Writing and Reading Links
“Nearly all good storytelling boils down to a character moving through the world (either physical or interior worlds) trying to get something they want and/or trying to figure something out. If they don’t spend their energy going after what we’re told they want, we may find ourselves confused about what they really care about and lose our connection to the story we’d been investing in.”
If your protagonist is bored, you can bet your reader is too :: Nathan Bransford
Defining terms for an important part of children’s literature.
Early readers and transitional chapter books: What are they and why are they important? :: Highlights Foundation
“I’ve previously written about how big publishers earmark specific books as “big,” so those titles benefit from significant marketing and publicity budgets and campaigns. While I understand why this occurs, I think it harms the industry. It means that the bestseller lists are a forgone conclusion for the books a publisher warrants as worthy of extensive campaigns. What about the authors who have written excellent books but are left hanging because there is nothing in the budget for them?”
Why ARCs as Status Symbols Are Bad for Business :: Publishing Confidential
“The curious truth is that every book I write feels different (even sequels) and every book I write is hard to create. The fact that I have been writing for more than sixty years doesn’t make the ongoing work any easier. What all my experience has taught me is that if I keep working, I get somewhere though I am unsure what that destination might be. I just want to get there.”
I am working on a new book :: Avi
Truly one of the greats. Thank you, Katherine Paterson. “My job is to write the best, the truest story I can. It is the reader’s privilege to decide what they want to take away from their reading. My book may hold a message for them, it may not, but that’s the reader’s choice. It’s the reader’s privilege to decide what this book means for their life.”
Katherine Paterson is Right at Home :: Common Ground
This is an excellent list from “several very generous published authors and illustrators” compiled by author and bookseller Elizabeth Bluemle.
Favorite Picture Book Revision Tips :: Publishers Weekly Shelf Talker
If you’ve followed the discussion on blurbs the last few months you know there are all sorts of opinions out there. Here’s a quick overview.
A major book publisher announced a change. The industry freaked out. :: Vox