Tales of Beedle the Bard to be published

There's big Harry Potter news today... which is very fitting, considering that today happens to be the birthday of both Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling.

Shortly after publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling wrote the fairytales of Beedle the Bard mentioned in the 7th book. However, the book was never published... six copies were given to friends and the seventh copy was auctioned off for charity. Interestingly enough, the winning bidder in the auction was Amazon.com.

(Warning: If you click on the announcements below, they contain spoilers for the sixth book.)

It was just announced that the Tales of Beedle the Bard will be published on December 4, 2008 and will include both the tales themselves (translated by Hermione) and commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Both a standard edition (for $12.99) and a collector's edition (for $100) will be available. The royalties for the book will go to J.K. Rowling's charity: the Children's High Level Group.

I'm thrilled about this development. I throughly enjoyed the other two books J.K. Rowling wrote for charity: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I'm delighted to see Beedle the Bard in print, and happy to support a charity. This way, the fairytales will be accessible to everyone, and become part of the Harry Potter canon. I'm also wondering (although it's hard to tell without having read the stories themselves yet) if this book will be a way to introduce younger children to J.K. Rowling's writing.

Thank you, J.K. Rowling, and happy birthday!

What do you think about the publication of the Tales of Beedle the Bard? See the new polls in the sidebar.

Q and A about ALA

Question: There were so many excellent blog accounts with compelling text and terrific pictures of the 2008 American Library Association conference that people posted immediately after returning from Anaheim. Does anyone have mediocre pictures with scanty text posted a month after the event?
Answer: Absolutely! Wizards Wireless is happy to fill that need.

Question: Hey, Susan, where have you been? Why haven't you posted here for a while? Do you have a dramatic and compelling reason for not blogging?
Answer: No, it's a pretty boring reason, really. I've been busy with term papers, the ALA conference, a family vacation, work, etc. etc. But I keep meaning to post. Does that count?

Question: Did you know that you're in a YouTube video that's been making the rounds of the Internet?
Answer: You mean this one?

Question: Did you feel slighted by the Project Runway people?
Answer: Why did they have a problem with the color black? Seriously, though, I'm honored to have been in it, and extremely impressed with all the editing and effort that Jim Averbeck and Maria van Lieshout put into it. And I think the whole video is hysterical, even though I've never seen the real Project Runway.

Question: How on earth did you get in the video?
Answer: I was at the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet. Jen Robinson (of Jen Robinson's Book Page) and I were walking by Betsy Bird (of Fuse #8), and Betsy asked if we'd do an interview. I was hoping they'd lose the footage or at least film it without sound, like what accidentally happened with Mo Willems' interview, but, nope. You can see all the interviews at On the Red Carpet at ALA.

Question: If you had a time machine, what would you do?
Answer: Stop myself from yanking the straps of my dress back up during the interview. I think you could play a drinking game by counting the number of times I did this. Ironically, the dress was originally strapless and I added the straps to make it more comfortable. Also, as long as I had a time machine, I'd change the answers I gave to the questions Betsy asked me. As soon as she asked me about books that I thought should have won, my mind went completely blank. Plus, maybe I'd use my time machine to prevent a few world wars.

Question: What, in fact, did you wear to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet?
Answer: I said in the Red Carpet interview that it was a bridesmaid's dress. That's true, but not the whole story. It was actually the bridesmaid dress from my own wedding... I liked it so much that I bought one for myself after the wedding and it's my favorite formal gown to wear. (Don't worry, I wore a white dress at my wedding).

Question: Do you have a good picture of Brian Selznick's sparkly shirt from the Newbery/ Caldecott banquet?
Answer: Here's a close-up of the shirt he made himself (or at least, he put the sparkles on it himself).

Question: Brian Selznick doesn't look happy enough in that picture and he was absolutely euphoric that evening. Do you have a picture of him with his eyes closed, standing next to Caldecott chair Karen Breen?
Answer: Sure.


Question: What about a picture of you standing with Mo Willems where you both look like deer in the headlights? Ideally, the picture would have Jacqueline Woodson standing behind you half obscured, and an unidentified person walking in front of you.
Answer: Here you go.

Question: How about a picture where Mo looks really cool and goofy and you look like an idiot because you had an impossible time keeping a straight face?
Answer: Try this one.


Question: Did the lovely Jen Robinson take both pictures, after you elbowed people out of the way so that you could stand next to Mo?
Answer: Yes, she did. And talking to Jen at the banquet was definitely one of the highlights of the whole conference for me.

Question: Did you use the thirty seconds you had in the receiving line talking to Mo to mention that you're in a book club with MotherReader? Did Mo know exactly who Pam was and ask if she was at the banquet? Did this make Pam's day when you mentioned it to her at a book club meeting?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Did Jacqueline Woodson speak to you in sign language after you complimented her on the excellent ASL descriptions in Feathers?
Answer: Yes. She seemed very touched that someone noticed her descriptions, and she signs quite well.

