Back on Mon. April 22nd

Between travel and work commitments, my online access is going to be sporadic between now and Mon. April 22nd. Have a great week, all!

Survey results: 49% survey respondents feel negatively re: Amazon's acquisition of Goodreads

Last week, I asked you how you felt about Amazon's acquisition of Goodreads.

143 responded: 64% describe yourselves as writer and/or illustrators, 31% are teachers or librarians, 11% are editors, 6% publishers, 2% booksellers. As you can tell from the numbers, some of you wear more than one hat.

The question: Amazon and Goodreads have announced that Amazon will be acquiring the book-based social networking site. How do you feel about it?

What you said:

I posted the survey immediately after the announcement, but I suspect that if I had posted it after Laura Hazard Owen's interview with Amazon and Goodreads, less people would have voted negative. If I was voting? Not sure yet. I love the idea of being able to rate books on Goodreads from my Kindle, but one of the strengths of Goodreads (in terms of brand) was that everyone knew it was indie. This was even more important after all the controversy about Amazon culling book reviews and authors manipulating their Amazon rankings.

According to LHO's interview on Paidcontent, Amazon says that Goodreads will remain an independent subsidiary of Amazon, like IMDB. Thing is, people and sites that use IMDB don't tend to be direct competitors with Amazon. Will all those competing sites/companies be willing to continue supporting Goodreads?

I may post this survey again a year from now, to compare.

And I wouldn't be surprised if, at this very moment, there is someone out there who is working on filling the space left by the Goodreads acquisition: a book reviews site with the potential reach of Goodreads...but that is still independent.

Some comments from survey respondents:

"One of the wonderful things about GoodReads is that it was completely independent of any bookseller, publisher, author and it was reader driven. I could go there and get honest reviews and recommendations without having to worry that they were influenced by the bottom dollar. Now here's another good thing ruined by a major corporation."

"Neutrally optimistic? I don't much care, it might be a little interesting from the outside. I don't use GoodReads, though I have an account, and I use Kindle very little - no gadget and I tend to read through calibre or FBReader rather than the app."

"My worry is Amazon is already the thousand pound gorilla in this industry and readers, and especially writers, need some independent tools. Goodreads has been a reliable one of these, precisely because it isn't a direct seller, so it maintains independence. Losing this is a shame."

"People have pointed out that Amazon does not have a history of buying companies and then running them into the ground like other large companies, so I'm holding out hope for goodreads (which I just recommended to some of my students)."

"Will wait to see what changes are made. There have been a lot of complaints about issues at Goodreads. They might be fixed now, might be better or worse. BUT.. I wish esp. writers/pubs would stop the OMG the sky is falling everytime Amazon farts. If it was Apple or B&N there would have been silence. It gets really old."

"So far, they haven't ruined my fave bookstore, The Book Depository, and I was greatly afraid when they bought that. I only use Goodreads to really keep track of my reading... ...however, I'm not keen on Amazon buying just everything - that doesn't make me very happy - but it's a good excuse to gracefully bow out of Goodreads; I cannot STAND the whole Amazon rating/review things, and the crazy it inspires in authors, and if that's coming to town, I'm out."

"If I wanted to review books for Amazon I would. If I wanted Amazon to mine my data and reading habits I'd have a kindle."

"It all depends on whether Amazon changes or limits the experience."

"Cautious, sad they're only taking care of Kindles."

"Cautiously pessimistic?"

"They'll probably want to link everything to one profile--all my reviews and conversations. Just as they want to link my kindle! I don't want my book reviews linked to the stuff I write about vacuum cleaners or underwear. Bah."

"Best-case scenario: the acquisition will be a positive one for those who already use Amazon and have Kindles, and that it won't affect those of us who only use Goodreads at all. But I'll still be keeping an ear to the ground about possible replacements, just in case Amazon makes too many sweeping changes to what is a great site as-is."

"I don't trust Amazon. The jury is out. I'm concerned."

---------------------------------

Also see my other Inkygirl surveys.

