Starke County Author Fair IN
The first week in February celebrates Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week (CAIW). How will you celebrate?
Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week is sponsored by the Children’s Authors Network (CAN!). Their purpose is to celebrate the school visits, library programs, and hands-on workshops that authors and illustrators do to inspire a life-long love of reading and writing. Visit their site at www.childrensauthorsnetwork.com.
Here are some suggestions for ways that children’s authors and illustrators can celebrate CAIW:
• TALK with a children’s librarian or a local children’s bookseller—ask for their input on what children are reading in the genre that you write for. Ask what topics there are in children’s books that they can’t find enough of. Offer to read at story time.
• VISIT independent bookstores and children’s specialty bookstores. Browse, and get to know the owner there. Find out what you can offer as a children’s author or illustrator. (see http://mainstreetbooks.net/, www.stlindiebook.com, and www.kidsink.com, or do a web search for independent bookstores in your area).
• COMMENT on children’s author and illustrator blogs. There are some wonderful blogs written by children’s authors and illustrators with some great tips and articles out there! And when you leave a comment, you also leave a link to your website or blog.
• TALK TO a local school or library about doing an author visit, or send out information about doing an author visit. Read about doing an author visit at Alexis O’Neil’s site: http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?page_id=6, and plan an author presentation so that you’re ready when you get that author gig. Discover what you have to offer to inspire a child to read, and write.
• ATTEND a bookstore or library event featuring a children’s author or illustrator. This is a great way to meet an author or illustrator, observe an author presentation and take notes, ask questions, and come away with some writing or illustrating tips.
• READ children’s books in the genre that you write. Pay attention to what you like about the book, what you would do differently, techniques used by the author or illustrator, words on a page, word length and length of the book overall. Learn from the best by reading the best and also reading the not-so-good. Find a list of Best Children’s Books on websites for Publishers Weekly, American Library Association, Children’s Book Council and parenting sites. Do a web search to find these and other sites.
READ to your children, grandchildren, or borrow your neighbor’s kids. Offer to read at a library, school classroom, or bookstore. Offer to talk to a scout troop or youth group about reading or writing.
What a great excuse to take extra time to read and spend time with people who promote books and reading-- celebrate Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week!
Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week is sponsored by the Children’s Authors Network (CAN!). Their purpose is to celebrate the school visits, library programs, and hands-on workshops that authors and illustrators do to inspire a life-long love of reading and writing. Visit their site at www.childrensauthorsnetwork.com.
Here are some suggestions for ways that children’s authors and illustrators can celebrate CAIW:
• TALK with a children’s librarian or a local children’s bookseller—ask for their input on what children are reading in the genre that you write for. Ask what topics there are in children’s books that they can’t find enough of. Offer to read at story time.
• VISIT independent bookstores and children’s specialty bookstores. Browse, and get to know the owner there. Find out what you can offer as a children’s author or illustrator. (see http://mainstreetbooks.net/, www.stlindiebook.com, and www.kidsink.com, or do a web search for independent bookstores in your area).
• COMMENT on children’s author and illustrator blogs. There are some wonderful blogs written by children’s authors and illustrators with some great tips and articles out there! And when you leave a comment, you also leave a link to your website or blog.
• TALK TO a local school or library about doing an author visit, or send out information about doing an author visit. Read about doing an author visit at Alexis O’Neil’s site: http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?page_id=6, and plan an author presentation so that you’re ready when you get that author gig. Discover what you have to offer to inspire a child to read, and write.
• ATTEND a bookstore or library event featuring a children’s author or illustrator. This is a great way to meet an author or illustrator, observe an author presentation and take notes, ask questions, and come away with some writing or illustrating tips.
• READ children’s books in the genre that you write. Pay attention to what you like about the book, what you would do differently, techniques used by the author or illustrator, words on a page, word length and length of the book overall. Learn from the best by reading the best and also reading the not-so-good. Find a list of Best Children’s Books on websites for Publishers Weekly, American Library Association, Children’s Book Council and parenting sites. Do a web search to find these and other sites.
READ to your children, grandchildren, or borrow your neighbor’s kids. Offer to read at a library, school classroom, or bookstore. Offer to talk to a scout troop or youth group about reading or writing.
What a great excuse to take extra time to read and spend time with people who promote books and reading-- celebrate Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week!