My Writing Book of the Day: Take Joy, by Jane Yolen. Jane debunks the myth that writers must be miserable. Yay! Because, really, who wants to be around miserable writers? And read their work? Quick quote: “Serendipity is not so simple as luck. It is the result of a conscious forging of links. The writer becomes a participant in each act of happy accident.” (I’m sharing a favorite writing book every day for a bit in case you need ideas for your holiday gift list–or want to buy a gift for yourself!)
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I’ve shared tips before about conferences and have some more to share soon, but this is the number one thing that makes my conferences like NCTE or ALA a wonderful experience: generosity.
I do try to accomplish a lot for myself and my career at these events, but remembering to be generous makes the whole thing better! Here are just a few examples, big and small,?of people’s generosity to me at the recent NCTE in Las Vegas. And there were many, many more!
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt sent me to Vegas, covering my costs, setting me up to participate in various things, and making sure I had everything I needed to be successful and help share BookSpeak. They even allowed me to do a signing for another publisher. And while it might be easier for them to justify this since BookSpeak has gotten some nice notice, they were just as generous in helping me promote Stampede (which flew fairly low under the radar!).
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Lerner sent me a lovely box of handcrafted chocolates from the Joel Robuchon restaurant. Oh my. And they hosted a signing of A Leaf Can Be… for me.
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Janet Wong introduced me to an educator and talked up BookSpeak, even as I was starting to scuttle away so as not to intrude on their conversation.
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Janet Fagal and Amy Ludwig Vanderwater helped me brainstorm ways to meet some of my NCTE goals (more on those in a future post).
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Publishers shared free books with me. Yes, I know they are hoping I will help spread the word. But how lovely was it to leave with an ARC of Marilyn Singer’s Follow Follow (her follow-up to Mirror Mirror), and copies of David Harrison’s Cowboys and J. Pat Lewis’ If You Were a Chocolate Mustache?
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Irene Latham, Amy, Janet, and several other writer friends stopped by my signings to lend support, whether they already had my books or not.
When you are not a big name anybody, it can feel intimidating to try to be generous. Who cares what I have to say? But I’m learning that a generous spirit doesn’t need a big name behind it.
Here are a few small ways I tried to be generous in Vegas:
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Janet Wong signs Me and Rolly Maloo for my niece Stopped by the signings of several writer friends, sometimes buying a book.
- Talked up writers and their books to various marketing personnel manning the publisher booths.
- Told the publisher of Clarion, who was with me for my signing, what a wonderful speaker Amy Ludwig Vanderwater was and how great she was going to be at helping to promote her forthcoming Clarion book.
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Recommended many of my personal favorite books to educators at sessions.
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Made it a point to personally thank some of the terrific educators who have been lovely about spreading the word about my books.
- Recorded on my iPhone the booktalks about a few books by writers I know and then sent them the booktalks after the conference.
I guess my point is that generosity toward other writers and people in the industry is what makes the kidlit world so wonderful. I’m not comfortable “selling” my books to people, but I’ll enthusiastically tell them how much they will love _________ (fill in the blank with whatever book I think that person will love).
I came home from Vegas feeling blessed, both to be on the receiving end of so much generosity and also to feel like I’m finally understanding that I can help other writers through my own small acts, too.
36 Responses
Your generous spirit shines here too, Laura. You can’t imagine how much you’ve done for me personally through your informative posts and 15 WOL encouragement. I have to believe that extends to other readers as well. Congratulations on your growing success!
Thanks, ellie. I’m happy to hear that–and I love seeing your own successes! Ooh, that gives me an idea about having a share your success day here on my blog…Huh. Off to ponder:>)
Your generous spirit shines here too, Laura. You can’t imagine how much you’ve done for me personally through your informative posts and 15 WOL encouragement. I have to believe that extends to other readers as well. Congratulations on your growing success!
Thanks, ellie. I’m happy to hear that–and I love seeing your own successes! Ooh, that gives me an idea about having a share your success day here on my blog…Huh. Off to ponder:>)
Laura, you’re my hero.
Readers, another way Laura is generous is by posting book reviews on Amazon. It may seem a small thing, and that’s precisely why it so often gets overlooked in the mad crunch of other responsibilities. Thank you, Laura, for shining your light and for being the change I know many of us would like to see in the world. xo
Well, shucks. Thanks, Irene! Doing the reviews is a bit hard to keep track of, but it’s my official “generosity practice” toward other writers right now. When I give a book 4 or 5 stars on Goodreads, I try to pop over to Amazon to share the review. I don’t usually tell them or anything, but it’s fun when a writer friend notices I left one:>)
And for your beautiful gift of THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS for each of us on the panel, thank you. It is a treasure.
Laura, you’re my hero.
Readers, another way Laura is generous is by posting book reviews on Amazon. It may seem a small thing, and that’s precisely why it so often gets overlooked in the mad crunch of other responsibilities. Thank you, Laura, for shining your light and for being the change I know many of us would like to see in the world. xo
Well, shucks. Thanks, Irene! Doing the reviews is a bit hard to keep track of, but it’s my official “generosity practice” toward other writers right now. When I give a book 4 or 5 stars on Goodreads, I try to pop over to Amazon to share the review. I don’t usually tell them or anything, but it’s fun when a writer friend notices I left one:>)
And for your beautiful gift of THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS for each of us on the panel, thank you. It is a treasure.
The children’s writing world is such a wonderful, generous place.
So true!
The children’s writing world is such a wonderful, generous place.
So true!
I just wanted to echo your recommendation for Take Joy. This is one of my favorite, favorite writing books.
I am due for a re-read:>) I love small books like this that hold so much wisdom in them!
