This may be the first book cover that actually teaches how to letterspell “A B C” in American Sign Language! (click to enlarge)
Let’s start with unveiling the cover itself. It features a lenticular!
And it’s going on press this month! I’m so excited!
Why? Because it all began as a list of words on a spread sheet almost five years ago. Gallaudet University Press lined up a team of illustrators for their upcoming definitive American Sign Language reference (think Merriam-Webster, but for signing), aimed at the pre-school through grade 3 level. It had to be usable for hearing families as well as the deaf and hearing-impaired.
Page 1 from the Dictionary
One of the illustrators already on board was Debbie Tilley. When agent Richard Salzman discovered it was (a) Gallaudet first foray into children’s books and general trade; and (b) they expected Debbie to produce the layouts too, he recommended they contact me to pull it all together for them. It was a dream project for all of us!
392 pages of full color! It looks like a graphic comic, with over 1,000 word entries, fully illustrated. Plus it includes a DVD featuring a rainbow of children signing. There’s also a special feature on forming sentences.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll guide you on the process. It will be like a diary on the making of a children’s reference classic. . .
Spread from pages 238-239 (click to enlarge)
You will witness exclusive behind-the-scenes book making. Stay tuned. That’s why I’ve been away for so long. Been dictionary-ing…
2008 CWIM Agent Updates...
As mentioned in my recent newsletter (click here to subscribe), here are full CWIM listings for some agents and art reps who've recently sent us updated information. (2008 CWIM page numbers are included.)
LIZA DAWSON ASSOCIATES (page 278)
350 7th Ave, Suite 2003, New York, NY 10001. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: www.olswanger.com. Member of SCBWI, WNBA, Authors Guild. Represents 10 clients. 30% of clients are new/unpublished writers. 50% of material handled is books for young readers.
- Anna Olswanger coordinates the Jewish Childrens's Book Writers' Conference each fall athe 92nd Street Y in New York City and is a children's book author. Represents Fiction, nonfiction; author-illustrator pictrue books. How to Contact Query with first 5 pages. Must include e-mail address for repsonse. Considers simultaneous queries.
Represents Fiction, nonfiction; author-illustrator picture books.
How to Contact Query with first 5 pages. Must include e-mail address for response. Considers simultaneous queries. Responds in 4 weeks to queries; 8 weeks to mss. Obtains most new clients through recommendations and queries.
Terms Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 20% commission on foreign sales. Offers written contract. Charges client for color photocopying and overseas postage.
EDUCATIONAL DESIGN SERVICES LLC (page 278)
5750 Bou Ave, Ste. 1508, N. Bethesda, MD 20852. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: www.educationaldesignservices.com. Contact: B. Linder. Handles only certain types of work. Estab. 1981. 80% of clients are new/previously unpublished writers.
Represents Considers text materials for K-12 market. "We specialize in educational materials to be used in classrooms (in class sets) or in teacher education classes." Actively seeking educational, text materials. Not looking for picture books, story books, fiction; no illustrators.
How to Contact Query with SASE or send outline and 1 sample chapter. Considers simultaneous queries and submissions if so indicated. Responds in 6-8 weeks to queries/mss. Returns material only with SASE. Obtains clients through recommendations from others, queries/solicitations, or through conferences.
Recent Sales How to Solve Word Problems in Mathematics, by Wayne (McGraw-Hill); Reviewing U.S. & New York State History, by Farran-Paci (Amsco); Minority Report, by Gunn-Singh (Scarecrow Education); No Parent Left Behind, by Petrosino & Spiegel (Rowman & Littlefield); Teaching Test-taking Skills (R&L Education).
Terms Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 25% on foreign sales. Offers written contract, binding until any party opts out. Terminate contract through certified letter.
SALZMAN INTERNATIONAL (page 290)
1751 Charles Ave., Arcate CA 95521. Phone/fax: (707)822-5500. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: www.salzint.com. Commercial illustration representative. Estab. 1982. Represents 20 illustrators. 20% of artwork is children's book illustration. Staff includes Richard Salzman. Open to illustrators seeking representation. Accepting both new and established illustrators.
Handles Accepts illustration.
Terms Receives 25% commission. Offers written contract. 100% of advertising costs paid by illustrator. Advertises in Workbook, ispot.com, altpick.com.
How to Contact For first contact, send link to Web site or printed samples. Portfolio should include tearsheets, photocopies; "best to post samples on Web site and send link." Finds illustrators through queries/solicitations.
