Superman absent in “Boys of Steel” and “Smallville”

As has been noted elsewhere, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman does not include the word “Superman.” (I’m talking only about the story proper—the illustrated portion—because “Superman” does appear in the Author’s Note and, of course, the subtitle.)

We show Superman, and I do use “super” (once), but that’s as close as it comes. (No, this was not a legal moratorium. It was simply an experiment that occurred to me when I was nearly done writing the book and noticed I’d not yet used his name.)

One of my favorite moments during school visits is when I ask an audience that has read the book how many times the word appears in the text. For some reason, someone usually answers "18.” But someone always gets it right as well, which is impressive because I’m not always posing the question while the book is fresh in mind. And even if they’d just finished reading it, it’s not like they memorized it!

The reason I bring this up again is because I (being a dim bulb far too often) only recently realized that it correlates to the TV show Smallville, whose 10th and final season will start this fall. The mantra of the show has been “no flights, no tights.” It is reimagining the Superman mythos, showing Clark take on a heroic role long before he puts on a cape. It’s a nice if obvious message: it’s not the suit that makes the savior.

Fans have speculated that the first and only time the show will show Clark in costume will be the last scene of the last episode. That’s probably true (though in the 9th season finale, viewers do see the suit—twice. But both times in reflection: once in a future-dream sequence, reflected in the globe atop The Daily Planet, and the other time the actual costume, reflected in Clark’s eyes.)

So Boys of Steel shows but doesn’t tell Superman while Smallville tells but doesn’t (technically) show Superman. And that, perhaps, is the only convergence.

Except for this:

Allison Mack, who plays Chloe Sullivan on Smallville, in 2008

5/13/11 update: The series finale of Smallville does, as expected, show Clark Kent in the Superman suit (though either obscured or from a distance), and it does use the word "Superman" (referring not to Nietzsche but to Clark's supehero name)...once.

BEA, Brandeis, Bronx, Brooklyn

In the past 48 hours, I walked every aisle of BookExpo America (the publishing industry’s annual trade show) in Manhattan, sat on a panel of Brandeis University alum children’s authors at my alma mater’s event house in Manhattan, did a school visit in the Bronx, and another in Brooklyn.

BookExpo

I considered taking a photo of myself with every publishing friend I bumped into. I ended up taking only one of me—and not with a person:

(The guitar was signed by many people, including me for some reason, but still.)

Well, I actually took another photo of me. I couldn't resist when I found a piece of marketing whose cleverness came from where I found it:

(Yes, that's in the men's room.)

Every BookExpo attendee registers under a pre-existing category—Librarian, Literary Agent, Bookseller, and so on.

This year, the Author badge included a new and perplexing modification:

Not just "Author" but "Published Author."

In years past, “Author” was explanatory enough. I can’t imagine that confusion could’ve arisen from that.

But in future years, perhaps we’ll see even more specific subcategories: “Unpublished Author,” “Self-Published Author,” “Ghost Writer,” “Unpublished Genius,” “Bad Writer but Published Author,” “Published Once but Haven’t Sold Anything in Years.”

Brandeis

I had the honor of being a part of a panel with two distinguished alumni, Ellen Levine ’60 and Doreen Rappaport ’61.

Eleanor, Quiet No More; written by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Gary Kelley

We did it low-maintenance; I doubled as the moderator. After each of us took 10 minutes to share our background and introduce our work, we took questions from the audience. I’m happy to report that close to 60 people RSVPed, and it seemed like at least that many actually showed up. That’s a good turnout for a book event on a lovely early summer eve. Thank you to all who came.

Bronx

The following morning, I continued with the series of visits I’m making to PS 157 in the Bronx. I do this as a volunteer for the Authors Read Aloud program of Learning Leaders, an education organization. It’s my eighth year.

The program is wonderfully set up. They send a fleet of authors to underfunded schools across the city—each author to the same class four times a school year. That way, the author and the students develop a rapport—a friendship of sorts. It further vests the kids in reading and it gives us authors a more intimate experience than the typical assembly presentation does.

Brooklyn

Then I used my invaluable new iPhone app called Hop Stop to navigate by subway from the Bronx to a junior high school in Brooklyn. Nineteen miles. One and a half hours. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never been strong in math, but this does not compute.

But when you arrive at an auditorium full of curious kids, the distance traveled to get there becomes moot.

Finger Tip #3: A batload of support

The fans have spoken.

Since the 1960s, informed comics readers have demanded justice (of the intellectual property variety) for Bill Finger, uncredited co-creator of Batman. He died in 1974—too soon to witness this campaign to add his name to Batman evolve from a fragmented yet serious murmur to more of a battle cry, made even louder by the unifying power of the Internet.

