We want to take a minute to post about the Class of 2k7. If it weren't for them we certainly wouldn't be here, doing this insane thing as a group. It was their crazy idea that got this ball rolling.
Thanks guys!
We'll never know how much the "class" concept helped, but it's astounding what these authors accomplished last year. We should only be so lucky...
Sara Zarr was nominated for a National Book Award!
AND
Melissa Marr hit the NYTimes list!
And that's just a few!
But that brings us to the point of today's post... which is that some of the members of the Class of 2k7 might not be books you've heard about.
One thing we want to mention, going into 2k8, is that we're aware that we won't all debut on the NYTimes list. And of course we realize that all 28 of us also can't be nominated for the Newbery or the National Book Award.
This makes things tricky, because of course we'd all love to "win" and we all admire and respect each other, and feel that we all deserve to "win".
And it can be hard when someone shoots into the stratosphere, because success begets success. So if Class member X gets a Printz nod, they'll be much more likely to get MORE attention, and MORE awards. Leaving those of us with "quieter" books to pat each other on the back, and dream of the kids out there who love our poor awardless books.
With that in mind, we're all going to do our best to support each other. But as a few of our books take off (and we hope they will) we're going to do everything we can to share the glory around a little. To remember that although we might not all be famous, we're all authors, and classmates... and by the end of the year we really hope to be friends.
We thought it might be of interest to readers of this blog to imagine this odd aspect of the Class of 2k8. That by definition, some of us will sell more books, get better reviews. And so that means that, by definition, some of us will get less.
And now... today... before that happens, we want to say this out loud...
THESE BOOKS ARE ALL GREAT! Whether they make the front page or not...
12 comments:
Well said. Writing a book is NOT a
popularity contest. Writing a book
is about saying something that the author feels needs to be said. And this class of 2k8 is like a loudspeaker system to make our words noticed.
Congrats to 2k7 - I hope to read all your books - even the quiet ones.-gabe
Yeah, 2k7! Thanks for blazing the trail, and kudos on ALL your successes.
-kristin tubb
And the truth is, a lot of their books have only been out for a couple of months or so. Just babies! So here's to the continuing successes of 2k7.
Jenny
I completely agree with Jenny!
And the more PR any of you all get, the better for everyone in the group. :)
Fabulous post. We all want to do well, and I pray we all do, but there will be books that gain more attention than others and I think we have to understand that going in. And also, so many of the class of 2k7 authors have gotten subsequent book contracts and that is heartening... while I would like to have a debut book that goes straight to the top, I am really after a career as a young adult author.
Teri
That was a wonderful post, Laurel.
The neat thing is that since last April when Jody and I put the call out for members of the class, I've seen us go from strangers tiptoeing politely around each other to friends. For me, that's been the best part--having 27 friends to go through this crazy debut year with.
There's something very, very special about belonging to this group of dynamic, creative, thoughtful women writers. I'm so glad to be here.
Congratulations 2k8 on the beginning of what will be an exciting year, and to 2k7 for modeling the best of what bonding together can do...Hoping these "classes" will set a pattern and tone that will continue for many years.
-Carol
Love this post. What truly inspires me about this group is the diversity of books. Whether you're in the mood for a fun, contemporary tale, an angst-ridden story, a fantasy, a thrill ride or a glimpse into the past, we all have something different to offer. That said, not every novel is going to attract award-winning attention, but that doesn't make it any less of a great read. Some of my favorite books are obscure. Entertainment is subjective, and I love that every book in 2k8 fills a unique niche. Cheers to 2k8ers and a great year ahead!
The Class of 2K7 was such a brilliant idea! It's so cool to see their successes of all kinds, and to wonder what's going to happen to all of our 2K8 books. It's going to be a wild ride!
Excellent post, Laurel. I look forward to sharing in everyone's successes big and small.
Class of 2k8,
Congratulations on your upcoming books. Here's to a wonderful year for all of you!
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