Alice works on math in the Cocoa Cabana

Only this afternoon, over a plate of chicken chow mein, did the truth come out. ALICE, who has excellent computer skills, is the one who found out about the audition. She and Lucy studied it together and decided to sign Lucy up. This is because Alice, who is the thriftier of the two, thought it would be too expensive. Apparently Lucy had seen something she thought was a phone number on the website. "No," Alice said. "That's the price!"

(For the record: We did not pay an agent to represent the kids. Legitimate agents don't charge to represent talent. Alice probably spotted a price for a year-long acting seminar. Those are expensive, although not phone-number expensive.)

The upshot, of course, is that both kids signed with that particular agent. For the last few weeks, we've been in Burbank awaiting auditions. They've been taking acting classes and doing their best to convince me that doing schoolwork in a poolside cabana is a good idea. (We tried it, but on one of the colder Los Angeles mornings. The hot chocolate helped and let us come up with a name for the classroom--the Cocoa Cabana.)

Given Alice's primary role in the shenanigans, it seems only fair that she was the first of the kids to get an audition. And then another one, the next day. The first was for a one-day part on a long-term TV series. The second, a bigger opportunity, was for a series regular on a show created by someone you'd recognize starring people who are legitimately famous. It was both exciting and intimidating.

Of course we wanted to do our best work to prepare. When you only have twenty-four hours' notice before an audition, and auditions two days in a row, though, this means the pressure is on.

Alice's agent sent the "sides"--Hollywood jargon for pages of a script. I printed them out, along with the entire script of the pilot episode of the show. It was a long print job, and the elderly woman with hair that looked like brown cotton candy, or maybe a tea-stained Q-tip, didn't appreciate having to wait. She was a virtuoso of sighs, let me tell you. Either that, or she was practicing for a role as a leaking air mattress.

That task behind us, Alice and I sat down at the dining room table, shoved aside the math books and scratch paper, and started reading through the script. The first scene was touching: a mother and daughter at the beach, talking about their hopes, dreams, and disappointments. It was not unlike many a conversation the girls and I have had this year. 

The second scene. Well. In that one, Alice's character had to talk one of her mother's friends out of a cigarette. And then smoke it with proficiency.

"Do I really have to SMOKE?" she said.

"Uh," I said. 

Alice eating a bowl of post-audition ice cream

Of all the scenes I'd imagined Alice doing, one like this never even knocked on the back door of my mind. Rather than focus on this, I thought I'd take a look at the whole script and walk her through it. Maybe there was some context in which this made sense. 

I picked up the pages and noticed immediately the script was set near Seattle. Hurrah! Something familiar! So I started giving Alice the rundown. A prudent parent might have read the whole thing first. Forget about that, though. We didn't have time! 

"This takes place in a suburb of Seattle," I began. "Like where your aunt Susu lives." The script went on to describe it as a place where people go after their souls have died, more or less. "So maybe not so much like where Susu lives. Heh heh. But the houses will look similar."

Then it described the characters. Or, rather, their sexual ambitions. Which were many. These, I skipped over so that I could start reading the lines to her. We soon were in the midst of a scene where one of the characters is holding a surprise party for his unsuspecting wife, who comes home, rummages in the fridge, and struts into the room wearing a peanut butter bikini.

The script then describes the sounds of the dog removing the bikini off-screen, just as the woman's lover also enters the room wearing something equally nutty.

At this point, I started flipping through the script to see where Alice's scenes were. I couldn't find them. Anywhere. My immediate conclusion: They must be hanging out with her lost innocence.

A few minutes later, after I'd recovered from the vapors, I sent her agent a note. I made no mention of peanut butter, but did allow that we seemed to have the wrong script. No worries, he replied. Her lines were all she needed. So then I asked about the smoking in the second scene. IS THAT EVEN LEGAL? I asked. He didn't respond. Wise man.

Adam and I talked about it and we had one of our extremely rare disagreements. He didn't think it was a huge deal. I did. Fortunately, we were communicating via text message and had to keep the arguments as brief brief as, say, a peanut butter bikini. If one must argue with a spouse, text messages--especially if you don't have an unlimited plan--are definitely the way to go.

After getting advice from an actress friend, I decided to leave this one up to Alice. If she wanted to audition even though that part made her uncomfortable, we'd give it our best shot and figure out all the details later. Sort of the way we're doing with this entire year. 

My heart wanted to fling itself out of my chest when Alice walked off, headshot and resume in hand, for her auditions. But she did it, with courage and humor. And Lucy, who has been waiting for an audition of her own, cheered her sister on with love and grace.