This is not just fanboy fanaticism. I feel this is a culturally significant movement.

Since I’ve gone public with my Finger book in progress, I’ve had the fortune to hear from a steady stream of these good-hearted, articulate fans. Below is a selected collection of pro-Finger comments I’ve received. (I think I’ve come across only one “anti-Finger” sentiment online, and it wasn’t really anti-Finger so much as it was “Come on…give Kane a little credit.”)

Names withheld to protect the indignant—though none asked me to. In fact, most probably would be the first to sign a petition.

Finger deserves a book…long overdue.
6/12/06

[I]t’s great to see someone else spreading the Gospel of Finger (GOF).
3/9/08

You really have done your research and taken some risks to get to the story that needs to be told. I hope this blog carries on until I have a copy or two of your book in my grubby little mitts to pore over!
3/26/08

[E]agerly anticipating your Bill Finger project, hope it reaches fruition!
6/20/08

I…look forward to your book on Bill Finger, a truly great writer who never got the credit or money he deserved.
6/25/08

I’m very excited about the Finger book and hope it comes together for you.
8/23/08

I hope you get to have your book on Bill Finger published as well. Like you said, it’s a story that needs to be told. Just as Jerry and Joe’s story needed to be told. :-)
8/31/08

We are all very much looking forward to your book about the creator of Batman. Hayden loves telling everyone that Mr. Finger is the man who invented Batman and that he will be getting a book about it as soon as you are done writing it.
11/12/08 (from the mother of a young boy, both of whom I met at a book event)

[At the end of] Batman #259 (1974—the year of Finger’s death), Denny O’Neil wrote, “We dedicate this story to the memory of our friend Bill Finger.” The guys at DC knew who the real genius behind Batman was. And, hopefully, with your book, so will the public.
12/20/08

I’m so ready to see [Bill Finger go public], and eagerly waiting to see what you’ve got planned. You can count on me to be at the front of the line!
1/18/09

Like a lot of people, I’m looking forward to your book.
2/4/09

Many thanks for taking on Bill Finger. Looking forward to it!
3/6/09

[G]reat to hear a Finger book is in the works…much needed and deserved! Children will love to read about the main man behind the Bat.
9/22/09

The “JFK” in JFK Elementary stands for…

…“just fine kids.” Not officially, but that’s how it seemed to me when I visited the West Babylon, New York, school on 5/14/10.

The school went full-tilt in terms of author visit prep. They may have set a school visit record for most presold books by yours truly. Here's a partial view:

The kids not only read some of them in advance, but also created often-elaborate and always-touching works of art about them.

Based on Little Lightning (a novel about gnomes who develop the ability to control lightning):

I love this panorama; those butterflies play a crucial role in the plot:

Another class went in a different direction after reading Little Lightning:

(Jillbell is one of the gnomes in the book.)

Inspired by Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman:

Based on The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire:

Inspired by Vocabulary Cartoon of the Day:

Inspired by Detective Notebook: Ghost Hunting Handbook:

Finger Tip #2: Fingers crossed yields Finger’s book

I just sold a book about Bill Finger, the officially uncredited co-creator and original writer of one of the most beloved—and almost certainly the most lucrative—comic book character in history: Batman.

Yet despite Finger’s massive literary (yes, literary) accomplishment, he has been the subject of a book precisely never. He’s barely been the subject of an article—and the handful of exceptions that I know of were in comics, not mainstream, media.

After Bill and artist Bob Kane created Batman in early 1939, they had to wait only a few months to see the character make his national debut.

The first known print appearance of Batman: 
a house ad in Action Comics #12 (cover-dated May 1939).

The first narrative appearance of Batman: Detective Comics #27, 
which was also cover-dated May 1939; by most accounts, that means 
it would’ve gone on sale the first week of April.

My odyssey to get a Batman story in print, however, has taken a bit longer.

I’ll start with the most recent event and then go back to the beginning to share some of the key moments in the journey. (Some I will be expanding on in future posts; others are not here but will be revealed in time.)

5/21/10 I signed the contract for my book on Bill Finger and his dominant role in the creation of Batman.

Activate time machine…

2/15/05 In my “story ideas” file, I noted that a Batman book focused on Finger rather than Kane would be provocative, plus a natural and presumably commercial follow-up to Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman.

1/28/06 On what happened to be the 10th anniversary of the death of Jerry Siegel, I began compiling Finger research.

6/23/06 I made my second major find: Bill’s second wife. She was a most pleasant surprise because she was not mentioned in any of my printed source material. Something she would later tell me would indirectly steer me to two other major finds: Bill’s only sibling and a crucial photo, the startling details of which will have to wait.

