• Diablo Cody, screenplay writer of “Juno,” will make her first directorial debut with a Christian-themed film, “Lamb of God.”
  • Does anyone find it odd that Diablo means devil? Or is that just the warped way I look at things? I loved Juno and look forward to Lamb of God, btw. I’m just wondering who named the woman Diablo?
• John Green has a bestseller before his book is even written. The magic of Twitter.
  • Hmm. I posted a couple of weeks ago that no one cared about what the YA writers were complaining about on twitter. I said no one pays attention to such things. Clearly, I was wrong. YA readers are apparently paying attention. Of course, John Green is John Green. His videos are works of wonder. Who can resist him?
• This little bit by Seth Godin seems to me to have a lot to say to writers.
  • Let’s dump the stuff that’s not working and make room for new and exciting stuff. If we start with a hole and let ourselves go to the far corners of our imaginations to find fodder with which to fill the hole, we should come up with some interesting stuff. This is why writers have to fight the siren song of the new idea. The new ideas are bright and shiny, not yet dulled and dented by the hammers we wield trying to shove the ideas into an acceptable story frame. But what if we use this love of new ideas, to breathe new life into old stories that have given up the gallop and are plodding along in the ditch?
• CBA to Market Espresso Book Machine
  • It will be showcased at ICRS in a couple of weeks. ICRS is in Atlanta this year, and, of course, I can’t afford to go. WAH! I really want to go and see all the Jesus junk. I really want to go and meet the authors. I really want to go and have a book printed and bound while I wait.

“News of my death has been greatly exaggerated.” ~Publishing Company

Last week I came across two encouraging posts.

Kat Zhang signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins. A major deal. Yowsers. She’s only nineteen years old.

That’s a life changer.

And here’s the thing. That’s not going to happen to 99.999% of the people who are trying to find publishers. But the fact that it does still happen to some writers is encouraging. It means publishers are still looking for books they think they can sell.

I know a lot of people don’t like to read about the big advances. If the books fail to earn out it makes the publishers hesitant to buy more. If the publishers are only buying big books, then what happens to the midlist? I don’t know enough about the industry, really, to know whether big advances are ultimately good for, or bad for, the rest of us. But what I know is this: I’ve been thinking for a couple of years now that it doesn’t matter if books are printed on paper or screens. If publishers want to stay in the game they need to do what publishers do. They need to offer advances, they need to do the editing and the design, and they need to distribute and market the stories. For the past couple of years we’ve heard over and over that publishers are giving smaller and smaller advances, and I’ve been thinking, “Well gee, we have to turn in publication-ready work, we have to have a platform and be willing to market like crazy, and now we have sustain ourselves with no advances…what exactly is the publisher offering?” So I’m happy when I read about publishers offering good advances.

OK, breaking that advance up and giving ten authors smaller, but still decent, advances would also cause me to rejoice. And there may be signs that the publishers are buying not just bigger books, but also more books. In one encouraging post, in a week full of encouraging posts, literary agent Wendy Lawton says:

For my last good-news-post of the week, let me make one more prediction. We are going to reap the results of a pent-up buying demand on the part of publishers. They have been very conservative, very risk-averse for quite some time. Some publishers cut their lists a couple of years ago, causing an overstock of contracted books. All of that– cutting and overstock– is drawing to a close.

Come one, come all to the February Carnival of Children’s Literature!

I’m so happy to be hosting the event this month. We have book reviews, author interviews, and discussions about literacy. Then there’s writing and research and ebooks, oh my!

I found bunches of new and interesting blogs this month and a shelfful of books that look really good. (Yikes! Shelfful is a funny looking word!)  No matter what you’re looking for, if it involves children’s books, from author interviews to marketing tips for authors, or from edgy YA novels to nonfiction books for youngsters, you’re bound to find something of interest in this carnival.

So without further ado, I invite you onto the concourse to view the main attractions!

Author Interviews

• Interview: Kirby Larson on research
  • posted at Day by Day Writer

“I met Kirby at the Austin SCBWI conference,where she gave an awesome talk about her journey from unpublished writer to her current success and all the peaks and valleys in between. I asked her to answer a few questions on research, both the research she did for her fictional Hattie Big Sky(2007 Newbery Honor book) and the research she now does for her non-fiction books.”

