Take a cozy fire inside a cozy cabin. . . .
On a dreary-looking day outside. . . . .
Add cups of tea and the Best-Ever Scones. . . . .
With several friends. . . .
Lots of children's picture books. . . .
And Edie Hemingway leading a workshop on just what a picture book is and ideas on how to construct one. . . .
And you come away inspired!
Edie is one of the members of the Take Joy Society. She shared her expertise on the craft of writing a children's book. In addition to being a published author she currently teaches a Masters of Fine Arts Writing class for Spalding University where she received her MFA degree. Visit her WEBSITE to learn more about Edie and her books.
We followed along with her handout to learn about today's picture book requirements--the different types of books; number of pages for different age groups; what makes a good, publishable story; tips on how to make it fun and interesting. She passed around books as examples. . . .
We discussed how hard it is to get a picture book published today. Edie has the experience of being a published author yet she still has difficulty getting an editor interested in her two picture books. The reasons stories are often rejected may have nothing to do with how good they are, but rather there are too many other submissions with that theme or that particular editor deems it not a money-maker. . . .
It was pointed out that Tasha Tudor's and Beatrix Potter's first stories were both rejected by a publisher initially and, in fact, Peter Rabbit's first appearance was privately published by Beatrix Potter with her original pen and ink drawings. . . .
Edie gave us more handouts with tips on writing a children's story by Carolyn Crimi and how to make a "book dummy" (in order to see how the text and illustrations will fit together) by Christy Hale. Check out Crimi's website for information about the business of getting published. Just about everything you need to know about writing and publishing a children's book can be found on the Web or at your library. . . .
While I was up taking the above photos I glanced out the window and saw a deer watching me. By the time I aimed my camera it had turned to move away. Did you spot its white tail in the earlier photo above? (see upper, third pane from the left in this photo). . . .
Edie is currently working on a new middle-grade novel that revolves around a steamship that used to travel the Chesapeake Bay. This story was inspired by her 1930 log cabin's various doors that came from the steamship. . . .
And the keys to one of the doors. . . .
When Edie told us about the flying squirrels that kept finding a way into her kitchen over a period of weeks in the early years of living in her log cabin someone remarked that would make a great children's story! Ideas for stories abound if you just pay attention, and even if you never get it published, you'll have the satisfaction of having written it. Just let your imagination run with the idea....Who knows.....if you dare to self-publish (which is increasingly easy today because of the Web), you just might be the next Beatrix Potter.....
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Take Joy!
Wow, what a SUPER FUN day this must have been! While I can't say I've ever really thought seriously about writing a children's book, I LOVE reading them, discussing them, just browsing through stacks of them in bookstores and libraries. If I had the $, I probably would have done a second master's degree just to study children's literature. Alas... I still have many of the children's books I accumulated - from my own childhood and MANY from children's book clubs [Scholastic etc] when I was teaching. As an incentive for teachers to run the clubs in their classrooms, there's usually a bonus such as X number of free books, depending on the size of each month's order. I was always more than glad to do the work because my kids/families bought a TON of book club books - and it was important to me that kids be as excited to be getting books as they'd be to be receiving toys or other "presents." My class regularly had $100+ orders - and this was in the late 70s and 80s. On the days our orders was delivered, I made a big deal of pointing out to my class - "Hey guys, look! The See Saw Book Club box is here - yay!" And the kids really did get so excited! And this was just before video games and electronic gadgetry came on the scene. But the kids took their cue from my excitement, and they'd be jumping up and down with anticipation. Adults should never doubt the kind of power they have to make a difference in the lives of children. I hope all those kiddos are still the eager readers they were in kindergarten and first grade. Many of the See Saw books I earned from those whopper orders were given to my niece and nephew when they were little and they still talk about them. Mostly I think because Aunt Janet was a complete and giant ham when she read to them [frustrated actress]. LOL. Love Edie's house too - is it her year-round home? I'm jealous of her view, that fireplace etc. What a spot! And PS - I think we have the same china pattern. That looks like Royal Worcester "Evesham" to me. Except hers has the gold rim which is the ORIGINAL "Evesham." Mine has a microwave-safe green rim, and is called "Evesham Vale." Tell Edie - if you ever think of it as of course - LOL - that she has the SAME exact china that Princess Diana picked out for her wedding! Trivia for today! ❄️ Snow expected tomorrow here. The dusting we got just after Christmas is long-ago melted away.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet. The two books Edie co-authored are now Scholastic Books. She goes to schools a lot to present programs, one of which is a week-long writing class for 5th graders, I believe. Her cabin is just a short walk away through my woods. I've told her if she ever wanted to sell to please let me make the first offer because I'd move up there in a heartbeat and have one of my kids move in here.....that way I could leave most of my stuff here. There's hardly any storage space in the cabin and I wouldn't be able to bring all my books! I believe the dishes were her mother's, who just passed away a couple months ago. Mary loved England and they went often (her husband was a PanAm pilot), so the dishes could very well be that pattern. I'll pass on the information to her.
DeleteJanet, Edie writes: Yes, the dish pattern is Royal Worcester's "Evesham." My mother brought pieces back bit by bit on her many trips to England.
DeleteShe didn't know it was Princess Diana's choice. To answer your other question...yes, this is their year-round residence.
I'm sure you enjoyed learning all about publishing, Cathy. It's quite a challenge for writers to get their work before the right folks. My daughter and son-in-law have self published their works. It's quite a process, but works for many. I do love your friend's cabin in the woods. It's so cozy looking and much like a fairy tale cottage. Her new book sounds interesting to me as I've read a lot about the old steamships that used to cruise along the Chesapeake. How interesting the doors in her home came from an old steamship! ♥
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know when it comes out--hopefully by next year. What kind of stories does your daughter write?
DeleteVery interesting topic. As one who has first hand experience in self publishing, I thought I might add my opinion, for what it's worth.I never tried to publish my books through the main stream publishers. After much study, I learned that publishers are completely inundated with submissions for children's books because so many people want to write them. That is one reason I self published, another reason is that I like to do things my own way. I knew I had an outlet for selling my books, because I've made a living selling my artwork most of my adult life. All that said, I pretty much consider myself an"expert" in this endeavor, because we've been publishing and selling my books for over 10 years now, with success. One should define their reason for creating a storybook. If it is simply for the satisfaction of doing it as a personal accomplishment that is a wonderful goal. On the other hand, if one actually hopes to make money from the book, or become a well known author, that is quite another story. Anyone can write, illustrate and publish a book, but the trick is always this.... can they sell it?- I can tell you with candor, that selling one's books requires enormous commitment and time. Anyway, this is not meant to discourage any one from making a book, simply an honest look at the world of self-publishing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts on the subject, Jeri, as someone who has successfully self-published. Having a publisher sell your book for you certainly takes a lot of the work off your hands, but I agree, that you lose so much control over your own book. Since I'm not in it to make money, I hope to self-publish and market my book myself, even if it's just locally. But first I need to learn how to illustrate it!
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