Publishing This Week

This week in publishing news the Simon & Schuster agency is building on its relationship with Moxie & Co. by giving the licensing agency representation rights for a half dozen additional properties. (Moxie has been licensing Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys for Simon & Schuster since 2005.)

The agency will seek licensees for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, David A. Carter’s Bugs, Marissa Moss’s Amelia, Matthew Van Fleet’s Cat and Dog, Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman’s Bear and Little Pip, Little Quack, and Pendragon. The first licensee signed for any of the new properties is Manhattan Toy for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom developmental soft toys.

Meanwhile, Moxie & Co. is actively looking for more literary properties, talking to publishers, literary agents and authors and recently signing a deal with Suse MacDonald for Alphabet Animals. “Our goal is to add more iconic, classic books with staying power,” says co-owner Laura Becker.


Nickelodeon has authorized 19 books based on its series Ni Hao, Kai Lan through the end of 2010, including titles from Simon & Schuster (storybooks), Random House (coloring and activity), Publications International (sound books), Readers Digest (supernovelty formats) and LeapFrog (Tag electronic readers).

Target exclusively launched one book, along with a handful of toys, in May; Jade Liana, the actress who voices Kai Lan, will read and sign two of the Ni Hao titles at the Target Book Festival in Minneapolis in September, where Ni Hao will be the focus of the children’s section. Target, Borders and Kohl’s are end-capping the books, and Nickelodeon is talking to Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon.com about promotional events. Licensee Mega Brands will promote the books on its Ni Hao, Kai Lan packaging, while some book titles will feature call-outs for Fisher-Price and Vtech toys.

Ni Hao, Kai Lan follows in the footsteps of Nickelodeon’s other leading preschool girl property, Dora the Explorer, which launched with four books. “Dora paved the way for a new generation of preschool tie-in publishing,” Allen says. “It’s been a top publishing property for almost a decade now.”



Cookie Jar Entertainment has signed a number of new licensees for author Richard Scarry’s characters, in conjunction with the debut of a new 52-episode television series, Busytown Mysteries, which will launch this fall. NCircle Entertainment is on board for six DVDs, Cookie Jar has created a Web site called BusytownMysteries.com that includes an immersive world and a fan club, and Simon & Schuster will introduce a new line of books, based on storylines from the TV series, in summer 2010. Current licensed products, for boys age 2-5, include board games from I Can Do That, puzzles from Cardinal and cake decorating supplies from DecoPac. Toys, plush, home furnishings and gifts are planned.

According to Lisa Streff, Cookie Jar’s senior v-p of domestic consumer products, the series has the look of the classic books, and many of Scarry’s most popular characters appear in it. Pointing out that there hasn’t been any merchandise on the market for quite some time, Streff says retail-specific promotions are planned with mass and mid-tier retailers and that the company is in talks with bookstore chains as well.


N
ordstrom will exclusively sell children’s apparel in its Midwest and Northeast stores based on the Planet Color by Todd Parr brand. The clothing will be produced by Jen’s Ideas.... Grosset & Dunlap will publish three titles for boys 7-10 tied to Warner Bros.’ Batman: The Brave and the Bold, in spring 2010.


Modern Publishing will release Smurfs coloring and activity books, licensed by Sony. The classic blue characters will make their comeback in an upcoming film.

Majesco Entertainment is introducing interactive games for the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms based on The Daring Book for Girls.


Warner Bros.’ licensing program for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince includes manufacturers NECA and Corgi International for toys, Mattel for a Scene It game, and Noble for wands, chess sets and sculpts, among others.


With all of this news I am most excited about the Smurfs! What is not to love? How could anyone not simply adore the cute little blue guys? I still have a stuffed Poppa Smurf from when I was little. I cannot wait till the movie is released, and I will try to find some additional inforamtion on that and post it as soon as it becomes available!

Have a great Weekend!

Is Harry Potter Christ?

The books are completed, all seven Harry Potter's are done. The movies are close to being completed as well. Now rewind in your minds to back when Harry Potter was first being noticed by kids of all ages and the churches and of course religious scholars. Do you remember the book burnings that were held for the Potter books? Do you remember all the slander of the books by Conservative Christan's saying that the books promoted witchcraft and Satan? I remember schools banning the books from their libraries and parents having fits over the Scar Boy.

