CALL FOR SUMMER ILLUSTRATIONS (must be at least 500 pixels wide)
This illustration by Denise Clemmensen seemed to be a good fit with my advice on Editor Etiquette. Denise was featured on Illustrator Saturday. Click here to view.
Thought I would bring up the subject of editor etiquette, since many of you are new to the Children’s Publishing Industry and may not be familiar with the standards of contacting an editor. I bring this up, because an editor who was nice enough to donate her time to critiquing the first pages contacted me to let me know that she was receiving a lot of phone calls to ask if they could send in a manuscript, even thought they were attending the NJSCBWI June Conference.
Editors are extremely busy and calling them on the phone to ask if they would be interested in reading your manuscript is not advised. I am sure they understand how important your manuscript is to you, but their job and time is important to them. As a writer, we need to respect the editors time.
First impressions are important, so we want to put our best foot forward and not be remembered for someone who interrupted and important project. That is why attending events that allow you to interact with an editor are a good thing to do. The better thing to do would be spending your time getting an agent who editors expect to hear from.
I am not talking about never calling an editor who you have built a relationship with, but always remember they are at work and any call to anyone is a disturbance when someone is working, so in most cases email is a better choice.
CONGRATULATIONS:
Anita Nolan just signed a contract with agent Erzsi Deak at Hen & Ink for representation.
Carol McAllister won Honorable Mention! for Floating Piñatas, another story in her collection for young readers that has placed in the International Writers and Editors competition. This makes four of the six stories winners, thus far. They all center on trickster monkeys here in Puerto Rico.
Ann Rinaldi’s novel “A Break With Charity” was selected by “First Book Manhattan” as a recommended book for Childrens’ Book Week 2014.
Shannon Wiersbitzky‘s WHAT FLOWERS REMEMBER is now available in paperback. Published by namelos.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under: Advice, Editors, Kudos, success Tagged: Agent Erzsi Deak, Anita Nolan, Ann Rinaldi, Carol McAllister, Denise Clemmensen, Etiquette, Shannon Wiersbitzky
What wonderful news! Congratulations, on the agent, Anita, on the honors and recommendations, and on the paperback hitting the market! Woot, woot!!
First—CONGRATS! to everyone mentioned. How exciting! :D
And honestly, I’m always surprised to hear that about phone calls to editors (or agents), and that people don’t stop to think it’s inappropriate : / Basically, if you do something like that, you’re presenting yourself in the same light as unsolicited phone marketers, and I think we all know how that is usually viewed. That’s what the query process is for. Good advice, Kathy! :)