We will also be discussing a wonderful project that Freda is a part of, Bess the Book Bus. This is a mobile literacy outreach dedicated to building home libraries for children and families that otherwise may not have the opportunity to own books.

The call lines will be open.

le moi profonde

2010-06-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

Everyone who loves reading probably has their own favourite fictional characters, of which a disproportionate number are likely to come from children’s books. One may fall in love with Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice or Vronsky in Anna Karenina, but for most of us the characters we encounter some three to five years after we have learnt to read remain lasting presences in our imagination for the rest of our lives. Peter Rabbit, Tintin, Harry Potter, Aslan, Sherlock Holmes – the list is immense.

This month, Mirror publishing Freda Roberts book Angels At my Side, in which wonderful things come to life in the book are named and described. Those who had Blyton banned as racist, sexist or just badly-written may throw up their hands in horror, but the fact is her books and characters have endured.

“Robert’s characters are often criticised for being one dimensional,” Freda Roberts dmits, “but anyone who’s read her school stories sees that isn’t true. Because her characters aren’t sickly sweet. Her children get into scrapes, are arrogant, bossy and feisty. That’s why I find them so totally believeable.”

Why are we so haunted by particular characters in children’s fiction? Long after we might be expected to have left Gandalf & Co behind, they continue to loom large in our inner lives. Is it, as Alison Lurie suggests in her new book, Boys & Girls Forever (Chatto & Windus), that “in Britain and America more people never quite grow up”? We certainly do seem to prefer, as she observes, stories in which “children are guided by Wise and Good Grown-ups”. Yet that begs the question as to whether you remember stories because of their heroes or their villains. Without Miss Slighcarp, the villainous governess of Joan Aiken’s classic The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, the courage of her heroines would fail to impress; ditto the White Witch in The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe, and the equally beautiful but sinister Mrs. Coulter, in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.

Children’s characters that speak to your deepest self, and in a sense help to form it are something very special. Rachel Campbell-Johnson once wrote in this paper about how when she was afraid she would summon up her mental picture of Aslan from CS Lewis’s Narnia books. Even when you’re grown-up and know it’s “just a story” these creations still seem to matter. I suspect that a great many of Tolkien’s adult fans (of which I am one) love him because The Lord of the Rings enacts a journey in which ordinary people discover their own potential for heroism against seemingly hopeless odds in a vast and terrifying world. Children and adults alike share this perception, which is why, perhaps, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins remain such enduring creations.

Yet we also love tricksters. Francesca Simon’s series about her anti-hero, Horrid Henry, whose subversive love of junk food, computers games, TV and indolence is in stark contrast to that of Perfect Peter, his younger brother, have now sold over 1 million copies and are a cult among under-9s. Written before Simon, an American living in London, had ever heard of the Just William books, they represent the modern child as Harry Potter does not.

“My own favourites are Mary in The Secret Garden, Tom in Tom’s Midnight Garden and Jo March in Little Women,” says Simon. “I love a certain vitality, fearlessness, a disdain for convention even if outwardly conventional. Memorable characters tap into everybody’s feelings of not-belonging. They are defiantly themselves.”

Everybody has his or her own cast, and it can change with age and era. The generation which thrilled to Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver in Treasure Island, or to Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’ is different to that which adored Oswald Bastable in E. Nesbit’s The Treasure Seekers or the tiresomely pious Katy in What Katy Did. Where my generation, growing up in the 1960s, was indelibly marked by Alan Garner, John Christopher and Rosemary Sutcliffe the new has Louis Sachar, JK Rowling and Philip Pullman.

One of the most startling creations in modern children’s literature is Philip Pullman’s Lyra, heroine of the His Dark Materials trilogy (Scholastic). Like Aiken’s Dido Twite, she is resourceful, brave, loyal and almost feral. Whether child or adult, you fall passionately in love with her, and with her friend Will, wielder of the “subtle knife”.

“It has to do with an intensity of presence,” Pullman says. “Just as some people are so much there that you can sense when they come into the house, so some characters in fiction have the same authority or charisma. Some personal quality makes them more alive than their fellow characters. It has nothing to do with how good or friendly a characters is. They can be horrible, and you can still not lift your eyes from the page when they appear.”

Pullman thinks of fictional characters we internalise, that “I don’t think we want to BE that character, so much as remain ourselves but be in that story and be that character’s friend.”

He rejects the notion that a child-hero is a kind of wish-fulfilment for the adult author. Eva Ibbotson, whose prize-winning Journey to the River Sea (Macmillan) is often cited as the new Secret Garden says of her unforgettable Maia that she gave her the hair and talent for music she felt herself to lack as a child. “I do seem to need to give adventure to the shy, the sensitive, the vulnerable,” she says.

The cleverness of the Harry Potter books is not just that you are immediately on the side of someone who is a Cinderella figure, orphaned and bullied by his vile relations. It is that while Harry himself can be, as JK Rowling says, “a little too perfect”, his two best friends Ron and Hermione have flaws to make them more endearing. Ron is an ordinary wizard, whose only talent is chess; Hermione is a swot and know-it-all who irritates her peers enormously until the boys save her from a troll in the school lavatory. Interestingly, the two who inspire deep passion are the Headmaster, Dumbledore, and the gigantic and incompetent gamekeeper, Hagrid. I’ve found the same in the children’s novel I’m currently writing, The Witchking. The characters children I’ve read a chapter to care most about are not the child-heroes so much as the talking wolf and the tame dragon, because one is wise and the other mischievous.

It isn’t only novels, of course, that contain these archetypes. Pictures books such as Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, whose hero Max tames the Wild Things “by staring into all their yellow eyes and not blinking”, Herge’s Tintin, and reams of comic books from The Beano to Marvel also inform our inner sense of who we are. Ridiculous, rebellious, brave, bumbling or simple, they are the quintessence of who and what we feel most comforted by. When I re-visit any of my all-time heroes and heroines, I always feel I reach down not only into my own childhood and its ferocious energies, but into what Proust called “le moi profonde”, or the profound self. Perhaps this is why so many adults continue to revisit children’s fiction: because in its dark depths we see in it the reflection of all we once were; and still, perhaps, aspire to become.

Angels are spiritual beings

2010-02-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

Angels are spiritual beings that communicate and interact with people here and now. There are myriad angels serving in just about every capacity imaginable, from helping us tend to the care and health of our body, to finding parking spaces, passing tests, mending relationships, cleaning up oil spills and stopping wars. Numberless angels moving in time and space are waiting for you to ask for their assistance.

Angels are messengers of light whom the Father/Mother God created to minister to souls on earth as their guides, guardians and friends. (The word angel is derived from the Greek word angelos and the Latin word angelus, both meaning messenger.) They embody the frequencies of the divine mind and make God’s vibrations readily accessible to people.

While Spirit is formless, angels are the essence of the Creator in form, vibrating at spiritual frequencies that are not usually visible. They appear to have wings because the light radiates out from their being in rays or waves that look like feathers. Angels are charged by the Creator to affect people and the environment with intensely positive feelings and vibrations.

Their nature enables them to infuse matter with the constructive qualities of divine consciousness, bringing about profound changes that can actually transform a person’s body and soul. Angels accomplish such transformations by causing movement at the molecular level that can alter matter, and causing movement within the neurons of the brain and nervous system that can alter the mind. The resulting changes are often called miracles.

The archangels are among the most widely known angels working with mankind. The archangels are the captains of all the angels in the angelic kingdom. We know them as:

Archangel Michael and Faith, first ray
Archangel Jophiel and Christine, second ray
Archangel Chamuel and Charity, third ray
Archangel Gabriel and Hope, fourth ray
Archangel Raphael and Mother Mary, fifth ray
Archangel Uriel and Aurora, sixth ray
Archangel Zadkiel and Holy Amethyst, seventh ray

angel

2010-02-28T13:17:00.001-08:00

The word “angel” actually comes from the Greek word aggelos, which means “messenger.” The matching Hebrew word mal'ak has the same meaning.

Sometimes, the Bible uses these words for human beings:

ordinary people who carry messages (Job 1:14; Luke 7:24; 9:52)
prophets (Isaiah 42:19; Malachi 3:1)
priests (Malachi 2:7)
church leaders (Rev 1:20)
Sometimes, it speaks figuratively of things or events as “messengers”…

the pillar of cloud (Exodus 14:19)
pestilence or plagues (2 Samuel 24:16-17)
But it usually describes the whole range of spirits whom God has created, including both good and evil angels, and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel.

Angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament (Chafer, Systematic Theology, II, 3). Hence, there is ample information available in Scripture to allow us to build a foundation for our knowledge of angelic beings.

10 Query Letter No-Nos

2010-02-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

10 Query Letter No-Nos

Here are 10 common query letter mistakes that could get your idea rejected.
10. Letters that have typos in the first sentence.

9. Letters that start with a nugget of wisdom: “Every step we take in life moves us in a direction.”

8. Letters with faint or very small type. You can assume that just about everyone in publishing suffers from eyestrain.

7. Letters longer than one page.

6. Letters with overcomplicated directions for replying: “I’m going to Tortola for the next three weeks. If you need to reach me, please call my cell number. Don’t leave a message at my home number because I won’t get it until I return.” A simple street or e-mail address will do.

5. Photocopied letters with no salutation.

4. Letters that start, “I know how busy you are, so I’ll get straight to the point and not take up too much of your valuable time.” By writing this, you’ve already taken up a full sentence of my valuable time.

3. Letters with grandiose claims: “My novel will appeal to women, and because there are 150 million women in the United States, it will sell 150 million copies.”

2. Letters that say, “I’ve worked very hard on this novel.” Does that fact alone make it a good novel?

1. And the No. 1 query letter no-no: “I have written a fiction novel.” When an agent sees this sentence in a query letter, he quickly draws the conclusion that a writer who doesn’t know that a novel is, by definition, a work of fiction is a writer who isn’t ready to be published.

10 Synopsis Dos and Don'ts

2010-02-12T15:37:00.001-08:00

10 Synopsis Dos and Don'ts

Here are 10 keys to creating a successful synopsis.
1. Do keep in mind that this is a sales pitch. Make it a short, fast and exciting read.

2. Do establish a hook at the beginning of the synopsis. Introduce your lead character and set up a key conflict.

3. Do remember to always introduce your most important character first.

4. Do provide details about each of your central characters (age, gender, marital status, profession, etc.), but don’t do this for every character—only the primary ones.

5. Do include the characters’ motivations and emotions.

6. Do highlight pivotal plot points.

7. Do reveal your novel’s ending.

8. Don’t go into detail about what happens; just tell the reader what happens as concisely as you can.

9. Don’t inject long sections of dialogue.

10. Do write in the third person, present tense, even if your novel is written in a different point of view.

Muse Literary Management

2010-02-05T19:15:00.001-08:00

Muse Literary Management

189 Waverly Place, #4

New York, NY 10014-3135

(212) 925-3721

MuseLiteraryMgmt@aol.com

Winner - Aesop Accolade,

American Folklore Society

As an independent literary agent, Deborah Carter focuses on manuscript development, the sale & administration of print, performance & foreign rights to literary works, and post-publication publicity and appearances.

Looking for fiction for adults and children and narrative nonfiction in areas of interest below (also see Bookshelf page).

Actively seeking writers with formal training who bring compelling voices and a unique outlook to their manuscripts. Those who submit should be receptive to editorial feedback and willing to revise during the submission process to remain competitive. Writers are encouraged to read Publishers Weekly and take the marketplace into consideration as they conceive their projects. Most clients are found at industry events and NYC readings.

One-year contract offered when writer and agent agree that the manuscript is ready for submission; manuscripts in development are not bound by contract. Commission is standard 15% domestic, 20% foreign and subrights. No reading or editorial fees. All expenses (postage and photocopying, if any) are pre-approved by the client. Although not a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, the agency follows the AAR’s recommended business practices.

Listed in the Literary Market Place, Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, Writer’s Digest guides and Children’s Literature Network.

Associations: NAWE, International Thriller Writers, Historical Novel Society, Association of Booksellers for Children, Children’s Literature Association, American Folklore Society, The Authors Guild

Prior to starting her agency in 1998, Ms. Carter trained with an AAR literary agent, and worked in the music business in A&R and artist management. She holds a BA in English and music from Washington Square University College at NYU.

See my article on original vs. derivative books “Do You Dare to Be the Next New Thing?” in Children’s Writer.

See “Hiring a Book Doctor” in Meredith Sue Willis’s Books for Readers newsletter.

sylvandellpublishing.com

2010-02-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES sylvandellpublishing.com

The picture books that we publish are usually, but not always, fictional stories that relate to animals, nature, the environment, and science. All books should subtly convey an educational theme through a warm story that is fun to read and that will grab a child’s attention. Each book has a three to five page "For Creative Minds" section to reinforce the educational component of the book itself. This section will have a craft and/or game as well as “fun facts” to be shared by the parent, teacher, or other adult. Authors do not need to supply this information but may be actively involved in its development if they would like. We do accept simultaneous submissions.

Manuscripts must be less than 1500 words and must meet ALL of the following four criteria:

Fun to read – mostly fiction with non-fiction facts woven into the story
National or regional in scope
Must be able to tie into early elementary school curriculum in some way
Must be marketable through a niche market such as zoo, aquarium, or museum gift shop
We are NOT looking for manuscripts about:

pets (dogs or cats in particular)
new babies
magic or fairy tales
biographies

ABC books
poetry books
series of any kind
young adult books or novels
holiday-related books (including ones with holiday names in the title)
we are no longer looknig for bird-related manuscripts
We do not consider manuscripts that have been previously published in any way, shape, or form -- including e-books or self-published. We don't like manuscripts with a lot of dialogue that is difficult to illustrate.

We only accept submissions by e-mail email to Donna German .

** Snail mail submissions are discarded without being opened.

If accepted, we offer an advance against royalty.

Manuscripts: Put the manuscript title and “manuscript submission” in the subject line. Please include:

The text in the message or attached as a word document.
A biography paragraph of 300 to 400 words. Tell us what other works, if any, you have published. Let us know about any applicable awards you have won.
A paragraph explaining why you wrote the manuscript; tell us about any competition (author/illustrator, publisher, year published, sales data if available, etc.). If there are competitive books, please explain why your book is different and why you believe it should sell better.
How do you envision the marketing of the book?
Only one submission per e-mail. Include your bio with each submission.
Authors do not need to submit art.
Unless there is a specific reason, authors should NOT include illustration suggestions. That would be the illustrator's job.
Illustrators: We are generally looking for realistic-style (not cartoon) illustrations for children.

If you have a web site or your art portfolio is available on the internet, please provide a link. We will contact you if we need further information or samples.
If you do not have a website, please e-mail at least one or two illustrations in an electronic format so that we may make an initial decision.
Please put “illustration submission” in the subject line.
Include a biography.
Author/Illustrators: We do accept submissions from illustrators who have written manuscripts. Please submit the manuscript as indicated above and attach two JPEG sketches (one in color if available). We do not accept snail mail dummies and they will be discarded without being opened. If we are interested in seeing the dummy after reviewing the e-mail, we will contact you with further instructions.

We will acknowledge initial receipt of the manuscript within two weeks. Please allow up to three or four months for a response. If the manuscript has been rejected, please do not resubmit it unless Donna has specifically suggested it. Please do not ask Donna to critique your work or to recommend another editor or publishing house to whom you should submit.

Understanding the submission process – a heart to heart from Editor Donna German

First, let me say that I have been on the author side of submissions and I vividly recall the 27 rejections that I received prior to my first “yes!” I know that you have written a manuscript that is near and dear to your heart. I also know that you can “see” it in published form and that there is a frustration with the whole submission process – not only to Sylvan Dell but to other publishers as well. Hopefully this will help you to understand what editors/publishers need/look for in submissions.

First, please understand that the submission process is overwhelming for editors too. I receive more submissions in a single day (seven days a week) than we publish in a year! I can’t imagine what editors at the large publishing houses receive! Also, please understand that reading submissions and selecting the list is just one of the many jobs that an editor does.

I try to read all submissions within a few days and I either reject or tend to hold those which have some possibilities. As the year progresses, I try to keep the number down and will periodically cull the list.

This is a very bizarre business and if you are still waiting for your first break, I recommend that you start reading books about how to market your book. That might help you in understanding what it is that editors/publishers are looking for when they select manuscripts. Don't forget that this is a business – not just your art of writing. The authors who survive (and thrive) in this business are the ones that truly understand that and commit to doing what it takes.

Every publisher looks for different things. Our four criteria are directly tied to our marketing and each manuscript must fit ALL FOUR categories! If the manuscript doesn't stand up to what we need to market, we would be wasting our money by publishing it. And, yes, I have turned down some really cute manuscripts because they didn’t hit all four criteria. It is simply not enough to tell me that you'll do signings or readings. Here's the "in" on how the criteria tie to our marketing needs:

Fun-to-read story: My first cut is whether I envision and parent and child cuddled up reading the book together. Would a child pick the book up and WANT to read it?
National or regional in scope: we can't afford to publish books that are provincial with limited marketing scope.
Niche market: In general, bookstores are only interested in trying new books if they suspect they can sell it or they will only look at new releases. Think about it from their perspective: they have limited clientele (those who live within X miles). They have to have a wide variety of merchandise available which is why they usually only buy one or two copies of a title (IF they buy) unless there is strong reason to stock more like the subject matter or a local author/illustrator. Don't believe me? Go into a bookstore and count... Let's not even go down the path of returnable books. So... where is the market? We believe that a strong market for us (science and math through literature remember) is the niche market which includes museum, zoo, aquarium, nature center, park gift shops etc. Unlike bookstores, their clientele constantly changes. If they find a product (any product) that sells well, they know it will sell for them over prolonged periods of time. They'll buy multiple copies of limited items but they keep those same items in stock. Now, let me add the real downer: if the organization with a gift shop is a non-profit, they are tied to IRS regulations that 90% of sales in their gift shops must be directly related to their non-profit mission. You can't expect a planetarium to carry an animal book. At a Museum Store Association conference, I had one buyer literally counting the animals in a title. She said she couldn't buy it because only 7 of the animals were found in HI waters and she needs 80% (8 of the 10)....
Last but not least: must tie into elementary school curriculum (remember our science & math through literature focus). We find that one of our largest clients is schools: either individual teachers or the libraries. But, with the No Child Left Behind, any book that a teacher uses in the classroom needs to be aligned to standards. Literally, the teacher has to fill out forms indicating why or how the book is worth using/reading in the classroom. In order to make our books usable in schools, we align each title to National Science & Math Standards. For most states, that is not sufficient; they need each title aligned to THEIR state. Plus we are now providing 30 to 80 additional pages of cross-curricular teaching activities for each book so that the teachers can literally use the book in reading class to teach science. If the book isn't usable in the classroom, we just can't market to school.
We are currently looking for manuscripts related to:

Physical science (we have a force & motion coming out so don't need that)
Astronomy
Earth science (geology, weather (we have a hurricane book coming out), volcanoes)
Scientific classification
Varied habitats (caves, plains & grasslands, deserts, mountains, lakes, rivers, etc.).
Hmmm...not sure if I'm going to do this or not...Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! is about a sea turtle nursed back to health at a sea turtle hospital/aquarium. Upcomng Champ's Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too! is about cancer. Seems like there might be room for what happens to an animal in a zoo that gets sick and needs medical care...
We are adding more geography activities to our For Creative Minds sections...I'm not saying that I'm looking for geography in particular but it's a nice additional tie-in.
Please remember that we are looking for fun-to-read, fictional stories with non-fiction woven in. We are NOT looking for pure non-fiction.

Writers and Illustrators Guidelines

2010-02-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Writers and Illustrators Guidelines
Boyds Mills Press
Guidelines for Writers and Illustrators
Please note: Boyds Mills Press is a publisher of books for children and young adults. Please review our online catalog to see the types of books that we publish before you submit your work.

Submissions Policy
At Boyds Mills Press, we welcome unsolicited submissions from published and unpublished writers and artists. The review procedure is time consuming. In order to review fairly the large number of submissions that we receive, we are unable to acknowledge their receipt. To the same end, should we decide that a manuscript is not for us, we will respond to the sender with a form letter. We review each submission in the order that it was received and try to respond within three months.
Types of Submission
Picture Books: We accept submissions from both writers and illustrators. If you are an author, you do not need to send a query first. Please submit the entire manuscript of your picture book. If you are a professional illustrator submitting a picture book or if you are an author working with a professional illustrator, please include the manuscript, a dummy, and a sample reproduction of the final artwork that reflects the style and technique you intend to use. Do not send original artwork, as we cannot be held responsible for its damage or loss.
Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: Please submit the first three chapters (do not include chapters from the middle of the book) and a plot summary. We will request the balance of the manuscript if we are interested.