I just wanted to echo your recommendation for Take Joy. This is one of my favorite, favorite writing books.
I am due for a re-read:>) I love small books like this that hold so much wisdom in them!
Hi Laura,
I wanted to comment the other night when I got your post, but it wouldn’t work. I love your post (just missed typed in “poet”, btw, very easy to do, but sort of apt). Since I met you in Chicago last year for NCTE 11, I have been impressed with your generosity of effort in sharing so much in the literacy world. Your work speaks for you. You also have encouraged me in ways you don’t realize, but not least among them to write and share my first draft poems on Thursdays, so I thank you for that. Also being part of a little community here on the web makes it not so scary to share. My own blog will begin in January. I will get inspiration from you, and how you do things, too! I just got my second ARC from HMH! (First was Poetry Friday Anthology!) I am loving Gone Fishing and it was all because of meeting the rep at your book signing for Bookspeak! I should have gotten a photo with you. Our librarian LOVED the copy I got for our school. I think that is something I am going to write about. Maybe at conferences each teacher could get one book out of the many they buy/receive to donate to their school library! That is a way to grow readership especially for books of poetry!! I have been doing that for my school. Now that I don’t have a classroom, it is easier to part with my books. I wish the world was filled with more people like you, Laura! I learn from you all the time.
Thanks so much, Janet! I agree–feeling part of a community gives us all bravery, bravery that we need and deserve. Happy to hear you’re starting a blog. You have so much enthusiasm and so many great ideas–that will be terrific for you to have a place to regularly share with teachers! I wish I had taken more pics at NCTE or me with other people. I always feel awkward, but then I see pics all over of “me with my editor,” and “here I am with teacher so and so,” and I think, I should have done that! Thanks again for your very kind words!
Hi Laura,
I wanted to comment the other night when I got your post, but it wouldn’t work. I love your post (just missed typed in “poet”, btw, very easy to do, but sort of apt). Since I met you in Chicago last year for NCTE 11, I have been impressed with your generosity of effort in sharing so much in the literacy world. Your work speaks for you. You also have encouraged me in ways you don’t realize, but not least among them to write and share my first draft poems on Thursdays, so I thank you for that. Also being part of a little community here on the web makes it not so scary to share. My own blog will begin in January. I will get inspiration from you, and how you do things, too! I just got my second ARC from HMH! (First was Poetry Friday Anthology!) I am loving Gone Fishing and it was all because of meeting the rep at your book signing for Bookspeak! I should have gotten a photo with you. Our librarian LOVED the copy I got for our school. I think that is something I am going to write about. Maybe at conferences each teacher could get one book out of the many they buy/receive to donate to their school library! That is a way to grow readership especially for books of poetry!! I have been doing that for my school. Now that I don’t have a classroom, it is easier to part with my books. I wish the world was filled with more people like you, Laura! I learn from you all the time.
Thanks so much, Janet! I agree–feeling part of a community gives us all bravery, bravery that we need and deserve. Happy to hear you’re starting a blog. You have so much enthusiasm and so many great ideas–that will be terrific for you to have a place to regularly share with teachers! I wish I had taken more pics at NCTE or me with other people. I always feel awkward, but then I see pics all over of “me with my editor,” and “here I am with teacher so and so,” and I think, I should have done that! Thanks again for your very kind words!
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading?
I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog.
Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.
They’re still loading for me, Janina, though the book cover takes a while. I’ll post this on FB and see if I can get a few folks to visit and weigh in.
Hi Janina–I asked and linked on FB, and five folks checked out the post. The pics are loading fine for all of them, and nobody (from that group or any other readers) have mentioned pic problems. Way back when I used to link to pics on Picasa, those urls sometimes changed and I ended up with red Xs where pics should be. But it’s been maybe 4–5 months since I stopped doing that, and I haven’t had anyone else comment on problems with pictures. Sorry!
P.S. Janina, a friend said, “Laura, have them clear their CACHE. Sometimes the cache files get corrupt and the browser isn’t smart enough to reload them.”
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading?
I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog.
Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.
They’re still loading for me, Janina, though the book cover takes a while. I’ll post this on FB and see if I can get a few folks to visit and weigh in.
Hi Janina–I asked and linked on FB, and five folks checked out the post. The pics are loading fine for all of them, and nobody (from that group or any other readers) have mentioned pic problems. Way back when I used to link to pics on Picasa, those urls sometimes changed and I ended up with red Xs where pics should be. But it’s been maybe 4–5 months since I stopped doing that, and I haven’t had anyone else comment on problems with pictures. Sorry!
P.S. Janina, a friend said, “Laura, have them clear their CACHE. Sometimes the cache files get corrupt and the browser isn’t smart enough to reload them.”
Laura, How could I have just seen this post now? Thank you your inspiring and gracious words about conferences and for sharing your gratitude so warmly and openly. I am so grateful for all that you are teaching me and for your kindnesses. I feel lucky to have you as a new friend in this world. xo, a.
Thanks, Amy! I did a teacher inservice yesterday about poetry and wished you were there for us to present together:>) I’ll be at NCTE this fall and hope to see you there again!
Laura, How could I have just seen this post now? Thank you your inspiring and gracious words about conferences and for sharing your gratitude so warmly and openly. I am so grateful for all that you are teaching me and for your kindnesses. I feel lucky to have you as a new friend in this world. xo, a.
Thanks, Amy! I did a teacher inservice yesterday about poetry and wished you were there for us to present together:>) I’ll be at NCTE this fall and hope to see you there again!
THis loaded fine for me just now.
Janet
Thanks, Janet!
THis loaded fine for me just now.
Janet
Thanks, Janet!