Thank You, Mundie Moms!

The fantabulous Mundie Moms gave Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different a FIVE-STAR review, y'all! Five! That looks like this: *****. :-)

You can read the review on their blog, Keep Reading To Your Child. (It's a WONDERFUL resource, too. Please visit often to learn about the latest in middle-grade and picture books.)

*sigh* Five stars... thank you, Mundie Moms! :-)

QueryMania!

Recently, the Guide to Literary Agents posted a query letter crafted by Sydney Salter that successfully landed her an agent. Inspired by the post, I offered to share a few successful query letters with members of the Midsouth SCBWI listserv. The response was so exciting that I decided to post the letters here!

First is a letter that I used to query Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different. In the interest of full disclosure, this query letter was ultimately *not* the path that led to Autumn's publication. (I was lucky/blessed to meet Autumn's SuperEditor at an SCBWI conference.) But this letter did result in a few requests for the full manuscript, so I feel like it might have worked on some level:

Dear Ms. Editor,

Autumn Winifred Oliver has defied death twelve times – “One for each year of my life,” she’d say. But when Gramps has a little brush with death? Mama up and cancels the family’s plans to move to Knoxville to be with Pop. Now they’re stuck in crummy Cade’s Cove - in Gramps’ house! Autumn discovers Gramps is working with some official-type folks up in Washington to bring a national park to the area. His plans will put Pop out of a job. Old Gramps is a real schemer, alright, but he’s no match for a bunch of slick politicians. He and all his neighbors lose their land in the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After Gramps’ death, Autumn sees why this speck of a town has created such a hubbub. The ring of mountains surrounding the Cove doesn’t just keep the “new” out, it keeps the “old” in. It’s a town as perfectly preserved as a pickle. Maybe a national park is the only way to keep it crisp and spicy. “It’s true there’s just one road in and out of Cades Cove,” she writes her pen pal. “But a clever enough person ought know: saying there’s just one road ain’t the same as saying there’s just one way to get here.”

Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different is set in Cades Cove, Tennessee, in 1934 at the birth of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – the only national park formed from privately owned land. This story tied for fourth place in the middle-grade category in the 2005 SmartWriters.com W.I.N. Competition. Judge Alexandria LaFaye said, “Great title. Great Southern voice. Hilarious…”

My publication credits include Cricket, Spider, Guideposts for Kids, Wee Ones eMagazine, and Highlights for Children (from whom I recently received a Pewter Plate Award for Outstanding Arts Feature of 2005). I have written a number of children’s activity books for licensed characters such as Holly Hobbie, The Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo, Strawberry Shortcake, and the Care Bears. My anthology, Freedom from Cruel and Unusual Punishment, was released by Greenhaven Press last year. I am a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. In 2003, I was selected as one of “Nashville’s Emerging Authors” by the Williamson County Council for the Written Word. For samples of my work, please visit www.creativefreelancewriting.com.

Would you like to see the entire manuscript for Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different? If so, please contact me at (phone number) or (email address). I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Autumn meets your needs!

My best,

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

I tried to incorporate the voice of the book into this query letter, and I think that helped increase the number of requests I received for Autumn.

Next, here's the e-query I sent to Adams Literary for Selling Hope:

Ms. Tracey Adams

Adams Literary

Dear Ms. Adams,

I attended the SCBWI National Conference in New York in February, and was delighted to hear of your interest in historical fiction. Please find the first three chapters of Selling Hope, a young adult historical fiction novel, attached.

Fifteen-year-old Hope McDaniels wants to break free from the vaudeville circuit, and she sees opportunity blazing toward her in the nighttime sky: Halley’s Comet. On May 19, 1910, Earth will pass through the tail of Halley’s Comet. Many believe this to be the end of days. Hope believes this to be her jackpot. [She and pal Buster Keaton begin to peddle anti-comet pills.]

The passing of Earth through the tail of Halley’s Comet has been described as the world’s first case of mass hysteria. The “abundant” media, combined with the clashing of hold-over Victorian sensibilities with Industrial-age objectivity, created a spark that made May, 1910, one very interesting month. (And yes, there truly was an enterprising young soul who profited from the sale of comet pills!)

