Posts
One book was left and I lunged for it. A lady took it before I could grasp it. Perhaps when the lady saw my disappointment, she offered the book to me and I shyly yet happily took it to the cashier in charge of the 2005 National Storytelling Conference bookstore.The lady may have been Linda Gorham, the same woman who wrote the foreword to the 2005 edition of a book called The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage by Dianne de Las Casas.
My spiral-bound copy was from when Dianne self-published it in 2005. Other national storytellers, like Elizabeth Ellis, still have the even older binder version. Elizabeth recommends The Story Biz Handbook in her suggested reading list for her advanced storytelling course. Some tellers read the book at least once a year if not more to refresh on the techniques and tips. Regardless of which type you may have (or have yet to get), the book is revered among professional storytellers and performing artists alike.
It is no surprise that Libraries Unlimited approached Dianne to publish a revised version, with special attention to technological tools. September 30, 2008 is the availability date. (Check out Fall Catalog)
What makes this book so special?—
1. Transforms passion into profit
2. Gives most comprehensive look to business/marketing/social needs of the storyteller
3. Influences storytellers to raise professional standards for the art
Transforms Passion into Profit
When you open the The Story Biz Handbook, there is a dedication to Antonio, Dianne’s husband. She laughingly said, “He doesn’t argue with me. He just lets me do what I want to do.” She continued to say that from the beginning, he recognized her commitment to the art. He told her, “Dianne, if this is going to make you happy, I will support it.”
Before becoming a professional storyteller, Dianne came from the legal field as a secretary/office manager in which she earned anywhere from $35,000 to $40,000 a year. For a while, the switch in careers only provided about $10,000 a year. Dianne reflected, “Many people don’t understand how difficult it can be, especially when you start out. In order to become successful, take risks, but make sure they are calculated risks.”
Storytelling became a viable career and with all the touring and publishing requests, Antonio could see that it was worth the wait. Dianne declared, “My husband invested in me. He also invested in my career.”
With Dianne as an independent contractor, Antonio’s job provides crucial health insurance and stability. Dianne, in the meantime, enjoys and shares the secrets to her success in The Story Biz Handbook.
Gives Most Comprehensive Look to Business/Marketing/Social Needs of the Storyteller
“When I first got into storytelling, there was no one to guide with the business sense.” Perhaps Dianne was not alone with this statement.
At the time she pursued her career in 1994, there was Margaret Read MacDonald’s The Storyteller’s Start-Up Book. By 1997, there was Harlynne Geisler’s Storytelling Professionally: The Nuts and Bolts of a Working Performer and the co-authored book by Bill Mooney and David Holt, The Storyteller’s Guide.
Several topics were addressed in these aforementioned books, though not to the depth provided by The Story Biz Handbook. The book is 30 chapters and nearly 400 pages long. Her book, the author said, “is for storytellers who have been on the frontlines but need a push in certain areas.” Often storytellers are retired educators or librarians who decide to turn to storytelling as a career. This means they already have been storytelling most or all of their lives and it is now the matter of gaining some business and marketing sense.
“Not everyone wants to become a touring international artist,” pointed out Dianne. She continued to say that some tellers, like David Joe Miller, pride themselves in making a nice living telling stories within a 150-mile radius from his home. Then there are those like Diane Ferlatte who travel all over the world.
With her strong and ever-rising reputation as a storytelling marketing guru, Dianne finds the pressure challenging. She noticed, “When you are considered an expert in your field, you are expected to stay on top of the trends and be a trendsetter. I don’t pretend to know everything. Every time I get on the web, I learn something new.”
Dianne said, “The [storytelling] community helped me write the book, and I wrote it for the community.”
As if to give the book an added blessing, Margaret Read MacDonald wrote the foreword for this 2008 edition of The Story Biz Handbook.
Influences Storytellers to Raise the Professional Standards for the Art
With the approach of Hurricane Gustav, Dianne and her family evacuated from the New Orleans area in a 17 hour drive to Birmingham, Alabama. This included her immediate family (husband and daughter), her parents, and her brother’s four children (her brother had to stay behind due to his duty as a police officer).
As soon as the hotel was secured and the luggage stashed, Dianne half-jokingly announced to everyone, “Aunt Dianne is working on a book deadline. You are not allowed in the room. Don’t even knock on the door unless someone is dying.”
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the same area in 2005, Dianne had two book deadlines that she pursued with vigilance in order to remain professional for the publishing companies. Some people thought Dianne should have postponed her projects, yet she persevered, saying, “If I miss my deadline, then it misses the production deadline. That means a loss of money for the publisher and for me.”
Ever since Katrina’s destruction and with the number and intensity of hurricanes rising, Dianne has made her work more mobile so that she can gather her files at a moment’s notice and still carry out her career as a professional storyteller. The Internet has also made it possible to prosper during hard times.
She insisted, “Today is the deadline—hurricane or no hurricane. I’m going to make my deadline.”
Such determination is present throughout The Story Biz Handbook and makes it possible for professional storytellers to be as respected as musicians, actors, motivational speakers and other performing artists.
So lunge after this book and add it to your library. Better yet, read it often and apply its techniques. You’ll be glad you did.
Other Books by Dianne—
- The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage, Libraries Unlimited--$45.00, Available 9/30/2008
- Tangram Tales: Story Theater Using the Ancient Chinese Puzzle, Libraries Unlimited--$27.00, Available 12/30/2008
- Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill, forthcoming
- Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take, Libraries Unlimited--$30.00
- The Cajun Cornbread Boy, Pelican Publishing--$15.95
- Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling, Teacher Ideas Press, an imprint of Libraries Unlimited--$27.00
- Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts, Teacher Ideas Press, an imprint of Libraries Unlimited--$27.00
Workshops/Retreats Offered by Dianne—
- 90 Minute Workshop
- Whole Day Intensive
- Weekend Retreat
About Dianne—
Touring internationally, author and award-winning storyteller Dianne de Las Casas sizzles on stage with “traditional folklore gone fun!” and “revved-up storytelling.” She performs and advocates arts-in-education programs and residencies at schools, libraries, festivals, museums, and special events. Interviewed by “Wall Street Journal”, de Las Casas is a sought-after international professional development workshop leader. She is a frequent presenter at IRA, ALA, AASL and other literacy and education conferences. Dianne de Las Casas continues to make the story connection with thousands of children every year, reaching and teaching through the wonder of stories.
***If you want more revealed about how Dianne and her family are working through this hurricane season, check out her Story Connection Blog or follow her on Twitter.
Until we tell again,
Rachel Hedman
Professional Storyteller
Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance
How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com
Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.comOther places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller
