Email Campaign Archive

edited by Jon Bard

1.      Celebrate Our 20th Birthday with 20% Off a CBI

Clubhouse Membership! 

Holy cow.  Twenty years.

It's hard to believe that what started in 1990 with "hey, I've got an idea..." could have blossomed into the business that has sustained our family and has helped thousands and thousands of folks from all over the globe pursue their dream of writing children's books.

And yet, here we are.  And truly, thanks to the CBI Clubhouse and all the Fightin' Bookworms in our writing community, we can honestly say that we've never been more excited about the possibilities. 

We began with a simple newsletter, laid out on WordPerfect (for DOS!), cut and pasted (using real paste, mind you...) and photocopied. 

Now, audio, video, live chat, workshops and a newsletter that, only minutes after we've finished it, is made available to our readers, no matter where in the world they may be.

Pretty amazing.  And we're just getting started.

So, we want everyone to be a part of our community.  And to make that happen, we're celebrating the beginning of our 20th Anniversary year not just by blowing our own horn, but by giving you a very special gift.

For the next week only, we're offering memberships to

the CBI Clubhouse at 20% off!

You'll get it all:

• a fresh issue of Children's Book Insider, The Newsletter for Children's Writers every month
  
• audio interviews with top authors
• video tutorials about every aspect of writing and submitting children's books to publishers
• a slew of exclusive articles
• free ebooks
• message boards and chatrooms
  

• The CBI Challenge -- our exclusive step-by-step children's writing course!

...and much, much more!

Join now -- either by the month or at a year-in-advance discount -- and you'll get 20% off your membership (and you'll be locked into that discount price for as long as you're a member!).

This only lasts a week, so join now and save big!

Here's how to get this very special deal:

1. Go to http://cbiclubhouse.com/non-members/ and select from the monthly or discounted yearly option.

2. In the shopping cart, use the coupon code 20YEARS, click "Apply" and your special price will appear!

Again, the link is:

 http://cbiclubhouse.com/non-members/

Study Children's Writing at
 Spalding University

Spalding University in Louisville, KY, is offering a remarkable opportunity:
a brief-residency MFA in Writing Program with a concentration in writing for children.

For information, request brochure FA80: email mfa@spalding.edu or call (800) 896-8941x2423 or visit http://www.spalding.edu/mfa

Advertisement From Our Sponsor:

 2.  New Video:  What Should I Write About? 

Driven to write a children’s book, but not sure what to write about? Let’s figure it out!

In this video, we’ll give you some tips for avoiding what not to write about, and how to mine your own life experiences for great subjects.

http://cbiclubhouse.com/2010/01/video-what-should-i-write-about/

Enjoy!

3. What Does Apple's iPad mean for Books?

When Steve Jobs and his crew at Apple set out to change the technological landscape, they usually succeed.  That's why it's absolutely vital that all writers pay close attention to their new "tablet", the iPad.

This could be the gizmo that changes everything about the way newspapers, magazines and books -- yes, even children's books -- are experienced.

I've found some links that will help you understand what this potentially game-changing product is about.  The more you know now, the better positioned you'll be for the future.

Here you go:

What It Looks Like to Read a Book on the Apple iPad - Video:

http://i.gizmodo.com/5458329/what-it-looks-like-to-read-a-book-on-the-apple-ipad-+-video

Apple's iPad: What book lovers need to know:

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/01/27/all-you-need-to-know-about-apples-ipad/

Apple iPad: Books, Magazines, Movies and Music:

http://i.gizmodo.com/5458263/apple-ipad-books-magazines-movies-and-music

4.  Doing a Book Signing? Here's a Site to Check Out.

If you're using personal appearances at bookstores as part of your marketing arsenal -- or if you just want a chance to hobnob with successful authors and pick up a tip or two -- have a look at this interesting resource:

http://www.booktour.com/

The site provides a calendar of upcoming personal appearances by authors in a variety of genres (including children and YA).  You can add your own events, or just find out who's coming to a bookstore near you.  A cool idea and a site worth watching.