My middle grade historical fiction novel, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different, will be released this October by Delacorte Press. I’ve also penned over a dozen activity books for children, many for licensed characters like Scooby-Doo, Lisa Frank, PowerPuff Girls and Holly Hobbie. I won the Highlights Magazine Pewter Plate award for Outstanding Arts Feature for “They’ll Be Back,” a story that appeared in the June 2005 issue of Highlights. My work has also appeared in Guideposts for Kids and Spider Magazine.

After reviewing your website, I was excited to see that your goal is to represent authors, not books. In that regard, I feel our goals are similar, and hope that we’ll have the opportunity to work together.

If Selling Hope interests you, please contact me at (phone number) or (email address). I will keep my fingers crossed that Selling Hope makes you smile!

All best,

Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different, October 14, 2008 from Delacorte Press

Please visit my website: www.kristintubb.com

Please visit my blog: www.kristintubb.blogspot.com

It's a little embarrassing to see these two queries side-by-side, as they are so similar! But I suppose it worked: I am now represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary, or as I often refer to him, SuperAgent. And a few things to note: Selling Hope is now a middle-grade novel, with a 13-year-old protagonist. Thank you, Hopeful SuperEditor! Also, the bracketed portion above was edited from the original query letter - it was a bit of a plot spoiler! :-)

Also note: the sale of both Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different and Selling Hope went to editors I met at SCBWI conferences. Too, I queried Adams Literary after seeing Ms. Adams speak at a conference. A definite pattern! :-)

Query letters are an art much more akin to journalism than creative writing: put the most important information first (the lead, or "lede" if you're old-school), which is of course the plot of your book. (In the Selling Hope example above, I felt introducing myself first was appropriate.) Also like journalism: keep it brief, add the "who/what/when/where/why/how" of you and your book, then wrap it up. All in one page. Whew! :-)

If you're interested in getting feedback on your query letter, post it in the comments section and I'll be more than happy to give you my thoughts! Hope this post was helpful!

What I’ve learned in my first year as a published author

As of today, October 14, 2009, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (Delacorte) has been out exactly one year. Here’s what I’ve learned over the past 365 days:

-Your friends and your family will be your top salespersons. They will pass your name and title along to their bookstore/library/teacher. They will come to your booksignings. They will review your book on Amazon and in other places. We love them for doing this. Remember to say thank you. (Thank you, friends and family! J)

-At any given moment, it will be difficult to know how many books you’ve sold. Royalty statements come out twice a year. Too, publishing houses have four months to compile and mail these statements. So for my book that came out last October, I’ve received one royalty statement, reflecting sales between October 2008 and December 2008. But if you have an awesome editor (as I just so happen to have!), you can ask her intermittently for an update.

-The rankings on Amazon are as addictive as caffeine and should be avoided as such. I say this as a raving coffee addict. But seriously, they reflect only the ranking of your book as it relates to sales of other books IN THAT HOUR. There are sites that track your Amazon ranking over time, but these appear to take your average sales rank by day, not your top rank of the day. Stay *away* from the sales rank. If you can.

-Speaking of Amazon, many, many readers prefer to give their business to local, independent bookstores (yay, indies!) Support your indies by asking them to host your launch parties (see more below) and visiting and purchasing from them often. Too, link to www.indiebound.org on your website – give your site visitors the option to purchase from whomever they choose.

-Bad reviews sting and good ones make you feel like a superstar. You have control over neither.

-Book bloggers rock. They live to read and discuss books. Find them and talk books with them (and not just yours!). They are wondermous.

-Social networking sites rock. These are FREE outlets that help you promote your book and (more importantly) connect with others in the kidlit community. Utilize them. They are worth your time.

-Things that have not been worth the time (as far as I can tell):

---Mailing postcards to bookstores and gift shops in the area in which the story is set (but note here – contacting them in other ways, like via email, has been fruitful).

---Contacting media in areas in which you are doing a signing UNLESS this is done early enough to get on the community calendar (in other words, don’t expect the paparazzi at your signings).

---Agreeing to/trying to do too much – as in all areas of life, spreading yourself too thin means nothing gets your full attention.

-Getting your book into specialty stores is time-consuming, but can be worth it. Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different is an historical fiction account of the beginnings of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m grateful that the book is now available for sale in the park bookstores. But getting there took months of review and a unanimous vote from the buying committee. Be prepared for specialty stores (like tourist attractions and gift stores) to take a lot of time if you wish to break into them. Too, the salespeople within your publishing house have little if any time to devote to a location that *might* purchase 8 copies of just your book (understandably), so you will likely be doing much of this legwork yourself.

-Doing more than two bookstore signings in any one community might stretch your audience too thin. The first two signings I did in each community were well-attended; the third rarely was.

-BUT: do more than one launch party, if you can. I did two in my hometown, and one in the town where I grew up. All were wonderful; all sold out. I’m blessed with wonderful friends and family (see point one).

-Librarians rule the world. They love writers; I have yet to meet one who doesn’t. You can track your book in libraries throughout the world by visiting www.worldcat.org and clicking through individual libraries to see if your book is checked out! Too awesome.

-School visits are exhausting, but are so totally worth it. Kids love meeting authors, and you will never feel more like a rock star than when you do school visits. If possible, see if you can sell books at the visit, though honestly, many schools frown upon this (which is understandable – it’s difficult when not every child can afford a new hardback book). Always bring postcards to the visit (enough for each child in your presentation, even if that’s hundreds) and ask teachers to put these in the backpacks to send home. I’ve had many parents thank me for doing this; they want to buy the books of the author who visited their school, if they can.

-You can always do more. It can really stress you out at times, thinking of all the things you COULD do to promote your book. Be creative, have fun, but don’t let it sweep you away from the important things.

-All the work? It’s worth it when you get emails that say things like this:

---“I am by no means a professional book reviewer, but coming from someone who reads a lot of books for this age group, I LOVED your book! I started to tear up when Autumn heard those 53 bell rings and kept crying right up until the end!” Fourth-grade teacher from Kentucky

---“I really love reading your books and I really like the front cover.” Third-grader from a school at which I did a school visit

---“I like to write and thought that one day I might be an author like you. I have written a few stories. I have been wondering if you and I could keep in touch. I really liked your book!” Girl from a school at which I did a school visit

---“i loved your book autumn winifried oliver does things different….I loveeeeee tennessee, and i understand you live there. My mom grew up there and half my family lives there, but guess what i'm stuck here in georgia!!!!!" 10-year-old reader (my favorite part – look at how “Winifred” is spelled! :-) )

I love this job. I hope I am blessed enough to do this forever.

And NOW: in celebration of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different’s one-year anniversary, I will make a $1.00 donation to Friends of the Smokies for EACH VALID COMMENT I receive in the comment section of this post between now and October 31. GO! :-)

Thank you again, friends and family.

Photos from the 2009 National Book Festival

I'm honored/delighted/ecstatic-to-the-point-of-obnoxiousness that Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different was selected by the Tennessee State Library to represent the State of Tennessee at the 2009 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.! My dear friend Lauren Trew and her beautiful daughters Bess and Emma took these photos for me:

Above is the Pavilion of States, which housed all 50 states. Each state chose a single children's book to represent their state. Autumn keeps glorious company; my friend Hester Bass's book, The Secret World of Walter Anderson, was selected to represent the State of Mississippi.

And there she is! Autumn, hanging under a glorious "Tennessee" banner! I am a native Tennessean, and I still reside here. I am so honored that Autumn was chosen as its ambassador!

Keeping a To-Do List for Your Novel

When you write - especially, I assume, when you write often - you develop work habits unique to you.  At least, I *thought* that making a to-do list for my novel was my own little neurotic way of making sure all those plot strings got snipped or tied or woven somehow.  But in a recent #kidlit chat via Twitter (find past transcripts here), I discovered that others do this, too. 

