new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Simon &, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 25 of 87
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: Simon & in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
By: Kathy Temean,
on 4/24/2013
Blog:
Writing and Illustrating
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Advice,
Agent,
Interview,
opportunity,
Agent Louise Fury,
Editor & Agent Info,
HarperCollns,
L Perkins Agency,
Random House,
Simon & Schuster,
Add a tag
Louise Fury is attending the NJSCBWI June Conference and doing critiques. She is with the L. Perkins Agency that was founded in 1987 by Lori Perkins, a former newspaper publisher and editor. They specializes in many different genres. Currently there are five agents representing approximately 200 authors to the publishing industry.
The Agency has agents in 11 foreign countries and works with an established film agency. The L. Perkins agency works hard to stay ahead of the curve and makes it a priority to help their authors stay ahead of the pack. In 2010 they broke new ground by being the first (and currently ONLY) agency to hire a literary agent who works exclusively in the digital marketplace.
Louise Fury is a senior agent at the L. Perkins Agency and specializes in romance, all kids and young adult material and pop culture nonfiction. She has sold books to both traditional and electronic publishers including Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Samhain and others. Louise encourages authors to have one foot in traditional publishing and the other in the digital-first arena. Actually Louise has reported 26 deal to Publishers Marketplace during the last 12 months, which is extremely good.
Here is Louise’s Wish List.
I am looking for writers with a unique voice and an unforgettable story. I’m particularly drawn to stories with a strong protagonist.
I want delicious adult romances with creative plots, sexy liaisons and unique characters that sweep me up in their love story and leave me smiling and sighing and longing for the romance to last forever.
In Young Adult, I look for manuscripts that are written with an unforgettable voice – this can be deep, dark and gritty or literary, lyrical and emotional. Every sentence should be there for a reason, every word should matter.
The YA sci-fi, thriller and realistic/gothic horror should have a bone-deep sense of danger that haunts me from page 1 and doesn’t let go of me for days.
And I like to cry. Or laugh. I want to feel something unforgettable when I read your pages. I want manuscripts that I can’t stop thinking about.
I believe in the power of marketing and I look for authors who know how to promote themselves. I only work with people that are pleasant online, on the telephone and in person. I want an author who knows that this is a business and is a professional, who understands the value of an agent in all mediums of publishing.
To break it down further:
- Well written, emotional and touching novels for teens.
- Deep, dark contemporary YA–where the smallest of choices have the greatest of consequences.
- Select MIDDLE GRADE fiction with a literary feel– it must be realistic and thought provoking and the characters must be authentic and original.
- I love romance, especially Regency and Victorian.
- In nonfiction: humor and pop culture manuscripts.
Louise also answered some interview questions I had. Here they are:
1. Your bio states that you specialize in romance, all kids and young adult material and pop culture nonfiction. Could you tell us a little bit about what really grabs your attention in these areas?
Strong characters who take risks, push boundaries and fight for what they believe in, whether it is in a quiet dignified way that sneaks up on the reader or a stronger more obvious build that keeps our hearts pounding. I like to be emotionally shocked. Have a character break my heart and you are half way there.
2. I assume you are also interested in picture books when you say, “all kids.”
Yes. I have sold a picture book to Random House and have not found one to match its success since. But I am always looking.
3. Is there any genre that you are not drawn to, such as: fantasy, paranormal, gothic, horror, suspense, magical realism, and humor.
I am drawn to literary, moving and thought-provoking middle grade and picture book manuscripts, not light or humorous. But I am open to most things – whenever I say that I don’t want a certain genre, I am always shocked when a manuscript changes my mind. I love that!
4. Is there a common mistake that you see in the submitted stories you see?
When I get unsolicited queries, they are often for genres I do not represent. The biggest mistake is not doing enough research.
5. How often do you take on a new client?
There are times when I go for months without signing an author, but since being closed to submissions, I now only find authors through conferences, competitions and referrals. I have been very lucky to meet some amazing authors who are dedicated to honing their craft by attending conferences and learning from other writers and industry professionals.
Since 11/25/12 I have signed seven new/unpublished authors and two published authors. I am currently talking to three others.
6. Do you work with your clients to improve the story before sending to an editor?
I do a round or two of light edits, but the all these amazing authors on my list have set the bar pretty high, so new manuscripts need to very polished.
7. Are you willing to represent unpublished authors?
Absolutely. I actually seek out not-yet-published authors. I love unique, strong debut manuscripts. There is nothing better than finding that new author with a special manuscript.
8. Do you have any advice for writers who submit to you?
Follow submission guidelines. Be polite and professional at all times.
Louise believes in staying ahead of the pack by embracing change, not just adapting to it and is a huge advocate for exploring secondary rights. She’s sold audio, film and foreign rights for her clients, including a recent deal with the cable channel, STARZ. Louise, a native South African, lives in NYC, but travels to Cape Town every year, where she spends time educating South African writers, meeting with international publishers and distributing books for women and children in need.
Thank you Louise for taking the time to answer my questions and help people get to know you a little better. I am looking forward to meeting you in June.
Louise still has spots left for critiques at the NJSCBWI June Conference. If you would like to jump on this opportunity to get a critique with a highly successful agent (26 deals in the last 12 months) you only have until April 30th to register.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under:
Advice,
Agent,
Editor & Agent Info,
Interview,
opportunity Tagged:
Agent Louise Fury,
HarperCollns,
L Perkins Agency,
Random House,
Simon & Schuster 
Happy National Poetry Month! All throughout April, we will interview poets about working in this digital age. Recently, we spoke with New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins.
Hopkins (pictured, via) has been writing poetry throughout her entire life. She first established her professional writing career by penning nonfiction children’s books.
After Simon & Schuster Children’s Books published Crank in 2004, she became well-known for writing novels in verse. Many of her hit titles focus on dark topics including addiction, mental illness, and prostitution. Check out the highlights from our interview below…
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
By: Kathy Temean,
on 3/4/2013
Blog:
Writing and Illustrating
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
success,
Alexandra Copper,
Christa Heschke,
HarperCollins,
Holt Mifflan Harcourt Children's,
Simon & Schuster,
Agent,
authors and illustrators,
Editor & Agent Info,
Kudos,
Publishing Industry,
Add a tag
Sr. Editor Alexandra Copper at Simon & Schuster has moved over to HarperCollins as executive editor position. She will be working on YA and middle-grade novels and some picture books.
At HMH Children’s, Mary Wilcox has been promoted to the newly-created position of vp, editor in chief. In addition, Adah Nuchi has been promoted to associate editor.
Christa Heschke has been promoted to agent within the children’s department, handling all foreign, domestic and subsidiary rights for children’s clients while actively building her own list.
At Penguin, Katherine Tiernan McCahill has been promoted to assistant director of the digital products group.
In Canada, former senior executives at D&M Publishers Chris Labonte, Peter Cocking and Richard Nadeau have founded Figure1 Publishing, devoted to books in the art & architecture, food & wine, lifestyle, illustrated history and business book categories. The reason I point this out is because of this quote: “Our goal is to become the premier publisher of high quality illustrated books in the country.” Think Chronicle Books, or Rizzoli.” Even though they are not invloved in children’s books, it might be a good place for illustrators to query for work. Cocking has been named creative director.
*****
Hazel Mitchel who was featured on Illustrator Saturday http://wp.me/pss2W-2pf
has a new picture book “1, 2, 3, By the Sea” is available to buy on line.
Hazel is having a book give-a-way, too. Use this link for a chance to win: http://tinyurl.com/c8donqt
*****
Shannon Hitchcock debut YA book The Ballad of Jesse Pearl came out in February – Published by namelos.