Question: Did you give any accurate advice in this post about the Newbery/Caldecott banquet?
Answer: No, not really. It wasn't as formal as I said, and I ended up caving in and wearing my nametag over my evening gown (which Wendie Old astutely pointed out).

Question: Were you surprised at the lack of quality totebags on the exhibit floor this year?
Answer: Definitely. I had to actually buy a totebag, because I couldn't fit everything into the bright orange one included with the conference registration.

Question: How could you possibly buy a totebag when you own a million free totebags that you've picked up at various conferences?
Answer: (I think this question may have been submitted by my husband). Because it was an incredibly cool one from Unshelved, and I'm always happy to support Unshelved.

Question: What did the table in your hotel room like like before you packed?
Answer: Like this, but this doesn't include all the stuff I had in my totebag.

Question: Do you have a good picture of Laura Vaccaro Seeger signing books?
Answer: Yes, and for once, it's actually a decent photo.


Question: Did you have an amazing time at the blogger get-together at the Feiwel and Friends suite?
Answer: It was terrific. I felt like I was one of the cool kids for probably the first time in my life.

Question: Do you have a photo of Laurie Halse Anderson and Betsy Bird about a second before they met for the first time where neither of them are looking at the camera? Is Betsy wearing a Minnie Mouse dress? Are Monica Edinger and Jen Robinson in the background?
Answer: Yes, yes, and yes.Question: Do you have a better picture of Jen and Betsy?
Answer: Yes. Here's one from the Newbery/Caldecott banquet.


Question: Will you ever learn to use Photoshop?
Answer: Probably not any time soon. But if I did use Photoshop, you wouldn't be able to see this slightly demonic picture of Horn Book Editor in chief, Roger Sutton with red eyes. (If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll see what I mean).

Question: Could you drop Mo Willems' name any more in this post?
Answer: No, I don't think that would be possible.

Question: Are you blatantly ripping off Dave Barry's "Ask Mr. Language Person" columns by interviewing yourself?
Answer: I prefer the word "homage."

ALA Convention: Disneyland

Greetings from the American Library Association Annual Convention!

Welcome to Disneyland...

where statues are taller than castles

where Mary Poppins is waiting to greet you

where you can stand in line for everything

Including season passes

where the benches have mouse ears

where only serious items are sold in the shops

where danger lurks around every corner

where the staff is always smiling

even when It's a Small World is closed

and where everyone carries a bag.

Things I learned at Disneyland:
Librarians make fantastic park companions.
They're incredibly organized and they show up early.

Academic librarians can run faster than you think.

Acquisitions librarians research everything.

A good way to get to know a library director is to sit next to one on Space Mountain.

More advice for the ALA convention

I'm going to my second American Library Association Annual Convention this week and I can't being to tell you how much I'm looking forward to it.

As soon as I got back from last year's convention, I wrote a post about the things I learned. Here are a few more tips (mainly geared to attendees interested in children's books). Feel free to add your own advice in the comments.

My first piece of advice comes from Maria at Library Praxis.
Go to the sessions you want to go to... not the ones you think you should go to.

What should you wear?
Last year I noticed that for the most part attendees were dressed pretty informally. I think you could get away with jeans and a nice shirt... although slacks look a bit more professional. If you have a job interview, bring along a change of clothes for the interview.

Make sure to wear comfortable shoes. You'll be doing a lot of walking.

Plan ahead.
Use ALA's Event Planner. Visit the ALA Annual wiki. Make a list (or a spreadsheet) of everything that looks interesting to you. Obviously, you can't go to everything, but it's nice to have all the options in front of you.

Be spontaneous.
I know, I just told you to plan everything out. But, also remember that you don't have to do every last thing on your schedule. Make sure to linger to talk to your favorite authors. Go to lunch with an old (or new) friend. Take a nap if you need one.

Advice for the exhibits
I'll admit, I copied some of this from my post about the Book Expo, but a lot of it applies to ALA too.

Go to the booths of the large publishers.
You'll find multiple copies of books laid out on the floor or on tables in big stacks. You can take these (for the most part). If there's a publisher that you're really interested in, you might want to check back at their booth later during the conference, because they'll put out different books on different days. Smaller publishers are less likely to have the funds to do this.

Ask for books you're interested in.
Publishers bring tons of books with them, but don't have the quantities to put every book out in a stack for everyone to take. If there's a book you're dying to read, find out who the publisher is, go to their booth and tell them what book you're looking for. If they don't have a copy with them, they may be able to send you one after the conference is over. Or not. But, it's always worth it to ask. And, even if you don't get to walk away with one, they'll probably have a copy on display that you can take a look at (which is particularly useful for picture books).

Don't take eveything you see.
There are tons of free handouts available at ALA. Take only what you're interested in (or what a friend or colleague who didn't get to go would be interested in). If there's a free book or an ARC (advance review copy) that you already have access to, or have absolutely no interest in or use for... leave it for someone else. The same rule applies for fliers, tote bags, pens, and all the other freebies you'll see. Don't worry; you'll still acquire tons of free stuff.

Talk to the vendors
Don't just look at them as a source of free books. ALA gives you a chance to share your opinions with the publishers and ask them about your favorite and forthcoming books. They may know an interesting detail about an author or the creation of a book that will help you "sell" a book when you get back home. And they'll be interested to hear your feedback about their books and products. And ask them any questions you have. They know a lot more about their books than what's in the catalogs.

Are you going to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet?
Here are a few things I noticed during this sublime event last year.

This was described to me as the "librarian prom" and I think that's a fitting description. It's definitely a black-tie event. Wear the nicest dress or suit that you feel comfortable shoving in a suitcase and dragging with you to the conference. I brought my conference name tag with me to the event, but just couldn't bring myself to put it on over my evening gown.

If you don't have a table number on your banquet ticket, I highly recommend going into the dinner as soon as the doors open. The majority of tables are reserved for publishers or groups... so you have to search for a bit to find a table that doesn't have a placard on it. I made the mistake last year of dawdling when the ballroom doors were opened. (I had a good excuse, I was talking to a famous author who was standing behind me in the drinks line). I ended up scrounging for a seat in the back. On the other hand, the people seated in the back of the hall got to go through the receiving line first at the end of the night, and I got to talk to every single author honored during the evening.

What if you really want to hear the Newbery and Caldecott speeches but can't afford the banquet? The speeches are open to conference attendees. Go to the ballroom after dinner is served (last year the event organizers listed an approximate time when dinner was expected to be over). There are chairs on the side of the ballroom where you can sit and listen to the speeches for free.

Are the Printz Awards different from the Newbery/Caldecott banquet?
Yes. The authors of all the honored books get to give a speech. This is not true with the Newberys and Caldecotts, where you only hear from the winners and not the honor recipients.

I'd wear nice slacks, a suit, or a dress to this event. Jeans are definitely not appropriate.

Can you recommend a good book (or a good plan) for seeing Disneyland in a short period of time?
Check out the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. I've used it on incredibly crowded days and holiday weekends at Disneyland and it's worked perfectly every time. It has touring plans that help you get through the park in the most efficient way possible, and it's always saved me an enormous amount of time waiting in line. No matter how exacting their plans seem, follow them. They know what they're talking about. Even if you don't have a full day to devote to Disneyland or California Adventure, this book is still worth a quick read. It gives a rating and analysis of every ride and attraction, which helps you plan your limited time.

Older editions of the book are fine for a lay of the land and to find out how how Disney's rides are structured... but I recommend using the touring plans only from the most current edition because things change so rapidly at Disneyland. Incidentally, the admission prices in the 2008 edition are already out-of-date. Check the official Disneyland website for the current prices and operating hours.

Are you a children's literature blogger?
I'm organizing a pizza dinner on Saturday night for bloggers and anyone interested in children's books. For details, see this post.

Anything else?
Above all, have a great time and enjoy the convention.

Kidlit Blogger Dinner at ALA

Are you going to the American Library Association convention this year? Do you blog about children's literature? Come join us for an informal pizza dinner Saturday night.

Here's the information:
Date: Saturday, June 28, 2008
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Marri's Pizza, http://www.marrispi zza.com
Address: 1194 Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802
Phone: (714) 533-1631
It's about a block and a half from the convention center.

Also on Saturday afternoon, Betsy Bird of Fuse #8 is organizing an extremely cool kidlit blogger event. The times of the two events are staggered, so that you can hang out with Feiwel and Friends, and then join us for pizza.

Let me know if you're planning on coming, so I can make a (relatively) accurate reservation.

P.S. You don't technically have to be a kidlit blogger to come (I attended this get together last year and it inspired me to become a blogger). Basically, it's for anyone interested in children's literature.

Hope to see you in Anaheim!

Doonesbury is back

After a three month sabbatical, Doonesbury has returned today with new installments. I'm glad to see it back.... I was getting tired of reruns.

For Better or For Worse: the end is coming

Lynn Johnston addressed a few recent reader comments about For Better or For Worse on her blog yesterday. What interested me most was this quote: "I have a limited time left here and every strip, now, is a statement that leads to the August 30th conclusion."

I think that's the first time I've seen a definite date for the end of the strip. Until now, I've just heard that it will end no later than September. Although, as I understand it, For Better or For Worse won't really end... it's just the current storyline in the present day with Liz, Anthony, Grandpa Jim, etc. that will conclude on August 30.

An eager reader

A young customer asked me for the new Percy Jackson book today. I showed him The Battle of the Labyrinth, the fourth book in the series. It was just released a little over a month ago.

Nope. That wasn't what he was looking for. He'd already read the fourth book. What he wanted was the FIFTH book.

New Harry Potter prequel story online

The Harry Potter prequel written by J.K. Rowling that has been in the news recently is now available online. Before you get too excited.... I should warn you that it's not an excerpt from an upcoming book. It's a stand-alone short story that was auctioned off for charity.

To read the story, go to the Waterstone's website, click on "read our authors' stories" and then select "J.K. Rowling" at the top of the list. It's two sided, so after you finish the first half, be sure to click on the arrow on the right-hand side to read the second half. It's hand-written, so it takes a little while to read. After you read it, come back to Wizards Wireless and vote in the new poll in the sidebar.

J.K. Rowling posted a short account on her website about writing the story (she says she felt like a relapsing addict) and confirmed that she is NOT working on a Harry Potter prequel book.

I thought it was a great little vignette of Sirius and James on the motorbike. It takes place a few years before the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and it's delightful to see Sirius and James having so much fun. It whetted my appetite for more about the pre-Harry days, but it sounds fairly definite that there are no plans in the works for that. Alas.

The Order of the Phoenix has T-shirts? I thought they were a (relatively) secret society.

Hooray for Books!

Last December, I was very sad to report that A Likely Story went out of business. It was a wonderful independent children's bookstore in Alexandria, Virginia and I was quite sorry to see it go. I wrote in my post that I wish something could have been done... and it turns out that something has.

Trish Brown and Ellen Klein (former employees of A Likely Story) have just recently opened a new children's bookstore called Hooray for Books in the same location as A Likely Story. There are some subtle differences such as toys, games and plush (in addition to the wonderful selection of books).

It's so lovely to welcome them (back) to the D.C. independent bookstore community. Hooray for Books had a soft opening on Saturday, June 7 and the grand opening is on Saturday, June 21. Visit their shiny new website and blog to catch the excitement of the owners and staff. Best of luck and I can't wait to visit.

Mr. Still In Print

At least once a day I hear a customer say one of the following things:

"I loved this book when I was a kid."
"I haven't seen this book in years."
"I can't believe this book is still in print!"

It always makes me happy when someone finds a much-loved and unexpected book in our store. Books such as Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar never get a "I can't believe you have this book" comment. Most people know how popular those books are and expect them to still be in print. It's the surprises that get reactions.

Obviously, different people remember different books, but here are a few that consistently get commented on:

• Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel and The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. Sometimes, Katy and the Big Snow and Choo Choo invoke memories too.
• Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág
• The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright
• The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward
• Any book by Bill Peet
• Any book by Leo Lionni
• Any Choose Your Own Adventure book
  

And the number one series that gets exclaimed over the most? Without a doubt, it's Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Men/Little Miss series. Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's a refresher:


Did you just say to yourself: "I can't believe those books are still in print!" You did, didn't you?

Yes, thankfully, these wonderful miniature books (with only a couple of exceptions) are currently in print and available from Penguin. New books in the series continue to be published every year, despite the fact that Roger Hargreaves died twenty years ago. The new books are written by Roger's son, Adam Hargreaves.

It is unbelievable how many people remember these books from their childhood. And almost everyone says the same thing: "I always wanted to collect ALL the books." If you've ever seen a Mr. Men or a Little Miss book, you'll know that on the back of every book is an illustrated list of the other titles in the series. One of the coolest things I'm able to do as a bookseller is to order all the titles listed. And, best of all, I get to watch them go home every day with customers who have remembered them for years, or ones who have just discovered them.

Do you remember these books? See the new poll on the sidebar.

What books have you been thrilled to see again?

Advice for the Book Expo

Are you going to Book Expo America (BEA)? Need some helpful hints? Here’s what I learned from this wonderfully enormous book trade show. (For an overview of the conference, check out this post.) See below for advice about how to get free books, meet authors, and not break your back. If you’re looking for tips for authors, they’re at the end of the post.

Plan ahead
Make a list of the authors and publishers that you're the most interested in. Don’t be embarrassed to bring a spreadsheet (your friends will only make fun of you for a few minutes, and then they'll start using it.)

Authors sign books in two places… in the official autograph area and in their publisher’s booths. The advantage to the autograph area is that you can see several authors in a short period of time without running around the convention center. The advantage to the in-booth signings is that you can be walking around the exhibits and stumble upon your favorite author. It’s also a good way to discover an interesting book. Both formats work fine.

To make sure that you see all the authors you want to see, make a list before the conference starts. BEA has a variety of autograph schedules on their website that are vital to the planning process. I typically rely on the ones sorted by date and time, and the Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday schedules at a glance.

Go through BEA’s list (it will take a little time, but it’s absolutely worth every minute) and create a spreadsheet. Write down every author that sounds interesting to you and list the day, time, booth numbers (both for the booths in the autograph areas and the publisher booths) and the title of the book that they’re signing. If you’re using Excel or a similar spreadsheet program, when you’re done with your list you can sort it by day and time, so you’ll have a complete schedule of what booth to go to at what time. Even though you might have more authors on your schedule than you think you could ever see in a limited time period, put them all on your list just in case something else takes longer or shorter than you expect.

