Episode #113: Dispelling Creative and Publishing Myths
Welcome to another episode of the Book Friends Forever! Grace and Alvina discuss different myths about creativity and publishing and dispel them (kind of!). There is sometimes an element of truth to these myths and Grace and Alvina explain their thoughts and experiences with these various stereotypes and tropes:
You have to be miserable in order to make great art. Not true! You do not need to be a tortured artist to make great art. Why would you do something if it makes you so miserable? Although it is true that someone’s best work may come from their hardest and darkest times, it is also true that you can make great art from all of life’s emotional highs and lows. A majority of creators in the children’s book world are not tortured.
All geniuses are jerks. Not true! In some cases, being a genius means you can get away with jerky behavior. We let people get away with too many things.
You must be a starving artist to be a great one. Not true! You can be business minded and an artists and make a descent living for yourself. It does not make you any less pure to be interested in the business side of creating something.
Can publisher’s make bestsellers?
Do men sell better than women? This one is hard to measure. If it is true, it’s just that generally speaking, men are often given more opportunities than women.
Diverse books don’t sell. Even Grace’s own mother once said, “Asians don’t buy books for fun..” Diverse books do sell, but if there is truth to this myth it’s that children don’t pick up books that are unfamiliar looking to them.
Listening to Audiobooks or graphic novels is not really reading. That’s simply not true!
Fortune Cookie Segment: What have we been working on?
Alvina has been finishing up editing her summer 2022 novels and picture books. One has not been announced yet, is a book by Julie Abe. It is the prequel to Eva Evergreen and it will be coming out in August 2022. Grace as been working on her picture book called "Once upon a book" that will be finished in winter of 2023.
Gratefuls:
Grace is grateful for the opportunity to record a “Thank You” speech for the Phoenix Award: given to a book that was published 20 years ago that did not receive awards at the time but believe 20 years later that it does. Dim Sum for Everyone!
Alvina is thankful for a rainy weekend in NY, but she did get her hair cut! Grateful for her hair stylists and for the fresh new cut!
Other books and media mentioned in this episode:
Thank you for tuning in! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Twitter and Instagram and @gracelinauthor on TikTok and Facebook
*If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! Grace Lin with Ernesto Cisneros answer, “What is your favorite day of the week?” Click here to listen! If you’re not a patron already, join today!