Amazon To Acquire Goodreads

Amazon has just announced that it's reached an agreement acquire book-based social network Goodreads for an undisclosed amount. How do you feel about this? Answer via this quickie 2-question survey, multiple choice and anonymous. Anyone who answers will be able to see survey results so far.

Also see other Inkygirl surveys and survey results.

Update on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 6:20 PM by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Laura Hazard Owen of PaidContent just posted an interview with Amazon and Goodreads about the acquisition of the latter.

Comic: The Wrong Time To Query An Editor

Any other comic geeks out there? You need to get OOKLA THE MOK VS EVIL

Above: cover for Ookla The Mok's new album, OOKLA THE MOK VS EVIL. Cover art illustration by Art Baltazar, an American comic book artist whose Tiny Titans won the 2011 Eisner Award For Best Publication For Kids.

I've known Rand Bellavia and Adam English of Ookla The Mok for many years; my music group (Urban Tapestry) and Ookla (they were just called Rand and Adam back then) became friends when we were both just starting out. Our paths don't tend to cross that often anymore, but we're looking forward to seeing them both next month at FilKONtario. If you don't know what filk is, feel free to check out my What Is Filk? post.

Anyway, this album has been playing nonstop in my basement office for the past month.

I used to read & collect print comics (Dr. Strange, Power Pack, Elektra, The Dark Knight, Swamp Thing, Elfquest, Chester Brown, Seth, others) until I started to rethink (1) the amount of money I was spending, and (2) the amount of storage space I had. I gave most of my comics to a friend who was thinking of starting up a comics library, but I did save some of my favorites as well as buying compilations to replace some individual issues. I still read comics, but mostly digitally.

Anyway, OOKLA THE MOK VS EVIL is pure fun, focusing entirely on Evil and Bad Guys. Tons of geek culture references throughout, not just from comics but also other media, from Stars Wars to Disney to Doctor Who. Catchy earworm melodies and strong lyrics make this a must-have album for the comics fan.

You can download the lyrics from OOKLA THE MOK VS EVIL from the Ookla The Mok website, and you can listen to the entire album before buying.

Sidenote: Rand is a librarian! Or rather, a Library Director. You can listen to a song I wrote for him many years ago: Library Boy.

Related links:

Ookla The Mok official website

Ookla The Mok Facebook page

Review: Ookla The Mok Vs Evil (Word Of The Nerd)

Ookla The Mok on CDBaby | Ookla The Mok On Amazon | Ookla The Mok On iTunes

2013 Keep Toronto Reading: If I Could Save One Book.... #KeepTorontoReading

To help support the Toronto Public Library's "Keep Toronto Reading 2013" campaign, I created the video above. 

The question: If the library was burning, which book would YOU save?

Join Toronto's One Book city-wide book club (hey, you don't HAVE to be in Toronto to enjoy the book) and read Ray Bradbury's classic novel, Farenheit 451. Then take part in one of the city-wide events during April: see the Toronto Public Library's Keep Toronto Reading 2013 page.

Comic: The Book Title

This comic was inspired by a post by the anonymous Intern years ago, before she came out as her true self: Hilary T. Smith, author of the upcoming WILD AWAKE (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins). See my recent interview with Hilary. Thanks to Hilary for permission to re-post the comic.

Comic: Bookworm Kid

Comic: Creative Procrastination

Comic use policy.

Comic: Coffee Stain Breakup

Comic use policy.

No illustrator track at Niagara Writer Retreat/Conference this year

A while back, I mentioned that I was going to be on the faculty at the  Niagara Retreat and Conference this coming May. Not enough illustrators signed up to warrant keeping the Illustrator track, so the conference has decided to drop that part of the programming. 

For those who signed up for my one-on-one Platform Critiques, I'll still be honouring those via Skype chat.

Disappointed that I won't be attending this year, but I still heartily recommend this event for anyone interested in writing for young people. Check out the all-star faculty:

Susan Rich: Editor-at-Large for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Susan Hawk: The Bent Agency

Sara Zarr, YA author (From Debbie: I'm still hoping to get my Sara Zarr books autographed someday!)

Ellen Hopkins, YA author

Kimberley Griffiths-Little, MG and YA author

Lorin Oberweger, freelance editor

Roman White, director & author

Laura Biagi, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency Inc.

More info about the conference and how to register at their website:

http://niagararetreatandconference.com

The Niagara Writer/Illustrator Retreat & Conference Facebook Page

Looking forward to reading these Sara Zarr books

I've been wanting to read Sara Zarr's books ever since hearing her speak at the SCBWI Winter Conference in 2011. I was blown away and inspired by her closing keynote (you can read about it on the SCBWI Conference blog). I generally have way too many books on my "really want to read someday" list, however, and it was only recently that I bought Sara's first book, STORY OF A GIRL.

I'm only halfway through the book but love the writing so much that I had to buy two more of Sara's books: How To Save A Life and Once Was Lost. Looking forward to reading both.

I tend to get most of my MG and YA novels in ebook form because that's how I do most of my reading these days, but I bought these in print because I was planning to get them autographed at the Niagara Retreat/Conference. Unfortunately the conference has had to cancel its illustrator track, but I'm still hoping to get the books signed in person by Sara someday. :-)

fAiRy gOdSiStErS iNk 6th Annual SCBWI Summer Conference Scholarship - Deadline: April 15th

[Note from Debbie: The fAiRy gOdSiStErS are right -- this conference can definitely be a career-changer. It was for me. Lee Wardlaw (bottom left in the photo) was the one who first told me about the SCBWI, and I'll always be grateful. Lee was also my very first writing mentor, and introduced me to her agent...Ginger is now my agent as well. :-) THANK YOU, LEE!!]

::::: fAiRy gOdSiStErS iNk :::::

has announced their 6th annual SCBWI Summer Conference Scholarship!

wHo can apply: YOU with your shiny SCBWI membership (Make haste to www.scbwi.org to join/renew if needed)

wHaT: $1,000.00 toward conference tuition, manuscript or portfolio critique, and a bit of mad money during your LA stay.

wHeN: Conference runs from August 2 -5, 2013

wHeRe: The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles CA

wHy: We are five very fortunate authors for children and young adults who have been generously mentored, guided and supported by a host of talented individuals. We can't think of a better way to thank them than by easing the way for others. The National Conference is a game-changer.

hOw: To enter, write at least one but no more than three haiku telling us why we should pick you for this year's conference. (A haiku is a three-line poem, featuring a total of 17 syllables: 5 in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 again in the third.) Have some fun with this!

Email your entry to fairygodsistersink@gmail.com by April 15th. Winners will be announced on May 1st. Questions, just ask! Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fairygodsistersink

Please feel free to share this info with your SCBWI buddies everywhere.

Best of luck to you all!

Mary Hershey, Lee Wardlaw, Val Hobbs, Thalia Chaltas, Robin LaFevers

Writers, illustrators and Twitter's Vine app

Evolution of an I'M BORED illustration in 6 sec video. vine.co/v/bp7AQAg3pwd

— Debbie Ridpath Ohi (@inkyelbows) March 17, 2013

(To stop the video above from repeating, just click on the image. To hear my riveting narration, click on the speaker icon.)

I recently downloaded the Vine app on my iPhone after hearing a lot of buzz about it. Vine is an app by Twitter that enables users to easily create short video (max 6 seconds) that they can share on social media like Twitter and Facebook. It's sort of a cross between YouTube and Twitter, and has a clever interface that's easy to use.

Videos will automatically start playing when you start browsing Vine, but you can pause any video by just tapping on it. Videos are on repeat play -- this may sound odd and possibly annoying, but once you start using Vine you realize it's for the user convenience. Since the videos are max 6 seconds long, chances are good that you'll want to view a video at least twice. Recording a video is also super-easy -- you just tap and hold the screen to record.