It’s important to know which book an author is signing because some authors autograph more than one book during the course of the convention. You want to know which book you’re standing in line for. BEA is not the place to bring previously published books for authors for to sign. The authors and publishers are there to publicize this year’s books, not last year’s.

It's also a good idea to make a separate list of all the publishers that you're really interested in. Sort this spreadsheet by booth number, so that you'll find the publishers as you walk up and down the endless aisles. Book Expo has pavilions, which are essentially groups of similar publishers. For example, all the travel publishers will be in the same general area. This isn't to say that all the travel publishers will be there, but if there's a pavilion on a subject you're interested in, that's a great place to start.

As you write up your publisher list, you'll notice that some large publishers seem to be sharing the same booth. This typically means that a publisher has multiple imprints (see this post for more about what an imprint is). You'll find that these publishers have one huge booth but are displaying many different catalogs and books because their company owns several smaller companies.

Get there early
There are a few high-profile authors that you need tickets for in order to attend their signings. As soon as you arrive (even before the exhibit hall opens) go immediately to the ticket booth in the lobby. The tickets are free and you can get up to four tickets per day (meaning 1 ticket for 4 different authors). They run out quickly, so be sure to get to the ticket booth early.

Don't take everything you see
There are tons of free handouts available at the BookExpo. Take only what you're interested in (or what a friend or colleague who didn't get to go would be interested in). If there's a free book or an ARC (advance review copy) that you already have access to, or have absolutely no interest in or use for... leave it for someone else. The same rule applies for fliers, tote bags, pens, and all the other freebies you'll see. Don't worry; you'll still acquire tons of free stuff.

Books are heavy
Obviously, you already know this. But, after you cram 50 free books into a tote bag, you'll realize that you can't physically stagger around the conference center anymore and you'll start judging books by weight, not quality.

Here's a tip for how to avoid breaking your back. As soon as the exhibit halls open on the first day, find the mailing center. It's usually in the back of the exhibition area and you can use it for directly mailing books home from the convention center. There are lots of empty boxes available. Write your name (or the name of your bookstore, library or organization) in big letters on the outside of the box and put it somewhere you'll remember it (like next to a pillar). Every few hours, come back to the box and dump out the books you're lugging around. At the end of the conference, mail the books home directly from the mailing center.

What if you live in the city where the Book Expo is being held? Shouldn't you just drag the books to your car instead of paying for postage? Nope. I tried this the first day of the Book Expo I attended which was in my home town and it was impossible, even with a personal courier service (my husband and his car) parked just outside the exit. I lugged 3 (or maybe four) BOXES of books across the convention center (the mailing center was in the back of the exhibit hall... nowhere near the exit). I didn't have a dolly or a cart (because they’re not allowed in the exhibit hall) and it was awkward, painful, and incredibly time consuming. The next day, I mailed the books home... and it was worth every penny not to go through that again. If it's not in your home town, don't even think about it. Just mail the books home.

Even if you decide not to mail the books... you should still set up a box in the mailing center so you have a place to put the books during the convention. If there's something extremely valuable (like a signed first edition by your favorite author that you don't want to lose under any circumstances) you may want to keep it with you. But, as the day goes on and your tote bags get heavier (and you pick up a surprising number of signed first editions by your favorite authors), you'll probably end up putting more books in the box (or boxes) than you expect.

How do you get free books?
You've walked up and down several rows in the exhibit hall and you don't see any publishers giving away books. You can't seem to acquire even two or three books... let alone the boxes I've mentioned above. Here's how:

Go to the booths of the large publishers. You'll find multiple copies of books laid out on the floor or on tables in big stacks. You can take these... and if there's a publisher that you're really interested in, you might want to check back at their booth later during the conference, because they'll put out different books on different days. Smaller publishers are less likely to have the funds to do this.

Ask for them. Publishers bring tons of books with them, but don't have the quantities to put every book out in a stack for everyone to take. If there's a book you're dying to read, find out who the publisher is, go to their booth and tell them what book you're looking for. If they don't have a copy with them, they may be able to send you one after the conference is over. Or not. But, it's always worth it to ask. And, even if you don't get to walk away with one, they'll probably have a copy on display that you can take a look at (which is particularly useful for picture books).

Go to the autograph sessions. The books being handed out (both in the autograph area and the in-booth signing) are free. Plus, you get the author's signature and a chance to talk to them. If an author has no line in front of them at an autograph session, and their book sounds interesting, go up and meet them. You may discover something special. I found this was a great strategy to find new picture books I hadn’t heard of.

Talk to the vendors
Don't just look at them as a source of free books. The Book Expo gives you a chance to share your opinions with the publishers and ask them about your favorite and forthcoming books. They may know an interesting detail about an author or the creation of a book that will help you "sell" a book when you get back home (in a bookstore, in a library, in a review, etc.) And they'll be interested to hear your feedback about their books and products. And ask them any questions you have. They know a lot more about their books than what's in the catalogs.