www.shannonhitchcock.com
*****
If you follow this blog and would like to announce a success or book coming out, please let me know. If you sent me an e-mail and I missed it, please remind me. I get hundreds of e-mails everyday.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under:
Agent,
authors and illustrators,
Editor & Agent Info,
Kudos,
Publishing Industry,
success Tagged:
Alexandra Copper,
Christa Heschke,
HarperCollins,
Holt Mifflan Harcourt Children's,
Simon & Schuster 
By: Maryann Yin,
on 3/13/2013
Blog:
Galley Cat (Mediabistro)
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Adaptation,
Children's Books,
Simon & Schuster,
Andy Samberg,
Anna Faris,
Bill Hader,
Cody Cameron,
Erica Rivinoja,
James Caan,
John Francis Daley,
Jonathan Goldstein,
Judy Bartlett,
Kris Pearn,
Kristen Schaal,
Neil Patrick Harris,
Terry Crews,
Will Forte,
Add a tag
Sony Pictures Animation has released the official trailer for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. We’ve embedded the trailer above–what do you think?
Here’s more from Deadline: “It’s directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn from a script by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and Erica Rivinoja. Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris, Terry Crews, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Kristen Schaal, and James Caan, among others provide voices for the movie that Sony will release September 27th.”
The first movie came out back in 2009; it’s based on Judy Bartlett‘s popular picture book which shares the same title. Simon & Schuster’s Atheneum Books for Young Readers imprint published it in 1978 and also released the sequel, Pickles in Pittsburgh, in 1997. A third book entitled Planet of the Pies will hit bookstores in August 2013.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Simon & Schuster will now share piracy statistics with authors and agents.
The publisher has worked with Attributor since 2011, a company that searches millions of pages for pirated copies and sends takedown notices every day. Authors can report piracy by using the publisher’s Online Piracy Report Form to report piracy to Attributor. In a letter, Carolyn Reidy explained the new reports:
The reports that you will see provide information about the number of infringements identified and takedown notices sent to infringing sites, success rates in removing infringements, the types of sites where infringement is occurring, the specific urls and geographic distribution of sites where unauthorized copies are offered and more. (We expect that in the future we will expand upon the information currently available.) We have also provided a set of Frequently Asked Questions to increase your understanding of how piracy occurs and how we are combatting it. All the information we are providing is confidential and private, but please note that we are making the same information available to agents at the Simon & Schuster Agent Portal.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
By: Kathy Temean,
on 4/8/2013
Blog:
Writing and Illustrating
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
authors and illustrators,
Interview,
Marketing a book,
Process,
Tips,
Curriculum Guide,
Melissa Sweet,
Paula Wiseman Books,
Simon & Schuster,
Spike the Mixed up Monster,
Susan Hood,
Add a tag
Why create a Curriculum Guide for your books?
“A discussion guide and/or activity guide is a valuable way for teachers, librarians and parents to give a book more depth and breadth,” says illustrator Melissa Sweet who collaborated with me on SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER. Today, there’s more interest than ever in these guides. Why? Two words: Common Core. Educators everywhere are looking for ways to incorporate this new mandate.
And once you have a guide, it’s a win-win-win situation!
- For kids, the games, crafts and activities are fun. They encourage kids to play with ideas they’ve learned from the book and to dive deeper into the subject matter.
- For teachers, the guide helps them incorporate your book into lesson plans, especially if the guide aligns with the Common Core.
- For you, the guide increases your book’s exposure and lets you elaborate on ideas you’ve introduced. It makes a dandy handout for school and library visits and can drive traffic to your website.
What are the different kinds of guides?
Activity Guides
These offer interactive activities, such as cut-out masks, holiday cards, finger puppets, bookmarks and so on. They may include directions for games, activities, songs, recipes, and crafts.
Discussion Guides
These guides have more text, fewer cut-outs. They might provide interviews with the author and illustrator, discussion prompts, projects and extension activities. They list questions to ask kids and suggest additional books, websites and resources. See Michelle Markel and Melissa Sweet’s Discussion Guide for BRAVE GIRL.
All of the Above
Our SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER Curriculum Guide has something for everyone—pages of interactive cut-out, crayon and drawing activities for kids, plus book-related questions that align with the Common Core for educators.
How do you create a Curriculum Guide?
Talk to your publisher. More and more houses are interested in developing them. Some will work with the author and illustrator. Others will hire an outside reading specialist to write discussion questions, illustrated with pick-up art from the book.
