Book Expo America 2012

June 5, 2012: Book Expo America, New York City
Book Expo America is overwhelming, particularly the first time you go.  My personal advice, now that I am an “experienced” conventioneer:  have a plan.  I’m not speaking to the “Exhibitors” here but to the “Attendees,” the people like me who go for (1) the experience, (2) the opportunity to listen to author and/or editor panels discuss the future of children’s books, and (3) the “FREEBIES” – aka free books, free bags, free posters, bookmarks, pens, toys, etc. and (4) if you have patience with really, really long lines: author autographs.

My plan was simple.  I decided to attend the first day of the book fair, hoping that the publishers would not already have run out of free books. I mapped out the YA panels I wanted to attend, the book signings I hoped to nab, and I was going to fill in the spare time between activities with grabbing a few new-book galleys (or ARCs, aka Advance Reader Copies). 

The Javits Center in New York is so enormous that you can easily rack up miles walking around it (and extra credit miles trying to find a ladies’ room—my advice is, don’t drink a lot).  Since I was able to attend as an Exhibitor through my job, I relied on a colleague for BEA advice—she explained to me that I might have to seek the free galleys in the back of booths as the publishers don’t always put them out at once.  Not wanting to go home empty-handed,  I began combing the endless (and I mean endless) aisles of publishers’ displays.  Within 15 minutes I had a bagful of YA galleys.  I dumped the bag in my company’s booth and went out with a fresh bag.  Another 15 minutes resulted in another bagful of books.

It was around this time that I realized why so many people had arrived at registration with empty rolling suitcases.  I was going to have to CARRY all these books home.

After a break to attend the YA Editors’ Buzz panel, I decided to queue up for the Harlequin Teen Books autograph hour.  They were supposedly giving away galleys of upcoming books, including one by Julie Kagawa I hoped to snag. I thought I’d jump into the line near the Harlequin booth, but was elbowed out of the way by a woman who pointed behind her at a long, long procession of ornery autograph seekers.  250 bodies later, I finally found the end of the line.  An efficient young woman handed me a “ticket” postcard marked with a yellow square, showing all the featured books.  Ten minutes into the wait (and still standing in the same sad spot), I collared an apologetic young man who informed me that only the first 100 people on the line were guaranteed books.  THEY had tickets with GREEN squares.  “So,” I muttered, trying to keep my sarcasm in check, “what are the rest of us standing here for?”  Well, in case some of the first 100 people in line don’t take a book, he said.  I turned this over in my head—why would anyone stand in line for an hour to get a book and NOT take one?  He just smiled. 

Okay, enough standing on line.  I went back to collecting free galleys.  Another bag filled quickly.

There is a whole area in the back of the convention hall specifically set aside for autographing.  Designated queues post author schedules.  The lines aren’t as bad as at Harlequin, but certain authors are very popular.  (All this information is available online before the book fair so that you can plan ahead.)  Simultaneously, other authors are signing books in their publishers’ booths, and there are always several panel discussions going on at the same time.  I gave up quickly on the autograph lines which took up too much precious time.

I ended up attending three panel discussions.  The Young Adult Editors’ Buzz panel discussed hot new books coming out and why the editors felt so passionate about their books.  A second discussion took place between six YA authors who discussed topics like whether or not they pay attention to YA trends, collaborative book writing, and how much fan feedback influences an author’s upcoming projects.  The last panel I attended explored the future of children’s books with regard to technology: e-books, apps, and other upcoming “new models.”  The most important message from that discussion was that technology is a tool and should enhance rather than interrupt content.  It should be used to provide more options to encourage children’s reading.

By 4:00 I had four stuffed, heavy bags of books.  I knew it was time to leave because this free-book thing was a compulsion, and I wouldn’t make it home if I kept collecting.  So the bag lady (me) marched to the shuttle bus, stumped to the train, dragged to the car.  I had scored about 30 YA books.  Now I have to read them. 

So long, Jumbo (and hello SUCKER)

“So long, Jumbo”

It is a nice thing, when you are a writer, to be able to answer the question: “What have you published?”  For a long time I haven’t had anything to respond. This week I am finally able to say, “I published a story in SUCKER LITERARY MAGAZINE online.”

The characters about whom I write, mostly teens, would probably respond, “That’s so cool!”  or “Sweet!”  I must admit, I stopped briefly to pat myself on the back.  I am thrilled to lose my publishing-virginity, that clichéd elephant in the corner that all writers try to ignore.  There you go, Jumbo, have a peanut.  Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

So after the long wait for SUCKER’s debut (not so long when you realize a book can take a couple of years to be published after it is acquired), after the months of holding my breath in anticipation, how did the magazine turn out?  Wow!  It’s great—full of teen angst and love, romance and sex, coping with families, and lots of growing up.

Sucker is such a great title for this collection.  With interpretations both sweet and sour, it perfectly symbolizes adolescence—the years we bridge from childhood to adulthood, a time many of us still idolize but to which few would really want to return.

So, congrats to all us authors, but most of all, THANK YOU and congratulations to Hannah Goodman (also the author of a fabulous story in this issue) who did it the RIGHT way and published a quality online magazine for YA writers and readers.  Thanks, too, to her excellent staff of assistants—and a special mention for Alyssa Gaudreau whose sucker-themed photographs accompanying the stories were spot-on.

If you haven’t already read SUCKER, here’s a link: 

http://suckerliterarymagazine.wordpress.com/

Click on the cover of the magazine and download it.  It’s free!

Now that Jumbo’s cleared out, I need to get back to work.

Consequences of the Heart

[In appreciation - for Donna Brooks]                       

            In June 2003 I participated in a writing conference at Manhattanville College in New York.  I was enrolled in the Masters in Writing program at the time, and we were required to attend at least one of the annual week-long summer conferences.  In addition to attending panels with editors and agents, going to readings, and learning about aspects of the publishing world, we all had to choose one creative seminar that we would attend every morning.  I chose the Writing for Young Adults seminar, led by Donna Brooks who was at that time the Editorial Director at Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group. 

            Donna admitted to us at the outset that she was nervous—she said she had never done anything like this before.  The information she passed to us came from her extensive knowledge of the children’s book business and her experience as an editor.  But once she felt comfortable with our group, it was her passion for the books and their authors that really came across and made an impression on me.  I took copious notes and still refer to them. 

            Shortly after our seminar, Donna left Dutton (which was, from what I understand, not her decision), and from what I've heard over the years, she left the children's book business to do different things with her life.  I have always considered it a tragic loss for all of us in the industry.  I only knew her for a week, but her editorial passion inspired me to follow my own heart, which led me to writing young adult stories.

            I’ve always wanted to pass on some of what Donna shared with us.  A lot of what she talked about had to do with character, specifically characters that are children.  Here are a few things she asked us to keep in mind when writing for children:

• Consequences of the Heart:  consequences flow from a character’s choices and actions and emotional flow.
• Children’s fiction is about the choices children make and the consequences of those choices, and how they live with them. 
• Young children are feeling all the time.  Children are always dealing with their powerlessness.
• Children experience things through concrete images:  i.e., when a parent dies, a child will want to know who will make the dinner, do the laundry, etc.
• Don’t worry about a character reflecting badly on YOU (the writer).   Don’t let the “mother” in you take over—don’t write from a “mothering” place.  Let the character go wherever he/she needs to go.
• “Every minute we are inventing ourselves.  Your characters are inventing themselves and by that, discovering what is important.” – D. Brooks

COMPELLING AND BELIEVABLE to be published in Sucker Literary Magazine's first online edition!

The message arrived from Sucker Literary Magazine yesterday just as I was leaving work.  I checked my e-mail one last time before logging off.

"It is with great pleasure to notify you that we have accepted your piece COMPELLING AND BELIEVABLE for publication in our first edition of SUCKER LITERARY MAGAZINE."

 Really?  REALLY?  My loud woo-hoo brought colleagues scurrying out of their cubicles.  I know I was beaming...at least.  This will be my first published work.

Compelling and Believable (or What I Learned in Sophomore English) is the story mentioned in my previous post.  It was a piece I started in 2007 when I was living in Paris, but I didn't find the heart of the story until I unearthed it a month ago.  My agent Erzsi Deak encouraged me to submit it.  Voila!

Yes, Virginia.  There IS a Santa Claus!  

About SUCKER:  http://suckerliterarymagazine.wordpress.com/  

And here is the Welcome message from the website, from Hannah Goodman, the President and Founder of the magazine:

Hello!
Welcome to Sucker Literary Magazine where raw, undiscovered, talented writers for young adults have the opportunity to strut their stuff. As we are a fledgling outfit, we will be eating the elephant one tiny bite at a time (how’s that for some mixed metaphors?) That is to say, our immediate goal is to collect submissions for our first issue, scheduled to be released by the fall/winter of 2011-2012. Currently, we are seeking FICTION ONLY (no stand alone poetry unless it is a short story or chapter from a novel in verse) and welcome all genres of YA writing. Bring on your skateboarding vampires, angst ridden, nerd-boy who has never been kissed, or girl crushing on her best friend (be it girl or boy).

A wonderful article about SUCKER in Publishers Weekly:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/47825-new-lit-mag-to-showcase-emerging-ya-writers.html

The first edition is due out at the end of this year or the beginning of 2012.

