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If Catherine Ryan Hyde wasn’t “pathologically stubborn,” she doubts that she’d have succeeded as a writer.“I doubt I would have made it,” Hyde admits. “I couldn’t get an agent for several years. They just weren’t interested. So I wrote short stories and marketed them myself. I got 122 rejections before I placed one. I eventually placed over 50. And racked up over 1,500 rejections.”Now the

by Melinda Palacio

Best-selling author, Catherine Ryan Hyde has come a long way since she wrote her first novel on her IBM Selectric typewriter. Today, she composes directly onto her computer, builds her own website, and is sidestepping traditional publishing by incorporating Indie presses along with traditional publishing models. This month marks the e-release of Second Hand Heart and soon to follow is the print on demand (POD) paperback. Second Hand Heart is the story of 19-year-old Vida who accepts a donor heart in the nick of time and the strong emotions presented by the transplant. It’s no wonder this book is already climbing the e-sales at Amazon. The price of $2.99 with free delivery and the e-format, where the author maintains control and publishing rights means a win-win for the reader and author.

Catherin Ryan Hyde, through the Andrea Brown Literacy Agency, is publishing books in e-format that weren’t picked up through traditional presses. If the traditional route of signing with a publisher and making the best possible deal doesn’t work for CRH, she has the opportunity to produce the book independently, something which more and more authors are starting to do. CRH has the advantage of being a well-known author whose books have been made into film, Pay It Forward, for example. CRH also has a large following in the UK, thanks to the Richard and Judy television program, a cultural phenomenon similar to Oprah. The Richard and Judy program chose Love in the Present Tense for its Book Club and TransWorld UK, a Random House company, followed through with the promotion to build a UK readership. Random House owns the UK rights to Second Hand Heart, but CRH owns the US rights. With the Kindle publication of Second Hand Heart, the book will now be available for both US and UK downloads.

Given that she is a name brand author, CRH discusses with her agent the complicated questions of publishing her books independently. With promotion falling on the shoulders of the author and e-format technology, the idea of bypassing the publisher sounds appealing for an esta

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 25, 2010

Thanks to Lauren Donovan from Random House Kids, I have the following book list to pass on …

Join in GLSEN’s No Name-Calling Week (January 24-28, 2011) with titles from Random House Children’s Books:

CONFESSIONS OF A FORMER BULLY
By Trudy Ludwig; Illustrated by Beth Adams
(Tricycle Press / on sale August 24, 2010 / $18.99 / Ages 8-12)

Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a bully? Katie has been caught bullying a classmate and now she’s in big trouble: both her parents and the principal insist that she meet with the school counselor, Mrs. Petrowski, to get to the bottom of her behavior. Mrs. Petrowski encourages Katie to keep a diary where Katie can explore her reasons for bullying and the repercussions of what she’s done, not only for those around her, but for Katie herself. Over the course of writing her journal, Katie uncovers the various forms bullying can take, both emotional and physical. She discovers how her actions have isolated her from her peers and kept her from making real friendships. Ultimately, Katie comes to the conclusion that she needs to make right her wrong and learn how to become a better friend. Chock full of useful, real-life advice and information, Confessions of a Former Bully will help kids identify bullying right from the start and gives them a “toolbox” with everything they need to stop it in its tracks. The notebook format, including full-color cartoons and relevant facts and quotes, makes this highly accessible for upper elementary students. Trudy Ludwig is an award–winning author who specializes in writing children’s books that explore the colorful and sometimes confusing world of children’s social interactions. She has received rave reviews nationwide from educators, experts, organizations, and parents for her passion and compassion in addressing relational aggression—the use of relationships to manipulate and hurt others. Since her first book, My Secret Bully, she has become a sought–after speaker, presenting at schools and conferences around the country and educating students, parents, and teachers on the topic. She has been featured on television, radio and in print.

