Twin Tuesday : Celebrating the “Super Moms”
For this Twin Tuesday post, we wanted to celebrate the “Super Moms” as we’ve come across them on the web.
And hey, since Moms of Twins are double the fun, even more reason to celebrate!
I first came across Super Moms in a post by Publisher’s Weekly, talking about the new trend of talented writers who happen to be full time moms.
Simon and Schuster had a red carpet celebrating these the co-creators of the M.O.M – Mom Operating Manual, which celebrated the efforts of lots of mom bloggers, as the article recalls:
Meet the new word-of-mouth publishing powerhouses: mom bloggers who share their online personal journals about motherhood. They post their thoughts and help sell books. And publishers are enthusiastically reaching out to them.
This not only celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of mothers, but it supports the publishing industry, and helps grow a kid-lit inspired community. Parents, just like kids, are the market for publishers to be listening and responding to, and it’s amazing to see this dialogue unfold.
Increasingly, publishers are realizing that mom (and dad and aunty) bloggers build buzz. “It’s the immeasurable word of mouth—the same that would be spreading on a playground,” says Jennifer Roberts, executive director of marketing, publicity, and events at Candlewick.
And these reviews tend to be more honest about showing publishers what their audience is looking for in kids lit. They are the readers, so they should have some say in the trends the industry is taking. Because if one person likes a book, then the word will spread:
Unlike traditional critics, mom bloggers typically don’t care about the literary merits of a story or the history of an author’s body of work. They simply say why they (and their kids) like a book. “Teens listen to other teens. Mothers listen to other mothers,” says Lucille Rettino, director of marketing for Simon & Schuster’s children’s publishing group.
Not only are publishers reaching out to moms, they are taking them on for publication. The articles cites a few instances of moms who were found through their blogs. When My Baby Dreams was created by Adele Enerson, and will be published by Harper Colins’s Balzer + Bray imprint. The mom started writing a blog about the birth of her newborn girl in May 2010, and it became a major sensation.
Here’s another celebrated mom turned writer/illustrator:
And of course, Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) became a blogging sensation, then author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and then author of the bestselling picture book Charlie the Ranch Dog. When sheblogged about how she wrote the story, she got more than 800 comments. Kate Jackson, senior v-p, associate publisher, and editor-in-chief of HarperCollins Children’s Books, found Drummond’s blog, and the two decided the family’s colorful pooch would make an ideal picture book star. “I’m always looking everywhere I can think of for new great picture book characters,” says Jackson.
It’s amazing how much talent moms can have for publishing. Their stories might be even more special than some of the contrived stories for kids out there, because they are true and come from the heart.
This isn’t just a publishing trend, it’s a social phenomenon. From bostonmamas.com, tocoolmompicks.com, moms everywhere are getting together to talk everything from crafts to cooking, parenting to shopping, and everything in between. Moms are doing more and more every day while still taking care of their families, and we’re glad to showcase those who are doing it so well!
Super-Mom.com is a new blog I’ve come across which celebrates the everyday trials and tribulations of moms. What I love is how personal their articles are, and how simple they can be. They did a two week series on ”Laughter”, which I found really uplifting. And their post about “Eating Anything I Want” is a great way to be a positive body image role model for our kids, and advocate for creating positive family moments together over mealtime.
Twiniversity just started a campaign to find Super Moms of Twins, which will be going on the rest of the year. It too celebrates just how much mommies give, and showcases their inspiration and outstanding motherhood talents.
Email your entries to Community[at]Twiniversity.com and follow all the winners.
But hey, aren’t all moms winners already?
[This piece also appears on PinwheelBooks]
Category: TwinLife Parent
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