IRC Follow-up, Giveaway Reminder, Kidlit4Japan, and Blogosphere Buzz

2011 IRC Conference Logo

On Monday, Mary Ann posted about the TeachingAuthors' presentation at last week's Illinois Reading Council (IRC) Convention in Springfield, Illinois. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the conference this year. However, as a follow-up to the presentation, I have created a new page here on our TeachingAuthors blog: Resources for Teachers. This page includes links to the resources mentioned at IRC. If you attended the session and don't see a referenced link, please post a comment below and I'll update the page. And if you didn't attend the session, you can still use the page to access some of the great information you missed. 

Speaking of things you may have missed, don't forget to enter our latest book giveaway: you can win an autographed copy of Orchards (Delacorte), the acclaimed YA novel-in-verse by Holly Thompson, Regional Advisor for SCBWI-Tokyo. For details, read Esther's interview with Holly. But don't delay. Entry deadline is 11 pm (CST) today, March 23!

I'm also pleased to announce that three of the TeachingAuthors are participating in Kidlit4Japan, a children’s and YA literature auction to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan:

• JoAnn Early Macken is offering an autographed copy of her brand new picture book, Baby Says "Moo!", illustrated by David Walker.
• April Halprin Wayland is offering three signed, first edition hardcover copies of her award-winning novel-in-poems, Girl Coming in for a Landing.  
• Esther Hershenhorn, writing coach extraordinaire, is offering a critique of a novel synopsis. 

You can also bid on other authors' signed books, advance reader copies, artwork, critiquing services, book-related swag, author visits, and even the chance to name a character in an upcoming book. Items are listed on the Kidlit4Japan website as they come up for bid. There’s also a form in the sidebar where you can subscribe to the website to receive updates by email or to subscribe to the RSS feed for “posts & items” or “comments & bids.” See the website for more details on following via Twitter and Facebook.

And here's some other Buzz in the Blogosphere this week:

Blogosphere Buzz

• Congratulations to my good friend Bruce Black (who blogs about the craft of writing at Wordswimmer) on the release of his inspiring book, Writing Yoga (Rodmell Press). You can read an excerpt here.
• Cheryl Klein, editor at the Arthur A Levine Imprint of Scholastic, has released, Second Sight: An Editor’s Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults. She describes the book as a collection of writing topics she's discussed "in talks delivered at writers’ conferences and posts on my blog and website." Having both heard Klein speak and read her blog, I'm sure this book is a terrific resource for children's writers. Visit her blog for links to reviews and interviews.
• Congratulations to all the finalists for the 2011 Children's Choice Book Awards. For voting information, see this page.
• Today Megg Jensen hosts an interesting interview with literary agent Mary Kole regarding the impact of e-readers and digital books on the agent/author relationship. Check out: "Q & A with Andrea Brown Agent Mary Kole: Indies & Agents Can Co-Exist."
• Katie Davis's Brain Burps about Books podcasts blog has moved. You can now find it here. She also has a new general blog where she is currently counting down "30 Days to a Book Launch" with a series of posts featuring tips on how to market a newly-released book. Read her "First Four Steps to Promoting your Book."   
• For more on marketing your published work, subscribe to the recently launched e-newsletter "3 Happy Things" by author, editor, and teacher Jane Friedman. You can read the inaugural issue here. To subscribe, see Jane's website.
• In surprising news, a judge has ruled against the Authors Guild's proposed settlement with Google Books. You can read about the decision on the Authors Guild website. There's also an announcement on the SCBWI blog that contains links to additional coverage.  

Happy writing!
Carmela