Going Digital...3 links to contemplate...

Yes this post is all about the digital revolution...well actually it’s not a revolution any more. It’s life moving fast on the digital highway.

I too have finally succumbed...Life got too complicated last week and so I went and bought....a....mobile phone....Yup and my thumb is sore! Learning to text....OMG.
I am not giving out my number...because I can’t remember it...and if I get a text from the two family members who know it, I fumble and drop it and miss it and take 15 minutes to text Five words...

So I will get there...This from the geek who reads PopSci and PopMechanics...I know about it intellectually.....Anyway the model I have has the features I want which I’m still trying to make work.

But investigating this marvel of modern technology I discovered no games, but a cool music composer...You can sing into it, convert it to a score, change keys, rhythm, and instrument and save it.

Who needs games....

And so onto the digital bytes that relate to marketing and writing and conferences that I have for you this week.....(I’ll add this to the marketing links sidebar next week because there are some great links. )


100-internet-possibilities-to-investigate

’The future is now. Sometimes, we don’t look outside our little angle of it, and that means we miss some possibilities. Other times, we realize something’s out there and we have part of the puzzle, but we’ll catch a different view that gives us even more. I’ve compiled a list of 100 possibilities and things happening out there on the Internet that might be of interest to you. You may have even more to add.’

The amazing Chris Brogan (expert in social media) posted this post at the end of January.
I scrolled down the list and there were links everywhere for more effective web marketing, running your e-business, you name it and Chris did.

One of the points Chris made was that you should be looking at the opposite of what you do on the web so you can get ideas... sounds funny doesn’t it, but you have to read the post.
More important is the list of nearly 100 posts responding to it with people around the world adding to the list...Brilliant stuff...I’ve already sent links to peoples way from the responses.

Chris has broken down his list into these categories.

Streams of Information
Web based work
Video
Small and local
Mobile Applications
And Money


The seminar programme for the Digital Publishers Forum is up....and a varied programme is on offer.
Martin Taylor is talking on e-books fresh from a NY conference on them
Adrian Keane from Pearson Education... is talking about educational digital publishing
Neale Pitches from South Pacific Press is talking on his experiences e-publishing.
And a bloke with my brother’s name... but he’s not....tho he sounds just as interesting....
The Wellington seminar is on April 1 ....and a 50% discount for NZSA members looks well worth it...

For those of you waiting for news of the conference....It’s coming....it’s coming... We are finalising the programme as you read this....we have a cool logo nearly ready to go...and we are putting the call out for sponsors...So if you Book People know anyone who wants to partnership with us, Please get in touch! Don’t forget to get on our advance notice mailing list, if you want to come. See sidebar.

But to whet your appetite on Children’s Book Conferences...Here is the amazing Alice...She has just blogged The three day New York Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators Conference. There are some great observations on talks and panels and people and publishers. The photo’s are awesome especially the winners of the Illustrators award. And don’t worry about the recession...well that’s what they were saying in New York last week.
http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

Maureen

The pic -the hottest tee shirt item on the web at the moment... couldn’t resist...sorry Twilight fans....I’m sure Stephen King will be wearing one given his comments on the series this week.

Back on the blogosphere with news, views, and a pretty picture.

I have a good friend, a marketer by trade, who knowing of my interest in marketing for authors sent me this link to David Meermans Scotts web blog.

Trawling around the site I discovered little gems on marketing and case studies where companies have got it all right The world wide rave....or horribly wrong....the worldwide rant.....

Have a look. David talks about how Lisa Genovia self published a book and then through great viral marketing it became a NY Times best seller.

We came back from the extended holiday a few days ago and in the midst of getting children’ ready for school and dealing with the ‘on hold until we get back’ issues, I have been working and swearing about the latest funding application for the Conference.

In mid December we released information about the conference inviting people to register their interest by going on our mailing list.....wow what a flood of interest there is....we sort of suspected there would be.... the list is climbing towards 100 and that’s after only a month in the blogosphere and being emailed around.