Poetry: Please send a book-length collection of your own poems. Do not send an initial query. Keep in mind that the strongest collections demonstrate a facility with multiple poetic forms.

Nonfiction: Include a detailed bibliography with your submission. We highly recommend including an expert’s review of your manuscript and a detailed explanation of the books in the marketplace that are similar to the one you propose. References to the need for this book (by the National Academy of Sciences or by similar subject-specific organizations) will strengthen your proposal. If you intend for the book to be illustrated with photos or other graphic elements (charts, graphs, etc.), it is your responsibility to find or create those elements and to include with the submission a permissions budget, if applicable. Finally, keep in mind that good children’s nonfiction has a narrative quality—a story line—that encyclopedias do not; please consider whether both the subject and the language will appeal to children.

Illustrators: We review picture book projects and sample illustrations. To submit a picture book, please review the picture book guidelines above. To submit samples, please send them in the form best suited to the art (postcard, 8½-by-11 sheet, etc.). Keep in mind that one well-presented submission will be more attractive than several submissions or a submission in many parts.

Where to Send Your Submission
Please submit your manuscript with a cover letter of relevant information, including your own experience with writing and publishing. Label the package “MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION" and include an SASE if you would like the manuscript returned. For art samples, please label the package “ART SAMPLE SUBMISSION." All submissions should be sent to:
Boyds Mills Press
815 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431

All submissions will be evaluated for all imprints.

Flashlight Press Childrens Books Publisher

2010-02-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Submission Guidelines

FOR WRITERS
If your manuscript meets the criteria below,
send an email query describing your story
(plot, word count, target audience, what makes this story unique)
to: Shari Dash Greenspan at submissions@FlashlightPress.com.

Do NOT attach the query letter to an email - type it into the email.

Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should a manuscript be sent
(neither attached nor pasted into the email)
until it is requested by the editor.

Do not send any queries or manuscripts by snail mail.

CRITERIA:
Stories should have universal themes
and deal with family or social situations.
They should appeal to 4-8 year olds
and have approximately 1,000 words.
Most of all, they should feel like they'd fit our line.
Please spend some time looking through our website and reading about
our books to determine whether your story might be a fit.

Remember - we only publish picture books.
At this time, we are NOT interested in concept books, non-fiction,
early readers, chapter books, or YA novels.
And no holiday books either, thanks.

Important tip: unless you are also an artist, do NOT
include illustrations with a requested manuscript.

NEW POLICY
Due to the large number of queries we receive,
we are no longer able to send individual replies
for queries we do not wish to pursue.
We will send an automated reply that we received your query,
but if you do not hear from us again within a month or so,
please realize that your story was not considered a fit for our line.
We only publish several books per year, so we need to be extremely selective.

Manuscripts, when requested, will be evaluated within three to four months.

FOR ILLUSTRATORS
Please send an email including links to online portfolios and/or lo res digital images.
Send email to: Shari Dash Greenspan at Editor@FlashlightPress.com

Emails will usually be acknowledged within three weeks.

OTHER HELPFUL INFO

Here's a great article called The Mindset of the Successful Author
by Laura Backes of Children's Book Insider

An interesting article, "Writing the Dirty Cowboy," by Amy Timberlake,
published on The Purple Crayon

A blog that's not to be missed: Editorial Anonymous
What sells in children's picture books?

Expert Advice - Children's

2010-02-05T15:20:00.001-08:00

Expert Advice - Children's

Can you speak a little on the importance of perseverance for writers who wish to find success?

To be a successful writer, everyone knows it takes perseverance. But, what I've found is that not everyone defines perseverance in the same way. I've met writers who have been revising and submitting the same manuscript for seven years. That's not the kind of perseverance that usually leads to publication.

For a writer to reach publication in a reasonable amount of time, he must first persevere in writing. And not the same manuscript. Even novels. The first couple of novels are going to be rough, just like the first 10 picture book manuscripts. Books are their own language and we have to learn it. Then, we have to figure out how to say something that a publisher believes scads of people will pay to read. That takes practice. I wrote 20 or more manuscripts before I started consistently writing publishable stories. I still love those early creations, but we all have to move to a place where we accept that not everything we write is going to be in Barnes & Noble and keep moving forward.

Successful writers persevere in the face of rejection. That's another well-known, yet not-so-well-defined maxim. I know folks who have been submitting to the same publisher for ages, just because they met them at a conference. That's not perseverance, it's inefficiency. Get to know the Writer's Market and figure out which publishers say they're publishing the kind of things you've written. Then go study this year's list on Amazon Advanced Search and see what they actually published. Send out lots of well-targeted work. Lots. I had over 100 well-targeted rejections from over 25 different publishers by the time I "made it." Continually sending out well-targeted new material builds knowledge of the market and thick skin, both of which are needed to be a successful author. That, and no one ever got published by quitting.

Finally, a writer must persevere under knowledgeable criticism. "They're wrong and I'm right" isn't worth much of anything. I'm talking about accepting correction. All of my good work has come after rounds and rounds of (not always very sympathetic) critique from my brilliant crit partner. My best work has come after a round or two with an experienced editor. The whole-hearted attempt to revise one's work in line with knowledgeable criticism is where we spin the straw into gold. Besides, you have your other drafts saved, right? Why not take another swing and see if something amazing shakes out?

Persevere in writing new material. Persevere in learning the business. Persevere in revision though your pride is squished and your feelings are hurt. And if you can do it all with a smile (albeit forced), your future editors will love you for it.

Deanna Caswell’s first book came out October 6, 2009, from Hyperion Books for Children. She received more than 100 publisher rejections before getting her agent (Steve Malk, Writer's House) and her first book contract. Deanna’s second book with Hyperion is being illustrated right now.

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What are a few things newer writers could do in the area of “shameless self-promotion” to help establish themselves in the literary world?

There are no shortcuts, but here's the basic process:

First, generate good work. Take some workshops, join a writing circle, read everything you can get your hands on, then write, rinse and repeat. At my journal, seven or eight submissions out of ten get instant rejections because the work just isn't ready.

When you're confident you've got good work, start building credentials. Send out to journals. Read at slams and open mics. Start teaching the workshops you've been attending. The sad but true reality of the literary world is that very few people will take notice of you on quality alone. It's your job to build a body of work and get it out into the world, so you have something to point at when people ask "are you published?"

Once you have a few credits to your name, start finding ways to get them into the public eye. Build a website. Propose a panel at a conference. Ask local colleges and bookstores for readings. When you do get an opportunity, make the most of it. Get all your friends to pack your readings, so you'll get invited back. Keep track of the people you meet at conferences--friend them on Facebook. Get journals and bloggers to link to your website. Generate some buzz.

The work is endless, and at the beginning the process might seem a little daunting, but the process works. Pay your dues, make a few strategic moves, and you'll see the payoff.

Jim Coppoc has three books (a graphic poem, a multigenre memoir, and an edited collection of other writers) coming out with three different small presses this year; his new play, “Manhattan Beatitude,” opens next month; and he edits an online reprint magazine. Jim also teaches writing at Iowa State.

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What sort of relationship do you have with the illustrator for your books?

None. Ha!

After the publisher buys my text, I see and hear nothing about the illustrations until the proofs arrive. Well, that's not true. I do get to know the illustrator's name. Picture book writing is a dual-artist medium. A picture book writer has to have a loose grip on their vision for the book. Unless you are the illustrator, the author has no more input into illustration than the illustrator has on your word choices.

Deanna Caswell's first book is coming out October 6, 2009, from Hyperion Books for Children. She received more than 100 publisher rejections before getting her agent (Steve Malk, Writer's House) and her first book contract. Deanna’s second book with Hyperion is being illustrated right now.

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Once my book is published, how do I go about setting up bookstore appearances?

Once my book is published, how do I go about setting up bookstore appearances?

Actually, you need to begin approaching bookstores at least two-to-three months prior to the book’s release date. Bookstores need adequate time to promote the author’s appearance including announcements in their in-house newsletter, website, and e-mail blast. They will also contact local publicity outlets and conduct community outreach to organizations, schools, groups and more, which may have interest in the book’s topic. The bookstore must prearrange for adequate in-store sales staff to handle the event and allow time for the shipment of the book in order to avoid unnecessary shipping charges.

Assuming the author is working with enough lead-time, the best approach is to send an e-mail query to the targeted independent bookstore. Call the bookstore ahead and ask the name, title of the event’s person and the best way to reach him/her in order to schedule an author appearance. If you are approaching national accounts including Barnes & Noble or Borders, you may find that after connecting with the appropriate in-store author event’s person, they must first contact their corporate headquarters before confirming an appearance with you. In general, the national bookstores follow protocols regarding author events. After they notify their corporate offices, the national bookstore corporate publishing liaison will contact your publisher to confirm your speaking ability and promotional support for your appearance.

The basic components of your query by e-mail or otherwise, should be as follows:
A greeting of “thank you” Ms. or Mr.__ for taking the time to review my request. (If you would rather meet the event’s contact in person, be sure to make an appointment, first.)
My book, __is releasing on__ and I am inquiring about the procedure for booking an appearance with you.
* Provide the book’s description, ISBN, retail price, publisher and ordering information. Supply the bookstore with a brief bio.
Explain to the bookstore why you think your book is a good fit for their customers.
Let them know how you will support your appearance in driving customers to your event.
Will you blog, post it on your website, Tweet, send invitations to your followers on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and/or My Space?
Do you have media connections that will do a story or interview in conjunction with your appearance?
How many attendees can you drive to the bookstore?
When setting up multiple bookstore appearances, consider the logistical proximity of the bookstores. National accounts prefer to be the “first” bookstore in an area to host an author’s appearance. Schedule bookstores at least thirty-sixty minute’s drive-time distance apart. Be sure to notify all the bookstores about other surrounding events so that they can have an opportunity to decide if they think their store, along with the other scheduled bookstores, have enough potential customers to support your event.

Contact the bookstore approximately ten days prior to your event to confirm they have received your books. If they have forgotten to place the order, this will still give them enough time to order from the publisher without incurring extra charges.

Based on my experience of working with over 4,000 authors and scheduling 7,000 events, being friendly and respectful of the bookstore’s personnel will go a long way in helping you to secure an appearance.

Beyond that, I would suggest reading my title 101 Author Tips: Creating A Successful Book Campaign. As Julianne Wernersbach, Publicist/Book Revue (Huntington, NY), says, “It really is such an incredible resource. I'm glad it exists, just so that I can recommend it to all of the new authors who come to me for events. Now instead of eight page emails coaching them on what to do, I can just hand them your book and say, 'Read this!'”

PJ Campbell, author of 101 Author Tips: Creating a Successful Book Campaign, has a long history of events experience. She was the Director of Events for a global trade publisher, as well as a former General Manager and Director of Events for a bookstore. You can learn more about PJ at her website, www.pjcampbellwriter.com.

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How did you sell your first picture book manuscript?

Laurel Snyder, author of Inside the Slidy Diner and Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains, shares how she published her first picture book.

It's actually a pretty awesome story!

Basically, I wrote Slidy Diner while I was still in Iowa, after I'd finished my poetry MFA. Because I had absolutely no idea of how one went about submitting books to presses, I just fired the thing off as I would have a poem I was sending to literary magazines. I mean, I did some online research, (I found verlakay.com an especially helpful site for learning the ropes) but basically, I drafted a friendly query letter, attached the manuscript to an email, and shot it into the ether, to a handful of places that were open to un-agented submissions. Of course, the book was rejected, and then I got distracted by other things (like moving, and my day job, and editing an anthology of essays, and so on) and that would have been that...

Except that much MUCH (like, years) later I got this odd e-mail, out of the blue, from an editor at Tricycle Press, a truly wonderful woman named Summer Laurie (who now freelance edits, and I recommend her highly!). She wrote to say that she'd been cleaning out her inbox, and found my submission. She wondered if "perhaps" Inside the Slidy Diner was still available for publication...

Ha!

I freaked out, ran around in a circle, and wrote her back immediately, saying that the book was hers if she wanted it. Which she did!

Inside the Slidy Diner required some serious edits, and the process of getting the right art took years, so it didn't come out for a long time (in fact, after my first novel, which was accepted for publication after Slidy Diner). But Summer will always be the very first person who said yes to me.

And I found it hugely affirming to discover that sometimes, magic does happen and that books totally DO get pulled from slush. So everyone should just keep at it!

Literary Agents Accepting New Clients

2010-02-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

Adams Literary Literary Agents 1/26/2010
Art Factory Literary Agents 2/3/2010
Bancroft & Friends, Carol Literary Agents 9/1/2009
Beranbaum, Sheryl Literary Agents 9/1/2009
Books & Such Literary Agents 9/1/2009
Bookstop Literary Agency Literary Agents 9/1/2009
Brown Literary Agency, Inc.Andrea Literary Agents 1/26/2010
Browne & Miller Literary Associates, LLC Literary Agents 9/1/2009
Browne Ltd.Pema Literary Agents 9/1/2009
CATugeau: Artist Agent, LLC Literary Agents 1/26/2010

MILKWEED EDITIONS PUBLISHERS

2010-02-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

MILKWEED EDITIONS

1011 Washington Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Phone: (612)332-3192
E-mail: editor@milkweed.org
Website: www.milkweed.org

Freelance Facts
Established: 1979
Publishes hardcover, trade paperback, and electronic originals, trade paperback and electronic reprints
Multiple Submissions: Yes
Book catalog available online at website
Guidelines available online at website http://www.milkweed.org/content/blogcategory/
15-20 published titles per year.
25% of titles by first time authors
75% of titles by unagented authors
Publish time after acceptance: 18 months.
Pays varied advance from $500-10,000.
Responds in 6 months to queries, proposals, and mss

Nonfiction
Please consider our previous publications when considering submissions to Milkweed Editions.

Submission Method: Submit complete ms with SASE. Milkweed strongly encourages digital submissions through our website.

Does not review artwork.

Nonfiction Subjects:

agriculture
animals
archaeology
art
contemporary culture
creative nonfiction
environment
gardening
gay
government
history
humanities
language
literature
multicultural
nature
politics
literary, regional
translation
women's issues
world affairs

Fiction Subjects:

experimental
short story collections
translation
young adult

Novels for adults and for readers 8-13. High literary quality. For adult readers: literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays. For children (ages 8-13): literary novels. Translations welcome for both audiences.

Poetry
Query with SASE, submit completed ms

Recent Titles
The Wet Collection, by Joni Tevis (creative nonfiction)
The Future of Nature, ed. by Barry Lopiz (environmental lit)
The Farther Shore, by Matthew Eck (literary)
Driftless, by David Rhodes (literary)
Hallelujah Blackout, by Alex Lemon (poetry)
The Book of Props, by Wayne Miller (poetry).

Tips
"We are looking for excellent writing with the intent of making a humane impact on society. Please read submission guidelines before submitting and acquaint yourself with our books in terms of style and quality before submitting. Many factors influence our selection process, so don't get discouraged. Nonfiction is focused on literary writing about the natural world, including living well in urban environments."

Market Listings Updated Today

2010-02-05T15:01:00.001-08:00

Market Listings Updated Today
Name Category Updated
Witty Short Story Award, Paul A. Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Roaring Brook Press Book Publishers 2/5/2010
International Reading Association Children's and Young Adults' Book Awards Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
PWC Magazine Trade Magazines 2/5/2010
Dana Awards in the Novel, Short Fiction and Poetry Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Spa Life Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Health Professions Press Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Stegner Fellowships, Wallace Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Fugue's Poetry and Prose Contest Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Postcard Story Competition Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Schiavone Literary Agency, Inc. Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Passport Press Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Bresnick Literary Agency, LLC, Paul Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Essential Theatre Playwriting Award Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Playscripts, Inc. Playwriting 2/5/2010
Let's Write Literary Contest Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Science Factory, The Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Pentecostal Evangel Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Stathonikos Agency, P. Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Scott Novel Excerpt Prize, Joanna Catherine Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Farrell Poetry Prize, Janice Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Myers Memoir Prize, Linda Joy Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Caron Young Adult Poetry Prize, Sandra Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Handley Prose Poem Prize, Kathryn Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Mackey Short Story Prize, The Mary Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Flash Fiction Prize Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Texas Institute of Letters Award for Most Significant Scholarly Book Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Pearl Poetry Prize Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Stemmer House Publishers Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Locke Memorial Poetry Award, Frances Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Henderson Award, Alexander Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Steele-Perkins Literary Agency Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Columbia Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Milkweed National Fiction Prize Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Milkweed Editions Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Talebones Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Talebones Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Naval Institute Press Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Amacom Books Book Publishers 2/5/2010
The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Pennsylvania Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Neruda Prize for Poetry, The Pablo Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Nimrod Awards Celebration & Writing Workshop Conferences 2/5/2010
Porter Prize for Fiction, The Katherine Anne Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Ekus Group, LLC, The Lisa Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Garamond Agency, Inc., The Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Kentucky Bluegrass Award Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Linn Prentis Literary Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Outreach Magazine Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Savannah Magazine Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Roghaar Literary Agency, LLC, Linda Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Shotgun Sports Magazine Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Ohioana Book Awards Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Ohioana Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant Contests & Awards 2/5/2010
Sleuthfest Conferences 2/5/2010
Cimarron Review Consumer Magazines 2/5/2010
Venues Today Trade Magazines 2/5/2010
Marymount Manhattan College Writers' Conference Conferences 2/5/2010
Sandhills Writers Conference Conferences 2/5/2010
Massage & Bodywork Trade Magazines 2/5/2010
Heritage Books, Inc. Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Leadership Journal Trade Magazines 2/5/2010
Sheil Land Associates, Ltd Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Lemodeln, Inc. Literary Agents 2/5/2010
Bold Strokes Books, Inc. Book Publishers 2/5/2010
Green Mountain Writers Conference Conferences 2/5/2010
Poetic Monthly Magazine Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Australian Poetry Festival Conferences 2/4/2010
Trafalgar Square Books Book Publishers 2/4/2010
"Discovery"/Boston Review Poetry Contest Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Guide, The Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
International Poetry Review Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
German Life Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Soho Press, Inc. Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Cabling Business Magazine Trade Magazines 2/4/2010
Patterson Journalism Fellowship, Alicia Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Images and Adjectives Publishing, LLC Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Coteau Books Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature, The Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Orange Frazer Press, Inc. Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Ohio Poetry Day Contests Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Androids 2 Magazine Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Apple Valley Review: A Journal of Contemporary Literature Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Vampires 2 Magazine Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Hybrid Essay Contest Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Arc Poetry Magazine Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Advisor's Edge Trade Magazines 2/4/2010
Poetry Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Southern Theatre Trade Magazines 2/4/2010
Mature Years Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Alabama Living Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
University Press of Mississippi Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Pacific Yachting Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Plainsongs Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Foliate Oak Online, The Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Carvainis Agency, Inc., Maria Literary Agents 2/4/2010
Washington Prize, The Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Living Aboard Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Magnolia Quarterly, The Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
USA Gymnastics Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Poetry Council of North Carolina Annual Poetry Contest, The Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Santa Clara Review Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Mslexia Trade Magazines 2/4/2010
Harris Literary Agency, Inc., The Joy Literary Agents 2/4/2010
Fifty Something Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Campus Life's Ignite Your Faith Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
PPI (Professional Publications, Inc.) Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Karamu Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Year End Series (YES) New Play Festival Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Morse Poetry Prize, Samuel French Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Australian Bear Creations Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
QED Press/Cypress House Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Perugia Press Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Button Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Common Sense 2 Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Michigan Quarterly Review Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Perugia Press Prize Contests & Awards 2/4/2010
Dig Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
P.S Literary Agency Literary Agents 2/4/2010
On the Premises Online Consumer Publications 2/4/2010
Screen Education Trade Magazines 2/4/2010
Write-by-the-Lake Writer's Workshop & Retreat Conferences 2/4/2010
Cruise Industry News Trade Magazines 2/4/2010
Portland Observer and Guardian Newspapers 2/4/2010
FIELD: Contemporary Poetry & Poetics Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Antioch Review, The Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010
Nova Press Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Basic Health Publications, Inc. Book Publishers 2/4/2010
Barefoot Muse, The Consumer Magazines 2/4/2010

What Does A Literary Agent Do?

2010-02-03T09:04:00.002-08:00

What Does A Literary Agent Do?
There is more to being a writer than stringing words together. Even great writers have to do more than write.

Unless you can persuade someone to publish the words you slave over, your writing will remain unknown and unread and writing will drain rather than fill your bank account.

That's where a Literary Agent comes in. Your literary agent is the book-marketing expert who can sell your crafted words to jaded publishing professionals. He or she can turn a manuscript gathering dust in your desk drawer into a published book paying the bills. A reputable agent will go to work for you to make sure that your writing pays what it should.

An agent will give your work a much better chance of escaping the slush piles that threaten to overwhelm the office space of all successful publishers. Your job, which isn't easy, is produce writing that an agent can believe in.

So you want to be a writer?

2010-02-03T09:04:00.001-08:00

So you want to be a writer?

The good news--and the bad news--is that there is no right way to write.

This should not be surprising when you consider there isn't any one thing that everybody agrees on.

How do you feel about this year's Newbery winner?

Did you agree with the latest Oscar announcement of the best movie of the year?

What do you think of the current People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive"?

Which Baskin-Robbins flavor is your favorite?

So if we can't even agree which is the best end result, how are we ever going to agree what's the best way to get there? Ask a dozen writers how they write, and you're sure to get at least a dozen answers.

With that in mind, these are my thoughts--what works for me. (Sometimes.)

Even though most of my books are fantasies, many of my stories start with something that really happened. A writer's best tool is the question "What if?" What if a dog could talk? What if a teacher was as bad as a kid's worst nightmare--what if, in fact, she wasn't even human? What if there was a place you could go to on the Internet that sold magic spells you could put on your classmates?

Ever since I was very young, I was always telling people that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. But once I sat down and started actually trying to write a whole book, it was harder than I had thought it would be.

I kept wondering:

What should I have happen next that nobody will be expecting?
How do I make people like the characters I'm writing about?
How much description is enough so that people can imagine what is happening, but not too much to make them get bored?
Then I thought: Well, who needs this? So I put the project away to do other things. But the story stayed on my mind, calling me (just like that bag of chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen cupboard). Over and over I would go back to the story, only to put it aside when I got disheartened. But I was more disheartened if I wasn't working on it.

It took me two years to finish that first book, and what I've discovered since then is that if I work a little bit every day, I get a lot more ideas than I do if I sit around just waiting for those ideas. Now that I'm working more seriously at writing (aiming for every day, although that doesn't always work out), I can get a lot more done faster.

If you're just getting started, here are some thoughts for you:

1.) A writer needs to read. (In a pinch, you can also watch TV and movies, but that is truly second best unless you plan to write for TV and movies.)

2.) When the story is over, think about it. Think of specific reasons you liked the story (the picture on the cover or the actor who played the lead was cute is not a good enough reason), and think of reasons you didn't like the story. If you think something was unbelievable, pretend you're the writer: how would you fix it? Didn't like the end? Think up a new one--but make sure it fits the rest of the story. Too long? What would you have cut out? (But before you delete anything, try to figure out why the author put it in there to begin with.)

3.) Write the kind of stories you like. If you most enjoy stories set in fairy tale times, write those; if you prefer stories about everyday American kids, write those; funny stories, spooky stories, romances, mysteries--you'll do best with what you like to read, because you know what works and what doesn't work for you when you're reading.

4.) Write a little bit every day. It's too easy to say "I'll write when I'm inspired." Writing is like exercising: the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Thinking about your story doesn't count. Try to write at least 1 page. If--the next day--you decide you hate it, you can always tear it up and start over.

5.) But don't do that too often. Finish what you start. A lot of would-be writers come up with a great beginning, then they go back and fiddle with that beginning day after day until they get tired of it, so they start a new story, then fiddle with that one's beginning... And so on. And they never finish a story. (More on this in a bit.)

6.) Whether you finish a story and don't like it or you've given up without finishing it--don't throw it away. Maybe after a little time passes you might come up with a way to fix it. Or you might decide that the story is hopeless--but one of the characters is interesting and should be in a different story. Or you might be able to use the setting to go off in a totally different direction. If nothing else, when you get to be a year or two older, your writings will be like a time machine bringing you back to the way you think now. Who knows? Some time in the future that might be just what you need for one of your stories.

OK, back to those people who never finish a story. A lot of writers get stuck in the middle. Many times a story becomes stuck because the author doesn't really know the characters well enough. One way to get unstuck might be to start asking questions about your character, questions like:

What is it that makes this person angry?
What makes him (or her) happy?
How about afraid?
Embarrassed?
What secret would he be unwilling to share--even with his best friend?
Does he have a secret that he wouldn't admit even to himself?
You might try having your character write you a letter--possibly complaining about the story, or about the other characters. (If your character doesn't have anything to complain about, you're making his or her life too easy, and the story will be boring.)

And finally be aware that publishers receive thousands of manuscripts every year, and only publish a small fraction of them.

I wish you good luck in your writing. But remember that getting your story published is not the significant thing. The significant thing is actually writing it.

Barnes & Noble Discover Award Finalists

2010-02-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Barnes & Noble Discover Award Finalists Selected February 5, 2010
Since 1990, a group of Barnes & Noble booksellers has met seasonally to select the best forthcoming new work by debuting and under-appreciated writers. Chosen solely on the basis of literary merit, these exceptional books are promoted throughout Barnes & Noble. Then each spring, a group of distinguished literary jurists name two outstanding writers (one each in fiction and nonfiction) from the previous year’s Discover picks for a career-changing prize — the Discover Award.

This year’s judges for the Fiction panel:

Stewart O’Nan–who was “discovered” by B&N for his debut novel, Snow Angels, published in 1994. He has since written 11 novels, including Last Night at the Lobster, The Good Wife, The Night Country, Wish You Were Here, A Prayer for the Dying, and his latest, Songs for the Missing, two works of nonfiction, and a screenplay on the life of Edgar Allan Poe.

Kathryn Harrison–who was “discovered” for her novel, Thicker Than Water, published in 1991. She has published five additional novels including Envy, The Seal Wife, and The Binding Chair, two memoirs, The Mother Knot and The Kiss, a travel memoir about the Camino de Santiago, a biography of Saint Therese of Lisieux, and a collection of personal essays, Seeking Rapture.

David Schickler–who was “discovered” for his work of debut fiction, Kissing in Manhattan, published in 2001. He published a second work of fiction in 2004, Sweet and Vicious. A graduate of the Columbia University MFA program, his work as appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Zoetrope: All-Story, and Travel & Leisure.

Judges for the Non-Fiction panel:

Rachel Simon–who was actually “discovered” by B&N twice — a rare mistake, and one that also occurred with Kim Edwards, author of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Simon’s 1994 debut novel, The Magic Touch caught B&N’s attention first, and again when she published her first memoir, Riding the Bus with My Sister, eight years later. Last year, she published a new memoir, Building A Home with My Husband.

Lee Martin– who was “discovered” for the compelling memoir of his boyhood, From Our House, published in 2000. He has since penned another memoir, Turning the Bones, a short-story collection, The Least You Need to Know, and two novels, Quakertown, and The Bright Forever, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Martin directs the creative writing program at Ohio State University.

Danielle Trussoni–who was “discovered” for Falling Through the Earth, her acclaimed memoir about her childhood as the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, and which the New York Times named one of the best books of 2006. Trussoni is publishing her first novel, Angelology, in March.

The 2009 Fiction Finalists:

More of This World or Maybe Another by Barb Johnson
Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato
All the Living by C.E. Morgan

The 2009 Non-Fiction Finalists:

Columbine by Dave Cullen
The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map that Gave America Its Name by Toby Lester
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir by Neil White

The winners in each category receive a $10,000 prize and a year of additional promotion in B&N stores. Second-place finalists receive $5,000, and third-place finalists take home $2,500. Winners will be announced March 3.

The Purpose of Angels

2010-02-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

The Purpose of Angels. What is the purpose of angels? Do angels exist?

I was raised in a religion that told us that every baby that is born, has a guardian angel assigned to it.

Over the years this kind of teaching faded from memory, and I didn't really think about angels until usually Christmas time, and didn't have any notion of what the value of having an angel assigned to me for my entire life was.

What they don't tell you is the purpose of this guardian angel. Is it to keep you from harm?

From my experience, I would say, yes. I find it amazing that I am still alive after some close calls in my life. But sometimes things happen and you wonder where this guardian angel is at!

Purpose of a Guardian Angel But protecting you is not the only purpose of a guardian angel, and yes, I do believe every has one. The first purpose of a guardian angel is to arrange things so that in some way you are informed of Jesus and how to be born again. Whether it takes them pushing you on the street to meet someone, leading you to a church, or making it so that a born again Christian comes across your path to witness to you, etc. The reason for this is because your spirit man, inside of you, needs to be awakened.

If you have not received Jesus as Lord of your life, and given control of your life to Jesus, then your spirit man is still dead. Once you have received Jesus, you become alive, like a new born baby. The heavenly Father becomes a reality in your life, and is a part of your life like never before. You depend entirely upon Him to straighten out all your messes.

Secret Agents Back to the angels. Angels are like secret agents working in our behalf. God's angels move in response to His Word being spoken, words coming from our lips. They are "working" angels, they don't just follow you around because they have nothing else to do. They follow you around waiting for you "to tell them what to do." But things they do can only be done from a spiritual perspective. Like, they're not going to move your furniture for you.

Put Your Angel to Work Here's an example of how to put your angel to work. Suppose you are having trouble with your finances. You need money to pay a bill that popped up. First you pray to the Father for the extra income to pay this bill (ask and you shall receive) but, you have to release the angels to "go, and cause it to come." Do you do that? I'll bet you didn't know that! Maybe you are praying for a soldier overseas? Release the angels to go protect them! Sending your children off to school? Send the angels with them! Are you believing God for money for a mission trip? Send the the angels to go and cause the money to come. Also see Faith Confessions

Warrior Angels The more you "dive" into the Word of God, the more you will see the value of angels. They do your spiritual fighting for you. Are you afraid to go witnessing? A child of God that heads into the the mission field to witness, say even door to door, gets assigned a special angel. They get assigned a "warrior" angel.

I've been on the mission field and have not actually seen these warrior angels, but once I actually felt their presence. I don't want to say I saw a ghost, but in the spirit realm, I did see my own warrior angel. And let me tell you, they're not like those cute little angels they have a Christmas, they are huge and they are powerful! When you are fighting principalities and powers, you need these warrior angels to fight for you and protect you.

The Bottom Line The bottom line is, the angels do exist and they are here for you. They are waiting "on you" to tell them what to do. Do you have to be a born again spirit filled person for the angels to work for you? Possibly, otherwise, why would their first purpose, when it comes to you, be to lead you to Christ? How else would you believe? Want to be born again? Take the Spiritual Questionaire first

A List Of Book Publishers

2010-02-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

href="http://www.seussville.com/">SeussvilleMagic Tree House Junie B. Jones Knopf/Delacorte/Dell/Young Readers GroupAlfred A. Knopf Books for Young ReadersBantam Books for Young ReadersCrown Books for Young ReadersDavid Fickling BooksDelacorte Press for Young ReadersDell Dragonfly BooksDell Laurel-Leaf BooksDell Yearling BooksDoubleday for Young ReadersWendy Lamb Books Random House Young Readers GroupAkiko Arthur BarbieBeginner BooksThe Berenstain Bears Bob the Builder Disney Books for Young ReadersDragon TalesFirst Time Books Golden BooksLandmark BooksLittle Golden Books Lucas BooksMercer MayerNickelodenNick, Jr.Pat the BunnyPicturebacksPrecious MomentsRichard ScarrySesame StreetStep into ReadingStepping StonesThomas the Tank Engine & Friends Rodale Scholastic Simon & Schuster Aladdin PaperbacksAtheneumAtriaDowntown Press (Pocket’s “chick lit” line)FiresideFree PressLittle SimonMTV BooksPocket BooksScribnerSimon SpotlightStar TrekTouchstoneWall Street Journal BooksWashington Square PressSt. Martins Press Minotaur Thomas Dunne Books Time Warner Book Company Warner BooksLittle, BrownTom Doherty Associates, LLC Tor ForgeOrbJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc. Scientific, Technical, and Medical Division Professional and Trade Division Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer Wiley Higher Education W. W. Norton & Company

List of Book Agents Accepting Querys

2010-02-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

NAMEKristin Nelson AGENCYNelson Literary Agency, LLC1732 Wazee Street, Suite 207Denver, CO 80202EMAILquery@nelsonagency.comFICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Science Fiction Chick Lit Commercial Fiction Fantasy Women's Fiction Romance Historical Fiction Young Adult Multi-Cultural Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESMemoirs
This agent accepts queries
Full Profile
NAMEHelen Breitwieser AGENCYCornerstone Literary Agency4525 Wilshire BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90010EMAILhb@cornerstoneliterary.com
Does not accept email queries.FICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Mystery Horror Commercial Fiction Women's Fiction Romance Young Adult Children's Multi-Cultural Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESFood & Lifestyle Multi-Cultural Cookbooks Travel Women's Issues Narrative Health & Fitness Film & Entertainment Juvenile
This agent does not currently accept unsolicited queries
Full Profile
NAMEEthan Ellenberg AGENCYEthan Ellenberg Literary Agency548 Broadway, #5ENew York, NY 10012EMAILagent@ethanellenberg.comFICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Science Fiction True Crime Mystery Commercial Fiction Fantasy Women's Fiction Romance Family Saga Historical Fiction Young Adult Thrillers/Suspense Children's Multi-Cultural Adventure Erotica NONFICTION GENRESHistory Biography Science Cookbooks Memoirs Adventure/True Story Spirituality Current Affairs Business Pop Culture Psychology Health & Fitness True Crime
This agent accepts queries
Full Profile
NAMEBetsy Amster AGENCYBetsy Amster Literary EnterprisesP.O. Box 27788Los Angeles, CA 90027EMAILb.amster.assistant@gmail.com (adult titles); b.amster.kidsbooks@gmail.com (children's & YA)FICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Chick Lit Mystery Young Adult Thrillers/Suspense Children's Multi-Cultural Offbeat/Quirky Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESHistory Food & Lifestyle Medical Science Parenting Self-Help Cookbooks Memoirs Travel Art Business Women's Issues Pop Culture Narrative Psychology Health & Fitness Gardening Photography Cultural/Social Issues Technology Home/Design Gift Books
This agent accepts queries
Full Profile
NAMEJill Grinberg AGENCYJill Grinberg Literary Management244 Fifth Avenue, Floor 11New York, NY 10001EMAILjill@grinbergliterary.com
Does not accept email queries.FICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Science Fiction Commercial Fiction Fantasy Women's Fiction Romance Historical Fiction Young Adult Children's Multi-Cultural Offbeat/Quirky Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESHistory Biography Politics Science Multi-Cultural Cookbooks Travel Adventure/True Story Spirituality Current Affairs Business Women's Issues Narrative Finance Psychology Health & Fitness
This agent accepts queries
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NAMEFaye Bender AGENCYFaye Bender Literary Agency337 West 76th Street, #E1 New York, NY 10023EMAILFayebender@fbliterary.comFICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Commercial Fiction Women's Fiction Young Adult Thrillers/Suspense Children's Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESBiography Science Self-Help Memoirs Women's Issues Pop Culture Health & Fitness Journalism
This agent accepts queries
Full Profile
NAMEFaith Hamlin AGENCYSanford J. Greenburger Associates55 Fifth Avenue, 15th floorNew York, NY 10003EMAILfhamlin {at} sjga {dot} com FICTION GENRESChildren's NONFICTION GENRESSports Biography Medical Science Parenting Self-Help Memoirs Art Business Narrative Psychology Health & Fitness Film & Entertainment Cultural/Social Issues Journalism
This agent accepts queries
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NAMEAlex Glass AGENCYTrident Media Group, LLC41 Madison Avenue, 36th floorNew York, NY 10010EMAILaglass@tridentmediagroup.comFICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Commercial Fiction Family Saga Young Adult Children's Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESMemoirs Pop Culture Narrative Humor
This agent accepts queries

NAMEScott Miller AGENCYTrident Media Group, LLC41 Madison Avenue, 36th floorNew York, NY 10010EMAILsmiller@tridentmediagroup.comFICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Science Fiction True Crime Mystery Horror Commercial Fiction Fantasy Young Adult Thrillers/Suspense Children's Military/Espionage Middle Grade Graphic Novels NONFICTION GENRESDrama/Music Memoirs Current Affairs Pop Culture Narrative Military Film & Entertainment
This agent accepts queries
Full Profile
NAMESara Crowe AGENCYHarvey Klinger, Inc.300 West 55th Street, Suite 11VNew York, NY 10019EMAILsara@harveyklinger.com FICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Commercial Fiction Humor/Satire Young Adult Children's Multi-Cultural Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESHistory Politics Memoirs Current Affairs Pop Culture Narrative Humor Juvenile
This agent accepts queries
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NAMEJohn Silbersack AGENCYTrident Media Group, LLC41 Madison Avenue, 36th floorNew York, NY 10010EMAILjsilbersack@tridentmediagroup.comFICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Science Fiction Mystery Horror Commercial Fiction Fantasy Young Adult Thrillers/Suspense Children's NONFICTION GENRESSports Celebrity Biography Memoirs Business Narrative Finance Military Film & Entertainment
This agent accepts queries
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NAMEEllen Levine AGENCYTrident Media Group, LLC41 Madison Avenue, 36th floorNew York, NY 10010EMAILellen.assistant@tridentmediagroup.com
Does not accept email queries.FICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Commercial Fiction Women's Fiction Family Saga Young Adult Thrillers/Suspense Children's Multi-Cultural NONFICTION GENRESHistory Biography Politics Spirituality Current Affairs Pop Culture Narrative Psychology
This agent accepts queries
Full Profile
NAMEMichael Bourret AGENCYDystel & Goderich Literary ManagementOne Union Square West, Suite 904New York, NY 10003EMAILmbourret@dystel.comFICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Commercial Fiction Young Adult Children's Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRESHistory Food & Lifestyle Politics Drama/Music Cookbooks Art Pop Culture Narrative Health & Fitness Film & Entertainment Humor Juvenile
This agent accepts queries
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NAMEAmy Berkower AGENCYWriters House21 West 26th StreetNew York, NY 10010EMAILaberkower@writershouse.com
Does not accept email queries.FICTION GENRESChick Lit Commercial Fiction Women's Fiction Romance Young Adult Thrillers/Suspense Children's Adventure Middle Grade NONFICTION GENRES
This agent does not currently accept unsolicited queries
More information needed about this agent
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NAMEMiriam Altshuler AGENCYMiriam Altshuler Literary Agency53 Old Post Road NorthRed Hook, NY 12571EMAILmiriam@maliterary.com
Does not accept email queries.FICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Commercial Fiction Women's Fiction Historical Fiction Young Adult Children's Multi-Cultural NONFICTION GENRESHistory Biography Medical Memoirs Travel Women's Issues Narrative Psychology Health & Fitness Nature/Ecology Military Photography Cultural/Social Issues
This agent accepts queries
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NAMEJennifer Gates AGENCYZachary Shuster Harmsworth1776 Broadway, Suite 1405New York, NY 10019EMAILjgates@zshliterary.com
Does not accept email queries.FICTION GENRESLiterary Fiction Christian Commercial Fiction Children's NONFICTION GENRESHistory Politics Memoirs Current Affairs Pop Culture Narrative Psychology Journalism
This agent does not currently accept unsolicited queries

Your Books Sales Ranking What It Means.

2010-01-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of the most important tools available to you when it comes to tracking your online sales, or lack thereof, is the use of the sales rankings provided by some of the most important online retailers. Unfortunately sometimes going through these rankings is a lot like going through a maze. In these systems no two books can have the same ranking at the same time, and they come to a specific order by taking a number of factors into account.
Obviously one of the most relevant factors that contributes to that ranking has to do with the number of copies sold in a period of time. Because of this you must keep in mind that movement doesn't always means sales, sometimes it means lack of sales. Of course, particularly when it comes to those books that have a limited number of sales, assigning one unique ranking to a book is not always as easy as it seems, and the results are not necessary fair. Sometimes when the sale was made can be a determining factor, something like the fact that the more recent the sale, the higher the ranking, but even this is not always possible, so other factors may come into play that are only known to those who programmed the database in the first place. Though spectacular as far as the general numbers are concerned, the impact of these tie-breaker factors is pretty minimal, given that these titles don't usually have the most impressive rankings to begin with, so you really shouldn't worry too much about them.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. When a book is first listed it does not have a sales ranking, this is added only after the book sells at least one copy, though depending on the retailer, the absence of a sales ranking doesn't necessarily mean an absence of sales. While Amazon maintains a ranking system that includes every title that has ever sold a single copy, Barnes & Noble only list the rankings of those titles that have sold within a certain period of time.
Now, when you are dealing with very few sales, each copy you actually sell has a very significant impact on your ranking, in fact this impact may sometimes be measured in hundreds of thousands. When you sell a book your ranking jumps up significantly, but after a while your ranking begins to decrease again due to the absence of new sales and then it jumps up again when you sell another copy. What happens here is that, as time passes, your book goes from a book that sold a copy in the last week, to a book that sold a copy in the last month, to a book that sold a copy in the past two months and so on. The longer the time, the lower your sales ranking (or higher, to be accurate. Remember that the smaller the number the better the ranking).
You should also remember that there are other factors that can also modify your ranking. Given that these systems rank you in relation to other books, the performance of those books also plays a part in the final tally at the end of the month. These ranking systems don't tell you how your book did in a vacuum (that would be a system that told you something like this book sold these many copies in this period of time), they tell you how your book did when compared to all the other titles that are part of their database (in fact these systems tell you, in rather impolite terms, that there are these many books that have done better than yours). But lets take a closer look at the ranking systems used by two of the most important online retailers.
When it comes to amazon.com (at least for the time being, this system may be modified at any given time), their ranking is updated regularly, but not all of it is updated at the same rate. The top 10,000 sellers are updated hourly to reflect the changes of the last 24 hours, the next 100,000 are updated daily and finally the rest of the database is updated weekly. This information can come in handy for new authors who often behave like expecting fathers (rigorously going back to check their rankings on a daily basis), because it tells them how often they should really check back. In other words, if you see that your book's ranking is 2,198,429 then that means that you probably shouldn't check back until next week, but if you are close to the top 110,000 then you may want to check daily to see if you've managed to make it into the top 110,000. It is also important to remember that amazon.com assigns a sales ranking to each and every book that has ever sold a single copy, and this means that a number of books with better rankings than yours may actually be out of print.
Barnes & Noble on the other hand has a different approach. It gives a sales ranking based on the book's performance in the past six months (or since its release, depending on the circumstances). This means that the abscence of a sales ranking here does not necessarily mean that the book has sold no copies. This difference in the approaches of amazon.com and Barnes & Noble also accounts for the fact that sales rankings in Barnes & Noble tend to show lower figures (for instance a book may be ranked 438,925 in Barnes & Noble and 2,109,934 in amazon). Given that amazon's ranking includes every book that has ever sold a copy whereas Barnes & Noble includes only those that are considered "current sellers", vastly different sales rankings can reflect a similar volume of sales in both systems.
Now, to put these numbers in perspective, I would guess that if you hope to live off your royalties (modestly and with no promotional expenses at all) you would have to be at least in the top 10,000 and remain there constantly (or have several titles performing at such levels as to allow you to maintain a monthly sales average similar to the one a top 10,000 ranking would provide). As you can imagine your chances of doing this with a POD published title are not too good. On the other hand, an author working with a traditional publisher would need to sell even more than that because traditional publishers pay royalties per copy that are lower than those received by most POD published authors. This means that, regardless of how their books are published, only a handful of writers get to live off their royalties.
You should also remember that even though these sales rankings may be useful, and they cover some of the most important retailers, these are independent ranking systems and they don't cover 100% of your sales. For instance, sales that are made through your site or that of your publisher are invisible to these ranking systems but may have a significant impact on your royalties, especially because usually you get a higher percentage for each direct sale. These ranking systems also ignore direct efforts and all those other online retailers that don't offer a sales ranking system to begin with.
In other words, while undoubtedly an extremely useful resource, these ranking systems should be seen as a guideline, rather than an accurate indicator of total sales. They offer some rather tangible evidence of sales and they do provide you with an approximation of when a particular sale was made, but you should be aware of their limitations and keep their relevance in perspective.

How Bad Id Is Bad On Book Cover ?

2010-01-24T18:02:00.001-08:00

Quick quiz for fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series of young adult vampire novels: What is Bella's favourite book?
If you said Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, then give yourself a point. I, too, will give myself a point for knowing this, although I confess I cheated: I haven't read Twilight or any of its sequels, nor have I seen the film, and I don't have the faintest clue who Bella is. I do know what her favourite read is, though, because a cover for a new edition of Wuthering Heights tells me so.
Novels getting a makeover because of a TV or movie adaptation is nothing new, though this is perhaps the first time I've ever seen a classic of English literature get re-branded because it is the favourite book of a character in another work of fiction.
And it isn't just the metaphysical endorsement from Twilight's Bella … the new edition of Wuthering Heights, from Harper, borrows the contemporary Gothic design style of Meyer's successful series. The American edition, coming in October, re-presents the Brontë novel with a cover comprising a black background and blood-red rose, while the UK edition opts for a tender white bloom, and the very vampiric cover blurb: Love Never Dies.
Should we be appalled, or approving of this latest move? Those of us who find ourselves shaking our heads and muttering, "Dreadful, dreadful", are possibly marvelling at the chutzpah of those who would make an enduring classic such as Wuthering Heights (they're still making telly out of it, 160-odd years on) into a pale imitation of a mass-market publishing phenomenon aimed at adolescent girls.
Those of us who don't find it too offensive may be ruminating on all the extra sales that Wuthering Heights might pick up thanks to Meyer's championing of it, and on the young readers who might otherwise not have been exposed to the Brontë novel – at least one blogger is reading her way through all the classic novels namechecked in the Twilight books, and reporting back on her blog, Bella's Bookshelf.
Controversy over the marketing of books is nothing new, of course. Last year Margaret Drabble complained, "I have had a weird feeling that I'm being dumbed down by my publishers and it's interesting there's an agenda of how it should be in the marketplace." Around the same time, Fay Weldon – author of such books as The Life and Loves of a She Devil, featuring a distinctly un-slender protagonist – expressed her displeasure that her back catalogue was being reissued with misleading chick-lit style covers featuring "little drawings of rather absurd people on pink and blue covers".
There might be an argument that it is the writer's job purely to write, and that it is the marketing department of a publishing house which is responsible for ensuring that the end result sells to the widest possible audience. That doesn't mean the choices for book covers is always right, though, as Australian author Justine Larbalestier found when she successfully tackled her American publishers over the US cover of her novel Liar. The children's book has "a short-haired black girl called Micah" as its central character; Bloomsbury's first go at a cover featured a long-haired white girl. Bloomsbury backed down.
Quite what Emily Brontë would make of it all is anyone's guess, although she would probably be quite gratified to actually have her name on the latest editions of Wuthering Heights – like her sisters, in her early career she adopted a male-sounding name, Ellis Bell, to overcome the prejudice against women writers. There's a fair chance, though, that she might be spinning in her grave at the thought that her work is best marketed with the intimation that it is a pale imitation of Stephenie Meyer. And that's not a course of action which is to be encouraged, given the latest publishing fad for mashing up classic texts, re-inventing them as gory horror stories, and flogging them to the Twilight generation.

Taking Advantage Of Wholesaler Services

2010-01-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

Source: Small Business Management
Wholesalers offer services which retailers can use to strengthen their operations. In some instances, the "helping hand" concerns only sales. In others, it extends to advice and help on record keeping, financing, administrative practices, location, insurance, and personnel.
This Chapter discusses such services, pointing out that the range of assistance varies according to the individual wholesaler and the line of merchandise. Some of the services are free, but others carry a fee.
If you haven't checked the management services that your wholesalers offer, you should. Because their business depends on you and the other retailers to whom they sell, they are common sources of assistance.
Depending on the types of assistance offered, your wholesaler may be able to help you "butter your bread." Some wholesalers offer services on sales promotion, buying, and new developments in products. Others try to "think retail" and also provide services that help to increase profits as well as sales, They offer assistance with financing and accounting.
The types of services and the extent to which they are available varies with wholesalers and lines of merchandise. Your wholesaler-distributor may or may not provide all of the services discussed in the Chapter but reading about them should help you when you investigate such offerings.
To Taking Advantage Of Wholesaler Services - Top
Promotion
Wholesalers often help in promoting the products they sell to retailers. Some of these services are free, others carry a price tag. However, as a rule, the price tag is not great because the wholesaler spreads the cost of this sales-building program over a number of retailers.
Featured items. One of the most effective forms of promotional assistance is reselected merchandise that you can feature cooperatively with other independent retailers. By pooling customer orders for such items, your wholesaler can often secure price concessions or other favorable terms from manufacturers or processors, Generally, the wholesaler passes these savings on to you, the customer, to help you counter the price appeals offered by large retailers who buy directly from the manufacturer in large quantities and thereby get price concessions. In other cases, a wholesaler-distributor will sell these reselected items at a cost in an effort to have a major part of your business.
Stock Control. In some lines of goods, the wholesaler provides help with stock control. For example, a system is set up whereby the wholesaler's staff, with a minimum of attention from you, can keep your stock at the level you need for supplying your customers.
One drug wholesaler uses pressure-sensitive labels on products and a computer to help retailers with stock control. When the retail druggist sells an item, he or she peels off the label and pastes it on a card. The wholesaler runs them through a computer for automatic maintenance of the retailer's inventory. This practice helps the retailer avoid tying up money in merchandise that doesn't move.
Point-of-Sale Promotional Aids. Some wholesalers are major sources of display material designed to stimulate "impulse buying" for both nationally advertised and private brands. Because much of this material is furnished by manufacturers, the wholesaler keeps retailers informed about what is available and tells retailers how the aids can be used most effectively, In some instances, the wholesaler helps retailers in building effective window, counter, and bin displays. Sometimes the wholesaler may send an employee to work on the retail sales floor during special promotions.
In some lines of business, wholesalers offer another type of promotional aid - showrooms. For example, they allow their dealers to bring retail customers to their showrooms to inspect models which the dealers do not carry as regular stock.
Co-operative Advertising. Advertising on a co-operative basis with a wholesaler-distributor can be a reasonable economical way for featuring your merchandise and building customer loyalty. For this type of advertising, many manufacturers give the wholesaler an advertising allowance on purchases. This practice reduces costs that are charged on a percentage basis. Depending on the type and number of potential customers, the media most often used by wholesalers are radio and television, newspapers, and handbills.
To Taking Advantage Of Wholesaler Services - Top
Market Information
Wholesalers often supply market information that can help a small retailer attract customers and satisfy their wants. In numerous contacts with local businesses and distant suppliers, the wholesaler accumulates information about consumer demand, prices, supply conditions, and new developments in the trade. The wholesaler relays the information to retailers through bulletins, newsletters, order books, invoices, and sales people. One small retailer summed up these marketing services by saying that, "The wholesaler is in a good position to tell whether things are slowing down or changing and keeps us aware of these changes."
Consumer Demand. The wholesale's position between national and regional suppliers and local buyers enables him or her to "feel the pulse" of the consumer demand. The wholesaler can recognize, for example, events at the national and regional levels that are likely to bear on the amount of local consumer spending. Through numerous contracts with local retailers, the wholesaler learns which items have attracted the attention of consumers and which items have not. By reviewing orders, he or she can sense when demand for a product is changing and advise customers to adjust their buying and inventories accordingly.
Price. Often you get comprehensive and up-to-date information from your wholesaler. Most wholesalers can collect competitive price information from their customers much more economically than the individual retailer could collect it.
Suggested retail prices are also supplied by many wholesalers, particularly those offering co-operative advertising plans or those who sell their own private brands.
Supply Conditions. You can usually depend on your wholesaler to keep you informed about primary market conditions that would affect the supply of a particular product. Information concerning the possible scarcity or super-abundance of consumer goods or expected major shifts in prices are of particular importance when they reach you in time to be reflected in your buying plans.
New Developments. One of the easiest ways to keep abreast of new methods, new products and new ideas is through the bulletins, newsletters, and other publications circulated by many wholesalers. These media often provide condensed versions of articles appearing in the trade or business press, lists of new products being introduced by manufacturers, pictures or description of new equipment, and suggestions for improving merchandise displays and selling performance.
Financial Aid
Many wholesalers provide a type of financial aid that retailers take for granted, if they think about it at all. By making prompt and frequent deliveries, wholesalers enable their customers to keep inventory investment small in relation to sales. This indirect financial aid reduces the amount of operating cash needed by the retailer.
Another type of indirect financial help is "open book" or trade credit. The wholesaler-distributor bills you for merchandise purchased and allows a discount for payment within a specified number of days.
In some trades, though, wholesalers extend direct financial assistance through the practice of delayed billing. For example, some wholesalers of lawn and garden supplies deliver seed to retailers in January but do not bill them for it until May. Nor is it unusual for wholesalers handling toys and Christmas decorations to ship merchandise to their retailers in June and July but delay billing until December.
Accounting Systems
A number of wholesalers help their retail customers to maintain adequate accounting systems, Several types of accounting assistance are available through wholesalers who offer this service. Some wholesalers have compiled forms and manuals that retailers can use as the basis for goods records.
A few wholesalers have retail accounting departments that perform virtually the entire accounting function for their customers. Retailers who use such a system supply operating information to the wholesalers at periodic intervals.
Other wholesalers have negotiated "umbrella" contracts with private accounting firms. These firms, in turn, do the accounting work for a given group of retailers - often at a smaller fee than the accounting firm could offer an individual retailer.
Policy and Methods
Many wholesalers offer guidance and counsel that retailers can use in setting policies and in improving methods. Some of the areas covered are public relations housekeeping methods, and administrative procedures, Such assistance is usually available for the asking through the wholesaler's sales staff. In some instances meetings are held to discuss such subjects, and retailers are kept abreast of new developments through bulletins and newsletters.
Many wholesaler-distributors belong to a trade association that specializes in their commodity line. These association often publish monthly magazines as well as brochures aimed at helping the retailer.
Suggestions on setting policy and improving methods can be helpful because many small retailers get involved in the day-to-day tasks of keeping the business moving along. When this happens, they lose sight of the big picture, Often they overlook opportunities to improve their operations. For example, they know the value of good public relations but do nothing about it.
In other instances, they may not know how to build a favorable image and their time and money are spent uselessly. Because he or she is not involved in the routine of a store, the wholesaler can often detect such management weakness in customers and suggest ways for correcting them.
To Taking Advantage Of Wholesaler Services - Top
Looking Ahead
Many wholesalers go beyond day-to-day operating assistance and offer services that are designed to help their customers with long range problems. They offer help on real estate problems, financing, insurance and personnel.
Real Estate. Some wholesalers pass on to their retailers tips on stores that are for rent or for sale. These tips are given to their customers when they are considering a branch store. These wholesalers usually maintain up-to-date real estate files by gathering information from their salespeople, customers, newspapers, and real estate agencies.
Depending on your wholesalers, you may be able to get help in analyzing the suitability of various location, including an evaluation of the market potential. Some wholesalers keep a finger on the direction and character of urban development and offer advice about desirable future locations. They help the retailer establish a priority rating for each location, New locations, particularly in shopping centers and other large-scale trading area developments, may involve complicated leasing arrangements.
Finance. In some cases, wholesalers-distributors help their retailers with long range financing. For example, a wholesaler may lend funds to enable a retailer to modernize an old building, acquire a new site, or erect a new building, The need for this type of financial assistance is especially evident in the retail food business. Here the trend toward costly supermarkets coupled with the inability of banks to help any but the best credit risks has greatly increased the importance of wholesalers as sources of direct financial aid.
Indirectly, a wholesaler can help you with financial needs by supporting you at the bank or insurance company. The loan is made on the wholesaler's recommendation, and the wholesaler generally guarantees all or part of its repayment.
In long-range financing, the retailer who deals with a relatively few wholesalers is in a better position that the retailer who buys small amounts from many wholesalers. The wholesaler naturally looks for retailers who have proved themselves and whose business offers growth possibilities for the wholesaler too.
Insurance Counsel. A number of wholesalers try to help their customers secure adequate protection against risks from theft, fire, smoke, and water damage. This assistance may involve: (1) keeping you alerted to your insurance needs, (2) making sure that your insurance is kept in force, and (3) helping to get your claim settled as quickly as possible if a loss does occur.
Personnel. Your wholesaler-distributor through his or her sales staff can help you obtain qualified store personnel in informal ways. For example, the wholesaler might tell you of an outstanding salesperson who wants to change jobs. Some of the larger wholesalers have even set up auxiliary personnel departments. Such departments maintain files on persons seeking retail employment and refer prospective employees to retailers on request.
To Taking Advantage Of Wholesaler Services - Top
Which Services Can You Use?
Not all of the services available from your wholesaler are equally important to you. Some may be indispensable. Others you can handle more effectively yourself. Some services carry charges, and you must decide whether or not they are worth their cost.
The first step in determining which services you can use is finding out what your wholesaler offers. Get all the details you can about each service that is available to you. Find out what advantages a service has for you. Find out what obligations it carries.
First Things First. At this point, a few words of caution are in order. As far as you're concerned, the main duty of a wholesaler is to supply you with items that you sell at a profit. Success in retailing starts with shelves and displays full of goods that customers want. When accepting management assistance from a wholesaler, you must be sure first that the distributor is a reliable source of merchandise.
A small retailer, however, should know his or her customers better than the wholesaler. In mutual assistance, such as special promotion, the retailer should prevail. Resist the temptation to overbuy on attractive offers. For example, is there enough profit in using a missionary salesperson to train your sales staff and sell to customers when you have to buy in gross lots rather than the usual case lot? It is your loss when the item doesn't move as fast as was thought. Try to schedule special promotions that are offered by the wholesaler to suit your plans for promoting sales and profits. Use cooperative advertising when it is to your advantage, but don't be a slave to it.
In fact, don't be a slave to outside assistance whether it is from a wholesaler or another source. Regardless of a wholesaler's services, compare them with what you already have. If he or she can provide, for example, an accounting service, how does it compare with yours? Is it easier to use? Harder to use? Cheaper than yours?
Follow Through. When you sign for services from your wholesaler, follow through with your end of the agreement. Provide the information and direction needed to render the services you need. For example, when you use a wholesaler's accounting service you need to send daily expense and revenue data on a given schedule and format so the accounting staff can include your data its work load.
Matters that can cause misunderstandings should be pinned down. for example, the order form should spell out prices, terms, dates of shipment, and liability for shipping costs. When an agreement is written, often mistakes can be corrected without damaging your relationship with the wholesaler. But a verbal agreement may be another story.
If you want help in selecting and training personnel, you will need to give the wholesaler job descriptions to identify the types of employees you want and to determine whether applicants have the necessary skills.
Talk with your wholesaler and other business associates before obligating yourself. Make sure you need a service and figure out exactly how - and how much - you will profit from your wholesaler's services.

Getting you Book on the shelves at Barns & Noble

2010-01-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

Each year, we review more than 100,000 submissions from publishers of every size and background. Our buyers review publishers’ catalogues, marketing materials and galleys or sample copies to help them make their decisions. Most of these books are added to our book database and a small order is placed for our warehouse. This makes a title available for sale on our Web site and for order through our stores.
If you would like your title to be considered by our buyers, please submit a finished copy (no manuscripts please) of the book along with marketing and promotion plans, trade reviews, and a note describing how the book meets the competition (what makes it unique) to:
The Small Press DepartmentBarnes & Noble122 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10011
Please include your phone number and e-mail address.
The information must include the ISBN and the suggested retail price. The review process takes about six weeks. The Small Press Department responds to all submissions in writing.
All books will be considered for store placement based on subject matter and salability. Please consider the following points when publishing and presenting your book.
Points to Consider
Does your book have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)?
Does your book have a bar code?
What sort of binding (saddle stitch, staple, perfect, plastic comb, ring) does your book have?
Is your book available through a wholesaler?
Is your book priced competitively with other titles of a similar topic and quality?
Has your book received CPSIA certification?
Why should Barnes & Noble place your title on its shelves?
Where can you find more information on the topic of book writing, publishing, and marketing?
Does your book have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)?
We use the ISBN to track inventory and sales information. An ISBN is a 10-digit number that specifically identifies your title. ISBNs are furnished by:
ISBN Agency630 Central AvenueNew Providence, NJ 07974(877)310-7333(908)219-0188 (fax)http://www.isbn.org/
Processing takes 10 working days. An extra fee brings 72-hour priority handling. If your book has already been printed, you can sticker your book with the ISBN once it is assigned. The ISBN and price should appear on the back cover of the book. TOP
Does your book have a bar code?
Bar codes help our stores handle books more efficiently. The bar code which incorporates your ISBN is scanned at the time of purchase, thus recording accurately the sale of your book. The book industry uses the Bookland EAN bar code, not the UPC. If your book is already printed, you can have pressure sensitive labels produced for placement on the back cover. For a list of commercial Bar code suppliers, visit the BISG website: www.bisg.org/barcoding/bc_suppliers.html. TOP
What sort of binding (saddle stitch, staple, perfect, plastic comb, ring) does your book have?Perfect binding is more expensive, but perfect-bound books have the potential for a longer shelf life and better sales because the name of the book can be printed on the spine. Since most of the titles in our stores are placed on the shelves spine out, stapled or saddle stitched books essentially disappear. If your book is plastic comb-bound or perfect-bound, the title and other pertinent information should be printed on the spine. Otabind is another type of perfect binding that allows a paperback to lie flat.TOP
Is your book available through a wholesaler?
Your willingness to place your book with a book wholesaler may determine whether or not we carry it. Wholesalers normally expect a 50-55% discount, pay in 60-90 days, and expect books to be returnable. Some expect free freight. Placing your book with a wholesaler will simplify your billing (one invoice to one location). It also allows Barnes & Noble to place larger orders and put the book on automatic replenishment. Wholesalers are used by many segments of the book industry: publishers, libraries, and booksellers. Other bookstores order from the same wholesalers used by Barnes & Noble. We can help put you in touch with an appropriate wholesaler.TOP
Is your book priced competitively with other titles of a similar topic and quality?
Price can be a determining factor for a customer when looking at books similar in content, presentation and format. Look at the pricing of other like books in the same category, and try to price yours competitively.TOP
Has your book received CPSIA certification?
Barnes & Noble requires all vendors to comply with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (“CPSIA”). To that end, all Barnes & Noble’s suppliers and manufacturers must complete the Barnes & Noble certification relating to CPSIA compliance as a condition to selling product to Barnes & Noble. View information on the Compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (featuring the “Letter to Suppliers and Manufacturers with Revised Certification”).
If you have already sent Barnes & Noble the required certification, unless you hear from us differently, no further action on your part is required. If you have not yet responded, please be sure to respond as requested in the certification.TOP
Why should Barnes & Noble place your title on its shelves?
Tell us what makes your book unique or special. What is your marketing plan? Send us your publicity and promotional plans, along with any reviews or articles that may have been written about your book(s).TOP
Where can you find more information on the topic of book writing, publishing, and marketing?
The reference shelf in your favorite bookstore or local library features a wide variety of titles about writing books and the business of publishing.