It’s a handy revision tool, a to-do list, and it reads like, well, my Saturday afternoon chore list might.  So presented below, part of the to-do concocted when going through the first round of revisions for Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (there were four rounds total).  What’s interesting to me is that some of this content never made it into the book, and other parts were edited out completely.  For instance, I decided against having Autumn be a “ghost child” – that is, having her brush with death scare everyone.  It detracted too much from the focus of the plot.  But other parts most assuredly made it in, and some of them are my favorite scenes in the book.

Autumn to-do list

-2 new chapters:  both, bridging the gap between pro-park and anti-park. 

-Next chapter:  list (see white notebook sheet) and write Rockefeller. 

-Chapter after that:  town meeting, under schoolhouse.  (See nrw notes)

-beef up ending: 

-but these old mountains aren’t as strong as they used to be.  Airplanes, weathered down

-no panthers, no chestnuts, no Cherokee, no gramps…maybe this place is changing, after all

-perfectly preserved as a pickle (see synopsis here)

-looking at gravesite – knowing right and wrong didn’t seem to take.  Can’t always tell what’s right and what’s wrong. 

-aunt Lydia still mad at me for leaving her in the dog trot

-mention cody’s rock collection at least one more time, and earlier

-after tilly’s proposal – have other widows in crowd mad cause they didn’t think of it first.  Gramps is kinda a big shot around here, being a widower and his dealings on the park.  Will likely be rich someday.  A good catch

-play up autumn being a “ghost child” more – not everyone knows she’s still alive.  Have them pinch her, etc.  when they see her

-look to increase the struggle over the move in with gramps – maybe mama doesn’t want to move to Knoxville…

-play up the food scene with gramps to show more of mama’s relationship with him.  Gramps eats during prayer.  Katie in here, too – show some likeability

-end of star scene – maybe take autumn’s approval of cody out?  She’s quick to judge him.

-hint earlier – park going awry, autumn is only one who knows.  She suspects col. Earlier?

-make col. More evil by having him break one of the superstitions.

-look back at earlier version (chapter 26, then) when cody has fit over gramps’ treatment of peter…add back in? 

-emphasize the chestnut trees disappearing…

-make gramps feel responsible for losing everyone’s homes, though no one blames him.

-double-check that FDR was standing in 1934.

-include picture of pine trees in Gramps’ coffin

-make sure there are markets in nyc on 53rd

-beef up letters chapter – see nrw notes – more scenery, etc. 

-eliminate all mention of “donation” in end notes

-last few chapters – keep her worried about jobs, homes!

-Introduce lawyer – Gramps hires with his own money to fight for everyone.  Spends his entire savings. 

-(chapter 16)HERE:  NEED GRAMPS TO GATHER AND SELL STUFF TO SAVE HIS FAMILY NAME; PAY FOR FANCY LAWYERS, GIVE TO FOLKS TO PAY BILLS, ETC (second part below…).  INTRO LAWYER HERE.   

-be sure and include that they don’t know what’s going to happen, or when.  They might get to stay there forever, or they might get kicked out next week.  The hard part was not knowing. 

Whew!  Looking back, that looks like the whole book! J  Once I completed the item, I crossed it off in my computer using a strike-through over the font – very satisfying!  Every one of those items was crossed off in some manner.  I used this same technique for the upcoming Selling Hope.  I’m starting a new novel now, and looking at the list above reminds me just how much work (and fun!) lies ahead.

So, do *you* keep a to-do list for your works-in-progress?  If so, care to share a snippet or two from it?  

Autumn Comes to Life!

My talented and uber-supportive illustrator friend, Alison Davis Lyne, does "Visual Book Reviews" - she reviews titles by illustrating scenes that appeal to her from the text.  And totally cool - she reviewed Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different!  Click through here to see Autumn brought to life!  

Thank you, Alison!  What a fantastic idea, and how truly wonderful to see Autumn in all her messy glory!  :-)  

Check out the rest of Alison's site here.  Her paintings are so detailed, and the colors pop right off the scene.  Alison, you have a true gift.  

