I'm over at the Grog Blog today discussing Guided Reading Books. Hope to see you there! And I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend! 
"He has risen!" Matthew 28:6

Happy summer! Now that school's out, I'm FREE to write! Bring it on! 

Actually I'm wanting to do some work-for-hire like I used to do as well as work on my own manuscripts. So I prayed for work to come in. And it did! One client is a repeat client, Tuttle Singapore. But a new client, Oxford University Press, contacted me this week, wanting me to write for their educational books. She's based out of Hong Kong. I asked her how she found me. Her answer--my profile on the SCBWI website! She was/is looking for Asian writers for a specific cultural project. And then I thought--oh no, have I even updated my profile? What does it show? So this past week I updated that, plus my profile on Linked In which was long overdue. 

So the bottom line is--make sure all your profiles and web pages are updated because you never know how you'll land a writing contract! 

And if you happen to be a Malaysian freelance writer, she's looking for one. Let me know, and I can connect you! 

I'm so sorry I've ignored this blog for a month. Yikes! But as you know, I'm back to school in 1st grade. But I'm making up for it this month with 3 posts for the Grog blog, and I have something to post here later. Meanwhile, today I'm at the Grog discussing how to write a lesson plan for your book. Hope to join you there!

It's the first week of January, and you've probably already got a list of goals or things to do. As I promised, I'm going to do a series on making a product for Teachers Pay Teachers, or you could make it an educational product that fits one of your stories to put on your own web site. 

During Christmas break, I made one new product, which you see on the left, "Roll a Winter Animal Informational Text," and I'm also finished with another product which I'll probably upload tomorrow if all goes well. 

Here are some steps you can start with as you think about the type of educational product you'd like to create.

1. Go to the Teachers Pay Teachers web site and research just like you would a publisher. When I'm at a publisher's site, I look at the type of books they sell, new releases, what's popular, etc... You can do the same thing at TpT. First,along the left side menu of TpT, select the grade level you're interested in, and you can even select the subject matter. Then just peruse the products. You can tell which ones are "hot," or best sellers because they have a lot of downloads and reviews. (I just started my store, so my products are not "hot!") On the bottom of the TpT site, they also list the most popular selling products and highest-selling stores. Take a look at these. What are they doing that's so successful? Take notes. Make a list of popular topics and topics that you DON'T see.

2. Start brainstorming ideas for a product that you think teachers would love. Maybe it's a teacher's guide for your book, complete with ready-to-go printables (the fancy name for worksheets) or a nonfiction article with questions aligned with Common Core Standards, or a game that teaches a standard in one of the main subjects. Ask your child's teacher what seems to be needed! 

3. If you're gung-ho about opening an online store on TpT, by all means go ahead. They have a free membership for buyers and sellers. If you don't have a free buyers membership, you can sign up for one. That means if there's a product you want to buy or a free product you want to download, you're allowed. If you want to sign up as a free seller, you could do that right now. You don't have to set up your store right away. If you want to think about it, do so. If you're not an educator, you could always email TpT and explain your situation and see if they'd let you be a seller. My mentor did that; she's not a teacher, but her husband is. And they let her have a store. You can see Nancy I. Sander's store here.

Okay, I think that's enough for this first post. If you know of others who want to learn, please have them subscribe to the blog! See you next time for the next lesson *probably* on finding clip art for your product. (subject to change) If you have questions or comments, please leave them below!

Do you want to learn how to write a guided reading book like the one pictured? I'm a guest blogger at Nancy I. Sander's Blogzone. Come join me there if you'd like to learn about guided reading levels and the writer. Nancy has been teaching us how to submit to a specific educational publisher, Kaeden.

Sorry, I've been MIA, but a project is calling all my time. But I'm at the Grog blog today on how to get a reading level for your manuscript, specifically the Lexile. If you're interested, head on over and even bookmark it for the future. Thanks!

Enjoy your week! Happy Easter!

I'm debuting on the GROG BLOG today about How to Write for the Educational Market. If you have a chance, please stop by! Thanks for all your support! Have a happy writing day, plus it's the first day of spring here.