The KidLit Blogoshpere has become so powerful within the industry that many publishers and authors feel it can be as important to garner a good review from one of these blogs than from the New York Times.  Interestingly, the vast majority of the most esteemed KidLit Bloggers are women, mostly comprised of librarians, educators, booksellers and authors. There are annual awards – the Cybil Awards – for the best in KidLit blogging. Kidlit bloggers are fiercely protective of their territory.  You cannot buy their favor – you have to earn it.

Below is an impressive list of Kidlitosphere blogs recommended by fusenumber8 (a.k.a. NYC librarian/blogger Elizabeth Bird), with additional thanks to Roger Sutton. School Library Journal also maintains links and lists of the best in the blogosphere. Get to know them all, for each has something unique to offer. I subscribe to most of these through my Google Reader, which makes it easy to view them all in one place at one time:

Alice’s CWIM Blog — The editor of Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market offers her perspective on the literary market, as well as thoughts on hot kidlit topics. UPDATE: Alice Pope is now blogging for SCBWI at http://scbwi.blogspot.com/

Big A, little a — A Midwestern blogger with almost daily updates on almost every topic imaginable. Author Kelly Herold also edits the online children’s literary magazine “The Edge of the Forest.”

Blue Rose Girls — The collective blog of authors, editors, and enthusiasts, including Grace Lin, Elaine Magliaro, Libby Koponen, Linda S. Wingerter, Anna Alter, Meghan McCarthy, and Alvina Ling.

Book Buds — A driving force behind the kidlit blogger book award, the Cybils, Anne Boles Levy reviews picture books that might not get the attention they deserve elsewhere.  UPDATE: Anne Boles Levy is now reviewing strictly for the Cybils – the awards for Childrens Lit bloggers. This site is still up for its archived reviews, but visit http://www.cybils.com/ for more recent reviews and more from Anne.

bookshelves of doom — An irreverent and clever blog touching on kidlit and YA topics. The second blog I check every morning. Says the profile, “Highbrow intellectual critiques do not live here.” It’s too modest.

Brooklyn Arden — Blog of Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein, touching on everything from what a typical day for an editor looks like to what shows are currently playing on Broadway.

Brotherhood 2.0 — An experimental video blog built on the premise that author John Green and his brother Hank must only communicate with one another through v-posts every day for one year (excluding weekends). Incredibly witty site.

A Chair, A Fireplace, & A Tea Cozy — Continually lists new and interesting blogs and posts well-referenced reviews of children’s books. Buffy the Vampire Slayer quotes are not uncommon on this site.  UPDATE: This site has now moved to http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/teacozy.

Chicken Spaghetti — Run by a former New Yorker editorial staff member, this blog culls from a wide swath of information to bring the very best info to its readers.

Cynsations — Cynthia Leitich Smith presents intensive author features on a variety of established and up-and-coming writers.

educating alice — Says Monica Edinger, “This blog is about teaching, my life’s work; literature, especially that created for children; history, especially as it is taught to and learned by children; Africa, especially Sierra Leone where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer; and other sundry topics as they come to my attention.”

Jen Robinson’s Book Page — Aside from her wonderful round-ups of blog news, Jen Robinson presents reviews of interesting titles.

Just One More Book!! — “… a thrice-weekly podcast in which we take a few minutes out of our morning coffee ritual to discuss one of our many favourite children’s books.” The parents of two daughters discuss their family’s picks; the 5 to 35 minute episodes can be downloaded directly from this Canadian site.

Kids Lit — This was one of the first kidlit blogs out there and remains one of the best. Contains information you can’t find anywhere else.

MotherReader —“The heart of a Mother. The soul of a Reader. The mouth of a smartass.” Highly opinionated and always worth a look-see.

Oz and Ends — More than just a series of posts on The Wizard of Oz, creator J. L. Bell offers his expertise on fantasy literature and the current state of writing for children.

pixie stix kids picks — The Executive Director of the Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC) reviews the newest books for kids.

Read Roger — The official blog of the editor of The Horn Book Magazine. The first link I check every morning.

Saints and Spinners — Identified only as “Alkelda the Gleeful,” this librarian has a musical bent with many postings on songs, both in the library and out.

Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast — Co-bloggers Eisha and Jules interview fellow bloggers, authors, illustrators, and anyone that strikes their fancy with a saucy wit and unique style. Their dual reviews are worth checking out as well.

Tiny Little Librarian — “Musings of a too-short girl in the high-stacks world of librarianship.” You will not find another children’s librarian blog that provides a better encapsulation of the trials and perks of working in a public library.  UPDATE: Now blogging as Tiny Little Reading Room at http://tinyreadingroom.blogspot.com/

What Adrienne Thinks about That — Working within the Monroe County Library System of Rochester, New York, children’s librarian Adrienne offers a veritable plethora of opinions on every conceivable topic.

Question: How can you turn one book into multiple sources of income, and continue to promote the original book at the same time?

Answer: Re-purpose it!

Re-purposing means converting the content from your book(s) into as many other formats as you can. Could your book make an audio book? An E-book? A web game?  Is there a possibility for a sequel? Can you turn it into a series? Can you make a picture book or graphic novel version of your novel? Can you re-purpose the same story for a younger audience, or an older audience? Can you adapt it into a song? Can you turn it into a play, or a musical? Can you create a workshop or build speaking engagements around the subject?  Can you offer teleseminars or webinars? What about a teacher’s guide? Articles for magazines or e-zines?  Is there a toy, a board game or another activity you could create? Can you make it the basis for a blog?

How many ways can you re-purpose one product?  In this way, you get paid anew for material you have already created, you offer your audiences greater value and opportunities to discover your message, and you gain more opportunities to promote the original work  – all at the same time.

Here are just some of the ways in which we have re-purposed our own books (and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface.) I hope this list might spark your own ideas as to how your story could be re-purposed as well:

The Dumpy the Dump Truck Series:

• Currently under consideration for a TV series
• Pajamas packaged with books for “Books to Bed”
• Fire safety and awareness package created for Dumpy and the Firefighters

Simeon’s Gift:

• Webgame based on the story (at www.julieandrewscollection.com)
• Teacher’s Guide
• Adapted into a musical for family audiences
• Further adapted into a symphonic performance

The Great American Mousical

• Webgame (www.julieandrewscollection.com)
• Song (“The Show Must Go On”)
• Teacher’s Guide
• Currently being adapted into a stage musical for family audiences

Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment

• Blog
• Workshops and speaking engagements
• Articles for e-zines and literacy websites
• E-book

By the way, this principle doesn’t just apply to books. Never lead a workshop or give a presentation without recording it – then get the recording transcribed. You’ve now got the material for blogposts, articles, workshops and more. Always be on the lookout for the ways in which you can parlay your existing materials into new sources of income, and new ways to reach your audience with your idea.

Over the years, we have designed and/or made our own bookmarks, postcards, posters, flyers, brochures, bookplates, downloadable activities, games and teachers guides. We’ve even made mp3’s, t-shirts, mugs, note pads, umbrellas and mouse pads. These giveaway items are invaluable at book signings, school presentations, book fairs and any other promotional or marketing opportunity. They help attract people to your table and speak for you long after you have moved on to the next gig. One of the best resources in this regard is Modern Postcard.com. This terrific company makes not just postcards but bookmarks, flyers, brochures and posters of all different shapes and sizes. Their printing is high quality, their costs are reasonable, and you can do it all digitally. The more you print, the less expensive it gets. And once you’ve placed your initial order, reprints/re-orders are a piece of cake.

Of course, with children’s books we want to think primarily about items that have kid appeal. How creative can you get? What can you come up with that relates to your book that you can print on and/or give away inexpensively? Think about balloons, pens, pencils, rulers, bubbles, stickers, craft items, toys, coloring books… the possibilities are endless. For these kinds of items you can use a source such as cafepress.com or zazzle.com. They will print your graphic, logo or message on any number of items that you can either buy at cost and give away at your events, or you can create your own virtual “store” that you can link to from your own website, sell the items and actually make some cash and get promotion at the same time.

Oh, we haven’t talked about creating your own website yet, have we? Stay tuned…