There are no textbooks that tell you how to do these things: perform under pressure, be gracious in the company of disappointment, persist in the face of impossible odds. To practice these lessons in the pursuit of a dream has been a gift. Even if Alice swears she'll never eat peanut butter again.

Authors,

We need your help! Carl Harvey, President of the American Association of School Librarians, has initiated a White House petition on school libraries, which specifically petitions the Obama administration to “ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.” About 17,000 signatures are still needed in order for this petition at http://wh.gov/Wgd to be reviewed by White House staff. Please sign the petition and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to sign it by Feb. 4, 2012, and help us spread the word about it (if you send a Tweet, please use #saveschoollibraries). We really appreciate your support!  To learn more about how you can support school libraries, visit http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslissues/toolkits/parentoutreach.  Thanks for all that you do to open up the world of reading to young people.

I've signed the petition. The library was my favorite place in elementary school (the poor cafeteria--it never stood a chance). It was filled with what seemed like unlimited books for the borrowing, and I read stories that have stayed with me ever since. There's not a doubt in my mind that I'm a writer today because of the teachers and librarians who helped feed my mind.

There's a misguided notion out there that school libraries are non-essential in the age of the Internet. You might as well say schools are inessential for the very same reason. (But please don't--it's an equally silly notion).

Good librarians, at schools and elsewhere, help put the right books in the right hands at the right time. The act of reading helps students succeed in the classroom. Reading also helps kids see the world through the eyes of others, a fundamental step in developing empathy. 

Beyond this, librarians also teach kids how to find the information they need, how to make sure it's trustworthy, and how to cite the sources so it can be shared responsibly. This is a cornerstone of democracy. You can't understate its importance.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Please sign the petition. If you'd like, write a blog post (and let me know so I can share it with others). And please use Twitter and Facebook to spread the word, using the hashtag #saveschoollibraries.

Thank you!

The Bison v. Woman Skating Contest

 

Get a sneak peek of my new book trailer for Prairie Storms, a nonfiction picture book about how animals survive the storms on the prairies. The video goes live on January 6, 2012–until then, you must have this URL to see it, but I encourage you to pass it along: http://youtu.be/oRle8t3dHLs

This new video is an example of a YouTube Aesthetic Book Trailer (http://booktrailermanual.com/3-aesthetics/), an informal, humorous video that only addresses the content of the book tangentially, but nevertheless, creates interest. The humor is meant to be shared! So please send your friends to see it.

I will be speaking at the 13th Annual Winter SCBWI Conference in New York City on January 27 at the preconference Marketing Intensive (http://www.scbwi.org/Conference.aspx?Con=9&page=Intensives) on the topic of book trailers. Join me in a discussion of appropriate aesthetics for your book trailer and many more practical tips.

http://www.facebook.com/PrairieStorms

http://www.darcypattison.com

Look! Tracy van Straaten is dressed as Lisa Yee's Peepy! It's a Halloween costume, so you will NOT see her hopping about in yellow in New York.

Tracy is Scholastic's vice president of publicity and marketing, and she's good, folks. Very good. I'm not just saying this because of how cute she looks as Lisa Yee's Peepy (Halloween hijinks. Ordinarily, she's much less yellow.)

I first met Tracy virtually a couple of years ago after I wrote an article for MSN Entertainment about the pending release of Catching Fire, the second in the Hunger Games trilogy. I joked a bit in that piece about what I thought was a too-small initial print run, which I'd read on Publishers Weekly or similar source.

Tracy wrote to let me know they'd increased it. She also made sure I had a copy of the ARC, and, well ... I pretty much became a TvS fan for life after that. It wasn't just the ARC. It was her willingness to engage directly with a journalist on behalf of the book. It wasn't a cold call; she'd read my piece and started an individual conversation, a remarkable thing when you think about how many books Scholastic publishes, and how many journalists there are covering the big ones. 

I was delighted to ask Tracy a few questions in advance of the conference. Read on for some really insightful stuff. There's still time to register, by the way. (All the info you need is right here.)

We hear a lot about the growing responsibility authors have for marketing their own books. How much of this is true, and how much of this is more of an understanding that authors have always had a certain responsibility for this? 

I think the most important responsibility an author/illustrator has is to write/illustrate the very best book they can. There are many ways in which an author or illustrator can help to get the word out about their book, but the book itself is the most important thing. After that, it’s up to the author/illustrator how much time they want to, or are able to devote to helping to market their book—and which things are the best use of their time. I think one of the bigger myths out there right now is that publishers expect the authors to take on all of the marketing for their books. Certainly, each publishing company is different, and each one has finite resources available to them. But all publishers do SOME marketing for the books they publish. The main thing is for authors to find out what is being done already and then to determine what other things he or she might do to complement those efforts.

