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Alexandra Penfold is an agent with Upstart Crow Literary and is building her list, representing very young picture books up to YA (some select adult). She is also the author a cookbook
NEW YORK a la CART: Recipes and Stories from the Big Apple's Best Food Trucks as well as three forthcoming pictures books.
In terms of Alexandra's client list, different clients have different needs so what she does depends on those needs. When she takes on a client, she thinks of it as taking on a life: in good times and bad.
When Alexandra is looking to take on a client it's important to her to have a conversation with them about their career and what they want. It's a relationship and there is a certain chemistry involved, and there must be trust.
There are different paths to sales for authors. Some who have made the right connections with the school and library market might see their sales grow over time. One example is POP by Meghan McCarthy. It didn't explode out of the gate but it keeps being added to state lists and purchased again and again by libraries. It had a slower build and is still doing well.
This is a great community. On social media be authentic and talk about the things you love, including books. Don't use it to only say, "Buy my book!"
When Alexandra reads something and there is an emotional response to it, that's what she is looking for. That is what she wants to open. One example is when she wrote Jessixa Bagley's submitted manuscript BOATS FOR PAPA, she cried.
A brief piece of career advice:
Be a reader. If you have a rich reading life, you will have a rich writing life.
Lin Oliver moderates the agents' panel, with (from left), Jodi Reamer of Writers House, Alexandra Penfold of Upstart Crow Literary, Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency, Barry Goldblatt of Barry Goldblatt Literary, Brenda Bowen of Greenburger Associates and Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency.
Alexandra Penfold is an agent at Upstart Crow Literary and has been working in publishing for over a decade. She is also an author of picture books and cookbooks. She represent everything from young picture books to young adults.
WHAT HOOKS ME
Alexandra likes books that show her something about the world or about life, books that take her to a place away from where she lives. She's drawn to books that recognize that kids are smart.
On cover letters: There's nothing more disappointing than a cover letter that gets you so excited to read the manuscript only to open it up and be disappointed. Be sure your work is delivering on the promise you make in your cover letter.
As an agent (and an editor) you want a writer's second book to be even more successful than their first. As an agent Alexandra wants to help her clients hone their focus moving forward into a career.
If you think about brand as your reputaiton it makes you think about what you do, including on social media.
Lin flips the panel topic around to: What doesn't hook you?
Alexandra gets a lot of picture book submissions. Awful rhyme makes Alexandra cringe. She loves poetry when it's joyful and done well. But it doesn't work when the story bends to fit the rhyme. Books can also be lyrical without rhyming.
Lin: How do you see the children's publishing landscape today?
It's been a fantastic year for picture books. There's been a resurgence. "Yay, picture books."
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By: Lee Wind, M.Ed.,
on 8/2/2014
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From the seats...
And close up!
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| Left to Right: Sarah Davies and Steve Malk |
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| Left to Right: Erin Murphy and Aleandra Penfold |
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| Left to Right: Rubin Pfeffer, Linda Pratt and Laura Rennert |
Putting great books into the hands of young readers is something Alexandra Penfold has been doing for the last decade, and now she’s doing it wearing a new and very dashing hat.
Alexandra’s career trajectory is a bit different from most editors, she was a business major in school and did a bunch of different internships including interning for the writers' office of
All My Children. From there, Alex enjoyed working with Tracy van Straaten, who at the time was in publicity at Simon & Schuster. And Tracy’s awesomeness inspired Alex to jump into a career in children’s book publicity at S&S. Alexandra then transitioned into the editor role at
S&S with Paula Wiseman, and for eight years she had a blast there.
Now she’s a newly minted agent at
Upstart Crow Literary and her afternoon session is excited to hear what she’s looking for as she starts to build her client list of picture book makers, and middle grade and YA authors.
Alex wishes there was a magical formula to tell us what makes an irresistible book, but there isn’t one.
Which is bad news, but because there’s no magic formula, good news! Alex doesn’t like to poopoo any genre or category, she's open to being surprised by books she never imagined she’d acquire or represent. The only exception to that is high fantasy, she’s still not into it, no matter how much Tolkein her husband reads to her, sorry, Bilbo.
Alex explains to the group the ins and outs of acquisitions from an editor’s point of view: an editor is putting their reputation on the line every time they bring a book to an acquisitions meeting. It's an investment on all levels and as an agent, Alex will still only represent books she loves wholeheartedly and will fight for.
One of the many lovely tips Alex left us with was the paramount importance of great characters in your work, knowing them inside and out. If you see Alex this weekend and want to get into a heavy discussion, just ask her if Scarlett and Rhett eventually get back together after The End of
Don't forget to follow Alexandra Penfold on Twitter
@AgentPenfold
The Art of Friendship in Children’s Picture Books
I really enjoyed this workshop at the FL SCBWI Conference in Miami led by Tamar Brazis, the Editorial Director of Abrams Books for Young Readers and Amulet Books. She has focused on picture books and middle-grade fiction for the past seven years, and has worked on the New York Times bestselling Jellybeans series by Laura Numeroff, Me, Frida illustrated by David Diaz, City I Love by beloved children’s poet Lee Bennett Hopkins, and Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes, a debut novel by Jonathan Auxier.
She loves comforting picture books, and ones that she has a strong emotional reaction to. Her favorite book is Frog and Toad. She also shared other friendship stories that she loves, and I can see why they resonated with her (and me). One of my favorites is Waddles, by David McPhail. It's such a sweet book filled with 'aw' moments and it brought tears to my eyes by the end. I also had a huge emotional reaction to Making a Friend by Alison McGhee, and enjoyed City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, and The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell (which gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling by the second to last line...and the very last line was a wonderful surprise).
A couple of the stories she shared with us were framed by seasons, which worked really well. She told us that friendship stories can be between two children, a child and a stuffed animal, or two objects like a sock and a mitten (I never heard of Smitten before, but I can’t wait to read it).
Tamar spoke about creating dynamics of relationships in a very human way. She gave us a great exercise to help create memorable characters. Really think about a friendship you had when you were younger, and write down all the details. I LOVE this exercise! Not only does did it tap into great details I can use in my manuscripts, but I can see how it could spark great new picture book ideas. Besides using it to flesh out existing manuscripts and the new ones I’m writing for the 12 x 12 Challenge, I’ll definitely use it during the next PiBoIdMo.
She also did a great second exercise, and explained a third right before the time was up. I can’t give out all of Tamar’s secrets though—so definitely take her picture book workshop if you have a chance! It was full of information and inspiration, and many of us left with ideas or scenes we'd like to use in future picture book manuscripts.
It was great taking the picture book workshop with Nancy Viau. I met her for a few minutes at Rutgers in 2005, and have been online friends with her for years. I loved having a chance to see her again and have her sign my copy of Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, which Tamar Brazis edited…and Nancy also has a picture book coming out with her in the spring of 2013 entitled I Can Do It!
*If you're looking for more awesome picture book info, check out
I've been having so much fun using all the new info on my picture books! Before the intensive, my mentor (Joyce Sweeney) said that almost all writers are strongest in one genre, and that I was primarily a middle grade writer. After seeing several manuscripts I've revised since the intensive, Joyce said that I am definitely a middle grade AND picture book writer. Wahoo! Hard work, always looking for new techniques, reading and analyzing zillions of picture books, and belonging to several amazing critique groups really does pay off!
Here's part 2 of the Picture Book Intensive I took with
Lisa Wheeler and Alexandra Penfold at the FL SCBWI Workshop in Orlando.
Lisa Wheeler
Lisa gave us great questions to ask when revising. I can’t include all of them, but here are a couple important ones to think about:
• Does the main character solve his or her problem? (I think this is one of the most important things to keep in mind!)
• Does a secondary character hijack your story?
Naughty main characters
Even if they’re naughty, they still should have something likeable about them. Word choices can help…like The Recess Queen. Other great ones to check out are: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Wolf’s Chicken Stew, Elinor and Violet, A Visitor for Bear.
There are so many stories with animals who stand in for humans, because they’re universal. Animals can represent every sex, race, and it’s often hard to tell if they’re rich or poor. It blurs those lines and allows the character to do more. It’s hard to tell what age most animals are, so they can often represent both a child and an adult. It also allows a character to be naughty. Kids aren’t very forgiving of other children, which could make them dislike a naughty main character…but they usually don’t have a problem with a fuzzy, adorable troublemaker like Peter Rabbit. Maybe that’s why he’s here a hundred years later!
Don’t use personification unless it’s really needed and you can do it well. It’s very hard to do! Some great examples are: The Very Small Pea and the Princess to Be, Giant Meatball, and When Moon Fell Down.
If you use an adult as the main character, there must be something very childlike about him or her. Some fantastic books that do this well are: The Old Woman Who Names Things, Saving Sweetness, Mrs. Toggles Zipper, Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom.
Watch for redundancy in your manuscripts…but remember that it isn’t all bad. Repetition for emphasis is okay. Learn to spot the difference!
Read it out loud and see how it flows. Page turns are scene separators. They’re almost like time travel devices!
See if you can work in the rule of threes…it can be in sentences, scenes, or maybe even the big picture. Also look for places to use alliteration and other kinds of word play.
Go back to the beginning to bookend the end of the manuscript. You can make it go full circle, or have a shocking surprise ending.
Alexandra Penfold
Alexandra Penfold likes humorous picture books with quirky bits parents appreciate. She often doesn’t love gross humor or manuscripts that are overly sentimental. She doesn’t seek rhyme—it needs to be exceptional.
