Guest Post: Jennifer Swanson

 

 We welcome Jen Swanson to our blog this month. What a thrill to have her on our page! A celebrated author, Jen has had multiple successes navigating through and contributing to the Kid lit world. Thanks for stopping by and sharing some words of wisdom with our readers, Jen. Continued success on your journey.

                                     BE BOLD!

                                   by Jennifer Swanson

      People often ask me for advice about how to manage their career. After over 15 years and 45 books in this industry, I smile. I’m not sure it’s possible to give anyone advice about how to navigate a career as an author. Everyone’s journey is different. You get out of it what you put into it (usually). But when pressed, I give them the two words that have guided me throughout mine: BE BOLD.

That sounds good, doesn’t it? What exactly does it mean?

 BEING BOLD is:

Taking advantage of opportunities offered to you.

Applying for opportunities you think you have no chance of getting.

Politely asking for something that might be out of your reach (assuming you are not doing anything on the list below)

BELIEVING in yourself, even when you find that difficult.

When is a good time to BE BOLD? 

 1. When you’re at a writer’s conference, during the mixer, consider going over and chatting with an agent or editor. DON’T pitch to them. Just talk to them about normal things. How’s the weather? Do you have a pet? Isn’t it a bit freezing in here? Those types of conversations will stick with the person much longer (and much more positively) than pitching.

Then, when you email them your submission (according to the rules), start out with, “It was so nice chatting with you a X. That way they might remember you.”  It works. I’ve done this. It is not a guarantee of a sale or anything, but if you make connections with agents and editors, in the long run, it helps you to feel more confident about yourself.

 

( I met these editors at conferences, most before I worked with them—note meeting an editor does NOT guarantee a sell.  I’ve met plenty of editors who haven’t bought any of my books… yet 😉)

 

2. When you really, really want to get a certain expert to help you or go to an amazing place to visit. Start out by asking. I mean, you never know. I really wanted to get a quote from Fabien Cousteau for my Astronaut-Aquanaut book. It just so happens that I met a university professor who is also an aquanaut who knew Fabien. I politely asked to be connected to Fabien. It took about six months for him to respond, but eventually I got my quote. And went on to work on a couple other things with him.

 

When I wanted to visit CERN on their Open Day, I dug until I found their PR department, and wrote them a letter. I told them who I was and why I wanted to come, took a deep breath and hit send! Three weeks later they responded with a private tour of the Alice detector. OMG! Was that amazing!

 

3. When you need a change in your career. Let’s face it, sometimes this writing gig gets us down. Even if you’re published multiple times, you can still experience imposter syndrome. Like many others, I was having a hard time getting work during the pandemic. So, I decided to… start a science podcast for kids! Who knew if it would lead anywhere, but I did know where to get guests. I contacted all of the experts I’d worked with on my books. Luckily, most of them said yes (even Fabien!). 

Today, my Solve It for Kids podcast is over 150 episodes and going strong.

                           

 Let me add a final caveat though, being bold does NOT mean:

·         That you don’t have to follow submission rules of agents and editors

·         That you can submit more than the allowed amount from a conference

·         That you should ask a fellow writer for their contacts (unless you’re really good friends)

 I added that second list above because I want to be clear. I have been bold in my career and sometimes it has worked out. Other times, it has not. (but that’s for another blog post 😊)

So, go out and--BE BOLD!  Have the confidence to take the writing world by storm. Or at the very least, write something really cool that makes you happy.

 

   Jennifer Swanson is the award-winning author of more than 50 books for children. Her awards include: three Florida Book Awards, a Parent’s Choice GOLD award, a Kirkus Best Book of 2021, AAAS/Subaru Prize semifinalist, and multiple NSTA BEST STEM awards. Jennifer is the founder of the STEMTuesday blog, STEAMTeamBooks, and the Solve It! for Kids podcast. She has presented at NSTA conferences, the Atlanta Science Festival, the World Science Festival, and the Library of Congress' National Book Festival.