The Return of Field Trip Friday
Once upon a time, on an internet that feels far, far away, I wrote a weekly roundup of "writing, publishing, and otherwise amusing" links over at the now-defunct YA Highway. Well, it turns out that old habits die hard. Despite a two and half year hiatus, I still auto-follow industry news sources, I still bookmark good links out of habit... and I sort of miss the writing community connection and *mumble mumble* something admitting that I have feelings *mumble*.
So! I've decided to take on Field Trip Friday 2.0. The new version will be a monthly collection here on my own blog, full of links useful to both aspiring writers and publishing pros: writing tips, industry news, creativity boosters, marketing info, and whatever else seems relevant.
Please see the end of the post for details on submitting links to be featured, as well as ways you can support the project. And now, without further ado... 2Field Trip 2Friday. Twice the Trip. Half the Fridays. Hope you enjoy. <3
writing process
- Drafting: Four Methods for Highly Anxious Individuals
from Wrex-Writes, a blog "especially for folks who find writing difficult—who feel alone, who struggle with anxiety or depression or chronic illness, who want desperately to write but can't write—you know who you are."
- Author Jami Gold has an extensive collection of Worksheets for Writers.
- Literary agent Dongwon Song offers advice for getting maximum impact in your writing.
- A really interesting compilation of writers sharing their career regrets at The Booklist Reader (June 2016)
- The Kidliterati look at three ways to beat self-sabotage.
- Lindsay Smith shares 7 ways she stays on track as an author with ADHD.
- Get help with the dreaded synopsis from author Daniel José Older.
characters and settings
- ‘Game of Thrones’ Teaches U.C. Berkeley Students Art of Language Creation at KQED
- Potentially helpful for character research: the Inside Jobs project at The Atlantic, talking to American workers about their varied jobs
inspiration
- 32 Easy Exercises to Boost Your Creativity Everyday at Inc.com
- The BN Teen blog's Open Mic feature is always worth a read.
- Delilah Dawson shares how -- and why -- to make book playlists (May 2016). Need more music? NPR lists the 150 greatest albums made by women
- Sarah Anderson knows what's up.
pic.twitter.com/5ENhZf3ioa — Sarah Andersen (@SarahCAndersen) July 26, 2017
representation
- "To write or speak is not a luxury. America does not have a story without us, yet we are often denied a place in the larger narrative. Without our voices, there is no real America possible." Author and poet Joy Harjo on memoir, memory, and erasure.
- McSweeney's hosted a great primer on cultural appropriation written by Rajeev Balasubramanyam.
- "How Can Historical Fiction Be Feminist?" asks Greer MacAllister at The Millions.
- "Viewing yourself as others have misconstrued you either silences you or enrages you. Both these outcomes are detrimental — at the individual as well as societal level." Author S. K. Ali discusses moving forward in the diversity conversation at SLJ.
reading
bookish news
- Met Museum To Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of 'From The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler'
at Gothamist
- Book Birds has a guide to bookish subscription boxes, comparing ten of the most popular.
- Among all their other challenges, librarians are also on the front lines of dealing with opioid addiction.
- Zara Rix looks at ways YA is reflecting the Black Lives Matter movement.
- The NYT takes an in-depth look at how to raise a reader. (I disagree with their take on when to introduce Harry Potter.)
- Finally, the sorting quiz we've always wanted: Which Baby-Sitters Club member are you? (It insists I am Kristy but I know that I am Janine because the mystery of whether "baby-sitters" needs an apostrophe continues to haunt me.)
what to read
- Looking for something light? Kirkus picks 11 fresh takes on YA romance, and SLJ has funny YA favorites.
- YA Wednesdays has your July YA releases, and YA Interrobang provides a new release list each week. (The latter is also compiling lists of books featuring neurodiversity.)
- Dahlia Adler offers 25 of the most anticipated LGBTQIAP YA novels still to come in 2017.
- Kelly Jensen at Stacked rounds up the YA horror reads of 2017, and gathered the year's favorite reads for the Book Riot newsletter.
- If you're already done with this year, PW has the Spring 2018 Children’s Sneak Previews, Book Birds is compiling a list of all the 2018 YA releases, and you can get to know 2018 kidlit debuts in their monthly #18DebutChat on Twitter, every 18th at 8pm eastern.
- If you need new book blogs to follow, there are lots of suggestions in this thread started by @ReadByNicka.
- Getting burned by bad books? YA Books Central now offers the Try It First newsletter, which lets you read the first five chapters before you buy.
on the screen
- Lana Condor will star in the film adaptation of Jenny Han's beloved To All The Boys I've Loved Before. Some fans were critical of having a Vietnamese-American actress play a Korean-American character, while authors Ellen Oh, Maurene Goo, and others weighed in with their own takes.