For our book SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER, Melissa Sweet and I agreed to work on the guide together. I came up with the games and wrote the copy. (As the former Children’s Content Director of Nick Jr. Magazine, they were right up my alley!) Melissa did sketches for some pages and we used pick-up art from the book for other pages. We submitted the “manuscript” and later sketches to our editor and then worked with the Simon & Schuster marketing department to have the guide designed and copy-edited. Simon & Schuster also hired a literacy specialist, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer to add a discussion guide with questions that align to the Common Core. Tracie says, “I’ve been writing guides for 10 years. My focus is to really try to find what’s unique about the book and bring that forward for teachers to use in their classroom. The new push is the alignment with The Common Core Standards, which I’ve been trained in extensively over the last two years.”
Who pays the costs?
Sometimes the publisher, sometimes you! For my book JUST SAY BOO,
I worked with my illustrator Jed Henry to create Halloween cards, masks, paper dolls, a charades card game, and more. Jed agreed to create some original art and we used some pick-up art as well. We both donated our time and then I hired a former Nick Jr. designer, Jennifer Starr, to put it together. This is key. Without a good designer, your guide won’t look professional or be as appealing.
How long does it take?
It depends on the scope of the guide. Our SPIKE guide is 15-pages long and includes original art so the production process took several months. Guides that are mostly text or use pickup art will take less time.
How does it get distributed?
You, your illustrator and your publisher post the guide as a free downloadable PDF on your websites, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts. I also take copies along to school and library visits, conferences and other venues. To keep costs down, I might copy one or two pages, do those activities with the kids, and then provide the school the link for more. Or you can email your school contacts ahead of time and have the school download the guide before your visit.
To download the SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER Curriculum Guide, visit: www.susanhoodbooks.com
For wonderful ideas for teaching SPIKE developed by the professors of Lesley University, see http://march23rdhandout.blogspot.com/p/panel-i.html
Have more questions? To get more information about creating guides, contact Susan@susanhoodbooks.com.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under:
authors and illustrators,
Interview,
Marketing a book,
Process,
Tips Tagged:
Curriculum Guide,
Melissa Sweet,
Paula Wiseman Books,
Simon & Schuster,
Spike the Mixed up Monster,
Susan Hood 
YA author Becca Fitzpatrick has landed a deal for her “stand-alone psychological thriller” called Black Ice. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers plans to release this novel in fall 2014.
Publisher Justin Chanda negotiated the deal with Inkwell Management literary agent Catherine Drayton. At the moment, Fitzpatrick is promoting the final installment of the Hush, Hush saga, Finale. That book will hit bookstores on October 23, 2012.
Fitzpatrick (pictured, via) gave this statement in the release: “Black Ice is about a girl who backpacks the Teton Range over spring break of her senior year of high school but things go terribly wrong. Like Hush, Hush, the inspiration behind Black Ice comes from my own experiences during my teen years. It’s very satisfying to finally be working on a project that has been floating around my head for so long.”
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
The Help star Octavia Spencer inked a book deal with Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Spencer’s debut novel, Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit, is scheduled for release in fall 2013.
It is the first installment of a two-book middle grade series. Executive editor Zareen Jaffery negotiated the deal with William Morris Endeavor literary agent Andy McNichol. Jaffrey will edit the manuscript.
Here’s more from the release: “Randi Rhodes isn’t your average twelve-year-old. She’s a Brooklyn vigilante with a Tae Kwon Do black belt. But circumstances take a turn for the worse when Randi’s mother passes away and her father decides to move to the small and sleepy town of Deer Creek, Tennessee. Randi couldn’t be more unhappy—until a mystery arises: the town’s two-hundred-year-old time capsule, which is rumored to contain hidden treasure, inexplicably disappears. Randi must solve the case, as the town’s fate hangs in the balance.”
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Today's print issue of The New York Times Sunday Book Review has their list of Notable Children's Books Of 2012. There are six YA books, eleven middle grade books, and eight picture books….and I'M BORED (written by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by me) is included!! I'm about to head out this morning to hunt down a copy of The New York Times in Toronto but first, I wanted to write this post:
It's been a truly extraordinary year for me.
Not only did my very first children's book come out in bookstores, but Simon & Schuster also gave me contracts for two more books - one of which I'm also writing. I am grateful to so many people who have encouraged and supported me in the past as well as during the I'M BORED creation process, but today I'd like to mention one person in particular: Justin Chanda.
In 2010, Justin saw my portfolio in the SCBWI Summer Conference Showcase and decided that I'd be the perfect illustrator for Michael Ian Black's newest picture book. Later on (after it was too late for him to change his mind), I asked Justin more about why he picked me; you can read some of his answers in the I'M BORED Scrapbook.
Justin had never heard of me when he first approached me at the conference. He didn't know anything about my "author platform" or the fact that I had been focusing on writing up to that point ... it was all about my art. From Justin, when I asked him:
There was a sense of whimsy and definite style. I loved the assorted cast of characters, but I loved your point of view just as much. I remember there was an illustration of a robot who had lost his arm and one of a little girl looking at these tiny monsters. In both instances I got a clear sense of character, a sense of humor, and a sense of style.
Over the years, I've had a wide range of rejection letters from a wide range of children's book publishers…from the bare form letter for my early efforts up to much more personalized "we like her writing but the story's not quite there" or "we love her mss but it doesn't quite fit our list right now". I've been appreciative of all feedback and I can tell by the quality of the rejections that I've been getting much closer…. but they're still rejections. :-)
Justin Chanda was the first children's book editor to believe in me enough to offer me a contract, and I will always be grateful to him and Simon & Schuster Children's. I'M BORED has opened up other opportunities at S&S, with two more picture book contracts. Justin says he'd also be happy to take a look at anything else I've done, including my middle grade and young adult writing (YAY), so I've been working hard on some new projects.
THANK YOU, JUSTIN AND S&S CHILDREN'S, FOR TAKING A CHANCE ON ME.
I'm going to be writing a series of short gratitude posts over the coming months, thanking some of the people in my life as well as those involved with the creation of I'M BORED, but for now... I'm going out to get a print version of The New York Times Sunday Review so I can get ink on my fingers and spend way too much time marvelling at the extraordinary fact that my name is included.
Photo below was taken by my husband Jeff, when The New York Times reviewed I'M BORED back in September. Below the photo, I've posted the comic I created after reading the review.
Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books partnered with indie comics publisher Bluewater Productions to create a graphic novel entitled Killing Geronimo: The Hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
The book focuses on the Navy SEAL Team Six mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. The book has been released today. Artist James Boulton illustrated. Writers Jerome Maida and Darren G. Davis collaborated wrote the story.
Maida had this statement in the release: “This is an epic story nearly ten years in the making. It’s like a true-to-life Jason Bourne novel. And like those Ludlum books, it’s a complex labyrinth of intrigue, danger and politics culminating in an action-packed ending.” (Via CNN)
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
I was thrilled to find out that the French version of I'M BORED was available for ordering online, and then got curious about the process.
How does a picture book get translated? Are there any issues that children's book writers and illustrators need to be aware of, when working a project?
I interviewed Tracy Philips from the S&S UK Translation Rights team about the process, over the I'M BORED Scrapbook Blog.
Matthew Owen has won the Fahrenheit 451 cover design contest from Simon & Schuster and the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
The winning cover (embedded above) was revealed at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
Owen, who hails from Little Rock, AR, created a cover that beat out more than 360 submissions. Both the Simon & Schuster staff and the Bradbury estate participated in judging the entries.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Hachette Book Group, Penguin and Simon & Schuster have launched Bookish, nearly two years after the site was first announced in May 2011.
The site will recommend books and let readers shop for books. It also shares book excerpts and features essays from its editors and authors (we’ve included some excerpts below).
According to Digital Book World sources, the publishers have invested “about $16 million” in the new venture. Bookish also counted the participation of 16 other major publishers, including Random House, Inc., Scholastic, HarperCollins Publishers and Perseus Books Group.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
For more info about Kevin Sylvester:
http://kevinsylvesterbooks.com
I have been dying to share this ever since I first received the offer but now that the contracts are all negotiated and signed, it's OFFICIAL:
I am (so very very) pleased to announce that I just signed TWO (!) book contracts with Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.
One contract is to illustrate a picture book.
The other contract is to WRITE and illustrate a picture book.
To say I am excited would be a vast understatement.
Even now, I am fighting the urge to insert exclamation marks at the end of every sentence.
The good people at S&S are looking for a picture book story for me to illustrate right now (yes, RIGHT NOW). Michael Ian Black's I'M BORED was such a perfect fit for me, and I had SO much fun working on it - I can't wait to see what my next illustration project will be.
As for the picture book that I write AND illustrate: I'm very much looking forward to working again with Justin Chanda, my editor on this project. I've already sent him some ideas, and he'll be helping me choose and work on the story that ends up getting published. MY VERY FIRST OWN PICTURE BOOK!!!! Oops, accidentally let some extra exclamation marks escape there. Sorry, can't help it.
THANK YOU, JUSTIN AND GINGER!
Ginger Knowlton is my goddess of an agent.
Justin Chanda is the publisher of three flagship imprints at Simon & Schuster: Atheneum, Margaret K. McElderry Books and Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. He is crazy-enthusiastic about children's and YA books.
He was also one of the illustration portfolio showcase panel judges at the SCBWI Summer Conference in 2010 (thank you thank you, SCBWI!), where he offered me a book contract to illustrate Michael Ian Black's I'M BORED (I later asked Justin about why he picked me, and here's what he said).
I've already learned so much from Justin about the craft and business of creating children's books, and I look forward to learning more.
So much more I want to say, but it'll have to wait.
But for now, just this:
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Roberta Rich is the author of The Midwife of Venice, a vivid historical chronicling the struggles of a Jewish midwife in Venice during the 16th century. Roberta stopped by the virtual offices to introduce herself and to discuss her book.
[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Roberta Rich] Beautiful, driven, witty, thin and a liar.
[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about The Midwife of Venice?
[Roberta Rich] Hannah Levi is an accomplished midwife in the Jewish Ghetto of Venice in 1575. She is uncommonly successful with difficult births, using her own invention, “birthing spoons,” a form of forceps. Her reputation spreads outside the ghetto, and one dark night her rabbi visits her with two Christian noblemen who wish to use her services to save the life of a Christian countess.
Because the Catholic Church forbids Jews to attend Christians, her rabbi orders with her to reject the entreaties of the aristocrats. By ignoring him, she puts the people of the ghetto in peril, but for her own urgent and personal needs, she agrees to deliver the baby if the Conte will pay her enough so that she may ransom her husband Isaac, captured by pirates and enslaved on the island of Malta.
Hannah finds herself in the midst of a family plot of greed and succession. Against a backdrop of Black Plague, betrayal, and multiple murders, she must kidnap the child to keep him from being murdered.
[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Roberta Rich] First came the idea of the birthing spoons, and then I needed someone to use them and so Hannah, my midwife was born. Hannah had to have a husband, so I created Isaac. Then Hannah needed someone to hide her when she was being pursued by the authorities, and that was her sister, Jessica, a courtesan.
[Manga Maniac Café] What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Midwife of Venice?
[Roberta Rich] Devising a coherent plot is always my biggest challenge. Ideas for characters, setting and dialogue seem to flow but a plot? No.
[Manga Maniac Café] What three words best describe Hannah?
[Roberta Rich] Resourceful, bright, brave.
[Manga Maniac Café] What are three things Hannah would never have in her medical kit?
[Roberta Rich] Leeches, a crochet hook, and a pair of pliers.
[Manga Maniac Café] What is Hannah’s single most prized possession?
[Roberta Rich] Her silver birthing spoons, a rudimentary form of forceps she invented.
[Manga Maniac Café] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Roberta Rich] Reading history, especially social history- books like Centuries of Childhood by Phillip Aries or Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas
[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Roberta Rich] My computer, my dog, Stella, and peace of mind.
[Manga Maniac Café] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Roberta Rich] Get Me Out: A Brief History of Childbirth by Dr. Randi Epstein.