If you haven’t registered your names for early bird updates do so...the intention with the mailing list is to let everybody on it know first, before the general public, when registrations open...It will be on a first come first served basis...i.e. because we only have 80 places.

The big bloggers are waiting for our official logo (coz they like pretty pictures) and the mocks of the proposed logo look funky indeed. We have some amazing speakers confirmed we’re waiting on a few more....and obviously funding applications because our overriding quest is to provide you with a conference YOU CAN AFFORD to go to.

In our conference meeting on Saturday...two of our number have confirmed books coming out this year and two of us have been rejected due to the recession....(I’m one of them... yet again it was we would publish but.....) I will be very interested in the quality of the books published this year by the publishing houses who have contacted me with their rejections....I would like to have a career not a hobby.

I would like to thank my eldest child...smart, beautiful and most of all kind... for looking after the younger two so I can use the computer with relatively little interruption....

Just a little note as I tweak my blog layout....I came across this from Janes blog...Does the author need indie epublishing platforms....lots of food for thought....go look....

pic is tulips among the vegies in our garden...

SPINNING GOLD- The New Zealand Children’s Book Writing and Illustration Conference

NEWS NEWS NEWS
Here is the first news release about the conference.Oh we've got some goodies lined up for you! It's all still in the planning stages...but we are very excited!
If you are thinking about maybe looking in....there may not be room...
But enough blathering on...Read On....


SPINNING GOLD- The New Zealand Children’s Book Writing and Illustration Conference will take place at Capital House, Melrose, Wellington in 2009, September 18 (2pm)-20th (5pm)

Run by the Wellington Children’s Book Association, there will be opportunities for emerging and experienced Writers and Illustrators to learn new skills, network and take their craft to The Next Chapter- into the 21st Century.

The core strands in the conference will be,
New Technologies-Escape beyond the pen, the paper and the ‘puter.
Business –The money and how to legally keep as much as you can.
Marketing and Promotion- Getting your name out there... Beyond Traditional Marketing.
Professional Development- Publishing without paper- Ways to live without getting a real job.

There will be Master Classes, Workshops, Publishers, Agents, Panels and Informative Keynote Speakers.
There will be social events and a built in trip to a mystery location.

The venue, Capital House, is in an affordable location for a residential conference set in large grounds overlooking the harbour. Bed and Breakfast living in at the conference will be optional (but we recommend it) Come for a day or for all three.

Early bird registrations will open in April 2009
Spaces are limited to the first 80 people!

If you want to register your interest and get on our mailing list for updates and advance warning of registration opening dates... Contact the Wellington Children’s Book Association by email.
the.wcba@gmail.com


pic is spinning gold globe from inmagine.com....yes we're out to make the world take notice.....mwaahhhhaaaaa.

news, views and Booklaunch 2.0

Well this week had it's highs and lows....the high at the beginning was one of the kids doing well in a competition...all the practice does pay off...not to mention the endless trips in the car ferrying said child to practice three times a week.....60k round trips....

lows
Creative New Zealand felt that professional development for Children's Writers and Illustrators wasn't worth funding....but we are still going ahead....pull out Plan B...limited money, virtual speakers....WE CAN DO IT....

But the Creative New Zealand decision was such a cruel blow. As an industry we are struggling to remain upbeat and focussed as the opportunities dry up here.

In the end...New Zealand has to ask itself... Do you want New Zealand children growing up on a diet of books from overseas...Support your Writers and Illustrators!

I heard this week of an illustrator who had a contract job with a north american publisher. They were asked to illustrate an aboriginal story. So the illustrator researched as they do and put together a series of pictures of aboriginal children and parents for the project and was told
'could you make them less dark...sort of more latte coloured.'
What message is that sending to the children who will be reading this book...?


