Speechie's Couch: H is for Having a Go

By the time my son was six, he’d worked out who was the best at sport in his class. What happens when children realise they are at the bottom of the reading-writing ladder? Performance anxiety is the bane of human existence.

Is there a cure? Maybe not, but the joy and freedom that comes from simply having a go is a great place to start. There is no right and wrong in art or music or daydreaming, so why not have a spirit of discovery in reading and writing?

If you take a bunch of multi-syllabic words and change just one syllable, there’s sure to be a giggle or two. In the spirit of Crocoroos and Kangadiles (Alan Cornwell Pty Ltd), which has been in circulation since 1994, there is always fun to be had by twisting a name and coming up with a new reality.

Find a way to celebrate reading and writing where there is no right or wrong, and that ever-present performance anxiety might just go on holiday.

 

Jo Burnell is one of KBR's editors and resident paediatric speech pathologist. As reviewer of children’s and YA books, editor of all types of text, and freelance writer, Jo is passionate about children's literature in all its forms.  

Publisher's Insider: Top Tips for a Great Publishing Relationship

Your first book has been published and now it’s time for your second. What can you do, as an author, to make sure your publisher is keen to keep working with you? Well, based on my own experience and that of some of my publishing colleagues, here are my top tips.

1. Keep doing everything you can to promote your first book. While sales can be fickle, even if your book isn’t a runaway bestseller, a publisher will still be impressed by an author who continues to be proactive about sales and marketing opportunities long after the initial release frenzy has died down.

2. Don’t bombard your publisher with follow-up proposals and new manuscripts hoping that one will ‘stick’. Make sure that any subsequent proposal is as considered and carefully targeted as the first. Make it your best work, not your ‘it’s not quite there, but if you like it I’ll work on it some more’ story.

3. Don’t be discouraged if your next proposal is rejected. And if it is, don’t be tempted to change yourself to fit some perceived criteria or formula. Hold on to what makes you you and always write from the heart. Authenticity goes a long way in publishing. Take a deep breath, and simply follow up with another quality manuscript.

4. As time passes and you build a relationship with your publisher, it’s likely that you’ll receive more feedback on manuscripts that are rejected. But don’t assume this will happen. Publishers are not manuscript assessment services. We simply don’t have the time to provide detailed reports on why we’re rejecting a manuscript, no matter how much we’d like to.

5. Be supportive of the industry in general. Publishing is a wonderful ‘business’ — at its heart it’s about storytelling, promoting a love of books (in all their forms) and fostering creativity. So promote other authors and books that you love. They don’t necessarily have to be part of your publisher’s stable (although that’s nice!); just get out there and spread the word. If you’re perceived to be an active advocate for the industry, you’re also likely to be perceived as a valued investment for the publisher. But again, be genuine. Don’t do it for what you can gain, but rather for what you can give. Ultimately, a strong, dynamic publishing industry is in everyone’s best interests.

Anouska Jones is our KBR Senior Editor. Mum to a gorgeous little girl, she has over twenty years' experience in the book publishing industry. A publishing consultant and editor, Anouska is obsessed by all things to do with words, writing and books. 

Librarian's Shelf: Canines and Cooking Meet Reading

It can be difficult to find the right strategy to help struggling readers, especially one that can be easily applied at home. Two programs initiated by libraries have taken unusual approaches to supporting literacy skill development and can be easily applied at home.

Inspired by an American program called Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ), Story Dogs offers children short one-on-one sessions where they read aloud to a dog. When reading to the dog, struggling readers become the ones in control, which lets them relax and lose the fear that their reading skills are being judged. Consequently, reading confidence increases.

There are many variations of this program around the world, including Reading Paws and Listening Dogs. If you have your own dog, they could be the perfect reading partner for your child. If you don't have a one, a friend, relative or neighbour might have a willing canine friend.

Another approach to improving reading skills is through cooking. Last year, the Free Library of Philadelphia launched its Culinary Literacy Centre, which features a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen, and works with many community partners. The Centre's stated mission is to teach literacy skills through cooking as well as explore culinary literacy (nutrition, disease prevention, healthy lifestyles, budgeting etc).

The cooking experience requires participants to put reading skills into practice in order to follow recipes, and use maths skills to measure ingredients. Problem solving is important for working out how to adapt recipes to make different quantities, too.

Trying this approach at home means you can also incorporate writing a shopping list and menu into the activity: yet another way to practice reading and writing.

Try reading to dogs or making a favourite meal and see how it motivates young readers in your family.

