Too Selfish To Share?

It makes me sad when I meet people who have knowledge in a particular area and are unwilling to share with others. When I started writing children's books there was so much that I didn't know. In fact, I didn't even know how much I didn't know! Since the beginning of my new career, I have met two types of people - those who share and those who do not, or simply the selfish and the unselfish.

In my way of thinking, the more we share in any particular field, the better that field will become. Just like "a whole is greater than the sum of its parts." I am eternally grateful for the unselfish people whose advice has kept me from making some major blunders. One of my goals is to "pay it forward" and offer advice to those who wish to learn from my mistakes rather than theirs. Things can only get better if we all do this.

C'mon everyone. Let's loosen up and share.

http://bestfairybooks.com

How Many Years Does It Take To Become An Overnight Success?

It has been an exciting month for The Sock Fairy. The book has received a gold medal in the Indie Excellence Book Awards, a silver medal in the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards, and was a finalist in the ForeWord Magazine Book-of-the-Year Awards.

Interestingly, while I was attending Book Expo America in New York last weekend, a fellow author told me how "lucky" I am to have a new book receive so much attention. It sounded as if he was implying that I wrote the book one day and received the awards the next day. Oh, if only that were true! The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth. I have been hard at work on my fairy series for about 4 years - writing, re-writing and re-re-writing. Then there is work of planning the illustrations, working with the graphic designer, writing the songs for the accompanying CDs, recording the CDs. Next, there is the planning and implementing of the marketing, the promotions, the school visits, the book fairs, the internet connections...

Yes, it is really a wonderful feeling to be noticed in a vast sea of books. I am so, so grateful for the awards my books have won (fourteen so far). I have learned that the harder you work, the luckier you will appear to be. I just hope all budding writers realize that the work has to come first.

http://bestfairybooks.com

I Can Make a Rhyme Any Old Time

While reading my books to a kindergarten class last week, one of the children blurted out with amazement, "Hey! That rhymes!" "Yes" I said, "All of my books rhyme." At the end of the visit, another child wanted to know just why I make my stories rhyme. I really had to think about that. My thoughts took me back to my favorite childhood books, with Dr. Seuss leading the pack. I have to credit him with my love for rhyming books.

Rhymes make stories easy for young children to remember and repeat, which helps them with their reading and language skills. Rhymes also keep the reader’s attention. One activity that children love is when you read one line, then pause at the end of the next line to allow the children to fill in the rhyming word.

I'm not sure what this says about me, however I often find myself thinking in rhyme. Does this mean that I have the mentality of a child? I hope so. Children are wondrously imaginative. Yes, when I do grow up, I want to be just like a child!

http://bestfairybooks.com

Children Think You Are OLD!

If you've ever asked a child how old he or she thinks you are, you may have been shocked. To children of any age, any adult is ancient. To kids, people are either old or young - nothing in between. We're in the same category as covered wagons, radios, or even dinosaurs. When my husband (a school principal) was in his fifties, he made the dreaded mistake. He asked a group of middle school children how old they thought he was. Only one thought he knew the answer immediately. His serious answer was "Eighty-four!" I recently showed my new book cover (pictured above) to a group of kindergarten children. One surprised little boy immediately shouted "Hey! She looks just like you!"

Be smart. Just don't ask!

Please Don't Call Me a Liar

I've always been a daydreamer. As far back as elementary school, I loved to make up stories. Most of my stories were about elves and fairies. I would tell my family and friends about the fairies that visited my garden in the early morning, and the fairies that flittered around my room at night. It's no surprise that in the real world, no one believed me. My mother thought I would outgrow my storytelling tendencies. My friends were not as kind. They called me a liar. Guess what they call me today??? A writer!

Keep on writing and keep on believing!

A Lizard Ate My Broccoli

Does Your Book Have a Compelling Title? Did the title of my blog make you want to read on?

Your book may be wonderful, however what if no one ever looks at it? That’s why it's necessary to choose a title that is a hook. It must be catchy and grab the attention of your potential readers. Don’t lose sight of the fact that your book is going to be on the shelf with thousands of other books. Anything you can do to help it stand out from the others will be influential in creating sales.

Make your title short and to the point. One of my favorite movie titles is one of the hardest to remember. “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” While this is an extreme example, it is a reminder that bigger is not always better. It’s not always an easy task to whittle your title down to a few catchy words.

Use the internet to help you. In today’s online world, it’s important to use key words that people are searching for. A check of the popular search engines can help you here. An internet search will also let you see how many other people have already used your title.

Of course, a catchy title is useless if it does not fit the book. The title should be intriguing enough to make people want to open the book and should not disappoint. There’s no point in just being clever if the title doesn’t fit.

Don’t do what I just did. My title has nothing to do with my blog. But it did make you look!

P.S. Does the title The Belly Button Fairy make you curious?

Bobbie Hinman
http://bestfairybooks.com

Do You Know the Origin of Jack and Jill? Do You Like My Modern Version?

As a children’s author, I have always been fascinated with the real meaning of nursery rhymes. Few among us did not grow up listening to these rhymes. However, if you read these same rhymes carefully as an adult, you may find yourself wondering why they didn’t scare us to death. Take Jack and Jill for example. This simple rhyme may be based on some frightening actual events.

There are a number of theories about the origin of Jack and Jill, and the rhyme is thought to date back to at least the eighteenth century. Most historians seem to agree however, that the characters most likely represent King Louis XVI (Jack) who was beheaded (lost his crown). He was followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette (Jill) who was also beheaded (came tumbling after). It’s hard to believe that the words to this story were made into a rhyme for children.

Another interesting theory dates back even further. According to this one, in the early 17th century, King Charles I of England decreed that the liquid measurement of a “jack” (four ounces), and a gill (“jill,” eight ounces), should be reduced. However, he kept the tax on these amounts the same, making more money for him as the ruler. This was part of what led to the English Civil War (1647-1649), when Charles “fell down” (removed from the throne) and “broke his crown” (was beheaded).

Which story do you think is true? Take your pick. Or, is it none? Perhaps a nursery rhyme is nothing more than just a nursery rhyme. If that’s the case, what in the world is Jack and Jill really about?

No matter. I’ve come up with my own modern, slightly feminist, “girls rule” version:

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill, being a physician with advanced training in emergency
medicine,was able to administer on-the-spot care.

Bobbie Hinman
http://bestfairybooks.com