Models can't read?

Writing stars, you've got to check out one of the most subversive sites on the net: Models Can't Read. Tons of photos show models posing with newspapers, magazines and books like Blade Runner and Patti Smith's Just Kids.

One of my favorite photos takes place in a laundromat. Two models, a man and a woman, are posing in front of a row of dryers. The woman is wearing an outfit that would probably fall apart after one go-round in the wash, and the guy is reading a book with his shirt off. I guess he's waiting for it to dry (the shirt, not the book). To be honest, I couldn't decide what to look at: the book or his chest. (For my in-depth critique of this photo, see my post on Pinterest here.)

Now imagine if he were holding your book in his hot hands. Now that would be quite the marketing coup, wouldn't it! Getting any ideas?

I could go on and on about literacy statistics, etc., but I won't go there. 

Just enjoy the eye candy! And who knows, maybe some aren't just posing. Maybe some are actually, gasp, reading!

Donna Marie

Pinterest board: cover art sells books

The cover for my book "Sensual Celibacy" by Gretchen Achilles perfectly captured the idea that just because you're not having sex, doesn't mean you're not sexy. This was such a radical idea at the time (late '90s) that even Playboy did a tongue-in-cheek review.

When it comes to book sales and, really, overall artistry of your book, nothing beats a fantastic cover. I've been having a lot of fun letting my imagination go wild on my "Book Cover Ideas" Pinterest board. Take a look. You'll see a multitude of artistic styles that could express all types of literary genres, from horror to romance to the surreal, and nonfiction books, too.

When I first got the idea to do this board, something surprising happened. I started noticing my gut reactions to certain pieces of art. Really provocative book covers not only make a beautiful statement, they stir the emotions. Sometimes those emotions are disturbing, sometimes humorous. That means the art is doing its job. It has captured your attention, and a book sale may be in the works.

How often have you bought a book solely based on the cover art? I know I have, only to be disappointed when the content didn't live up to the cover! 

Another surprising thing has happened as I work with this board. I'm finding that I can't help but come up with story ideas, nonfiction titles, characterizations, and dialogue as I let the works of art do their thing. Art is a great way to obliterate writer's block. This is the best thing for writers since God invented red pencils! Try creating your own Pinterest art board, and share your links in the comments section below.

Donna Marie

Visit The Celebrity Editor on Pinterest!

10 radical ideas for getting kids to read

Our children don't like to read, and their abysmal reading scores reflect this disdain. While they are proficient at haiku length, phonics-based texting and Tweeting, their eyes glaze over when they have to read a book. 

This is an urgent issue for self-publishers. These same children who can't read today will be the adults of tomorrow negatively impacting your book sales tomorrow.

In some cities, illiteracy among 4th and 8th graders is as high as 73 percent. This sad state of affairs will never improve until students develop a love for reading. Until they begin to read solely for pleasure. 

A virtual army of educators, researchers, parents, and reading specialists have been wrestling with this problem for decades. Worthy literacy programs exist, but for some reason the problem seems more entrenched than ever. 

It's time to think out of the box. I tried to come up with the craziest ideas that just might work. Honestly, some of the following ideas are not even all that radical, but they are long overdue. Here are my top ten crazy ideas for getting kids to read.

1. Join the eBook revolution! U.S. Department of Education: develop a program to subsidize the purchase of eBook readers for all public school students. This will save on the cost of textbooks in the long run. Book stores: offer generous discount coupons to parents, students, and teachers toward eBook purchases. Parents: accompany kids on eBook shopping sprees. PTA/PTO: host an eBook fair. Principals: ban print textbooks and convert to eBooks. Kids may read more if their books are on anything that resembles a cell phone or computer. (By the way, colleges: convert to eBooks. Help students and parents save a few bucks, and give the environment a break. Go green!)

2. Parents: every hour of video game playing must be matched by one hour of book reading. 

3. Parents: reading to an audience is fun, so have young children read aloud to their teddy bears and toys. 

4. Parents: convert TV time into a readfest and activate multiple learning styles. Turn on your TV's closed caption function to display text so that kids can read and watch the action simultaneously. During commercials, press mute and have kids read a book or magazine. 

5. Teachers: while riding on the yellow school bus to school or a field trip, have kids read comic books, magazines, and books for fun. Students who suffer motion sickness (documented by a parent) can listen to a book on tape. 

6. Churches: Replace Sunday services with read-a-thons. If we must study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15 KJ), then read-a-thons should be the Sunday morning service until students' test scores dramatically improve. Give 15 minutes to prayer and scripture, then read for the next hour and 45 minutes. Read to young children. Older children can read aloud, to each other, or silently. Provide private, closed-door classes for illiterate adults during service. After read-a-thon, collect tithes and offerings. Give the closing benediction. God bless. Go home. In my opinion, this is God's work. 

7. Have kids listen to the funky, catchy tune "Read, Baby, Read" from the CD School's In Session by high school football coach and national motivational speaker, Alfred "Coach" Powell. Play it on a loop in the car and as background music while kids are doing homework. 

8. On road trips, call out a letter, then have kids find words for that letter on billboards, vanity plates, passing signs, etc. Coach Powell says on road trips to football games, his student-athletes defuse the tension by calling out the names of cars. The athlete who shouts the name first has to spell the make, model, and color of the car. If spelled correctly, he gets to punch a teammate on the shoulder a la the Volkswagen commercial. Disclaimer: we do not advocate youth violence, but a friendly tap is okay. 

9. Become an agent provocateur of reading. If you're brave, infiltrate places where young males hang out, such as street corners, community centers, basketball courts, and parks. Pull out a book that might interest them and begin to silently read. Laugh aloud and say things like, "Aw man!" and "Oh no he di'nt!" Slowly but surely, the youngsters will ask, "What you reading, man?" Why focus on males in particular? According to several studies, many youth who get entangled with the juvenile justice system are reading below grade level. It's very possible that reading proficiency could help keep them out of jail. 

10. Last but definitely not least, cuddle up and read to kids every night before going to bed!

Next step: implementation!

Can you think of some other crazy ideas that just might work or have worked in your home or school? 

Donna Marie