Why Great Books Fail in the Literary Marketplace

2010-01-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

Why Great Books Fail in the Literary Marketplace
Why do good, even great, books fail in the literary market place? Having reviewed thousands of books down through the years I thought I would share some observations on this all-too-common phenomena.
Most of the time when I have reviewed an outstanding, unique, innovative, groundbreaking book that has gone on to critical praise and marketplace failure, it has been because the small press publisher did not do a good job of presenting the book to its intended readership. And this was in turn the result of an inadequate (or all-too-often nonexistent) marketing plan. To have a successful book that is as enduring as it is well-written and well-published you need a specific marketing plan of strategies and tactics, down on paper and scrupulously followed.
The lack of publicity, promotion, selective advertising, and author/publisher "hustle" is what drove those wonderful tomes into an undeserved oblivion.
Conversely, I've seen the occasional "time-lost" book re-discovered and reprinted with a marketplace success that outshone its original debut, because this time around the publisher had a marketing plan to bring that book to the favorable attention of its intended readership -- and applied it.
The very books that Alan used to illustrate "great" books that succeeded financially even though they were trailblazers (and Velty's impressive book on Filipinos is one I would number in that group!) were the result of their publishers doing professional, innovative, cost-effective marketing and bringing the reading public's awareness of their books' existence into the reading public's consciousness, into their "radar screen" for interesting, recommended reading.
You don't have to make a pile of money on schlock (even good schlock well appreciated by readers of good schlock) before funding your stab at publishing the truly "great" book -- the one that you want to have mentioned in a eulogy to friends and family as your particular contribution to generations yet unborn.
What you do in marketing determines not only if the "great" book will be successful financially but also if it will be read with appreciation by discerning minds crying out for what it has to offer. It will determine if "generations yet unborn" will have access to your "great" book to their benefit and betterment.
So the question for me isn't "Should I publish this innovative, unique, truly great work of literature?" but "What will I do with this "great" book once I decide to put up the capital to have it published?"
And the business of creating your marketing plan should commence simultaneously with your plans to publish the book. Indeed, that marketing plan should be actively engaged long before your book comes back from the printers.
For those newly come to publishing and having not the slightest idea what constitutes a cost-effective, efficient, innovative, and successful marketing plan, please take heart. Most of the wheels have already been invented. You need only apply them to your particular circumstances. It's for just this reason that the "Publisher Resources" section of the Midwest Book Review Web site was established and is maintained.
All aspiring publishers should do their homework about marketing. You owe it to yourself, your authors, your intended readership, and (especially in the case of the "great" book) to generations of readers yet to come.

Book Reviews Sell Books

2010-01-16T16:40:00.002-08:00

Every author wants glowing book reviews with quotable sentences to use as testimonials. A good review makes readers flock to the bookstore to buy the book. However, how do authors get their books reviewed? While the process is not difficult, the book review industry is changing. Today? Authors must designate a portion of their marketing budget for book reviews, and they must know how to use those book reviews to sell books. Why Are Book Reviews Important? More than 200,000 books are published each year. Less than 2% of those books sell more than 500 copies. We have all heard the saying, So many books. So little time. ? People do not want to waste time or money reading books they will not enjoy, so they rely on book reviews to help them make buying decisions. Your book will stand out if it receives positive reviews from reliable reviewers. Where Do I Get a Book Review? There are five top book reviewers: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, Midwest Book Review, and the New York Times; however, if you are self-published, it is unlikely your book will be reviewed by any of them. Reviews from local newspapers and magazines will only help you sell books locally. Furthermore, print publications are phasing out book reviews. So where can an author still get a good book review? The Internet. Online book reviews are becoming standard, and your books review will reach a wider audience on the Internet. Online reviews level the playing field for self-published authors. Today, people are less inclined to read paper magazines and newspapers. They go online for information. Reviews posted at Amazon and other online sites are more accessible than print reviews. Reader Views and Rebecca's Reads are examples of reliable online book reviewers of both traditional and self-published books. Free vs. Paid Reviews Authors generally expect free book reviews; that was standard in the twentieth century advertisements paid for the book reviews in print media. Today, however, authors must cover the cost of book reviews. A book reviewer may spend hours reading a book and writing a review, and he deserves compensation for his work. Consequently, authors must budget for the cost of book reviews. Authors are recommended to budget for mailing out a minimum of twenty books for review. How Do Paid Book Reviews Work? Paid reviews have multiple advantages. Most publications that offer free reviews do not guarantee a book review because of the volume of books submitted. Only by paying for a review can one be guaranteed. Reputable book reviewers will provide a review within a specific timeline. Two weeks is standard. They will also provide a review tear sheet for your use, and give you permission to quote the review, provided you credit them. Many reviewers will also post your review online at such places as their own website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ezine Articles, Goodreads and Authors Den. ? Several online book reviewers, such as Reader Views, will give you the option of a free or paid book review. Reader Views will review the book free provided one of their reviewers is interested in it. If no one opts to review it after three months, the book is returned without a review. If authors do not want to wait three months for a review, an express review can be purchased to guarantee a review within two weeks. ? Several book reviewers, including Reader Views, also offer various publicity packages ranging from a single book review, to written and podcast radio interviews, virtual book tours, and book videos. Such packages allow authors the opportunity to get book reviews and publicity within their budget. ? Just because you pay for a book review does not mean a good review is guaranteed. It is better to receive an honest review than one that gives false praise. The reviewer’s reputation is at stake here; readers will not appreciate being misled to waste their time and money on a book that does not meet their expectations. ? How Do I Use a Book Review to Sell Books? ? Before you do anything with your book review, make sure you know what permissions the reviewer has given you for using the review. Are you allowed to use it in whole or only a certain percentage? Can you reprint it or quote from it? ? Once you know your rights, some suggestions for using the review to help sell books are: Post it to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ezine Articles, Authors Den, Goodreads, Myspace etc. if the reviewer has not already done so. Quote from the review on your book cover and the inside end papers. (If your book is already printed, use the review when you run a second printing). Include the review in your press kit to gain more media attention. Post and distribute the review at your book signings. Post the review on your website. Send copies of the review in your email newsletters. ? ? Final Comments? More information about book reviews will be covered in future articles. However, for now, here is a couple closing points: Be professional. Send the reviewer a thank you note. Whether you receive a positive or negative review, the reviewer has done you a favor. The reviewer’s comments will help you improve your next book or the next edition of your book. Even a negative review can be used to build a positive relationship with a reviewer, who will appreciate your professionalism. The book world is a small place and you do not want word to spread that you are difficult. Seek to build long-term relationships with book reviewers, and through them, with your reading audience. Be prepared for the book review to increase your book sales! A good review is worthless if you do not have copies of books to sell. Be prepared to fulfill your book orders so your customers are satisfied. After all, you want your book to be a bestseller!

Online Presence

2010-01-16T16:40:00.001-08:00

. As a contemporary writer you need some kind of online presence. People expect to be able to look you up on the Internet, and a basic website is a simple way to do it. Once you have your website up be sure to offer your book for sale. Signed copies often attract people to buy directly from you, as opposed to a middleman that probably takes a big cut of the book's cover price.Specialty catalogs. There are thousands of specialty catalogs available to the public. Do a search and find ones that fit your niche. My first two books, for example, are about adoption. I've found several homes for them in catalogs that specialize in multicultural/diversity products for children. Be creative!Museums and other gift stores. Every big city has at least several museums, and there may be one that has some connection to the subject of your books. My adoption books have been sold at the Hillwood Museum in Washington DC, since their focus is Russia (and my books are about Russian adoption). My local guide book is sold through a local history museum and visitor's center.

Packaging is eveything for books

2010-01-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

Packaging is everything. Each year, corporations spend more than $50
billion on product packaging and design. $50 billion, not for the products
themselves or for the wrapper but $50 billion just for the design of the
wrapper.
Everyone judges a book by its cover. No one reads the book before they
make a buying decision. Consumers do not read it in the store. Sales
reps only carry book covers and jackets to show bookstore
owners/buyers while wholesalers and distributors say “just send us the
cover copy.” All buying decisions are made on the illustration/design and
the ad-sales copy on the outside of the book. Yes, packaging is
everything.
The bookstore browser averages less than eight seconds looking at the
front cover and fifteen seconds reading the back cover. You must hook
them immediately and keep them reading the back cover or they will put
the book back on the shelf.
Most of Lightbourne’s cover-design work is done long distance, so when
the new client walked in wearing buckskin and natural cotton attire,
Gaelyn and Bram Larrick knew that this project would be unique and
fun. Matt Richards had written a book on taking raw deerskin and
creating beautiful buckskin garments and useful goods, a process that
was more of a lifestyle for him.
He had located the cover-design company as a result of reading Dan
Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual, but was still nervous about spending
his money on a professionally-designed cover.
Matt lived in the wilderness and his way of life didn't require him to earn
much money. The cover would cost one-quarter of his entire annual
income.
Six months later, Matt wrote that his book was selling so well in both his
niche market and bookstores that his annual income had already
increased 4-5 times. His professionally-designed cover not only made
him prouder of his book, it gave the contents more credibility and helped
the book to sell.

Marketing Ideas

2010-01-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

Radio stations don't "hate" hearing about the competition but you do have to be careful when you mention being on other shows. If you've been on four radio stations in one market and you mention this, a show's producer may pass on an interview with you simply because the interview's been done over and over and they want a fresh interview on the show.
That doesn't mean if you've been on an extremely popular show in your market that you can't mention it. And the fact that the phone lines were jammed is a good thing. It shows you've got great appeal to the audience.
Don't make that the focal point of your pitch, though. Your news is that you have a new book out and you're available for interviews - not that you've been previously interviewed and it was a success.
Now if you're talking about stations in a completely different market, it's a whole new ballgame. Let's say you've been interviewed in Los Angeles and you're willing to travel to San Diego and San Francisco. Mentioning your interviews in other markets is a good thing. It shows you have interview experience and can pull off a good interview. You won't freeze up or freak out when the cameras go on and the microphone is hot. This can be quite comforting to a producer's hectic daily life.
Same rules apply regarding the focal point of your pitch. Remember, you're pitching news - your book. Your news is not that you've been interviewed in other cities and shouldn't be your headline.
As you can see, playing the promotions game is tricky. You have to work it just right or you'll miss out on an interview opportunity.

Press Release

2010-01-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

Unless your press release makes a soft landing on the desk of the person who might write about your book, it's a good bet that the wrong person will just toss your release in the garbage. So man the phones and find the name--or names--of the right individuals at those magazines. Getting reviewed in a niché publication is well worth the effort because people who read that magazine are predisposed to buy your book.
Next tackle the major newspapers. Again, it's important to send your press release to specific individuals, rather than "editor" or no name at all. Most newspapers have editors for a variety of subjects--science, health, sports, lifestyle, travel, and so forth, so find the right person. Don't forget to send your press release to the book review editor, of course. But there are many other places in the newspaper where your book can be reviewed.
Next comes radio stations-radio talk stations to be precise. Mail (or fax) to as many as you can. That usually means purchasing a database of such stations (and their producers or hosts), or hiring somebody to type a database for you. There are several good lists of radio talk shows, including the Gale directory. While most of these directories are in the library, you will probably have to purchase one to make this work. Key in the individual's name, the station's name, and the station's fax number, then let your computer's faxing software do the work overnight. Depending on your long distance company, each station will cost about 20 cents to fax to.
Definitely contact your local television stations. Find out the name of the producer who arranges author interviews, or the reporter who covers the subject that you've written about. (If it's a novel, then look for the lifestyle reporter.) Don't forget cable television.
As you're mailing and faxing to radio stations, newspapers and magazines, pay particular attention to your local media. Writers always have a better shot at appearing in one of their local papers, or on a local station than across the state or in some other state. Most cities have a plethora of small, sometimes free, community newspapers. These papers are often hungry for material, especially if that material is for free.
What to send to the print media and radio stations? For several reasons you don't want to send your book. (The publisher should pay for the shipping of the books.) Instead, send a one or two page release that tells the recipient to call you (or a friend) to schedule an interview or receive a review copy. Pass along any requests for review copies to your publisher--they'll send them out. Whatever you do, don't tell the station to call you to schedule an interview and call the publisher for a copy of the book: The press hates making two calls. You will miss some prospects if you make them do too much work.
I haven't said anything about the national media--Oprah, A Current Affair, and similar shows. There's no question: You should contact them all. Get the name of a producer at each show (they're generalists, so it doesn't matter who) and send them all a press release. Between broadcast and cable television there are dozens of TV talk shows, so there's a very good chance that you'll end up on one of them. Be sure to include Today, Good Morning America, CNN, and other similar programs.
Do you have any friends in the media business? You would be surprised how hungry --sometimes desperate-- reporters, television producers and radio hosts are for guests. Call your friends and let them know that you are available.
When you contact a producer, let that person know that you are available 24 hours a day. (Never turn down a show, even if it's at 2am.) Often shows receive last minute cancellations, and if the producer knows you are available, you may get a call.Whatever else you do, you should saturate the media.

Getting Books Reviews

2010-01-13T07:53:00.001-08:00

Getting reviews, especially pre-press reviews, can be a very difficult task for new publishers, especially for works
of fiction and children’s books. Just as these often great books were overlooked by mainstream publishers at the
outset, they are also ignored by mainstream reviewers due to policies about self-published works and lack of
space. There are simply too many deserving books being written and published for all of them to be recognized
by the press. At BookExpo America 2003, Steve Wasserman, editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review said,
“This is the sad truth; the universe of the worthy is far larger than any of us have pages to accommodate. The
hardest challenge (for the small publisher) is to break through the curtain of noise that so smothers the culture
at large and to gain for your book the attention it deserves. This is a hard thing to do. The
self-published author has to resort to means that are quite extra-curricular to somehow gain attention. For
every book I choose, there are two worthy books that get ignored.”
Winning a book award is a great way to gain attention, and with it comes the opportunity for getting positive
quotes from judges, awards coordinators, authors and publishers themselves. Many awards come with “Book of
the Year,” “Most Inspirational,” or “Best Humor Book” kinds of designations. Ask the awards coordinator for
specific quotes from the judges, and any comments he or she might have about the book. These quotes can be
used in press releases, brochures, sell-sheets, bookmarks, and on covers. Not only is the book an award-winner,
but the book’s author is now an “award-winning author,” and this can be added to bylines and should be stated
often during appearances and book signings. Winning a book award brings increased credibility to the book,
the press, the author, and their expertise in a given publishing category

Everyone judges a book by its cover

2010-01-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

Everyone judges a book by its cover. The average bookstore browser spends about five seconds looking at the
front cover and about ten seconds scanning the back cover. Human animals share a tendency with monkeys
and crows; we’re all attracted to bright, shiny objects. Having a gold seal on your book cover (and maybe even
printed on the back cover) attracts attention and denotes the “seal of approval” from someone of authority.
An award sticker brings extra credibility to a book that can give it an edge with buyers making a decision
between competing titles.

Reading Is Fun

2010-01-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

Helping a child learn to read, is a gift that will last a lifetime and takes a partnership that begins at home and continues at child care and in school. Here you will find tips and information to help children build the foundation to learn to read.
The Importance of READING- What National Research Shows:
Reading serves as the major foundational skill for all school-based learning.
Although reading and writing abilities continue to develop throughout life, the early childhood years - from birth through age eight - are the most important period for literacy development.
The development of early literacy skills through early experiences with books and stories is critically linked to a child's success in learning to read.
Only 5% of children learn to read effortlessly.
20% - 30% of children learn to read relatively easily once exposed to formal instruction.
60% of children face a more formidable challenge:
For 20% to 30% of these children, reading is one of the most difficult tasks they will have to master throughout their schooling.
90% to 95% of poor readers can greatly increase reading skills to average reading levels through prevention and early intervention programs that combine: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency development, and reading comprehension strategies that are provided by well-trained teachers.
88% of poor readers in first grade have the probability of being poor readers in fourth grade.
75% of children who are poor readers, who are not helped prior to age nine, will continue to have reading difficulties through high school. 10% to 15% of children who have difficulties learning to read will drop out of school; only 2% complete a four-year college program.
While older children and adults can be taught to read, the time and expense is enormous.
80% of children identified as having learning disabilities have their primary difficulties in learning to read.
Half of adolescents and young adults with criminal records have reading difficulties.
Half of the youths with histories of substance abuse have reading problems.
What is Reading?
Reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and motivation.

Reading is More Than ABCs
What parents do or don't do in the preschool years has a lasting impact on children's reading ability. Learn some facts about the importance and need for literacy experiences in the first three years, in preschool, and in the primary grades. For a child to become a good reader, it takes a partnership that begins at home and continues at school. You can prepare your child to read by sharing your time, talking about the world around you, telling and reading stories and asking and answering questions

Learning To Read

2010-01-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Read to and with your children for 30 minutes every day. It is very important to read out loud to your children before they start school. Help your children to read with you. Ask them to find letters and words on the page and talk with your children about the story.
Talk with infants and young children before they learn to read. Talk with your children all day long, using short, simple sentences. Talking with them even before they can speak will help them later when they learn to read and write.
Help your children to read on their own. Reading at home helps children do better in school. Have lots of children's books in your home and visit the library every week. Help your children get their own library cards and let them pick out their own books.
If your child has a developmental delay, your child may find reading frustrating. Have books on tape in your home. Borrow or buy a tape player that is easy to work. If you cannot find recordings of your child's favorite books, you or a family member could make recordings of them for your child to listen to while looking at the books.
Help your child to see that reading is important. Suggest reading as a free-time activity. Make sure your children have time in their day to read. Set a good example for your children by reading newspapers, magazines, and books.
Set up a reading area in your home. Keep books that interest your children in places where they can easily reach them. As your children become better readers, make sure that you add harder books to your collection.
Give your children writing materials. Children want to learn how to write and to practice writing. Help them learn by having paper, pencils, pens, or crayons for them in your home. Help your children write if they ask you. If your child has a special learning or physical need, regular pens and pencils may not be the best choice. Ask your pediatrician or people who work with your child at school or at the child care center to suggest other writing materials your child can use.
Read and write with your children in their native language. Practicing their first language will help your children learn to read and write English.
Talk with your children as you do daily activities together. When you take your children places, talk with them about what you are doing and ask them questions. If your child cannot hear, use whatever form of communication your child usually uses.
Ask your children to describe events in their lives. Talking about their experiences makes children think about them. Giving detailed descriptions and telling complete stories also helps children learn about how stories are written and what the stories they read mean.
Restrict the amount and kind of TV your children watch. Watch educational TV programs with your children that teach letter sounds and words or give information about nature and science.
Keep track of your children's progress in school. Visit your children's classrooms to learn how your children are doing in school and how you can help your children become better students. Ask about the school's reading program and where your children need help.
Become a learning partner/reading tutor to a child in your neighborhood or from your local elementary school. Volunteer to read with or to a child for 30 minutes a week for at least eight weeks. Take the child to the library to get him or her a library card.
Help start a community reading program. A good way to begin is to help set up an America Reads Challenge: READ*WRITE*NOW! program. Offer to volunteer as a reading tutor or serve as a community contact/coordinator for the program. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for America Reads Challenge: READ*WRITE*NOW! materials.