There is a video by Dennis Cass being shared around authors and editors in the US.
It perfectly illustrates what is facing authors in the digital world.
It is very funny but as many authors comment....it is scary too as we all see ourselves in the hapless authors position.








maureen

writing is a business...

Writing is a business....

It’s amazing how many people don’t know that.

Lately I have heard...

‘but writing is your passion’(tone meaning... it’s not proper work.)

‘Are you rich yet? You were on the best seller list!’

So you explain how the industry works...writers get 10% of the RRP and children’s writers get less than that... and you watch their faces fall and their look of disbelief.

‘So why do you do it? ‘

I have been asked so often I now have figured out a stock answer.

I do it because I love to tell stories. With teaching you have a captive audience. They have to listen to the stories you weave around your maths problems...having a book published and in shops means you are legit! I have always said that being a writer is the best job I know because you can ask anybody anything and say it’s for research!

Unfortunately the money is laughable.

In the weekend the New Zealand Society of Authors organised a lunch speaker in conjunction with New Zealand Book Month. The speaker was an Australian agent. New Zealand doesn’t have many agents... but they are standard on other parts of the world. In the UK and the US publishers only deal with agents...(that’s why the pitch slam was so amazing...a chance to pitch directly to an editor.)

The agent, Sophie, looked like she was on a steep learning curve.... In the room only two writers had agents and they were children’s writers. As Don Long (Chair Wellington NZSA) pointed out to her that 48% of the writers here in NZ were Children’s Writers.

Writers must have a web presence!(just like a business...)Also they are increasingly having to Brand themselves.(just like a business...marketing... promo etc)

Sophie did comment that children’s publishing was a whole different ball game. Children’s writers now were being asked to provide additional content to support websites and ongoing character blog sites.... It’s a brave new world out there and the grown up writers had better watch out....

Sophie also commented that writers have to do their own publicity....I have been hearing this so often...and I believe it now. I wish I had a box of my books... I could hawk them myself....as it is I refer to the children’s book shops.... If you look at some of the children author blogs, you will see giveaways...competitions... guest interviews...(when do they find time to write again?)

Fifi and I were nodding to each other, we understood to the fullest extent what Sophie was talking about.

So thanks Fi for propelling me into the brave new world!(i'm not sure if i was ready but too late now...)

maureen

Added content on the Bones blog.

Contact me if you want to buy a book! (or check out your local children’s bookshop.)

Competition ongoing....

Come up with a nice short pithy slogan for the National Conference of Children's Writers and Illustrators.

To Do...a neat little description....

Well back to Blogland...second on my to do list today. If you looked at my to do list you will see no housework jobs... kid related tasks or WIP...they don’t happen until there is nothing else on my to do list (this is my vain hope)....hahaha...My to do list only rarely gets finished because....housework and kid related stuff often shoulders in and smacks me around the face!!! I attempted to be good and do some research but am aware as always that the magazines I got from the library on cutting edge tech are now overdue and I’ve only looked at one of them.

In my defence I have nearly cracked the last funding application for The National Conference of Children’s Writers and Illustrators.....I want a shorter acronym or a pithy little description of the event.

My own offering of “Janet and John grow up and leave home”...was queried by a newbie to WCBA who didn’t get the humour and wondered if it was just too old fashioned.

Oh well if anyone else can come up with something be my guest...but it has to be interesting, relevant to the industry of children’s writing and illustration and humorous coz we do like a laugh in children’s writing.

Which brings me to my book, BONES....

I have posted deleted scenes (humorous ones) on the book blog. Just click on the cover of the book in the sidebar and it will take you straight there.

I hope you enjoy them. I have had a few kids now, come up to me in the play ground to say that they have enjoyed the book. (That’s the best thing really...hanging out in the playground talking books with kids, extra nice if it’s your book they are talking about.)

maureen

Just a wee note, Emily did make me pay...announcing at Mass what I had done so my carefully seperate other life has become public....and Trish made the most wonderful cake celebrating the launch...little did she know I had dedicated the book to her.