Now those same people who condemned the books a "EVIL" and a strike against all that is good in the world are saying that the Harry Potter series are not all that bad. That the books follow the gospels. They see that Dumbledore (even though he is gay in the series) and Harry are versions of Christ because they face a death experience and then they are reborn in a fashion. That makes Malfoy and Snape the Judases. The the wands in the book represent God, the Father, the Sorcerer's Stone represents the the Son because it stands for resurrection and Harry's invisibility cloak stands for the Holy Ghost. I know, I said "WTF?" too when I heard about this.

Quite a few Conservative Christan's and religious scholars have changed their tune since the book series was completed. To me I never saw these books as bad or evil in any fashion. They got kids into reading when otherwise they might have picked up a video game instead.

Of course kids are going to be interested in anything that is considered taboo. I remember when I was in the sixth grade listening to my grandfather telling stories about a neighbor of theirs several years past that had some odd habits that tagged her as a witch in the community (Ok, being able to change form into a goat kinda of does label one as a witch of some sort).I remember being fascinated with the tale, I begged my dad to take me to the house where she lived at down on the creek, I even went to the local library to look up as much information as I could on the witch trails and witches in general. I was hooked. I still am.

I don't see any harm in letting kids know that there is magic out there. Everyday is magical from the beauty of a Morning Glory blooming to a rainbow gracing the sky after a rain shower, to getting all green lights on the way home. The magic may not come from a wand with a strand of unicorn hair as it's core, but it is wondrous all the same.

These Christan Conservatives and religious scholars are just now realizing that the Harry Potter series are not that naughty and that they are indeed a blessing in a way because they got children interested in books and perhaps that these books got kids into reading when otherwise they would not have ever picked up a book willingly. For me these books not not only boosted literacy they boosted the publishing industry. Hey, they had to PURCHASE those books they burned. Of course the Harry Potter series is not so bad.

*this post is based on the NPR (National Public Radio) transcript, the orginal peice aired August 22, 2009. If you would like to read the transcript please go to this website:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112141959&ft=1&f=1032

Hand Written Notes

I did not post yesterday due to pain in my shoulder and arm. Somewhere between jumping in a bouncy house for a birthday party we hosted, a slumber party and rolling up the bouncy house I managed to injure myself. Today, or at least this morning, my arm and shoulder are feeling much improved. Me and my husband watched "Lost" episodes of season 2 last night, so it is possible that the island healed me.

I had a very uplifting day yesterday. I received a card in the MAIL from my best friend who just moved to a new place of residence about an hour away from me. Almost for the past year she has lived right down the road from me so I could "pop" in whenever I was around. I do miss being able to do that, but I realise that she is only a phone call away.

When I read the card I smiled, I laughed and I was in shock over the fact that she managed to mail something, which is not her strong point. It made me feel loved and appreciated even though she is 100 miles away. That is the power of the written word.

I try to mail my family and friends notes via the mail, a simple card or a copy of a few PICS I took when I last saw them with a quick note attached is all it takes to make some one's day go better. When was the last time you received a note, a personal note, in the mail, not by E-Mail, but by snail mail?

In this age of PC's and screens everywhere in our lives we have a tendency to forget that a hand written note is lovely. It expresses your feelings much more than a precisely typed letter sent by E-Mail ever could. Not only does a hand written letter show that you took the time to do something just for this person, but it also shows that you were thinking about the person while at the store picking out the perfect card, or licking the stamp, and addressing the envelope. It shows more emotion than a send button ever could hope to.

I know that most men are not up to sending a heartfelt letter, a funny card or even a quick note saying thank you will work. People loved to know that they are appreciated, and it will also help you HONE those writing skills. The hardest note I have ever had to write was a thank you note for a pair of Hanes socks. That is tricky, how does one make a package of socks sound like the most appreciated gift given in the history of the human race? That takes skill.