She spoke about favorite first lines. Some favorites mentioned by the participants or authors and agents who let Alexandra know ahead of time were: The Big Red Barn, Th
I've been a conference addict for years, and am in awe of how much this intensive has helped my writing. I'm sending a huge thank you to Linda Bernfeld and Marcea Ustler for bringing Alexandra Penfold and Lisa Wheeler to Orlando this summer. If any RAs are reading this--see if you can book them for a future event. They make a fantastic team!
I have so many incredible things to share about the Picture Book Intensive, I'll have to split it into two posts. I should have the second one up on Friday!
Alexandra Penfold
Alexandra Penfold talked about creating characters that live on past the page that parents and children will want to read over and over. Two that she loves are Dinosaur vs. Bedtime and There are Cats in this Book.
Another great example is Mr. Duck Means Business, by Tammi Sauer. Alexandra read the book to us, and it was easy to see why the fun language and characters make this a book that kids and parents love to read it again and again…like:
Mr. Duck sputtered. He muttered. He tail-a-fluttered.
Calling duck Mr. Duck while the other characters are simply called Pig, Cow, etc.
Alexandra gave us a handout with questions to interview our picture book characters that I absolutely LOVE! I’ve used it in four manuscripts so far, and am in awe of how much I’ve learned from it. So far, my critique groups have heard three of them and love the changes—wahoo! It really brought my writing up several levels, because the questions help me think about what my characters are like outside of the book, and really help give them more motivation and focus. I
blogged about it soon after the conference, and wish I could share all of the questions with you…but don’t want to take away part of her presentation. I’ll share two with you though…what is your character’s deepest secret? What do they want everyone to know?
Lisa Wheeler
The best advice she can give is that there are no set rules.
The first line is a promise to the reader. It can:
1. Introduce the character
2. Flirt with the character (like Julius Baby of the World).
3. Set the mood or tone (like Boris and Bella). A story about the death of a loved one shouldn’t be in bouncy rhyme.
4. An air of mystery (like Martha Speaks)—an intriguing opening that makes readers want to know more.
5. Give location (like Mrs. Biddlebox).
6. Can be a fresh, original opening line (like Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones).
7. Can be a mixed bag (that covers more than one of these). I think Arnie the Donut is the one she suggested for this.
Here are some picture books that have a great promise (sometimes, it’s in the opening paragraph instead of just the first line): Baron Von Baddie, Dear Tabby, Clink.
When writing a picture book, make sure you start in the right place!
The character’s name can say a lot about the character, but shouldn’t be the only memorable thing (an example of a great name is Mrs. Biddlebox). **Don’t give a fun character a generic name!
Description—leave a lot open for the illustrator, but when there is something important to the story or characterization, it can give readers a better feel.
I'll write more on Friday!
First Page: So much from so few words
At the AR-SCBWI fall retreat this weekend, Alexandra Penfold, Associate Editor of S&S took us through a discussion of first pages of our novel mss. She commented on the pages, then opened the discussion for other comments or questions. Here are some observations on the discussions (Note: these should in no way be construed as Penfold’s opinions, but only my observations of the discussions):
Strong openings don’t necessarily mean your novel will sell; it’s easier to write a couple pages well than to sustain a story over a couple hundred pages. Still, a strong opening will likely get an editor or agent to request the full mss; it’s a door knob for them to grab; it’s the starting place for your career.
Related posts:
- Opening Chapters
- Compress Novel
- format
By:
Samantha Clark,
on 3/13/2009
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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the SCBWI Houston Editor’s Day, where five editors — Simon & Schuster’s Alexandra Penfold, Beach Lane Books’ Allyn Johnston, Golden Books/Random House’s Diane Muldrow, Egmont USA’s Elizabeth Law and Sleeping Bear Press’ Amy Lennex — talked about what they look for when they’re considering a book to publish, and the theme that came out of the day was books that resonate. Everyone seems to want books that kids will want to read over and over again, even when they become adults.
So what are these books that resonate? CNN yesterday posted an article offering some excellent examples: Children’s books: Classic reading for fans. The article talks about The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat, the Madeline books and Where the Wild Things Are.
The interesting thing is, the article says that often these books weren’t shoe-ins to publication. Dr. Seuss, perhaps one of the most famous picture book writer, was rejected 25 times before his first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was picked up. And Where the Wild Things Are, although a Caldecott Medal winner, was controversial for its artwork.
For all of you who have gotten rejections, remember, DON’T GIVE UP.
If you have a story that you love with all your heart, even if it’s a little unorthodox for the genre — within reason, of course, in the case of children’s books — don’t let rejections get you down. Keep sending it out. One day, you’ll find the right editor and/or agent who will be the book’s champion, just like these books did.