I do feel that any published author should have a web site or blog with a list of their books and biographical information so that anyone who searches for the author or their book can find it. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, as long as the information is easy to find and accurate. And, if you enjoy social media, joining Twitter and Facebook (particularly for YA authors) can be useful at publication as a way to engage and interact with fans.  

How do publishers decide their marketing strategy for the books on their list? 

There are many, many factors that go into this, and it varies by publisher. But criteria like age range, subject matter, author’s track record (is the author a debut or a bestseller?), print run, industry trends, and intended market/potential audience for the book help to determine a strategy.

What are some of the best things authors can do to partner with their publishers for a successful book launch? On the flip side, what should authors avoid doing?

The things to avoid can be different from book to book and publisher to publisher. In order to avoid any missteps, the most important single thing is to communicate with your publisher. If you have more than one publisher, be sure to share information about any appearances you have planned. Because standard marketing and publicity procedures vary greatly from house to house, never assume what will and will not be done on your book’s behalf. Ask questions. Find out what marketing and PR efforts are planned. Then come up with a list of other ideas you would like to pursue and send them to your editor. She will let you know if any of the ideas on your list are already being handled or are not advisable. By working together with your publisher you will maximize everyone’s efforts for the most successful launch. Also, try to be patient. While you may not hear news every day that things are “happening,” rest assured that many people at your publishing house are working hard on your book’s behalf!

For people who aren't yet published, what should they be doing to build a platform or network of readers? 

I don’t think a yet-to-be published author should focus too much on building a platform of readers. I think they should focus on writing the best book they can and getting it published. But attending writers’ conferences, following other writers on Twitter and Facebook, and other networking opportunities can give an author a great start by the time their book is published.

More Tracy van Straaten:

Follow her on Twitter 

Cheryl Klein

Meet Cheryl Klein. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine her in a Regency gown taking a turn around the room with — oh, I don't know, JANE AUSTEN — and happily trading witticisms, insights, and invaluable strategies for getting mud out of one's hems. Cheryl is simultaneously smart, witty, and relentlessly practical. There is also a timelessness about her, which is awfully refreshing at the high (or low) point of Kardashian Kulture, and I truly believe she could keep up with Miss Austen.

Cheryl is executive editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic. A Peculiar child (a reference to the Missouri town in which she grew up), Cheryl went to Carleton College in Minnesota, which I mention in part to note that the surrounding town smells like the nearby Malt-O-Meal headquarters.

She was the continuity editor of Harry Potter, and has edited many wonderful books, including A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce; Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy; Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork; and Eighth-Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (Cheryl is also the continuity editor of this amazing name). You can see the rest of her list here. 

Finally, Cheryl wrote Second Sight: An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising & Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults. It's an extremely smart and useful book for anyone in our line of work, and if you'd like a taste of it, you can find some talks on her site. I particularly enjoyed "The Essentials of Plot" and "A Few Things Writers Can Learn from Harry Potter." 

Cheryl took the time to answer a few questions before the conference:  

How has the reception for Second Sight been? What hints and tips have people seemed to respond to most?

I've gotten a lot of really great feedback on Second Sight, and sales have been nice and steady — so much so that I'm about to do a second printing! Writers seem to respond most to the practical tips and techniques, like making a list of the first ten things a character says and does to see what sort of first impression s/he makes, and identifying your central plot structure and the points that need to be covered after that.

How do you know when a revision is working? Is it hard for you, as an editor, to retain enough distance?

A revision is working when I don't notice the issues anymore — or when I notice myself not noticing them, when I see a new clue laid in or plot development and think "Ah, nice work." Generally, though, after a good revision, the manuscript just feels better, and makes me feel more, and more deeply. 

Distance can definitely be a problem, especially if we're working in a short time frame or we're on the second or third go-around, and then I'll often loop in our assistant editor, Emily Clement, for a fresh read. I also try to restate at the top of every editorial letter what the Points as we understand and have agreed on them are -- "Points" being my catchall term for the character's emotional journey (the Emotional Point), the overarching theme or questions the book explores (Thematic Point), and what the story is (Experiential Point). If we have those defined in front of us, then it becomes easier to judge whether or not we're meeting that standard.

What are you hoping people get out of your talk — can you give us a brief overview?

I'd like for people to come away thinking of revision as an opportunity rather than a chore — a chance to see your book and characters more clearly, to know your book and what you want to do with it better, and then to accomplish those goals. And then I plan to offer some techniques for accomplishing those goals! Hopefully it will be fast, and fun, and dense with information, and useful.

* * * 

For more:

• Follow Cheryl on Twitter and read her blog here.
• Register for the New York conference here. 
• Learn more about SCBWI.