The pitch to sell your book

During the School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) Summit at Abbotsleigh last month, one speaker, Kate Temple (author), outlined obstacles she felt were preventing modern classics from being created.

One of the points raised was that publishers have overwhelmed booksellers with titles they should sell. For example, Kate mentioned that Gleebooks (Glebe) receives visits from 14 sales representatives per month, pitching up to 100 children's books per publisher. 

In this instance, if each of the 14 agents pitches 100 children's books, that would be around 1,400 books per month, or up to 16,800 per year.

Amazing figure?

I can understand how the booksellers feel, because how is one able to fit so many new titles in and amongst the shelves of their store, and amongst existing titles, particularly if floorspace is small or if they want to focus on specialising in the sale of specific books, as a number do, especially independent book stores.

But at the same time, it reminds us that there are, in fact, more people than we think who are actually pursuing writing, whether it may be creative or sharing their knowledge of a topic that is very dear to them. It is a positive for society, and we are in fact richer for it

Consider how many are rejected when they submit a book manuscript, just to be considered for publication. 

Sadly, though, the competition it creates means that few will "make it", particularly given limited shelf space. It's the same with any cultural pursuit, whether it is in music or art. 

Some might say that the push to publish many different titles and to increase turnover in what is stocked is a barrier to books published today becoming classics.

I'll let time be the judge of whether a book is a classic. Did anyone foresee that Harry Potter would become what it is now, a classic, thirty years ago? Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was rejected by 12 publishers and initially had a print run of 500 in 1997. At the time, its publisher, Bloomsbury, was an unknown publisher. It has since sold 600 million copies, and Bloomsbury is a well-known publisher with Harry Potter as its flagship product

I was in Year 8 in 1999, and I first heard of Harry Potter in an English Lesson with my teacher, Mrs Morrissey, who mentioned she had read it and encouraged those in my class to read it. I don't remember any active advertising of it. By 1999, three books in the seven-book series had been published. 

It gained momentum from there, with the first major coverage in the press as I recall for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000. It spawned films, merchandising and even its own series of Lego sets.

The market may be overloaded with books, but there will be ones that stand out and will be passed down to future generations. I come from the generation that grew up with Harry Potter, and I do recommend the books to my Gen Z students. 

And how old was I when I read Harry Potter? 33 . I am not a fan of fantasy books or a fan of magic, but the reality of my work sometimes forces me to leave my reading comfort zone because I do need to be able to recommend books to my students.  I was motivated by the continued appeal, as I saw kids continue to read the series decades later, and by my mid-thirties, I had come to appreciate how significant it had become to my generation growing up, but the writing itself and being able to read a masterpiece. 

Hobbiton, New Zealand

Here is something different, yet it's educational, whether you are young or old.

During the school holidays, I had the opportunity to visit Hobbiton in New Zealand's Waikato region which acted as a film set for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as based on the novels by J. R. R. Tolkien. Below are some of the many photos I took during a two-hour guided tour.

If you wish to find out more about the tours, click here. If staying in Auckland, it's just a two-hour journey or around ninety minutes if staying in Rotorua.

Even if you haven't read the book and/or seen the films, you will enjoy it. I actually did feel that I was in Middle-earth itself. 

As part of the tour, you get to explore an actual Hobbit House. I think regular humans would find it quite cozy to live in it.

Back at school, it was interesting even amongst the bookworms that lurk in the library that they had no idea that one could tour the Hobbiton set itself not to mention itse existence. The challenge is, how do tempt them to make a visit if they visit New Zealand. 

Reading on Public Transport & Resisting Technology - Jacqueline Maley says "yes"

Source: Maley, J. 2025. "Here's a novel idea: Break the grip of the algorithm and read a book". The Sun Herald, May 4: 24. 

Jacqueline Maley wrote in The Sun Herald on Sunday about her observations of commuters engrossed in activity on smartphones. I look back at my school days. People had mobile phones, but they were primarily used for making phone calls, and they were not commonly used on trains.

Some would read a newspaper or a book, or otherwise simply look out the window.

Maley made an interesting point that book sales have declined post-pandemic, while book costs have risen. Although not mentioned, it is likely that some schools have had their book budgets reduced due to either reduced school funding or changes in broader school priorities.

She is right about one element of smartphones: We don't engage with the content as deeply as if we were, say, reading a book. Algorithms often dictate what we read in a digital world, whereas with printed books, we can engage more deeply but also show more curiosity. 

