I've got it covered (book blog 4)

Every week this summer, I'm sharing something new about my book, Social Skills is Canceled, which is scheduled to be released on July 30. I'm also sharing parts of the journey as it unfolds.

  (Check out the dedication, the preface, and an excerpt.)

I recently saw a social media post where someone asked, "What's more important: a great cover or a great story?"

One response really stood out to me, both for the accurateness of the information and for the wisdom behind it. The responder said, "A great cover will get someone to buy your book. A great story will get them to buy your next book."

A few days later, I watched a video on how to write a great book blurb. The speaker said the number one reason for a bad book review is because the cover doesn't match the content. Either the cover art is misleading, or the blurb doesn't accurately convey the storyline or the tone.

We make the decision to engage based on what we see on the outside. We make the decision to keep engaging based on what we experience on the inside.

While this helped me realize how important it is for me to nail the book cover for Social Skills is Canceled, it also made me think about how this is such an accurate description of what I teach in the first module of our year-round program here at Starfish.

Module One runs for 8 weeks from mid-August to early October. It is the foundational module of the program. 

In this module, I focus on the concept of 'reputation'. What is a reputation? How is it formed? Can we change our reputation if we want to? If so, how?

When I think about this in the context of a book cover, I think about all the students running around with a 'cover' that is misleading, or a summary that has been created about them even though it doesn't accurately describe who they truly are.

My goal is for my students to be able to create a reputation that truly and accurately represents them. 

A 'cover' that makes their peers want to get to know them better. A 'blurb' that showcases who they authentically are, in their own voice. 

I want their inside world and their outside world to match so their peers want to continue engaging with them.

Is this student funny? I want to make sure their cover represents that by teaching them how to develop that reputation.

Are they smart? I want to help them recognize the things they may be doing that are getting in the way of their intelligence being displayed on their 'cover' so that we can create a new, more accurate cover.

How about friendly? It's possible for the 'cover' of a friendly person to make them seem needy and annoying. 

I want peers to want to engage with my students because of how they show up, and to want to keep engaging with them because their reputation matches their true personality. That's what the first module of my program is all about.

 You can learn more about our school year groups (in person and via Zoom) and join the waiting list for August here: social groups

And now for this week's book sneak peak...

Yep, it's the cover!! Thank you to Alison Sanders for helping me create my book's reputation. 

You can learn more about the book and see the full cover here: Social Skills is Canceled: A Story for Kids with Autism, ADHD, and Anxiety