That Glass of Water -- Lookin' Good

I was reading the December 2012 issue of Quill & Quire and saw a quote by Howard White that resonated with me. In responding to a question about the future of Canadian publishing, he says, "...we need to keep the faith." Then he raises the glass of water analogy: "I think one of the most damaging things that's happening to publishing right now -- and to writing -- is that people are looking at the empty half of the glass." I'm going to keep this analogy in mind over the next while and consciously try to talk more positively about the book biz. Why not?! A prolific children's writer recently stressed the importance of celebrating the good things: a new book contract, a cheque from Access Copyright (yay! Just got this!), a royalty cheque that is bigger than expected, a request to speak at a writers' festival, a glowing comment from a reader, a booking at a local school for a book talk. These are not events that happen every day, or even every month -- but when they do happen, take note, smell those roses and take the time to do something special to celebrate the success.

I'd like to raise my half-FULL glass of water to all the Canadian publishers, editors, authors, designers, publicists, and marketing staff who create the beautiful landscape that is Canadian literature. Thank you for all the hard work you do to give readers so many rich experiences with painstakingly crafted content. And for the rest of you, my advice of the day is: hug your children, read books, and buy some made-in-Canada books for the fast-approaching holiday season.

Psst! My personal celebration this week is that I've completed drafts for four out of ten profiles for my upcoming Women's Hall of Fame book. It will be the last book in this important series. The release day is early fall 2013. Hurray!!!!!!

Other news is that the National Reading Campaign has some great Twitter-based contests for kids and adults. Check it out. And, in case you're wondering, I'm not on Twitter. I don't know if I should add the word "yet" to that sentence.

Until next time...