Sure kids can read, but will they "like" it?

Kids are becoming better readers, but most don't do it for fun.

“When children read well, they have a solid foundation for learning in every subject and they are able to open the door to possibilities and adventures that go far beyond their experiences.”

That’s the first paragraph in a literacy report compiled by the Ontario-based organization People For Education titled Reading for Joy and it’s a great summary of the importance of literacy. However, the rest of the report is bad news.

According to Reading for Joy, literacy scores among children Grades 3 to 6 are improving, but the numbers of those who "like to read" are significantly in decline. Grade 3 students who report they “like to read” has declined from 76% in 1998/99, to 50% in 2010/11. In Grade 6, the percentage of students who say they “like to read” has declined from 65% in 1998/99 to 50% in 2010/11.

International studies show that students with a positive attitude toward reading tend to:

• Be more successful in all subjects (including science and math) 
• Seek deeper knowledge and consequently develop deeper conceptual understandings of the subject matter 
• Be more likely to be socially and civically engaged 

This change in attitude may be the fault of educators and literacy activists.

According to the report, "It is possible that in our drive to improve the mechanical aspects of literacy, we have turned reading at home into an extension of school work. This is not necessarily the best way to increase student’s motivation to read."

The question remains, how do you lead a kid to a book (or magazine or website) and at the same time encourage them to independently "discover" the joy of reading?

Sudden Publishing, the self publishing solution company in Victoria, B.C. has the answer. Give kids books to read that are written about them. Contact us for more information on how you can create and give a wonderful gift to the children in your family.

To read the full report visit, http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/People-for-Education-report-on-students-reading-enjoyment-Reading-for-Joy.pdf.

Book reviewer gives advice to self-publishers

Publishing is a learning process. With every win
and loss you get better at playing the game.

There’s a lot of similar information available for writers researching their self-publishing options. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief and founder of the Midwest Review of Books, has compiled a list of what turns him off when he’s asked to review a self-published book.

• Sub-standard covers 
• Interior flaws (typos, grammatical errors and *gulp* ugly, hard-to-read fonts) 
• Content categories that are flooded in the marketplace 

To overcome these potential pitfalls, Jim says it’s important for self-published authors to appear and act as maturely and professionally in every aspect of contact with reviewers, booksellers and everyone else in the publishing industry they encounter, solicit or market to. And, he says, the book has to speak for itself. It has to be flawless inside and out to compete in the marketplace.

The best piece of advice Jim gives authors is, “Don’t expect to make a profit, or even recoup your initial investment.” Your book represents a foot in the publishing industry’s door. “Expect to learn new (and hone existing) publishing and book marketing tips, tricks and techniques,” and prepare for the long haul. Publishing is a learning process. With every win and loss you get better at playing the game.

For more information about the Midwest Review of Books, click here. For more information about how Sudden Publishing can help you get your book in print, contact us.

Writers! John Cleese says check your blind spot

John Cleese: the key to creativity is to avoid interruption.

Go to John Cleese’s IMDB page and be amazed by how prolific he is. From 1963 to 2009 he has 56 credits from Faulty Towers and Monty Python to the Canadian product Just for Laughs. [Did you know he wrote the story for the movie A Fish Called Wanda?] And, of course, there are his 115 credits as an actor and 42 credits as a producer. All these contributions prove Cleese is a creator and lucky for us there’s video of him talking about creativity.

Cleese says he first knew he was creative when he discovered he could take a piece of paper, write something on it and make people laugh.

He says the key to getting into a creative state is to avoid interruption. Trying to keep “all the balls in the air” is destructive to creativity. To combat this, create a space—an oasis where you can’t be bothered. And, give yourself time—a clear block where no one is allowed to bother you.

But even if you do find this space, Cleese says you might be wasting your time.

To know you are good at what you do requires the same skills required to be good at what you do. Translation: if you’re hopeless, you’ll never know it. This is what Cleese calls “the blindspot”.

How do you check your blindspot? Show your work to honest writers and listen to them.

Sudden Publishing helps writers, visit http://www.suddenpublishing.com/ for more information. Contact us for a consultation on your story.

How texting is fuelling illiteracy

Hey kids! I hope you like wearing hats!

Anyone who loves a good book and reads regularly may find the following statistic disturbing. According to the most recent U.S. survey by the National Endowment for the Arts, the proportion of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 who read a book not required at school or at work is now 50.7 percent, down from 59 percent 20 years ago.

And that trend isn’t likely to change. Why? Texting. That’s right. Today’s youth caught in a flurry of LOLs, TTYLs and OMGs aren’t expected to muster enough sit-and-stay to consume more than a tweet at a time and that’s leading to illiteracy.

In fact, according to an article in Newsweek last month written by Harvard Professor Niall Ferguson, Americans between the ages of 13 and 17 send and receive an average of 3,339 texts per month. Teenage girls send and receive more than 4,000.

What does it all mean? It means the U.S. (and Canada) is producing a generation of illiterates who won’t be able to compete against their global rivals. And that’s bad.

Read the full article here to learn more about how texting makes you stupid.