How Attending a Book Launch Can Help Young Writers
Recently we here at Wordplay Wisdom went to a book launch for David LaRochelle’s and Mike Wohnoutka’s fabulous new book See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See. The event, which was attended by a crowd of enthusiastic fans, was hosted by the incredible Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul, Minnesota. While attending book launches is a great way to celebrate reading, doing so can also help young writers learn more about the process of writing and publishing books.
If you have never attended a book launch before, below we discuss what they are and what happens at them. And if you have been to a book launch for your young reader but haven’t yet viewed them through the lens of assisting young writers, we also discuss how young writers can benefit from attending a book launch!
What is a Book Launch?
Young readers and writers who have never attended a book launch before may appreciate knowing what to expect—which we know because we both used to be young readers and writers who were anxious about going to new events! In short, a book launch is an event or series of events that promote a new book’s release and celebrate the work of the book’s creators.
What Happens at Book Launches?
Common elements of book launches are:
* a brief reading
* a presentation by the author(s) and illustrator(s) who created the book
* a question & answer session with the author(s) and illustrator(s) who created the book
* a book signing
This means book launches not only introduce people to a fabulous new book, often before it lands on the shelves of your local bookstores and libraries, but they also provide opportunities to learn more about the process that goes into creating stories and art!
Each book launch is unique so they may also include additional activities such as:
* related giveaways, such as bookmarks or coloring pages
* raffles, often for a copy of the book
* skits
* live performances, such as a puppet show or a scene enactment
At the book launch for See the Ghost, the crowd had the opportunity to see Mike Wohnoutka’s drawing skills in real time as he created an improvisatory illustration. He first drew Max, one of the main characters in See the Ghost, feeling fear with only a few bold and skillful strokes of his marker. As Mike drew, he explained his artistic process, even involving the group in modeling the emotion he was portraying.
David LaRochelle then asked the crowd for suggestions about what could be making Max feel afraid, and received a few fantastic ideas: a ghost, a bath, or a phoenix! Mike masterfully incorporated all three suggestions, drawing a phoenix squawking in a bubble bath complete with a ghost floating among the suds. It was fun and impressive to see Mike’s process and skill in real time!
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How Can Attending a Book Launch Help a Young Writer?
In addition to hearing authors read their books, book launches allow young writers to:
* Meet authors in real life, providing young writers with models
* Hear authors discuss the steps they took to create their stories, which allows young writers to understand not only about the work involved but also the obstacles that authors have overcome
* Ask authors questions, which allows young writers to learn from the experts
At this book launch, author David LaRochelle shared details about the writing of See the Ghost, from his search for an idea for this last book the award-winning See the Cat series to his drafting of potential stories for the book to his original ideas for the illustrations. David also discussed his life as an author, allowing those attending to learn about writing details such as the submission and publication processes. David and Mike also encouraged the young people attending to use their imaginations and to read widely, great lessons for any young writer.
Support your young writer by checking out your local bookstores and nearby libraries for information about upcoming book launches near you!
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My daughter and I created Wordplay Wisdom to address the issues each of us experienced during her years as a young writer and my years as a parent who was working to nurture and protect a young writer. We're here to help make this process easier for you!
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