My weekend at the Florida Writers Association conference

Writers’ conferences are definitely fun! During the weekend before last, October 22-24, I attended one sponsored by the Florida Writers Association in Orlando.

Plenty of good workshops gave me new ideas. The one I gained the most from was Red Hot Internet Publicity by Penny Sansevieri. I didn’t think I’d learn much, but she went from basic to advanced ideas in less than an hour. Her talk was crammed with useful tips about helping readers find you all over the internet and how to link all of your social media together. I highly recommend taking a workshop with her.

The days were long and food was everywhere. But, the best part of the conference was meeting fellow writers. Exchanging ideas gave me fresh perspectives on so much about my own writing. It was a real treat to meet paranormal YA author Sherry Adams. She and I had clicked with a friendship online since the beginning of the year. Just as fantastic was to meet a fellow MuseItUp Publishing author, Rebecca Ryals Russell, who writes YA/MG fantasy. Working together within the same house, we could relate on dozens of promotion/marketing issues.

(L to R): Rebecca Ryals Russell; me; Sherry Adams

Throughout the conference workshops, we had a blast laughing and helping each other link what we learned to our own situations. Spending this time with those ladies, one idea led to the next in a waterfall of continuous brainstorming … until my brain overloaded and I was happy to head for home. A wonderful experience. Can’t wait to do it all again!

As the publishing world evolves are textbooks headed for extinction?

In a St. Petersburg Times news story dated Wednesday, June 2nd a high school in my local area made an announcement related to textbook publishing that merits discussion. In Clearwater, north of St. Petersburg, FL, the local high school has made a milestone decision. Beginning this fall, for its 2,100 students, textbooks will be replaced with Kindle electronic readers and digital texts.

Bennie Niles, 17, shows off a Kindle reading device. Next year his school, Clearwater High, will replace traditional textbooks with e-readers for all 2,100 students.

[DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD / Times]

This topic uniquely connects to my interests. As an author, the flux of the publishing world from print to digital format demands daily attention, impacting much about my personal career plan. From another viewpoint, I taught high school biology, anatomy, and ecology for seventeen years. I have fond memories of helping over 3,000 teenagers on their learning and life journeys. Changes that impact the lives of students still concern me.

Reasons for the switch at Clearwater High School included lightening students’ backpacks, since all texts would be stored on the devices weighing less than a pound each. I can see this value. Students’ packs often weigh thirty or forty pounds, certainly enough to cause back strain. Having taught science I continually battled the safety hazard of tripping on book bags while working in laboratories. The danger was real and my classes held to a strict policy of stowing them in a specific location in the room. I’m certain for safety reasons, science teachers at that high school are relieved.

Another key reason cited for the school’s shift was the convenience of keeping all textbooks together on one, easy-to-remember source. I know all too well only the most organized students get correct books home regularly. Past puberty, socializing, peer pressure, and making initial attempts at adult responsibilities take precedence. Any method to aid a teen’s organization is a huge plus for e readers.

Thirdly, Clearwater High specifically selected Kindle as their e reader because of its ability to read aloud. Fluency of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) pupils is a tremendous concern, especially here in Florida.

Lastly, this change was also described as a money-saving method for the school. While the devices cost about $259 each, not including the price of electronic texts, this will provide ultimate savings. Hardback texts range from $70 to $125, so within short time the new format will more than pay for itself.

My only hesitation would be the lack of large, color graphics. Current Kindles do not produce color images. Teaching biology requires visualization of living structures. Coping with black and white diagrams would be a limitation. However, as a whole, I believe the positives outweigh this concern. It is an exciting change for those students, and other districts will certainly follow in the same direction. Undeniably, this establishes a demand for change from publishers.

What are your thoughts about this change?