Excellent information from Elizabeth Law about following up with an editor or agent.

The Art of Following Up

Here’s a great story in Publishers Weekly about the TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, which was published 25 years ago.

My kids loved this book!

The True (25th Anniversary) Story of the Three Little Pigs.

From Publisher’s Lunch:

At Little, Brown Children’s, Alvina Ling has been promoted to vp, editor-in-chief, overseeing the publishing program (excluding licensing). Pam Gruber moves up to senior editor; and Allison Moore is now associate editor.

I conduct several writing workshops throughout the year at the Pearl S. Buck House in Perkasie, Pa.

For 2015, I’ll be conducting a Write a Novel in a Year workshop, and a Writing Revision workshop.

From the site:

Each Fall, Aaron’s Books – the indie bookstore in Lancaster County, PA –  hosts a festival in historic downtown Lititz, celebrating the best in children’s and Young Adult literature.

Event Schedule and more information is here.

Here’s the list of authors who are attending:

Jennifer Holm

Tom Angleberger

David Levithan

Cece Bell

Caroline Carlson

Kit Grindstaff

John Kloepfer

Matt Phelan

Mara Rockliff

Courtney Sheinmel

Eric Wright

A.S. King

Alec Shane of Writers House

He is seeking: Alec is now aggressively building his own list. On the nonfiction side, Alec would love to see humor, biography, history (particularly military history), true crime, “guy” reads, and all things sports. “What I’m looking for in fiction: mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, historical fiction, literary fiction, and books geared toward young male readers (both YA and MG). What I’m not looking for: Romance (paranormal or otherwise), straight sci-fi, high fantasy, picture books, self-help, women’s fiction, food, travel memoir.”

From his Publishers Marketplace page:

I began my career at Writers House as an intern in September of 2008 and simply refused to leave, so I was given the wonderful job of Assistant to Jodi Reamer. And while I continue to work under Jodi’s careful tutelage, I am now also in the process of actively building my own list and currently represent a fairly eclectic mix of Children’s and Adult fiction and nonfiction. I’m eagerly looking for both.

On the fiction side, I love mysteries, thrillers, bad-ass protagonists with a chip on their shoulders, beautifully told historical fiction (The Vietnam War, the Maccabees, and The American Revolution fascinate me in particular),well-researched adventure stories, and great horror – I haven’t been scared to turn off the light in far too long and something needs to be done about it. In terms of children’s books, getting boys to read again is especially important to me, and thus I’m particularly on the lookout for a fun middle-grade adventure series, ghost story, or anything else geared toward younger male readers.

On the nonfiction side, I’m attracted to odd, quirky histories, biographies of people I didn’t even know existed (but definitely should have), “guy” reads, humor, narrative nonfiction that sheds light on under-the-radar events and lifestyles, and all things sports. I’m also currently up in the air as to whether or not I believe in ghosts, hauntings, and the supernatural, so if you have something that can convince me one way or the other, I’d love to see it.

Submission information is available on his Publishers Marketplace page

Writers House (Alec does not appear on the list of agents yet)

Alec’s Twitter: @alecdshane

Hat tip: Guide to Literary Agents

Rick Margolis, previously Executive Editor of School Library Journal, has started Rising Bear Literary, a literary agency focused on children’s literature.

From the website:

 I launched Rising Bear Literary Agency, LLC, specializing in what I most love: picture books, early- and middle-grade fiction, young adult literature, and adult novels with unforgettable teen characters.

Rising Bear aims to help writers and illustrators do their best possible work, to pair them with the perfect publisher, and to see them develop long, rewarding careers. We’re excited to work with people who are passionate about creating exceptional books—and who are ready to change the world, one fabulous title at a time. We offer a full range of services that include foreign, film, and merchandising rights in all forms of media.

Rising Bear Literary

From Publishers’ Weekly:

Danish publishing giant Egmont Publishing has announced that it is looking to sell its American division, Egmont USA. Founded in 2009, the company publishes children’s and YA fiction under the direction of Andrea Cascardi, who was named publisher in January 2013, succeeding founding publisher Elizabeth Law.

Read the rest here.

From Publisher’s Lunch:

Anne Heltzel has joined Abrams as editor, primarily acquiring books for its middle grade and teen imprint, Amulet Books. She worked previously as an associate editor at Razorbill and is also a published author.

From Publisher’s Lunch:

Sarah Dotts Barley has joined Flatiron Books as senior editor, focusing on YA crossover. Previously, Barley was an editor at Harper Children’s/HarperTeen.

Congratulations, Sarah!

