down the writer's path

Kimberly Morris's best advice to writers

Alas, today is the last day of our Author of the Month interview with Kimberly Morris. Many thanks to Kimberly for taking time out of her hectic schedule to answer these questions. I hope you've gleaned some information and gained some enouragement as you're read through the series of questions. I think you'll agree that Kimberly's final admonishment is something we all need to hear. I hope I'll hear from those of you who have visited and spent time reading the interview. Please use the comment feature to let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what you'd like to see more of in future interviews and regular postings. Next month's featured author will be announced in the upcoming week as soon as the details are finalized. Now, back to the interview:

6. As the editor of SCBWI-Houston’s newsletter and someone who’s involved in the speaker’s bureau, would you give us some of your thoughts about marketing and promotions...what you think works and what doesn’t, how things have changed and what you think writers must focus on in today’s market to get their work noticed.

Wow! That’s actually a lot of questions. I have loved working on the newsletter but am about to hand it off to the new editor, Joyce Harlow, who is immensely talented and capable. I definitely recommend subscribing. Our newsletter covers a lot of topics in great detail, and we make sure we get practical information from working writers and illustrators as well as editors and art directors.

Our speaker’s bureau, which is our marketing co-op for professionals, is only a year old. We are seeing results already, but we expect it will take 2 years to really make an impact. As far as what works? I guess just the basic fundamentals of advertising and PR. Exposure. Repetition. And brand recognition. All that stuff that feels so crass and antithetical to what most writers are about. That’s what’s nice about a marketing co-op. You don’t have to toot your own horn; you let the marketing co-op do it for you.

But I have to finish by saying what gets said at every meeting, every conference, and every class. It makes everybody want to throw things (including me). What gets noticed is writing that is talented, proficient, polished, and professional. It’s trite, but it’s true. So if you’ve been slogging away, producing good work, but have not yet been discovered – DON”T GIVE UP!!! Keep writing and keep submitting. Somewhere out there, an editor is hungering to hear your voice. So put your fanny in the chair and speak up!

Kimberly Morris on Publishing Matters

Day 5 and Kimberly Morris answers questions about her publishing company.

5. You have a terrific website and also your own custom publishing company. What are you working on now?

I’ve always got a lot of pots bubbling. I recently wrote a book for the Mary-Kate and Ashley Sweet Sixteen series called California Dreaming. And I’m getting ready to go to Tennessee to research a novel set against the backdrop of the 1925 Scopes Trial. When I get back, I’ll be a presenter at the Houston A Plus Challenge Conference to talk about collaborative writing and the methodology used to bring 300 student and teacher collaborators together on the manuscript for the Inventors Club. I just got back from New York where I had a meeting about the possibility of doing it as a television project. Publishing Matters is a custom content company. We shape content designed to serve marketing or education imperatives, and give it professional, trade-quality entertainment values that engage readers and hold their attention.

Kimberly Morris on SCBWI and other writer organizations

Day 4. Back to business and our continuing interview with Kiimberly Morris.

4. You are the newsletter editor of the local SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Editors) chapter. How do you think the local organization best serves the various levels of writers, such as beginning, journeyman, and the multi-published such as yourself?

Oops! THANK YOU. I should have mentioned this FIRST when I was answering question #2. SCBWI is absolutely the first stop for anybody interested in writing or illustrating for children. That stands for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. There is an international headquarters in Los Angeles, and then local chapters that meet all over the country. SCBWI offers critique groups where writers and illustrators can get feedback work in progress. And there are conferences that provide opportunities to hear and meet editors and agents. SCBWI- Houston has a marketing coop and speakers bureau for the professional writers and illustrators who are publishing regularly. So we are trying to serve the writers and illustrators at every level – from rank beginner to multi-published pro.

News Flash: First book review--Fallen Angel Reviews--in for Divided Loyalties

Came home last night to find an email from Fallen Angels Review saying the review had been posted on my new book, Divided Loyalties. That was a knot-in-the-pit-of-the-stomach moment. Thankfully, to paraphrase Sally Fields, "she--the reviewer--liked it. I particularly enjoyed, "Vikk Simmons has an amazing ability to make the reader care for these characters." The book is on Awe-Struck's "Coming Soon" page with a August 7, 2004 release date. August 7th happens to be my parent's 62nd anniversary. Hope it bodes longevity for my book, as well. I'm still learning all about e-books; I do know the book will be available in several formats, including those for e-book readers, on disk, and in a downloadable file to read on-screen or to print. So anyone should be able to find a format that will work for them. The publisher, Awe-Struck, has a very user-friendly site full of information for potential readers. Clink on the upper righthand "Where to Begin" section on the home page to learn about the company and their books, and how to read them. (Note: Check back for the rest of Kimberly Morris's interview tonight and tomorrow.)

Kimberly Morris speaks on new trends and new writers

Day 3 and questions for Kimberly Morris, our June 2004 Author of the Month, continue.

You mentioned new trends yesterday. Could you give one or two examples of what you mean--for those who might not immediately think of something?

New trends? Always. I guess the most significant for me is the trend away from mass market paperback series like Animorphs, Sweet Valley, and Goosebumps, to single title hard cover trade issues that lend themselves to sequels. Examples of this trend in middle grade would be the Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket books. In the young adult market, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants would be an example. A few years ago, these books would have probably come out first in paperbook with a 6-book launch. But in both cases, their distinctive voices and styles were better served by hard cover trade treatment, with publishers taking a "wait and see" position on sequels. Obviously, it was a good call. The shelves were glutted with mass market paperbacks and those books would probably have gotten lost. But the different positioning set those books apart and they have all been hugely successful.

3. Thanks. Those are great examples. Our third question is: Most of your writing is for children. Do you have any suggestions or cautions for new writers who are considering writing for children or who are early in the writing process?

I think many people choose to write for children in the mistaken belief that it is easier than writing for adults, or that it requires less talent and ability. That is not true. Someone (I don’t know who) once said that when you write for children, you must write the same way you would for adults – only better. I believe that’s very true. The children’s books that endure are characterized by wit, intelligence, and respect for the reader. So I suppose my advice to the aspiring children’s writer is this: Don’t learn to write for children. Just learn to write!

Kimberly Morris tells writers to say YES to every single opportunity

Day 2 and our second question for our featured June 2004 Author of the Month:

2. Having had fifty-plus contracts, worked for a number of large publishing houses, been agented, and written for several major series, do you have any advice for writers regarding publishing as a business? Also, have you seen major changes in the business and noticed any new trends.

My advice for writers who are interested in writing as a business is to develop your technique. This will give you the confidence to say YES to every single opportunity. When somebody offers you work – TAKE IT! Don’t choke. Don’t get worried that you can’t do it because you haven’t done it before. Don’t panic. If you’re talented, and have worked on your technique, you will be amazed to discover how strong your abilities actually are. I never advise anyone to lie on a resume. First of all, it’s bad business. Plus, it’s too easy to get caught. On the other hand, don’t volunteer information that would make an editor nervous – like say, you have no idea what he or she is talking about. I once sat through an entire editorial meeting in which I was being hired to write an article for a music magazine about George Michael. We discussed the length, the topic, the style, and agreed upon a price and a delivery date. I actually had no earthly idea who George Michael was. But hey - she didn’t ask, and I didn’t tell. I walked out of that meeting and straight to the nearest music store. Three hours later, I was up to speed. I wrote the article, they loved it, and hired me to consult on a new magazine project.

New trends? Always. I guess the most significant for me is the trend away from mass market paperback series to single title hard cover trade issues that lend themselves to sequels.

Kimberly Morris speaks about her time in NY and with Lorimar-Telepictures

Meet Kimberly Morris, our June Guest Author of the Month. Today we'll begin a series of five postings, one each day, that will answer a specific question posed to her. I hope you'll find these interesting and will take advantage of the comment section to make a comment, ask a question of Ms. Morris, or simply let us know what you think of the dialogue and the guest author idea. Now, on to the questions. . . .