Digital technology can also stifle creative thought, whereas a printed book can stimulate that, as well as writing and reflection. Reading and writing can also take us to unexpected places. 

What does it mean for me? What does it mean for Teacher Librarians?

We can do something to encourage reading in the commute to school, but also shift students away from devices, even for a short period of time each day. The solutions are simple, and you may already be applying them in some form.

To begin with, consider the students who travel a long distance to school. My school does have a large number of students who reside out of the area (Inner West, Hills Shire and Sydney CBD). I have worked in schools where students were travelling much further, which I have seen and still see for myself as I commute on either the T4 (particularly), T9, or Sydney Metro lines. Encourage them to make use of the time to read. Emphasise the benefits, e.g. can calm and relax a person. It can slow a brain down, and I see this for myself and others; it calms one down. It amazes me in my School READ sessions how the noisiest and "loudest" students can be easily calmed by reading.

Quick reads, e.g. graphic novels and verse novels, should be encouraged. They could even be used as a "hook" to encourage students to read longer-form books.

If you have a wide reading program. Well done. That encourages one to read for a longer period of time, while also providing opportunities to be introduced to texts that they may not be familiar with.

Does this mean that she would be discouraging eBooks? Not at all, but it allows us to be more wise with our use of screens. For some, there are benefits, e.g. audiobooks or being able to read a book in a larger font. 

In the library, encourage books using the motto "Reading is Power" to resist algorithms. Books let you decide what you think while algorithms decide what you see. Book Reviews by students should be encouraged, whether they are posted on the shelves, through the library catalogue or a mixture of both. 

Engaging Reluctant Readers - SLANSW Webinar (February 2025)

The School Library Associaton of NSW (SLANSW), commenced its monthly webinar series this week. The theme was Practical ways to engage reluctant readers and featured contributions from Allison Tait (Author), Jade Arnold (NSW Premier’s Program Officer – Reading and Spelling) & Amanda Craig (Teacher Librarian - Telarah Public School)

I attended because I facilitate a READ group at school for students in Years' 10-12 that struggle to actively participate in the daily 20 minute session, where all students engage a time of silent reading, and wanted to be informed of some strategies applied to by others to encourage reluctant readers to add to my "tool kit".

I know two other READ groups that provide additional support to students in my school, and I should invite those groups to borrow during READ time. I have a small group already, and with my session in the library, I can open up the space to invite groups to borrow during that time and provide the opportunities that my group has access to, such as the lounges and beanbags to encourage them to relax. This would support the suggestion to make all students in a class borrow a book, unless there is a book of their own that interests them.

Reading goals are essential as well to encourage reluctant readers. I applied this strategy with general class groups e.g Litgym at MLC School (2014), but should use this to both groups as well. It has worked for me with regular groups and I cannot see why it would fail with both groups.

Book labels also arose, and I didn't realise the impact they could have on reluctant readers, given that genre labels can guide students in selecting related texts or reading particular stories that interest them. I have been involved in the setup at my school. While it has consumed time and resources, it is a good investment, even if it's not a financial one because my goal is to have students borrowing and reading books that interest them. If students borrow and read more, I will be happy, and feedback from the wider student body will be favourable to date. 

What is historical fiction?

This week, I am trying to figure out what is meant by historical fiction because it seems like there is no clear definition.

I tend to keep a simple definition of historical fiction which would refer to a fictional novel based on or set around historical events or a historical setting. It would have to be based on research relating to the event or period by the author and try to represent the accuracy of events or society of focus in the story.

But how recently should a historical fiction novel be set? Should it be as recent as a decade ago, twenty-five years ago or even earlier than that?

I'll confess that I will tend to go as recently as a decade ago because a novel such as 47 degrees by Justin D'Ath is based around a historical event - The Black Saturday fires of 2009. It was fifteen years ago.

Some say it is too recent but as a teacher librarian who can teach history, it is a significant event in Australian history. It is one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit our nation with 173 people killed.  People will be aware of what happened on that day well into the future.

However, there are some novels where the story occurs in a specific historical setting but the plot may focus on another genre such as fantasy or romance without in-depth study. It needs to be asked as to whether or not they are historical fiction.

What is meant by Wide Reading?

"You need to broaden your wide reading."

Two months ago, a colleague at school made this remark to me. I was asked if I had read certain novels. I had not heard about many of them. However, some were classic novels that I may look at reading in the future and was "instructed" to re-read certain titles because of student interest or because of their place in the curriculum.