[Manga Maniac Café] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Roberta Rich] Little Women or, maybe, Gone With the Wind.
[Manga Maniac Café] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Roberta Rich] Ride my bike and watch movies but not at the same time.
[Manga Maniac Café] How can readers connect with you?
[Roberta Rich] If you have a book club and would like to have me appear via
I'm pleased to announce the launch of a new series of blog posts:
As some of you may already know, I'm writing and illustrating my very first picture book for Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. I'm going to be blogging about the process of creating my yet-untitled picture book, from start to finish, in Inkygirl. If you're curious about my blog posts about the creation of I'M BORED, new picture book by Michael Ian Black that I was asked to illustrate, I recommend you follow my I'M BORED Scrapbook. That blog also details how I started working with Simon & Schuster BFYR.
Because my book is still in its early stages, I won't be talking about its content at all -- not even its title, which has yet to be finalized.
Instead, I'm going to be talking about the process with a perspective that I hope will help aspiring picture book writer/illustrators. I also figure this blog post series may be of interest to those curious about what it's like to work with Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.
I'll be posting about the process, what I'm learning, what happens at various steps and what they mean, the people I interact with at S&S and what they do. I'll be sharing some of the templates I create for myself to help with workflow, plus give you a peek of what goes on inside Simon & Schuster BFYR later on in the process, after I've handed in my finals.
Keep in mind that this is going to be based on just one particular project and from one perspective (mine). Your book project may have been -- or could be -- very different, depending on the circumstances and the people involved.
My editor, Justin Chanda, has given me the go-ahead to blog about the process (thanks, Justin!). I worked with Justin on I'M BORED illustration discussions, but this will be the first time I've worked with him on story text.
I haven't yet been assigned an art director; the project is still in its very early stages.
There is no set schedule to this blog post series. I'll only post in the series if I have something useful or interesting to say. To make it easier to follow this particular thread, I'll tag related posts with "pbcreation." Whenever possible, I'll also be including related resources to help you find additional info on the topic, and will also be encouraging you all to share your own experiences.
I hope you'll join me! :-)
----
Header photo credits: My photo - Beckett Gladney, Justin's photo - Sonya Sones
  | Title: The Midwife of Venice Author: Roberta Rich Publisher: Gallery Books ISBN: 978-1451657470 |
May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
| Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothers—a gift aided by the secret “birthing spoons” she designed. But when a count implores her to attend to his wife, who has been laboring for days to give birth to their firstborn son, Hannah is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but the payment he offers is enough to ransom her beloved husband, Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can Hannah refuse her duty to a suffering woman? Hannah’s choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the baby and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life. Not since The Red Tent or People of the Book has a novel transported readers so intimately into the complex lives of women centuries ago or so richly into a story of intrigue that transcends the boundaries of history., |
Review:
After reading this book, I wonder how anybody survived childbirth in the 16th century. Ugh! I found this historical drama about Hannah, a Jewish midwife, fascinating, and couldn’t put it down. I didn’t find the chapters chronicling Isaac’s captivity on Malta as compelling, but I did find that their alternating POV worked well for this novel.
Hannah is a Jewish midwife living in the Jewish ghetto of Venice. Her husband, Isaac, has been captured by at sea while trying to make a fortune trading, and is waiting in Malta to be ransomed. Desperate to free her beloved husband and have him returned to her, Hannah agrees to help a wealthy Christian deliver a baby, despite the Papal edict prohibiting Jews from rendering medical aid to Christians. Immediately at odds with the Rabbi, Hannah’s decision could bring disaster to the ghetto. The Christians don’t need much of an excuse to bring death to the Jews, but Hannah is determined to earn the money to free her husband.
The first few chapters of this book are INTENSE. Hannah is willing to put the lives of everyone in the ghetto on the line to deliver the Contessa’s baby, and she is going to need a miracle if both mother and baby are to survive. Lucia has been in labor for days, and is bleeding uncontrollably. The baby is turned and won’t survive for much longer. Hannah has a terrible choice to make; save the mother or save the infant? This entire scene had me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t stop reading until I learned the outcome. The thought of Hannah having to use the crochet was just horrifying! And the thought that her contemporaries believed
Happy to hear that Judy Blume's FOREVER is finally available in digital format. I remember reading this book as a teenager for the first time, riddled with guilt (I had a religious upbringing) but totally fascinated, whispering about it with my friends in school.
