Saturday, June 20, 2009

Books NJ

Last weekend, I attended my first book festival, Books NJ, which was sponsored by the Bergen County Cooperative Library System and hosted by the Paramus Public Library. Over 90 authors, illustrators, and poets talked about their books and their craft.

What did I learn?

1) Children's book creators are incredibly nice people. (I already knew this, but I am continually amazed at what an encouraging and supportive group of people I meet in this profession)

2) I LOVE being on panels! This was my first panel ever and I was a bit nervous, but it turns out, I would have been happy to have the whole floor to myself! (Sorry to my co-panel if I didn't let you get a word in!)

3) If you have a PB with a truck on the cover, it will sell. (EVERYONE has a son or a grandson or a nephew who is obsessed with trucks!)

NOTE: Or as Kimberly pointed out, a DAUGHTER!

So, all in all, it was a worthwhile experience and I look forward to going again next year. Now I am off to write a book about... trucks.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good thing you have trucks for your cover. When we think of the trucks we always got in our minds bucket trucks which sometimes dubbed as the cherry picker. This is true where this equipment really helps in jobs where height is the matter.

K said...

My daughter LOVES books with trucks, bulldozers, diggers, you name it! When we are in a bookstore and she is running around, she'll always put on the breaks if she sees a book with big machinery on the cover!

Corey Schwartz said...

Bucket Trucks- No trucks on my cover! That's why I need to start thinking about a truck book for next time.

Kimberly- Sorry, I should have said a son or a DAUGHTER! :)

Sherrie Petersen said...

How fun for you to be on the panel! Very cool! Looking forward to reading your truck book :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

That is so cool that you sat on a panel and got energized by the day. Can't wait to see your truck book. I recently watched a documentary on Stonehenge that compared how easy our big earthmovers can pick up and transfer boulders now compared to whatever ingenious way the people moved the standing stones thousands of years ago. Made me appreciate our times!

Suzanne Casamento said...

Sounds like a lot of fun! I'd love to attend a panel with you on it.

Are you really going to write a truck book? ; )

K said...

LOL we get a good laugh watching our daughter dance around the house all dressed up in my shoes and necklaces and her dresses with her truck books in her hand while eyeing her play toolbox on the floor. A girly tom-boy is who she is, always helping me to open my eyes!

Corey Schwartz said...

Ha! And my son used to dress up in a blue Cinderella dress and high heels when he was two! :)

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

fun! good for you on the panel!

Hardygirl said...

How cool to be on a panel!

I've got a truck-lovin' daughter, too. Funny. I think she's rebelling against this girly household we have over here.

sf

Corey Schwartz said...

My daughter plays "traffic' with her brother, but she does it under protest.