Bartography

Much more about Shark Vs. Train, in fact, from the perspective of Little, Brown editor Alvina Ling.

Have a look if you ever wanted to know:

How Alvina and I connected (and how long it took)

How she pitched such an off-the-wall concept for a picture book to the acquisitions committee

How Tom Lichtenheld got involved

What the cover was originally going to look like

Pretty much anything else about SVT

As much as I’d love to say that it’s no contest, Little, Brown has done such a fantastic job on the downloadable poster, activity kit, and other goodies at www.sharkvstrain.com that I’m afraid I’ll just have to let you decide for yourself…

First things first: I’ve begun an open-ended giveaway of a free copy of one of my books every time I send out an edition of my email newsletter Bartography Express. Details are in the orange box on my home page.

Speaking of filling a mailbox with good stuff, big big cardboard boxes arrived left and right at Rancho Barton this week. Shark Vs. Train posters. Shark Vs. Train its own self — my author copies. A fresh shipment of the daylight-fluorescent pens I use to sign The Day-Glo Brothers. Postcards, business cards, and bookmarks featuring both books.

About those bookmarks…

I took 11-year-old S to Austin’s BookPeople yesterday morning to pick up his long-hungered-for copy of R. L. LaFevers’ brand-new Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus. Being a self-promotional kind of guy, I took along a handful of bookmarks to drop off at the the BookKids desk. Otherwise, though, it was just a father-son outing, with me dressed nattily in what I planned to wear later while stirring up seven tons of pollen mowing the yard.

In the parking lot on our way into the store, though, we overheard a mom talking to her three young children about a book about a shark and a train. S and I smiled at each other, amused by the coincidence. I introduced myself to the woman, gave her three bookmarks, and we went on our way.

Just inside the store, we saw a sign advertising the April 3 storytime at 11:30 a.m.

I looked at my watch.

It was 11:27.

And we began to figure out what the BookKids staff upstairs confirmed a few moments later: The woman in the parking lot was talking about Shark Vs. Train because it was being featured at storytime right then — a fact she had obviously known, and which I most certainly had not.

And I could tell by the expressions on the staff members that they weren’t expecting to see me during Shark Vs. Train storytime any more than I was intending to be seen right then.

I felt a combination of giddiness and mortification. Part of me felt like Tom Sawyer at his own funeral, about to get to listen in on proceedings never meant for my ears. And part of me felt like I’d walked over my own grave, accidentally passing through a place I’d have avoided (or at least dressed better for) had I but known.

So, what did we do? We dropped off the bookmarks, picked up the book we’d come to get, and laughed about it all the way home. Just the two of us — well, and Theodosia Throckmorton.

1) The “What We’re Reading Now” newsletter from Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston
“Complete boy fun occurs when a shark and a train try to outdo each other…”

2) The upcoming Shark Vs. Train launch party at BookPeople in Austin, Texas
“We are so excited to be welcoming one of our favorite local authors…”

3) This Tweet from Bunch of Grapes Bookstore on Martha’s Vineyard
“If today is any judge, I’m going to sell about 20 million copies of SHARK VS TRAIN this summer…”

4) This blog post from Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, Virginia
“Shark Vs. Train just hit our shelves today and instantly became my new favorite…”

5) This recommendation from Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh, North Carolina
“Adults and kids alike will be howling with laughter, no matter whose side you’re rooting for…”

6) This staff pick from RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
“Perfect for 5-7 year old rambunctious boys and girls…”

Digging around in my email archives just now, I found this note that accompanied the first draft of Shark Vs. Train that I shared with my agent three and a half years ago. I’d forgotten what it felt like to have this story come out of nowhere, but reading this note makes me want to experience that feeling as often as possible.

Hey, Erin,

Here’s something that came together just this past week. It’s barely 300 words, and [my seven-year-old] is beside himself every time he reads it. Enjoy, whenever.

Chris

Shark Vs. Train‘s official publication date is next Thursday, on (seriously) April Fool’s Day. That feels pretty good, too, and I’ll celebrate by sending out a new edition of my occasional Bartography Express newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, just sign up in the “Join” box on my home page.

If you’d like a behind-the-scenes peek at how Shark Vs. Train came about — and a scenes-left-behind look at some of our favorite outtakes — please check out 7-Imp’s Monday’s Post In Which Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld Join Me to Talk About Their New Book:

Will someone hire me as librarian-for-the-day just so I can share Chris Barton’s and Tom Lichtenheld’s new title, Shark Vs. Train, with a group of children, followed by Bob Shea’s 2008 title, Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime? I think it quite possibly could be the Loudest and Most Entertaining Story Time in Recent History.

But I’m here to focus on the former title, released by Little, Brown earlier this month. In fact, as mentioned in my tremendously creative post title up there, the author and illustrator are joining me for late-night cyber-coffee to discuss the book. And its illustrator, Tom Lichtenheld (you do remember this wonderful madness, don’t you?), will share some rejected spreads from the book, once the coffee starts brewing. Yup, these spreads have little post-it notes on their backs that say “kick me.” But rejects have never been so welcome, I say. You’ll see why below.