Walking Through Walls Finalist in CLC 2012 Book Awards

Walking Through Walls, a children's middle grade fantasy based on an ancient Chinese tale and set in 16th century China, received the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval earlier this year, and also won First Place in the Editors and Predators January 2012 Readers Poll (Children's Novel category). NOW, it's on the Finalist's list for the Children's Literary Classics 2012 Book Awards!

I'm thrilled!

Here's the Press Release the CLC distributed on October 1st:

NEWS
For Immediate Release
October 1, 2012

Literary Classics
info@clcawards.org

Literary Classics announces youth media award winners

RAPID CITY, SD - Literary Classics announced its 2012 selection of top book finalists for children and young adults today. The list includes finalists from entries received all over the world. The Literary Classics selection committee is proud to recognize the following titles in children's and young adult literature which exemplify the criteria set forth by the Literary Classics Awards committee.

A list of the 2012 award finalists follows:

Animalogy: Animalogy Analogies, Marianne Berkes
Fantastic Flight, Barbara Bockman
Black & White, Larry Dane Brimner
The King's Ransom, Cheryl Carpinello
Walking Through Walls, Karen Cioffi
Shield Maiden, Richard Denning
Terple Always Dream Bigger, Richie Frieman
Stalked, Kristiana Gregory
Return to Finkleton, KC Hilton
The Casting, Joyce Shor Johnson
Griffin Rising, Darby Karchut
The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Drawn, Marie Lamba
A Box Story, Kenneth Kit Lamug
The Limit, Kristen Landon
Santa & The Little Teddy Bear, Peter John Lucking
Beautiful Wild Rose Girl, B. Magnolia
Bella & Harry Let's Visit Athens! Lisa Manzione
Bella & Harry Let's Visit Cairo! Lisa Manzione
Bella & Harry Let's Visit London! Lisa Manzione
Shelby & Shauna Kitt and the Dimensional Holes, PHC Marchesi
Caves, Cannons and Crinolines, Beverly Stowe McClure
Runaway Twins, Pete Palamountain
The Stone Child, Dan Poblocki
Clara's Great War, Evelyn Rothstein
In Memory of Dad, Maranda Russell
Young Funny and Unbalanced, David Smithyman
Sh Sh Sh Let the Baby Sleep, Kathy Stemke
The Crystal Ship, CJ Carter-Stephenson
The Great Divide, Suzanne Slade
One Pelican at a Time, Nancy Stewart
Sea Turtle Summer, Nancy Stewart
The Orphan Ship, Sterling R. Walker
My Sister is My Best Friend, Nicole Weaver

All final award levels and categories will be announced October 15, 2012.

Literary Classics, an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in literature, takes great pride in its role to help promote classic children's literature which appeals to youth, while educating and encouraging positive values in the impressionable young minds of future generations. Judging is based upon the criteria set forth by Literary Classics' highly selective awards committee which honors books promoting character, vision, creativity and learning, through content which possesses the key elements found in well-crafted literature.

The Literary Classics judging committee consists of experts with backgrounds in publishing, writing, editing, design, illustration, and book reviewing. To learn more about Literary Classics, visit their website at www.literaryclassicsawards.com.

ABOUT WALKING THROUGH WALLS:

Wang longs to be rich…and powerful. At twelve-years-old, he already knows more about the Eternals and their way of life than many of the adults in his village. Learning about these mystics takes his thoughts away from the possibility of working in the wheat fields all his life, like his father. Wang has far grander goals.

You can also check out these two reviews:

Review of Walking Through Walls by Amy Lignor

Review of Walking Through Walls by Kristin J. Johnson:

To get your copy of Walking Through Walls, go to:

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
4RV Publishing

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I also want to say Congratulations and Good Luck to five children's authors on the Finalist's list who I know:

Barbara Bockman
Beverly Stowe McClure
Maranda Russell
Kathy Stemke
Nancy Stewart
Nicole Weaver

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If you're thinking of writing a children's book or already started, but seem to be stuck, check out Fiction Writing for Children. This 180 page ebook is also available as an ecourse:

Fiction Writing for Children - The eBook
http://www.karencioffi.com/fiction-writing-for-children-the-book/

Fiction Writing for Children - The eCourse
http://www.karencioffi.com/fiction-writing-for-children-the-ecourse/

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To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).