1. Your writing background is quite varied, and I noticed that you spent some time in New York working for Lorimar-Telepictures. Could you tell us a little bit about how that came about and how it impacted your writing career?

I lived in New York for 11 years. For the first 5 of those 11 years I worked for a sports agent and television producer and had the opportunity to work on 7 animated television specials. While working in that job, I attended the musical theater writers workshops offered by BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) and ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers). The BMI workshop was a 3-year program. It was my graduate school for writing. It was 3 very demanding years in which I received rigorous training in craft, technique, and self-discipline. My aspiration was to write for contemporary music theater and opera. I quit my day job as soon as the 3 years were over. But I couldn’t figure out how to make any money in theater – so I started writing animated television scripts in order to pay my rent. 25 episodes, 6 series, and 4 years later (while I was still waiting for my writing career to start), I suddenly realized I had very long list of writing credits in children’s entertainment. I also realized that writing animation had given me a whole OTHER education in craft and technique. When you write for animation, you must think like a director. You learn to conceptualize the scene not just in terms of narrative and dialogue, but also in terms of blocking, camera angles, sound, point-of-view, and reaction shots. Being alive to those elements has made me a better writer than I would otherwise be.

Interview with Kimberly Morris

This month's interview is with Kimberly Morris, author of fifty books for children and adults. She has written for several popular series including Mary-Kate and Ashley, Animorphs, Sweet Valley, and Generation Girl. A talented and diversified writer, her credits include read-aloud stories for the Muppets, Muppet Babies, and Fraggle Rock, and animated television scripts for the classic ThunderCats.

I met Kimberly a couple of years ago during a literacy event when I bid and won a mentor-session with her. We met a month or so later, over lunch, and had a fast and furious discussion that led to a genuine admiration for one another and an ensuing friendship. She is, by far, one of the most well-versed writers I know not only in the writing craft but in the publishing industry. So when I came up with idea of having guest authors, I knew I wanted Kimberly to be the first guest author.

In addition to all her writing efforts, Kimberly is a well-known and sought after speaker whose motivational writing workshops provide a real taste of what it's like to work in publishing and in television. She's all high-energy, and her workshops are fast, furious, and highly collaborative. She says her views on writing as an art, writing as a skill, and writing as a business have been called wry, witty, pragmatic and, she hopes, useful. As if that wasn't enough, Kimberly is also Director of Project Development for Publishing Matters, a Houston-based custom publishing company, producing content for corporations, schools, and nonprofits.

What do BookExpo, Clinton’s My Llfe, and President Reagan’s funeral have in common?

Well, that combination's quite a stretch, some of you may say, but I ask you to hear me out. Two days before President Reagan’s death, former President Clinton gave the keynote address to this year’s Chicago BookExpo. For those of you who may not know, BookExpo is “the” place to be if you have a book coming out during the next fall or spring publishing cycle. Clinton’s book, My Life, is scheduled for release June 22. The reason for his speech? Marketing. His job? To instill a fervor in the crowd and talk among the publishing community—as if there wasn’t any already—so they would hand-carry his book to the multitude of readers, the willing and the unwilling, ready to plunk down the hefty price of a hardcover book to learn all. This would be a “tell-all,” right? The media, knowing timing is everything, had already moved into place. Book excerpts had been contracted, audio streams made available, and all were poised, ready and waiting, for the gun to go off.

Books Matter: Harry Potter and the bottomline

In past years, there's been some doom and gloom expressed over the decline of reading and the “literacy” of the American population. Books don’t matter, they say. They have no real relevance in today’s world. Really? No so, according to Paul R. La Monica, CNN/Money senior writer. Fact: “Since the first book was published in the U.S., shares of Scholastic have outperformed the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq.”

Books matter. They matter in ways you haven’t considered—or want to consider. Books have an impact on the bottom line, particularly if the company is a publishing company.