Talk to the other attendees
The book industry is fully represented on the floor of the convention center. Talk to the people that you're standing in line with and sitting next to at lunch. BookExpo is a great melting pot of booksellers, librarians, publishers, authors and anyone else you can think of that has an interest in books. It's a great place to get advice and new ideas.

Advice for authors
I’m not an author, but here’s what I would do if I were one. First, if I were anywhere remotely near the town the BookExpo was being held in, I would make it my business to go to it regardless of whether my book was being published this year, next year or last year. Once there, I would go out of my way to meet everyone connected with my publisher.

Authors already know their editors, obviously. But, as a book buyer, I don’t meet with editors, I meet with sales reps. (For an great description of what a rep does, see Alison Morris’ excellent post at Shelftalker.) The reps are the ones on the front lines doing the selling, and they’re also the people standing in the publisher booths talking to passerby during the conventions. Introduce yourself to them. If you’ve had a book published recently with that house (or it’s forthcoming in the current season), they probably already know who you are and have most likely talked to tons of buyers about your book. Talk to them and listen to their feedback. If every book buyer hates the cover of your book, or loves the main character, they’re the ones that hear it. Don’t neglect to talk to the publicists either, who are another crucial part of selling your book. Basically, if they’re part of your publishing house in any way, get to know them.

Be nice during the autograph sessions. Remember that the people waiting in line to see you are (for the most part) booksellers and librarians. Each one has the power to get your book into the hands of hundreds of people. Don’t be rude to them. They’ll remember. As a bookseller, I can tell you that when a customer loves a particular author’s books, it’s a real treat to be able to say that the author is just as lovely in person.

Don’t be discouraged if nobody is in line to receive a free autographed copy of your book. There are so many books and authors at the convention that sometimes even famous authors can have little to no line in front of them. Every person who does get a copy of your book, (no matter how many or few that number may be) has a chance to discover your work, so enjoy talking to the people who do come up to you. And remember, that it takes a little time to get established. Two years ago, I saw a big stack of free copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney available at the BookExpo. A few people took them, but I passed the stack several times during the conference, and it didn’t move much. Now that Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been on the bestseller lists for a while, I’d imagine those same books would go in a heartbeat today.

Go to the booths of publishers that produce books in the field you work in. If you’re a writer of cookbooks, check out other cookbooks and see what other people are writing. If you write early chapter books, pick up a stack of early chapter books to get an idea of the current state of the genre. Talk with other authors and publishers who work in your genre to get advice, feedback and share tips.

Above all, have fun. It’s wonderful to meet old, new and potential friends, colleagues, and fans, to get to know your publisher, to interact with other authors in your field and make wonderful discoveries.

And, if (like me) you can’t go to the Book Expo this year, don’t worry. There’s always next year. If you have any helpful hints, I’d love to hear them. Let me know in the comments if you have advice for Book Expo attendees, and I’ll be sure to try it out next year when the convention is back on the east coast.

New edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Scholastic is releasing a special 10th anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. There's new cover art depicting Harry looking into the mirror of Erised, as well as additional artwork from Mary Grandpré. Plus, there's a tantalizing comment in the press release about bonus material from J.K. Rowling. To see the new cover up-close and personal, plus a beautiful illustration of Hagrid and the first years sailing across the lake, go to Scholastic's website.

I love the new cover, particularly the way you can just barely see the shadows of Harry's parents in the mirror. I'm not quite sure why there's a skull and a glass eye on the right hand side of the illustration.

My husband recently made an interesting point about the cover of the American edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There was such an unbelievable amount of secrecy about revealing the plot of the book before the publication date. And, yet, the cover of the book shows the absolute climax of Book 7 and the whole series.

It was right under our noses for 3 1/2 months and nobody picked up on it. I've got to give Scholastic a lot of credit for being gutsy.

There are two new polls up on the sidebar about the new edition. One of them asks if you like the old cover better than the new one. Here's a picture of the original cover of the American edition so you can compare:

Poetry Friday: Freedom Again

For poetry Friday today, I'm celebrating the end of another semester of graduate school. In honor of the occasion, I'm repeating an original poem I posted in the fall.

It's going to be a short-lived break, though. Summer school starts in two weeks.

The Poetry Friday round-up today is at Two Writing Teachers.

Freedom
Free from papers to write
Except for grocery lists.

Free from assigned books to read
Except for bedtime stories.

Free from homework to do
Except for work around my home.

Completely free.
Utterly free.

Until next semester.

Goodreads update

A few months ago I wrote a post about Goodreads, a social networking site for booklovers that I had just joined.

I've been using Goodreads for a few months, and it's really been surprisingly useful and fun. A lot of my Goodreads friends are kidlit bloggers who I admire and respect and it's great to see their ratings and reviews of books. The reviews are generally a cut above the reviews on Amazon, while still letting you see a wide variety of opinions. And I've been having a lot of fun with the "compare books" feature, where you can see what book ratings a friend has in common with you.