• Loretta Ellsworth’s IN A HEARTBEAT
  • posted at Elizabeth O. Dulemba

“In a Heartbeat has a strong plot line – a star ice-skater is killed suddenly in a freak fall and her heart is donated to a sick teen who has needed a transplant for years and was running out of time. But when her heart is transferred into the new girl’s body – some things from the past life.”

• Jason Shiga Interview
  • posted at Origami Yoda

“What’s so exciting about [Meanwhile, by Jason Shiga]? It’s described as a wild cross between Choose Your Own Adventure and a comic book. It’s like a flow-chart with a narrative! A maze with a plot!”

Book Reviews ~ Journals/Interactives

• Behold the book for all dude kind
  • posted at Lori Calabrese

“When they realized they needed a Coke or Pepsi? book for boys, one that was just as creative and just as ingenious, but was, well, to be honest, full of the immature and gross stuff that boys like to think about, DUDE!, the book of crazy, immature stuffwas born.”

• Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day!
  • posted at Teaching Authors

“I love that the Spinellis used children’s books as their source of thought-provoking, heart-grabbing journal prompts.”

Book Reviews ~ Novels

• A Million Shades of Gray (MG)
  • posted at Becky’s Book Reviews

“I was so excited to see this one. A new Cynthia Kadohata book! And it’s about elephants too! I was not disappointed.”

• 12×4 Equals a Whole Lot of Dancing Princesses
  • posted at Book Aunt

Kate Coombs talks about the overlap of ideas among writers and reviews three retellings of the the fairytale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. (Beware: You’ll want to buy the books!)

• The Roar by Emma Clayton
  • posted at Books4yourkids.com

“I predict that Emma Clayton’s THE ROAR (book 1 in a trilogy) will be the next big thing to have adults reading kidlit. With it’s dystopian setting and complex characters, there are definitely echoes of THE HUNGER GAMES, but for a younger crowd.“

• emet: speak the truth to one another… (zech. 8:16)
  • posted at forwordsbooks

A wonderful series of short reviews highlighting the virtue of speaking the truth. “….I listened to stories about George Washington admitting to chopping down the cherry tree and Honest Abe studying by the fireplace. It was clear – through those stories – that telling the truth would get us ahead in this world.”

• The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon
  • posted at Great Kid Books

“This student found a book that spoke to him and completely engaged him – and that experience can last a long time with a student.  This winter, I read The Rock and the River, and I wholeheartedly agree with this student – it’s a gripping, thought-provoking book.”

Book Reviews ~ Picture Books and Easy Readers

• February I Can Read Carnival
  • posted at 5 Great Books

A new carnival featuring chapter books and easy readers. Full of great links!

• Its-not-the-stork by Robie Harris
  • posted at Living Peacefully With Children

“The book is honest and straight forward and answers some seemingly complex questions in a simple way that children can understand. The simple cartoon-like illustrations, while anatomically correct, are modest and not at all graphic.”

• Poetry Friday: There Was an Old Monster!
  • Posted at Picture Book of the Day

A Word Choice Mini-lesson based on There Was an Old Monster.

• Jitterbug Jam
  • posted at Playing By the Book

“I think this is a quite exceptional book. Every time I’ve read it, with the girls or on my own, it has haunted me for sometime afterwards. I really hope you’ll now go and find a copy to enjoy…”

• Book Talk: Testing the Ice, by Sharon Robinson andWe Troubled the Water, by Ntozake Shange
  • posted at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub

“Sharon Robinson’s childhood story and Ntozake Shange’s poems offer insights that we can connect to as “people like us.” No, I don’t pretend to understand what racism feels like, and I have never experienced that kind of hate. But, I can relate to the fear of losing my job, not having enough to eat,  having my intelligence questioned, the power of faith, and the thrill of spending time playing with my friends.”

• Toco Toucans Bright Enough to Disappear, by Anastasia Suen
  • posted at Simply Science

“The clear, sharp writing makes this book perfect for the lower grades and leads the way to a discussion of adaptations and camouflage for science classes.”

• Book Review: Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica
  • posted at Wandering Educators

“One of my very favorite books, EVER, is called The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica (and not only because we share the same name). This book made me laugh, and laugh. It has a cd that goes along with it, and it is full of funny, original music. The songs are so great.”