(Hat tip to my fab agent Erzsi Deak of Hen& Ink Literary)

From The Bookseller:

Hachette UK is to merge its three children’s businesses into one division on 1st January 2015, with Egmont’s Hilary Murray Hill (pictured) becoming its c.e.o.
The move will combine Hachette Children’s Books, Orion Children’s Publishing and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and create a “rich and specialised children’s publishing division,” Tim Hely Hutchinson, c.e.o of Hachette, said.
Current Egmont m.d Murray Hill will lead the new Hachette Children’s Group, joining the company on 13th January 2015. Marlene Johnson, c.e.o of Hachette Children’s Books, will retire at the end of 2014 after 40 years in publishing.

Read the rest here:

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/hachette-create-single-childrens-division.html

Hat Tip Publisher’s Lunch:

Jenica Nasworthy has been promoted to associate managing editor at Simon & Schuster Children’s.

Hat Tip: Guide to Literary Agents blog.

Genevieve Nine has recently begun taking clients at Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management after joining them as an intern in 2012.

From the agency website:

Genevieve Nine has had a lifelong love affair with books. Her tastes are eclectic, ranging from the classics to quirky. She’s drawn to the fantastic, the curious, and the unexpected. Genevieve is looking to represent authors who weave layered tales with well-developed worlds and characters who threaten to burst from the page. She appreciates smart and original plots with well-crafted twists. And no matter how zany or diabolical, every character should be undeniably human at heart.
Genevieve joined Andrea Hurst Literary Management as an intern in 2012. She has a background in professional editing and gets great satisfaction from developing authors. She’s a Creative Writing MFA candidate at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, holds a Certificate in Children’s Writing from the University of Washington, and graduated with honors and a B.A. from the USC School of Cinema & Television. When not reading or writing, Genevieve enjoys watching her Sherlock DVDs, planning future travels, and embarking on culinary adventures. She and her husband live in Seattle with their two naughty cats, Selkie and Napoleon.
Her primary focus is young adult and middle grade, and she’s looking to acquire:
ŸFantasy (open to all subgenres except game-related)
ŸScience Fiction
ŸMystery
ŸHistorical Fiction
ŸRetellings (classics, fairy/folk tale, myth)
ŸContemporary Realism (especially with elements of humor)
She also represents the following adult and new adult categories:
ŸMystery (detective/PI, amateur, cozy, historical, comic, caper)
ŸThriller (supernatural, historical, disaster, ecological)
ŸGothic/Hauntings/Quiet Horror
ŸHistorical Fiction
ŸRetellings (classics, fairy/folk tale, myth)
ŸRomantic Comedy
ŸMagical Realism
ŸFood Memoir
ŸTravelogue/Travel Memoir
She is not seeking:
ŸHard SF/Military SF/Space Opera
ŸGraphic Horror
ŸErotica
ŸReligious Fiction/Nonfiction
ŸShort Stories

 

From Publishers Weekly:

Longtime children’s publishing executive and digital entrepreneur Rick Richter has joined the staff of Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary and Entertainment Agency as a literary agent based in its Boston offices.

Read the rest here.

Amazon has launched a free kids’ book creator for Kindle.

https://kdp.amazon.com/kids

Author Magazine interviewed James Rollins about balancing high concept and character this month.

http://www.authormagazine.org/interviews/rollins_interview.html

From Publisher’s Lunch:

Orion Children’s Books editorial director Amber Caraveo is leaving the publisher to become an agent, creating Skylark Literary along with Joanna Moult, officially launching in November. The agency will focus on YA and children’s authors.

From Publisher’s Lunch:

Julia Maguire has joined Knopf Children’s as editor. Previously she was an associate editor at Simon & Schuster Children’s.

 

Relish Media, an imprint of Little Pickle Press, is accepting submissions in Middle Grade and YA.

Relish Media

If you’ve taken any of my writing workshops, you’ll likely remember me talking about Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.

It has been made into a TV series on the Starz network, and it starts tonight.

You can watch the first episode free here.

I’ve watched it and it was great!

From Publisher’s Weekly:

Two years after acquiring U.K.-based Pushkin Press, known for its well-produced translations of foreign literature, publisher and managing director Adam Freudenheim and associate publisher and COO Stephanie Seegmuller are beginning to more fully realize their goal – “to bring more of the best writers, admired and often bestselling in their own countries, to British and American readers,” said Freundenheim in a statement when he announced the purchase. This month the company is publishing its first children’s books in the U.S. under a new Pushkin Children’s Books imprint.

Read the rest here.

SFWA has posted some self-publishing information in Writer Beware.

From Publishers Weekly:

Simon & Schuster has launched a new series of videos featuring S&S editors and publishers on their YouTube channel.

The subjects are not specific to children’s books.

From Publisher’s Weekly:

Amazon Publishing and Alloy Entertainment have partnered on a new digital-first imprint to be called Alloy Entertainment. The unit will focus on young adult, new adult, and commercial fiction, which are Alloy’s specialty areas in its book packaging business.

Read the rest here.

From Publisher’s Lunch:

At Knopf Children’s, Allison Wortche has been promoted to senior editor while Katherine Harrison moves up to associate editor.