A Couple of New Ideas...

I have been very busy since the call came from the producer, talking with literary agents and making plans for my trip to Book Expo America in New York at the end of the month. But I did want to let everyone know what else I am doing. As always I have a million things going on at once. Hopefully these things will be helpful to you new authors out there.

First, I have mentioned in the past that I joined a new writers/readers network called Indie Readers. If you haven't already, stop by and join. There are a lot of nice people there and many great tips and opportunities for authors to help each other. I have just started a new group within the network called Amazon Authors. This is very similar to Todd Fonseca's Tag My Book onAmazon blog, but on a much smaller scale. If you are interested in adding your Amazon titles to our group to be tagged, I would suggest that you also post it on Todd's. The more you get your work out there the more chances you have to get more readers. If your not sure what tagging is please stop by either of the following addresses for an explanation.

http://indiereaders.ning.com/group/amazonauthors

http://tagmybookonamazon.wordpress.com/

I have been fortunate to meet many writers and authors, both on line and off. I am very thankful to have all of the opportunities that writing and publishing has given me and love to help other writers when ever I can. That was the main reason for starting this blog; to share my experiences and pass along what I have and continue to learn about the whole publishing process. Lately I have been meeting some new author's of children's books. Having 4 children of my own, and being a substitute teacher in a large town with 9 elementary schools, I offered to ask how these 9 different librarians ordered their books. I was given the name and contact info for the man who orders the books for all of our schools. That brings the number of school libraries up to 12. This led me to my second idea.

I thought what a great idea if I take copies of these new children's books along with their purchase info to the man in charge of ordering. He would be able to sample them and then decide if he's interested in buying them for the libraries. I have contacted him about this and will let everyone know the outcome of that as soon as I hear anything. In the mean time, I will offer any children's author a review, which I will post here, on Goodreads, and on Amazon. Not bad exposure for the price of postage and 1 copy of your book. Most of us have a few copies hanging around the house anyway.

In the event that your book is chosen as one to be purchased for all of our town's libraries I will offer the copy you send me as a free bonus to them. If your book is not chosen I will offer it on my contest blog. We all love a giveaway and it helps get your book out there to more readers. Tell me what you think about this idea, and if you're interested in participating email me and I will give you the address of where to send a copy of your book.

dkcallender@sbcglobal.net

As always, keep writing and keep in touch. If you have any ideas on how we can help each other pass them along.

Thanks,
Kristin :)

The More I Catch Up...the more I fall behind.

I haven't added a new post in a while. I have been busy with some new projects on and off line. Now I think I have things under control, at least for now. This is what I have been up to.

I don't know about you busy parents, but this time of year is crazy. Everything seems to go even faster as school and the kids extra activities come to an end for the season. I know there are still two months left, but everything seems to be at fever pitch. Like every teacher and coach is just realizing that summer is almost here and they haven't done half of what they had planned to. The past week I have been helping my kids juggle projects, prepare for field trips, and make sure they maintain their day to day assignments. At the same time I am inundated with summer camp offers from all of their after school activities, which my kids beg and plead to do because their friends are.

I know the outcome of saying yes to summer activities, it's not good. Once my kids are out of school they don't want to get up for baseball or soccer camps, or anything else. They, like me, enjoy a nonscheduled summer. That is the reason I became a substitute teacher, so I could have the same hours and vacations as my kids. I know, what was I thinking?

As crazy as it sounds, I love spending time with my kids. I am also a huge believer that boredom breeds creativity. Being over scheduled is unavoidable during the school year, but summer for us is a time to slow down, relax, and take a deep breath before the next school year begins. Believe me, I know I am fortunate to have the choice and opportunity to stay home all summer. Many parents today do not. Both incomes are needed in order to survive. Thankfully, there are many day cares and baby sitters who feel the same as me. They make it their job to care for children and make sure that they are safe, fed, and given the chance to remain children as long as possible. For that they deserve a lot of credit.

My on line projects are not as crazy, but time consuming on their own. I started a new contest blog, as many may already aware of. Love Your Library is a contest that I think is a Win, Win. One lucky reader will win a signed copy of my book and a second copy will be donated in their name to a public library of their choice. I have been getting some great feedback on it. Imagine how great it would be if all new authors offered this. Public libraries would be jam packed with great new books to offer their patrons, and for not much more than a regular book giveaway would cost an author. If you haven't entered for your chance to win, you can follow this link or click on the picture of my book to the right of the screen. Good Luck to you and your Public Library!

http://kcscontests.blogspot.com

I have also joined a brand new group dedicated to authors and readers of Independent books. I am excited to be one of the first author members on Indiereaders. The Grand Opening is April 23, 2009. Be sure to stop by and check it out. It is looking like a very promising group with lots of friendly and helpful people.

http://indiereaders.ning.com

Well, that is most of what I have been up to. You don't want to hear about the daily battles with the dishes, and that mountain of laundry that I continue to try to turn into a molehill. These are all losing battles in a war with no end.

Have a great day and feel free to leave any comments or questions about writing or anything. The best way to help each other is through communication. Tell me what you've been up to with your own project, or just vent about your own crazy busy life.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kristin