"Do you have any short stories?"

As it happens, I have some, almost all of them UFOs (unfinished objects).  I prefer novels—prefer to read them, prefer to write them.  I like the long burn of character development, plot complications, satisfying denouements.  Short stories are concentrated, like picture books:  brief, intense characterizations, focused plots, one scene or a few mini-scenes. 

When I’m running with an idea, I like to let it grow and develop.  Using it for a short story often seems like I’m wasting it.  But not every idea can sustain a novel. 

So when asked if I had any short stories, I delved into my file and came up with one I’d written a few years ago.  It had good bones but no muscle.  The main character had no motivation for his actions.  It was a story about a relationship with no relationship to back it up.

I named the main character Jason and listened to him talk about his friend.  I let him describe how their relationship changed his life.  But Jason wanted something different than I had planned for him.  I wasn’t comfortable with the story he wanted to tell, but I let him tell it.  Is there a novel in Jason’s story?  Maybe.  That would be a different story.

Bologna: Sightseeing when the Book Fair is over

For my final post about Bologna: a short list of things-to-do when you have a break from the Book Fair.  I had about three days to explore the city on my own.  Here are some of the places I visited.

A Classon family tradition, when we travel anywhere, is to seek out the highest accessible point in the area, and climb.  In Bologna, that point is the Torre Asinelli.  The "two towers" for which Bologna is famous (Asinelli and Garisenda) were built in the 12th century, when Bologna had many more towers still standing.  Most of those towers were taken down over the years, but Asinelli still stands, all 334 feet of it.  Garisenda is the shorter of the two--it was deconstructed in the 14th century when things began to lean (about 11 feet from the perpendicular).

 

 Here's a closer shot of one of the "leaning towers" of Bologna (Garisenda):

 To climb Torre Asinelli, you need strong quads, good wind, and the ability to deal with narrow wooden staircases winding around a nasty abyss.  (500 stairs up, and 500 back down)
This staircase is kind of like the Amalfi Coast highway:   a one-lane street for two-way traffic.

 But here is the reward, a gorgeous view of the terra cotta roofs of Bologna:

 

And here is Piazza Maggiore, the heart of central Bologna, from the tower:

 One of the best things about Bologna is its manageable size.  You can walk from one end of the old city to the other in a few hours, which leaves plenty of time for lingering.  Bologna residents love to linger and talk.  (Note the building porticoes--almost all the sidewalks in Bologna are covered, so you don't need an umbrella!)






The University of Bologna is the "oldest continually operating university in the world."  The week of the Book Fair was "Baccalaureate" or graduation.  Students dress up, sport laurel wreathes, drink out of wine bottles on the street, and parade around singing (easier to do after a bottle of wine). 

 Old vs. newer Bologna (one of the original
city gates):











And the famous Triton fountain near the Piazza Maggiore, with the breast-squirting mermaids (a favorite meeting spot): 

Other things to do (when you're not eating or shopping) include visiting the many beautiful churches, a handful of interesting museums, the modest botanical gardens near the University's science buildings, and take day trips out of the city (I didn't have time for that).  Bologna seems a very livable city and I hope to go back soon.

Bologna 2011: Food

After the Book Fair, what is there to do in Bologna?  Plenty.  I'll get to history & sightseeing at a later date, something I explored on my own since most of my friends were booked with business meetings most of the day (plus, they'd all been to Bologna many times and had no interest in climbing Torre Asinelli with me).


No, Bologna BF regulars get those meetings out of the way ASAP to get to the important stuff:  food, shopping...and food shopping.  Let's face it, this is Italy, home of PASTA:

 

With so much pasta to choose from and only a week in Bologna to try it all, decisions are grave and long-debated.  Here, Doug Cushman deliberates between fresh tortellini and tortelloni di zucca (pumpkin):

We ate mostly at trattorias, where meat (mostly beef or pork) is traditional, but where seafood is not commonly found.  However, the markets do carry fresh fish:

And almost every night we got together for dinner.  My favorite meal was at Trattoria Da Silvio, where the food just kept coming.  Here is the bloated, sated group after umpteen courses (I lost count of the desserts) and a digestif of homemade limoncello (l to r: Doug Cushman, me, Bridget Strevens-Marzo, Angela Cerrito, Erzsi Deak):

Don't we look happy?

For the in-betweens, our favorite coffee shop.  We liked the name:

 

And then more food shopping!  Gifts to bring home: the chocolate Easter eggs packed in colorful boxes...or the huge eggs on the stainless steel counter in the back, neither of which would fit in my tiny suitcase.  Oh well.

But most important, spending time with friends: