Category: Link

• Goodreads Choice Awards, NaNoWriMo, and Secret Santas

  Posted at 8:27 pm by Laura, on November 3, 2014

  

  It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Goodreads Choice Awards 2014: Opening Round! And let me tell you, there are some fantastic books up on the ballot! I’ve reviewed several of them this year, so hop on over to my 2014 Reviews and check them out.

  

  You may have noticed I haven’t blogged an Advance Excitement at a Glance post for November. While I like to think I planned out the following situation, I regret to say I did not. It was just a happy coincidence.

  There are many great books coming out in November, and a few of them I was lucky enough to receive ARCs. Unfortunately I haven’t had the time to get around to reading them properly for review, so there will be no November ARC updates. (However, there’s a book coming out in December whose review will be posted mid-November — look out for that!). I’m also busy this month for a completely different reason: NaNoWriMo. Academic papers? Got it. Critiquing and editing creative works? No problem. Coming up with plot ideas and characters and the whole world? Fine. But actually completing a novel-length creative piece? Wow. So I’m a bit frightened, but my writer friends have rallied around me and so far I’m doing pretty well with this whole NaNoWriMo thing!

  

  Um, book bloggers? Sign up for this now. The Broke and the Bookish is hosting a Secret Santa, and it looks like so much fun. Sign-ups end November 14th, so hurry on over and fill out your form to give to and receive bookish goodies from another book blogger this holiday season!

   

  Did you vote for your favorite books of 2014?
  Are you participating in NaNoWriMo?
  Have you signed up for #TBTBSanta?

   

  Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 1 Comment | Tagged awards, books, goodreads, NaNoWriMo, personal, TBTBSanta

• Seth Fishman on “How to Write YA”

  Posted at 2:34 pm by Laura, on February 28, 2014

  Young Adult author Seth Fishman (The Well’s End, a superbly eerie, dystopian fantasy novel with viruses and quarantines) whips up a fantastic article for writers diving into the YA division. In “How to Write YA,” featured in Publishers Weekly, Fisherman makes six solid points that make me simultaneously nod professionally and jump up and down like an enthusiastic fan of YA (and want to high-five him multiple times for publishing this and finally make people realize…well, read on).

  1. Confront your failures.
  2. Don’t write down. “‘Young Adult’ does not mean stupid. It doesn’t mean ignorant.” *internally screams with joy* 
  3. Be timeless when timeless is called for.
  4. Remember what you felt, not what you remember.
  5. Be confident.
  6. Have a teenager help you edit. (Yes, this, it’s so important, especially for dialogue or dramatic moments!)

   

  Just read it like any good YA reader should! Fishman nails it.

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: young adult, news, publishing

• ALA Midwinter’s Youth Media Awards

  Posted at 3:27 pm by Laura, on January 27, 2014

  Little publishing nerd and bookworm freaked out this morning when the ALAYMA awards — Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and several others — were announced. I did my best to tone down the fangirl when I posted the information over on my graduate program’s publishing blog, so if you want to see just the facts, hop over there. If you’re in for the fangirling, read on.

  HOLLY BLACK. YES.

  RAINBOW ROWELL. OMGOMGOMG YES.

  KATE DICAMILLO. AGAIN. YES.

  LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY CALDECOTTS!

  HOW MANY MORE BOOKS MUST I ADD TO MY TO-READ LIST?!

   

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged ALA Midwinter, awards, books, personal, publishing, Youth Media Awards

• What’s with the Orphans?

  Posted at 4:22 pm by Laura, on January 22, 2014

  Another Quirk Books post was published on their blog today, wherein I muse about the convenience in middle grade books to not have any parents in the story.

  Have you ever taken a good, close look at Middle Grade fiction? And in that close look, have you noticed that most of the protagonists are orphans? Yes, some may live with grandmothers or uncles, or the main story takes place in a school far from home – but even then, the parents are noticeably absent. Dead, disappeared, out of the picture, gone.

  Why is that?

  What’s with All the Orphans in Kids’ Books? Hop on over or comment here to join the conversation!

  Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: middle grade, quirk books

• Latest Penguin Random House Merger

  Posted at 4:52 pm by Laura, on January 15, 2014

  Last summer, Penguin and Random House merged their companies and gave themselves a generic name (why not Random Penguin? Or Penguin House? Where’s the sense of humor? Kidding. Kind of). In an announcement made this morning, the UK Penguin and Random House publishers decide to merge their children’s divisions into one entity.

  “We passionately believe in children’s publishing and plan to invest significantly in this area over the next few years. We are determined to capture the readers of tomorrow. We believe that having one really brilliant and dynamic children’s division will allow us to compete even more effectively on behalf of all our authors, illustrators and licensing partners for the attention of young readers in an environment which now offers them an unlimited choice of entertainment and information.”

  For more information, head over to Book2Book.

  When do you think this will happen to the US division (if it happens)?

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged news, publishing

• Quirk Books Post: YA Books for the Movies!

  Posted at 6:29 pm by Laura, on December 23, 2013

  Another one of my blog posts made it to the Quirk site: Five YA Books that would Make Great Movies.

  It’s official: Hollywood has turned to Young Adult books for movie magic inspiration. The large fanbase for these books provides an opportunity to bring new stars in the limelight, make big bucks, and show off new special effects. After the explosion and mania of Harry Potter and Twilight took hold, followed by The Hunger Games, Beautiful Creatures, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Divergent, The Maze Runner, The Book Thief, and The Fault in Our Stars.

  I’ve thrown in Maureen Johnson (for the horror/thriller), Natalie Sandiford (for the history/Cold War buff), and Jane Nickerson (for some true Southern gothic fairy tales).

  Which YA books would you like to see turned into a movie?

  Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, personal, quirk books

• End of Year Publishing Thoughts

  Posted at 7:05 pm by Laura, on December 7, 2013

  Now the school year has come to a close, I’ve been able to catch up on articles I found and thought I’d share some of the most recent ones with you.

  Why are Middle Grade books so successful? Author R.J. Palacio, the one who wrote the hit Wonder, found that even though she meant for her book to be for young readers, adults latched onto it anyway. The theory a “good book is a good book” rings true for many middle grade (and young adult, for that matter) novels. And what has contributed to the success of middle grade novels? Adult readers — particularly of the Harry Potter fan variety.

  Speaking of Harry Potter, author J.K. Rowling is one of the first to be named Britain’s “Literacy Hero.”

  The campaign was set up by the National Literacy Trust in order to find those who are looked up to because of how much they have helped others or progressed themselves with reading and writing skills, whether famous or not.

  Book Marketing Predictions for 2014 — Sansevieri begins her predictions with observations from this year:

  So, what’s the biggest change I’ve seen in 2013? Well, pretty much all things traditional flew out the window. Reviews are still important, but reader reviews took precedence over that. Engagement is still key, but direct reader engagement is even more crucial. What does this mean for you in 2014?

  She goes on to predict that more books will be published faster (YA market has this down, with a book a year per series, little novellas from other characters, etc. Keep pushing content out, and sales increase), shorter will become popular (in that, instead of having a couple tomes every few years, authors will sell one large tome and several little books/novellas to keep people entertained), focused writing on specific topics will be desired (to fit the “I want to know everything right now in one sitting” instant gratification that seems to be happening these days), authors will need to be everywhere to interact with their readers (because readers are becoming more and more important), there will be a higher demand for presence on social media (a publisher or author may not be on every site, but whichever one they’re on they need to keep it up to date), and many more.

  I’ve gotta say…I agree with her predictions! I predict they will come true. I’d also add that the YA market has a good handle on this, and the YA authors are already way ahead of the game.

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged authors, books, genre: middle grade, marketing, news, publishing, reading

• In Need of a Snowy Read?

  Posted at 4:13 pm by Laura, on November 21, 2013

  I’ve created a list at Quirk Books — a quest of sorts — of winter-themed YA and MG books you can dive into! Everything from scary tales at night, to sword fights in the ice, to adventures through the snow with friends, to winter romances.

  Reading books will always be my favorite way to spend the day, but it’s especially true during the colder months. Endless hours of darkness to sit by a fire or a nice warm lamp, curled up in a comfy chair or wrapped in a blanket, a warm mug filled with a nice hot beverage in one hand and a book in the other.

  With these warm thoughts in mind during the cold months, it’s time to look into some winter-themed Middle Grade and Young Adult books that will melt your heart and freeze your spine. The cold, dark months may be a melancholy time for some (I cannot express how often I re-read Jane Eyre in the winter), but it can also be a time of exciting adventures or bone-chilling ghost stories.

  A Snowy Reading Quest:
  Great MG & YA Books to Read in the Winter
  over at Quirk!
  Click the bold and get started on those recommendations.

  Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged books, genre: middle grade, genre: young adult, quirk books, reading

• Penguin & Random House: Merge Complete

  Posted at 8:28 am by Laura, on July 1, 2013

  The new partnership Penguin Random House is complete as of today! Check out the new company’s website, Penguin Random House, and see the news bulletin from Publishers Weekly here.

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged news, publishing

• Scholastic Reveals 3rd Potter Cover!

  Posted at 8:02 pm by Laura, on June 28, 2013

  Don’t mind me, I’ll just be hyperventilating in a bag for my favorite cover thus far for my favorite book of the series!

  Scholastic reveals the 3rd Harry Potter 15th Anniversary Edition cover!

  

   

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged art, authors, books, publishing

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

• Search the Blog

  Search for:

• Currently Reading

  

• Book Review Rating Key

  ★★★ — It’s good
  ★★★★ — It’s great
  ★★★★★ — OMG LOVE!!!

• Recent Posts

  • MSWL for 2023
  • Favorite Reads of 2022
  • Deal Announcement: Annie Cardi, YA Contemporary
  • Deal Announcement: Molly Horan, YA Contemporary
  • Deal Announcement: Ana Holguin, Romcom
•