This is my challenge to you my beloved readers, send at least one person a hand written note this week. It can be left under a windshield wiper, mailed, stuck in a lunch box, left on the bathroom mirror. It doesn't matter how it gets to the person, but make sure it is handwritten. No E-Mail, no texting, no twittering. It will make someone you love feel special that day.

Battling Book Sellers

Jim Henson Company with HaperCollins the publisher annouced that they are launching a publishing program for "Sid the Science Kid", the emmy-nominated animated TV series that is PBS Kids. The TV series has been on airing since fall of 2008. The books in the series will feature full-color stills from the TV series and will go on sale in December 22,2009. The book series will start with three
titles and are targeted for children ages three to six, but are also great for kids
up to age nine that need more paratice reading.


The first three books in the series will be Sid the Science Kid: Why Are My Shoes Shrinking?, Sid the Science Kid: The Trouble with Germs and Sid the Science Kid: A Cavity Is a Hole in Your Tooth. The books are priced between $3.99 and $5.99, and are available on www.Amazon.com for pre-order.




In other publishing news the bookseller Borders announced on August 17 2009 that they will be INCREASING they offer educators from 20% to 25% off of the list price on books, music CD's, toys, and games for use in the classroom. This change came after Barnes and Noble annouced their launch of a new school/educational section on Barnes and Noble.com, plus they are offering a 20% discount to educators.

The new Borders discount is available to pre-k through 12th grade teachers as well as home school educators and school librarians. Also Borders has added "Borders Teaching Zone" sections to it's stores which will carry educational workbooks.


The battle rages on between Barnes and Noble and Borders. I am not sure if there will ever be a "clear" winner, but in this case educators and our children are the winners. Teachers of all grade levels need all the assistance they can get, even in the form of battling booksellers.

Have a great weekend!

Nathan Bransford

I know that in a previous post I mentioned Nathan Bransford's blog, there is a link to his blog on my side bar on the left. His blog is full of goodies for us writers. Everything from how to construct your query letter to other tasty tidbits. He is an agent for Curtis Brown, Ltd based in New York. If you are in doubt query Nathan. He is honest and full of knowledge that us writers might not be very knowledgeable about.

One of his handy blog posts that he published was posted on August 13, 2009, Thursday titled, "Book Publishing Glossary". This is great. There are terms and definitions that I know that I was not acquainted with that he posted. Check it out, and print it out, heck even save it. The information may be of use to you. Here's the link to that blog post:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/08/book-publishing-glossary.html

If you want to read what Nathan has to say about his blog, his thoughts on publishing in the future, and his clients check out this blog at www.alanrinzler.com where he had a Question and Answer session. Here's a link to the post with the interview.

http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2009/03/14/literary-agent-stars-online-nathan-bransford-blogger-extraordinaire/


Have a great hump day!

Beware of Scams

I know from experience that the Wild Wide World of Publishing can be frightening and overwhelming. There are agents out there that are not really agents but scammers ready to suck your bank account dry, there are publishers that say they will publish your book but in fact will never once look upon your baby, A.K.A. book. There are sharks out there that will swallow you whole if you are not careful.

Not to worry, there are resources that are there to help us writers determine who the villains are in the publishing industry. Those people are the wonderful of Writer Beware, they are located at www.sfwa.org. There they receive complaints about agencies, agents, publishers, contests, and other pitfalls that target writers and they also post the results of court cases on their web site and blog. Very handy-dany. I have noticed that some of the agencies and agents and even self publishing publishers listed in the Writer's Market are listed on their web-site for complaints, and court ligation's. Always double check before you send out your well formed query and of course before you agree to sign any contract or PAY any amount of money to anyone. (A good rule to remember is that a decent agent will not require you to pay any amount for a reading, query or anything else up front.)

My golden rule is to google the agent, the agency and check the Better Business Bureau. Use your common sense first. If a deal seems to good to be true, it usually is. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!! There are no stupid questions.

Rant of the week

This is a rant post. You have been warned.

In Johnston Rode Island at the "My Special Place Early Learning Center" a daycare center a baby boy was locked in the center for an hour, alone. The mother came to pick her child up and was shocked to discover that the center was closed and locked up tight for the night. The mother pounded on the door and yelled until a neighbor to the center heard her and assissted her in breaking into the center. The baby was found in a crib crying.