5.  Children's Authors' Bootcamp is Coming to

Charlotte, NC!

Spend an exciting weekend in lovely Charlotte, North Carolina while learning exactly what you need to make it big as a children's writer!

Children's Authors' Bootcamp is a children's writing weekend you'll never forget --  a step-by-step journey to children's writing success that's fun, fast-paced and packed with advice you'll never hear anywhere else!

Join Laura Backes, Publisher of Children's Book Insider, and Linda Arms White, Christopher Award-winning author of Too Many Pumpkins, Comes a Wind and many other great children's books, for the ultimate children's writing workshop:

April 24 and 25 at the Best Western Sterling Inn & Suites, in Charlotte, NC

CAB features two full exciting days of world-class instruction and exercises on writing fiction for children of all ages, with emphasis on character and plot development, dialogue, descriptive writing, point of view, writing strong beginnings, editing your own work and submitting manuscripts to publishers. If your dream of writing children's books needs a shot of adrenaline, this is the place to get it.

Because it's a step-by-step program, CAB is great for beginners! No previous experience is needed to benefit from this workshop, and you'll leave on Sunday with everything you need to know to write your masterpiece!

The Bootcamp changed my life. Linda and Laura are spectacular. They took me from a "wanna be..." to a bona fide children's book illustrator and author, working under major publishers. I still use the literature and information from the Bootcamp on a weekly basis. My writer's bookshelf would not be complete without the notes and books from their program. Laura and Linda continue to be amazingly supportive of my efforts. I count them as two of my most powerful colleagues in the business. It's simple - Bootcamp works. I'm proud to be one of their students, and their friend.

J.H. Everett, co-author and illustrator of the upcoming series "Haunted Histories" from Henry Holt. 

For a complete class outline and registration information (including information on booking hotel rooms), see WeMakeWriters.com, or contact Linda White at (303) 747-1014, or CABootcamp@msn.com.

Reserve Your Spot Now!

Visit WeMakeWriters.com for all the details.

6. What's in January's Children's Book Insider?

If you're new to the Update, you may not know that we publish a monthly subscription-only newsletter for aspiring and working children's book writers that's jam-packed with market leads, advice, inside info and much more.

It's called Children's Book Insider, and we've been sharing it with subscribers across the globe since May, 1990! (And remember, every subscriber to Children's Book Insider gets total access to the incredible CBI Clubhouse website AND The CBI Challenge step-by-step children's writing course!)

Here's a look at what's in the current issue of Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers:



Market Tips:

*  Small Press Seeks Historical Picture Books
*  Breakthrough Novel Award Now Includes Young Adult Category
*  Two Agents Looking for New Clients
*  New Publisher Accepting Submissions


In-depth Articles:

* Strengthen Your Story's Middle
* Author Rachel Rodriguez on Writing Picture Book Biographies
* How to Become a 21st Century Writer in Three Easy Steps
* Get Your Foot in the Door with a Strong Query
* From Rejection to Selection

If you enjoy the information offered in this e-mail update, wait 'til you see what we've got in store for you each month in the pages of CBI! 

A subscription to CBI and full access to the CBI Clubhouse and CBI Challenge costs about the same each month as a latte! 

 
For more information and to order, go to http://cbiclubhouse.com/non-members

"If you are "thinking" about subscribing, DON'T!!! Just do it. I waited for almost 2 years before I did, now I'm wondering why I waited so long"  Frederick Claus 

"I won a subscription to CBI at a conference few years ago. I've been renewing ever since -- 450 magazine and 4 book credits later! Thanks for the best information published. I rely on your newsletter!" Lorri Cardwell-Casey

"I knew if I was going to keep getting published I'd need some help so I did some research and discovered your newsletter. It seemed made to order so I ordered it! Five books and over thirty-five articles later, I'm still subscribing and finding Children's Book Insider as useful and inspiring as ever. " Lynne Stover

"If you're not sure whether joining CBI is the right move, consider this: I got a book contract from a lead on the first page of my very first issue of CBI! How's that for results?"  Marci Mathers

http://cbiclubhouse.com/non-members

And remember -- use the discount code 20YEARS in the shopping cart to save 20%!