Reading To Your Children

2010-01-10T10:12:00.001-08:00

Reading to your kids is one of the all-time best things you can do with them, and for them. I love reading to my kids, and they love reading with me. It is some of the best quality time ever, and sharing a good book with a child is just a wonderful feeling

Think about art for books

2010-01-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words we shall see.

We are Starting on Wisteria King & Angels Watching Over Me

2010-01-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

The new journey begins...............stay tuned.

Happy 2010 Happy New Years

2009-12-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

New Year’s Reflections Looking back on the months gone by,As a new year starts and an old one ends,We contemplate what brought us joy,And we think of our loved ones and our friends.Recalling all the happy times,Remembering how they enriched our lives,We reflect upon who really counts,As the fresh and bright new year arrives.And when I ponder those who do,I immediately think of you.Thanks for being one of the reasons I'll have a Happy New Year!

Why I love Writing

2009-12-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

The simple answer is because I can’t draw.
The better answer is because it gives me an opportunity to help people. I get to say what they feel, and that’s a huge responsibility. That makes me feel great. “Honored” isn’t too far out of the picture.
Also, I’m a reader. I’ll read anything I can get my hands on. Fiction, business books, graphs, maps, anything. I’ve always been that way.
A little recent background: I am a commisioner for The Town Of Castalia I started writing professionally.I loved the people I was working with, loved the people I helped. But I realized that my favorite three or four hours every two weeks was when I was writing .
It was inescapable. I had to do it. I made the leap, and now, here I am.
So, in short, I love writing because I can, because I’m a reader, and because I feel it’s an honor to be asked to do it.
How about you? Why are you doing what you’re doing?

Wisteria kingdom

2009-12-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Another quiet week on the blog, as ever because it’s been very hectic elsewhere. I’ve started a really fascinating project for the thinktank – ,and I’ve begun writing the next childrens, which is what this post is about.
So far, We Are two about two thousand words into it, and it’s becoming clear that it’s at once a bit of a departure from Eve Hallows, and a logical progression, from what I’ve been writing over the last few months. On the one hand, it’s very much fantasy for children, but on the other, as I write, I’m slowly realising that it shares a set of values with previous, more fantastical stories.
I don’t want to go into too much detail, because I’m still working it all out myself! But, first of all, it shares a common set of inspirations. It’s basically Disney’ crossed with ‘Dr Seuss’, in wonderville. As I write it, I realise I’m getting a lot of texture from sources that have previously driven the more purely fantasy.It is a lot of fun dropping these kind of influences into a fully Fantasy fairyland environment, and watching both bend out of shape as they accommodate each other.
I’m still pondering, and just beginning to explore in the book – it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of argument develops from them as I write.
So, that’s what I’ve been up to, and that’s the new book. Oh, and there’s a new short story, too – but it needs a little editing before I submit it anywhere, so more on that another time…

More Books Still To Come ?

2009-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

More Books Still To Come...?

Wisteria Kingdom written by Freda Roberts & Eva Rice
...Oh yes, some news about something we've been working on for a while ourselves...
Mirror Publishing will be working with us on our collection of children's books in 2010. They will be available in most book stores through out the year, in paperback, wonderful artistic editions, full images can be found though out the pages... Publication date is now likely to start early 2010,

Marketing Books

2009-12-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

Getting the Word Out:Marketing Children's Books
By Freda Roberts
Author of Eve Hallows (Mirror Publishing,2009), and a contributing writer at Wakestaff, a website for new and emerging authors

It is always a good idea for authors to get the word out about their books, even if their publishers are big and rich and have committed to the book's being a best seller. It's good for sales, and it's a lot of fun.
I am a children's book author – one book published and hoping – and here's what I've done.
Bookstores
Surprisingly, bookstores are not good places to sell books. However, it is a good idea to visit all the bookstores in your area, book(s) in hand, and ask if they have children's story hours. If they do, offer to read and sign your book.
Bookstores that have these hours usually welcome authors who volunteer to appear, though the welcome is considerably less enthusiastic in big city bookstores that attract famous authors. (Sadly, there were noticeably fewer stores with children's hours in 2009, If there is no children's hour, then introduce your book and let the store know who distributes it.
Occasionally, a bookstore will offer a table and chair at which you can sit for several hours with a stack of books to sell. If you make this arrangement, I advise you to bring something (else) to read, so that you don't spend the time staring longingly at customers. I advise you to practice a "Hello how are you as you pass through my life" nod that asks for nothing but does not repel.
Libraries
Libraries are not good places to sell books, either. But introducing librarians to your book(s) is a good idea, as they can recommend it to their readers. In fact, it's a good idea to donate a free copy to the library to ensure they have one to recommend. And at libraries as well as bookstores, you might read your book during a reading hour or make a presentation about writing that includes reading your book.
Don't be surprised if someone approaches you as an expert and asks a question like: How did you get your book published? Should I sue the man who stole my idea for a story? Do you need an agent? And the kids ask: Are you married? Have you written any other books? Were you a lot younger when you got your picture taken for the book jacket?
Schools
Schools are wonderful places to sell books and have a good time, too. I call the school and am usually told to speak to the librarian or to a parent who arranges authors' visits. Either school representative is delighted to have an author volunteer to speak and read to the children.
Since my book is a children's picture book, I usually speak to children in kindergarten, first and second grades. However, I have spoken to teenagers at a school for the physically handicapped and high school students who are in training as aides in nursery schools.
I usually talk about the progress of the book from idea through publisher to bookstore, then read my book to the children, inviting them to talk about the meaning of the book, notice the details in the pictures and think about why they are there.
You might see if your local Senior Citizen Center is interested in a presentation by an author. These people are usually grandparents, and they might be interested in giving your children's book to a grandchild. However, beware: if the group is too old, they will fall asleep. It is discouraging to make a presentation to a sleeping audience, particularly if they snore. It's hard not to take it personally.
Book Fairs
A book fair is the perfect place to sell books, as well as meet other authors and people who are interested in authors. At the fairs I've been in, I've met teachers who have not only bought my book but also invited me to speak at their schools.
There is a fee for participation in book fairs. Ask your publisher if they will pick up the tab. They might.
Also, if you live in a state that charges sales tax, you may have to get a State Sales Tax license. This was necessary in New York, which requires tax forms to be submitted whether or not tax has been collected. This is a slight pain in the neck but worth the effort.
Caution: do not bring philodendrons to decorate your table at an outdoor book fair. The sun turns them brown in a couple of hours. I know.
Craft Fairs
Craft fairs are less obvious places in which to sell books, and in my experience, less successful. One feels a bit out of place sitting somewhere between jewelry and wooden bird cages. However, enough people show interest that one contact is bound to lead to something else, e.g., a teacher at the fair looking for necklaces asks you to her school.
There is a fee for participation here, too.
Miscellaneous Venues
Watch the papers. My husband found an ad for a weekly reading at a large department store. I called, and they invited me to read my book. The book corner was on a floor devoted to children's clothes. We discovered three of the children had birthdays that month. Naturally we had to sing Happy Birthday – at the tops of our lungs – heard by everybody on that floor and probably the adjacent ones, too.
A friend told me about a local TV news station with short features about senior citizens starting new careers. I am NOT a senior citizen. NOT. However, I am close enough that a nice TV lady brought a cameraman into a classroom at which I was appearing, interviewed me, interviewed a couple of students and shot me reading to the class. The following week, when I walked into the local luncheonette, the owner said he had seen me on TV, and he wanted to write children's books, too.
Other places that might be interested include pet stores (for books about animals) and toy stores.
Money
The fairs charge an average of $100 for booth space (in North Carolina). None of the other venues charges.
Schools often offer honoraria to authors. I have received anywhere from nothing to several hundred dollars from schools.
In General
It is best to make the initial contact in person, if possible, particularly in bookstores and libraries. Calling schools is OK, since they are eager to have guests appear in their classrooms. However, don't write. Letters can be ignored.
The advantage of appearances is not only what happens at the appearance, but also what each appearance can lead to. The people one meets frequently lead to other contacts and other appearances.
It is almost always a pleasure to make an appearance (except, perhaps, in a bookstore when nobody shows up), so there is nothing lost and a lot to be gained.

New Years 2010 GoodBye 2009

2009-12-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

I’m in favor on new year’s resolutions – but why not also use the turn of the clock to reflect on this past year? Before deciding on how you want 2009 to be different than 08, take a moment with your journal and answer some – or all – of these questions.
These questions can be a catalyst for digging deeper into personal reflection, or they can be icebreakers between you and your spouse for a New Year’s Eve conversation. However you want to use them – use them to your benefit.
Reflection Questions for 2009
1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
5. Pick three words to describe 2009.
6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2009 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).
7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2009 (again, without asking).
8. What were the best books you read this year?
9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
15. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?
16. What was your most challenging area of home management?
17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
19. What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?
20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2008 for you.
Next up - Questions to help you plan your goals for 2010.
What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?

You Can Help

2009-12-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

DEDICATED TO SENDING COMFORT TO SICK CHILDREN AND TEENS IN THE HOSPITALEveryone knows that having to stay in the hospital is never any fun, but for thousands of children there is no choice. Some are there for an illness that there is no known cure for or if there is a cure, it's sometimes worse than the illness itself. Some are there for other reasons, surgeries, a cold, and many other reasons. It really doesn't matter why these children are in the hospital, we all know that having to stay in bed for long periods of time isn't enjoyable. Now while we can't keep them from having to stay in the hospital, maybe we can make that stay a little more fun.
Eve Hallows Book we will send books, birthday cards and appropriate holiday cards (each with a personal message inside) and other items to sick children in the hospital, not only to give them something to do but to let them know that they are being thought about and that they are loved. As we grow, we will be adding more hospitals to our mailing list. Soon, we should be sending books and cards all across the United States.
The children Book Eve Hallows knowchildren, need all the special attention they can get. Most of them may never get well. And while this book will not improve their overall health, it may just bring a smile to their faces. They need to know that they are loved and that they are NOT alone! We're hoping you will help us send this very important message to them.
By buying Eve Hallows , YOU are Helping Children Smile One Page At A Time! You are helping to make sure these children know they are loved and that they are special.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is helping sick children by improving their quality of life by giving the gift of books, while they are in the hospital.

what makes a childrens book a classic ?

2009-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Ask any adult what authors they most loved as a child, and odds are you'll hear the same names over and over again: Beatrix Potter. Dr. Seuss. Maurice Sendak. Laura Ingalls Wilder. In fact, the odds are good your child has a few of these authors' works on his or her shelf right now. Why is it that some books become timeless favorites, destined to be read and re-read, while others get set aside after the first cursory glance? And how can parents predict what kids will love?
Well, first of all, it's not as impossible a task as you might think. Picking winners is far from random. According to Philip Nel, Director of the Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University, children's classics have a few things in common. They "speak to those basic concerns that define human beings as a species – love, fear, hope, anger, family, power, and the need for acceptance," he says.
Books stand the test of time because their authors write about topics that matter. Judy Blume wrote frankly about the physical changes of puberty; Maurice Sendak wrote about children conquering their fears and frustrations through fantasy. While times may change, people don't, and kids today find these themes just as comforting as we did.
What else makes a classic? Well, they're fun. But they also share other qualities. "A book that children will like typically has a central character who is a believable child, and shows that child confronting the world with energy and imagination," says Tim Morris, Professor of English at University of Texas at Arlington and author of You're Only Young Twice: Children's Literature and Film.
Although taste is subjective, very young children typically enjoy reading about familiar, everyday subjects with colorful illustrations and lots of rhyme and repetition – for example, Mother Goose or Dr. Seuss. Most children begin reading independently around first grade, and will find simple stories with basic vocabulary words the easiest to master. As they get older and become better readers, kids can handle more complex stories and tend to develop strong interests and tastes of their own.
Luckily, there's no need to invest blindly in books. Money doesn't grow on trees, and it doesn't have to. "Get them a library card and have them check out huge stacks of books," says Professor Morris. When it comes to reading, even a preschooler knows what she likes, and she'll be more than happy to tell you!

Why We Read to Children

2009-12-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

The message is clear and, thank goodness, frequent: "Help your child become a more successful reader by reading to him OR her from the time your child is born." Research has shown that it works better than any reading drills, expensive pre-school programs or reading instruction to help a child learn to read. Besides that, it's cheap and it's fun for both parent and child. However, there's more. It's not enough to just read aloud for a few minutes, kiss the child goodnight and leave the room. You've got to stick around a while.
Barbara Kines, author of the wonderful parenting column in this magazine every month once asked her beginning second graders to write about a book that they would recommend for others. Two children wrote about the same book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, which is fortunate for us, because their writing tells us so much about themselves as well as about their book choice.
One child wrote,
"This is about a hungry caterpillar that ate a lot of stuff and turned into a butterfly. It is a nice story. I liked it."
That's not bad for a beginning second grader's writing. He certainly gets his point across, but listen to the second child:
"This is a story that I've heard all my life. Probably they read it to me when I was a tiny baby. And I still like it. So does my mom.It's about a caterpillar that eats all kinds of food. Most of it is good for you, but it just gets more and more. I'd think he'd pop or at least have a stomach ache. Instead he turns into a butterfly and he has the colors of the food he ate in his wings.My sister thinks that green leaf he ate on the last day made him change. I'm bigger and I know he was supposed to change. They all do.It's sort of magic. My teacher says there's magic all around, like me turning from a baby to a kid.Eric Carle's pictures are neat. They are mostly cut and paste -- collage -- and when he uses tissue you see through the top one to the others. He's written a huge pile of books. Very Quiet Cricket is special and ends with a surprise."
That's some kid! and that's some writing! I've never read or written a better book review, but let's look beyond the child's skill as a writer to look AT what's he's telling us. Not only has he been read to since he was a tiny baby, he's been talked to and listened to. Since both children had had the same early childhood teachers, this probably wasn't done for child number 2 at school. It must have happened at home. He has to have heard such discussions before and he has to have participated in them. He couldn't have done in writing what he hasn't done orally. He thinks that's what you're supposed to do with a book: think about it, extend it to personal experience, dig deeper into what it means. Who would have thought that Very Hungry Caterpillar had a theme? Yet, this very young child has been able to discover it and explain it to us.
Now, I can't guarantee that, if you and your child get to reading and talking about books, either one of you will be able to express yourselves that eloquently, but I can guarantee an increase in vocabulary, critical thinking and the art of conversation, and discussion You may even get some insight into your child's view of the world and his/her values. Not that it's easy. Don't expect your first book discussion to result in earth shaking insights on your part or on that of your child. Go slowly.
First, book selection matters. Every child loves the familiar and sometimes it's hard to get away from reading the same book every night or a television or movie rip-off. If that's a problem, extend the session. Read the child's old favorite and then bring out your choice. If you need help selecting appropriate books, get hold of Jim Trelease's wonderful and recently updated Reading Aloud and the Children's Book Reviews section of this site. Children's librarians are often very knowledgable about good books and about kids. It's important that you choose the right book for the right time for your child. Take small steps. If a preschooler's favorite is Goodnight Moon, try Frank Asch's Hello Moon. If your first grader is addicted to The Little Engine That Could, try Donald Crews' Freight Train.
It's important that you like the books you share with children. If a book is supposed to be funny, even if it's for a four year old, it should strike you, as a living breathing adult, funny. If it's supposed to be sad, you should have trouble getting through it without at least a lump in your throat. Let your child know what you feel.
When you've finished the book, or maybe before then, it's time for talk. If you say, "Did you like the book?" You may not get the discussion you hoped for. A yes or no question is apt to get a shrug or a one word answer -- end of discussion. Go slowly, don't launch into a treatise on the meaning of the book and on life in general, but saying something like, " I'm surprised at the way it ended. I thought he'd know it was just his echo" might be more likely to elicit a response from the child. Whatever you get, accept it. Be careful not to give the impression that there's only one meaning or logical opinion and it just happens to be yours. Sometimes a book will remind you of an experience or anecdote. Be sure to share it. Just as you're the best reader that child knows, you're also the best storyteller and everybody likes a good story, especially if it's true, or almost true.
You may think your job is finished once the child has learned to read, but it's just begun. Don't punish the child for learning to read by taking away something both of you enjoyed: reading aloud to your child. To be sure, when a child is mastering the art of reading, he/she needs plenty of opportunities to do so at home as well as at school, and you must listen, painful though it is, at times. But that's not instead of reading aloud, it's in addition to it. Good parenting is very time consuming. Some older children prefer to read to and by themselves and you must respect those wishes, but many children love being read to right through middle school or even adulthood. If they do elect to read alone, you're still not off the hook. Read the same book, another book by the same author, or a book on the same subject on your own. I've written several articles for this magazine on what I call "Parallel Reading" wherein parent and child read books at their own levels on the same topic and then talk about what they've discovered.

Reading To Children

2009-12-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Here's how families make reading a priority — and a pleasure:"I know that reading to my two kids helps them learn, but that's not my main motivation. For me, it's more about the cuddle time. I am a working mom, so there's not a lot of time to just sit with the kids. Reading books forces me to slow down, point out interesting things about the pictures, or ask my kids questions about the stories. It makes them smile, which of course makes me smile.

Will kindle kill Publishing ?

2009-12-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

Books and other printed matter are certainly still important but curling up in bed with a single long-battery life computer that holds 1000’s of books plus a range of current newspapers, magazines, and Internet feeds, and doesn’t lose your place in any of these when you fall asleep is becoming more and more attractive as a way to read and enjoy literature. It’s also easier to take notes on the computer than to hunt for a pen or pencil and note pad while you are reading. Modern readers in their leather lovely leather holders are even tough enough not to break when they fall on the floor after you go to sleep. Clearly the future for reading is digital and the first generation readers we see now are not nearly as good as those bendable screen, video compatible, color-based technologies that will soon replace them. Within 20 years book printing will be dead and we’ll wonder what all the fuss was about and why it took so long to replace such an outmoded, static and cumbersome technology.

The High Cost Of Losing Writers

2009-12-08T14:55:00.000-08:00

If you love books (even if only the ones you yourself have written), you need to be aware of a recent market trend that could have a far-reaching effect on readers and writers.
This fall, some of the country’s largest retailers—notably Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon.com—have begun pricing new and often best-selling hardcover books as low as $8 or $9, 50%–60% lower than the publishers’ list price. This means that those retailers are often selling books for less than what they bought them for from the publishers. They are, in effect, losing money on each book sold.It seems like a great deal for readers, doesn’t it? Not when you think about its long-term effects.
These pricing practices could create a climate in the book business in which new and even established authors suffer because of the irresponsibility of retailers who have little concern for the health of bookselling and publishing, much less the literary community. They are telling readers that books aren't worth the price it costs to publish them.
Do any of us really want to live in a world where publishing a new book, in commercial terms, isn’t worth the expense? Pricing a best-selling book in the single digits devalues the work the author, editor, designer, and publisher put into that book. Such pricing will inevitably push all retail prices—and thus, publishers’ revenue—down. Facing reduced revenues, many small presses, those who often serve as the discoverers of new and exciting authors, will not be able to survive. Larger publishing houses will be much less willing to take risks on authors without a proven track record on the best-seller lists (including the authors who might write tomorrow’s best sellers).
New and emerging authors—even established authors with solid but not spectacular sales histories—will find fewer and fewer venues available for their work. Those venues they do find will be less able to find and build an audience for the work of these writers.
The retailers engaging in this devaluing are using books as nothing more than loss leaders: incentives for consumers to enter their stores or Web sites, where they will be encouraged to purchase more expensive items. They are discounting not only the economic value of books, but also the intrinsic intellectual and emotional value of what books provide. They are treating books merely as the prize in the Happy Meal box.
With the holiday gift-giving season approaching, we urge everyone to be aware of the disregard in which some retailers hold the printed word, and to consider this and the possible consequences when you do your shopping.
Sincerely,

A brief outline Of Eve Hallows

2009-12-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

A- young boy Kyle is hospitalized and will miss Halloween But with help from nurse Matthews and help from his friends.Kyle finds Halloween is your heart.
One evening, Kyle's Nurse, who has a secret asked Kyle and his friends if they would like to hear a story.The young boy,and his friends disappointed and sad at the thought of Halloween passing them by, Find joy in Nurse Matthew story of Halloween.The story takes the children on a magical journey
Suddenly Eve Hallows and her friends Niles and Oliver set upon a joinery into all Hallows Eve. A magical ride on Nile D. Brougham a wise and magical broom and a good witch Eve Hallows along her side a wonderful spicy Pumpkin Jack Oliver Lantern Turns this holiday tale into an instant classic , Take a journey Into Halloween alive with wonderful character's, Find your Halloween spirit ,This is just the Halloween tale that evens your most reluctant readers will relish.

