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What Jane has been up to
Highlights of 2004
Dec. 8, 2004
High School Book
It’s IN! We tied up the last few loose ends and sent the manuscript in to our editor, Elisabeth, today. I think we are both looking forward to a break from working on this thing which for me, like any book I’ve ever done, had completely taken over my life.
My desk is a fright. I’ve got receipts from two months’ worth of trips piled up to sort out and contracts for upcoming engagements waiting for me. I’ve still got half my holiday cards waiting to be sent. (It’s official—I’m really not sending cards after this year!) And I’ve got one more run of programs next week to prepare for. In other words, life as usual.
Once again, check my progress page for how things are going with the book. I’ll keep that up to date as things progress and will be back here to share other news as it unfolds in my life!
Nov. 21, 2004
High School Book
We’re just about ready to turn in the finished manuscript to the publishers. I met with them in Florida last week and saw the first catalogue that includes this title—very exciting. We are definitely on our way, and this project seems to have a lot of support from not only editorial, but sales and marketing as well.
We know of one or two more stories that may be coming in this week, and if something incredible comes in after we’ve submitted, our editor is open to “finding a place for it.” I think Eric and I both feel quite satisfied with what we’ve gotten, especially in the last few weeks, and are no longer seeking stories. (I’ve pulled the request for more stories off my home page. I am instead adding a link for pre-ordering a copy of this book.)
We’re doing a final run-through in the next week or so and have decided to turn the manuscript in on Dec. 6. Although we are essentially done now, this will give us a little more time for some of the permissions to come in, and to pull material for which permissions are not available or anticipated.
By the way, as we gear up to take our first pre-orders for this book, I realized that there may well be people who pay for their copies eight or nine months before the book actually becomes available. We need a place for people to check, if they are so moved, on how this book is doing and where we are in the process. So I’ve moved my last blog entry to this page and will continue to update with reports on what’s happening, not just in editorial, but in sales, marketing, media and promotion. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, I put up a product page for this book in our bookstore. Check it out!
Geek Cruise
What do computer Geeks do on their vacation? Here I am with my friend and roomie, Laura Gutman, at an Internet cafe on Tortola with about 80 other MacMania Geek Cruise companions.
It was fantastic! This was my third Geek Cruise and as was the case with the other two, I walked away with a better understanding of software I use (and plan to use) and a number of ideas for things I’d like to do in the coming months. (When we’re not in port doing excursions or relaxing, we have a number of interesting, relevant classes and related classes and activities presented by knowledgeable, talented instructors, Laura, above, among them.) I have a great deal of affection for many of the people in this community and have always been blown away by the knowledge, generosity of spirit and helpfulness I see and experience on these trips.
I’m putting together a couple of slide shows if anyone wants to see what this week was like (I’ve got Geeks Galore, plus a number of shots of our excursions in Nassau, St. Martin, Tortola and Half-Moon Cay). You can click on the words “slide show” to view the slides.
I’m still not quite back yet: I am still on eastern time, miss everyone and keep having dreams about being on a ship. I’m really looking forward to the next cruise—in June, out of Copenhagen!!
Happy Holidays
’Tis the season, once more. I’m always grateful to make it to the end of another year, though this year my schedule is actually just beginning and it’s hard to anticipate not being home for more than a week or two at a time for the next nine or ten months!
I plan on sending my usual 200+ holiday cards and have realized that this is probably the last year I will do so. Considering the number of years in which I actually made my own cards, back in the days when I actually had time for stuff like stamping, silk screening and paper casting (!), this is a really hard call.
But the truth is, for the last couple of years, I’ve been dragging boxes (and stamps and labels and pens and stickers...) on the road with me and mailing my cards from hotels across the country, and frankly, although I love the connection that sending these cards afford me, this starts feeling like WORK, and really isn’t the way I want to stay in touch with the people in my life.
I hope to be able to express my love and best wishes throughout the year, if not in person, then through phone or email contact, and perhaps will convey my holiday wishes somewhere on this site. In the meantime, let me take this moment to wish any visitor to this page a magical holiday season with happiness, health, prosperity and the fulfillment of all your dreams in the coming year.
Sanity on the Horizon
OK, it’s not gonna be for another year, but I’ve done something I’ve never had the courage to do before: I have cut back on my speaking engagements and have unofficially blocked out two months (mid-November 2005 through mid-January 2006) during which I plan to not do any work-related travel or presentations. I suppose actually putting this intention up on this site makes it a little more official.
I imagine that I’ll end up working on my site, maybe writing or getting back into my studio and getting my hands back into some crafts again. What the hell—I may even end up changing my mind about sending holiday cards next year. But I definitely need to be home a lot more than I’ve been—and will be in the coming year.
