Time to publish your book!
Providing opportunities for our students to publish their writing is known to be a valuable part of the writing process, and the NaNoWriMo project leads naturally to some great publishing options. Here are a few:
Author's chair:
Since we spend most of November working hard and quietly on our writing, we crave time to share and talk about what we are working on. The final 10 minutes of each class are reserved for Author's Chair, when one or two students read aloud an excerpt of which they are especially proud. Not only does this bring a form of publication to my students, but it also gives us lots of opportunities to talk about elements of the novel-writing process.
Mini-publishing:
Another way students can publish their work is through opportunities to share their best lines, paragraphs or scenes from their novels. To decorate our classroom prior to winter break, students "published" one great line from their drafts-in-progress:
Author's chair:
Since we spend most of November working hard and quietly on our writing, we crave time to share and talk about what we are working on. The final 10 minutes of each class are reserved for Author's Chair, when one or two students read aloud an excerpt of which they are especially proud. Not only does this bring a form of publication to my students, but it also gives us lots of opportunities to talk about elements of the novel-writing process.
Mini-publishing:
Another way students can publish their work is through opportunities to share their best lines, paragraphs or scenes from their novels. To decorate our classroom prior to winter break, students "published" one great line from their drafts-in-progress:
My students also publish excerpts of their novels on shared Docs, on their blogs, on Padlet, and on their digital portfolios. There are many websites for young writers to publish, such as WattPad, Underlined, FictionPress, and TeenInk.
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Book Store Author Events:
When our local book store heard about our novelists, they offered to host an Author Event at their store. We scheduled three nights of readings, and students proudly read aloud from their novels to a supportive audience of family, friends, teachers and community members. If a bookstore event isn't an option for you, how about arranging an author event at school? Friends and family could be invited to an evening event where student authors could read aloud from their books. Or what about a coffee shop? Open mic events are all the rage, and there is probably a venue that would love to host your students. |
Jayden reads from his novel "It's
All Because of the Milk."
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Genuine publication of their novels!
Blurb.com is a self-publishing website available to anyone with something to publish, and they have partnered with the Young Writers Program to offer discounts to student novelists. Although none of us have a novel ready to publish on Nov. 30, we certainly have enough of a draft that we could spend the rest of the school year completing, revising, and proofreading it for publication. Once students publish through Blurb, they may also sell their book on Amazon! Click on the image below to see my students' novels for sale on Amazon:
Blurb.com is a self-publishing website available to anyone with something to publish, and they have partnered with the Young Writers Program to offer discounts to student novelists. Although none of us have a novel ready to publish on Nov. 30, we certainly have enough of a draft that we could spend the rest of the school year completing, revising, and proofreading it for publication. Once students publish through Blurb, they may also sell their book on Amazon! Click on the image below to see my students' novels for sale on Amazon:
We discovered that the process for publishing on Blurb is not simple. Since the students are minors, their parents need to create the account, and the steps to publishing are long and sometimes complicated. Students and parents will need clear instructions to help them navigate the process successfully. Here are directions from the Young Writers Program to help them with the publishing process.
For younger students, check out StudentTreasures, where they can publish and illustrate their stories in hardbound books.
For younger students, check out StudentTreasures, where they can publish and illustrate their stories in hardbound books.
The difficulty of the publishing process means that not all students will choose to publish their novels. To give them all the chance to see their work professionally bound, I ask them each to submit to me one great excerpt from their stories, which I then publish in an anthology for our classroom. It's just one more way to honor their work and show them the value of publication.