Some are experimenting with stop-motion animation. Labor-intensive, sure, but it's only for max 6 seconds. Knowing that, even I will probably give it a shot in the future. :-)

I've noticed a number of children's book publishers, teachers, librarians, authors and illustrators join Vine since it launched, though most have either not posted any videos yet or have only posted one or two test vids. It's not yet clear whether Vine is going to take off. The interface needs some work (there is currently no way to share someone else's video directly from the app) but I'm sure updates are coming.

It seems like the kind of app that could be a hit with younger readers, especially teens, once a few more features are added. Vine could be a great way for children's/YA book authors and illustrators to connect with their audience.

The other reason I joined: it's fun. :-) One of my favorite follows is Jed Whedon, who is the brother of producer/director/writer Joss Whedon, who has been posting mini-movies, musical clips and other interesting Vine experiments. Once Vine makes it easier to link directly to individual videos and userfeeds, I'll list some kidlit/YA favorite follows as well.

If you do join Vine, feel free to follow me at "Debbie Ohi."

I'll be posting a follow-up later this year to let you all know if I'm sticking with Vine and why (or why not).

RELATED INFORMATION:

Twitter's Vine Help page

How Writers & Readers Can Use Twitter's Vine - by Sherri Rosen

Promote Your Book With Micro-Videos Via Vine - by Chris Robley

5 Things To Know As You Get Started With Vine - by Sharon Vaknin

It's official: Just received contracts for RUBY ROSE books!

Last year, I mentioned that I was going to be illustrating two picture books by Rob Sanders for HarperCollins.

Then Rob and I found out that his editor, Maria Modugno, was leaving HarperCollins to join Random House. Since I still hadn't received the contracts, I didn't know what would happen. Would the new editor prefer a different illustrator?

Margaret Anastas was named the new editor and happily, she still wanted me as the illustrator for Rob's books. Yay! The fully executed/signed contracts arrived this week:

The first book is called RUBY ROSE ON HER TOES, and is a fun story about a little girl who loves to dance. You can read more about Rob's story on his website. I was delighted when HarperCollins sent me the mss -- those familiar with my Daily Doodles already know how much I love to draw dancing children, adults and creatures.

Margaret invited me to come visit HarperCollins earlier this year, and I enjoyed meeting her and Jeanne Hogle. Here are some photos:

Margaret Anastas & Jeanne Hogle

Visiting HarperCollins (NYC) for the first time

Thanks to Jeanne Hogle for taking the photo above

They haven't named an art director for the project yet. Final art for the first RUBY ROSE book is due October 2014. Before then, I'll be finishing the illustrations for NAKED! (picture book by Michael Ian Black, published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in Summer 2014) and as well as a yet-untitled picture book that I'm writing AND illustrating (Simon & Schuster BFYR, Spring 2015).

Thanks so much to my agent at Curtis Brown, Ginger Knowlton, for all her help.

I'm so looking forward to working on RUBY ROSE!

Jimmy Fallon, Twitter and book recommendations (and some Twitter tips for authors and publishers)

 Earlier this week, late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon posted the following on Twitter:

A few minutes later:

Note the smart use of a hashtag, enabling others to browse book suggestions as well. Then he posted his updated list:

I love this. :-D And I've added a few books to my wish list as a result.

Then Michael Ian Black (author of I'M BORED, the picture book I illustrated last year for Simon & Schuster BFYR) and some of his Twitter followers suggested to Jimmy that he should buy Michael's book, YOU'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT. If I had been online at that point, I would have been tweeting as well -- I *love* that book.

Anyway, it worked:

Jimmy Fallon may not be the first talk show host you think of when looking for book recommendations, but the exchange above -and especially the books he ended up choosing- made me more curious about the books that he's written himself (including a picture book!) as well as admire his Twitter savvy, including:

-- He knows how to engage his audience.

-- He used a unique hashtag to make it easier for his followers to see the rest of the conversation.

