Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Most popular posts 2011- Andrew Karre - Editorial Director - Carolrhoda Books

Andrew Karre was one of my first-page editors at the Santa Barbara Mission retreat this year.  He was smart, funny and had great insights into all the manuscripts. Andrew also is a blogger and gave us some wonderful promotion tips. It was a pleasure to meet Andrew Karre and get an interview for the  blog.

When and why did you become a children’s book editor?

I began working on children’s books in 2003 (I think).  I did not set out to work on kids’ books. I wanted to be an editor, but I wasn’t picky about the category initially. Once I started editing and acquiring YA, though, I knew kidlit was my calling. When I moved to a position that allowed me to do picture books, middle grade and YA, I thought I’d gone to heaven.

Most popular posts 2011- Grace Maccarone - Editor/Author - Holiday House

I met Grace Maccarone, editor at Holiday House, at the Santa Barbara Mission retreat in 2011. She was one of my first-page editors. I was struck by her kindess, humor and insight.  I am so pleased that Grace agreed to be interviewed for the blog.

When and why did you become a children’s book editor?
 
Because I love, love, love kids’ books and kids. I began my career in magazines, then shifted over to books. That happened in the mid-eighties.

Editor Deborah Halverson - Writing Tip of the Day

I met editor/author Deborah Halverson last summer when I was on the faculty of the SCBWI summer conference. She has written a number of teen novels and  just completed her book "Writing YA for Dummies," scheduled for release in June 2011. Based on the great revision tip she gives us here, I'd say if you are writing YA, buy her "Dummies" book!

Editor Julie Amper - All the World's a Stage

My good buddy, prolific author Gretchen Wolfe, has come out with a new book, All the World's a Stage, a novel in five acts. She was kind enough to introduce me to her Holiday House editor, Julie Amper, who agreed to give an interview for the blog.

Gretchen Wolfe’s All the World’s a Stage is a novel in five acts.  What challenges do you face marketing and promoting this book?

As an editor, I leave the marketing and promoting of our list to our marketing department. I can only assume that one of the major challenges is the sheer number of titles published each year and the struggle to garner attention for any one book. Traditionally, historical fiction requires some niche marketing and certainly ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE suggests strong classroom appeal as well.

Ventura/Santa Barbara SCBWI Retreat 2011

For many years, the RA for our local SCBWI chapter, Alexis O'Neill, has put together fabulous weekend retreats at the old Santa Barbara Mission. In the past I have attended retreats that featured cyber promotion, novels, picture books and social media. Being immersed in the intense workshops offered always leaves me feeling refreshed and energized. This year was no exception.

In four core editor groups, we critiqued our manuscripts all day Saturday with Andrew Karre (Lerner Publishing Group), Melanie Kroupa (Marshall Cavedish), Grace Maccarone (Holiday House) and Brenda Murray (Scholastic Nonfiction). For the remainder of the weekend, we rotated out of our core groups to present first pages with the other three editors.

This annual retreat attracted many published writers from across the country and offered the unpublished writers a chance to submit to editors whose doors would normaly be closed. A big thank you to all the editors and hats off to Alexis O'Neill, who always puts on a bang-up event!

Congrats to Harold Underdown

Congratulations to my good buddy, editor at large Harold Underdown, for becoming part of the Highlights Foundation team of instructors.  Harold has the famous Purple Crayon website that deals with all sorts of information on Children's publishing and is author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing."  Highlights Foundation offers many workshops with amazing professionals.  Here is the information and link for Harold's workshop:http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/Founders_Workshops_2011/Founders_Workshops.html

Webinar - Nailing your First Chapter - Mark McVeigh

I am often asked if my agent, the fabulous Mark McVeigh, will be teaching any webinars soon. I am happy to say he is. Mark plans to teach one on nailing your first chapter. What I've always loved about Mark, when he was my editor and now that he is my agent, is his fresh view and specific comments. He is a pleasure to work with and an excellent teacher.

The webinar is offered through Yalitchat, a great site for YA writers.  Here are the specifics for "Nailing Your First Chapter." Mark will be giving the same webinar four times, twice in December (1 pm EST and 4 PM EST on December 8) and twice in January (1 PM EST and 4 PM EST January 11). You have to join yalitchat to participate, but the basic membership is free. The button is on the right side of the page at http://yalitchat.ning.com. The fee for the webinar is $100.