Plus, it's helped me keep in touch with friends and trade recommendations with them. About a month ago, I was at an event with a friend I hadn't seen in a few years. But we both knew everything the other person was reading, thanks to Goodreads. It felt like we'd been having a long conversation over many months about our favorite (and not so favorite) books.

As I've mentioned before, I read lots of picture books in F&G (fold and gather) format to prepare for meetings with publisher reps. The final books won't be published for several months. For example, the books I read tonight will be coming out in September through December. I'd love to hear other opinions on these books, but I haven't found a good forum yet to discuss advance copies.

So, now I'm trying an experiment. I've added to my Goodreads list all the F&G's I've read in the last few weeks. There will be more to come as I have more meetings. It's very odd to review and rate books that no one has commented on yet, but it also lets me be completely honest, precisely because I don't know what everyone else thinks yet.

I'm also hoping this will help me remember all the books months later when they're released. If you read advance copies because you're a book buyer, a reviewer or an extremely lucky person, I'd love to hear your opinion about any not-yet published books. If you're curious about which books I'm talking about, look at the Goodreads box in the sidebar or click on my Goodreads profile to see very brief reviews.

Have you been using Goodreads? Based on the huge amount of reviews I see whenever I log in, it looks like a lot of you are. What do you think about it? Do you check in frequently to see what your friends are reading? Does it help you get recommendations? See the new poll on the sidebar, which doesn't really ask any of those questions.

Meme: 5 Things About Me

I was tagged for this meme by Sarah at The Reading Zone and by Stacy at Welcome to my Tweendom. (Wondering what a meme is? There's a good definition here).

The rules of the meme get posted at the beginning. Each person answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the blogger then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?
I was the facility manager at a children's theater and I was coordinating the company's move into a brand new building. I was dealing with movers, buying pianos, packing and unpacking boxes, and a million other details. I can't believe that it's been five years already.

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

• Finish my term papers for graduate school (which is the reason there haven't been too many posts here lately).
• Read bedtime stories to my son.
• Order books for the store I work at.
• Look through book catalogs for upcoming publisher meetings.
• Write my friend to thank him for putting me in the acknowledgements section of his book. His book just came out today, and when I got my copy, I saw that he had thanked not only me, but my whole family! That was a fantastic and incredibly thoughtful thing for him to do (and totally made my month). I should really tell him that.
  

What are five snacks you enjoy?

• raspberries
• strawberries
  
• blackberries
  
• blueberries
  
• tomatoes
  

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

• Buy books for everyone I knew
• give money to libraries
• give money to non-profit children's theaters
• give money to struggling independent bookstores
• endow scholarships
  

What are five of your bad habits?

• Chewing my nails.
  
• Not being as good a correspondent as I would like to be.
• Buying too many books.
• Having millions of books on my to-be-read pile.
  
• Flipping ahead in a book to make sure a character I like is going to make it.

What are five places where you have lived?

• Maryland
  
• Massachusetts
  
• Maryland
  
• California
• Maryland

What are five jobs you’ve had?

• Counselor at a boy scout camp
• Receptionist
• Box office manager
• Director of a performing arts center
• Researcher
  

What five people do you want to tag?
When tagging other people for memes, I pick blogs that are recent additions to my blog roll. That way even if they don't end up doing the meme, you can still check out their wonderful blogs. Don't worry, I won't be offended in any way if you don't want to do it.

In no particular order:

• Jenny's Wonderland of Books: a new blog from a librarian and a children's literature historian (and a fellow classmate a few semesters back).
• No Want Decaf!: a blog written by an editor at a children's publishing company. I'm having so much fun reading this blog and seeing her perspective.
• Destined to Become a Classic: isn't that a great name for a blog? This is a lovely blog about children's books for the middle grades.
• Rosie the Ribbeter: a funny blog about fairy tales written by my friend Cate. I know she's mentioned starting a blog several times, but didn't know she had actually done it... so it was a nice surprise to discover that she had already written several posts.
• Job Hunting Librarian: A great blog for librarians in the D.C. area seeking jobs. My guess is that if Jess does do the meme, it will probably be on her more informal I have a blog?
  

The day before

I just read a great post from Jen Robinson about her excitement for The Battle of the Labyrinth, the highly anticipated fourth Percy Jackson and the Olympians book. Jen, I hope you're not jealous that I've already handled the book. A whole box, in fact.

Publishers are very good about getting books to bookstores just before the release date. They want you to have enough time to process the book and get it in your computer system, but not enough time so that the booksellers can read the whole thing and post it on the internet. Also, they want to remove the temptation for the bookstore to sell it early.

What this means is that you get the book everyone is talking about a day before the book is released to the public. And, sometimes, even that one day can be tortuous.

A recent example is Mo Willems' new book, The Pigeon Wants A....
The object that the pigeon wanted was the subject of a huge publicity campaign. The book arrived at my store the day before the publication date, and I finally found out that the pigeon wanted a puppy. But I couldn't tell anyone. It was quite difficult to read speculation about it when I knew the answer. It was a relief when the next day arrived and I could put the book on the shelf, talk about it and write a blog post about it.