Karen Cioffi
Multi-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Online Marketer
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012

Walking Through Walls Honored with the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval

As a 4RV Publishing author, I'm thrilled and honored to announce that Walking Through Walls has been awarded the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval! But, this post will also talk a bit about contests.

Literary Classics is an organization dedicated to promoting excellence in literature. Through AWARDS, BOOK REVIEWS, and SEAL OF APPROVAL PROGRAM, the committee helps you sort through the many books in circulation today. It is the CLC’s goal to help you select the finest books available. Additionally, the programs offer opportunities for publishers, authors and illustrators to receive recognition for providing excellence in literature.


This is the second award for my fantasy adventure based on and set in ancient China.In January 2012, Walking Through Walls won 1st Place in the Editors and Predators Readers Poll, in the Children's Novel category!

Walking Through Walls is a middle grade fantasy adventure set in 16th century China. Wang longs to be rich…and powerful. At twelve-years-old, he already knows more about the Eternals and their way of life than many of the adults in his village. Learning about these mystics takes his thoughts away from the possibility of working in the wheat fields all his life, like his father. Wang has far grander goals.

To check out the amazing illustrations done by Aidana WillowRaven, reviews and more information on Walking Through Walls go to: http://walkingthroughwalls.blogspot.com

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If you'd like to get your own copy for home or in the classroom (ISBN: 978-0-9826594-7-2), click the link:

4RV Publishing Book Store
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

You can view the Children's Literary Classics Review of Walking Through Walls at:
http://clcreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/walking-through-walls-by-karen-cioffi.html

Contests and Exposure

I recently had a guest post on my site by award-winning and multi-published (80+) author Nancy Sanders. Working with her publicists and publishers, she learned a thing or two about generating exposure for her books, and one great way to do this is through contests.

Obviously, each author will need to determine their individual marketing budget and see if contests can have an allotted amount, but even if you’re on a tight budget, there are things you can do to generate visibility.

Nancy suggests first making a list of those award sites you’d like to submit to, keeping the free ones up first. Then, follow the guidelines of each and enter you book.

Try to keep in mind that it’s not necessarily about winning. Nancy advises that just getting your book “in the hands of judges” is important in itself. Many of the judges are important people in their own literary circles.

To find out more of what Nancy has to say on entering contests go to:
http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/2012/01/submitting-for-awards-by-nancy-sanders_25.html

You can also check out Nancy’s site for even more information:
http://nancyisanders.wordpress.com/awards/

Since, I think contests are an important promotional and visibility tool, I allotted as much as I could to enter those contests I thought would make a difference. Contests I entered the end of last year include:

Boston Globe Horn Books Award (No fee, 3 books)

SCBWI Golden Kite Awards (No fee, 4 books)

Newbery Medal (No fee, 2 books)

IRA Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Awards (No fee, 1 book)
International Reading Association

The Eric Hoffer Award ($50, 1 book)

USA 2012 Book Awards ($69, 1 book)

Children’s Literary Classics ($95, 3 books)

Notice that the first four award contests have NO fee. You can definitely be a cost-conscious marketer. And, again, whether you win no awards, one, two, or three awards, it’s the exposure and having the book seen by influential people that’s as important as winning.

Just a side note: I recently spoke with a librarian and she mentioned that the Newbery award is one of the ‘biggies.’ After that would come the state awards. So, take a bit of time and look into these awards . . . you never know.

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Additional Reading:

Writing Children’s Books – Genre Differences
Keep Your Writing Goals Front and Center 
Children’s Writing and Publishing: The Traditional Path PART 1
Writing a Fiction Story: Walking Through Walls Backstory

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Marketer

Check out Karen’s eBooks at:
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com

Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
http://WritersOnTheMove.com
DKV Writing 4 U
http://KarenCioffiFreelanceWriter.com
http://KarenCioffi.com (children’s author site)

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