“Confessions of a Former Bully is unmatched in providing effective tools for girls and boys in EVERY social role, whether they are instigators, targets or bystanders. Rarely does a book speak so effectively to both kids and adults alike; certainly a must-read for all young children, as well as educators and counselors.”
–Melissa Norman, Founder & Executive Director, Girl CHARGE, Inc

Add this book to your collection: Confessions of a Former Bully

GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLS’ ROOM: A Blogtastic! Novel
By Rose Cooper
(Delacorte Press / on sale January 11, 2011 / $12.99 / Ages 10 & up)

In Rose Cooper’s debut novel, one sixth grader is all ears—and puts it all online, until she discovers a secret so juicy, it has the power t

What started as an intrepid idea from two bloggers has become an effective fundraiser generating new books for kids in need. First Book is pleased to announce that the “Leave A Mark” auctions featuring books “marked up” with notes from the author, have generated 369 new books for kids across the country!

This year’s auctions featured best-selling books by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Aprilynne Pike, Melissa Walker, Becca Fitzpatrick and Erica Perl. A huge thanks goes out to everyone who participated, from the featured authors and individual bidders to Lauren and Chelsea, the auction organizers.

Be on the lookout for the next round of charity auctions coming to the Leave A Mark site in Fall 2010!

Have you ever wished you could know what an author was thinking as they developed their characters, settings or plot twists? Thanks to Lauren and Chelsea, the Leave A Mark auction mavens, now you can! The Leave A Mark auctions are back this fall with more great books “marked up” by your favorite authors and are up for auction to generate new books for kids in need.

Leave a Mark is all about marked up books. That means you aren’t just bidding for a book you could buy in stores or a signed book you could get from a regular signing. These books have notes/behind-the-scenes looks into their story written by the author in the margins or on post-it notes, etc. It’s up to them to decide how they “mark it up.” Even better, 100% of funds from the auctions will benefit First Book, with every $2 donation providing one new book for a child in need.

The first book up for auction is Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Bids will be accepted now through Sunday, October 25th at 11:59 P.M. EST.

Be sure to check Leave a Mark blog frequently to see what other great books are being offered in this year’s auction. More details on how the auctions work after the jump.

More details on how the auctions work:

* The Leave A Mark auctions runs now through December 2009. Books will be posted every week or two at the Leave A Mark blog.

* To bid, simply leave a comment on the auction post with your bid amount. Bids start at $10 and must go up in $1 dollar increments.

* The winners of the auctions will donate directly to the Leave A Mark page on the First Book Web site and send an email confirming their donation to the auction hostesses before receiving their book.

* For more details, visit the Leave A Mark blog.

I am very pleased to introduce Catherine Ryan Hyde to our Buzz Girl Readers!

I first became acquainted with her through her book,
PAY IT FORWARD, which I read some years ago. If the title sounds familiar--and you’re not sure you've read the book--it’s maybe because you saw the movie version starring Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment.


In either case, the theme of the story is as unusual as it is inspiring. It’s about repaying good deeds forward--with the new good deeds delivered to new people. And ever since becoming acquainted with this concept, I can say that whenever I’ve been the recipient of a random act of kindness, I have paid it forward. This is one story that stuck with me.

So let's start there, talking about PAY IT FORWARD.

Tina: I read the idea for PAY IT FORWARD came from your own personal life. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Catherine: Well, this is not the answer you're expecting, but...no. Actually. I can't. You see, it was the constant retelling of that story that drove me to complete burnout. I no longer speak on behalf of the Pay It Forward concept because, after more than nine years of telling the same stories and answering the same questions, I just hit a wall. But I understand people's curiosity, and I know they still want to know (and, as many times as I've told the story, there are those who still haven't heard it). So here's what I did. I edited down a nice little 5- or 6-minute film of me telling the story. Anyone can view it on my website. Here is the link and there are a couple other Pay-It-Forward related videos out there that people might like.

Tina: You're right, I didn’t expect that answer, but I sure liked it! Now, did you have anything to do with the film, work on the screenplay, get to go to the set?

Catherine: I'm lucky they let me READ the screenplay. I actually got a copy direct from the screenwriter, Leslie Dixon. Because she took a liking to me for some crazy reason. Nowhere in the contract does it say I even get to read it.

I did get to go to the set one day. A bit late in the filming, when it was clear that I was one of those authors who "gets it." You know. That I knew I wasn't coming to the set as a consultant or anything. But one of the producers asked me if I wanted to visit for a day and meet Kevin Spacey. Uh. (Duh.) Yeah.

Tina: Okay, now at the risk of sounding like a total rock-and-roll fangirl, Jon Bon Jovi was in the movie, too. Did you get to meet him?

Catherine: I did meet him. He was wearing a tooled leather belt with the name Ricky (his character) carved into it. It was one of those weird moments when the story I'd created seemed to have come to life in a way I could barely comprehend. Years later, I think about 2006, I got an email from my Doubleday publisher, and she said Jon Bon Jovi had been in her office (I think she was going to publish his autobiography at that time) and that my name had come up. I guess he'd said he admired my work. Of course, I was completely blown away. “Oh, yeah, Jon Bon Jovi and I were just talking about you the other day.” Sure, that's my life. Not.

Tina: Jumping ahead to your YA latest novel, THE DAY I KILLED JAMES. What we can expect from your characters?

Catherine: Theresa is an eighteen-year-old girl who blames herself for the suicide of a young man who loved her. She didn't hurt him with malice aforethought, but she did hurt him. On the same night he drove his motorcycle off a cliff. So you can expect her to wither under the burden of her own crushing guilt. And to run away from everything she thinks of as comprising herself. And to try never to let anybody close enough to get hurt again. But since she's one of my characters, you can expect her to climb her way out of that self-made prison (one of my characters in one of my unpublished novels once remarked that a prison is a prison regardless of its builder). She does this with the help of an 11-year-old girl who sticks to her like a piece of gum on the bottom of her shoe, but who ultimately helps her turn around them both around.

Tina: What's up next? Do you have another project in the works?

Catherine: I always have another project in the works. Except when I have two or three.

This summer Knopf will release my next YA book, Diary of a Witness. It's slightly different, in that it involves two teenage boy characters. Our protagonist, Ernie, (who is more than 100 pounds overweight) is an outcast, and so is his best (and only) friend Will. But Ernie has a mom who, though a bit hysterical, loves him. He also has his Uncle Max as a leveling figure. But Will's home life is falling apart and so is he, and he is about to take matters into his own hands regarding the popular jocks who torment them daily. And poor Ernie may be the only one who can prevent disaster.

I also have a new adult novel that is not yet under contract here in the US, but which is soon to be released by Transworld, my UK publisher (things are actually much better for my career over there). I hope that I will soon be able to say it has a US publisher as well.

And I'm very pleased to announce my newest forthcoming YA, Jumpstart the World, about a teenage girl who falls in love with her older next door neighbor before realizing he is transgender (female to male in transition). It's tentatively slated for Fall 2010 from Knopf.

I have another new YA on my editor's desk right now, waiting to be read. But it's too early to spill the beans about that.

Tina: Wonderful! Last up, I want to mention that one of our Buzz Girls, Marley Gibson, just took up scuba diving at the age of 42. I know you’re an avid kayaker. Is this something you’ve done most of your life or something you picked up as an adult?

Catherine: As a matter of fact, yes, I picked it up as an adult. I began kayaking in '04. And I began aggressive peak hiking in about '02. When I was young I pretty much failed gym. So you really can come from behind. It's never too late unless you decide it is and believe it.

Tina: I couldn’t agree more!

Thanks to the fascinating Catherine Ryan Hyde for visiting with us today, and I recommend all our readers check out her books! In fact, one lucky commenter will be randomly chosen to receive a signed first edition of PAY IT FORWARD, so leave a comment to be entered!

Tina

How to Hook a Hottie, 2009 Rita Finalist
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
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www.tinaferraro.com