Editor Julie Amper - All the World's a Stage - Summer Editor Archives

This summer I'm re-posting favorite posts from my editor interview archives. Here is  a great one with Julie Amper.

My good buddy, prolific author Gretchen Woelfle, 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 Woelfe’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.

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

I stumbled into the field quite unwittingly. A recent graduate from college with a degree in English, publishing seemed a likely field to explore, and I was fortunate to land a job in the Children’s Book Department at Macmillan under the brilliant direction of Susan Hirschman. Her passion for children’s books was contagious, and once hooked, I never looked back.

With publishing houses in flux and the economy still in the tank, what can authors do to help promote their books?

Work closely with the publisher’s marketing department, coordinating efforts. Do not launch any self-promotion without consulting with the publisher first.

What are you looking for in a manuscript or portfolio?

A voice, a vision.

What is your favorite dessert and why?

Chocolate soufflé. I love the taste and the memories it evokes of my childhood. It was what I chose when my mother asked what kind of birthday cake I wanted each year.
 
Julie Amper has worked in the children’s book publishing field since graduation from college. She began her career at Macmillan and has worked at Dutton, Holt, Simon & Schuster and North-South Books. She is now Consulting Editor at Holiday House, focusing on middle grade and young adult fiction. She lives on the North Fork of Long Island.

Comments

[Harry Bloom]

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[buy essay]

Hope you can write more children's books and novels.

[Deb Marshall]

Thanks for this! Vision and voice...I like that. And do you know, I've never had a chocolate souffle?? Now, off to check out Gretchen's books! _Love_ the title.

[Mary Ann Dames - Reading, Writing, and Recipes]

It is always interesting to me the number of editors who mention they "sort of" stumbled into the world of children's literature when job hunting. Wish I could remember names of others I've heard say the same basic thing.

[Shannon O'Donnell]

Great interview! I especially loved the last question. LOL. :-)

[Myra from GatheringBooks]

This is the first editor-interview that I have read in the blogosphere! Very often, the editors' voices are not heard as much as they should be - it's really interesting that you've shared this with us. Gave me more ideas of people to interview for our site!

And yeah, chocolate souffle rocks! =)

[Barbara Krasner]

Thanks, Tina. Here's a link to an interview with Marcie Greenfield Simons, Director of The PJ Library that selects and distributes books for 80,000 Jewish families across the country. http://wp.me/pUBjo-cI