Stoked!

I am WAY excited about a recent review of Autumn that appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC). Click here to read it.  Thanks for the smiles, Jennifer Prince!  :-)  

The Trew Crew Blew Me Away!

This pic of me, Emma and Bess Trew was taken the day before Thanksgiving in Athens, TN (give it up for the Big A, yo!) at a signing at the E. G. Fisher Public Library:

There is *nothing* cooler than chatting with readers.  Nothing!  And really, what author doesn't love to see this:

That's Bess, holding 10 - 10! - purchased copies of Autumn.   The Trew Crew is making it their personal mission to see Autumn's name on the bestseller list.  I am making it my personal mission to tell the world how very wonderful the Trew Crew is!  In true (Trew?) Autumn-speak, "Thanks, y'all!"  :-)

All Sorts of Cool Stuff!

Whew!  What a wonderful, whirlwind week! This past weekend I presented with two other members of the Class of 2k8 - Laurel Snyder (Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains) and Jenny Meyerhoff (Third Grade Baby) - at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN.  Our panel, The Class of 2k8:  Three Debut Middle Grade Novelists Tell All, was a blast!  Here we are, signing our books after our presentation.  I wasn't sure I'd have books available, because my release date is this week (um...tomorrow, to be exact.  Two short hours from now.  But hey, who's counting? ;-)  )  But I *did* have books, and guess what?  People bought them!  I signed them!  It was totally surreal.  (Laurel is far right, Jenny center, and I'm far left.  The Bean - my four year old - is far, far left.  Love that kiddo!)  Another pic of me signing can be found here, at my friend Kathy Rhodes's blog.  Thanks for the shout-out, Kathy!  ;-)  

Oh!  And the book trailer!  It's up, it's running, and you, too, can watch it if you just click here!  Hope you enjoy - please, let me know your thoughts!  

Tomorrow is the official launch date of AWODTD.  I'm participating in an Educator's Appreciation event at my local Barnes & Noble. The nation's best CRM, Robbie Bryan, tells me my books are already on the shelves.  Bringing the camera for my first in-store Autumn sighting!  Wheeeeeeeeeee!  

They're Really Real!

I got my first two hardback copies of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different last week, and boy, are they GEEEEE-ORGEOUS.  I told my SuperEditor, and I quote, "I am a delighted/ecstatic combo with a side of thrilled, I'm so happy with them!"  

You might not be able to see the tears running down my face in this photo, but believe me, they're there.  

They are really, really real.  Shiver!  

Party at Kimberly Pauley's Blog!

Author Kimberly Pauley launches her first YA novel this week, Sucks to Be Me:  The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, teen vampire (maybe)!! I'm tellin' ya, this book is *not* one to be read in the hush-hush corridors of your favorite library, because you will be HOWLING with laughter!  Funny, funny stuff.  

Kimberly was nice enough to invite me and Autumn Winifred Oliver to Mina's launch party.  The whole gang is hanging out at Kimberly's place:  click on over and check it out!  And go buy Sucks to Be Me!  Laughter adds 8 years to your life, you know.  (Unless you're a teen vampire.  Then you're immortal, anyway...)  

Thanks, Kimberly, for all the fun!  Yay for Mina!  

Writer's Night at Barnes & Noble

I could talk about writing for hours.  Seriously.  I did it just the other night, and I felt like I needed a tether to keep me anchored to planet earth.  Such fun!  It was the Barnes & Noble writer's night in Cool Springs, TN (Franklin).  Community Relations Manager Robbie Bryan and wonderful friend Kathy Hardy Rhodes asked me if I'd be interested in talking to a group of writers about the "in between" stages of publishing - in between getting "the call" and seeing your book on a shelf.  Would I be interested?!  I brought so many visual aids, I had to roll them in in a cart - no kidding.  Please visit friend Kathy's blog  to read more.  Thank you, Robbie and Kathy!  And any where, any time, someone wants to chat about writing - bring it on!  But I warn you, I am nonstop chatter on this one.  :-)  

Peace!