Picture Book Trends

I wrote to Mary at the kidlit blog about current picture book trends. Mary is an agent with Andrea Brown so she knows of what she speaks. Here is the answer I received.



Right now in picture books, the trend is character-driven, fun, quirky, humorous and short (under 700 words). The market is SO tough that editors are acquiring the absolute strongest and most commercial -- that means less non-fiction, less niche stories (stories for a small market, like a story about a child with a certain disease, etc.) and fewer "old-fashioned" stories like fables or anthropomorphic animal stories.

But that's just a guideline, since you asked about general trends. There are many types of publishers who publish many types of books.  

Thanks Mary!! It is good to just have an idea of what the market is going for. She says less non-fiction and of course the work I am spending my every waking hour on now is non-fiction. Am I going to stop? No way! Just like fashion, the book market changes from season to season. So what might not be "hot" now will come back in style eventually. Plus she says publishers are looking for the strongest work and my manuscript is pretty kick-ass so watch out world!! Until next time.

To Market, To Market

I'm still super stoked about the email I got from the agent last week. It is nice to have that little happy to counteract my devastation that Lost is over. Nonetheless,
It wasn't a yes (she said the manuscript I sent her wasn't right for the market right now)but it wasn't a no (she was interested in what else I might have). So I sent her a quick email back just saying what other manuscripts I had available. She is attending Book Expo America this week so maybe I will hear something when she gets back. I'm kind of glad she was not available this week. I knew she wasn't on email which means I haven't been glued to my email to see if she likes me, if she really likes me. Anywho,I've been working on my picture book biography which is turning out nicely if I do say so myself. I've also been thinking a lot about this whole market thing. I don't really get it. She said my story was not right for the market right now. So what is right for the market right now? I think it is hard to tell with picture books. There are tons of animal stories being published, tons of fairy stuff, tons of "green" stories, tons of princess stories I mean it seems as if it is just wide open. My story was an in the moment story I guess you would call it. (Sorry I'm sort of vague when it comes to my writing I just don't want to give too much away). So for those of you who are booksellers or just avid pb readers or editors or whoever you are help a sista out. What is tops in the pb market right now?? Should a write a picture book about vampires??? Thoughts? I sent this question out to one of my online writing groups and got no responses. I'm just curious. It doesn't mean that I will all of a sudden start writing the "popular" stuff because I have to stay true to myself (and hope that staying true to myself will get myself published). But I am curious because I certainly can't figure out what the pb trends are. Until next time.

Book Review: After the Workshop

After the Workshop by John McNally is the perfect summer reading. It is light and delicious; not in Twinkie sort of cheap way, but in a delightful strawberry sorbet sort of way. (Do you see the difference?) Twelve long years after attending the prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop Jack Shehan has no money, no girlfriend, and no writing credits except for two which he may or may not have earned. His great American novel is packed in a box covered with dust (not a good sign to have a dusty manuscript). His day job is media escort which basically means he is at the beck and call of "celebrity" writers who have come into town to do readings or workshops. When Jack must escort two new media darlings during one weekend, one a new mother with her baby and the other his contemporary who has lived the life he was supposed to live, of course great drama ensues. Oh did I mention the snowstorm? Oh did I mention that he loses one of the writers? Mega fun read especially if you are a writer. It kind of makes fun of writing culture just a little bit. The whole time he was describing these celebrity writers I kept trying to picture who he might really be writing about. The author did indeed work as a media escort so you know the descriptions are based on somebody. If you need a chuckle, and a smile, grab a bowl of strawberry sorbet and settle in with After the Workshop. Until next time.

Loosing Lost

Look at me, I finally figured out how to upload pictures. So appropriate as now I can say good-bye to my friends properly.
I will miss you Lost and can't wait to figure out what secrets you will reveal tonight. (Although I am not looking forward to staying up so late.) Sawyer, you're so hot will you settled down? Kate, our little jailbird will you find some peace? Jack will you stop trying to save the world and try to save yourself? Hurley, if being on an island can't help you lose weight not sure what will but God bless you.

If you haven't watched Lost, now is a good time to begin with Season 1 on DVD and just plow straight through. Here are some other good shows that I was sad to say good-bye to. Check them out if you haven't already. Gotta go take a power nap and get ready for tonight. Until next time.

1) Sopranos
2) The Wire
3) Six Feet Under
4) Alias

Happy is the New Black

Howdy folks. Call me crazy, but I'm a happy girl. I heard back from the agent I've been waiting to hear from. It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no. It was a very positive response so I'm stoked!! (Does anyone really say stoked anymore?) I have butterflies in my tummy because I feel like this is a big step in the right direction. I have felt so stalled, like nothing was happening. I have been writing and writing but so unsure of if I was even going anywhere. It just feels so good to take a big "mother-may-I" step forward. So I'm happy and that gives me such an energetic buzz. Have a great weekend folks.

Picture Book Reviews

I need to desperately get my head out of 1942 Poland. Here are some picture books I've read recently that made me smile.

Orange Peel's Pocket: The main character (nicknamed Orange Peel) is adopted from China. At school when they begin studying China of course all eyes fall on her. They begin peppering her with questions "what's it like, what do they eat etc. Of course Orange Peel has no idea since she has lived in the United States her whole life. After school she sets off to talk to people who she knows lived in China. Each adult slips a special trinket in her pocket when she's not looking. I just love this story for a couple of reasons. In my mommy circle, I have several friends who have adopted children(who look nothing like the parents) so I really like to see that represented in books. Kids should always be able to find characters in a book that resemble them in some way or another. It is also just sweet and lyrical. Well done Rose Lewis!!

Gumption: Uncle Nigel takes Peter on an African safari in search of a rare gorilla. Of course this trip has many obstacles to which Uncle Nigel always replies "All it takes is a bit of gumption." This story and the illustrations made me laugh. It is a story kids will love because the illustrations show a story within a story of what happens to poor Peter along the wayand we see Uncle Nigel as the clueless grown up who misses all the signs that they have been close to the animals all along. Written by Elise Broach

Boys of Steel:  Since I have been writing a non-fiction manuscript, I of course had to read some juvenile biographies. This book tells the back story of the creators of Superman which is just fascinating. I would imagine if you have a school age son who has to do some sort of biography project this would be a book they could sink their teeth into. Unfortunately the back story is actually very heartbreaking as the creators never really saw the money they should have for such an iconic American figure that they created. Written by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Extra Goodies:
My Garden
My Friend Maya Loves to Dance
A Penguin Story
Little Piano Girl

Enjoy my friends. Until next time.

Ta-Da

I just hit print for my non-fiction manuscript. Yipee!!!! I finished my first draft and I like to print out a copy and get my trusty pencil and go to town revising. I had lunch on Saturday with my BFF, CBW. (If you don't know who that is you should read my blog more.) We had a great time and she gave me some terrific advice. I was telling her about my project and she said it sounded like a great idea (kick-ass) but that I should stop researching because I had enough and start writing. She said it was important to get it out there before someone else does first. So I came home put my butt in a chair and got to work. It was so much fun. Seems easier than writing fiction. All the information was there, I just had to organize it and make it my own(as they say on American Idol). I'm really happy to have it "done". It always feels really good to have a first draft in your hands, no matter how awful it is because at least you will have something to work with. I'm still waiting to hear back from the agent I sent my stuff to. Why oh why does it take so long? I'm so not ready to begin my agent search again. Anywho, It is 6:40 a.m. and I'm sure my little monsters will be awake any second now. Until next time.

I Lurve This

Wish my ride was this cool. Check out the swagger wagon. This is totally random, but totally hysterical. Hope it starts your Monday morning off with a laugh!!!!!!!! Happy 5th Birthday Youtube!! Until next time.

Happy Friday

I am up to my eyeballs in research right now. I'm working on my first non-fiction manuscript and I have been researching the Holocaust. I'm writing about someones life (not Anne Frank) and in order to understand you really have to dig deep into that time period. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around everything because it just seems to implausible. How on earth could this have really happened? But as we know, it was real. I personally know it was real because someone very dear to me actually survived Auschwitz. So I have grown up with the knowledge of what the Holocaust did, however it is not until you really start to research do you realize the true horrors. I have been reading a lot of first hand accounts and it is so interesting to see the two sides of the coin. Those people who allowed the war to turn them into monsters, and then those who rose above and saved lives.

Anywho, in the midst of all that I'm reading a super fun book. If you are a writer I highly recommend it. It kind of pokes fun at all of us. After the Workshop is about a guy who attended the prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop. Cut to 12 years later and his great American novel lives in a box under his bed. He pays the bills by being a media escort, basically driving around celebrity writers. It is a fast funny read, but I will give a complete review in a few days. Happy Friday friends. Until next time!!

Crazy Comes in All Colors

Stumbled upon an interesting blog. Check out Acting White. This particular post is about a high school principal that created a blacks only field trip at his school. CRAZY!!!!! Until next time.

My TBR List

Sorry I haven't posted any book reviews lately. I have been so busy. I'm working on a non-fiction manuscript so I have been doing a lot of research. I've also been doing a little personal research on (wait for it) coupons. I know it sounds lame and it feels lame but I spend way too much money on groceries. I'm currently reading
The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half by Stephanie Nelson. It is very informative and I will let you know when I start spending .50 cents for $200 worth of groceries!!

Anywho, to tide you over, here are the books on my to be read list. Until next time.

After the Workshop
The Irresistible Henry House
The Solitude of Prime Numbers
We Were Here
The Lonely Polygamist
The Slap
Bleeding Violet

The Margie Mystery

It may not be as exciting as learning what the smoke monster on Lost was, but here is the end to all your head scratching. What is Margie's rose? Well, I'm the rose and Margie was my mother. I kind of got the inspiration from Carol's Daughter. My mother suddenly passed away when I was 21. (By the by, it is really not polite to ask people how someone died. It is kind of nosy and morbid.) My mother was a woman who always dreamed big but had some health issues and wasn't able to achieve a lot of those dreams. One of her favorite things to do however was work in her garden. My house was usually the envy of the neighborhood. We had roses, pear trees and all kinds of flowers that I have no idea what they were called. (Sorry Mom the gardening gene must have skipped over me.) When Obama became president I thought a lot about how much my mom would have enjoyed seeing that dream come true. I also thought a lot about how First Ladies get a rose named after them. When it came time to choose my domain name, I picked Margiesrose as a way to honor my mother. Hopefully she is in heaven smiling at me (and probably laughing at me as I'm pulling my hair out dealing with my kids) as I work so hard to achieve my dreams. It helps me feel like she is still a part of my life and still right there beside me, proud of me as I continue on my writing journey, my mothering journey and occasionally my gardening journey. I love you Mom and happy mother's day to all of my cyber mommy friends out there. Until next time.

Habla Espanol??

Hola Amigos!! I'm attempting to teach myself Spanish. I have always wanted to learn and since I feel the need to create some new wrinkles in my brain I thought I would try. I've also heard that the earlier you expose your children to a second language the easier acquiring another language will be. So I have been listening to a great CD series in the car. I highly recommend it. I'm having a lot of fun learning and the kids are even getting into it. I also discovered a great picture book series by Susan Middleton Elya. The first one is called Oh No! Gotta Go.  It is a fun book about a little girl whose gotta go!! It is a rhyming picture book written in English with some spanish vocabulary included. It is very clever and the kids quickly understood that the little girl needed un bano.

Hope you enjoyed your Cinco De Mayo! Until next time. Adios!!

Happy Tuesday

Not much to report on today, but I of course had to check in on all my cyber BFF's.

I got my application off to Rutgers. HIP HOP HOORAY!!!!!!! It wasn't due until June 15 but they say it is better to get it in early. Hopefully I scored some major extra points.

I just finished rereading Water For Elephants. Such a great book. I'm surprised it hasn't been made into a movie. It is all about sex, love and elephants. (Although not about elephant sex or love.) I have a nice stack of books on my bedside table. I guess my reading drought is over. Thanks to Ari and Doret for some great recommendations. By the by, if you guys want to share some of your ARC love feel free!!

I also have a stack of brand new picture books on my writing desk. I'm feeling more inspired and trying terribly to not let my Negative Nelly (you know the voice that tells you you suck) to bring me down. I've written a new story that I'm excited about. Of course it is in the first draft stages, but at least it is on the page. That is half the battle right?

Have a great day everyone and hopefully I will have some book reviews for you soon. Until next time.

Bite by Bite, Bird by Bird

I've started a new thing this week which has been pretty successful. As you know I'm a stay-at-home mom. My children are up at 6:30 a.m (I'm a morning person, so I get up at 5:00 a.m. to do a little yoga and write.)and with me all day (no naps) until they are in bed by 7:30pm. It is a long exhausting day. Anywho, not alot of time for myself or to get things done. My 2 1/2 year old still thinks he needs to be attached to me so I barely go to the bathroom by myself. This week I started setting small daily goals for myself. One small writing goal like fix one verse in my rhyming picture book, or how can I strengthen my opening sentence in another manuscript. I also have one small household goal like clean the upstairs bathroom, or vacumn the downstairs. It doesn't mean that I don't get other things done, but it is nice to have that feeling of achievement when I can cross off those two goals for the day. Otherwise I was getting really overwhelmed with everything. So I'm just taking things bite by bite or as Ann Lamott puts it bird by bird.

" My younger brother who was ten years old at the time was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three mombths to write, which was due the next day. We were at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird."

Hope you find a way to take things bird by bird as well. Until next time.