Sixth-grade students in Clarissia Tijerina’s writing class at Bluffton-Harrison Middle School had the unique opportunity this fall to write, create, publish, and sell their own books as part of National Young Author’s Fair USA 2023.
Tijerina says the idea came from an email Superintendent Brad Yates sent to staff about the opportunity. Students had been learning in Tijerina’s class about fractured fairy tales, which changed the point of view of classic fairy tales. Some students incorporated that lesson into their books, while others created new projects.
For Tijerina, it’s about giving the students the tools and empowering their voices to write. Every year, she tries to find ways to encourage students to take their writing and give it more purpose. When students completed their required in-class work, this was an optional project they could participate in. Most students completed their stories independently at home, but could also work on them in their free time once work was done.
“Every year I try to take something out of the classroom that gives more meaningful purpose to their writing, other than a grade. I want them to understand that their voice matters,” Tijerina says.
Twenty-seven students and Tijerina have published their books with a combined total of 44 books. Some students wrote two or three books. Copies will be purchased for the BHMS library under a “Student Published Authors” section.
“I enjoy writing books for others to read. It was fun to use my imagination and to share that with others,” Renley Hurst explained.
Tijerina says the BriBooks program is easy to use. Students can type or talk to text straight onto the page, and get feedback in real-time on grammar and spelling. They can also select from a large bank of graphics to illustrate their books. The books feature a biography and photo of the authors on the back cover, just like any other published book.
“It was a pretty easy process,” student Naomi Dailey says. “They were very good at helping us fix grammar errors. It was a fun and exciting experience. It is a cool opportunity to publish our book and sell it online.”
Tijerina fully vetted each book before signing off on them. After the books were completed, they were listed on Amazon for purchase — and students get royalties for each book sold. The program is free for students to use, and BriBooks also waived the fees associated with obtaining ISBNs for the students’ books.
“Seeing the pride on the students’ faces, as they bring me their books,” Tijerina says, “makes this teacher very proud. They have done an amazing job!”
Students are currently in the promotion portion of the project. Book promotion is until Dec. 17. Currently, nearly 100 student books have already been sold. A few students will present excerpts of their books to the BHMSD school board on Monday, Dec. 18.
Search for books by author’s name or book title, and check for sale updates at: https://www.yaf.bribooks.com/us/dashboard) Awards are available to the top 10 “Best Seller” winners.