About Eve Hallows

2009-12-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

I can't say I have ever thought of Halloween and the written And poetic form , but in the case of the children's Halloweeen book Eve Hallows, the combination works well. Eve Hallows is one of the most joyous picture books about Halloween that I have ever seen. With a combination of words by Freda Roberts and Eva Rice, exuberant paintings by Sarada Holt and a unique design, Eve Hallows is the story of one witchs celebration of Halloween rituals and activities. I recommend it for 6 to 11 year olds. For a great fiction book about Halloween, I recommend Eve Hallows, which is part of the Halloween excellent Holidays Around the World series for children in grades one to four.

2009-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Author Freda roberts was born November 22, 1964. Celebrate her birthday with one of her books. In honor of the season, why not share Eve Hallows with your family? This collection contains four of Freda roberts most popular stories, each of which was originally published as an individual picture book. All of the stories are written with children in mind. Two are Halloween stories. Eve Hallows is still another of her picture books set in fall. It's a tale of Eve hallows and her freinds Oliver and Niles," set in a traditional farm village. Do you and your kids have a favorite Freda Roberts book? If so, please click on "Comments" below and share your recommendations.

Celebrate Halloween

2009-12-08T08:43:00.001-08:00

All around the world children and their families are getting ready to celebrate Halloween which begins at sundown on October 31,2010.Celebrate Halloween, part of the World Society's Holidays Around the World series of fiction children's books, is an excellent resource for information about Halloween. Celebrate Haloween provides information about Halloween observances in many different countries, including the United States, Canada, . The book i Eve Hallows illustrated with striking color photographs by Sarada Holt. Do your children have a favorite Halloween book? If so, please click on "comments" below and share your recommendations.

A child book Illustrator

2009-12-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

A child book illustrator who is unknown should be willing to work with you in terms of what they will charge to create illustrations for your book. Watch out for artists who demand too much. While I was busy writing and publishing my first book, I decided to look for an artist for a children's book I had written. On the recommendation of an author friend who had recently published a children's book, I called her illustrator. The woman faxed me a sample drawing. She was good, but she also wanted too much for someone who was unknown in the publishing world. She demanded money up front for all the drawings, plus 50% of the profit. I consulted with another children's author friend of mine, who warned me that the illustrator was demanding too much.
The great thing about hiring a child book illustrator is you can tell the artist exactly what you have in mind for each page on which there will be an illustration. If you have a strong vision of your book, then this is good thing. If you'd rather rely on the artist's interpretation of your text, you can go this route as well. A good author/child book illustrator relationship will have lots of interplay and pleasant surprises that will enhance the deeper meaning of your work.
When you hire an illustrator, it is best to do it under a work-for-hire contract which means that you pay the artist for her work and then you own the illustrations. Although this will cost you more upfront, the illustrator will feel know that she is getting money for her book, rather than relying on you to do the kind of book promotion that will ensure a return for all her efforts. A

A child book illustrator

2009-12-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

A child book illustrator is just as important as the author. In fact, at big publishing houses, the author and the illustrator split the profits from the book. If you are planning to submit your book to a child book publishing company, then you will not need to hire an illustrator. The publishing company will select the illustrator for you.
If you want total control of the look, content and feel of your children's picture book then you need to hire a child book illustrator. This means that you will be self publishing your book and will take all the financial risk, but reap all the rewards. Best of all, it will mean that the book will turn out exactly as you envisioned it.
What to Look for in a Child Book Illustrator:
You can find an illustrator by looking on the internet. Simply use the Google Search box at the bottom of this article. A good illustrator should have a book or web site with examples of their work. Although an artist may be skillful, you need to make sure that their work is appropriate for your book. Contact an illustrator whose work you like and give them the concept of your book. Ask them to do a sample sketch and fax it to you.

A Thought

2009-12-07T11:14:00.001-08:00

It isn’t all that hard to be a good parent. We all want to be good parents; we all try to be good parents; so with that motivation we’re bound to succeed. Being a good parent is simply a matter of: 1) following our own hearts, and 2) ignoring everything society has taught us about child raising.Fundamentally, it’s not our job as parents to teach our kids how to get along in society – to worry about their achievements or how well they’re doing socially – much less to chastise them for not “measuring up”. Society has its Gestapo of teachers, coaches, clergymen, scout leaders, etc. – not to mention the pressure of peers, advertisers, and the media – to whip kids into line, to teach them to be “good citizens” and “team players”, to “fit in” and “belong”. So kids don’t need more of that when they get home.What kids need from their parents is love. They don’t need criticism, blame, or guilt; they don’t need unfavorable comparisons with other kids; they don’t need to be belittled or patronized, or to be treated rudely because their parent had a bad day at work.When our kids come home with a lousy report card, or when they’ve committed some other atrocity against society, do we chastise them and make them feel bad; or do we commiserate with them and try to make them feel good? They already feel bad at having transgressed society’s expectations (even if they feign defiance). Therefore, to clamp down on them, to try to impose our will on them is not going to help them any; and if they have any gumption at all, some day they’ll spit it all back in our faces.Babies do not come into this world grumpy and truculent and spoiling for a fight. Babies come into this world too spaced-out and vulnerable to be pugnacious. Therefore, if there is anger and fighting going on in a parent-child relationship, then it is logical to assume that the parent is 100% to blame for the situation.Parents are confused, they are cowed and daunted by the sanctions society has in place if they fail in their role as taskmasters. Parents have to understand that it’s okay if their kids are failing their grade or getting into fights or doing drugs or are unmarried and pregnant.If the kids are doing antisocial things or inviting dire consequences by their behavior, then obviously they’re unhappy and out of kilter with their environment. It’s a parent’s duty then to say, “Hey, what’s bugging you?” rather then “Shape up or ship out!” And if they don’t want to talk to you, then you leave them alone. You give them space; respect their feelings and their right to make their own decisions.Parents have to stop worrying about how their kids’ behavior and achievements reflect back on them. Who cares what the teachers and the neighbors think? Our kids’ feelings are more important. It’s not a question of taking sides with the kids, but rather entails seeing things from the kids’ point of view. It’s not so much a matter of standing up for the kids, as standing by them. The teacher has the whole system backing him or her up; surely the kids deserve an impartial advocate, even if they’re guilty as hell.Society drives a wedge of guilt into the parent-child relationship even before the kids are born. The common fear (particularly with a first baby) that our kid might be born crippled or handicapped or something is actually fear that we won’t be able to love the baby if it doesn’t fulfill society’s expectations.Society puts a lot of heavy guilt trips on parents to make them feel ashamed of their kids (“Have you heard what Sarah’s boy has done now?”); and parents pass those same guilt and shame trips on to their kids (“You have failed me, son.”). Parents have to be reassured that no matter how their kids turn out, it doesn’t mean that they failed as parents. Even if the kids turn out to be like Heliogabalus, if the parents gave them true love, then they did their job well. Even if the kids are truly weird or nasty – even if they masturbate publicly or torch the neighbor’s cats – that is not the parents’ fault, responsibility, or problem. It’s the kids’ problem.It is not the parents’ job to mold kids’ characters or guide their development or to see that they have all the advantages or to teach them how to compete and succeed. The parents’ only job is to love their kids, to be able to say to them, “Well, you certainly screwed up there, but don’t take it to heart. You learned a lesson, you’ll go on living and breathing, etc. etc.” – whatever the kids need to hear at that moment to cheer up, to recover their sense of self-worth. That’s what kids need from their parents, and it’s the only thing they need – ultimate acceptance, no matter what they’ve done. And it’s the parents’ job to supply this.We’re not talking about indulging kids, letting them run rampant. In a “normal” parent-child relationship, the kids are taught to fear the parents’ disapproval. But there are some parents who reverse the usual roles, and fear their kids’ disapproval. Usually these kids become real hellions and grow up drunk with power, with little respect for other people’s space. We’re not talking about switching approval / disapproval roles; we’re talking about dispensing with approval / disapproval altogether. Approval is as damaging as disapproval. To say to a kid, “I love you because you fulfill my expectations and make other parents envy me.” is as nasty a thing to say to a kid as, “I don’t love you because you bring me no glory.” To discipline our kids, all we have to do is say to them, “Hey, I don’t like what you did there for these reasons … .” Period. Say it once, calmly, as you would do with another adult. Don’t hammer at the kids and wipe your bad vibes all over them.We must be willing to apologize to our kids when we’ve overstepped ourselves and made them feel bad needlessly; and this doesn’t mean a half-hearted, “Oh well, maybe I overreacted there, but still you shouldn’t have … .” It means a full, complete cop: “Sorry. I guess I got on your case about nothing.”The way we can tell if we’re blowing it is: if we feel annoyed or disappointed in our kids, then we’re wrong. If we ever feel anything other than good about our kids, accepting of our kids, sympathetic to our kids, then we’re wrong. If we can’t feel good about our kids at all times, then we’re blowing it. This is why raising kids is such a terrific spiritual reality check – it shows us precisely how far away we are from enlightenment.The trick is to tell kids what they’re doing wrong calmly and collectedly, without releasing a dart of anger, impatience, or annoyance. Of course, to be able to do this we have to have our own self-importance under control – to be light and detached (rather than to permit ourselves to be sucked into our kids’ bad moods).If parents were enlightened beings, perhaps then they would have a moral right to interfere in their kids’ lives. If parents were exalted beings (as their kids believe them to be), maybe then their approval or disapproval would have value. But the fact is that parents don’t have any more of a clue as to what’s really going on than their kids do. The only guide they’ve got is what their own parents drummed into them: fear of disapproval.We should act towards our kids exactly the same way that we wished our parents had done for us when we were kids. It’s trite to say it, but inevitably, 100% of the time, when we are angry at our kids about something, what we are angry at is precisely what our parents used to get angry with us about. From whom did we learn that this behavior (what our kid is doing) is unacceptable? Why does this behavior anger us? Not the ostensible reason – what we are telling the kid and ourselves – but rather the actual reason why we find such-and-such a behavior objectionable: what our kid is doing openly that our parents forced us to repress. See, we all tell ourselves that we’re angry with our kids because of this or that very valid reason. We all have impeccably logical reasons why we must bend our kids out of shape; close our hearts to them by labeling their feelings “acceptable” or “unacceptable”; force them to knuckle under to us in exactly the same fashion that our parents forced us to knuckle under to them. We thereby pass our own anger at our parents for having forced us to knuckle under on to our kids, as if to say to our parents, “See, Mommy and Daddy! I forgive you for having closed your hearts to me and having put more importance on your images than on my true feelings – my need as a completely vulnerable infant for the greatest tenderness, delicacy, and respect – for I have done the same thing to my own children!” And so it goes: the torch of self-hatred is handed down from generation to generation. It only stops if we quit getting angry with our kids altogether, no matter what they do or don’t do. This is not all that hard to do once we make the connection that in spite of all our wonderful logic and self-justification, all we’re doing when we’re angry with our kids is upholding that side of our own parents which we despised the most.To a kid his parents are God incarnate. If a kid feels he can trust his parents, then later on he’ll naturally trust in God. Another way of saying this is, upon becoming parents we take upon ourselves the mantle of Godhood willy-nilly. This is a very serious presumption and responsibility. Most of us blow it. But the point is, since we are masquerading as God, we should at least do a good job of faking it.This means giving our kids 100% acceptance and forgiveness, no matter what they’ve done (just as God does for us). Check out how God deals with us: when we screw up, does God dramatically appear in a burning bush and give us hell? No, God doesn’t do that; God leaves us alone to stew in our own juice and to figure things out for ourselves. To treat our kids like God treats us means not making them feel worse about themselves, but rather better, as if they were still worthwhile beings, worthy of salvation and redemption, no matter how sinful they may have been. It means not being angry with them but rather tender with them; feeling what they feel instead of trying to make them feel our feelings (agree with us).Most parents have truly loving impulses; but society sends parents the wrong messages – it makes them feel guilty about being “weak” or “soft-hearted” or “spoiling” kids. Parents just have to know that feeling with their kids – withholding all negative judgment, criticism, and blame, is okay; that it’s fine to be completely tender and sympathetic all the time; that it’s not a sign of weakness to understand things from the kids’ viewpoint.When you get annoyed with your kids, think of this: if they were to die in the next moment, would you still give a damn about whatever you are angry at them about? Is that what you would want your last message to them to be – annoyance over some stupid triviality?The next time you jump on your kids for something, think about how you would feel if they were to die in your arms in the next moment; and ask yourself if whatever you’re on their case about is worth trashing the short time you will spend on this earth together.

Blogging about Eve Hallows

2009-12-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Blogging on...Life is a magical journey and no one needs to remind a little 'child of that! They are fully aware of the Magic, their physical world is unfolding and who could believe such wonder? At this stage, it is as if they were teaching us that elemental wonder that exists everywhere and in everything. The lessons are unspoken, yet they speak so loudly.At the earliest stages I strive for nurturing their inherent endearment of the natural world and provoking a deep appreciation for Her beautiful work. In this practice we help to keep active the dynamic innate bond with the Goddess and God.With my little guy we say hello to the moon every night - when She is out. We go outside and wave to Her and say "hello." I say to him, "See the moon?" Now he automatically looks up and says "hi" and waves. I am not sure she notices as She changes, but he always is aware of where She may be, and this is an important foundational piece.In the winter we dance in the falling snow, experiencing the wonder of winter. Sledding and throwing snow, experiencing the season and the elements. Building snowmen & ladies, making snow candles, feeding the birds, and shoveling out. Sometimes we lay on the couch with the shades up high and watch the snowfall from the sky.In the spring, we play in the dirt, scout out sprouting plants. Fall in love with the brightly colored tulips and Irises and revel in the smell that only spring brings. In Early spring we pant seedlings and watch them sprout. We are down at the park more and more - walking and enjoying all that is spring. We check out the birds nesting in the trees, the duck sheltering on the shore, the piping plovers making their new homes, we watch their babies as they are born, running all over the shore. It is magical to watch other animal families grow. We pick the first berries of spring and make gooseberry pie, candied flowers, and rose water.Summers are full of gardening, beach walking, sand digging, fish catching, scouting around the sea grass and in tidal pools, watching the busy traffic of life, hiking, canoeing and swimming. As the harvests come rolling around, we head to the local farms and pick our own fruits and vegetables. We eat freshly pick berries with sweet cream, we make blueberry grunts, strawberry shortcake, blackberry jam. We spend time on adventure walks through the marsh and into the woods, quietly we watch the deer and fox. We pick flowers, shells, feathers and more. Enjoying the sweetness that summer has to offer us.Then the fall, with its vibrant colors and shades in the trees and plants, comes along We pick our own pumpkins, squash, apples and pears. We make apple crisp, pear cobbler, pumpkin pie and squash soup. My daughter taste tests each pumpkin in the field until she finds her "Oliver" the pumpkin. We carve and light the pumpkins bright, we collect leaves, acorns, sticks and vines. We decorate our yard and home in the beautiful colors of fall. We scout through the woods, watching animals ready themselves for winter, pile leaves to dive in, watch the changing sunset and enjoy the beauty that is only fall.

Art Work

2009-12-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

Illustrator Sarada Holt,art has plenty of whimsy in her art. Since she was a child she has turned out art work ,she will be doing art for three children's books this year: Eve Hallows (2010), written by Freda Roberts & Eva Rice,Wisteria Kingdome, (2010), written by Freda Roberts & Eva Rice; and Eve Hallows A Frost On The Pumpkin. A fourth book Wisteria Kingdom The Kings Bride, written by Freda Roberts & eva rice — is due 2011.
''The end product is a real collaboration between the three of us,'' says Freda Roberts, 45. She credits Holt, who designed Eve Hallows, with the idea of letting the drawings break out a picture's frame.

Halloween Fun

2009-12-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Halloween is such a great time of the year and it always brings back lots of fun childhood memories. Halloween is a very fun and original custom because it brings together the idea of original Halloween costumes and of making of Halloween Treats and candy.But Some children cannot trick or treat they are sick or they live in a rural area and maybe the parents are concerned with the safety of the children they love so much.But there is something you can do with the whole family! Eve Hallows .
Halloween DecorationsDecorating for Halloween is half the fun of the Halloween holiday. When I was a child we used to purchase fake cobwebs and hang them in all the corners and window corners. We'd then get some black plastic spiders and pin them into the spider webs. At night it looked every eerie and spooky and it gave the perfect atmosphere! We also put some cardboard cutouts of witches, vampires and ghosts in the windows and in doorways. To decorate the outside, we would use some of my father's old clothes and stuff them with leaves from the trees to make a scarecrow. We'd then carve a pumpkin and use it as the head of our scarecrow! We also added a small radio that played scary music and this alone scared half the children away! Luckily they knew we had some Halloween candy waiting for them beyond the spooks.
Halloween's Trick Or TreatingTrick or Treating was one of my favorite activities as a child! Getting all dressed up in an original Halloween costume, then grabbing a pillow case or a plastic pumpkin box to collect candy and off we went! One year I was allowed to go trick or treating with my neighboring friends and it was great! Halloween was a week night so we had to prepare our costumes ourselves until our parents finishing work. Some of my friends were dressed up as ghouls and zombies, it was great! The air was so clean and crisp on that October evening, but it wasn't cold yet. We walked from house to house and we giggled when we were given treats that we really liked. Sometimes the way that the candy was decorated made us happier than the contents themselves. It was really fun!

For The Love of Art

2009-12-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Children's book illustration is both an art form in its own right and an integral part of the literary composition of the book as a work of art. To fully appreciate all the styles, media, and techniques represented in children's literature, one must be knowledgeable about art in general as well as about the composition and design of children's books.Though there are millions and millions of people in the world who celebrate Halloween but will never see one as idyllic as this... still, you can't help but look at these pages and feel a huge sense nostalgia and warmth for the season. In true Sarada Holt style, we see the holiday played out from beginning to end. From the big events like carving the Pumpkin and the Halloween Eve dress up and smaller moments like the UPS man arriving and the selection of a pimpkin pies. More true to life for the suburban family than anything, Sarada Holt uber-detailed Halloween begins at the heart and ends in a huge heap on eyes with all the joy, wonder and frivolity that comes in between. Told with words and illustrated, scenes, the pictures will melt even the most handicapped heart. If you could package up a Lite Jack O Lantern, magic and the lights of Halloween-time and put in into a book, well.... you'd have this one. Even if you don't celebrate the Halloween, it's hard not to marvel at the artistic talent it takes to create a Halloween as perfect as this.