8/2/06 Although multiple comics experts told me with conviction that there were no more photos of Finger beyond the four (only two of which are more widely known) that had already been published, I found the first “new” photo of him, from a 1964 wedding. It would not be the last.

8/12/06 After speaking multiple times on the phone with early Batman artist, Finger friend, and all-around gentleman Jerry Robinson, I had the honor of meeting with him in person at his New York apartment. We found a priceless and poetic piece of Finger history (part of a larger, even more priceless collection which would fetch thousands if not more at auction).

12/17/06 Just after 1 a.m., I began writing the first draft. I didn’t know it at the time, but I would not be able to get back to it until April.

12/18/06 Third major find: I got a copy of the startling photo mentioned at 6/23/06.

2/17/07 Fourth major find: Instantly negating more than a couple dead ends, I found the gateway to a rich well of Finger information—his first wife’s family. As for how, that (like many other entries of this timeline) will eventually become a blog post of its own.

2/27/07 Fourth major find, part two: the heretofore unknown—and lone—Finger heir. She’d had nothing to do with the Finger legacy for the previous 15 years…other than naming her dog Bruce Wayne.

3/2/07 Fifth major find: Finger’s long-estranged sister, born 1918 or 1919—and still alive.

4/6/07 I resumed working on the first draft.

5/5/07 I finished what could reasonably be called a first draft.

7/24/07 My Boys of Steel editor turned down the manuscript. She felt it would be more engaging for an audience older than who they publish for. Still, she remained open to reconsidering it later.

10/14/08 I met with a group of filmmakers who’d contacted me because they were interested in basing a documentary on my quest to rebuild Finger.

2/2/09 I learned that a never-published and long-sought-after article about Finger, based on an original interview, had finally surfaced in a cluttered house in Vermont.

2/8/09 On what would’ve been Finger’s 95th birthday, I got a copy of that article…but a year later, I would figure out that it had not been as lost as it had first seemed…

5/1/09 A major publisher expressed interest. I kept my Fingers crossed.

6/9/09 Another major publisher expressed interest. Fingers still crossed because of previous publisher. Now double-crossed.

2/17/10 After several promising exchanges, Charlesbridge made an offer…and my agent notified me just as I was pulling up to a comic shop.

3/26/10 I got the contract.

5/21/10 Negotiation was complete. I signed the contract. So after five years, the most thrilling discoveries of my career so far, some disappointments, but ultimately an intact and sprawling dream, there will finally be a book about man and Batman, with a little Nobleman sprinkled in.

The best time to speak at a conference

I've been to a good number of book conferences these past few years. I've observed the following about possible speaking time slots (with respect to the attendees): 

up to 9 a.m.—too early; caffeine hasn’t kicked in for some; people straggle in throughout 

11 a.m.—mind starts to wander to food 

12-1:30 p.m.—competing with lunch is like having a dance-off with Shakira 

2 p.m.—digestion lethargy; they’re not nodding in agreement—just nodding off 

3 p.m.—see 2 p.m. 

4 p.m.—feels like the end of the day even if it isn’t; a time when many slip out 

5 p.m.-7 p.m.—dinner

That means the most desirable slot is 10 a.m. Too late to be groggy, too early to be hungry or leaving.

1/1/22 addendum: Every January for 40+ years, the late, beloved MIT professor Patrick Winston delivered a talk called "How to Speak," in which he said the ideal time to speak was 11 a.m.

What’s the difference between these two “What’s the Difference?” books?, part 2 of 2

First read part 1.

They were the brand and I was the solo act. But I felt I had an advantage mental_floss didn’t…timing. You think amazon.com would have survived had bn.com gone online first?

It turned out that mental_floss's book had the same name (no surprise)…but also the same size…and even the same color treatment on the cover (light blue and brown, though theirs also had a red View-Master):

However, again, these similarities were (appropriately enough) trivial. The proof is in the content. (And I knew going in that there’d be overlap; as mental_floss's magazine and previous book had already proved, it’s inevitable with this topic.)

Their book contained 9 comparisons that mine did and multiple others on my extensive list for future What's the Difference? projects. The overlaps:

• preface/introduction/foreword (I think using this comparison as the preface was our mutually cleverest move)
• geek/nerd/dork (I also included dweeb and dork)
• alligator/crocodile (they used it as a sidebar to the main entry IZOD/Lacoste)
• murder/manslaughter (I also included homicide)
• state/commonwealth
• frog/toad
• meteor/meteorite/meteoroid (both of us addressed asteroid in a sidebar, and I also included comet)
• mountain lion/cougar (I didn’t have this as a main comparison but rather part of the "Related Terms")
• Holland/Netherlands

One I wished I’d had:

• Hasidic Jew/Orthodox Jew

Comparisons aside from the entries:

• Page count: 176 (mine) vs. 190.
• Mine had blue and brown scheme inside but no illustration; theirs had no color inside but cartoons opening each section.
• Mine was divided into 14 categories from "Animals" to "Hard Surfaces"; theirs, six categories named for school subjects ("English," "Social Studies," etc.).
• Mine had an index and theirs didn’t.