Sarah Steed is our Consultant Librarian and reviewer. A former Children's and Young Adult Librarian, she has more than 18 years' experience working in public libraries. Sarah comes from a family of readers and has shelves full to bursting with books. 

Speechie's Couch: G is for (Not) Getting it Right

Sometimes the score children get in spelling tests becomes important: too important. Believe me, passing a spelling test does not mean that a child has the skills they need to write anything they want.

Sometimes a spelling test indicates that a child can memorise letter patterns long enough to pass their test. That’s all.

Combining letters on a page to make a word is hard work, so how can we make this functional and fun? Engaging with letter sounds lays the foundation for future spelling skills, so it’s important to enjoy the adventure.

Forget about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Play with sounds. Experience the magic that happens when you change the first sound in a word. Take the word ‘zoo’. It turn into ‘boo’ in a flash, but what if you change that ‘b’ into a ‘p’? 

Children love a giggle and they really enjoy being in control, so instead of focussing on the whole word all the time, enjoy games that make it okay to experiment, just with the first sound. And laugh at the results you achieve.

Here is a game made for just this purpose. It’s called ‘Change’. Please be sure your child has the necessary skills before attempting it. Children need to be able to tell you the first sound they hear in a word before they are ready to play ‘Change’. They will also need to recognise most of the consonants in the alphabet. They do not need to know letter names: just the sound that these letters make.

To start, someone thinks of a word that has only three letters in it. 

Step 1) Write the word down. 

Step 2) Cross out the first letter in this word.

Step 3) Rewrite the two remaining letters on the line below. Leave a space for the new letter you will add at the beginning of the word.

Step 4) Choose one of the letters from the little letter chart below. Say this sound out loud, then add it to the incomplete word ( e.g. for ‘in’ —hin, zin, tin). Add just one letter. Stop. Think. Is it a word? No? Try again until you find a real word. Then write it down.

For children who love a story, get them to put their new real word in a sentence. This gives power to the word they have just ‘created’.

Now it’s time to let someone else to have some fun. Their turn starts at step 2).

 

Jo Burnell is one of KBR's editors and resident paediatric speech pathologist. As reviewer of children’s and YA books, editor of all types of text, and freelance writer, Jo is passionate about children's literature in all its forms.  

Publisher's Insider: The Many Types of Editor

Depending on the size of the publishing house, authors can come into contact with many people in the editorial department, including the publisher, managing editor and senior and junior editors. Here’s a brief outline of who’s who. 

Publishers head up the publishing division of the company. In conjunction with the Sales and Marketing divisions, they are responsible for the overall publishing program, i.e. the kinds of books that are published. 

They also oversee all the editorial staff and often the design and production departments as well. They are expected to come up with ideas for books, to be able to bring authors onboard and generally look after the ‘big picture’.  

While they may offer general guidance on how they’d like to see books take shape, they rarely do any hands-on editing themselves. (This can vary in smaller publishing houses, however, when the editorial ‘department’ often consists of only a couple of people. Then it’s a case of all hands on the editing deck.) 

Associate Publishers or Commissioning Editors work with the Publisher to commission books. 

The Managing Editor works closely with the Editors on the scheduling and project management of books. They allocate workload, liaise with the publisher and design and production departments. They generally ensure the (hopefully) smooth running of the publishing program. They will probably also edit some books themselves. 

Senior Editors/Editors/Junior Editors are all variously experienced levels of ‘editor’. These people are responsible for the hands-on editing of books. They work closely with authors, designers, freelance editors, proofreaders and indexers to transform raw manuscripts into finished books. 

Within their ranks are Copy Editors and Structural Editors. Structural Editors with an author to shape their manuscript in broad terms, to improve plot, characterisation, structure and flow. Copy Editors add the polish. They fine-tune grammar, spelling, punctuation, style and consistency. Often both of these processes are handled by the same editor; however, in fiction it can be a good idea for fresh eyes to handle the copy editing once the structural edit is complete.

Anouska Jones is our KBR Senior Editor. Mum to a gorgeous little girl, she has over twenty years' experience in the book publishing industry. A publishing consultant and editor, Anouska is obsessed by all things to do with words, writing and books. 

Librarian's Shelf: Feeding Imagination

Imagination, reading and libraries are closely linked. Bestselling author Neil Gaiman points out that it is by imagining things can be different, that people can learn how to change the world. He also reminds us that Albert Einstein recommended the best way to make children intelligent was to read them fairy tales.

Another bestselling author, Susan Cooper, has described how her own life was shaped by imagination, and the experience of reading and writing books. Both Neil Gaiman and Susan Cooper have built successful careers by using their imagination.

It’s not just in the field of writing that imagination is important, either. The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination celebrates many achievements, which are the result of imagination.

A research study on the effects of reading novels found that reading fiction enabled people to empathise with others, in a way that was similar to the idea of muscle memory. This experience of empathy has a physiological effect that connects different parts of our brain.



So when you read a book - when you use the library - remember you are feeding your imagination, and you never know where it might lead.

‘Imagine’ is the theme of Library and Information Week, 25 - 31 May 2015.

Read more about reading and imagination:

• Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming (The Guardian)

• Susan Cooper: Libraries are the frontline in the war for imagination (The Guardian)

• Reading fiction improves brain connectivity and function (Psychology Today)

• Using your imagination (The Reading Agency)

• Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Don’t underestimate the importance of imagination (Scientific American)

• The neuroscience of imagination (Psychology Today)

Sarah Steed is our Consultant Librarian and reviewer. A former Children's and Young Adult Librarian, she has more than 18 years' experience working in public libraries. Sarah comes from a family of readers and has shelves full to bursting with books. 

Publisher's Insider: Do you need a literary agent?

I certainly don’t claim to be an expert on all things to do with agents, but based on my experience in the publishing industry, here are a few of my thoughts on this ever-popular issue.

1. It used to be that, particularly for fiction, it was almost impossible to get your manuscript in front of a major publisher without an agent. Times are changing, though. Many of the major publishers now have opportunities for authors to pitch to them directly. Allen & Unwin has the Friday Pitch. HarperCollins has the Wednesday Pitch. Pan Macmillan has Manuscript Monday. In fact, so many publishers now accept unsolicited, unagented manuscripts that the children’s book e-zine Pass It On recently put together a booklet listing them all. This is available from the PIO website.
2. While the open-door policy of many publishers is good news for some authors and illustrators, it’s of no use to those who simply hate the thought of ‘selling themselves’ (and their work) along with the associated contract negotiation and paperwork. If you are one of these creatives — and there are many of you — then an agent could very well be the right choice. In return for a percentage of your publishing income (usually about 15%), they will sell you and your work. They are also likely to have good contacts with many of the publishers and so will be able to bypass the massive slush pile most publishers have to wade through. The problem is getting an agent, as most will only represent a limited number of clients and are very choosy about who they take on. A good place to start is the website of the Australian Literary Agents’ Association, whose members are all obliged to adhere to a professional code of practice.
3. Don’t forget about the smaller publishers! If you’re happy to negotiate your own contract and don’t want an agent for any reason other than to get you through the door of a major publisher, then perhaps readjust your thinking and consider also submitting your work to smaller publishers. I’ve written before that I don’t believe size is necessarily important when it comes to publishing companies — it’s all about finding the right ‘fit’. You might be surprised by what the right boutique publisher can offer you if they like your work.

Above all, if you believe in your work, don’t give up! Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was rejected by twelve publishers before finding a home with Bloomsbury. And poor Beatrix Potter couldn’t find anyone to believe in The Tale of Peter Rabbit so ended up publishing it herself (way back in 1901 — so self-publishing isn’t quite the new phenomenon we might think!).

Anouska Jones is our KBR Senior Editor. Mum to a gorgeous little girl, she has over twenty years' experience in the book publishing industry. A publishing consultant and editor, Anouska is obsessed by all things to do with words, writing and books. 

Speechie's Couch: F is for Functional Fun

Nothing beats having a bit of power, especially when you are a child. Being able to influence what others do is big, so it’s worth a bit of extra effort—even if that effort is writing.

While many children find reading an effort, even more shudder at the thought of putting pen (or pencil or texta) to paper, so why not make the effort worthwhile?

Are you going to a party? Get your excited party-goer to add the details to your family calendar. Make sure this includes the address and time of the special event and be sure to make a point of reading you child’s entry before you head off. Let them know you value their written skills.

Has your household run out of a particular food? Your young one can add this item to your shopping list. Tiny successes lead to confidence and the wish to write more often, especially if there are concrete rewards (like cheese or fruit or even a favourite sandwich filling).

A pivotal moment like this where your struggling writer moves out of his or her comfort zone should never be a time when perfect letter formation is required. Any faint resemblance to target words should be accepted without fuss or comment at first. However, as the written requests become more frequent and confidence builds, you’ll find that a time will come to bargain for greater writing accuracy.

 

Jo Burnell is one of KBR's editors and resident paediatric speech pathologist. As reviewer of children’s and YA books, editor of all types of text and freelance writer, Jo is passionate about children's literature in all its forms.