-- He uses images in his tweets to add visual interest and variety.

Even if you're not a famous talk show host, there's a lot that publishers and authors can learn from the exchange above. For more tips on using Twitter, see my Writer's Guide To Twitter.

Publishing with Skyscape/Amazon Children's: An Interview With Leslie Stella, YA author of PERMANENT RECORD

Leslie Stella is the author of three novels of contemporary adult fiction and (launching this week!) her first novel for young adults, Permanent Record, Amazon Children's new Skyscape imprint. 

Plot summary for Permanent Record:

For sixteen-year-old Badi Hessamizadeh, life is a series of public humiliations. After withdrawing from school under mysterious circumstances, Badi enters Magnificat Academy. To make things “easier,” his dad has even given him a new name: Bud Hess. Bullied and misunderstood, Bud is an outcast who copes by resorting to small revenges and covert acts of defiance, but the pressures of his home life, plummeting grades, and the unrequited affection of his new friend, Nikki, prime him for a more dangerous revolution. Strange letters to the editor begin to appear in Magnificat’s newspaper, hinting that some tragedy will befall the school. Suspicion falls on Bud, and he and Nikki race to uncover the real culprit and clear Bud’s name before it is too late.

Q. Congrats on your upcoming Amazon Children's book, PERMANENT RECORD! How did the project happen?

The short answer is, “I wrote the book in about 6 months, and it sold in about 6 months.” The long answer is, “It took me 8 years to write this book, and 8 years to get it published.” My publishing history is an interesting one and provides a cautionary tale for authors who think they only need to get an agent or sell one book in order to have made it.

I had three novels of contemporary adult fiction published between 2001-2005. After that I wrote three more novels that went nowhere and still haunt my hard drive. In fact, there was a very dark day in November 2005, where I woke up as the author of three published novels awaiting word on the acquisition of my fourth, and went to bed having been dumped by both my publisher and my agent. No contract and, as it seemed then, no future.

I made mistakes: I wrote trying to appease the market, for one thing. I wrote trying to appease my publisher. I wrote without much thought about what I wanted to write, but only about what I thought others wanted to see, or what would sell. Guess what? It didn’t sell! By the time 2010 rolled around, I had given up on ever being published again. But I had not given up on writing. So I wrote the book I wanted to read, and that was PERMANENT RECORD. And that’s the book that sold.

Q. How did you sell PERMANENT RECORD?

My fantastic agent, Lucy Childs with the Aaron Priest Literary Agency, had originally sold the book to Marshall Cavendish Children’s Publishers in summer of 2011. In 2012, Marshall Cavendish Children’s was acquired by Amazon Children’s Publishing—a brand-new publishing division of Amazon. We Marshall Cavendish authors (including their entire backlist and upcoming titles like mine) just went with the flow. This year, Amazon Children’s has divided up into two imprints, Two Lions (which publishes picture books and books for young readers) and Skyscape (my publisher, which is dedicated solely to young adult books). Publishing is a constantly changing industry, never more than today.

Q. What has working with Amazon Children's been like?

Leslie's workspace. "My "office" is in the foyer of my house. There's a box of ARCs shoved behind my desk, you can just see them peeking out."I was lucky to keep my same editor from Marshall Cavendish, Robin Benjamin. I believe that all the Marshall Cavendish authors continued working with our own editors after the acquisition, so editorially speaking, it was pretty seamless. Robin and I still worked together on the manuscript just as we had begun to do before Amazon bought the imprint. Robin is really a superb editor, and her edits and suggestions made PERMANENT RECORD a much better, tighter novel. I am definitely a writer who needs an editor; it is too hard, after working on something for months or longer, to see the work as it is, or as it should be. Robin is diplomatic and intelligent; she could see what was working in terms of pacing and characterization and what wasn’t, and her suggestions were all spot-on. I cannot overstress the importance of professional editing! With the right editor, you gain a partnership that will only improve your book.

