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Our Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman sold their BLONDE OPS, pitched as The Devil Wears Prada meets James Bond for teens, featuring a fashion magazine intern in Rome who uncovers a plot to kidnap the First Lady, to Kat Brzozowski and Peter Joseph at Thomas Dunne Books, for publication in 2014, by Natalie Fischer Lakosil at the Bradford Literary Agency (World).  Congratulations Nat and Char!

Liza Royce Agency just sold two picture books written by Tori Corn.  I wonder which one will be considered her debut book?  Way to go, Tori!

At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Angela Zurlo has been promoted to production manager for the Books for Young Readers and Paul Wiseman imprints, effective June 1. Navah Wolfe and Julia Maguire have been promoted to associate editor, BFYR. In addition, Richard Ackoon moves up to executive coordinator, Laura Roode has been promoted to associate art director, and Krista Olsen moves up to design associate.

Today’s the last day to send in your first page inspired by Kathleen Kemly’s May’s Picture Prompt. You will find Agent Melissa Sarver critiques of four submissions on next Friday’s post. Kathleen’s art work was featured on Illustrator Saturday a few weeks ago. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/illustrator-saturday-kathleen-kemly/

Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “May 26th First Page Prompt” in the subject line.

ILLUSTRATORS: Here is your chance to show off a little. I am looking any subject matter as long as it has a few flowers in the illustration. I will post some as they come in during the month, but I will definitely post all by May 31st, so I need to receive your illustrations no later than May 25th. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and includes a blurb about you and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “May Illustration” in the subject box.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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For the last three years we have held dinners during June, July and August with the editors, agents, and art directors in the children’s publishing industry at various nice restaurants in New York City.  These dinners are open to any SCBWI member.  Since writers visit NYC to meet with their publishers and also visit the city with their families, we have had members from Australia, Canada, and from all over the US, join us.

Over the years I have made friends with many editors and agents and enjoy their company so much that I was inviting them out to dinner, just for fun. That’s when I thought I should open this up to writers and illustrators to help them get to know the wonderful people in our industry.

The dinners run around $130 - nice restuarants with private rooms cost a good amount of money in NYC.  I’d like to say we make money on these dinner, but our goal is to break even at the end of the night. 

So what do we do at these dinners?  Is there a workshop or program before or after the dinners?

The dinners are just a way to make friends and network with the editors and agents invited.  They are set up to provide some time before dinner for everyone to mingle and socialize, then once we sat down and have orders, we go around the table and introduce ourselves.  Each person talks a few minutes about what they are working on and their industry goals.  The rest of dinner is getting to know the editors and/or agents seated next to you.  We switch the editors/agents around when it is time for dessert, to maximize your interaction with them.

No one brings a manuscript or book dummy to the dinner.  Illustrators can bring a postcard to give to the editors or agents and they can bring a small portfolio, but they can only show it after dinner if they are asked by and editor or agent to see it.

Already this year, members are asking me if we are going to do the dinners again this summer.  So with the New York City SCBWI’s approval, we are going to have a few Networking Dinners again this year.  I have not set up the restaurants, so the prices are also not set up.  I have sent out the dates to the editors and agents, so I have listed the dates below, in case you want to mark your calendars.

Space is limited, since only two people can attend for each industry professional.  Plus, we are also having less dinners this year.

Here are the dates and the editors/agents, so far, who have committed to a date:

June 26th – Agent Melissa Sarver – Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency

July 24th – Agent John Cusick – Scott Treimel Literary Agency

July 25th – Agent Sean McCarthy – Sheldon Folgeman Literary Agency

Aug. 14th – Editor Heather Alexander from Dial BFYR

If you know you want to attend a dinner on a certain date, you can e-mail me to get on the list, now.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy