MMGM: Children's Book Week

Today for my MMGM post, I'm joining Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews in celebrating Children's Book Week! My first post this week is a guest post from Jonathan Auxier.

Before I get to that and the giveaway I want to share some great news. My book, It's NOT Just A Dog! is now available on Netgalley if anyone would like to review it. On June 1st, I'd  love for you to join us for some great giveaways, contests and more on our month long blog tour!! There are a few open spots if you need a post for June. I'm even willing to create the entire thing for you and all you have to do cut and paste. How's that for easy?

Now, back to celebrating Children's Book Week! Today we have a guest post by Jonathan Auxier!! 

AFTER THE BOOK DEAL – Guest Post by Jonathan Auxier

The Internet is full of great advice about how to sell a book, but what about after the sale? When my first book came out, I found it was surprisingly hard to find answers to some basic questions. Like most authors, I learned most of the answers through trial and error. And so in anticipation of the launch of my new novel, The Night Gardener, I’ve decided to write down everything I learned so I don’t make the same mistakes twice!

AFTER THE BOOK DEAL is a month-long blog series detailing the twenty things I wish someone had told me before entering the exciting world of children’s publishing. Each weekday from now untilMAY 20, I will be posting an article on a different blog. Follow along and please spread the word!

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Death by 1000 Cuts: Keeping the Busywork at Bay

Last week we talked about some of the perils of being an author. I wanted to continue that conversation with one final topic: time management.

Neil Gaiman said it best: “There was a day when I looked up and realized that I had become someone who professionally replied to email, and who wrote as a hobby.”

No sooner do you start your career as a professional writer than you find yourself drowning in emails, tweets, blog posts, Skype requests, and school events. Even if you do manage to keep on top of it all (which is nearly impossible), it’s doubtful you’ll have any time or energy left to actually write your next book. Below are a few things that have helped me keel the busywork at bay ...

Unplugging

The first step is admitting you have a problem. While working from home can be fun, it can also be incredibly distracting. I, like many people, can waste an entire day reading email and Twitter and Facebook and book blogs ... all of which technically counts as “work.” Some people (we’ll gall them “grownups”) are able to be disciplined and not let these distractions get out of hand. Sadly, I’m not one of those people. In order to avoid wasting time, I have to remove the temptation altogether.

My work computer, for example, has password-protected wi-fi access ... and I don’t know the password. The only person who knows the password is my wife. At the start of every workday, I log off of the internet. Then, after dinner, my wife logs me back in so I can check up on blogs and such. Is it annoying? Absolutely! But it is also essential to keeping me focused on writing. (To be clear: this was my idea, not hers.) If you don’t have an amazing, patient wife then you should probably at least get a piece of software, likeFreedom.

Sadly, my procrastination goes beyond wi-fi. Phones are just as bad! Last year, I decided to “dumb down” my smartphone so that I wouldn’t waste so much time on Facebook and Twitter and (let’s be honest) Candy Crush. Using this LifeHacker guide, I got rid of all my apps except for maps, Wikipedia, and email. This was a wonderful change, and I could see improvements in my life almost instantly. For those who struggle with phone distractions, I would highly recommend it.

Email is not Art
As an author, I take words seriously. One result of this is that I tend to treat emails and text messages like sacred documents—often revising and proofreading to the point of absurdity. It’s taken me a while to realize that beauty has no place in emails. Let go of your ego and focus on responding quickly and efficiently.

While I’m on the subject, have you heard of Google’s “canned responses” feature? It allows you to paste pre-composed messages into emails. When you’re fielding questions about events and signings, this can be a huge timesaver. It’s also good for when people email you seeking general FAQ-style advice. No need to re-invent the wheel every time you respond!

On a related note, I think it’s important to embrace “canned responses” elsewhere in life. When you publish a book, a lot of people will want to interview you for blogs and podcasts. Most of these interviews will contain the same set of basic questions (“Where do you get your ideas?”). Don’t feel pressure to come up with unique answers to these questions. Instead, develop some well-crafted responses and accept the fact that you’ll be repeating them a lot. If the interviewer wants to go more in-depth, they’ll ask a follow up.

Protect Your “Good Hours”

One last note about time management. We’ve already established that busywork is not your real job. For that reason, I think it’s important to keep that stuff in the margins whenever possible. If, for example, you are your most creative in the morning—you shouldnever read email in the morning. Similarly, if there’s not enough time to both write and answer email in a single day, make sure it’s the email that suffers. Reserve your productive hours for the work that truly matters—your stories deserve it.

That’s it for AFTER THE BOOK DEAL! Tomorrow we’ll be talking about how to craft an effective school program! In the meantime, you can catch up on previous posts (listed below), and please-oh-please spread the word!

AFTER THE BOOK DEAL – Stops So Far

WEEK ONE: Before Your Book Comes Out
4/21 – Finding Your Tribe: entering the publishing community
4/22 – Do I Really Need a Headshot?: crafting your public persona
4/23 – I Hate Networking: surviving social media
4/24 – A Night at the Movies: the ins and outs of book trailers
4/25 – Giveaways! … are they worth it?

WEEK TWO: Your Book Launch
4/28 - Can I have Your Autograph?: 5 things to do before your first signing
4/29 – Cinderella at the Ball: planning a successful book launch
5/1 – Being Heard in the Crowd: conferences and festivals
5/2 - The Loneliest Writer in the World: surviving no-show events

WEEK THREE: The Business of Being an Author
5/5 – Handling Reviews … the Good and the Bad!
5/6 – Back to the Grindstone: writing your next book
5/7 – The Root of All Evil: some thoughts on money
5/8 – The Green-Eyed Monster: some thoughts on professional jealousy

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JONATHAN AUXIER writes strange stories for strange children. His new novel, The Night Gardener, hits bookstores on May 20—why not come to his book launch party? You can visit him online at www.TheScop.com where he blogs about children's books old and new.

Drumroll please... And now for my Children's Book Week Giveaway!!! 

I'm giving away three wonderful books along with digital copies of my new book, It's NOT Just A Dog! Unfortunately, I'm only able to send the hardcopy prizes with in the U.S. An International winner will receive my digital book and the hardcopy will go to the next winner with a U.S. address.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join me again tomorrow for another post and more chances to win! In the meantime here are the other blogs participating in the Children's Book Week Giveaway with their own giveaways!!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

About The Book: "Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make the very best thieves. As you can well imagine, blind children have incredible senses of smell, and they can tell what lies behind a locked door- be it fine cloth, gold, or peanut brittle- at fifty paces. Moreover, their fingers are so small and nimble that they can slip right through keyholes, and their ears so keen that they can hear the faint clicks and clacks of every moving part inside even the most complicated lock. Of course, the age of great thievery has long since passed;today there are few child-thieves left, blind or otherwise. At one time, however, the world was simply thick with them. This is the story of the greatest thief who ever lived. His name, as you've probably guessed, is Peter Nimble." --Goodreads

First Line: "Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make he very best thieves."

Awesome Description: "His voice had a cobwebby quality, and he smelled of stale gingerbread" (49).


Cover: Auxier has illustrated his own cover and chapter headings. Crisp lines are what I love about his work.  See more on his website.
Correction: Cover was created by Gilbert Ford: http://gilbertford.com/news/ 

What Others Are Saying:  "Even kids who read widely and suspect from the beginning that blind, orphaned Peter Nimble is destined for great things will be caught up in the suspenseful doings and surprise twists. And this book may well convert those who don't consider themselves readers." -Shelf Awareness

"While the mystery of Peter’s past is all too easy to solve, the path he takes to reach his destiny has many unexpected twists and surprising turns. The book’s quirky nature, distinctive plot, and fresh themes will draw young readers in and spark their imaginations, earning it a place on the shelf for re-readings." -Quill and Quire

What I Thought: Words are magical. Arranged in the perfect combination they can illicit vivid images across our mind-stage. Since Peter is blind this presents an interesting challenge for Auxier in spite of the omnipotent point of view the story is told. He was forced to find words that were more than visual since those are what Peter relies on. To readers this means descriptions steeped in sensory details. Auxier is adept at creating unique worlds and characters. What could be more creative than a knight that was half cat, half horse? Probably suited to upper middle grade or younger readers who's skill is up to the task. This is a great read-aloud. 

Author: Jonathan Auxier


Author's Website/ Blog: The Scop
Book Website: Peter Nimble
Twitter

Who:Born in Vancouver, Canada, he obtained his MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, a lecturer in Victorian children's literature. PETER NIMBLE AND HIS FANTASTIC EYES is his first novel.

When: "I’ve been working as a professional storyteller for a few years now. By “professional,” I mean I’ve been lucky enough to pay my bills through writing, if just barely. During that time, I’ve written everything from plays to screenplays to commercials to comics. A few years back, I found myself growing frustrated by the “hired gun” aspect of the entertainment industry. Most of the time, you’re working with someone else’s story ideas -- and even if those ideas are brilliant, they aren’t yours. Screenwriter Javier Grillo-Marxauch once described this to me as “marching in someone else’s army,” which I’ve always liked. Some writers really enjoy that collaborative spirit, but I’m not one of them. I think when I know something isn’t 100% mine, I subconsciously hold back."    -Literary Asylum

What: "Peter Nimble & His Fantastic Eyes takes place in a moment of history when the lines between magic and science were being blurred. Strange, exotic lands were being discovered and becoming known—but with that comes a loss of mystery. The central metaphor in the book is that of a half-finished map: the moment a new island or country gets charted by cartographers, it becomes reduced in some indefinable way . . . and that's sad. In the story, I wanted to take that map metaphor and make it literal. So when Peter Nimble sets out for uncharted waters, he finds himself in a place where the rules of logic and science still don't apply—a place where the impossible is still possible." -Bookpage

Why: "The first is that I already knew I wanted to be a writer. I studied playwriting in undergraduate and graduate school. It was actually when I was in the middle of a playwriting program and I was really struggling — in part because I was trying to write for the approval of other people: friends, advisers, or all of these other people, and I kept on trying to tell stories that I thought they would like." -Wordstock

How: "I know a lot of writers came out of the womb with a half-finished manuscript in hand, but that wasn't me. My mother was a painter, and I grew up taking advantage of all the amazing (and dangerous) art supplies in our house. I drew constantly. Even now, every story I write begins with a picture. In the case of Peter Nimble, it all started with the image that you see at the top of the first chapter: a baby floating in a basket with a raven perched on the edge that has just pecked out his eyes." -Bookpage

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