This was reported to the authorities and the center was placed on probation. The center's side of the story is that the mother did not sign her child in when she dropped the baby off that morning. They said that they checked the list and as far as they knew all of the children had been picked up by their parents/guardians and that they were okay to close for the day.

I have worked in childcare previously at a day care. There were very ridgid policies on checking all the cribs, bathrooms, storage rooms, kitchens, every room in the center to ensure that there was not any children in the center. The vans were done in the same fashion. After every room was checked the employee that checked the room had to sign that they did check, then the lead adminastrator would check the rooms and sign also. It was a system of checks and balances.

This daycare should of have some sort of policies in place to prevent this from even happening. I realize that out there in the wide world there are people who think that a mother's place is at home with her babies.

That is a VERY backward point of view. Every person has a story, each one is different. I do have the support from my wonderful family that allows me to stay at home with my boys. In that respect I am very lucky. I have worked and I did have a babysitter that was a family member. But a babysitter all the same. It was slowly killing me everyday to leave my babies with someone else who was not their mother or father while I went to earn the allmighty dollar. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

People want to blame the mother because she allotted to put her child in daycare. I believe that mastakes were made, perhaps by both the mother and center. As a mother with school age children I know that there are polcies that drive me crazzzzzy. (Example, do I really need to show them my identifaction almost every single time I pick them up after three years of me picking them up and dropping them off every day).

Do we know the mother's side of the story? Do we know why she decieded to put her child in daycare? No. All that was told was that the child was left alone, locked in an empty building. An infant alone. If the mother had left the child alone she would have been punished heavily for child abuse, and child neglect. They only got probation. Something is wrong there. (Keep in mind that the child was not harmed, thankfully.)

The best thing to do if you do decied on a day care center is to throughly check them out. Visit the center (multiple times), speak to the employees, talk to parents that have or have had children there, check with the Better Busissness Breau to see if any complaints are listed. Google the center adminstrator, check their facebook and myspace pages if you can. They maybe professional the first time you meet them, then you realize later that you made a mistake. Trust me, people are awfully nice the first time, they want your money.

For a sitter place an ad in a local paper and of course ask around. Interview the people applying at a local spot, like a coffee bar or a resturant. Ask LOTS of questions, ask for references. Ask about their history with children, google them, check out their myspace and facebook pages if they have one and you can. Make sure that they are able to comply with your guidlines and are flexiable. (keep in mind that you also need to be flexiable) Make sure that you have their FULL name and their home address. Accidents happen, it is our job as parents to ensure that we can prevent everything that is a possiablilty.

Questions to Ask a sitter for an interview:

Do they have children?

How long are they going to be able to be a sitter (a few weeks, months or years?)

What is their view point on disipline?

What type of disipline do they use or have used?

Are they a leader or a follower? (determine this by the way they answer their questions)

Do they smoke?

Are they drinkers?

Do they have car insurance? (if they transport your child in their own vehicle)

Are they timely?

Do they have a cell phone?

Remember that many people get nervous and excited at a job interviews. If you feel that you did not cover all of your bases interview them again. Be frank and honest with them, remember that they are people too.

For those out there please do not judge a mother or father because they have to have the services of a day care center or babysitter. Times are tough and two incomes for a family could mean the difference between hungry and satisfied. Clean clothes and dirty, a roof over their head or living out of their car. Or maybe the mother is a single parent. A widdow perhaps. Dont' judge what you don't know.

Beautiful People

I have noticed that us writers can be a bit worrisome by nature. We compare ourselves to other writers, not just our skill levels, but our personal lives. We also compare our work, our finished product to others, and it doesn't even matter if it is in the same genre. We compare our education levels, and job skills. We are fickle. We want attention , we want the praises of out work to be shouted to the heavens, and we want the royalties to roll in like high tide. At the same time we crave to be alone, to immerse ourselves in our work, we like to dive into a new chapter like a swimmer in the deep end of an Olympic size pool.

