ALA Midwinter Gathering, January 2009

The ALA Midwinter Gathering has come and gone...this year coming and going through Denver, Colorado. LJW Publishing was represented by its very own award winning YA novel, Meeting Lizzy, by SarahBeth Carter. The novel won the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Bronze recognizing outstanding children's books. The official awards ceremony took place during the ALA Midwinter Gathering and the Meeting Lizzy was on display throughout the proceedings.

LJW Publishing is very excited to have their first undertaking in the YA or teen book world recognized by the awards program and would like to thank the Jenkins Group for their dedication to the love of reading that led them to create the program and recognize exemplary authors for children and young adults.

For more information on the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards (they are now accepting entries for 2009) visit their site.

For more information on where to get Meeting Lizzy visit Atlas Books (our one and only favorite, alright...exclusive...distributor)! Or if you're a consumer that stumbled upon the site and want to check out a fabulous, award winning YA book...get it here!

Visit again soon for updates!

A New Review of Meeting Lizzy at Gruntlings

Gruntlings, a popular review site that featured anything baby or child related has seen fit to post a great review of LJW Publishing's recent YA release: Meeting Lizzy.

The review reads:

Price Tag: $9.95
Age Range: Young teen and up
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

We were originally going to feature this book in our gift guide, but it deserved much more attention than the gift guide would have allowed for.

Meeting Lizzy by SarahBeth Carter is a book that addresses the difficult topic of abusive teenage relationships. This book is narrated in part by a teenage boy named Cy who stumbles across the abuse of his neighbor Eliza and who tries hard to help but who is unable to help because Eliza swears him to secrecy. Her abuser is her boyfriend, a popular high school jock. The chapters by Cy alternate with chapters by Eliza which detail her confusion and fear. She doesn’t know how this happened, or why it has become the new normal. She tries to leave her relationship but is bullied back into it by her abuser...This book goes into a great amount of detail that shows that the abuse isn’t only physical. It’s isolation and control. Her boyfriend controls what she wears, who her friends are, who she talks to, and as many other aspects of her life as he is able...This book is a great way to open a discussion with your daughter about dating and violence, and to make sure she knows what to do if she finds herself in a bad situation. It’s an eye-opener for parents to read, as well.

This is just an excerpt...for the full review click here!

It's Gift Giving Time!

No matter what industry you're in...this is the time recognized far and wide as the time people are buying gifts. And one of the easiest, most universal (and affordable) gifts is a good book!

Meeting Lizzy has been featured in a number of gift guides as a great gift for teens! Check out two of the most recent holiday gift guide listings here:

A Parent in Silver Springs

All American Mommy

And if you haven't purchased a gift for the teen in your life...you've got yourself covered now. Just click here or visit your local bookstore and ask for
Meeting Lizzy!

Another Award for LJW Publishing's Meeting Lizzy

Meeting Lizzy has recently been the recipient of another award: The All American Mommy Award.

Moms everywhere can appreciate the opportunity to bring up tough topics with their teens and YA literature has presented a unique opportunity to do just that! For instance, Meeting Lizzy presents parents with the chance to broach the topic of teen dating violence with their kids in a safe environment before they're ever faced with the issue in their personal life or the lives of those they're close to during their teen years.

Check it out today: Meeting Lizzy at Barnes & Noble.com!

A Few Basic Answers to a Few (Often Asked) Questions

We often receive comments and requests from writers for general information on getting published. So the easiest way to provide the info needed was to gather it all into one short post and offer up to the masses.

Looking to write a novel, but need a bit of a push?
Check out the classes at your local community college? Does your public library system offer any creative writing workshops? Have you thought about joining a creative writing group in your area? Check out all the fantastic forums available online. The Yahoo groups are our favorite...and make sure to join one specific to your likes/the genre you will be writing about.

Have a novel or book and want to approach the right agent/publisher?
This is more difficult than many imagine. Our suggestion is to get your hands on the current Writer's Market book. Take advantage of their online tools. Keep track of your progress as you work way through the book choosing publishers and/or agents that work with books similar to the one in your hands.

How do you approach an agent/publisher?
Follow their RULES. There are no rules that blanket every agent or every publisher in the industry. The most magical and most frustrating thing about the book publishing world is that the "norm" isn't always acceptable at every publishing house. When you decide who you will be approaching read their listing in Writer's Market carefully and then double check it and get some more information online. Get a feel for their online presence and you'll have a pretty good of what their current philosophy and direction might be. Some houses/presses also suggest that you read some of their current titles prior to submitting any new work.

What are the basic requirements for manuscript submission?
As we mentioned previously there are exceptions to every rule, but most of the time you start your contact with a query letter. There are suggestions on just how to propose your idea in the first contact all over the Internet, but here's one option if you're looking for detailed guidance: Guide To Getting Published.

If you have someone show interest in your query, give them EXACTLY what they ask for immediately upon receiving the request! If they're looking for something like the manuscript you submitted they're most likely looking for it NOW and won't mess around if they're told to wait or aren't told anything at all.

How soon can I check in on the status of my submission?

This depends on the publishing house. Many will say they respond within a certain number of months and they really would probably rather not field phone calls about the status of a submission until after this date. Others are very open about suggesting that authors are welcome to call and discuss the status of their submission. Again...just know the standards of the house you're approaching so you don't leave a negative impression that could hurt your manuscript's chances of getting accepted!

Enjoy and good luck!

Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Results: Meeting Lizzy Recognized as a Young Adult Fiction Winner

2nd Annual Moonbeam Award Winners are Dedicated and Diverse

Traverse City, Michigan – What do a graphic novel about the Boston Tea Party, a
picture book about a hyperactive monkey, and an instructive book about children’s
vision impairments have in common? They’re all medalists in the 2008 Moonbeam
Children’s Book Awards, honoring the year's best children’s books, authors and
illustrators.

Judges chose 138 gold, silver and bronze medalists in 31 categories. The aforementioned Ropes of Revolution, by J. Gunderson; illustrated by Brent Schoonover(Stone Arch Books) was the Comic/Graphic Novel gold medalist, Monkey with a Tool Belt, written and illustrated by Chris Monroe (Carolrhoda/Lerner) won a silver medal in the 4-8 Year Old Picture Book category, and All Children Have Different Eyes, by Edie A. Glaser and Maria Burgio, Ph.D; illustrated by Doina Paraschiv (Vidi Press)was a bronze medalist in the Health Issues category.

The Moonbeam Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary
children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long
reading. A wide range of children’s publishing categories from alphabet books to
young adult novels and including specialties like Children’s Poetry and Environmental
Issues were judged by expert panels of youth educators, librarians, booksellers, and
book reviewers. Award recipients receive gold, silver and bronze medals and stickers
depicting a mother and child reading and silhouetted by a full moon.

The Peacemaker Award for the best book promoting world peace and human tolerance went
to Extraordinary Women from the Muslim World, by Natalie Maydell and Sep Riahi; illustrated by Heba Amin (Global Content Publishing). That award is given in honor of Mattie J.T. Stepanek (1990-2004) whose message of hope and peace has inspired millions of people around the world, and was an impetus in the creation of these awards.

This year’s award-winning books present a diverse range of subjects and formats, and
the winning publishers are widely dispersed geographically. Moonbeam medals were
awarded to authors and publishers from 30 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and
four countries overseas. The cause of promoting childhood literacy knows no
boundaries, and the award winners illustrate that point well, coming not only from
long-established publishers and university presses, but from small presses,
foundations, museums, and self-published entrepreneurs.

“We congratulate this year’s award winners and applaud the role these books play in
enriching children’s lives,” says Moonbeam Awards founder Jerrold Jenkins, father of
four children ranging in ages 6 to 16. “Today’s world is a confusing place to grow
up, and children’s book authors and publishers have risen to the occasion, creating
books that not only celebrate the joys of childhood, but also help families deal with
its challenges. We created Moonbeam to reward the best of these books and bring them
to the attention of parents, booksellers, librarians – and to the kids themselves.”
Jenkins Group has been involved in book packaging, marketing and distribution since
1988, and many of its employees now have children and grandchildren who strongly
influence the company culture with their youthful exuberance and love of books.
Read a Moonbeam Award-winning book to your child today!

Complete contest results available on the Moonbeam site!

For more information on Awards or medalists contact:
Jim Barnes, Awards Director
www.independentpublisher.com / www.moonbeamawards.com
Ph: 1.231.933.4954 x1011

Official Bronze Winner for New YA Fiction

Meeting Lizzy by SarahBeth Carter is the recipient of the Bronze for new YA fiction from the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards. The program's award ceremony will take place during the ALA's Midwinter Gathering this January 2009 in Denver, Colorado. The gathering will be host to the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards as well as the Newbery and Caldecott Awards for the year.