7.    Of Teenage Boys and Human Blowtorches 

by Laura Backes, Publisher of Children's Book Insider

It's become increasingly clear to me that as boys approach puberty, they lose their minds. I'm not just talking about the avalanche of hormones; I mean they literally lose the ability to think.

Now, I dearly love my 13-year-old son. Matt has been easy to raise; he's never gotten into serious trouble, his teachers like him, he's got lots of friends, and he generally does his chores and homework without complaint. At age 10 he scored in the 100th percentile for writing on Colorado's standardized test for fourth graders. In fifth grade he placed second in the science fair, and that summer wrote a screenplay for a martial arts movie. And last week he and three friends asked me for corn starch, because they wanted to imitate a YouTube video where a guy spits corn starch out of his mouth, lights it on fire, and becomes a human blowtorch.

See what I mean?

I have a friend whose 27-year-old son is a computer genius. He's in the Air Force and has such a high security clearance that even his parents don't know exactly what he does. But when this boy was in middle school, he'd be standing in the hallway reading, chatting with friends or daydreaming, and suddenly he'd keel over. The first time people saw this, they'd panic: Was he having a seizure? Did he faint? But no, he was fine. As his mother explains, "He just forgot to balance."

Sorry guys, I'm trying not to sound sexist, but the evidence is stacked against you. I know middle school girls have their own issues, but balance isn't one of them.

Portraying these kids in literature has its own inherent challenges. Like all readers, middle school boys like to see bits of themselves in the characters of their books. Successful writers work with the idiosyncrasies of this group in one of two ways:

Embrace them. Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is so popular precisely because Greg Heffley, the narrator, is kind of an idiot. His cluelessness borders on self-centeredness at times, but he's so confident in himself that he's almost endearing. And the dichotomy between what Greg says and what's portrayed in the illustrations (many with speech bubbles) shows the reader exactly what's going on. But the key is Greg's dry, spot-on assessment of middle school life. It's like the author placed hidden cameras in the school hallways and simply transcribed what he saw. When these kids are shown exactly as they are, with all their loud, bumbleheaded and occasionally brilliant declarations, they're funny. Readers laugh at Greg because they know him, and because it's more fun than laughing at themselves.

A word of caution: Don't try this realistic approach unless you know exactly what you're doing. If you're not very familiar with the mindset of these boys, readers will see through you immediately and your book won't stand a chance.

Expect the best from them. We have hundreds of middle grade novels in which boys ages 11-13 battle evil wizards, solve complex mysteries, and rescue animals and younger children from abusive situations. They face tough choices that are mentally and physically challenging, with the wrong decision often having dire consequences. And they do it all without deliberately lighting themselves on fire or randomly falling over. How is this possible?

In most plot-centered stories, middle grade characters are a bit better than their real-life counterparts. They're a little braver, a skosh smarter, a tad more focused. The male protagonists are who our sons would be if you removed the muddle that hormones and fantastic growth spurts bring. Or, they're who our kids secretly think they are, if they could just get past their cringing prepubescent self-consciousness.

These characters are still real at their core — they worry what their friends might think, they struggle with bad hair days and pimples, they flunk their algebra tests — but are placed into situations that force them to rise above themselves. They don't necessarily set out to be heroes, but they reluctantly grow into that role.