These traits make it utmost difficult to befriend a writer, marry a writer, or even try to have a positive working relationship with another writer. Our pay is sporadic, our hours are uneven (I have been known to be up for days at a time working on a plot twist), and we are temperamental. It is hard for us to realize that people in our real, non-book, everyday lives will not function as we think they will. A stranger might not help you after they knock you down, people will cut you off while in traffic, not all teachers will be open and communicative like in all the books and movies.

This aspect of life throws me for a loop. Sometimes I do not understand their motive, or even their thought patterns. I have often caught myself thinking, "How did they come up with that?" That is the beauty of people, of free will, something characters in my books do not have. I have the power over what they say, do, think, over their whole lives. I am their fate. It is a powerful thing.

The worst thing for a writer is to think that they are insufficient. You are not. You are a creative, beautiful person even if the only thing you have written is a very detailed grocery list in the past six months. It's just a book, or an article. There will be more. If it's not perfect it's okay, it's not meant to be. That's the beauty of creation, most things are flawed in some fashion.

If someone compares you to another writer in a good way, yay! Absorb it, love it, cherish it. Move on. If someone says something negative think on it for five minutes and move on. Life still goes on. It's only one persons thoughts. Then you can say, "How did they come up with that?"

For us writers to be social, to be out in the real world, we need to take a deep breath and put aside our fears of other writers. we need to get out there and interact. We need to query and meet people at conferences and workshops. We need to be ourselves. We are writers, the beautifully elegant authors of the world. Be proud, be smart, be yourself.

True Blood news

School has started here this week, and I a apologize for the sporadic posting. I am still trying to get a rhythm down that I can live with. I am not a morning person, and I have two kids to prepare for school every morning. So this night owl writer has been trying to go to bed early, which has really putting a pinch on my work that I have been doing. I am hoping that by next week we will all have adjusted to waking up at 6 AM, instead of our regular 8 AM.




In this weeks PEOPLE magazine there was an engagement announcement made. Trueblood stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer are officially engaged, reps for both actors confirmed! The couple has been official since February 24th of this year. They have not released a date for their wedding as of yet. Congratulations to the happy couple!

Stephen has two children from previous relationships, and Anna is currently childless. Anna Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse and Stephen Moyer plays Bill Compton on the HBO series, "True Blood" (Sunday nights at 9 pm, 8 pm central).

In other True Blood news HBO is releasing bottles of Tru Blood for purchase. The bottles will not be filled with a blood synthetic, but a type of Blood Orange soda. Samples were given out at the San Diego Comic-Con that took place in the end of July. Tru Blood bottles will be available on September 8, 2009 for purchase in either single bottles for $16.00, or a 24 pack for $96.00, it is available for pre-order at the website, www.trubeverage.com .

Who got a book deal?

This weeks "Who got a book deal?" is more of a continuation of a book deal. It's complex, seriously.

Before George Carlin's unexpected death last summer he had been working on a memoir book with Tony Hendra, who is a founding editor of National Lampoon magazine. George Carlin had been working with Tony Hendra for almost a decade on the memoir at the time of his death.

The book will not be like his other comedic publications he had previously published, the titles of those releases are: When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, Brain Droppings, and Napalm and Silly Putty.

George Carlin's memoir is titled, "Last Words" and will cover his career that spanned more than 50 years, and will also include Carlin's own story. George Carlin was famously known a being a very private person even though he was widely known for comedy and acting.
This video does have some naughty words in it, so crack out the earphones if your at work or around kiddos.

Tony Hendra gained permission from George Carlin's family to have the book published. It is due to be released on November 17 2009. It is avaiable on Amazon.com for preorder for the price of $17.81, not including shipping.

I think this is wonderful! Me and my husband saw George Carlin live at the Ryman Auditorium when he was last on tour in 2005 and it was inspiring. We were very close to the stage, and his paced the stage the entire show like a caged tiger. We enjoyed it overly much, it was a night to remember. It is something that we tell our kids about. How many people do you know that got to see Mr. Conductor from Shining Time Station live? That is cool beyond words. We have missed George's comedy, but now it is time to learn who he was as a person.

This Video is one of my favorite's of Carlin. Enjoy.