Thank you, Tara Lazar

The 7th annual Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) came to a close yesterday and I’d like to congratulate everyone who took part in the challenge.

I’d also like to thank Tara Lazar, the PiBoIdMo founder and organizer. For those who don’t know, Tara spends countless hours each summer and fall lining up guest posts, contacting agents for prizes, organizing a Cafe Press store (where she donates all proceeds to Reading Is Fundamental – RIF), moderating registration, managing the PiBoIdMo Facebook Group, sorting out and awarding prizes, and probably a dozen more things I don’t even know about.

She does this all for us. PiBoIdMo is completely free. For everyone.

And while all of this work does give Tara’s books some exposure, that exposure doesn’t count for much unless we, the PiBoIdMo participants, take action.

So this holiday season, I encourage everyone to purchase at least one (or more) of Tara’s books, all of which are terrific favorites in my family. If not for yourself, then perhaps as a gift for a child in your life or your local library or school.

While I am a strong supporter of independent book stores (see yesterday’s post), I’ll make it easy for you:

Little Red Gliding Hood

(under $11 at press time)

Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

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I Thought This Was a Bear Book

Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

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The Monstore

Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

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Normal Norman

(available for pre-order only, releases 3/1/2016)

Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

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Two for You

See the four for you above.

7th Annual Picture Book Idea Month Is Here!

Why is November 1st one of my all-time favorite days of the year?

No, it’s not my wife’s birthday! (or is it?)

November 1st is the start of Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month)! According to the FAQ (found here), “PiBoIdMo is a free November writing challenge for picture book writers and illustrators. The object is to jot down one picture book concept daily. By the end of the month you’ll have at least 30 bright & shiny new ideas! You can then refer to these ideas throughout the year to jumpstart your creativity and write new manuscripts.”

Registration for PiBoIdMo is now open (click here)! It’s free and it’s awesome. Every day throughout November a different author or illustrator will post on Tara’s blog in order to inspire and ignite your creativity. I posted last year (see here) and I’ll be posting this year again (on November 2nd!). Here’s the calendar for the entire month:

What a lineup, eh? And what a logo! PiBoIdMo founder and organizer Tara Lazar works tirelessly every fall to organize this event.  And today happens to be the book birthday for her third picture book, Little Red Gliding Hood. So let’s give Tara a hearty congratulations! I’d also like to congratulate Little Red Gliding Hood illustrator (and PiBoIdMo 2015 Artwork Creator), Troy Cummings.

Congrats to Tara & Troy!

And as I do at the conclusion of every blog post, here are two recommendations for you:

Two for You (Tara Lazar Edition)

1. The Monstore written by Tara Lazar and illustrated by James Burks

Just in time for Halloween, pick up this family favorite, Tara Lazar’s debut!

2. I Thought This Was a Bear Book written by Tara Lazar and illustrated by Benji Davies

Alien crashes into a bear book. Hilarity ensues. Meta at its finest!

Rhyming Picture Book Revolution: Best in Rhyme Award

19 awesome rhyming picture books (and Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast) were recently nominated for the first annual Best in Rhyme Award. This award will be presented at Angie Karcher’s Rhyming Picture Book Revolution Conference.

It’s such an honor to be listed with these 19 other fantastic books:

• Circus Train written by Jennifer Cole Judd & illustrated by Melanie Matthews
• City Kitty Cat written by Steve Webb & illustrated by Magali Le Huche
• Duddle Puck written by Karma Wilson & illustrated by Marcellus Hall
• Everybody Sleeps (But Not Fred) written & illustrated by Josh Schneider
• Interstellar Cinderella written by Deborah Underwood & illustrated by Meg Hunt
• It’s Only Stanley written & illustrated by Jon Agee
• Jampires written & illustrated by Sarah McIntyre and David O’Connell
• Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast written by Josh Funk & illustrated by Brendan Kearney
• Monkey and Duck Quack Up written by Jennifer Hamburg & illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
• Monster Needs Your Vote written by Paul Czajak & illustrated by Wendy Grieb
• Monster Trouble! written by Lane Fredrickson & illustrated by Michael Robertson
• Outer Space Bedtime Race written by Rob Sanders & illustrated by Brian Won
• Pirate’s Lullaby: Mutiny at Bedtime written by Marcie Wessels & illustrated by Tim Bowers
• Smick! written by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Juana Medina
• Snoozefest written by Samantha Berger & illustrated by Kristyna Litten
• Spots in a Box written & illustrated by Helen Ward
• Stick and Stone written by Beth Ferry & illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
• There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight written by Penny Parker Klostermann & illustrated by Ben Mantle
• What About Moose? written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez & illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi
• Sharing The Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story written by Pat Zietlow Miller & illustrated by Jill McElmurry

What is Angie Karcher’s Rhyming Picture Book (or RPB) Revolution Conference? It’s a conference dedicated entirely to writing rhyming picture books. Faculty include all-star rhyming authors Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Lori Degman, Karma Wilson, Corey Rosen-Schwartz, and the Kidlit TV-ers! More info on the conference and registration can be found at Angie Karcher’s RPB Revolution website here.

And as I do with every blog post, here are two recommendations for you (in addition to the 19 up above):

Two for You

1. Under a Pig Tree: A History of the Noble Fruit (A Mixed Up Book) written by Margie Palatini and illustrated by Chuck Groenink

My new favorite book. So clever and meta and funny!

2. Ally-Saurus & the First Day of School written and illustrated by Richard Torrey

Very cool layered first day of school imagination book! The illustrations add a ton to the story.

My First Podcast Interview: Let’s Get Busy with Matthew Winner

Just a quick note today: if you’ve never listened to the Let’s Get Busy Podcast with Matthew Winner, you certainly should. And today you have TWO reasons … because I am the featured guest on Episode #193 talking about Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast!

In this interview I:

• Share my love for Sterling Publishing‘s publicity and marketing departments
• Gush over Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast illustrator Brendan Kearney
• Reminisce about Sesame Street
• Tell the story of how I sold my first books
• Name drop:
  • Kathleen Rushall (my agent)
  • Rodolfo Montalvo (Dear Dragon illustrator)
  • Michael Slack (Pirasaurs! illustrator)
  • Jess Keating
  • Debbie Ohi
  • Sudipta “Sudsy” Bardhan-Quallen
  • Tara Lazar
  • my wife
• End with a very uncomfortable moment for a Red Sox fan

I highly recommend you subscribe to the Let’s Get Busy Podcast if you haven’t already. Matthew Winner has so many amazing interviews with fabulous guests in the previous 192 episodes (and many more lined up to come!). And certainly check out his new home for the podcast – All the Wonders, a home for readers to discover new books and to experience the stories they love in wondrous ways.

Also, I decided today to start a new tradition. Because so many of my blog posts are about me, I’d like to share two favorite books by others at the end of every post from this day forward. I’ve decided to very creatively call this:

Two for You

(two books I highly recommend)

1. Boats for Papa written and illustrated by Jessixa Bagley

I love everything about this book. Get the tissues ready, cause it made me start crying in the middle of a bookstore.

2. Snoozefest written by Samantha Berger and illustrated by Kristyna Litten

Great rhymes and illustrations, and starring a sloth.

How to Buy a Picture Book (without Buying a Picture Book)

My first book comes out on Tuesday. Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast. You’re probably tired of hearing about it by now, so lucky for you, I don’t plan on talking about it in this post.

Today it’s how to support picture book authors and illustrators.

One of the best things you can do is buy their book(s).

But what if you’re not in the market for picture books at this time in your life, so the idea of buying one doesn’t really interest you? Maybe it doesn’t fit your budget. Or maybe you have an irrational fear of cute animals and anthropomorphic breakfast foods.

Here are ten ways to support picture book authors and illustrators:

1. Give the book as a gift. You probably know someone who might like it. Give it to her/him. Or donate it to your library.
2. Request that your local library purchase a copy. This can be done in person or often in an online form.
3. Reserve and borrow it from the library. Increased circulation of books is noticed by librarians. They are smart people.
4. Review the book. On goodreads. On Amazon. On bn.com. Text reviews are even more valuable than just star-ratings.
5. Talk about the book with librarians and booksellers. There are a lot of great books out there. Get this book on their radar.
6. Talk about the book with friends. Or parents of your child’s friends. Or your child’s teacher. Or strangers on the street.
7. Share the book on social media. Tweet about it. Blog about it. Post on Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, MySpace, etc. about it. Share the cover image. If you see it in the wild, snap a picture and share that. And tag the author or illustrator (or both). We love that!
8. Share the author or illustrator’s posts on social media. Follow them on social media sites and share with your networks.
9. Read the book in public. Like at the park. Or in a restaurant. Or the airport.
10. Make your own fan book trailer. And post to YouTube. If that’s your thing.

Note: I’m not the first to write a post like this. Here are a few other posts which have similar and more detailed info. Please check them out:

• Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s Want to support an author’s or illustrator’s new book but can’t afford to buy it? Here’s what you can do
• Publishing Craw’s How to Support an Author Beyond Buying Their Book
• Jen Malone of Writers’ Rumpus’ How to Help an Author (Beyond Buying the Book) Part1, Part 2, and Part 3

Also Note: These ideas can apply to any type of book, not just picture books.

Thanks for reading. And thank you very much for supporting picture book authors and illustrators, however you choose to do so.