- If you missed the debut of Sara Zarr's Story of a Girl, don't worry -- you can still watch it on the Lifetime website!
- "I Don't Want To Watch Slavery Fanfiction," says Roxane Gay in response to HBO's new show "Confederate."
- Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death has been optioned by HBO with George R. R. Martin as executive producer.
- A! Wrinkle! In! Time! trailer!
The teaser trailer for Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time is here. Watch it now and see the film in theatres March 9, 2018. #WrinkleInTimepic.twitter.com/N3JELMnhdV — A Wrinkle In Time (@WrinkleInTime) July 15, 2017
cover reveals
(not comprehensive - these are just a few that caught my eye. click image for more info.)
publishing
for authors
- Agent Kathleen Rushall offers a pep talk for authors on the roller coaster of publishing.
- Think Before You Thank: Writers & Acknowledgments by author Kate Messner (Sept 2012)
- An Abridged Glossary of Pub Speak from author Dahlia Adler (April 2013)
- Everything You Wanted to Know about Book Sales (But Were Afraid to Ask): An in-depth look at what/how/why books sell from Electric Lit (June 2016)
- Because I've mentioned the #SchmagentRedFlags hashtag to several aspiring writers recently: Sarah LaPolla's "Agents, Schmagents, and Pink Flags" (Sep 2015)
- When should you switch to a pen name? Sophie Littlefield, aka Sofia Grant, has some answers over at Publishing Crawl, while The Guardian looks at a recent trend of male authors using female pseudonyms.
- Sarah Nicolas at YAtopia lists 15 things to never include in your query
.
marketing and promo
- Morgan Jerkins asks, "Is Trump ruining book sales?"
- Sherman Alexie’s heartbreaking reason for pausing his book tour at KUOW
- For Us, By Us: How Publicist Kima Jones Is Helping Black Women Writers Get A Seat At The Literary Table at Essence
- Corey Ann Haydu shares her experience with a 6th grade school visit and sexual harassment.
- One of the last things I wrote for YA Highway was an author's guide to cover reveals -- what are they, how to get one, and etc. (July 2016)
pub pros
- Michiko Kakutani, legendary book critic and "the most feared woman in publishing," has resigned from the NYT.
- HarperCollins Children announces a new YA partnership with WattPad.
- What Does A Book Editor Do? Macmillan's Rhoda Belleza shares her insights at Bustle.
- To Recent Grads Seeking a Job in Publishing: Patrice Caldwell of Disney Book Group gives advice on finding that first publishing job (June 2016).
- Agent Jennifer Laughran explains what other publishing jobs exist besides authors and editors (Oct 2015).
- Publishing Trends does periodic roundups of publishing personnel changes and events.
industry news
- "Despite no big hit in the first half of 2017, sales of print units are 3% higher than in the first half of last year." The Rise in Print Continues according to PW.
- S&S Restructures Children's Publicity and Marketing
- I feel like I've linked similar articles in years past, but PW reports that an investor is urging Barnes & Nobel to find itself a buyer. (Maybe this June plan to add alcohol and expanded food offerings will help?)
events
- The Asian-American Literature Festival is happening in DC July 27-29.
- September 2nd's National Book Festival is seeking volunteers.
- IndigeNerd!, a Native American arts festival and comic con, is happening July 30 in Norman, OK.
- No fun festivals in your area? Rose Brock of the North Texas Teen Book Fair has advice for starting your own book event
.
other stuff
- Between politics, celebrity deaths, and you know, the world in general, I thought most of us could use this "Everything Is Awful and I’m Not Okay: Questions to ask before giving up" checklist.
- How America Is Failing Native American Students at The Nation
- Did you know there are tiny elf-sized doors all over the US Capitol?
- Here is something that should not have made me laugh as hard as it did.
I'm no geologist but this is quite an interesting Rock formation. pic.twitter.com/oPrh6j1y2x — Daniel (@DannyDutch) July 25, 2017
- And finally, few things surpass the sheer joy of Lupita Nyong'o in disguise at Comic Con.
Did you see me at Comic Con?! #SDCC2017pic.twitter.com/9Vnx4ss96d — Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) July 26, 2017
If you'd like to submit your own posts, events, cover reveals, or other news, please send them to katehartbooks at gmail dot com with "Field Trip Friday" in the subject line. And if you find this series useful, you can support via Patreon, my book, Etsy -- or just sharing with a friend (easy links will be up on Twitter and Facebook).
have a good weekend!