I don’t know the latest on mental_floss’s book, but mine has had at least three printings and there are more on the way. I expect to have other What's the Difference? news, though I don’t know when.

And that is the difference between "The End" and "The End?"

What’s the difference between these two “What’s the Difference?” books?, part 1 of 2

In April 2004, I began to pitch publishers a book for adults and teens called What's the Difference? It was the result of years’ worth of collecting a specific type of factoid. The book would whimsically explain the differences between pairs (or groups) that we confuse or simply can’t articulate a distinction between, including alligator/crocodile, vanilla/French vanilla, and geek/nerd (plus dweeb and dork).

That same month, the humorous trivia junkie magazine mental_floss (which was on my radar but which I did not read regularly) put out Condensed Knowledge, a book stuffed with eclectic, cleverly organized facts. It included a recurring callout feature called…"What’s the Difference?" Of its 14 comparisons, only one was already on the short list for my proposed table of contents: rap vs. hip-hop.

In early 2005, I sold my book to Barnes & Noble’s publishing division. That September, it came out in their stores and on their site bn.com. (If only picture books could move that fast.)

Just before Thanksgiving of that year, I learned that the "What’s the Difference?" feature from mental_floss was based on a recurring magazine feature of the same name. I tracked down the first two issues that included it.

Four comparisons from these first two installments were in my book as well:

• kung fu/karate (I also included judo)
• hurricane/typhoon (I also included cyclone and tornado)
• murder/manslaughter (I also included homicide)
• mountain lion/cougar (I didn’t have this as a main comparison but rather part of the "Related Terms" of panther/leopard/jaguar)

Plus two more comparisons in the magazine were on my list of potentials for a sequel.

I contacted mental_floss to introduce myself. They already knew about my book, and in fact had been surprised to see it. I understood; it must have looked like I’d stolen the idea from the magazine or Condensed Knowledge, though they didn’t accuse me of that. But it was almost immediately understood that delineating differences was just a good idea that we each had independently.

I suggested we work together in some way (not necessarily with regard to the differences concept). They kindly responded that we should indeed try…and also mentioned that they had a full book based on their "What’s the Difference?" feature coming out in July 2006.

Continued in part 2.

What can brown do you for you? Go green!

Just because you write a book doesn’t mean you know it.

At a recent school visit, a library media specialist pointed out something in Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman that I had not noticed on my own despite looking at and speaking about the book regularly these past two years.

No, not a typo. (Those I do tend to notice.)

Writer Jerry Siegel is always shown wearing brown suits or slacks. His best friend and creative partner, artist Joe Shuster, is always in green. (Similarly, Jerry’s ties are always green and Joe’s always brown, with one exception, the reason for which I don’t know.)

What does this mean?

For starters, I’m not as observant as I should be. I don't know more. Illustrator Ross MacDonald surely had a reason. Maybe simply to distinguish between two boys who looked alike.

Beginnings and, for the first time, endings

One of my first books for Scholastic was 5-Minute Daily Practice: Writing:

Yes, that title—and that cover—don’t scream “Must-have”!

(I'd named it something else and I remember not knowing they'd changed the title until I got my author copies.)

It’s a book of story prompts—tools intended to motivate writers (especially ones who may struggle to come up with an idea).

For example:

Just as my dad was about to light a fire, something flew out of our chimney and into the family room...

That’s obviously a one-liner but some in the book go on for a few short paragraphs:

Is My Underwear Showing?

I’m not embarrassed if somebody sees my underwear. For example, I don’t mind when someone sees a pair in the laundry or on my floor. I’m only embarrassed if somebody sees my underwear on me.

One day, everyone saw my underwear on me.

We had an assembly in the cafeteria. A very funny rock band was singing about American history. In between the songs, they would call up volunteers to act out famous events.

I didn’t want to be called, which of course meant that I was. The band wanted my help in a skit about the Boston Tea Party, the night when patriots dressed as Native Americans and dumped cases of tea into Boston Harbor to protest British taxes. I was a patriot, and my job was to bend over, pick up a “crate” (there weren’t really crates on stage, but we pretended), throw it into the water, then repeat.

As I did this, I didn’t feel that my pants were a little too loose. After I threw my fifth or sixth crate, I turned to pick up another when suddenly there was a huge laugh from the audience because...

