Here are the blog posts that really have my mind spinning this week! Go forth and comment!
Preventing Summer Reading Lag in Struggling Readers (Passion for Learning)
It's really easy in all the writing blogosphere to forget that we YA writers are writing for the next generation of readers, readers whose attention is consistently being drawn away by iPads and PSPs and XBoxes, to say nothing of the things which have always occupied kids' time--friends, family, school and attendant schoolwork.
So I find it refreshing and helpful to think about ways in which adults associated with young readers, especially struggling readers, can help get them to read (one reason I seriously love the 39 Clues series and Diary fiction...they're blasting open doors for reluctant middle grade readers). Many of my friends teach at this level, and I think this is a wonderful reminder as to ways to help junior highers and high schoolers get reading.
Indie or Traditional Publishing: Don't Take Sides, Take Your Time (Anne R. Allen)
I love well-rounded discussions of self-publishing (I confess still don't love the term "indie" as I worked for an indie publisher and it was not self-publishing--but I'm also a linguist, and I'm willing to accept a process of semantic shift). This is one of the best I've read. Too often the self- vs. trade-publishing discussion turns into an argument with daggers out on both sides. I really like that this one takes a very balanced approach. No matter which route you choose, you should be choosing it for all the right reasons. Incidentally, this same blog posted another really interesting take on the same topic back in 2011, which I read and re-read so many times that it popped up automatically in my address bar when I went to grab today's link: Roni Loren on Why One Author Chose Traditional Publishing--And How to Decide if it's Right for You.
Uncovering YA Covers 2011 (Kate Hart)
@yahighway tipped me off to Kate Hart's fabulous rundown of diversity in YA book covers. What began as part of the #yasaves campaign to show that YA is not at all necessarily "darker" than any other genre wound up showing that YA is very much not dark in another sense--persons of color are woefully underrepresented in both content and covers. Kate repeated her study and her infographics this year. They're fascinating to think about, gorgeous to look at, and extremely carefully researched. And the comments are leading to some fabulous discussion, to boot.
Happy reading!
Thanks for the shout out on my post! : )
ReplyDelete