Whether it's Percy Jackson battling creatures from Greek mythology after getting kicked out of boarding school, Jonas taking a stand against the hypocrisy of his futuristic world in The Giver, Brian Robeson finding the strength and skill to survive for weeks alone in the wilderness in Hatchet, or Harry Potter outlasting all kinds of evil while demonstrating his superior Quidditch skills, these characters show readers their potential. But they're not perfect. They make mistakes, say the wrong thing, get tongue-tied around a pretty girl. And because they have qualities to emulate while still being accessible, readers see them and think, "Some day, that could be me."

I like to believe they're right.

From Our Sponsors:

Learn how to land a contract BEFORE you write one word of your manuscript -- even if you're an inexperienced or unpublished children's writer!

Click Here to Learn More!

Structure your picture books like the pros!

Click Here for More Info!

Writing for Dollars! the ezine for writers featuring tips, tricks and ideas for selling what you write. Get our ebook, 83 Ways to Make Money Writing when you subscribe. Email to subscribe@writingfordollars.com -*- www.WritingForDollars.com

Celebrate I Love To Write Day. Visit www.ilovetowriteday.org and learn how you can join the world's largest party for writers of all ages. Over 20,000 schools are part of the ILTWD network.

Free Copy of Working Writer Magazine! Get your sample copy by e-mailing workingwriters@aol.com 

Copyright 2010, Children's Book Insider, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without the express written consent of the author. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. This information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or any other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the service of a competent professional should be sought. Therefore, the Author and Publisher expressly disclaim any liability for the use of any information contained herein, and this publication is provided with this understanding and none other.

Additionally, Children's Book Insider, LLC is not responsible for the availability of external sites, offers or resources mentioned in advertising or in editorial content, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, special offers or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. Children's Book Insider, LLC shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on such external sites, offers or resources.

We make every effort to verify the legitimacy of the publishers and magazines we include in our market listings. However, we assume no responsibility for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with readers' associations with such publishers. For information about investigating publishers before conducting business with them, see our special report "How to Tell If A New or Small Press is Legitimate" at http://write4kids.com/legit.html

January 28, 2010

Children's Writing
 Update

Children's Book Insider, LLC
901 Columbia Rd 
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-495-0056
mail@write4kids.com
http://write4kids.com
http://write4kids.com/blog
http://twitter.com/jonbard


http://cbiclubhouse.com

for complete listing of our success tools for children's writers, visit
http://write4kids.com/collect.html

"I feel like kid in a candy store with permission to eat whatever I want. This site is extraordinary."

"Fantastic! This is the best idea I've ever seen on the web!"

"Simply Outstanding. This is the most complete site I have ever seen on the topic of writing for children. This is truly a blessing. Thank you!"

Ready To Experience The CBI Clubhouse For Yourself?

CLICK HERE!

Sponsor the Update!

Need to reach working and aspiring children's book writers with your marketing message?  We've got more than 44,000 of them!  E-mail us (mail@write4kids.com) and we'll send you all the details.

We've Got Solutions to Aid Your Resolutions!

Need insider secrets and fresh markets for your manuscript? Check out Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers + The CBI Clubhouse at http://cbiclubhouse.com/non-members

Just getting started and need a friendly, step-by-step guide to becoming a children's author? Check out Career Starter, The Beginner's Guide to Writing for Children at http://write4kids.com/starter.html

Want to have an incredible amount of "How To" wisdom right at your fingertips? 
The Children's Writer's Big Book of How To has the solution to more than 100 of the trickiest issues faced by children's authors. From coming up with great ideas right through signing the contract, this amazing volume is packed with insight. http://write4kids.com/bigbook.html

Have you written a story but don't know what to do next? I've Written a Story, What Do I Do Now? tells you what you need to know about submitting your manuscript to publishers efficiently and professionally. http://write4kids.com/nowwhat.html

Tired of getting rejection letters? Improving The Odds reveals the manuscript-revision secrets of top authors that help push them over the top. http://write4kids.com/odds.html

And there's more. For a full listing, just go to http://write4kids.com/collect.html