Whether the prompt is short or longer, it’s up to the student to complete the story.

My mom didn’t believe in coloring books. She wanted her kids to confront a blank page and create something from nothing. It’s a philosophy I have adopted with my kids, though, at times, I do allow them to color within the lines.

Story prompts are to writing as coloring books are to art. So I was hesitant to write this book. I didn’t want to compromise my inherited principle.

I decided I’d do it, but with a twist: some of the story prompts are not story openings but rather story endings. Therefore, instead of continuing after the dot dot dot, the writer will write up until the dot dot dot.

For example:

...We decided to paint the tree house again—but this time, any other color besides red.

And:

...After that, Jack said he was through accepting dares.

I’ve not heard of another book (before or since) that has done this. While it doesn’t compare with a blank page, it is a kind of exercise that kids presumably haven't seen, so I told myself that made it okay. Because of this quirky feature, I still mention the book in writing workshops today.

Both kinds of prompt require imagination. And both call upon skills in areas of reading comprehension, cause and effect, and inference.

But the story endings seem more like mysteries to be solved, don’t they?

With a beginning, you can go in most any direction. That’s great for fostering creativity. With an ending, you can, too, but you always have to end up with the ending. That’s great for what seems like deductive reasoning.

Maybe I’m over-analyzing (and if so, badly), but perhaps someone out there can better articulate how the mind works differently when writing into an ending as opposed to writing after a beginning.

Old message, New Milford

On 4/27/10, I spoke at Sarah Noble Intermediate School in New Milford, CT. My message was not "old" in the sense of outdated but rather in the sense that I've been sharing it since I began visiting schools.

The newspaper kindly covered my presentations there, including taking several photos. A correction: Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman got 22 rejections and 2 interested publishers (not 26 and 4).

Finger Tip #1: The next Batman

Earlier this year, I mentioned that soon I’d be starting something called Finger Tips.

Welcome to the first.

This week, there was news about the next Batman movie (third in a row involving writer-director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale):

I immediately rescheduled my haircut.

That same year, at least one and possibly two other Batman-related stories will be coming out. (Well, many Batman-related stories, but only two, as of now, that involve me.)

I am very close to being able to just come out with it rather than tease. That will probably be Finger Tip #2.

Write on the Hudson

On 5/1/10, I was one of 100 authors signing books at the 2nd annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival. (It was my first and hopefully first annual.)

I was thrilled to catch up with infrequently-seen friends (Mark Shulman, Kate Feiffer, Alan Katz, Katie Davis), meet some e-friends in person for the first time (Doreen Rappaport, Jennifer Berne, Richard Michelson), and make new friends.

One of them bears special mention. She’s a firecracker named Muriel Harris Weinstein. When Louis Armstrong Taught Me to Scat (Chronicle) is her first picture book—and she is 86 years old.

Muriel further reeled me in by mentioning that her next book (which is, I believe, for adults) “breaks all the rules of biography.” This is a topic I champion whenever possible.

An event of the scope of this festival takes savvy planning—and the hard work showed. The gym was filled with Superman-colored tables stacked with books manned by double the number of authors as last year. According to the organizers, the attendance was also up (and possibly the humidity, too).

In the pre-doors-open quiet

An e-mail thread has been pinging around since then with all authors copied, and the reviews are unanimous—this event rocked.

On the scenic drive back, friend/neighbor/YA author Sarah Darer Littman and I stopped to photograph some of the quirky sights of the Hudson Valley. Though not the Batcave, my favorite was this:

Don’t balk at the price. It’s two stories.

Authors can’t authorize lav passes

From 4/28 to 4/30/10, I set up camp in Simsbury, Connecticut, one town over from Avon, the town in which in spent my first seven years. I spoke at five Simsbury schools—and drove by the house in which my story (and storytelling) began:

(My dad will want me to note that he maintained the grounds much better when we lived there in the 1970s. The current owner—yes, I rang the doorbell—will want me to note that they were recently out of the country for several years, during which time they rented the house and could not easily keep tabs on the upkeep.)

During the Q&A portion of my presentation at the first Simsbury school, a boy asked what would turn out to be my favorite question of the trip: "May I go to the bathroom?"

To be clear, there were plenty of on-topic questions I also loved, but for its beautiful balance of courtesy and innocence, this one cried out for a spotlight. I posted it on Facebook and a friend commented "At least he didn’t say 'Can I…'"

I deferred to a teacher, who, of course, gave the boy permission to excuse himself. I don’t have that kind of authority.

At another Simsbury school, a sixth grader came up to me afterward to reveal that he is brilliant. He didn’t say that. What he said was in response to this cartoon, which I show during my presentation:

This astute young man said the caption does not need "I threw that"; it could end with "spill"—if italicized. Does he understand "trust your audience" or what? The cartoon editor of The New Yorker should keep an eye on this one.

I show that cartoon, and others, as part of an exercise on analyzing both the art and the humor of cartoons like mine. Part of this segment refers back to a segment about writing in which I explain that the art of writing is not only about what we put in our work but what we leave out. And this boy was so down with that idea that he pointed out something that has not occurred to me in my six years of using this cartoon as an example.

At a third Simsbury school, the library media specialist had created a Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman blow-up to try to drum up excitement for my upcoming visit.

Interestingly, she used not the cover or an interior page featuring Superman but rather the endpapers, which no one else I’ve seen has done. I was thrilled because the design of the endpapers (for any book) rarely gets much attention, and I happen to love what Ross MacDonald did with them for our book:

Noble and Nobleman

Today I had a wonderful visit at Sarah Noble Intermediate School in New Milford, CT.

Here's a sign of a district dedicated to literacy: the principal, PTA president, and a rep from the Board of Ed all attended.

Here's another sign—five, actually—that this school in particular is dedicated to literacy:

A close-up on that first one:

"One of these things is not like the other"...but very sweetly so.

Publishing futurist, film director, and sports editor

Growing up (and still today), one of the reasons I love(d) shows like Super Friends is because of the team-ups. I liked to see what combination of heroes would form to take on the latest challenge.

I also like this in real life. Within a circle of friends, I like to observe who ends up doing what together. (I actually used to “take attendance” at certain gatherings. Yes, said friends would mock this.)

Over the past few months, I’ve noted three disparate quotations that each seemed like a good catalyst for a blog post. They are unrelated other than the fact that they are all quotations. So in the spirit of the randomness of Super Friends splinter groups (which, in this context, is in and of itself random), here they are, with my reasons for mentioning them.

quotation #1

“In the digital age it will make much more economic sense for the owner of the audience to find the content rather than the way we’ve always done it, which is the other way around.”
—Mike Shatzkin, expert publishing consultant and founder of The Idea Logical Company, digital book publishing futurists

I found this both exciting in its perception and scary in its implication.

Could it be true?

Mike seems way ahead of many of us in understanding of the industry (he’s earned his futurist badge at least in part from decades of experience) and I do think he is on to something here. (The rest of the article of which this is the last line is also compelling.)

However, I still believe that a well-done book is capable of attracting a sizable audience that includes people new to the subject, the author, or both. I think the biggest factor in that is marketing, a huge part of the marketing is the author himself, and a huge part of that is indeed the author’s digital presence. (The cost of this is often only the author’s time...and Internet service provider charges.)

But I feel personal appearances remain hugely important, even for those, like me, who are not household names. Maybe especially for those like me. If an author does well at speaking engagements, that can keep building an audience, even for a book that is long past new.

For every person who is loyal to a subject, there is a person loyal to an author (regardless of subject). I have not scientifically tested that but do believe it holds up.

To relate Mike’s comment to my work, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman is a picture book that has found an audience beyond young readers. Predictably, that audience consists largely of comic book fans. I could keep writing books about superheroes (indeed I do have one on Batman in the works) and that audience may stand by me. But eventually, fatigue may set in for me or the audience (or both).

But if I write my passions, the work is stronger, and if I market passionately, those with similar passion (for the subject or the author, if not both) will be my audience. In other words, I still believe someone who loves my book about Superman may also love my book about a WWII Japanese pilot. (And not just because both fly.)

quotation #2

“The thing that worries people most is often the thing that makes it work.”
—Tim Burton, Entertainment Weekly, 3/5/10

I responded to this because I am among a growing group of picture book authors drawn to subjects that are atypical for picture books. And we all know that new can equal scary. Too few want to take risks, or at least be the first to take a certain risk.

I wrote Boys of Steel because I felt it was a powerful story for multiple ages on multiple levels, but it’s still uncommon to see pop culture figures featured in nonfiction picture books (at least relative to “textbook names” such as Lincoln and King). People may not (at first) look past the pop culture to discover the human condition underneath.

But in recent years, we’ve seen an explosion of both pop culture and lesser-known figures in picture books thanks to authors including Meghan McCarthy, Don Brown, Jonah Winter, Chris Barton, Barbara Kerley, Catherine Brighton, Elizabeth Matthews, Shana Corey, and Gary Golio (not to mention their editors). Kids (and adults) will be richer for these unorthodox experiments.

And in his world, Tim Burton does the same thing. A thin comedian as Batman? A guy with scissors for hands? A corpse bride? (Interestingly, much of his source material is literature, some of which surely seemed radical upon first publication, from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.) He is eminently qualified to make the observation he did.

We in picture book publishing should keep his boldness in mind.

quotation #3

“The resurrection of Christ was incredible. Little since then has been.”
—Gil Rogin, former Sports Illustrated managing editor, in a memo

Rogin was referring to the use of the word “incredible” in writing. It has become devalued by overuse. So have its cousins “amazing,” “fantastic,” “wonderful,” and so on. In everyday speech, they are dependable workhorses. In print, they have little impact.

Generally speaking, description is usually better without resorting to adjectives at all (or at least adjectives alone). That is one of the central challenges to authors—how to describe something familiar in a new way. We won’t be able to do that using the same old adjective.

Homer vs. Homer, me vs. "me," part 2 of 2

First read part 1.

An editor from READ had just asked me why a humorous history piece in the latest issue of Nickelodeon magazine was so similar (in her opinion) to one I wrote for the latest issue of READ.

I was the one who told them about the Nickelodeon piece. I thought it was already obvious that I had no idea how it had come about.

At that time, I was all about e-mail. But because tone in print can easily be misread, I called her.

I said I understood her suspicion because she didn’t know me, not personally. Yet, I said, I was as surprised as they were to see the Nickelodeon piece—again, only because of the timing, not because I felt the idea was original. (Execution, of course, is where originality can enter into it.)

I explained that I’d worked hard to establish a good reputation as a writer and would not self-plagiarize (or plagiarize, for that matter). I emphasized that I greatly valued my relationships with both READ and Nickelodeon and would not consciously jeopardize either one. I reiterated that the compare and contrast format was not unprecedented. And I said that any two writers independently comparing Homer and Homer Simpson would likely have some overlap. There are only so many key qualities to distill.

I also pointed out that Nickelodeon gave a byline to every feature written by a freelancer. My byline was on other pieces in that very issue, but there was no byline on the Homer piece, which meant it was written in-house. I provided the name of my Nickelodeon editor so the READ editor could contact her directly for verification. I concluded by stating that I hoped to continue to write for READ.

Fifteen minutes later, I got her response. She apologized if she’d insulted me. She explained that she had to ask about such a coincidence because, as I’d said, she didn’t know me. But she now understood that such comparisons had been done before. And she said they’d been thrilled with my work thus far so don’t worry about it. (She didn't contact Nickelodeon.)

I continued to write for READ, and still do when I can. But I also continue to worry, not specifically with respect to READ but simply as a freelance writer.

In any such case, the only thing freelance writers have to back us up is our word. We, of course, make our living from words and I’d like to think that words can be enough. But sometimes words are not as thick of a shield as we might like.

Homer vs. Homer, me vs. "me," part 1 of 2

In 2004, every writer’s nightmare happened to me.

A Weekly Reader publication called READ (aimed at grades 7-12) that I’d enjoyed writing for before had assigned me a piece about ancient Greece.

Specifically, a piece introducing kids to the renowned classical poet Homer by contrasting him to the esteemed modern bard Homer Simpson.

This format was not new. My college humor magazine (Gravity, founded at Brandeis University in 1990) ran such silly comparisons every issue for a while. For example:

written by Noel Rappin

written by Ross Garmil and Rod Lyle Scormio

Even though Gravity had not done Homer vs. Homer, at least not while I was there, I was pretty sure this comparison had been done somewhere by someone, probably even multiple times.

Still, you can’t copyright an idea, so I took it as a worthy challenge. (I admit that going in, I knew about only one of those two Homers. I’m not saying which.)

I wrote it. I submitted it. They liked it. They ran it:

And then…

…that same month, I saw the latest issue of Nickelodeon, a magazine I was writing for on a monthly basis.

Well, look at that.

They, too, ran a Homer vs. Homer compare and contrast.

So even though I was pretty sure this comparison had been done before, I could not believe it was in another mag I regularly contributed to in the same month that my Homer vs. Homer piece would appear in READ.

Yet I saw this as a curiosity, not a problem. READ is distributed only in schools, free to students. Nickelodeon is for sale in stores and by subscription.

I immediately e-mailed my READ editor about it. She wrote “That happens.” We e-smiled.

Later that day, however, her boss e-mailed me. She felt the Nickelodeon piece was startlingly similar to the one I did for READ. She asked me to explain how this could have happened.

I’d been a freelance writer for five years and I’d loved it. That was the first time in my career I felt firsthand that working alone can also be hazardous to one’s career.

Continued in part 2.

The Jerry Siegel Race, part 3 of 3

First read part 1 and part 2.

In February 2008, five months before Boys of Steel came out, I pitched my Jerry Siegel Race idea to the wonderful Glenville Development Corporation and they liked it. They earmarked a tentative month for the event. They sent the letter I’d written to the celebs. They suggested that we look for a corporate sponsor and mentioned one company in particular that was looking for a health initiative to fund. Running is healthy! I imagined that whatever sponsor we got would foot the bill for the race T-shirts.

I also pitched the Jerry Siegel Race to the organizers of the annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois, which I was planning to attend that June. Of course, that would not take place on the actual route, but would still be a sixth of a mile accompanied by John Williams.

Eventually, I even planned to do a third race in my town, sponsored by the local independent bookstore.

However, none of the races happened. Here's why:

Cleveland—It was hard for me to do as much as I wanted to do from afar and I wouldn't have asked anyone else to take on the responsibility. (Though my primary inspiration with the race was not to raise money but rather to do some small part to unify an historic community, I was thrilled when, later that year, a superstar team led by author Brad Meltzer fundraised on a far greater scale that my race ever could have. The newly formed Siegel & Shuster Society and friends collected more than $100,000 to restore Jerry's house and install commemorative markers at both Jerry's and Joe's sites.)

Metropolis—A town official ended up nixing the race because the road chosen for the route would have had a cable (yes, I do remember it being a single cable) strung across it for another aspect of the Superman Celebration. That was a safety concern. (Somehow marathons with thousands of entrants and probably as many potholes, among other little bumps, go on anyway.)

Hometown—I was following up on too many promotional ideas at once and that one—though among my favorites—was set aside. I could tackle most of the other ideas on my own but that one would require help and, again, I didn’t want to burden anyone at the time.

Yet I remain determined to make a Jerry Siegel Race happen one day, particularly in Cleveland. In fact, I’m quite certain it will, and I’ll be running it with a big smile, in a hurry to get to one of those Superman mini-pizzas.

The Jerry Siegel Race, part 2 of 3

First read part 1.

Jerry Siegel’s house is still standing (in the Glenville section of Cleveland):

Taken January 2007.

Joe Shuster’s, alas, is not. This photo was taken about a year before its 10/31/75 demolition:

So technically, the race would be from Jerry’s house to the site of Joe’s apartment. That distance is a sixth of a mile (just shy of how far the first published incarnation of Superman could leap). I figured it would take the average person about four minutes to run. So this would be a race in which even non-runners could participate.

I was hoping that staging what I inelegantly called the Jerry Siegel Race through the largely impoverished neighborhood would be a spirit boost. Yet I also wanted to keep it as simple (and inexpensive) as possible. To do that, I wanted to get the community involved.

I planned to approach local radio stations to find one willing to “score” the race. Say the race was set to start at 3 p.m. At precisely that moment, the station would begin to play the familiar and stirring theme from Superman: The Movie. (Hey, I like to run to it.)

But I didn’t want to have to get into renting and setting up big speakers along the route. Besides, plenty of speakers were already there—in private homes. So in advance, we’d distribute flyers to the neighbors along the 9.5-block route. We’d announce the date of the race and encourage them to take part as a runner—or a DJ.

To be specific, we’d ask them to turn to the designated station(s), put their radios up to their front windows, open those windows, and at 3 p.m., crank up the volume. Voila—instant and continuous soundtrack, perfectly in sync. I’d never heard of a race like this and thought it would be quite electrifying to witness.

(I envisioned that we could also use the flyers to promote summer reading.)

Perhaps the station(s) that agreed to play the theme during the race would also help raise money by asking each listener to pledge a single dollar toward the cause. The tagline: "Help Superman's hood with a single buck" (playing off of "Leaps tall buildings in a single bound," a famous line from the "Faster than a speeding bullet..." Superman intro).

Also in advance, we’d try to recruit local celebs to be a part of it. I even rounded up addresses for and drafted the letter to invite big-name celebs who are more than casual Superman fans (Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Bon Jovi, Nic Cage, Howard Stern).

At the end of the race would be a block party where people would eat cookies and mini-pizzas in the shape of the Superman “S” emblem. My book would be for sale, and we’d have activities for kids.

I mentioned raising money for a cause. What cause?

While the race would be in Jerry’s name since he was the runner of the story, the event would culminate with the unveiling of some kind of commemorative marker on the site where Joe’s building had stood. (It’s not fair that Jerry’s house is a protected heritage site and Joe’s house is gone.)

I wanted this marker to somehow incorporate the only two known photos that exist of it, both of which I’d turned up in my research. That way, when fans made a pilgrimage to the site, they would get some sense of how it looked when history crashed to Earth there.

However, it wasn’t just Joe’s onetime apartment that was about to be history.

Concluded in part 3.