Saturday, May 23, 2009

cool news!

Really cool news!

The audio rights for Silksinger have sold to Brilliance Audio, and the German and Italian rights to Lips Touch have sold! Yay!!!!! Italian rights! I'm so excited about that! And my love of German publishers and readers continues to grow :-) This makes me feel both giddy and greedy for more. More languages! More rights! Mwahaha!!!

Brilliance has done something extremely cool, which is: they've made up packets of Rathersting tattoos to promote the audio of Silksinger, and will be giving them away at their booth at BEA! How awesome! I haven't met any of the folks there [yet] but I love them already.

BEA draws near and my excitement mounts. I've learned something incredible: at BEA, all the books are free. Can you believe? How will I stop myself from grabbing armfuls of books, just because I can? I mean, I can't carry them all day, or fit them in my luggage to bring home. I'll have to be very selective. The Catching Fire ARC for example :-) Jim and I are sure to be doing rock-paper-scissors over who gets to read it first. OR we'll be reading it side-by-side on the plane, ha ha.

Oh, and I'm going to be signing ARCs of Lips Touch in the Scholastic booth on Saturday, May 30 from 3:30-4:30, which is directly after the Buzz Authors Panel (Downtown Author's Stage, 2 - 3:15).

Have a lurvely weekend :-) Oh! Wait! I just found this video, which the lovely Kim Baker created for the Western Washington SCBWI conference last weekend. The subject: A world without SCBWI.

SCBWI Tribute from Kimberly C. Baker on Vimeo.


Isn't that great? It's a tribute to the amazing Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser, who created the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators in 1971 (the year I was born!). I've said many times before: without SCBWI I don't know that I would be published. Every step of the way, from me figuring out how to finally finish a novel (and how to make it a good one), to getting to hear editors speak about what kinds of books they were looking for, so that I would know who to submit to, SCBWI has been lighting the path of my own journey.

If you want to write for children, you absolutely must attend SCBWI conferences (well, it's not so much you must; I do occasionally hear tell of folks who've gotten published without it :-) but it really does help so much, illuminating a world that might seem mysterious and hard to access when you're just sitting at home typing up queries, etc. Plus, the people are amazing and it's So Much Fun. The first year I went to the LA conference was a real stretch financially, but I now believe it's one of those things you have to make happen, because it is so worth it.

Speaking of the LA conference, I am so sad Jim and I can't go this year because, as always, it's shaping up to be incredible. But we will be otherwise occupied either a) having a baby; b) waiting for a slightly late baby; or c) figuring out what to do with a baby! Ha ha. But you should go. Check out the awesomeness!

12 comments:

Q said...

From what I've heard about BEA in my research (as it's one of my life goals to go):

1. Bring a HUGE bag and snap up every remotely interesting book
2. Buy boxes
3. Mail books home so you can get as many as possible

And then you don't have to worry too much about the plane ride home! Just bring Catching Fire in your carry-on and maybe another one, and then the rest will arrive home deliciously after you do.

Rachael King said...

Congratulations Laini!

Lexi said...

Can't wait to see you there!!!!!!!
Less than a week away!
Yay!

tanita✿davis said...

Can't WAIT to hear how fun BEA is!

Anonymous said...

Congrats and have fun at BEA!

Marianne said...

That's great news! Congratulations Laini. Don't lug too many heavy books about at BEA though, you might need to take a porter with you. x

holly cupala said...

Fabulous news! And even more fabulous to get to spend time with you two at the WWA conference.

tone almhjell said...

Congrats, dear! And no book carrying now. Just head for park with one book, an ice cream, a blanket, that's it.

Stephanie Perkins said...

Did you say . . . Catching Fire ARC?

Gulp. I think I'm coming to visit you soon.

(btw, Jarrod read the first one on the plane ride to Boston and then promptly told EVERYONE at the conference they haaaad to read it! Way cute.)

persnickety_jen said...

Oh, the BEA envy... I have it. But I hope you have fun! I know a couple people who are going and I'm definitely telling them to make sure they visit you & Jim!

Thanks for the conference info. I'm always surprised by how many people think attending conferences (or attending workshops, or what-have-you) won't be helpful for their writing... That's always my recommendation for a next step after I've edited someone's manuscript.

Christine Fletcher said...

Congratulations, Laini, this is wonderful!! And have a fabulous time at BEA. I hope to make it there one of these days! (Free books...droooool...

Unknown said...

I'm so bummed we had to cancel our plans to go. Don't worry, you and Jim should both be able to get your own ARC of Catching Fire. For us it was nice that it was in LA last year because we just drove the van over from Phoenix. Michelle and I brought home somewhere between 300-400 books I think.