Team Blog's Martha Brockenbrough interviews agent Rubin Pfeffer to get the inside scoop on his E-books and Apps Breakout workshops on the conference Saturday - January 28, 2012.

Rubin is a veteran of the children’s and adult trade industry, a visionary who's working on - as they used to refer to it when I was in grad school - the "bleeding edge of technology." He has served as President and Publisher of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, SVP and Chief Creative Officer of Pearson, and as SVP, Publisher of Children’s Books for Simon & Schuster. Pfeffer joined the East West Literary Agency in December 2009, as a partner and established the Boston base of the agency. He works with such luminary talents as Patricia MacLachlan, Marion Dane Bauer, Steven Kellogg, Susan Cooper, Judy Sierra, David Diaz, Richard Jesse Watson, Jesse Joshua Watson, Jeff Mack, Mike Austin, and a host of other published and new talents.  In addition, he consults regularly on digital content for the Ruckus Media Group.

In the interview, Rubin also put out a call for readers to nominate our favorite book apps in the comments, so he can share and build on what we all have to say when he does his presentations.  See how innovative and cutting edge he is?

So head on over to Martha's blog and check it out.  It's a taste of one more amazing offering at the upcoming Lucky 13th Annual Winter Conference.   You can find out more and register here.

Hope to see you in New York.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

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So in every organization, there's a flow of staff, coming in and going out. As a volunteer organization, this certainly occurs at readergirlz as every contributor is a YA author herself. It's time to say goodbye to three staff members this month.


First is Holly Cupala, our Design Diva. Holly has been our rgz face, essentially. She has donated hundreds and hundreds and hundred of hours to make posters, videos, banners, bookmarks, newsletters, and other visuals hot and engaging for our community. We will miss Holly so much! Her sweet, giving spirit is always infectious. We send her off with our best as she works on her third YA novel. Thank you, dearest Holly! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you dearly.



Liz Gallagher is also stepping away from readergirlz this month. She has been our head rgz HOST, networking and representing us in the industry. Her joy and belief in the organization have always been inspiring. We will miss her in the day-to-day dealings of rgz. Thank you, Liz! Here's to your next YA release! We love you much!



And then the ever-so-brilliant Martha Brockenbrough is stepping down as well. She has been our PR agent and general advisor for all things future. Between her gifts, talents, and networking abilities, she enabled the YA lit world and beyond to know the amazing things we were doing as a community. Thank you, Martha, for every effort, especially those press releases, TBD blog rolls, and Twitter hashtag posts. You-wow-me. Congrats on the sale of your first YA novel! We heart you!



Both Justina Chen and Dia Calhoun, my fellow co-founders, will be retreating toward their own writing as Holly, Liz, and Martha are doing. However they aren't too far away. :~)

So, your current rgz team will be: Micol Ostow, Melissa Walker, Little Willow, with me, Lorie Ann Grover as the representing co-founder. You'll see a few changes, fantastic new ideas and projects, and amazing blog posts as we continue to feature a different author every week.

No worries. Your rgz community is alive and thriving. Spread the word, and take a minute to give your love to our volunteer YA authors who are departing. Thankfully, they are in our Circle of Stars and will always, always, always be readergirlz. Thank you, ladies. We really do love you each so much!

Now, rgz: READ, REFLECT, and REACH OUT.

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EllenHopkinsYA Ellen Hopkins
@leewind I see you. Of course I'm sitting next to you. #pilobumps

mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough
@leewind Do you have pilobumps or are you just excited to... OMG! What was that? #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
Well Howdy, Ellen. Thanks for crashing! You're always welcome... #pilobumps

mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough
@leewind, Oh it was just @ellenhopkinsYA. She scared me. #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
Okay, we're ON! #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
So, should we share how we came up with the brilliant hashtag?: #pilobumps

mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough
@leewind My rapidly dwindling battery will add delicious tension to our conversation. #pilobumps

EllenHopkinsYA Ellen Hopkins
@mbrockenbrough @leewind it's cool in here or scary or both #pilobumps.


leewind Lee Wind

Ooh.. as delicious as the chicken? #pilobumps


mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough

@leewind If they had taken the skin off, the bumps wo
 uld be smoove. #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
So, "Pilo" means skin, as in "give me some skin!" Or, maybe... another language. #pilobumps

cuppajolie Jolie Stekly
Special cliffhanger commentary coming from @mbrockenbrough & @leewind at #pilobumps. I'll have regular ol' tweets here.

mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough
@leewind I think pilo relates to hair. You know, like depilatory. Shaving, waxing, the like. #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
Well, if R.L. Stine's books give you LOTS of goosebumps, maybe your arm hair just falls off? #pilobumps

EllenHopkinsYA Ellen Hopkins
Listening to R.L. Stone will almost make the chicken palatable #pilobumps

mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough
@leewind The Brazilian editions, maybe. #pilobumps

EllenHopkinsYA Ellen Hopkins
I think they gave us this weird broccolini stuff in honor of "weird" #pilobumps

EllenHopkinsYA Ellen Hopkins
Night of the living broccolini #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
wikipedia's telling me that Goosebumps has sold over 300 million books! That's amazing! #pilobumps

mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough
@leewind, do you know what the R.L. in R.L. Stine stand for? The answer will terrify you. #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
Then again Wikipedia's also telling me that lentils are delicious. But I believe them on R.L. Stine... He's brilli... AHHHHHH! #pilobumps

mbrockenbrough Martha Brockenbrough
@ellenhopkins Will you please rescue @leewind? He seems to have been attacked by his plate of raw lentils. #pilobumps

leewind Lee Wind
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Friday was an incredible day for the 208 writers who took part in the manuscript intensive session with 26 editors and agents.

Most people in the room were there for the first time (I'm one of those intensive newbies, so I was sweating along with the rest).

Mary Jackson of San Antonio, Texas found her first writer's intensive session to be "life changing."

"My hands were shaking as I was handing out manuscripts and they should be," she said.

Mary read the first 500 lines of her picture book--a piece she's been working on for several years. Rachel Griffiths, a senior editor at Scholastic, and Diane Muldrow, an editorial director at Golden Books/Random house gave feedback on Mary's rhyming story.

"They were both awesome," she said. "I learned so much in 12 minutes. I know now what I do to make that piece better and to make it sing."

Some feedback was especially heartening, as when Diane Muldrow pointed out a pair of couplets that reminded her of Ogden Nash's verse.

"That comment, I'm going to take to my grave," she said.

Before this experience, Mary had been getting feedback from family and friends. That's good for the ego, but not as good for the manuscript (though her 17-year-old son has given her helpful feedback on a YA novel in progress, she said).

Mary is now so enthusiastic about manuscript critiques that she contacted the SCBWI's Aaron Hartlzer for a hookup with a critique group.

"The best way to get better is to stay in a community," she said. "I've learned that I need this community of writers."

"Yesterday really absolutely was a turning point," she added. "I can divide my writing life now into before the critique and after the critique. The way I approach my work now will be different. I know now what doesn’t resonate and what does. I was emotionally attached to this piece. I thought I had stepped back enough and I hadn’t. It was a powerful lesson for me."

If you'd like to join a critique group, that's a benefit of your membership. Go to the SCBWI Regional Chapters page for the information you need.

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The latest Annual Winter Conference faculty member featured in our SCBWI TEAM BLOG pre-conference interview series is Patricia Lee Gauch. Patti talked with TEAM BLOGger Martha Brockenbrough.

Here's a bit from the interview:

My SCBWI chapter invited Patricia Lee Gauch to Washington state for a retreat a couple of years ago, and I got to see first-hand what a fine teacher she is: gentle but demanding, and full of information distilled from a phenomenal career in children's literature.

Patti is not only a published author herself (Christina Katerina and the Box, Thunder at Gettysburg, and The Knitting of Elizabeth Amelia), she has edited some of the finest writers in the business: Brian Jacques, T.A. Barron, Andrew Clements, Jane Yolen, Janet Lisle, Katherine Erkskine, and Barbara Joosse.

She's worked with artists Eric Carle, David Small, Ed Young, Loren Long. Three books she edited have won Caldecott Medals: Owl Moon, Lon Po Po, and So You Want to Be President. 

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Martha Brockenbrough offers the first in our series of SCBWI TEAM BLOG pre-conference faculty interviews starting us out with the terrific Jane Yolen!

Here's a bit from Martha's interview with Jane (in which, Martha says, "she debuts the new BIC.")