Editor Lynne Polvino - Blog Tour - Jimi, Sounds Like a Rainbow

I am so impressed with this new picture book, Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow, by Gary Golio with art by Javaka Steptoe.  It is about the late guitar player Jimi Hendrix as a boy, and it is just marvelous.  The beautiful art and the story made me want to run and play some Hendrix. I was also intrigued as to how and why this story was told.  I am so pleased to be part of the Jimi Blog Tour with an interview with Clarion editor, Lynne Polvino, who answered those questions and more. (Leave a comment for book giveaway raffle.)

Jimi Hendrix seems an unlikely subject for a picture book. What intrigued you about this story?

My mother is a music professor and I grew up surrounded by and loving all kinds of music, including rock, so it made sense to me that kids would be interested in a story about the childhood of one of the most famous and influential guitar players of all time.

Editor Marilyn Brighman - Ogg & Bob Blog Tour

I am pleased to be part of the Ogg & Bob blog tour.  My buddy, prolific author/illustrator Mary Ann Fraser, and her son, author Ian Fraser, wrote and illustrated this new series about the adventures of cave boys Ogg & Bob. What a hoot these chapter books are--and perfect for reluctant readers.

For each day of the tour, Mary Ann Fraser will be  giving away an original piece of art from Ogg and Bob to a randomly selected commenter. So follow the tour and be sure to comment to enter. Winners will be announced on Monday October 18, so be sure to check back to Mary Ann's blog to see if you have won.

I am thrilled to interview Mary Ann and Ian's editor Marilyn Brighman from Marshal Cavendish.

Ogg & Bob is a wacky look at cave boy life, and unusual because the illustrator and the author are mother and son.  With that in mind, what challenges and advantages were there?

Marshall Cavendish loves developing new talent, and it was fun to work with a young, creative, first-time author like Ian. Usually a new author will have to be coached a bit in the ways of the marketplace because they’re new to the field. In this case I didn’t really need to, because Mary Ann, his mom and the artist of these books, is already established in the field and took care of that.

Editor Katherine Tegen - Floating on Mama's Song Blog Tour

I am happy to be on one of the stops for the Floating on Mama's Song Blog Tour.  The lyrical picture book by Laura Lacámara, with illustrations by Yuyi Morales, is a beautiful tale.  A single mother is lifted off the ground by her songs.  I was lucky to get the book's editor, Katherine Tegen, to give me an interview about why she acquired the book, the state of promotion and, of course, her favorite dessert. (The tour continues tomorrow with an interview with illustrator Yuyi Morales on Latino baby book club at René Colato Lainez. Keep reading for info on the tour & giveaways.)

What qualities in the manuscript Floating on Mama’s Song intrigued you enough to acquire it?

I have a special desire to publish Latina talent, perhaps because I am part Hispanic myself.  I grew up hearing the stories of my grandmother who was from Puerto Rico, stories that depicted a rich culture that was kind of magical, and so very different from my suburban American life.

Most Popular Posts 2009 - Laurent Linn - Art Director - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

I met Laurent Linn several years ago at the SCBWI National Conference and I was struck by his kindness, generosity and humor.  He is a great friend to the SCBWI, participating in portfolio reviews, workshops and roundtable discussions.  I am also a great admirer of his work as a designer.  It gives me great pleasure to interview Laurent Linn.

When and why did you start art directing for children?

My entire career has been involved in children’s worlds. I didn’t set out to do that, it just evolved that way. Perhaps because I’ve never grown up (and don’t plan to), so I’ve basically worked on projects that interest me.

Most Popular Posts - 09 - Kathy Landwehr - Vice President - Peachtree Publisher

 I met Kathy Landwehr at the Ventura/Santa Barbara Mission picturebook retreat this year.  Kathy was gracious and generous with her critiques of first pages.  I am always pleased to interview an editor.  I give you Kathy Landwehr.

When and why did you become an editor for children’s books?

I started working at Peachtree in 1990, but in publicity and marketing. I moved over to editorial and production in 1995 in a managerial role and starting acquiring titles in 2001. And that’s when I felt I’d really found my home, even though I loved my time at Peachtree before that as well.

Suzanne Pfefferle - Pelican Publishing Company Publicist

Suzanne Pfefferle, publicist for Pelican Publishing Company, contacted me about a blog tour for one of her authors.  I agreed to participate and she agreed to be interviewed!