It was the first book I'd ever read that dealt so frankly with the physical changes and feelings of teenaged years. I was lucky enough to hear Judy speak at the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA last year - what a down-to-earth, productive and generous woman!
From Shelf-Awareness.com:
Readers may discuss and share memories about Forever (or any Judy Blume book) using the Twitter hashtag #JudyBlumeForever. If you include the phrase "@Judy Blume's Forever is finally available as an eBook" on your Facebook page, it will automatically post to
Lisa Luedeke is the author of Smashed, which releases today from Margaret K. McElderry Books. Lisa stopped by the virtual offices to introduce herself and chat about her new book.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Lisa Luedeke] Yoga- loving
Mama-doting
Can’t get her face out of a book;
Loves her quiet, her woods, her lake,
Her family & friends,
Just give her that writing time
And all will be fine.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Smashed?
[Lisa Luedeke] Sure. It’s really a story about trying to fill a hole in your life, in your emotional life, and making the wrong choices as you try to do that. Katie’s dad, an alcoholic, abandoned her family when she was twelve, and her mother is never around. She’s basically on her own, with the help of a couple of good friends, and a mentor in her high school field hockey coach, but it’s not enough. After she gets involved with bad-boy Alec, Katie tries to get herself back on track, but one night she makes a mistake she can’t take back, and when lies follow to cover it up, things get out of control.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Lisa Luedeke] When I was seventeen, I was in a terrifying car accident. My best friend and I were asked by a teacher to go on a school errand. We were in my friend’s car and he was driving. It was a cold, wet, November day, and a slushy snow was building up on windy back road in Maine. My friend was a careful driver; we were only going 30 miles an hour—I remember looking at the speedometer. But as we were going around a corner, the slush took hold of the wheels of the car and pulled us into the other lane, just as a car was coming toward us. My friend tried to gain control of the car, to get us back on our side of the road, and we started to turn in the right direction. The last thing I remember was thinking we were going to miss that car by an inch…When I came to, there was blood splattered down the front of my sweater and I thought my friend might be dead.
We were both fine, but that moment wouldn’t leave me for many years. Writing about a difficult time can be cathartic, but I didn’t want to write about that accident. I have no interest in writing memoir. And that particular incident didn’t have the characteristics of a compelling story—it was simply bad luck, bad timing, bad weather.
So I began to do what-ifs…What if an accident was someone’s fault? What if the driver was drunk? And what if the passenger, who was hurt, was not a friend, but someone the driver didn’t even like? Someone she was trying to get away from? As I asked these questions, a situation emerged that interested me, and that’s what I need—a situation that is complex enough to keep me interested as a writer. Then I ask myself, who would find themselves in this particular situation? For me, characters emerge from conflict.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Katie?
[Lisa Luedeke] Self-reliant
Lonely
Tough
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Alec would never have in his pocket?
[Lisa Luedeke] A love note
Bubble gum
A coupon
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Katie’s single most prized possession?
[Lisa Luedeke] Her field hockey stick
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Lisa Luedeke] First, the natural world. I think and write best while I’m hiking or walking in the countryside near my home. When I’m out there, I problem solve my current story. Mull over whatever it is that I’m struggling with. Everyth
Congrats to everyone! I was honored to have had a critique with Alexandra. She’s such a lovely person. I wish her luck!
Fresh from winning a gold medal at London 2012, Olympian Alex Morgan has landed a 3-book deal with Simon & Schuster’s Books for Young Readers (SBYR). The American soccer star will be penning her debut middle-grade series, The Kicks.
55 attorney generals from different states, districts and U.S. territories 
Three publishers will drop the agency model that kept eBook prices the same across all marketplaces, and the eBook price wars have already commenced. PaidContent confirmed yesterday that HarperCollins 
After 
I really appreciate the agent posts, Kathy.