To Be or Not to Be -- Work-for-Hire Projects

As a working writer without spousal back-up, I sometimes get lost in the day-to-day business of survival.  Writers of nonfiction seldom enjoy the advances most novelists take for granted.  So the sale of one, two, three, even four nonfiction children’s books a year does not guarantee fiscal security (or health insurance) for the same twelve month period.  

Work-for-hire projects are a tempting but controversial option for keeping ends met.  I say controversial because some experts say a writer should never agree to a flat-fee contract because they put no pennies in your account down the road.  

I understand that concern, as a woman alone in paying the bills.  But I have often agreed to writing work-for-hire projects, too.  

So let’s explore three hard facts about taking these assignments.  Then let’s explore three great reasons, hopefully to help you make the choice that will be best for your career.  

Hard to Handle 

1.   1.  The paycheck that covers your mortgage this month may seem skimpier once the work-for-hire project is released and on sale to the public.  When you’ve long since deposited the five figure check, but the book is earning six or seven, be prepared for a wee bit of jealous longing.  If you know it’s coming, it’ll disappear almost as quickly as it comes. 

2.    2. If you take too many work-for-hire assignments, you won’t have time to write and research royalty based book proposals that will pay a modest longer term dividend.   Balance in all things. 

3.      3.  It may be hard to give away the perfect idea for a royalty based project to your work-for-hire editor unless you retain the right to write about the same subject again in another format.  Maybe.   

Those are some of the weak points of writing work-for-hire projects.  Now, consider these very important strong points before you make your decision to say yes or no to the flat-fee work. 

Perks to Ponder

1.    1.  Some flat fee books have a better price point bringing your work within reach for kids at all economic levels.  Financially challenged kids will be able to buy a book, where they would not otherwise have that chance.  More affluent kids will suddenly buy two. 

2.   2. Creating strong, work-for-hire books for an editor helps you build a very important working relationship that can lead to more work in the future – work-for-hire and work for royalties.  Do a great job for your editor and you’ll see your opportunities grow. 

3.      3.  Kids who read don’t care what you make for writing your books.  They only care about great stories.  So ignore the contract when you write.  Give the kids and the editors the best work you can muster, because they deserve no less.  That’s how you build your fan base.  NEVER underestimate the power of those readers.   

      After all, young readers are not just our bread and butter, they are our inspiration. 

I love my work-for-hire books just as much as I love my traditional royalty based book projects.  I am proud of every book I’ve written and feel grateful to all the editors who have been generous with their contracts and assignments.  I hope I am always lucky enough to have both kinds of book projects.  

I hope you’ll consider both options too.  The more we write, the more we fine tune our craft, the better it will be for every player on the team, from writers to editors to book designers to marketing pros to the kids who curl up with the books. 

And remember, either way you ARE the winner, every time a young reader falls in love with your books.

School Visits -- Pros and Cons

Young Adult fiction author John Green is famous for his brilliant fiction and his VlogBrothers video blogs. This week, he talked about traveling to sustain his career with speaking fees and book promotion.  And while we write different kinds of books for different kinds of kids, we have that in common.   We both travel – a LOT.

So let's discuss the pros and cons -- in this case, the cons and pros -- of school visits. 

A GREAT hotel in Boise, ID.

CONS

I can’t define what “a lot” means for my friend John.  But I can define it for myself.  I have spoken to between 50 and 75 schools and conferences a year for the past five years.   A few are within driving distance.  Most require airborne transportation.  And both kinds of travel can be really tiring.  Con. 

Ground transportation mix-ups are a frustrating after a full 10 to 12 hours in airports. It's cold on those curbs, waiting for a stranger to pick you up.  But waiting is all that works, with the flight delays of modern times.  So you wait.  LITTLE Con. 

Hotels and hotel beds can be if-y.  Not all neighborhoods are welcoming.  And some beds should be in sleep deprivation museums.  Enough said.  Con.

Hungry?  Sometimes that's a problem.  If your host forgets that authors eat, and your hotel is not within walking distance of a restaurant, those Southwest peanuts you stuck in your bag start to look pretty appealing.  Temporary starvation.  Con. 

PROS

Before I start to look really whiny, hold on.  Am I complaining?  I am NOT – not even for a fraction of an instant.  These CON things don't happen very often, other than the long airport hours.  And I am grateful for the chance to connect with the kids that read my books.  Pro. 

Hanging out with kids keeps me on track to write true stories they care about.  I do this for my financial gain, sure.  But that’s not the real reason.  I do it for those kids.  And when I listen, they confirm my published books were worth writing.  They evaluate my new story ideas and show me where I should go to write the next one.  BIG Pro.

Photo by Roxyanne Young

Then there is research.  When I travel to a new city, I can do research for my future books.  In San Diego, I visited two haunted houses and investigated with a paranormal team for four twilight hours to prep for my ghost book.  Does it get any better than that?  Pro.

I also supplement   my writing income with speaking fees.  And those fees allow me to work well, not quickly.  With school visits, I can take four years  -- two years of research prior to sale, two years after -- to write a book that only paid enough to cover two months,  if I’m frugal; one month upon signing, the other after acceptance two years later.  Thanks to the generosity of parent teacher organizations, I can do serious nonfiction research, even if my topics are non-traditional.   And that is important to me and to the kids that read me.  HUGE Pro. 

Let’s not forget book sales.  I sell more books doing school visits than I could without school visits.  In 2012, I visited 19 elementary schools in February, thanks to the Literacy Connection, a group of retired educators in central Washington that organizes author visit tours each year. I was one of their authors in 2012.  I talked to hundreds and hundreds of kids and sold more than 2,000 hardcover books , along with earning my fees.   The organizers said we sold more books than had ever been sold before – most to reluctant reader boys, aching to love a book.  They loved mine. Pro! Pro! Pro!

Girls like my books, too!

That brings us to my last reason for loving (and enduring) school visits.   Every time I walk into that gym, that library, that commons room, that auditorium, that cafeteria, what I do is plentifully reaffirmed. 

If ever I've wondered if I made the right choice to write 25 years ago, if I've wondered if anyone cares about my books, if I've ever grieved not winning awards, or the pain in my knees, or the flus and viruses I get on the road, the uncertainties vanish the minute I see those smiling faces.  Doubt is replaced with joy, without exception.

I have a genuine passion for writing, and I’m good at it.  But it pales in comparison to my passion for young readers.  “You are my favorite writer.”  “This is my favorite book.”  “I want to do what you do when I grow up.”  Sentences like those discount the con columns.  They wash the cons away. 

I do school visits because they are a part of who I am. I am never more completely myself than I am when I’m with those kids – or the grown-ups devoted to helping them. 

Travel in post 9/11 airports may feel like hell.  But once you get to a destination that feels like heaven, what difference does it make?   

I AM lucky to do what I do -- even when it includes a 6:00 am departure time. So onward! 

And to all of you brilliant, generous hosts out there, thank you for being the angels that you are.  You are not just my hosts, you are my friends. 

Kelly Milner Halls

www.wondersofweird.com

Ingredients for a Great School Visit

I had another I.N.K. post just about finished when Kelly Milner Halls' plea for school librarians and a package pushed me in another direction.

The mailer came from Carol Sweny, the Henniker Community School librarian, in Henniker, NH, where I had recently talked to kids, K-8.  The disc of photos recording my two days there included all the ingredients of a great school visit and reminded me how often a school librarian is at its core.

In the school visit's section of my web site, I have a version of what most authors say on theirs: I find that when kids are prepared for a school visit, they get more out of it. So I ask that students have access to some of my books beforehand, and read (or are read) at least one of them.  I also have downloadable pictures of me and book covers to make a poster for your hallway.  These efforts alone will invoke kids’ interest and enthusiasm, making the visit more memorable for them.

Remember you can click on all these pictures to make them larger.

This statement isn't an ego thing or a plea to buy more of my books beforehand.  When kids know I'm coming, when they have read or heard some of my books, they are psyched to see me.  They have had time to think and wonder about things, they listen more attentively, they ask more questions.  They get more out of the experience.  It's not that I can't grab an uniformed class or auditorium's attention; I can.  But time after time, I notice that prepared kids have a better experience. 

Like Kelly, I know that classroom teachers and principals are overloaded.  Some may not even know an author is coming in time to prepare.  Besides they are trying to get through their curriculum and whatever enrichments they have planned, let alone teaching to whatever state test is coming up next. PTO parents work hard to raise money for author visits, but their role doesn't usually extend to the classroom or library.  The school librarian is the perfect person to rally the troops: to prepare the kids in library class, to suggest and facilitate related classroom exercises, to organize book order forms, to generate excitement.

The Henniker has one author come each year, and Carol Sweny makes the most of it. I'm not suggesting that every school or school librarian wants or needs to put in the time and effort she did.  Perhaps showing how she rallied her school, however, will remind people how important it is to have school librarians and how much their efforts, with school visits and everything else, help kids learn and grow.

Here is part of the flyer Carol made to pass around to the teachers.

As you saw, grades K through 4 saw a presentation based on my book On This Spot, which takes New York City back in time to when it was home to forests, glaciers, dinosaurs, towering mountains, even a tropical sea.  This presentation included, among other things, kids taking many different objects and sorting themselves into a timeline.

Carol asked the teachers to have their classes use timelines to supplement normal learning.  They did so in different and wonderful ways. The school's corridors were festooned with examples of this interesting way to think about time and history.

The kindergarteners made timelines of their days.

 

 

 

First graders created a timeline that would record a whole year of learning month by month.

The 2nd graders made illustrated lifelines.

Third graders did their lifelines too.

 

Here's a new way for a 4th grade class to think about the making of the Statue of Library.

 

The 5th grade concentrated on learning new computer skills while doing their personal timelines.

The 6th grades' timeline of our presidents was perfectly timed since my visit occurred shortly after the election in November.

The 7th graders learned research and computer skills creating a timeline of Henniker's history that took up an entire hallway.

 

The 8th grade's timeline cascading down the stairway brought their study of the Harlem Renaissance to life.

As Kelly so wisely said, school librarians (any librarians) are teachers. They build relationships, spark imagination.  We should fight for them.

I would fight for Carol Sweny.  Besides a great school visit, she gave me a moment of feeling like a rock star.  Check out what greeted me when I pulled into the school parking lot.

Why Weird?

When I do school visits – and I do a lot of them – I tell the kids I get paid for being weird.  At first, they’re eager to agree.  After all, I’m a plump old lady – an intrusive stranger and core reason they’re not at music or P.E.  They don’t know who I am, and they don’t care until I give them a reason.  So I set out to do just that. 

Scattered pictures appear behind me on the projector screen – dinosaur skin, raptor claws, a dolphin with albinism, mummified kids, African wild dogs, a junk yard tiger cage, the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, the list goes on and on.  As the pictures click by, I reveal more than the subjects of my books.  I reveal myself – who I am and why I love doing what I do -- how they could do the same.

In no time, they have come to believe my original premise – that I AM weird.  But the shift has begun.  They either swoop in to tell me I’m not weird, I’m just cool.  Or they rush to confess that they are delightfully weird too.  The sting of the word has vanished.  Wonder is unleashed. 

That and only that might be explanation enough for why I fly my weird flag with such glee.  But that’s only the frosting on the cake.  

I was a reluctant reader as a kid.  I was a good reader, but I didn’t care about books.  I wanted to be outside catching snakes and lizards.  I wanted to be as far from sitting still as the universe would allow.  And even when I did go to the library, Clifford and Dr. Seuss were my only allies.  Beyond the Golden Book of Reptiles and Amphibians, I could not find a nonfiction book that was perfect just for me. 

I write weird for the outsider I used to be.  Tapping into that distant memory paves my way to reaching other kids who feel the same way NOW.

“I have to tell you something!”

William didn’t go to lunch the day I visited his school last spring.  He buzzed like a hover craft in the library instead.

“What do you want to tell me, William?”  I responded.  “I’m all ears.”

“It’s hard to believe,” he inched closer, “but I think it’s true.  I think you may love the gathering facts as much as I do.” 

 

“How much do you love it?”  I asked.  And he knew I didn’t ask the question to be kind. 

“So much,” he said, “that my friends don’t really like me.”

“Or they don’t understand you,” I said. 

“Perhaps.  Perhaps.  But you,” he insisted, “you really do understand.”

“I do indeed, William.”  I responded.  “I do indeed.” 

I admit to being weird – at school visits, through the topics I tackle because I love weird details.  But I love being weird because it helps give so many quirky kids a place to call home – a place between the pages of my books. 

I accepted, long ago, that I would never see my books showered with accolades, even if I research and write them with the same dogged factual determination I recognize in the books by my peers.  But I wouldn’t trade my body of work for any certificate or medal.  My awards are called William or Leo or Cassy.   My affirmations are delivered in the faces of the kids that cling to my books, and I couldn’t love anything more.

Picture a Maine boy eight years old.  It’s -9 degrees outside, but he’s wearing camo print cargo shorts and a Mario Brothers t-shirt.  He’s in line to touch a pair of Bigfoot track casts – the two I held up in front of his class only minutes before.  As he stands, he is also twirling.  His voice is perky and high. 

As he nears the target of his interest, the spinning becomes more focused -- one spin, one touch, another spin, another touch.   With each move, with each touch, he trumpets a single word.

“Best.”  Twirl. 

“Day.  Twirl.

“Ever.  Twirl. 

Goal!  Off he runs, to destinations I can only imagine. 

 

I am as happy as he is.  We are, both of us, truly happy.  It doesn't get better than that.

And so it continues -- my quest for the weirdly wonderful.  How could it not?  My tribe is oddly waiting.   : ) 

--- Kelly Milner Halls

http://www.wondersofweird.com