Christmas Begins

2009-12-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

THERE ARE MANY attitudes about Christmas even among "church people." Some groups bemoan the commercialization and secularity of the season and urge that we "put Christ back in Christmas." Others contend that He never really was asked if He wanted to be involved in the December celebration in the first place, and that if He had been He probably would have declined. There are those who preach against the observance of Christmas in any form -- a few denouncing even the word itself. Others carefully explain how the secular aspects may be observed without ignoring Paul's warning about the observance of religious days (Galatians 4:10, 11).
Each of these is able to represent his particular position, and for now I will leave that task with them. But the history of a celebration in honor of Christ's birth -- an event important to all, those named above -- is an interesting story in its own right. And it is a story with perhaps a few surprises.
For almost 300 years the church showed little concern for the date of Christ's birth. So little, in fact, that no one bothered to find out exactly when He was born! The apostles and other inspired men left no record of the date. They did teach the early church to be concerned about Christ's death and resurrection. And they observed the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day (the first day of the week) in honor of these events (I Corinthians 11:23ff; Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10). Baptism also spoke of these things (Romans 6:3-5).
As time passed, many Christians began to wonder how God could have come in human flesh. We must admit that it is a great mystery. Then about 200 years after Christ, a group of heretical Christians began to explain it this way. According to the gnostics (as they were called), Jesus of Nazareth was just an ordinary man, though a very good one. At His baptism a voice from heaven had announced, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." At that time the Spirit had descended in the form of a dove and had rested on Him (Matthew 3:16,17).
The gnostics (who, of course, were false teachers) said that at this moment, the "Christ" came into Jesus. This "Christ" left Him, as they told it, just before His death -- perhaps when He cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Their purpose in telling it this way was to protect their idea of God. To them it was not proper for deity to really live in human flesh. As they saw it, the body (and all creation) was inherently evil. It was just not fitting for God to live in a human body, they thought, and certainly not for God to die. So they explained the mystery of God among men as I have just described.
Because these people said that God was "manifested" among men at the baptism of Jesus, they began to observe a day in honor of that occasion. They called this day Epiphany, from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means "manifestation" or "appearing." An influential Alexandrian gnostic named Valentinus urged that January 6 (or 10, the records are not clear here) be kept as the Feast of Epiphany, in honor of God's appearance among men which he said occurred at the baptism of Jesus.
Other Christians, who knew that Jesus actually was God in human flesh, objected to this. "Yes," they said, "God did appear in this world, but at the birth of Jesus, not His baptism." Some of these Christians also observed Epiphany, but in honor of Christ's birth. They did not claim that Jesus was born then. They merely honored the fact of His birth. In time this practice spread through the so-called Christian world. Even in Rome, people began to celebrate Epiphany -in honor of Christ's birth. But after a few years more trouble came.
Throughout the fourth century, the church (which by this time was far removed from the apostolic teaching on many points) was busy with councils, papers, arguments and decisions. One of the major issues concerned the nature of Christ. Was Jesus divine in substance, or was He simply like God? Some have commented that the church split here over one letter of the alphabet. One group contended that Jesus was the same (Greek: homo) substance as God and the other said He was similar (Greek: homoi) substance to God.
The main body of the church finally settled on the former. Jesus was divine. He was God in human flesh. This, of course, was what the apostles had taught many years before. The council did not make the truth any more true, but it did affect church history in a powerful manner.
But now another problem arose. If Jesus was divine, did it not lend encouragement to the false teachers who said He was a mere man when the church observed January 6th as a holy day, even though they did it to celebrate His birth? It was decided that this was the case, and that another day should be chosen to celebrate His birth. Here history stepped in to lend a hand.
This was the age of Constantine. He is often called "the first Christian Emperor." Historians say he was not as interested in Christ, however, as he was in unifying the elements of his empire. If he could encourage the pagans and the Christians to observe common celebrations, this would help bind together the empire under his rule. He had already declared the first day of the week an official holiday for this very reason. The pagans kept that day in honor of the Sun, and called it "Sun-Day." Christians had observed the first day of the week from the beginning as the Lord's Day. Constantine made the day a legal holiday in hopes of bring the two together.
So it was when the Roman Christians began to look for a day to keep in honor of Christ's birth, Bishop Liberius (who was a friend of the government) was quick to help. It just happened that the pagan Romans had for years celebrated December 25 as a special annual holiday in honor of the Sun god, Sol Invictus. Some Christians decided that it would be fitting for Christ to replace the sun as honoree on this day. And so, almost 400 years after Christ, December 25 began to be observed as a special day in honor of the birth of Christ. Again, the people did not really think that Christ was born on that day. They merely observed it in honor of the fact of His birth. But this, too, was to change.
With the passing of time, the Romans decided that everyone ought to observe December 25 in honor of Christ's birth. But not everyone was ready to accept this rule. In fact, one ancient denomination (The Armenian Church) still observes January 10 in honor of the birth of Christ. To help their cause, the Romans began to say that December 25 should be observed because it was the true birthday of Jesus Christ!
John Chrysostom, a noted preacher in the East, preached a famous sermon urging his congregation to celebrate December 25 as the birthday of the Lord. This teaching did take hold eventually through most of the world. Since then many people have believed that December 25 is Christ's birthday.
Through the centuries many other customs became attached to Christmas. Some came from pagan backgrounds. Others were borrowed from Judaism. Constantine was not the last "Christian" emperor to adjust his religion for political advantage! You can read about many of these customs in an encyclopedia. The Christmas tree, Santa Claus, lights, holly, the exchange of presents -- these are just a few. Most of them have lost all religious significance long ago. They have become a part of custom with no thought given to their origin.
This is the story, told rather briefly in parts, of how December 25 came to be celebrated by many people as the birthday of Jesus Christ. It should be added that from the days of the apostles until now there have been many Christians who did not observe any day in honor of Christ's birth, but who did keep the first day of the week as the Lord's Day, in honor of His resurrection.
In the next chapter we will see the point that God's Word makes: that Jesus Christ was indeed God in human flesh. We will also notice some lessons contained for us in that fact.

Promoting Your Book

2009-12-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

A Few things you need to do to promote your book.The best promoter of your book is, in fact, you. Only you, the author, truly knows the passion and insight of your book. You are the only one who knows how many countless hours you have pored into your book and how much it means to you personally, as well as what you believe others will feel about it too. Below, is a few tips outlined ,things to help you market your book.Where Do I Start?How many people do you know? Do all of your friends and family members know you have a book out? If not, tell them and encourage them to tell everyone they know. In fact, there are plenty of reasons for a family member or friend to pay for your book to help support your cause. You might ask, How does selling my book to family and friends help? First, it helps you recover your initial investment. Remember, if you sell a little more than half of your free copies, you can recover your initial investment. This allows you to do two things: one, free up money to help you promote your book. Secondly, it puts your book in the hands of people who truly care about your cause and will help you promote it. Family and friends can spread the word via phone, email, on the street, wherever. Just simply going to a restaurant or park with book in hand can start a conversation. "That looks interesting", a stranger may say, "What is it about?" You can also hand out business cards to everyone and give them a few extras so that they can do the same on your behalf. Word of mouth is an inexpensive way to market your book.Getting Your Book into BookstoresAs a new author, getting bookstores to physically carry your book on shelves can be challenging. Competition for shelf space is tough and then often goes to high-profile/famous authors. Most major booksellers want to see an expensive advertising campaign to help promote the book and result in sales. Since most self published authors do not have this going for them, there are a number of ways to help your books get into bookstores and on shelves.First, approach your local bookstores. Talk to the manager/owner about carrying your book. Many stores have a “local authors” section and may be willing to carry your title. Don’t forget to mention: the book is returnable. This is a very important consideration, because it minimizes the risk of the bookseller (if your book doesn't sell, they simply return it at no additional charge) and encourages them to carry your book.Second, you may apply to a bookstore’s acquisitions department directly to see if they will stock your book in stores.To submit your book for consideration for Barnes & Noble stores, include a finished copy of your book along with marketing and promotion plans, trade reviews, and a note describing what makes the book unique, to : The Small Press DepartmentBarnes & Noble122 Fifth Ave.New York, NY 10011Please remember: you are competing against books that have expensive marketing campaigns, so it is very important that you emphasize the uniqueness of your book, most of all, to help encourage the reader to take up your cause and convince them that there is very little risk to them, like your book being returnable.To have your book considered for Borders stores, send two copies along with a cover letter to:New Vendor AcquisitionsBorders Group, Inc.100 Phoenix DriveAnn Arbor, MI 48108Join Amazon.com Search Inside!™ ProgramWhen customers search for books on Amazon.com, you can actually submit the actual words from inside your title--not just the author, title, and keywords supplied by the publisher--to return the best possible selection of books. With Search Inside!, customers can also browse sample pages and do additional searches inside a particular book to confirm that the title is just what they're looking for. All of this helps you sell more copies! Click here to learn more about this program and Sign up.Book Signings and/or ReadingsBook signings and/or readings are great opportunities for you to sell your book. No one knows your book better than you do, and thus you are the best salesperson/representative for your book.In order to have an event at a local bookstore, you will need to speak with the store’s community relations manager. You and the CRM together can decide when to have the event. It is important to mention, once again, that your book is returnable.It is also important to invite your family and friends to ensure a good turnout to your event.

Excerpt from Eve Hallows

2009-11-30T05:56:00.000-08:00

”Unable to move I continued to listen.”’You need to have air bags?’ shouted the Jack O Lantern, to the broom. ’I wouldn’t if you did your job right. You’re not so bright tonight, actually you’re quite dim.’ yelled the broom.’Are you calling me stupid?’ asked the Jack O Lantern.’I’m saying you’re all wax and no flame,’ replied the broom.’I told Eve she should have put you in the closet and kept you there a long time ago,’ stated the Jack O Lantern.’You’re one to talk!’ exclaimed the broom. ‘Maybe if Eve turned you into a pumpkin pie you would be a little sweeter.’’Boys, boys...we’re being rude,” said the lovely woman. ’Stop arguing and blaming each other. The reason we crashed was because my magic is weak.’’Let’s introduced ourselves to Matthew.’”At this point, I thought I was dreaming,” Nurse Matthew finished with a smile.

Love the children's book?

2009-11-29T12:05:00.000-08:00

Love the children's book? Get the artwork.We've been keeping our eyes open for those extra special holiday gifts, like for a baby's first Christmas. I'm very intrigued by Picture Book Originals which offers which offers original illustrations and signed giclee prints from children's picture books. It's not like you're going to find Maurice Sendak here - or not yet, anyway. get a nice selection of signed Sarada Holt Illustrations which Eve Hallows fans like my kids will appreciate. Prices go from very affordable up into the hundreds, but there's also a section of "select prints," starting at $55 like the Flying Witch from Sarada Holt which is adorable. I also like the idea of gift sets for children which include an actual art from Eve Hallows Book: What a way to bring a child up in a room that promotes a love of books off the shelves too. -Sarada Holt original signed art work is just wonderful.

2009-11-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

Many adults see children's books as a single category, books for people who are not adults! This reaction is one which almost all writers for children have encountered at some time, and shows the level of ignorance that does exist in the general population in this regard. (Oh, you write for children, how nice! But when are you going to write a proper book - one for adults?) They never seem to stop and ask what kind of children's books - picture books, novels, mid range?Some dedicated children’s book awards have different age groups -such as the Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books, where the categories are Picture books/ younger readers 8-11 and older readers 12-16. But where children’s books are represented along with awards for adult books the short list is almost invariably novels, and often novels that are generally on that fine line that they could be what some publishers call ‘crossover’ books.

So does that mean that picture books or books for younger readers are not worth considering along side these 'almost adult' novels - it might seem from these awards that in some adult readers' view they are not really important enough? Perhaps 'important' is not the best choice of word, but I am sure you know what I mean!

2009-11-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

The first in a series of five Halloween story books by author's Freda Roberts and Eva Rice , this book features a wonderfully crafted short story. Each of the Eve Hallows tale displays the enchanting storyteller's voice that Freda Roberts and Eva Rice gives in their performances. Perfect for enchantment, reading to children or adding to your Halloween library,Eve Hallows shows off the author's skill in creating surprise endings and karmic circumstances. Freda Roberts and Eva Rice's new book, Eve Hallows, is suitable for children and adults and provides readers with suspense, magical intrigue, life lessons and pleasurable entertainment.

I love working with childrens books

2009-11-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

The title of this post is literally true. Children’s books are what taught me to love writing and reading, and I began my career as a writer somewhere around age 6 by imitating them as closely as I could. Children’s book writers are some of the wisest, most thoughtful people around, and all the best books for children contain marvelous bits of wisdom, some of which has been collected in Anita Silvey's new book, Everything I Know, I Learned From A Children’s Book. And because children’s book writers are themselves masters of the craft, they often can’t help slipping in tiny lessons on the craft of writing, particularly on writing for children.
For today’s lesson, I turn to Lewis Carroll, whose books are the source in many ways of everything I’ve ever written (astute readers might be able to find the “Pig and Pepper” homage in my novel for adults, The Wishing Box.) Yesterday, someone asked me whether picture books have to contain a lesson. Her question reminded me of the Duchess in Alice in Wonderland, who told Alice:
“Everything’s got a moral, if you can only find it.”
Whether everything does or not, I can’t tell you, but I can tell you that every picture book does, if you look closely enough (and sometimes you have to look very closely). But that doesn’t mean that you need to insert a moral into every story – on the contrary! Children dislike being preached to as much as anyone else – perhaps more than anyone else since so many adults feel compelled to preach to them. As one of my students observed when we were discussing this issue, “I remember being a kid and just searching for the messages [in books], and once I had 'caught' the message I would tune out.”

Author's Note for Eve Hallows by Freda Roberts & Eva Rice

2009-11-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

Author's Note for Eve Hallows by Freda Roberts & Eva RiceI'd like to talk about my book Eve Hallows I feel it will always be a classic during the fall season: Eve Hallows: A tale from the childhood, with beautiful oil illustrations by Sarada Holt. It tells the tale of a sick boy and young boy who lives on a small farm. The young boy Kyle and his two friends are worried that they may not be able to enjoy Halloween : Nurse Matthews is loving, kind, and a great story teller; Eve is wise, kind, and generous.She is also a witch. In the course of the story, they all discover the magic of Halloween, which will reward all children if they believe. Hope told in ways that have delighted listeners and readers since the story first came to be years ago.These wonderful character's, will have surprise twists and turns, that seem to remind people of Halloween spirit, which can be both sweet and sometimes surprising when the adventure begins,All through time, countless people around the word have believed that Halloween held magical powers. The healing power of life, the belief that friendships and love can cause anything to happen.Eve will continue to provide us with treats every Halloween, we need to believe, and the hope that Halloween will always return and so shall Eve Hallows.

Chlidrens Books Being Banned

2009-11-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

It has been released rankings for 2009 recorded 513 cases where books were targeted for censorship, of which 74 were successfully banned or restricted. Eve Hallows is now being attacked, a result, the ALA believes, of an organised campaign that the anti-defamation group the Catholic League launched against the film version of The Golden Compass.
Several schools across America faced requests from parents to remove the book. One challenge at a school in Winchester, Kentucky was made on the grounds that the book's main character drinks wine and eats poppy with her meals. Another school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin pulled the trilogy because of its "anti-Christian message".
Reached by the Guardian, Pullman quipped that he was "very glad to be back in the top 10 banned books". But he added: "Of course it's a worry when anybody takes it upon themselves to dictate what people should or should not read. The power of organised religion is very strong in the US, and getting stronger because of the internet."
Almost 4,000 attempts to ban books have been recorded over the past eight years, though the ALA believes the figure is a gross understatement. All cases are voluntarily reported, and many more are likely to go unrecorded, sometimes because librarians have been threatened with dismissal if they sound the alarm. Most would-be censors are parents concerned about their children's reading or members of religious groups. The most common complaint is against books with explicit sexual content or offensive language.
In recent years, the ALA has spotted a growing intolerance towards children's books that deal with homosexuality - a quality most famously displayed by Sarah Palin who tried in the late 1990s as then mayor of Wasilla in Alaska to have Daddy's Roommate, a tale about a gay father, removed from the town library.

Author'sNote for Eve Hallows by Freda Robert & Eve Rice

2009-11-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

Author's Note for Eve Hallows by Freda Roberts & Eva Rice
I'd like to talk about my book Eve Hallows I feel it will always be popular during the fall season: Eve Hallows: A Folktale From the America, with beautiful oil illustrations by Sarada Holt. It tells the tale of a sick boy and two Friends who live on a small farm. The young boy and his two friends are worried that they may not be able to enjoy Halloween : Nurse Matthews is loving, kind, and a great story teller; Eve is wise, kind, and generous.She is also a witch. In the course of the story, they all discover the magic of Halloween, which will reward all children if they believe. Hope told in ways that have delighted listeners and readers since the story was first came to me years ago.
These wonderful character's, will have surprise twists and turns, that seem to remind people of Halloween spirit, which cab be both sweet and sometimes surprising when the adventure begins,
All through time, countless people around the word have believed that Halloween held magical powers. The healing power of life, the belief that friendships and love can cause anything to happen.Eve will continue to provide us with treats every Halloween, we need to believe, and the hope that Halloween will always return.

How Would you describe the art work for Eve Hallows ?

2009-11-20T06:15:00.000-08:00

How would you describe your work?
Sarada's paintings,drawings, collages & designs are a mixture of naive sophistication in a folk/outsider/art brut style. I love her children's art because it so free. She combines that freedom with bright colors.
The subject matter of her art is constantly changing.

Illustrator Sarada Holt

2009-11-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Great Illustrations by Sarada Holt
Illustrations in my book.
My children's book has been illustrated by world renowned illustrator, Sarada Holt, I was inspired to use her after seeing her work, especially the Halloween illustrations. Check her out at Etsey She's very easy to work with, excellent in pricing, and can make the ideas in your head come to life. Yeah for Sarada!!

What makes a children's book a classic?

2009-11-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

What makes a children's book a classic? Usually it is the beauty of the illustrations that bring the story to life.
Books written for the very young, must by their very nature, be simple in text. They make up for this by being some of the best illustrated. Sarada is one well beloved illustrator of this type of story. She use colors that create beautiful collages for The books Wisteria kingdom, Eve Hallows, Wild flower Pond and others. Her style is immediately recognizable and immensely pleasing to re-read which is a great comfort to the parent who has to do just that with their toddler.

What Makes a childrens Book a Classic ?

2009-11-18T08:04:00.003-08:00

Ask any adult what authors they most loved as a child, and odds are you'll hear the same names over and over again: Beatrix Potter. Dr. Seuss. Maurice Sendak. Laura Ingalls Wilder. In fact, the odds are good your child has a few of these authors' works on his or her shelf right now. Why is it that some books become timeless favorites, destined to be read and re-read, while others get set aside after the first cursory glance? And how can parents predict what kids will love?Well, first of all, it's not as impossible a task as you might think. Picking winners is far from random. According to Philip Nel, Director of the Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University, children's classics have a few things in common. They "speak to those basic concerns that define human beings as a species – love, fear, hope, anger, family, power, and the need for acceptance," he says.Books stand the test of time because their authors write about topics that matter. Judy Blume wrote frankly about the physical changes of puberty; Maurice Sendak wrote about children conquering their fears and frustrations through fantasy. While times may change, people don't, and kids today find these themes just as comforting as we did.What else makes a classic? Well, they're fun. But they also share other qualities. "A book that children will like typically has a central character who is a believable child, and shows that child confronting the world with energy and imagination," says Tim Morris, Professor of English at University of Texas at Arlington and author of You're Only Young Twice: Children's Literature and Film.Although taste is subjective, very young children typically enjoy reading about familiar, everyday subjects with colorful illustrations and lots of rhyme and repetition – for example, Mother Goose or Dr. Seuss. Most children begin reading independently around first grade, and will find simple stories with basic vocabulary words the easiest to master. As they get older and become better readers, kids can handle more complex stories and tend to develop strong interests and tastes of their own.

Sharing comments about Eve Hallows

2009-11-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

The artwork for Eve Hallows is even better than I imagined. Your illustrator has a keen sense of capturing the Eve to portray an approachable witch. That broom is something else, huh?

Freda, I think you did a fantastic job at expanding the imaginations of children to embrace the good of Halloween. I' don't know what it's like where you are, but here in Massachusetts, towns are slowly eliminating this child's holiday. Schools won't even allow dressup for them. No halloween parties. Displays in stores are diminishing. It's great to know there are people out there that want to strengthen the ideals of Halloweens past, and I'm proud to say I know one of those people--You.

Nice work,

BK

2009-11-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

Writing It’s the perfect day job. I love the world inside my head and I’m grateful for the luxury of spending time there. And I love the craft, too, word selection and creating just the right mood or colour or scene. I suppose my favourite part is typing THE END at the conclusion of my first drafts. I always throw a little party in my head when that happens.

2009-11-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

Ideally, I’d like 6 months to write a childrens book. I usually takes between five and six months To publish, schedule determines deadlines.
I read a lot of childrens Fantasy, as you might guess. I have five children of my own.There’s a reason it’s the fastest growing genre in the business. There are so many wonderful writers and intriguing characters being introduced all the time, my list of books to read just keeps growing.
I write in the evenings usually. Late. Between nine and eleven pm. And I have a great writing space. I have my computers and reference books and all my favorite things around me. It’s an office—when I’m there, I’m there to work.

2009-11-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

In fact, Eve faces losing her magic powers, If the children don't believe in her she ceases to exist, This wonderful witch will inspires children, and helps parents have choices in treats, and it does not requires a child to trick or treat in order to enjoy the holiday. Eve Hallows is sure to cast a spell on the young and young at heart.Eve's friend's, Nile And Oliver will keep you alive with laughter, Nurse Matthews tell this enchanting tale to the children a tale of what happen to him one Halloween long ago.you will believe in love and magic and warming a child's heart their lives will change in a most wonderful way.This story , Will have you in great spirits for Halloween share it with the good witch Eve.

2009-11-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

I think I’ve been developing Eve Hallows all my writing life. She has been the inspiration for my children just about every Halloween. The difference is having a choice During the holiday.when I decided to make Eve a witch, it all came together. Here we had a lady who was a kind and generous person , so you know she’s is going to open her heart to children She is kindness and love wrapped into one magical creature. But she’s also loyal, loving and has a strong moral compass. She’s a good person fro to know.

2009-11-14T11:18:00.001-08:00

Working on ideas for art work for second book Wisteria Kingdom .There will be 4 beautiful fairy princesses. Laurel,Amber,Bree & Lillie.We have been working on the second book in the eve Hallows series as well It is called (Eve Hallows A Frost on the pumpkin).The art work is so beautiful and tasteful I think you will agree.
Of Coarse we are so excited about the fist book Eve Hallows.Many people feel in will start a new tradition for Halloween