TED Blog

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The best way to get a book deal? Write a story 19 million people want to read Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:17 PM PST 17-year-old Beth Reekles had a really good year. She published two books; appeared on national TV; sold the film rights for her first book, The Kissing Booth; graduated from high school and started college; and earned a spot on TIME’s list of the most influential teens of 2013, alongside household names like Malia Obama and Justin Bieber. And still she found time to watch five seasons of Gossip Girl. How did such a young woman get so far so fast? When Beth was 15, living at home in Wales, she wrote a novel (“the kind of book I wanted to read”) and put it up on the story-sharing website Wattpad. 19 million views later, she won a three-book contract with a young adult division at Random House to publish that first book, The Kissing Booth, and two more, including the recently published Rolling Dice. That kind of transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing is rare — but her true-to-life stories of teen romance, sans vampires and werewolves, must have tapped a void that needed filling. This much-in-demand writer has developed a routine that helps her stay focused. Beth likes to write alone with her computer and a cup of tea. (She avoids writing with others in the room, because she hates the idea that someone might be reading over her shoulder.) If she’s feeling blocked, she turns on background music — such as the soundtrack to Doctor Who or Pirates of the Caribbean — to help her feel more creative. “Something emotive and exciting,” she says. She experiments with form as well — on her Wattpad page, you can find short stories, chapters and novellas, including the holiday one-off “Deck the Halls.” She’s a freshman at the University of Exeter now and plans to major in physics. She’s busy preparing for January exams and working on her third book. This summer, when classes end, she’s excited to spend her summer typing away, possibly working on a sequel to The Kissing Booth. We talked to Beth via email about self-publishing, J.K. Rowling, and letting go of bad reviews. Our first question: What inspired you to write a novel at 15? Here’s Beth – I was looking for a high school romance that didn’t involve a vampire or werewolf – every teen romance seemed to have a paranormal element, and I was sick of that. So when I couldn’t find the kind of book I wanted to read, I decided to write it instead. That’s how I ended up writing The Kissing Booth. What did you think when Random House called you up and said, “Hey, want to write a few more for us?” I was thrilled! I’d thought about traditionally publishing my books, but I didn’t think it would actually ever happen, and certainly not like that! Sometimes I still can’t believe it. A lot of people in the publishing world are wary of self-publishing. What is your take on it? Self-publishing is making writing something that a lot more people take seriously now. It gives a lot of new and younger writers the opportunity to try and put their work out there quickly and easily, so it’s encouraging more and more people to write. What are you writing now? Right now I’m working on my third book for Random House, which is going to be another young-adult romance, called Out of Tune. How do you come up with a new character or story? What’s your process? I usually get the ideas for characters before I come up with a story. My characters seem to have lives of their own that I have to try and put down on paper. I’ve never been any good at planning stories; I often go with the flow and don’t know how the story will turn out until I’ve finished it! Which authors do you really admire? J.K. Rowling has always been one of my role models. I’ve loved the Harry Potter series since I began reading it as a child, and when I read about how she persevered despite all the rejection letters, it’s really encouraging and inspiring to me as a writer. Are there any responses you’ve gotten from fans that have really stuck with you? I get so many messages from young girls telling me that I’ve inspired them to write, or that they don’t usually read but tried my book and loved it. Those are the ones that really stick with me. They’re very humbling messages to receive, and they always make my day! It’s brilliant to hear that I’ve encouraged other girls to read and write more. What is one thing you know that you wish everyone knew? One bad piece of criticism can make you feel like everything you’re doing is a waste of time, but you really need to put it in perspective. Take note of all the good things people are saying!

Fellows Friday: A magical oceanic feeding frenzy, up close and personal, in stunning detail Posted: 03 Jan 2014 11:29 AM PST By Asha de Vos, with photos by Jon Lowenstein Monterey Bay is a marine biologist’s dream. It is arguably one of the most dynamic coastlines in the world and, for someone from the tropics like me, it opens up a whole new world for learning and adventure. In recent months, Monterey Bay — located along the central coast of California — has become even more enthralling. A proliferation of anchovies has brought pelicans, sea lions and bottlenose dolphins to the area in droves. These anchovies are also drawing in humpback whales and making them stay way beyond the usual time. (See The New York Times story from November, “With extra anchovies, deluxe whale watching.”) By now, these whales should be at their winter breeding grounds in Mexico, but it seems they are making the most of this overabundance of fishy treats and hanging around, much to the delight of whale watchers. Are they foregoing their breeding opportunities to feed? Or perhaps the pregnant females have continued on their journey while the males are straggling behind to gorge? We don’t yet fully understand. Watching a whale breach leaves you speechless. You can’t stop thinking about the sheer power and momentum required to propel such a large creature clean out of the water. Why do they do it? Again, an unknown. The act of bubble netting with mates and cooperative hunting with sea lions is testament to how much harmony exists in the natural world. I got a chance to experience these grand spectacles on the eve of my first Thanksgiving, walking along the coastal path in Santa Cruz. What really captured my imagination was how extremely accessible these feeding frenzies were, happening right along the coastline. I for one understand the powerful draw of charismatic megafauna, and why the media would choose to focus on the story of the anchovies and humpback whales. But what about the rest of the food web? Along the coastal walking path, the ephemeral clouds of anchovies draw pelicans, gulls and cormorants by the thousands. The energy, rush and clamour is palpable and infectious as strangers excitedly talk to each other about the spectacle occurring in front of their eyes. Even the locals are thrilled, as a burst of oceanic life of this kind has never been experienced before. I stand there feeling extremely lucky. For a person striving to increase interaction between people and the ocean in an effort to create more awareness, this moment represents the perfect conversation space. Anchovy themselves feed on krill, copepods and decapod larvae, both by random filter-feeding and by ‘pecking’ at prey. The breeding success of the California brown pelican has been attributed to the abundance of anchovy in these waters. Feeding areas vary because of the mobility of the prey but the larger-scale fluctuations of small pelagics, which include anchovies and sardines, leave scientists puzzled. It seems that this mystery of abundance is ours to solve. But where to start? Small pelagics are said to represent the largest source of wild marine protein worldwide. Not only does the ocean food web depend on them — so do many of us. It isn’t just the birds that visit en masse, but rafts of sea lions — hundreds to thousands strong — cruise through, capturing the flailing fish in their mouths on synchronised dives led by a large male. The choreography is impeccable as a single bark from the leader signals the start of the dive that will, on average, last about three minutes in these shallow waters. On their return to the surface, they are mobbed by gulls intending to steal a few bites. What a delightfully dynamic cycle of gluttony. I’ve spent a lot of time studying whales off the coast of Sri Lanka, and I am very thankful for my current situation as a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California Santa Cruz. Living here means that I get regular visits from friends wishing to escape the big city. It gives me great pleasure to take them out to see this remarkable coast. On a recent weekend, photographer and TED Senior Fellow Jon Lowenstein came to visit and his reaction to the magic was just as I had hoped – that of sheer excitement! While I remain completely blown away by the wildlife of Monterey Bay, my opinion is biased as this is my life. Hearing Jon’s reaction to the continuous feeding frenzy makes me feel like I have successfully connected one more person with the ocean. I am excited to share some of his photographs with you here, showing the beauty of the mad smorgasbord at my doorstep. Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR Photo: Jon Lowenstein / NOOR TED Senior Fellow Asha de Vos is a blue whale researcher with the The Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project and The University of California Santa Cruz. Follow her on Twitter @ashadevos. And TED Senior Fellow Jon Lowenstein is a documentary photographer and a part of the photo agency/foundation NOOR. Follow him on Instagram @jonlowenstein.