Sing a Song of Nickels or Whatev: It’s 5 & Dime Friday

It’s the end of the week at last, book people, and evenings of reading followed by days of work – removing either dirt, or snow, or dragging your recalcitrant house/partners/homework/pets/offspring into order – await you. It’s not D.E.A.R. day for nothin’. What better way to start the weekend than to drop everything and read? But, before you hie off into the great away, here’s some stuff to jingle in your pockets:

Robin’s talking sense again today at Writer Unboxed. Writers without this resource find themselves less thoughtful – I’m not much for writing books and that sort of thing anymore, but I like the snippets of real life advice and points to ponder found on that site. For instance:

How many times have we all heard that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to other writers? Other careers? And yet, I’ve always wondered how you don’t compare, how can you prevent it when all the numbers and markers and metrics are broadcast everywhere, from deal announcements, to sales numbers, to blog and Twitter followers, bestsellers lists and FB fans. How do you NOT see all that stuff?

And then I realized that Don’t Compare is really shorthand for, Don’t let envy erode your own path to success. That is easier for me to get my arms around. The truth is, if we talk with enough people who are honest about their own situations, it becomes apparent that there isn’t nearly as much to envy as we think there is.

Speaking of writing, the one and only Andrea Pinkney is talking sidekicks at CBC Diversity. The old-school word is “tokenism,” when a writer makes sure to throw in “one of each” of whatever minority group, to satisfy some internal (or external) requirement. It doesn’t make for good fiction, people. YA and MG writers, beware of it. Andrea offers some good, thoughtful work-arounds.

The AV Club and Leila reported yesterday that a fairly played out “adult” children’s book meme is going to film. Okay. Whatever. But, then, I discover that TROLL DOLLS are getting their own movie.

Okay, look, movie-writing people. TRY HARDER. Read more flippin’ books. SERIOUSLY. You could even read the Daily Mail. I mean, they have ridiculous stories, but at least this one about the ferrets is true. It has drama. It has action. It has plot potential! It has more going for it than troll dolls. Really.

Good grief, where has the time gone? It’s time to ROCK THE DROP again! April 18th (that’s next Thursday!), readergirlz will be teaming with Figment, I Heart Daily, Soho Teen, and 826NYC to celebrate YA lit. Since we’re biiig fans of readergirlz, Figment and 826 Valencia ’round these parts, we thought we’d offer a heads up!

You’d all heard Gwenda Bond’s news, right? We’re still so excited, and look forward to both her GIRL ON A WIRE, and watching the balancing act she goes through, working with a new publishing house which has the ability to have an immense reach. Kudos, Bond girl!

Children’s ebook sales went up 120% in 2012, but slowed to 41% of the market overall. What does this mean? According to Forbes : don’t discount print books. We’re all gadget crazy in this country, and there’s a new tech gadget to compete for our attention every few minutes. Most kids and teens read on any platform offered – paper, tablet, ebook – so the best business model is to continue to offer books in every way. Because it’s not like ebooks are necessarily the most ecological choice, anyway. Who knew!?

Need a random book for your D.E.A.R. drop? Try Seanan McGuire: The October Daye Books. Most EXCELLENT, if I do hoard all the ones from my library myself.

Happy Weekend.