Without the mighty badge of the SCBWI national blog team to hide behind, I'd never have the guts to approach Jane Yolen for an interview.

She's Jane Yolen! Author of more than 300 books! A Caldecott Medalist and Golden Kite winner! Likened unto Hans Christian Anderson! Also, as far as I can tell, she is bionic. There is otherwise no way to explain how she writes so many fabulous books.

You might already know these things about Jane, though.

But did you know that she coined the acronym B.I.C. for "butt in chair"? Did you further know she was the second author ever to join the SCBWI? And that she was the organization's first regional adviser? She founded and for a decade ran the New England region.

Click here to read the full interview with Jane Yolen.

Click here to register for the Annual Winter Conference and see Jane--and a number of other equally wonderful faculty--in person.

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Ginger Clark has worked as an agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd. for about five years. She represents science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, literary horror, and YA and MG fiction. She handles British and Commonwealth rights for the entire Curtis Brown List.

Follow her on Twitter at @Ginger_Clark.

From her introduction: 

"A good agent thinks globally. A lot of my clients have made as much money abroad as in the U.S., and in some cases, more. The market for a certain kind of fiction is doing well here and it's doing really well abroad."

On editor lunches: Middle Grade is coming back. Editors are looking for series and good MG in general. "We've neglected the 8- to 12-year-olds."

On the YA side: She represents high fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance. "We've had a lot of vampires and werewolves and it's now time to look at the more unusual creatures," she says.

From the Q&A portion, moderated by Lin Oliver:

About international publishing: Think about how you can make sure your book isn't super, super American. A brilliant book about American football isn't going to win over British editors. A good agent should be aware that you can make money when your work is translated. (They have a man on the ground in Bulgaria—interesting! Or, as they say in Bulgaria, "интересен.")

What are subsidiary rights, and what should authors consider retaining: Publishers want to set audio rights as boilerplate—something that's been discussed and settled. Multimedia rights are an issue (especially "enhanced ebook rights," such as gently animated picture books). The problems she has with that: Film companies wouldn't want that to happen. If you're doing a film deal, film companies want the rights or want to "freeze" them so other people can't have them. Good agents think about these issues and talk them over with publishers, as opposed to just agreeing to the boilerplate.

How should writers feel about the simultaneous release of their book in digital format? When you start ebook negotiations, major publishers start by offering 25 percent of net. She's hoping that changes. The giant news last week was that Andrew Wylie had started his own e-publisher. "It was certainly an interesting shot across the bow of publishers."

How would you assess the business, in terms of the centralization of power? What are the opportunities for mid-list authors and unpublished writers? We're about to head into the golden age in terms of power for children's books. Interest in the children's markets is growing.

"The snobbier side of the industry is taking what we do seriously. As they should. Frequently it is the children's division that is making profits and paying people's salaries," she says.

What are the primary services you provide your clients? She's not your therapist, accountant, best friend or mother. "I am your bad cop. Your man on the ground in NY ... When it comes to sitting on the phone with you for two hours, talking about your problems, I'm not the right person for that. Sorry."

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In the latest in our series of SCBWI TEAM BLOG pre-conference interviews, Martha Brockenbrough talks with publishing luminary Rubin Pfeffer on the SCBWI WWA blog.

At the Annual Summer Conference, Rubin will offer a Pro-Track session--DIGITAL DOINGS: WHAT PUBLISHERS ARE DOING TO PROMOTE CHILDREN'S BOOKS ONLINE; give a workshop--FROM PUBLISHER TO AGENT: OBSERVATIONS FROM A SEASONED PUBLISHER TURNED AGENT; and deliver a keynote speech--SCCC FORMERLY KNOWN AS SCBWI? ONCE SOCIETY OF CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS, NOW A SOCIETY OF CHILDREN'S CONTENT CREATORS?

Here's a bit from Martha's interview:

"Rubin Pfeffer, people. THE Rubin Pfeffer.

He's one of the keynote speakers at this summer's SCBWI conference in L.A., and given his incredible career in children's literature, he'll no doubt give a sensational talk.

Rubin started as a designer for Macmillan in 1974 and then spent 27 years at Harcourt, where he rose to become president of their trade book division over the era the company won Newbery, Caldecott, and National Book awards, as well as Nobel prizes for work on the adult side."

You can meet Rubin Pfeffer in person (along with a ton of other terrific presenters) at the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles.
 
