Give That Elevator Speech!

“What book are you reading?”

What do you do when holding your latest copy of your book and you are asked the above? You give your elevator speech. You tell that person the most important things about your book, as fast as you can, before the elevator stops at the interested person’s floor.

You must speak quickly and carefully, explaining the value and benefit of your book to readers. You need to give them a reason to care, and to share your special qualifications for writing it.

What might I say about Waiting to See the Principal and Other Poems?

“Waiting to See the Principal and Other Poems is a book with almost 60 poems and sketches about home, school, parents, siblings, sports, pets, and wild things. The poems make kids want to chant the lines that are repeated, and to laugh out loud. Teachers and parents love the book because it encourages the joy of poetry and the creative process. It also makes a great gift of kids and teachers. I was a teacher for thirty-three years, and I know kids love funny poetry.”

Okay, now the elevator doors can open.

Of course, the elevator speech can be given anywhere when you’re pressed for time.

Good luck!

Jacquie McTaggart: Dynamic Speaker, Writer, Teacher, and Friend

Jacquie is all of the above and more! In my book of “Best People” she is simply a wonderful lady. She could also be called a “humorist” which she labeled me when awarding her gold star of the month at…

http://consideratio.powweb.com/mctaggart/goldstar.html

Yes, she has a tremendous sense of humor, and she is a gifted writer and speaker. I will let her tell you why this former First Grade Teacher of forty-one years spends so much time speaking and writing. What follows is a partial list of the places and states that she visits to speak, copied from her website:

Jacquie's Itinerary

I'm often asked why I spend so much time speaking and writing, and my answer is always the same. I want to make a difference. And besides that, I love what I do. I get to meet new people (some in person and some online), see new places, taste new foods, and learn new things. And that, my friends, is what I believe retirement should be — making a difference and doing what you enjoy. I plan to ride this merry-go-round for a few more years, and perhaps one day I'll look out in the audience and see you. I hope so.

Following is a partial list of my scheduled speaking appearances. If you live near one of these locations and would like more information, just hit the Contact link and tell me how I can help. And if you attend one of these functions, please seek me out and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you face-to-face.

• Fennimore, Wisconsin: CESA #3 - EDUConference 2010. "The Write Way." 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.; July 28-29, 2010.
• Peosta, Iowa: Seton Catholic School Staff Development. Will meet in Shannon Hall, located in the basement of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church; 10 a.m. - 12 noon on August 16, 2010.
• Rapid City, South Dakota: Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center. International Reading Association state conference. October 14-16, 2010.
• Hershey, Pennsylvania: Hershey Conference Center. KSRA conference. October 24-27, 2010.
• Oelwein, Iowa: Public Library. Northeast Iowa Reading Council. "The Write Way." November 10, 2010. 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
• Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Reading Association State Conference. Little Rock Convention Center and Peabody Hotel. November 18-19, 2010.
• Springfield, Illinois: International Reading Association conference. March 17-19, 2011.
• Saskatoon, Canada: Saskatoon Reading Conference 2011. "Building Bridges Through Literacy" at Saskatoon Travelodge Hotel. April 7-8, 2011.
• Sugar Grove, Illinois: NIU Summer Literary Conference. June 21, 2011.

As for being a writer and person, this is copied from her website which is at http://consideratio.powweb.com/mctaggart/...

My name is Jacquie McTaggart. I have one husband, two sons, six grandkids, and 1500 former students. I'd love to brag about the whole tribe and tell you how great each of them are, but you might find that a tad boring. So...I'll simply say they are the best and let it go at that.

I live with my husband, Carroll, in Independence, Iowa. He is retired; I am not. Well, not in the truest sense of the word. I did accept an early-retirement package from the Independence School District in 2001 — following a 42-year teaching career. I did not, however, forsake my quest to help kids become the best that they can be. Fortunately, my husband supports my passion, and teachers throughout the country help me implement it.

My first book, From the Teacher's Desk, was released in December 2003. In April 2004 I was a featured speaker at North Dakota's International Reading Association state conference, and in April 2009 I returned to ND for my 50th IRA speaking assignment. And I pick up new ideas at every conference. Teachers are always willing to share, and I'm always eager to listen. It's a win-win combination.

My most recent book, If They Don't Learn the Way You Teach, Teach the Way They Learn, was released in August 2009. The book includes all of the materials, lists, methods, and practices that I talk about in the eight different presentations I give at IRA conferences, reading/writing workshops, library conferences, and teacher in-service training. You can see chapter reviews by clicking on the books at this site's homepage. Hint: From the Teacher's Desk is a treasure trove for parents, whereas If They Don't Learn the Way You Teach, Teach the Way They Learn is primarily for teachers.

I update the material at the Teacher's Desk on the first day of every month. Teachers throughout the country tell me what is working for them and what is not, and I have the honor of passing it on to you. I invite you to join our "For the Love of Kids" family. Sign up for the free newsletter, and if at any time you have a question or suggestion, just use the Contact link and shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

As for being my friend, I am thankful that Jacquie and I can share laughs and inspiration online, since she lives in Iowa, and I live in New York. She is my BIF, Best Internet Friend, and an inspiration to many.

Check out her entire website at http://consideratio.powweb.com/mctaggart/goldstar.html.

You won’t be disappointed with her website or her books.

Optimizing Your Blog (Points 3-5)

In Jeff Bullas’ essay “50 Ways To Optimize Your Blog” here are points 3 to 5:   

3. Customers Pain Points – Write posts that provide solutions for your customers problems

4. Customers successes – Write up a case study about a client’s successful project.

5. What not to do – highlighting where something hasn’t worked (the names shall remain anonymous of course).

Point 3…I don’t write solutions to poetry problems on my blog. Sounds like a good idea, eh? If you want to sell something, you are supposed to tell how the product will really help the buyer. So that it certainly worth thing about.

On the other hand, my website, www. joe-sottile.com, features a monthly poetry contest for kids. I encourage kids to send me samples of their best poetry. They might be the lucky winner. You never know. And in the “recipe” area I offer suggestions on how to write poetry. Some young poets might for that helpful.

Point 4…I haven’t invited other poets to be on my blog and have their say. That’s a good idea too.

Point 5…Highlighting something that doesn’t work? That hasn’t worked for me. LOL.

Okay, more points soon. Please tune in again for the next...  

To Blog Or Not To Blog

If your blog isn’t increasing much in readership and traffic, then to blog or not to blog on becomes a nagging question. In other words, is it really worth the time and energy to do so? Certainly authors want to create an expanding audience for their blogs and books. But how does one do that?

The early advice I read on this topic was, “Just write what you want to write on a regular basis, and your audience with grow.” And that’s exactly what I have been doing, but I don’t think that I have been very effective.

So, I read “50 Ways To Optimize Your Blog” by Jeff Bullas. Among other things, he says “Blogging is a journey and as technology develops there will be more ways to optimize your blog. You will also find other keys to keep the blog pumping and energized as you mix with other bloggers both online and offline and hear their stories and hints.”

And he offers 50 suggestions to increase your blog readership and traffic. We’ll take this Optimization Journey in baby steps. Here are the first twi things that a blogger might consider sharing or doing:

1. Industry News – what’s happening this week, this month?

2. Industry Trends – where is the industry going, what are the emerging hot segments?

I have created two specific Googles that help me track down news. One searches for “Children’s Poetry Contests” and the other “Children’s New Poetry Publishers.” Both of them help to keep me informed on those two important topics. You may consider making your own search that fits your writing needs.

I always look forward to my monthly installment of Children’s Book Insider. It’s very informative—a must-read for all children writers.

I am a member of JacketFlap profiles more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. It’s a great way to network.

