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Hi everyone!

The illustrator I had scheduled for today did not get the interview questions into me, so since I usually pick my favorites for the first half of the year in June, I decided to post those illustrations a few weeks early. I have provided the link to each illustrator’s featured post, so you can link over if you missed visiting on their Saturday and to make it easy for you to see if you would have chosen a different picture. Believe me it’s not easy to pick just one illustration when so many are exceptional. I listed them in chronological order.

MICHELLE HENNINGER

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/illustrator-saturday-michelle-henninger/

ANA OCHOA

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/illustrator-saturday-ana-ochoa/

SUZANNE KAUFFMAN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/illustrator-saturday-suzanne-kauffman/

BOB MCMAHON

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/illustrator-saturday-bob-mcmahon/

CAROL HEYER

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/illustrator-saturday-carol-heyer/

KAREN LEE

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/illustrator-saturday-karen-lee/

JENNIFER THERMES

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/illustrator-saturday-jennifer-thermes/

MICHAEL DOOLING

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/illustrator-saturday-michael-dooling/

WENDY MARTIN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/illustrator-saturday-wendy-martin/

ELISABETH ALBA

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/illustrator-saturday-elisabeth-alba/

MIKE CRESSY

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/illustrator-saturday-mike-cressy/

MELANIE HOPE-GREENBERG

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/22/illustrator-saturday-melanie-hope-greenberg/

LYN STONE

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/illustrator-saturday-lyn-stone/

CHRISTOPHER DENISE

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/illustrator-saturday-christopher-denise/

DANA MARTIN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/illustrator-saturday-dana-martin/

ERIC FREEBERG

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/illustrator-saturday-eric-freeberg/

OMAR ARANDA

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/illustrator-saturday-omar-aranda/

DENISE CLEMMENSEN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/illustrator-saturday-denise-clemmensen/

ALISON JAY

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/illustrator-saturday-alison-jay/

Let me know if you would have picked other illustrations. Hope you have a great long weekend, kicking off summer.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

For all you writers and illustrators who have days where you feel like the publishing industry could make you stop, scream and pull their hair out, this cute illustration sent in by Julia Rosenbaum is for you. 

Julia has always wanted to be a children’s book writer/illustrator…and so she went to law school. A few years after that interesting episode in her life, she learned how to use Photoshop and became a graphic designer. She is now working on her original dream: writing picture book manuscripts and creating illustrations. You can find her online at juliadraws.com and on Twitter @julia_draws.

Here are a few more Answers to the Questions you sent in and the answers from the Writer’s Retreat the other weekend with Agent Sean McCarthy and Associate Publisher at Penguin Putnam, Steve Meltzer.

1. Because agents now often don’t respond if they aren’t interested in a query, that makes almost imperative to send simultaneous queries. Is ten to a dozen too many to send out at once?

The consensus was to send ten queries at a time. No one thought you should send one query at a time and wait to hear back before sending your work out to someone else. Here are my thoughts about other similar questions I get asked: You may get five agents asking to see your full manuscript from the query letters you send out. Some may ask for an exclusive submission. If they do, you will need to way their request against the other agents. That exclusive submission request might throw that agent out of the running or they might be at the top of your list of agents you would want to represent you. If they are, then make sure you find out how long they expect to have an exclusive for your manuscript.

Is this amount of time acceptable? It may be, but now you know how to proceed. I personally think six weeks would be my limit, other people may be willing to wait three months. As long as both of you are on the same page it should work.

What if you send out your full manuscript to five agents or editors and one gets saying they are interested, before you say yes to them representing you and blow off the others, you should email saying you haven’t heard back from them and another agent is interested in offering you representation. Many agents appreciate you letting them know so they can pull your manuscript out of the pile to see if they are interested in your story. No need to do this if an agent stated up front that if you haven’t heard back in three weeks they are not interested.

Say you submit to an agent who turns around and works with you, offers a lot of advice that you use when revising your manuscript, and asks to see it again, IMO, you should make sure you resubmit the manuscript to them, before offering it to another agent.

If you have submitted the manuscript to editors, you should always make sure the agent offering representation knows who has seen it right up front. You don’t want to get in the position of signing a contract with the agent and then have them say they didn’t know it had been read by numerous editors in the industry. They might be thinking they could sell it to the same people you already sent it to. Now you have someone who doesn’t want to work with you and may even cancel the contract with you. Supposed this happens after you have turned down another agent who was interested in your work. Now you have lost out on two agents at one time. Oh yes, this can happen and it doesn’t matter if the agent should have asked these questions, you are now the one who is on the losing end of this scenario.

2. What’s the best way to label a manuscript/book that falls on the borderline between middle grades and young adult? (Think ages 10 to 14. For example, I’m talking about a horsey book, and that is the age at which the most girls are the most horse-crazy, and the best time to market such a book to them.) Would agents/editors want to see it called upper middle grades? Tween?

Sean McCarthy and Steve Meltzer said don’t put MG or YA in the query, put the age group and let them decide where it fits. The other idea you can use is to go to the book store and peruse the shelves. Where would the store shelve your book? What are the titles of the other books on that shelf? You could include a couple in your query letter.

3. What amount of books do you need to sell to have a publisher think your book was successful?

The general number was 20,000 copies, but it could be lower. It depends on the amount of your advance and the projected amount of sales the publisher expects after all there meetings and calculations. As Steve pointed out, a publisher who expects to sell a million copies of a book and only sells 600,000 copies might consider that book a failure. While a book that they projected 10,000 sales and sells 20,000, might be considered a great success.

4. I read on your blog to only use one space between each sentence in your manuscript. I had someone tell me they have asked editors and were told it was okay. Would you double check with Sean McCarthy and Steve Meltzer on this?

I did and both said it would not stop them from reading your manuscript. But I will not tell you that not doing this is okay, because I am trying to get you to do things according to the standard. My goal is to tell you how to do things that will make sure no one will find fault with. If 50% or even 20% of the editors and agents could pick up your manuscript and go on to the next on sitting on their desk because of the extra space, then I say, “Let’s do it right, so you are only judged on the content of your writing.” Over the years, I know little things can make a big difference.

5. I never heard of using capital letters the first time a character is mentioned in a synopsis. Would you ask about that at your retreat?

This is another one that would not stop Sean and Steve from reading your synopsis. I had said that I didn’t think this was a deal breaker when I told you how to format  your synopsis, but again that is the standard. It makes it easier for the editor or agent to read, which shows you care about them and that you approach your writing as a professional who knows the industry.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Recently, I have been thinking about e-readers and wondering what they bring to the table.  I know I am late to this new trend, but since I am a gadget person, I started thinking maybe I was wrong to diss them without really trying one.  

Of course, no one wants to put out and couple hundred dollars in this economy, unless you are sure you are going to be happy with your purchase.  So I thought some of you may have tried out the Kindle or the Nook and would be able to give me your thoughts.

I do like books and really don’t want to give them up, but I think you can make notes and highlight on the readers, which sounds like a good thing. 

I find myself wanting to make notes, but not wanting to mess up my hardcover, autographed copy.  Then when I want to point out something in the book, I have a hard time finding the sentence that makes my point.  I would think an e-reader would help.

Hope some of you will weigh in to help.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy