Episode #69: What is it like to see your book at a library or anywhere book related? -with Katie Zhao.
Welcome back to another great episode of Kids Ask Authors! Grace Lin and Katie Zhao answer the kid question: “What is it like to see your book at a library or anywhere else book related?”
TRANSCRIPTS:
Grace Lin: Hello, I'm Grace Lin, children's book author and illustrator of many books, including the middle grade novel, When The Sea Turned To Silver, and the picture book, A Big Mooncake For Little Star. Today, I'm here with Katie Zhao, the author of the middle grade novel, The Dragon Warrior. Hi, Katie.
Katie Zhao: Hi, Grace. Thanks so much for inviting me onto your podcast.
Grace Lin: Thanks for being here. Are you ready for today's question?
Katie Zhao: Yes, absolutely.
Grace Lin: Okay, today's question is from a person named Mia and they ask, "What is it like to see your book at a library or anywhere book related?"
Katie Zhao: Oh my gosh, this is such a great question. It's really surreal, to be honest. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be an author. I loved reading books so much, and I would basically live at the library. So to know and to be able to see my books at libraries and bookstores and see my name on a cover, and also see characters who look like me reflected in those books that I wrote, it's such a dream come true. It's totally my favorite part of being an author.
Grace Lin: When was the first time you saw your book at the library or in a store? Do you remember it?
Katie Zhao: I remember walking into, I think it was a bookstore in New York, I think it was a Strand, and it was right after my release date pretty much. And I purposely went in there not telling anyone who I was, and I just wanted to try to find my book. And yeah, I managed to find it sitting with the middle grade fantasy section. And it was just so shocking. I mean, I had obviously already seen it, because my book had been out. I'd gotten the advanced review copies. I'd already signed some hardcover copies. But just walking into a store without making a big deal out of it, without doing an event, and seeing that it was still there and still very real was just a very surreal, very vivid image in my mind of just seeing my book out in the wild.
Grace Lin: That's so cool. When you were saying that you always dreamed of having your book in the library or in the bookstore, I think I have the same exact dream. I remember when I was a kid, I would go to the mall and there was this really small bookstore in the mall, and they would always have these, we call them cardboard dumps. That's what we call them in the industry. But it's like these little cardboard stands of the books that they were always trying to promote and they would have them out in front of the store. Yeah, and I'd always be like, "I want to have one of my books in one of those someday." I dreamed for that. And it took me, gosh, I had, had books in the stores for quite a while now. I've been doing this for a long time. But it took me close to 20 years before I ever got a book in one of those cardboard stands.
Katie Zhao: Wow.
Grace Lin: And that only happened for me I think three years ago with A Big Mooncake For Little Star. They finally made one of those cardboard stands for me. I was like, "Oh my gosh, my dream's come true."
Katie Zhao: Wow. Now, that's real author goals. Congratulations.
Grace Lin: I know. It was such a big deal, in fact. They just recycle them after the book has been out for a little while, and they're going to put new cardboard stands out. And I remember, I called up the publisher and I was like, "I'll take any cardboard stands you have left. I'll take them." And they actually sent me one so I can always have it forever and ever.
Katie Zhao: Wow. I should start doing that about random things that they'll probably throw out.
Grace Lin: I know. It means a lot to me. And I was thinking about the most surreal time I ever saw my book in a bookstore was when I was traveling in France just for fun and we were in Paris, we stopped at a bookstore and I was like, "Oh, I'll just see. I'll just check on a whim to see if they have my book." And they did. It was in French and I was like, "Oh my gosh." And I like took a photo. I was like, "My book's here in France in the middle of Paris." It was amazing. I remember that being such a thrill for me.
Katie Zhao: I feel it's almost a little bit of a game to just see a bookstore and be like, "Ooh, I wonder if my books here," and just check.
Grace Lin: Yeah.
Katie Zhao: It's always a good boost.
Grace Lin: Yeah, and if they have my book, I always buy so many books at the store. And if they don't have my book, I'm like, "I don't need to buy a book today."
Katie Zhao: That's so funny.
Grace Lin: Such an author reason. Anyway, have you had any surreal sightings of your book other than going into that first week?
Katie Zhao: I mean, I want to say every time I go into a bookstore it's just another reminder that, oh yes, this is real, because I'm sure you can relate, but day to day being an author doesn't feel like you're really an author. You just write, which is what I did when I was younger anyway. And you can't really see your publishing team around you, so it's like, "All right, I'm all alone writing. Nothing has changed from when I was 12 years old to now." But getting to do the occasional author event and speak on podcasts, and obviously, actually see your book and sign your book and meet readers, those are always my favorite parts. They're not what I would say we do day in, day out, but they're very special and every time I get to sign a book, see a book, meet a reader, it just feels so surreal to me.
Grace Lin: Yeah. Surreal and wonderful though, right?
Katie Zhao: Yeah, absolutely.
Grace Lin: Definitely. Well, thanks so much, Katie, for answering today's question. And thank you, Mia, for sending it in.
Katie Zhao: Yeah, it was such a great question.
Grace Lin: Thanks. Bye.
Katie Zhao: Bye.
Today’s BOOK REVIEW is on the book, Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes. Thank you Wenyuan!
I really enjoyed the book Legacy, by Nikki Grimes, for many reasons. In the book, the author uses a poetry technique that is called the “Golden Shovel.” That means she takes a bit of another poet’s poem and uses those words when creating a new poem. I’d never seen that type of poetry before and I like that the old poem is connected to a whole new poem where I can see part of the original poem. I really liked the art in Legacy because the art is done by female African American illustrators. The art has vivid colors and helps bring the poetry to life. Each piece of art is beautiful and has a different style and feel to it. The poems in the book have strong meanings about African American life and getting through hard times. The poems and the art come together wonderfully to create one soulful book about change, hope, longing and so many other things. The book also includes information about the Harlem Renaissance and biographies of all the poets and artists in the book so you can learn about the time the original poems were written and about the roots of the book. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in poetry, art, African American history or American culture.
More about today’s authors:
Katie Zhao is a 2017 graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English and Political Science, and a 2018 Masters of Accounting at the same university. She is the author of THE DRAGON WARRIOR series (Bloomsbury Kids), HOW WE FALL APART (Bloomsbury Kids), forthcoming LAST GAMER STANDING (Scholastic), and forthcoming WINNIE ZENG series (Random House Children’s Books). She is represented by Penny Moore of Aevitas Creative Management. She’s a passionate advocate for representation in literature and media.
Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio , a video essayist for PBS NewsHour (here & here), and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf. She is the co-host of the podcast Book Friends Forever, a kidlit podcast about friendship and publishing (geared for adults). Find her facebook, instagram , twitter ( @pacylin) or sign up for her author newsletter HERE.
Special thanks to the High Five Books & Art Always Bookstore, Ms. Carleton’s 2nd grade class at Jackson Street School for their help with our kid questions and reviews.