In these tough economic times, what can authors/illustrators do to help the publicity department promote their books?

There are several ways an author can generate publicity for their book on a limited budget. The first thing they should do is create a website, begin a blog, or join a social network. Everyone is online these days, so creating a presence on the web is a great way to generate buzz for a book.

My Editor, Steve Meltzer

I was recently in New York and had the opportunity to meet with my fabulous editor, Steve Meltzer of Dutton. He showed me around the Dutton offices and took me to lunch. I had my video camera with me and managed to get him to sit down to answer a few questions for the blog. He had lovely things to say about the SCBWI.

Alice Pope - Editor, Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market

I've  seen Alice Pope for many years at the SCBWI National conferences.  Last year I attended a fun and informative round-table discussion on marketing research that she chaired. For the past fifteen years Alice has been editor for Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market.  I am proud to say that I will have an article on blog tours and book promotion in the 2010 edition.  Alice also writes a very hip kidlit blog, Alice's CWIM Blog.

When did the annual book Children’s Writer's and Illustrator's Market first come out?
 
My company began publishing CWIM in 1989. After publishing Writer’s Market since the 1920s, they began to focus on some niche markets and children’s publishing was one of them.

Kate Fletcher - Candlewick

Kate Fletcher was my core group editor at the Santa Barbara Mission retreat in January.  She was funny, kind and gave great feedback on everyone's picture book manuscripts.  I also had the opportunity to hang out with her at the Saturday night party and discuss our favorite books of the year.  I am so pleased to interview Kate Fletcher.

When and why did you start editing for children?

After I completed the Columbia Publishing Course in 2003, I interviewed with the President and Publisher at Candlewick Press. Visiting the office and learning more about Candlewick made me want to be a part of creating books for children.

The Ali Forney Center

Charities are really hurting in this economy, so I was pleased that my former editor, Mark McVeigh, emailed me about a worthwhile charity that he helps lead.  The Ali Forney Center finds housing for LGBT youths in New York City.   The mission of the charity is to help LGBT youths feel safe and become independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.

Here is the email from Mark:"The Ali Forney Center is the only organization of its kind in NYC and we desperately need the help of individual donors. We constantly reach out to City, State and Federal funds—all of which have contributed—but it is donors like yourselves who make a difference. As a new board member, I’m doing my best to  make sure as many people know about this worthwhile organization and consider a donation, no matter how small."

Most Popular Posts 2008 - Carolyn Yoder - Editor

Like most children's book authors, I have files full of rejection letters. Some broke my heart.  Some pissed me off.  Just a couple encouraged me to continue.  One good rejection letter I received was from Calkins Creek editor, Carolyn Yoder.  Even though she did not buy my manuscript on Mount Rushmore, she took the time to write me a two page critique.  I want to thank her publicly for that encouragement. I am thrilled that Carolyn Yoder agreed to be interviewed.

When and why did you become a children’s book editor?

Well, that’s interesting. I was working in Boston, in scholarly publishing, and basically answered an ad for an editor at a small children’s magazine publisher.

Tim Gillner - Art Director

I met Tim Gillner at last year at SCBWI Ventura Writer's Day. I was the portfolio coordinator so I brought him talented illustrators all day long.  He also gave a wonderful speech and slide show about his house, Boyds Mills Press.
I am delighted that he agreed to be interviewed.


When and why did you become involved in art directing for children’s books?

I became art director of Boyds Mills Press in 1991. Why, is a little tougher to answer. I had worked in children's publishing for 15 or so years prior to that. I guess it is just the natural progression of my field.

Editor - Steve Meltzer

When Stephanie Owens Lurie, President and Publisher of Dutton Children's Books, e-mailed me that my editor had left and she had assigned me a new one, I must admit I was a little nervous.  I had heard countless stories of orphan books that never see the light of day.  But I had no reason to worry and I want to publicly thank Stephanie, because she gave me the wonderful Steve Meltzer.  He is attentive, he is creative and he is just a blast to work with.  So I am delighted that my editor, Steve Meltzer, agreed to be interviewed for the blog.


When and why did you become a children’s book editor?

The bigger question is when did I enter the wonderful world of publishing. That was in 1985 when I started as an inventory analyst for a book club. I went from there into educational sales and then became an editor in 1999.