A tree
grew in Brooklyn, and I wanted to save it –
Literally!
Ok, so you’re thinking… “How could a book save a tree?” Read on.
After a gazillion rejections then acceptance by a small publisher, I carefully considered if having my stories published digitally would ever appeal to children and their parents. As if the constant rejection wasn’t enough of a downer, in came the skeptics – the folks that really enjoy the feel of a book. They told me the idea of reading books on the computer would never take off. I heard them, but I didn’t listen. I went into contract with the publisher, devised a process for having each book illustrated, created my own website and went live.
It sure was quiet for a couple of years… then the world went Green.
My books were ready. The only question was how? I tapped into my first passion, my answer for everything: cooking, and became intent on doing what we Italian’s do - make a little something out of, well…nothing. I created a recipe of sorts, a plan that would entice educators and children everywhere. I queried principals and librarians, created e-mail lists, sent press releases to community newspapers and contacted local Assemblymen. I appeared on local cable channels on a children’s television show as well as a motivational talk show. I had my illustrator draw me into a cartoon, I put up a myspace page, updated my website, and let the world know that I, a Brooklyn-based Children’s Book Author, wanted to help save trees! I topped that off by creating a digital presentation, grabbed my laptop and took my show on the road.
I appeared at public and private schools in the NY Tri-State area and was welcomed with breakfasts, banners, teacher’s lounge luncheons, the press, applauds and praise. I read my stories to auditoriums filled with children in grades ranging from 1-5. I talked about going green and the future of books – I spoke of how one day, kids would no longer need to carry heavy backpacks. I told them how all their textbooks would eventually be replaced with a handheld device called a PDA. I encouraged them to be eco-friendly, and to write, I signed their CD-ROMs, and answered their questions. They were hooked. My recipe was a success! Reading digital books became hip.
The word got out. Other schools wanted in and wanted to be seen as edgy, environmentally conscious and technically savvy. They hailed me as a pioneer for digital books, invited me in for Earth Week to share my stories and inspire their children to imagine, read and write. Then something wonderful happened… their world became a little bit greener. Mission accomplished.
I’ve got a long way to go in my quest to change the literacy landscape. In 2007, the Brooklyn Book Festival rejected my books because they were in digital format. Apparently, they didn’t believe a book could save a tree and that it all started with an author who grew in Brooklyn…
Ok, so you’re thinking… “How could a book save a tree?” Read on.
After a gazillion rejections then acceptance by a small publisher, I carefully considered if having my stories published digitally would ever appeal to children and their parents. As if the constant rejection wasn’t enough of a downer, in came the skeptics – the folks that really enjoy the feel of a book. They told me the idea of reading books on the computer would never take off. I heard them, but I didn’t listen. I went into contract with the publisher, devised a process for having each book illustrated, created my own website and went live.
It sure was quiet for a couple of years… then the world went Green.
My books were ready. The only question was how? I tapped into my first passion, my answer for everything: cooking, and became intent on doing what we Italian’s do - make a little something out of, well…nothing. I created a recipe of sorts, a plan that would entice educators and children everywhere. I queried principals and librarians, created e-mail lists, sent press releases to community newspapers and contacted local Assemblymen. I appeared on local cable channels on a children’s television show as well as a motivational talk show. I had my illustrator draw me into a cartoon, I put up a myspace page, updated my website, and let the world know that I, a Brooklyn-based Children’s Book Author, wanted to help save trees! I topped that off by creating a digital presentation, grabbed my laptop and took my show on the road.
I appeared at public and private schools in the NY Tri-State area and was welcomed with breakfasts, banners, teacher’s lounge luncheons, the press, applauds and praise. I read my stories to auditoriums filled with children in grades ranging from 1-5. I talked about going green and the future of books – I spoke of how one day, kids would no longer need to carry heavy backpacks. I told them how all their textbooks would eventually be replaced with a handheld device called a PDA. I encouraged them to be eco-friendly, and to write, I signed their CD-ROMs, and answered their questions. They were hooked. My recipe was a success! Reading digital books became hip.
The word got out. Other schools wanted in and wanted to be seen as edgy, environmentally conscious and technically savvy. They hailed me as a pioneer for digital books, invited me in for Earth Week to share my stories and inspire their children to imagine, read and write. Then something wonderful happened… their world became a little bit greener. Mission accomplished.
I’ve got a long way to go in my quest to change the literacy landscape. In 2007, the Brooklyn Book Festival rejected my books because they were in digital format. Apparently, they didn’t believe a book could save a tree and that it all started with an author who grew in Brooklyn…