I am a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is for novices, authors and illustrators interested in writing and illustrating books for children. It’s an international organization hosting important conferences and publications. At another time I will write about the local Rochester organization, RACWI.

All of the above help to inform me about what’s going on in children’s poetry, including industry trends. So, I am doing some things right!

Of course, I can always do more research, and blog more.

What do you do to keep informed about the wonderful world of writing?  

Confession Is Good For The Soul or Blog

Confession is good for the soul, and good for the blog—perhaps! I have nothing to confess personally about J.D. Salinger. I know he’s not doing a lot of writing right now, but I have been waiting for some new stories by him—stories that he agreed could be published after his death.  I wish the lawyers involved would get their acts together. I am looking forward to those stories. 

But I do want to take some time here to applaud Salinger for what he did for me when I was 16-years-old. It changed my life. 

I confess that I wasn’t always a book lover. The book that changed my life was Catcher in the Rye. I couldn’t believe how authentic J. D. Salinger was as a writer. And I read Catcher at the perfect age, the same age as Holden. I wanted to be like Salinger as a writer, and never be a phony. He really turned me on to reading and writing. 

Now that I enjoyed literature I also wanted to teach. I did happily teach for thirty-three years. And, now and then, I actually dream at night about finding my class and teaching again. Then I wake up sad in the morning with no class and no official teaching responsibilities. 

Nevertheless, I try to get into classes and do poetry performances as much as I can. But it’s challenging to work around the I-got-to-teach-for-the-test teachers. They need to realize that teaching about “Egypt” isn’t as important as making poetry connections and establishing rapport with kids that are hungry for words that shed life on their own existence on Planet Earth.  

At the end of my “Tribute” section on my Web site, I have a poem written by a former student, Jay Perrin, that is priceless. What a superb gift from a student on the last day of school! You will find the poem by following this site… 

http://www.consideration.org/sottile/for-teachers/tribute.html

Great Truths Along the Road of Life from the Internet

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
 2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
 3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
 4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
 5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..
 6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..
 7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
 8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
 9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
 10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.

 

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
 

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
 2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
 3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts
 4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground...
 5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
 6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy..

 GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

 1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional...
 2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
 3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
 4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
 5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions...
 6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician
 7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

 THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

 1) You believe in Santa Claus.
 2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
 3) You are Santa Claus..
 4) You look like Santa Claus.

Success

 At age 4 success is . . . . Not piddling in your pants.
 At age 12 success is . . . Having friends.
 At age 17 success is . . .Having a driver's license.
 At age 35 success is . . . having money.

 At age 38 success is . . . No seat belt violations.
 At age 50 success is . . . Having money..
 At age 70 success is . .. . Having a drivers license.
 At age 75 success is . ... . Having friends.
 At age 80 success is . . .. Not piddling in your pants.

 Pass this on to someone who could use a laugh.

  

  

Beating the Odds

Don't we all like to beat the odds like winning the lottery, even if it's only a few bucks on a scratch off lottery ticket? The following poem is about beating the odds on an more important matter. It was written by a high school student several months back, and it became the Monthly Poetry Winner. I am very fortunate that I do get some wonderful poems written by kids of all ages sent to me each month for my contest. Enjoy the poem...

Beating the Odds

By Anayia Grant

Beautiful bird flying down
a waterfall
Sees his prey on
a rock.
The prey spots him and tries
to run.
But the bird is faster,
he swoops in,
catches prey.
          
            Prey
                Is
                  Gone...

Like my ambitions.
Lost
like my dreams.
Faded
like the preys scent...

Yet the prey fights,
fights for his life.
Wiggles and wiggles until he
escapes.
While he descends to the bushes
the bird tries to
catch him.
The prey is not
having it.
He fights and wins.

                  

                  Prey
                       Is
                         Alive...

Like my heart.
Believing I can still be something.
Knowing that i am something,
doing everything i can

So I can beat the odds.

Survive through the negative.
Prosper through the positive.
Be all I can be.