To me "wide reading" has been about spending a period of time e.g. thirty minutes or one hour reading, focusing on literature of interest but also challenging myself to read a variety of literature.

On a typical day, I will spend on average between one hour and one and a half hours a day reading books. I also read the newspaper for about an hour a day on top of my book reading. 

My reading preferences are geared towards non-fiction, since I enjoy reading about the world that we live in and boosting my general knowledge including:

• Geopolitics (It has helped me understand some of the challenges facing the world right now e.g. Ukraine and China)
• History
• Poiltics
• Economics
• Business
• Social Trends/Current Affairs
• Biographies 

When I choose to read fiction I prefer:

• Young Adult Literature (helps me with book recommendations)
• Storylines reflecting issues facing society (including diversity)
• Science Fiction 
• Historical Fiction
• "Political Fiction" - Storylines focusing on politics

At times I have challenged myself to read items that may come from other genres such as Fantasy or Classics to help me recommend suitable literature to read to my students.

I feel thats wide enough for my reading

But some definitions of  "wide reading" focus on reading a wide range of literature relating to a specific topic e.g. Australian History or genre and being able to understand and comprehend its content. Did my colleague see it this way? 

What does "wide reading" mean to you?

Representation Matters: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion - SLANSW Summit

The School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) held the first of its biannual summits for 2022 which was provided online on Saturday.

The focus was on embracing diversity and inclusion and attending on Saturday was a must given that in a secondary setting, students are indicating a preference for literature that reflects the world around them.

Two items stood out on Saturday

Firstly, I enjoyed listing to keynote speaker - Will Kostakis (Author), who provided a wonderful overview of his writing career, and the challenges that he has faced in writing literature as his novels such as The First Third and Sidekicks have been inspired by his experience growing up as gay. He had been told that he had to "de gay" the storyline for The First Third. I have read both of those titles and are very well written.

Secondly, Pooja Mathur (Teacher Librarian, The Kings School & ) presented a workshop that helped us to identify suitable literature that can be representative of all students within your school including authors. In our resource acquistion, we had to consider the impact the story may have on the reader and if it improves our understanding of an issue. Also how can we classify it. "Relationships" was recommended. Promotion of literature that is from the "Relationships" genre is straightforward and can be easily applied in my practice.

One matter raised during the day was the amount of censorship or concerns that have been raised about books and how they may "misrepresent" certain groups or issues in society.  Even great and bestseller books have been listed as doing so, even though the intention is to provide an insight into their world but also help society understand their needs and issues in a positive way. I would not be surprised if these concerns are being raised more by the "politically correct" or "woke" groups in our society in terms of outing the faults in books, and not realising the debate and discussion and positive change that has stemmed from the publication of the book.

I am currently a Metropolitan Representative on the School Library Association of NSW Management Committee.

The Alice Miranda Project

Author Jacqueline Harvey is behind the Alice-Miranda series. I recently heard of her interactive reading project while completing an Apple iPad course that was being facilitated by Catholic Learning Online. 

Click here to access the website.

Harvey created a learning journal that is based on her book Alice-Miranda in the Outback and was used as an example of digital storytelling. While the novel is a printed book, the activities set around the novel are digital in nature.

To maximise the learning experience, the learning journal can be completed on an iPad using Pages software. However pdf worksheets can be printed off if iPads are not available. 

I have looked at the activities, and I think you could incorporate the activities featured in the novel to any novel that is being studied in class.

Even though I may be secondary trained, there is great scope to embed this at secondary level and make the study of a novel more engaging for students. 

10 Must Reads - Posters

Last Term, while relieving for two teacher libarians at a Sutherland Shire High school (they share one full time position and took separate periods of leave ), I decided to create posters to promote literatuer featured in the different genres that comprise of the fiction collection, excluding the general fiction collection.

Normally, I would have created a "Recommended Reads" brochure to promote literature but decided to attempt a visual approach through the posters and identify ten items that would be suitable and enjoyable for the students. If there the item was part of a series, I would promote the first book and then list the series underneath to open up further reading options, should the student enjoy reading the first book.

Click here to access the Google Drive folder.  

The library assistant did a great job in creating a book display to promote the items featured. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney, remote learning, but also the conclusion of my work at the school, I cannot provide any feedback on the success of it, but it is a step forward.

Literature Circles

I have been a opportunity to fill for a Teacher Librarian for the next few weeks. One initative that their school has been doing with a very small group of selected students in Years' 8 and 10 is to engage in a fortnightly literature circle. 

I met two groups this week and was encouraged by their participation. The Year 10 group focused this week on the concept of the literature circle, its conventions and the roles that each member will have as they commence reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I am looking forward to what they have to say in less than two weeks time. I will be reading alongside them as well which is my main reading challenge for the next fortnight.

The Year 8 group were one session ahead and for a first session, did well. Generally they were fufilling their roles well. There are areas to work on, but this will be developed over time. They definately had read the part of the book that they were required to read. Even though I have not read the book, I was listening and was interested in the discussion and was able to even pose questions to the group, because I was keen to engage with them and find out more about the book.

Literature Circles have a core benefit in encouraging critical thinking about a text that a person has read and scaffolds guide discussion, which should eventually become free flowing. The requirement to think critically also fuels their comprehension skills as the reader/s have to explore their text in greater detail. 

Reading and Wellbeing

Last week, I attended Reading for Wellbeing presented by Judith Wellman as part of the School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) conference - Reach out through Reading.

It was a highly informative presentation and gained some new insights that I didn't expect to know.

One point that was emphasised is that we should get to know Student Welfare officers and school counsellors who can guide Teacher Librarians to identify issues that may be need to be focused on.

Doom and gloom seems to be state of the world at the moment, but literature can help us address them through reading stories that are motivating and inspiring.

The COVID19 outbreak is one such example. Should we be looking at stories that focus on overcoming health challenges in our lives.

Climate Change is another example. Cli-fi can be used to address this.

At the end of the day, literature relating to our wellbeing can help us build resilence in times of need but also help one another combat the day to day challenges that may confront us.

Reading and Wellbeing - The Pretest

The School Library Association of NSW is hosting the first of its two biannual conferences at the State Library of NSW this week.

I have decided to attend a workshop that will focus on reading and wellbeing.

I have challenged myself to undertake a pretest where I will brainstorm what I think about reading and wellbeing.

Next week, I will look back and reflect on what I wrote.

Reading and wellbeing...

• Calms one down when they are anxious and down.
• Stimulates the brain.
• Great recreational activity.
• Motivates people
• Allows one to play with their imagination.
• Settles a class down, especially at the start of the period.
• Can improve concentration in classroom settings and in general.
• Relaxes people (even sends them to sleep)
• Empowers other people

Apollo 11 Display & Newspaper front pages

Normally, I don't mention about displays but decided to try something a little different with a display.

Recently, the world marked fifty years since the Apollo 11 lunar mission which saw man set foot on the moon for the first time.

Given that the event is about space travel and space, my library assistant and I managed to find some books while I took advantage of my library of scanned newspaper articles (associated with my ongoing work at Fab Sydney Flashbacks) to create a daily news stand featuring newspaper front pages from each day of the lunar mission. They encompass daily newspapers here in Sydney.

Below are some photos of the display as taken on a "point and shoot" camera.

I also made some booklets featuring the front pages that are on display. You may want to do one for your city or town.

Autographed Books

This week, something a little different but I was lucky to land some autographed editions of some best sellers during my recent trip to New York.

The autographed copies were at the Barnes & Noble Store in Fifth Avenue (Corner of 46th Street).

Below is one by David Limbaugh, author of  Jesus is Risen.

This one was of Hank Green, author of the recently released teen novel - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.

This was a rare opportunity to secure autographed copies of books by big name authors. Barnes & Noble do sell autographed editions through their online store, but given I have concerns over their shipping, chances are they will be damaged by the time they reach Australia.

The 2019 NSW PRC - Not too early to start!!!

The official period for the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge commences in early march, but students are not often aware that any book that they start reading on September 1 of the previous year can count.

I have seen the look on students faces when they hear this. Reading 20 books in six months can be daunting, especially when mixed in with the other committments that go in the life of a school student. Being asked to read one book per week can be a little difficult

This year the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge concluded on August 31, giving students one year to meet the challenge of reading 20 books if they were in Year's 7-9 which I will focus on given my secondary training.

But how can we help them to get there?

Averaging it out, students would need to read at least one book every two and half weeks. If the reading was done in school time, a book per fortnight.

I would begin any promotion for the PRC in 2019 now. Encourage your students to keep reading. 

Keeping a record of books read from now until March is going to be a tough challenge. 

In some schools, students are required to keep a reading log as part of their wide reading program. While there is a template provided by the organisers of the PRC, you may wish to create your own. 

For verification, students should provide a one paragraph review listing:

• What the book was about
• Who should the book be recommended to.

Even have the review published on the library catalogue. Softlink Oliver enables this function.

Sorting fiction items by genre

Schools have been embracing genrefication of the fiction collections. In my practice, I can see the benefits.

• Allows students to locate fiction items more easily.
• Students can locate items by personal interests and identify related texts.
• As a Teacher Librarian, I can easily located related texts on the shelves without having to refer to the catalogue. 
• Can be modelled on the genres already in use by the library. 
• Case studies show more engagement with genrefication e.g. more borrowing.
• Can stimulate ideas for new displays that revolve around genres. 

However, there are disadvantages

• May require more shelving.
• May not accommodate books that are tied to more than one genre. The question that has be asked as to which genre should the item be placed in.
• Time consuming - especially if genre labels have not been placed on books. This can restrict access to resources for students.
• Identifying which genres should be allocated shelving and what types of literature would be listed under them.

Never be limited by what genres may be listed in cataloguing systems or the labels that be provided by suppliers such as RAECO. If you feel the need to have a "Quick Reads" genre, which is one idea I would like to try, do it if you believe that it would support reading programs. My idea of the "Quick Reads" genre stems from the need to accommodate weak or reluctant readers who may be challenged by longer or more challenging literature.

Sydney Writers Festival @ Cabramatta Library- October 19 2017

Yours truly with Jessica Townsend, Author of the recently released book - Nevermoor.

Fairfield City Council recently hosted a Sydney Writers Festival workshop for students attending schools within the Fairfield City Council Local Government Area.

I took a group of sixteen students from Mary Mackillop Catholic College, Wakeley to attend the sessions. Those attending were given some excellent writing tips from the following authors:

• J. C. Burke - What to consider when writing a short story e.g. Ensuring that you know your (main) character
• Marlee Jane Ward - To write, you need to constantly develop your writing skills.
• Evelyn Scott (Poet) - Poetry is feeling, not telling. Poetry must be able to evoke emotion.  

Jessica Townsend went on a different tangent focusing on she was motivated into writing and was a keen writer from a very young age. Like the other writers, it takes time to reach your ultimate goal. For the girls, this was their big highlight of the day

Her recently released book Nevermoor has already been signed up for a film adapation by 20th Century Fox, and is being released in 28 countries.  She is an author to watch. I am in the process of reading Nevermoor and hopefully will update you soon on what I think.    

Book sizes - Does big mean good?

Charles Wooley wrote an article for The Australian yesterday and has posed the question of whether or not books are being made big for marketing's sake?

He cites Mawson by Peter Fitzsimons and mentions that we don't get to read about his adventures to Antarctica until we are halfway through.

But hold on a moment? As a history trained teacher, doesn't one needs to understand the background of a person before we understand why they chose a particular path in life or made a decision/s that shaped a person into who they are?

In any story in order to understand it, we need to know one's background in life.

The size of a book should not determine whether its a good read or not. It is what is written and how it is written that determines its success.

Some of our biggest selling books are in fact books with long plots or explore an issue in depth. There are readers who will love the fine details of a character or person or of an event or topic. It is merely one's choice.

Strapped for time, there will always be shorter books or abridged versions. Some want to get the point read quickly.

It does amaze me how some smaller and shorter books retail for high prices. That question needs to be raised? No guarantee that it will be a quality read either.

Should writers show restraint? No. Let them write and let them focus on making what is written great.

As for people struggling to get to the end? I always would encourage a person to read a long book if they feel that they have the time and energy to complete it. I also believe that reading levels are important too. Weaker readers don't benefit from a long book. It's nice to set a challenge for one to read challenging texts, but they need to be realistic.

If a person cannot get there, take it steps. Aim for a book of 300 pages, then 350, then 400 pages.

Engaging reluctant readers

The Centre for Professional Learning (NSW Teachers Federation) has published a short feature with ideas on how to engage reluctant readers in the classroom. This is handy for upper primary and junior secondary years.

In one sentence, it encourages teachers to let students take ownership of reading and writing.

Dymocks Top 101 list for 2015

Dymocks have now released their top 101 list for 2015. For the full list click here.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak has topped the list again after 15 000 votes were cast by Dymocks readers to determine the best 101 books of all time.

The top ten has been dominated by books that have been adapted to films. Only one book in that top ten is yet to be a film.

Also I have a link to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald today relating to the list.