The worst of all was when Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was published. I was working at a large independent bookstore at the time. I helped carry boxes of the book into the store and couldn't read it. See this post for the rest of the story.

But, whatever discomfort it might cause me, it's very important not to sell books until the release date. For one thing, bookstores often sign affidavits. But, more than that, it's just not fair or ethical. As the sign on the Percy Jackson box said (or something to this effect): "Be a true Olympian! Don't sell until the release date."

The good thing, though, is that I only have to wait a day. The publishers have to keep those secrets far longer than I do.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers Documentary

I was thrilled to discover this morning that a documentary has been made about Phillipe Petit's amazing tightrope walk between the towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974.

You may know Petit's name from Mordecai Gerstein's Caldecott winning picture book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. And if you don't know the book, give it a try. It sums up Pettit's incredible feat perfectly and succinctly and it's my favorite picture book.

For more about the documentary and Phillipe Petit, see David Segal's article "Traversing the Towers In a Moment of Joy" in today's Washington Post. The film is currently playing at the Tribeca Film Festival. I can't wait until it comes to a theater near me.

My favorite books to read aloud

This weekend I volunteered to do a storytime for kids at a huge outdoor festival. It was quite a challenge because people were constantly coming and going. The kids ranged from babies to ten year olds. There was loud music playing in the background and there were tons of other events going on in the immediate vicinity. I had to shout to make myself heard.

Plus, I was right near an enormous tent where 50,000 free cupcakes were being handed out.


So, I had some competition.

What to do? I decided to use my all time favorite books, the ones that always work as read alouds, no matter what. I did some old classics, which was very effective because it drew in an audience, and I mixed it up with a couple of new favorites. Here are the magic books I used, and they attracted a crowd despite the strong allure of the cupcakes.

• Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
• Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberly
• Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
• Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett (the British edition)
  
• The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
• The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  

I've got a much longer list of books I use for storytimes at the store I work at, but that's a much quieter and calmer environment. I've got the books above memorized, and they've never failed me yet.

I'm not sure if this list would work for everyone, because each storyteller has their own style. My style works best with books that are funny and have audience participation.

I'm curious, if you do storytimes or read to kids (your kids or anyone else's), what books always work for you?

You want to know more about the cupcakes, don't you? There's more about them here and here and fabulous pictures here.

Book club bliss

I've wanted to be in a book club for years, but have never been able to find one that reads children's literature. I finally stopped looking and started a book club myself.

We've had a few meetings so far, and it's been pure heaven. The DC Children's Literature Bookclub (DC Kidlit for short) is a terrific mixture of children's librarians, teachers, library school grad students, bloggers, authors and parents. The meetings have been insightful, thought provoking and a lot of fun. It's wonderful to be able to have in-depth conversations about good books with fellow children's book lovers.

If you live in the Washington DC area, (or are in town for a visit) you're welcome to join us. We read a book from a different genre each month. All meetings are on Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m. at the La Madeleine Bakery in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Here's the upcoming reading list and schedule:

• May 4- Early chapter book: The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
• June 1- Juvenile fiction: The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
• July 13- Non-fiction: We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
• September 7- Poetry: This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman
  

If you'd like to join the bookclub and vote on upcoming selections, e-mail me at: wizardwireless [at] gmail [dot] com, and I'll be happy to add you to the group's listserv.

The People in Pineapple Place

Every now and then I discover a fantastic book that I know I'll love forever. I found one today. It's called The People in Pineapple Place and was written by Anne Spencer Lindbergh (the daughter of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh). It was originally published in 1982.

It's a fantasy set in Washington D.C. about a street of people that are only visible to newcomer August Brown. August gets frustrated that no one else can see the wonderful world he's found (wouldn't you?) but he has great adventures with the (mostly) invisible children of Pineapple Place.

Why did I love it so much? It's timeless and believable in the way a good fantasy should be. It's set in my hometown and I just loved the descriptions of places I know well, such as the National Gallery and the carousel at Glen Echo Park. The characters were endearing. It had a terrific ending. And, most importantly, I could see kids reading this book and loving it as much as I did.

Monkeying Around

I made a monkey of myself last week.

I drew the short straw had the opportunity to wear a costume as part of an event our store was participating in.

I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. No, I can't resist. I have to add captions.

Getting dressed.

Putting on the feet.

Adding the head.

Putting on the hands.

Taking off the head to help a customer.

Trying to have a serious conversation with a customer while wearing a giant monkey costume.

The complete outfit.

Off to greet the public.

Observations I made while I was Curious George:

• It's hot in this thing.
• I don't know how those people at Disney do it.
• I can't see.
• It's really hot.
• It's very cute when kids run up and hug you.
• You don't need to smile when someone takes a picture of you.
• Did I mention that it's hot?

No one can make a monkey out of you if you do it yourself.