Click here to register for the event!

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Our series of TEAM BLOG interviews with Annual Summer Conference faculty continues as Martha Brockenbrough features award-winning author Gail Carson Levine on her WWA SCBWI blog.

Gail will be offering a conference keynote address, SWEAT AND MAGIC, and will give a workshop on INFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FICTION WRITING.

Here is a bit from Martha's interview with Gail:

"There's something so magical about Gail Carson Levine's stories. Her first, Ella Enchanted, reimagined Cinderella; in it, Ella is cursed to be obedient--an absolutely genius touch. That book won a Newbery Honor Book in 1998, and eventually became a movie starring Anne Hathaway.

You could call Gail Carson Levine the queen of fairy and princess stories. Later works include Fairest, a beautiful twist on Snow White, as well as several works in the Disney Fairies series...:"

Click here to register for the Annual Summer Conference.

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Our newest SCBWI TEAM BLOG member Martha Brockenbrough has posted the first in a series of pre-conference interviews with Annual Summer Conference faculty kicking things off with delightful author Mac Barnett.

Mac will join agent Steven Malk for a conference workshop called FIVE LESSONS FROM CLASSIC PICTURE BOOKS THAT CAN HELP YOU LAUNCH YOUR CAREER.

Here is a snippet from Martha's interview with Mac. For more click here.

"Here's the first in a series of posts designed to make you want to go to the SCBWI conference in L.A., where you'll meet and mingle with lots of industry stars. One of my favorites is Mac Barnett—and not just because he knows how to rock a five o'clock shadow better than that guy from Wham..."

Click here to register for the Annual Summer Conference. 

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Touchstones: a reader’s way into your story

In this guest post by Martha Brockenbrough, grammarian, freelance writer, columnist, and author discusses how to pluck the heartstrings of your reader.

When I worked as a freelancer for a company that created really special games—games designed to draw out the best talents of each player—I learned about an idea-development strategy that has informed my writing ever since.

Touchstones. The game creators wanted questions to contain “touchstones.” A touchstone is pretty much what it sounds like—something that, when we encounter it, will evoke certain memories. I love the sensual aspect of the word—the idea that there is something we can fold into a story that readers can reach out and touch with their minds.

A touchstone is something readers can identify with. Some even cut across all cultures. Think about something like losing baby teeth. All kids do this, which is why tooth fairy stories are so important. This particular touchstone is often going to evoke happy memories, though Judy Blume managed to give it something else entirely when she had Fudge fly like a birdie from the top of the monkey bars with disastrous results.

Those monkey bars, come to think of it, are another touchstone. Think of the difference in the story if Blume had had made Fudge jump off the top of the car, or a ledge, or some other high object that didn’t have the same resonance as the highest spot in the playground. It would lose something, wouldn’t it?

Touchstones don’t always have to evoke happy emotions in writing. The death of a pet is certainly a sad touchstone that many of us can relate to. Judy Blume knew this, which is why she did what she did to Peter’s turtle.

Of course, touchstones don’t have to drive a plot. They can be used more subtly, to add sparkle and resonance to a story. The movie “Wall-E” was full of touchstones like these: Twinkies…Rubix Cubes, sporks…even “Hello, Dolly,” the music they play on Main Street at Disneyland, which means even children who haven’t seen the musical could very well have a positive association with the song.

Really, though, it’s deeper than adding sparkle—it’s connection. Touchstones provide something readers can relate to, something they can touch with their minds and hearts, even in an unfamiliar world like an Earth that’s been buried in trash. They can be a way into a story, a way to make it a reader’s own. I think that’s pretty powerful stuff.

Martha Brockenbrough
THINGS THAT MAKE US [SIC]- St. Martin’s Press, October 2008
- Founder, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar
- Cinemama, MSN Movies
- Columnist, MSN Encarta

Martha Brockenbrough is author of Things That Make Us [Sic], a funny guide to bad grammar published by St. Martin’s Press, and Founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. She’s also a busy freelance writer, contributing the Cinemama column to MSN Movies, and columns on language and pop culture to the online encyclopedia Encarta. She also blogs about family life for the calendar company, Cozi, and is hoping 2009 is the year she sells her first children’s manuscript.

If you want to do a guest posting, or if you have a revision story you’d like to share, email me at darcy at darcypattison dot com.

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