I love the work I do and I’d like to keep it that way. I get way too close the insidious edges of severe burnout being gone so much, and I have noticed that I need a little more time to recharge between trips than I’ve allowed myself. I need to know this break is coming.
I’ve also reduced, if only slightly, the number of stay-overs and social visits when I’m on the road and have gotten a little more protective of the energy I need to do the work I do. I want to see you. Really. Come visit me when I’m home.
Nov. 2, 2004
High School Book
Just talked to Eric last night and we decided that we were going to wait to see if anything else came in but that our days of actively pursuing stories were pretty much winding down. Don’t you know that within 15 minutes, I got a call from a 17-year-old in Arkansas wanting to tell me his story. (It’s very sweet.) Another showed up in my email inbox this morning.
So we’re leaving the door open until around Thanksgiving, when we’ll be finalizing the manuscript and sending it off to the publisher.
Oct. 23, 2004
High School Book
As we come up on our deadline, we’ve put out a kind of “last call” for submissions. We are actually in pretty good shape right now and if we had to go to press with what we had, I think both Eric and I could happily live with what we have. In the past few weeks, we’ve gotten in a bunch of incredible material from a number of people around the country and have promises for even more. So if you, your students or your kids have something to share, now is a dandy time to get it to us. We could use a few more drawings, comics and poems. Just keep it real.
After going out to New York to spend an intense weekend working with Eric on the manuscript, we have once again revised our Table of Contents, collapsing six of our chapters into three and dividing one other to address two different topics. It makes for a much better flow and a much tighter product. (When either of us step back to look at what we’ve got, it’s hard to not be pretty impressed, if I do say so myself!)
We also spent quite a bit of time writing (chapter intros, activities, tips, things like that) which, to this point, we haven’t needed to do quite as much. I’m delighted with the process and the product—it’s not always easy to write with another person, and I feel blessed that Eric and I have managed to really synch well on this part of the project.
I’ve done a few phone interviews and have gotten back most of the permission forms from individual contributors. At the moment, I’m concentrating on getting clearance from publishers to use material we’ve quoted from their resources—not my favorite part of the process, but an important piece that needs to be done before we can go to press.
There have been a few minor revisions on the cover, primary of which involved replacing the title font with something that looks more like spray paint. Click here to see the latest version.
Big Plans: New Web Site for New Book
We’ve been talking about it and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna happen: A dedicated Web site for High School’s Not Forever. A very basic design and architecture is beginning to take shape and obviously I’m not gonna have time to get this project underway until the final manuscript is submitted to the publisher (which, incidentally, is planned for around Thanksgiving).
What we’d like is a place for kids to write in, and a space to include any stories or other material we receive after our deadline, any feedback we get to the book once it comes out, specific links for teens (those included in the book and any we find afterwards), additional tips and ideas, and resources for material that we are including in the book, like “Crisis Cards” or our “Angel Certificates” and “Service Certificates,” which we hope to have redesigned for this market.
Closeout Books Going Even Faster!
I continue to take my little coupons to sell our few remaining Closeout Books. I have a feeling that I will be returning any remaining books to the publishers, probably around the first of the year. (I’ve been saying this for a while, so it may actually be closer to the end of the school year until I get around to it.) If you want to see what’s left, go to our Bookstore and scroll down to the Closeout section.
Sept. 16, 2004
High School Book
More progress... We are still wrestling with the tone and expression in this book. It’s becoming clearer that in order to create a product that will work as effectively as we hope in reaching—and helping—teens, honoring their voices and the range of their experiences is very likely to make some adults a bit uncomfortable. We understand this. It’s been an issue for us all along, perhaps moreso for me, as I’m so much in contact with this adult world, which is so much a part of these kids’ lives.
I can promise that a tremendous amount of thought, agonizing at times, has gone into the selection of the material we’re submitting. Every sentence, every submission, every fact we uncovered has been evaluated and re-evaluated in terms of one primary filter: Is this something that will help a high school kid who picks up this book? Period.
If it sounded preachy, or like it would be more interesting to a parent or teacher, out it went.
The scope of the book has been evolving to reflect the range of experiences kids have shared with us. And we’ve encountered more than a few hints that there will be adults who may be uncomfortable with this range of experiences, or the way these experiences have been related. Despite the overwhelming support we’ve received from the majority of people of all ages, we also recognize that there are people out there who would much prefer a sanitized or more two-dimensional expression of a teen’s world.
Which, I suppose, is one of the main reasons I wanted to do this book in the first place. We have had a number of kids write in about the lack of congruence between the way high school and the teen years have been pitched to them by well-meaning adults and the way these kids are actually experiencing them. (No, these are not the best times of your life, not for most people. Not by a long shot.)
If anyone reading this would like to take a peek at the manuscript (or if you have kids or students who might be interested in giving us some feedback on what we have so far), please contact me and I’ll give you a link to a PDF version of our work in progress.
We will ultimately need to field test this material with kids so if you have a few who might be interested let us know!
New Book: What We Still Need
We have an almost overwhelming number of short quotes and are now looking for stories, longer and “meatier” submissions from kids (and high school “survivors”), particularly around some of the more weighty issues many teens encounter.
We are inviting contributors to share anything that tells what high school is or was like for them OR to tell us about a specific incident or event they experienced in high school.
We are also looking for kids with specific experiences to fill in some of the “gaps” in our content. Click to see topics we’re still looking for. (Note: Link disabled, 11/29/04.)
In addition to recruiting reviewers and more writers, I am still going after permissions—from contributors and from the publishers of the books we have quoted, which is almost a full-time job in itself!
Rx: Handwriting Update
Yes, it’s done. The back-orders have shipped and the new version of Rx: Handwriting is indeed available now!
The Schedule
Yeah, it’s a little nuts. I don’t think I’ll be home for more than 4 or 5 days at a stretch between the beginning of October (when I go off to Newburgh, NY to work with Eric again) and the week before Christmas. It’s not much better after the new year starts either! Yikes!
Do note that there have been some changes to a couple of dates, notably the engagements in Encinitas and San Juan Capistrano. For details of these or any other job, check my calendar or click on the map for your area.
Shadow’s own Web Page
Long overdue, our dog, Shadow finally has his own web page! Back in December, I assembled a memorial page for Chelsea and have been wanting to create a page to celebrate Shadow, the other half of what was an amazing pair of pets. He has been the best companion for me, walking with me up in the foothills or around the neighborhood every day, just keeping me company on the deck or in the office as I’ve worked on the book. There is nothing like the friendship and companionship of a good dog, and there are few I’ve met who have as big a heart as this one.
Taking Care of Myself
OK, this has never been my strong suit but I’ve actually scheduled some sanity breaks recently—a day at the fair yesterday, a massage next week, lunch or dinner with friends in between.
And of course, I do have a week at sea in November for the MacMania Geek Cruise. (And we just booked our travel for the Baltic Blast cruise out of Copenhagen this coming June.)
I actually got my hands back into some beads again—a part of my life I’ve sorely neglected since I started working on this book. (And no, I still haven’t put my studio pages up on this site. Maybe next summer.)
Not hardly in balance (it’s 6:15 and I’ve been up for at least 2 hours now, which is pretty typical of what my sleep schedule has been like all summer) but making time for a few breaks. And, for now, going back to sleep...
August 8, 2004
New Book
An amazing week! Co-author Eric Katz flew out to Albuquerque where we spent 7 very intense days working on the new book, High School’s Not Forever. We revised the contents (you can now see our chapter titles and table of contents online, as well as the cover!) and also went through nearly 500 pages of stories, quotes, facts, tips and lots of other stuff, sorting, editing and, in many cases, scrapping, to finally find a “voice” that worked for us. (After years of writing on issues for adults, this process has required a significant shift on my end—and much learning along the way! Yay!)
We’re now in the process of reorganizing the material we decided to keep, while soliciting more stories from kids. We’ve also ditched the 150-question surveys as many of the responses ended up being a little too superficial and rhetorical. We need more solid stuff about specific issues.
If you know any overstressed, overextended kids, students who have experienced bullying or violence, gay or lesbian kids or recent graduates, dropouts or kids who have had a hard time making the system work for them, or anyone you think might have a good story, please encourage them to contact us or simply simply let us know and we’ll follow up.
Rx: Handwriting Update
I should know better. I’ve been revising an old standby, Rx: Handwriting, a manual I developed when I first started working with first year intern teachers, based on an individualized, prescriptive program I used when I was in the classroom. I have a number of VERY PATIENT people waiting for their orders to be filled, some for an embarrassingly long time.
So here’s the scoop: Now that Eric and I have wrapped up this stage of our work on the book (EVERYTHING in my life was on hold that week), I actually am in a space where I can turn my attentions to the rest of my life.
I’m leaving town again tomorrow for my first-ever job in Arkansas (this leaves only Utah and Idaho, folks) and promise to make it my #1 priority when I get back. The graphics, which were the real holdup (cleaning up the scans from not-so-great originals) are done and I’ve gone through the manuscript for the book and cleaned up the text.
This week will be devoted to entering the changes in text, adding an order form and list of books and resources (and reference to this Web site—something I never would have dreamed of when I was creating the first version of this book in 1980!) and coming up with a new version of the cover.
Closeout Books Going Fast!
We continue to sell out of our Closeout Books. Go to the bottom of the Bookstore Directory or click on your area of interest (early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school, administrators, counselors, parents or general topics) for more information.
After once having had a catalouge with over 350 titles, it’s VERY strange to go into the warehouse and see only about two dozen titles left, and this number seems to shrink each time I go out on the road! It’s kind of sad to say goodbye to these old friends. Distributing books for other publishers was a good thing for us to have done when we started this business. Nonetheless, focusing on my products has been a good decision, and a very good move for us.
If there’s anything you need, now might be a good time to get a great deal. Be aware, for several of the titles, we only have one copy left. If there’s something specific you’re looking for, if we have sold out, we will refer you to the publisher.
New Jobs and Travel
For a while, it looked like I was going to have a whole lot of time off this Sept. and Oct. And being on a deadline, as I am, with a schedule that barely lets me come up for air between this Halloween and some time next July, that was kind of a good thing. I have some exciting opportunities to work with some old friends in some new places, and to do some work with parents as well, however, and there was no way I was going to pass those up! Check my calendar to see where I’ll be or click on the map to see when I’ll be in your area.
Incidentally, the Geek Cruises are coming up. I also finally figured out how to get my Photo Gallery to load faster. I have a ton of other photos I would eventually like to add, but in the meantime, let me know what you think.
Onward, upward, outward...
OK, so that ought to catch us up for now. I’ve got to get back to cleaning up the Book Surveys on this site. (Fewer questions, more stories!) Oh yeah, and I still need to pack... Later! [Link deleted.]
June 20, 2004
New Book
Eric Katz and I have been researching and interviewing and collecting all sorts of information for our new book, High School’s Not Forever. This week, we got to see a preliminary cover for this book. (Click here for a sneak peek!) While we’re still in the early stages of researching and interviewing, this is always a special event in the process, and one that renewed my motivation when I was starting to bog down in the reading and research. Very exciting.
We still need input—interviews, stories, facts, observations, tips—anything that will help our readers. If you’d like to help, or know a young person who might want to contribute to this project, click here for a bunch of survey options, or call me at 1-800-688-1960. [Link deleted after book published.]
More Links
As we’ve been researching this book, we’ve been collecting a ton of resources—Web sites, organizations, books and other information related to issues we deal with in the book. Before I add them to this site, I would like to have some annotation, phone numbers and a few details. We have some, but the list is not complete, nor are the listings congruent. As we fill in bits of information, I will be adding the links to the site.
One thing I have added, and I’m glad I did this before I got too far, is an index of all the people, sites and resources I’m listing on the links pages. This way, if someone is looking for something specific, the links should be cross-referenced and much easier to find. Look for this page to grow, too!
Photo Gallery
I finally set up a photo gallery on my .mac site. I’ve been wanting to get some of my photos up on this site and have actually begun putting some of those pages together. In the meantime, if you’d like to see some neat shots from my 2002 trip to Finland, Estonia and Russia (St. Petersburg), they are posted on these pages, click on the places you’d like to go. (There are links to photos of the Peterhof summer castle and the Hermitage on those pages.)
A big part of my motivation for posting these photos is because I just found out that MacMania (Geek Cruises) is arranging another Geek Cruise in June of 2005, leaving out of Copenhagen and visiting each of these ports! The web site is up, with an exciting description of this “Baltic Blast,” and you can see a map of the ports we’ll be visiting by clicking here.
So come on, all you educators and Mac freaks and people who are just looking for a terrific opportunity to combine a great learning experience with a Baltic cruise! I’ve been on two MacMania cruises and am looking forward to MacMania III this coming November!!
Wish List
I just read an article about adding search capabilities to my site using a Google search engine. I need a little time to digest the information and “play” but definitely hope to have this up soon.
I also have a bunch of new products in the wings, things I just can’t get to now but will as soon as I can (probably once the manuscript for the book is finished, later this year). My main priority is an updated and revised edition of the Rx: Handwriting book. It’s almost completely laid out but still needs a cover and some internal “tweaking.” Stay tuned.
Other “Highlights” pages: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. For an index to all blogs, photos, and other personal information, click here.
Jane’s current Blog.
About Jane home page (bio, intro, other professional information).
My Calendar
Click here (or on the image to the left) to see my schedule. Click here for a map with links to dates that I will be in your area.