It has been wonderful working with the whole Amazon Children’s team, particularly my publisher, Tim Ditlow. They are so hands-on and so personally invested in the success of their list. The vision they have for the future of publishing is strong and current and, most of all, rooted in a love of books.

"How I determine major plot points."

"Does it work?"

Q. What's next for you?

YA is where I feel that I belong and where I want to stay. I have finished my next YA novel, and I will post publication info about it on my website when the contract is final. In the meantime, I post embarrassing stories about myself on my website and Facebook.

Q. Where can people find you?

I am always glad to hear from readers, and I write back to everyone.

Website: www.lesliestella.com

Twitter: @leslie_stella

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeslieStella11

------
Also see other Inkygirl Interviews.

Interview with Hilary T. Smith, WILD AWAKE author & former anonymous INTERN blogger

WILD AWAKE debuts from Katherine Tegen Books/Harpercollins on May 28, 2013.

I was a big fan of INTERN, a blog by an anonymous publishing intern. Not only was it an intriguing glimpse into the industry, but I loved the writing style: snarky, funny, introspective.

At Molly O'Neill's session at SCBWI-NYC, I was excited to discover that former INTERN Hilary Smith had a debut YA coming out from Katherine Tegen Books this May. Molly kindly let me have an ARC and I started reading WILD AWAKE while waiting at LaGuardia for my flight back home. Didn't (couldn't) stop reading until I finished the book just as the plane was landing. 

Loveditloveditlovedit. What did I love most?

Kiri's narrative voice. Honest, funny, cynical, engaging. I felt as if I truly was inside Kiri's head. 

Moments of emotional truth. There were so many times when I connected strongly with something Kiri thought or how she expressed her experience. 

Kiri's messed up and confused, but that's another reason I enjoyed this book. So many times I read stories in which the characters are a little too perfect, too clever. Kiri, on the other hand, changes her mind, flipflops between joy and angst, is an emotional rollercoaster. In other words, she's truly a teen.

I also connected with Kiri's musical background. I took piano lessons through the ARCT level, gave recitals, used to have to practice for hours every day, sometimes vented/grieved through my music at times in my life.

So many reasons to love this book, and I'm looking forward to a reread in the future. WILD AWAKE is an exhilarating and totally absorbing gem of a story.

---

Follow Hilary on Twitter at @HilaryTSmithPlot summary of WILD AWAKE, from Powells.com:

"Seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd has big plans for her summer without parents. She intends to devote herself to her music and win the Battle of the Bands with her bandmate and best friend, Lukas. But a phone call from a stranger claiming to have some of her dead sister's belongings shatters Kiri's plans. This call throws Kiri into a spiral of chaos that opens old wounds and new mysteries. Like If I Stay and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Wild Awake explores loss, love, and what it means to be alive."

Q. Why did you start INTERN? What made you decide to go public? How did/does your publisher feel about your INTERN posts?

I started INTERN to rustle up some editing work to support my unpaid self during the internships. Of course, it quickly turned into much more than that—a fabulous adventure I could never have predicted—but on the day I registered the blogger domain, I was a 23 year old with big city rent to pay and a salary of precisely zero. The idea of finding random jobs to support my publishing internships sounded both exhausting and inefficient to me—here I was learning all this useful stuff, and surely that wasn't worth nothing. So I started writing about what I was learning, and things snowballed from there.

Going public with my "true" identity was never in question after WILD AWAKE sold. Over the years, I've gotten to be friends with so many readers—it would be downright pathological to shut them out from my books for the sake of a secret identity. My publisher was (obviously) pleased that I was coming in to the deal with some sort of audience, just like any other platform. I hate that word, by the way—platform! It sounds so flimsy and shrill. If you want to have a conversation, fine; but let's put this platform-for-the-sake-of-platform nonsense to bed.

Q. How did WILD AWAKE get published?

When I started writing WILD AWAKE, I was very active as INTERN, and INTERN had been getting feeler e-mails from various agents and publishing types for some time. So even though I did go through the whole process of querying agents and going on submission, it was with this lucky star in my pocket.

Ironically, now that I've published a novel, I feel quite tongue-tied when it comes to blogging. INTERN was so confident in her insights; she made everything seem so straightforward. Since writing WILD AWAKE I've started to question a lot of things, with the result that I now feel like a complete imposter if I try to write posts like INTERN did. 10 Reasons to Revise That Scene? More like Let Us Question Our Motivations for Writing Scenes in the First Place, While Feeling Deeply Anxious About Reality.

So while I have an intense desire to continue the conversation with my INTERN readers, I've almost been in hiding—I've been afraid to come back onto the blogosphere like some deranged cat lady, flailing my arms and talking about all the weird stuff in my head that can't be translated into publishing advice.

"View inside the writing fort I built inside the dark, mouldy, and mournful studio apartment in which I did some of the revisions."

Q. What was your writing process for WILD AWAKE?

I don't remember.

No, seriously—for me, writing and revising a novel takes so long that by the time I am sitting around answering interview questions, I literally have no recollection of writing the early drafts.

One thing I can tell you is that for the 75,000 words in the final book version of WILD AWAKE, I wrote something like 300,000 words in cut scenes, rewrites, alternative beginnings and endings, plus a few redundant characters and subplots for good measure. Now when I get frustrated with myself for how slowly or messily my current manuscript is going, it helps me to remember that figure. Sometimes, you don't get things right on the first try—and it takes a lot of passes to uncover a story in all its layers.

One of the most important things my editor did for me with WILD AWAKE was to help me gauge when something was ringing true, and when I needed to go back to the drawing board. It was extraordinarily helpful to have someone say "not quite, try again" but also "stop—that's the one!" Over-revision can be just as much of a demon as under-revision, and a good editor can help you identify both.

"The camper van in which I wrote the early drafts of WILD AWAKE. In chronological order, I wrote WA in a shared house, a camper van, a cabin on a ranch, a forest cottage on an island, a dark and mournful studio in a trailer park, and a cabin at a permaculture farm. Needless to say, I am rootless..."

Q. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Be a fountain, not a factory. Remember when you used to write letters to penpals, silly notes to friends, scraps of poems in the margins of your notebooks, when your hard drive was cluttered with hundreds of random Word documents with nothing more than a paragraph or even a sentence of divinely inspired madness—that delightful all-flowing time before you became A Writer With A Book Deal and decided you needed to Be More Disciplined.

Let writing exude from your pores. Don't clamp down. Don't say, "I am a YA writer and must act like one." Don't say, "I don't have time for silly notes anymore, because I must focus on the Manuscript."

One of the enormous and heartbreaking mistakes I've made this past year has been to clamp down in exactly this way. I stopped giving myself permission to burble when I got the book deal. Suddenly, everything I wrote had to be Useful. It had to serve a Purpose. It had to be Worthwhile. Barking at your creative self to be more Useful and Worthwhile is about the fastest way to make it roll over dead. You'll steamroll over the very things good writing most requires.

Fill your hard drive with random Word documents. Scribble silly notes. Keep burbling. Don't clamp down.

Q. What are you working on now? Any other upcoming events or other info you'd like to share?

I am writing a second YA novel, the details of which are still secret. Other than that, I am learning to burble again.

Where to find Hilary online:

Her blog: www.hilarytsmith.com  

http://heyireadyourbook.tumblr.com: an informal collection of reader-submitted photographs of WILD AWAKE in the wild.

Twitter: @hilarytsmith

TWEETABLES:

Over-revision, under-revision: a good editor can help identify both. @hilarytsmith (WILD AWAKE) http://bit.ly/15t7ZY8 (Tweet this)

For 75k wds in final WILD AWAKE, YA author @hilarytsmith cut 300k. On revision and process: http://bit.ly/15t7ZY8 (Tweet this)

Writers: Be a fountain, not a factory. Don't clamp down. - @hilarytsmith (WILD AWAKE) http://bit.ly/15t7ZY8 (Tweet this)

 ---------------

Also see other Inkygirl Interviews.

Hanging out with Neil Flambé writer/illustrator Kevin Sylvester

For more info about Kevin Sylvester:

http://kevinsylvesterbooks.com

Interview with Rachel Poloski: Production Associate at Abrams/Amulet Books (and my 24,000th Twitter follower!)

Thanks to Rachel Poloski for being the 24,000th person to follow my @inkyelbows Twitter account. When I went to check her profile, I was intrigued:

Rachel was kind enough to answer some questions for Inkygirl about her work.

Q. Your profile says that you work in production at Abrams on YA and children's books. Could you possibly tell us more?

Of course! I work specifically on Amulet Books, which is an imprint of Abrams focusing on fiction and non-fiction writing for middle grade and young adult readers. I also work on reprints across all the children's imprints; Abrams Books for Young Readers, Appleseed, and Amulet Books.

I like to think of Production as the behind-the-scenes of book making. You don’t always see our names in the book or know who we are, but we are involved from start to finish. As production manager of a title, you begin by providing estimates on a book that has not yet been acquired. This enables editors, publishers, and our CEO to discuss the possibilities for the title and if it will work for Abrams. Once a book is acquired, you start forming a schedule based on a publication date or when advances of books are needed.

I work closely with Managing Editorial, Editorial, and Design to keep the schedule on track as well as start working out the book’s specifications. By this I mean the cover stock, text stock, cover effects, inks, trim size, etcetera. We also work out effects on the jacket/cover, which include lamination, embossing, glitter uv (ultra-violet coating), glow in the dark uv, metallic inks, cloth cases, and much more!

For the books I work on, this is the exciting work! Production managers have to be creative and provide ideas to editorial and design in order to bring their ideas to fruition, while maintaining a budget and schedule. Sometime we need to think outside the box and research materials or effects that will accomplish the look and feel the editor and designer desire.

Q. What recent or upcoming Abrams books are you especially excited about?

I am really excited about working on all my upcoming titles, but specifically I am enthusiastic to work on a new Lauren Myracle title and the final book in the NERDS series written by Michael Buckley! I also just finished working on the paperback edition of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, which is most definitely my favorite book published at Abrams. It is funny, endearing, unique, and moving. I also had the pleasure of running into Jesse Andrews in the Abrams elevator and he is equally as charming as his writing. He is a both kind and humble. Another hardcover to paperback title I am thrilled to work on is Roddy Doyle’s A Greyhound of a Girl. Such a fantastic book! In Spring 2014 I am also working on new books from Lisa Greenwald and Sarah Skilton, which I am also eagerly anticipating.

Q. What do you write? (aside: I notice that you're a columnist for the Abrams site, for example)

Phillip, by Rachel PoloskiAh, yes. I do write for the Abrams blog, mostly about cooking and then there is the one of me shooting a rifle in the Adirondacks. Don’t worry; this is not a regular sport for me. I do love to cook and bake, therefore writing about it is also pleasurable. Luckily, Abram’s imprint Stewart, Tabori & Chang publishes beautiful and yummy cookbooks for me to test out in the kitchen!

I also do some writing personally, either about silly characters I draw or about my coveted stuffed cat, Celeste. I like to make up names and personas for the little felted creatures I hand make, but nothing that I have published or shared with the world. Maybe there will be some short stories to come soon. I recently illustrated a nervous soul named Phillip. I think I might write a little piece on him.

Q. Where can people find you online?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachel_poloski
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rachelapoloski
Instagram: http://instagram.com/rachel_anne_poloski
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/rpoloski

I will hopefully have some felted creatures as well as some little felted naked people up on Etsy soon and I really would love to start my own blog. What’s stopping me you might ask? Me. Fortunately, I have slowly been putting myself out there on both Instagram and Twitter and its not so scary after all. I am proud of me and would love to share my zany thoughts.

-------

Also see other Inkygirl Interviews.