• Captain Small Pig
  • posted at Young Readers

“Small Pig is off for a day of fun. A day of adventure. A day of new experiences. With two good friends by his side. Turkey. Old Goat.”

Literacy

• Reader’s Theatre (3)
  • posted at The Book Chook

“Now I want to discuss how I introduce a Reader’s Theatre script to a group of children. Remember, Reader’s Theatre can be used simply as a script to read aloud, with as few as two people to take all the parts, and no props or costumes. But I prefer it as a piece practised for performance in front of an audience.”

• Tips for Growing Bookworms: #7 Point Out When You’re Learning Useful Information by Reading
  • posted at Booklights

“…a few ideas for pointing out the positive consequences that come from knowing how to read.”

• If a Child Really, Really, Really Wants a Book, Why Insist He/She Buy a Different One?
  • posted at The Girl Who Cried Book

“As a parent, I understand how the mom might want her 7-year-old to choose a book that’s right for his reading level. But as a book lover who is passionate about choosing her own books, I can’t help but wish for children to be allowed a similar freedom.”

Technology

• Pop-Up E-Books?
  • posted at GottaBook

“Still, as 3-D technology advances, I wonder. Will computer algorithms based on folding be able to create even more dazzling books?”

Tips for Writers ~ Marketing

• Appalachian Culture and Google Alerts
  • posted at Elizabeth O. Dulemba

“I LOVE Google Alerts. If I didn’t have my name and books listed there I probably wouldn’t have heard about a fantastic project recently created at Dixie Elementary Magnet School in Lexington, Kentucky.”

• Greg Pincus – Cyber Tip of the Day
  • posted at Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Greg Pincus give a quick tip for keeping up with people who are interested in you or your books and tells you why you should join their conversation.

• Better Book Readings for Kids
  • posted at Word Magic: Articles and Tips for Authors

“I discovered that using simple but effective items to enhance your topics adds interest to the reading and contributes to the fun!”

Tips for Writers ~ Writing

• Descriptive Overkill
  • posted at Whispers of Dawn (right here!)

“I want to see, hear, smell, feel, and maybe even taste the world I’m visiting in a book. But if you really want to put me there you need to be careful not to load me down with too many mundane details.”

Tours and Book Excerpts

• N.D. Wilson – and 5 of his biggest inspirations!
  • posted at Eva’s Book Addiction

“I’m proud to host Day 4 of N.D. Wilson’s blog tour to celebrate the publication of The Chestnut King (my review)!“

Widgets

• Coloring Page Tuesday Widget for YOU
  • posted at Elizabeth O. Dulemba

A widget for your blog that will link your readers directly to free weekly coloring page downloads.

That’s it for the February Carnival. Tricia at Miss Rumphius Effect will host the March Carnival. Entries must be in by March 25th and the Carnival will be posted on March 28th. Sign up at the Carnival website!

Some interesting links from around the blogosphere:

Here’s one group’s list of best children’s book blogs. A hundred of them. Some old, familiar faces. Some I’d not seen before. Check them out.

From Marian Hess’ blog, we have a wonderful flow chart describing the acquisitions process at Blooming Tree Press (and for almost any other publishing company). What I found really interesting was that all roads lead to rejection, but only one leads to acquisition. Bummer.

From Karin’s Book Nook we have a report of a contest for YA novelist. This looks great.

All entries must be received between 12:01AM EST November 1, 2009 and 11:59PM EST on November 30, 2009, the contest deadline. Limit one entry per person. Keep it short but sweet - no more than a title (25 words or less) and the first 250 words of the novel. (There is no minimum word count.)

Flashlight Worthy is a site I just discovered. They have quick reviews of many, many books. All they ask is that if you are going to shop Amazon that would please enter through their links. Not a bad deal considering the wealth of info you get at Flashlight Worthy for free.

I’m going to quit there, because these links will keep you busy all day if you go and visit.

Jill Corcoran linked to this PW article about Borders and children’s books. It says in part:

Expanded children’s book sections will be rolled out to every Borders store within 90 days, Anne Kubek, Borders executive vice president of merchandising and marketing, said after the shareholders meeting. “It’s a tremendous growth business for us.”

Okee dokee. The kids and I love to hang out at the bookstore and we have a Borders just down the road. This is so exciting.