S©OTT TREIMEL NY (page 284)
434 Lafayette St., New York NY 10003. (212)505-8353. Fax: (212)505-0664. E-mail: [email protected]. Contact: Scott Treimel. Estab. 1995. Represents 45 clients. 10% of clients are new/unpublished writers. Specializes in children's books, all genres: tightly focused segments of the trade and institutional markets. Member AAR, Author's Guild, SCBWI.
- Prior to opening his agency, Scott Treimel was an assistant to Marilyn E. Marlow of Curtis Brown; a rights agent for Scholastic, Inc.; a book packager and rights agent for United Feature Syndicate; the founding director of Warner Bros. Worldwide Publishing; a freelance editor; and a rights consultant for HarperCollins Children's Books.
Represents 100% juvenile books. Actively seeking career clients. Not seeking picture book authors, but author/illustrators may submit.
How to Contact Send query/ouline (include word count, number of chapters, and protagonists' ages), SASE, sample chapters of no more than 50 pages. No multiple submission. Queries without SASE will be recycles. No fax. queries.
Recent Sales Sold 29 titles in the last year. Right Behind You, by Gail Gailes (Little, Brown); Comic Guy, by Timothy Roldand (Scholastic); Kitchen Dance, by Maurie Manning (Clarion); The Ninja Who Wanted to be Noticed (Viking); Love is a Good Thing to Feel, by Barbara Joosse (Philomel); Kiki, by Janie Bynum (Sterling); The Hunchback Chronicles, by Arthur Slade (Penguin Canada); Before and After Otis, illustrations by Cyndy Szekeres (Harcourt); Grandma Calls Me Beautiful, by Barbara Joosse (Chronicle).
Terms Agent receives 15-20% commission on domestic sales; 20-25% on foreign sales. Offers verbal or written contract, binding on a "contract-by-contract basis." Charges for photocopying, overnight/express postage, messengers. Offers editorial guidance, if extensive charges higher commission.
Writers' Conferences Speaks at Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Conference, The New School; Southwest Writers Conference; Pikes Peak Writers Conference.
Tips "Keep cover letters short and do not pitch. Let your work speak for itself."
WYLIE-MERRICK LITERARY AGENCY (page 284)
1138 S. Webster St., Kokomo IN 46902. (765)459-8258. E-mail: See Web site. Web site: www.wylie-merrick.com. Contact: Sharene Martin-Brown or Robert Brown.
- From Wylie-Merrick's Sharene Martin-Brown: "Although we continue to work with our established children's authors, we are not looking for new clients in this area.
ASCIUTTO ART REPS., INC.
1712 E. Butler Circle, Chandler AZ 85225. (480)899-0600. Fax: (480)899-3636.Web site: www.Aatreps.com E-mail: [email protected]. Contact: Mary Anne Asciutto, art agent. Children's illustration representative since 1980. Specializing in children's illustrations for children's educational text books, grades K thru 8, children's trade books, children's magazines, posters, packaging, etc.
Recent Sales Bats, Sharks, Whales, Snakes, Penguins, Alligators and Crocodiles, illustrated by Meryl Henderson (Boyds Mills Press).
Terms Agency receives 25% commission. Advertising and promotion costs are split: 75% paid by talent; 25% paid by representative. US citizens only.
How to Contact Send samples via email with a cover letter résumé. Submit sample portfolio for review with an SASE for it's return. Responds in 2 to 4 weeks. Portfolio should include at least 12 samples of original art, printed tearsheets, photocopies or color prints of most recent work.
Tips In obtaining representation, "be sure to connect with an agent who handles the kind of work, you (the artist) want."
I totally have to give a plug to Grammar Girl. She is part of the Quick and Dirty Now network where you can get quick and dirty tips on anything from travel to money to legal issues.
I stumbled on Grammar Girl when I first plugged in my iPod and I've been hooked ever since. So much so that I've downloaded all the earlier podcasts so I can listen to them as well.
You can listen on your computer or download the podcasts into any mp3 player (via iTunes) for FREE and tune in to Grammar Girl talking about such issues as comma splices, regionalisms, or how to use a colon (please refrain from any scatological jokes in the Comments section).
The podcasts are no longer than a few minutes each week, but it sure beats listening to the smug guy in front of me in Starbucks ordering his grande Raspberry Caramel Frappuccino with skim milk, and it's a ton more entertaining than my Chicago Manual of Style!
Go on...Check her out!