Another interesting point of the CNN article is a quote by Alida Allison of the San Diego State University, who says all these classic books describe stories that follow a pattern of “home, away, home.” hmm Here are some other classic books that follow that pattern: Peter Pan; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (in fact all the Narnia books); and Wizard of Oz. Maybe there’s something in that.
In the CNN article, Allison says: “If you think of all those stories, there’s a loving parent … allowing a transgressive kid a leash to investigate the world and come back.” And through the child’s eyes, parents find their sense of wonder renewed, she adds.
When I was a kid — and still now, I have to admit — any book is exactly that: an opportunity to investigate the world, any world, and come back.
What are your favorite classic children’s books?
Write On!
I spent the weekend with Simon and Schuster editor Alexandra Penfold and one of her authors, Laura Schaefer. Laura’s latest book, The Teashop Girls, is out and fabulous! I reviewed it for Dane County Parent and will post that soon.
Alexandra Penfold and Laura Schaefer
The best part of any conference or workshop is reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. We had a small group of 23 smart and knowledgeable writers, many who are already published. I learned just as much from them as I did the presenters, which is a testament to our enormously talented chapter. Wisconsin Writers Rock!
Thelma Godin and Sara Akin
Michael Kress-Russick and Zach Loveland
Sharon Addy and Kate Heling
The weekend started with Alexandra having us spend some time on a character study. Not necessarily your main character, it could be any character. You know the drill - describe your character, where s/he lives, their family situation, friends, fears, goals. We all know great novels start with a great character.
What’s interesting about character studies is that most of what you discover won’t end up on the printed page. But, the secrets you uncover will add a depth to your characters emotional development that will resonate throughout your novel. It’s vitally important that your reader care about your character. Otherwise, they might not keep reading.
Some of Alexandra’s questions I had never thought of before:
· Who is your character’s best friend? Why are they friends? (It was the second part of this that I found very intriguing.)
· If your character got $20 for their birthday, what would they do with the money?
· What is your character’s most memorable experience? Why?
At all times you should be thinking, how would your character feel about this, react to that? Stay true to your character. I was excited about what I discovered and immediately started jotting notes about what I could add to flesh out my mc.
We did a meaty first pages session (actually about a page and a half).
First Pages Session
You can really learn a lot from this exercise, but you have to pay attention. It’s not something that uses a step-by-step instruction manual. I love hearing everyone’s beginnings and then thinking about ways to make them even better. I’m taking those ideas and applying them to my own manuscript, and not just the first page but to every scene.
It’s difficult to summarize this exercise except to say it gets you thinking like an editor. Did you find the mc’s voice appealing? Did it hold your interest? Was the language and word choice engaging and appropriate for the character? Did the opening scene have enough description? Dialogue? Did it pull the reader in? First pages are tough! Maybe that’s why we revise them over and over and over . . . or is that just me? J
One more note about first pages, or more accurately your first scene. Oftentimes it’s hard to know where to start a novel. TIP: begin on the day when things are different.
Chapter endings are important, too. One way to end is on a hook. Something so suspenseful the reader can’t possibly put the book down and compels them to turn the page. Sometimes a chapter should end for emphasis, like putting a period or exclamation point on what just happened.
Revising an entire novel can be overwhelming. Take your time and really think about the revisions you want to make. Work on developing one character at a time. Add suspense or conflict in a different round, plot development in another. This makes it more manageable.
Alexandra and Laura took us through the many revisions of TSG’s first chapter. They shared Alexandra’s editorial revision letters to Laura and we even got to hear Laura’s agent’s pitch to Alexandra. A good behind-the-scenes look at everything.
Alexandra and Laura Alexandra Penfold Laura Schaefer
Laura also gave us a dialogue exercise. Shhhh, I’m secretly admitting that I worked on revising my first scene instead. Laura, if you’re reading this, sorry! But, but, but, I had some ideas from first pages and I just had to get started!
In my current round of revisions, I’m switching from third person to first. It turns out that Laura also went through this revision with TSG, so I’m in good company! I like the way I can get into my character’s head in first person and it’s working much better for this particular novel. Though, I sure wish I would have realized that from the beginning! *sigh* Live and learn. J
An aside: a question came up about using song lyrics. It’s very expensive – around $1,000 per line. Yikes! You have to go through the music publisher to get the rights, not the artist. But, titles aren’t copyrighted, so you can use those. Good to know!
On Sunday we discussed grass-roots marketing. Long gone are the days when an author can sit back after getting published and shout, “Yes! I have arrived!”
Alexandra has a marketing degree and started out in publicity. She had a lot of good ideas. Workshop participants also added their ideas and strategies. Did I mention how brilliant our Wisconsin writers are? Some marketing and publicity ideas:
· Get a website! Have excerpts, reviews, activities, teacher’s guides, discussion questions, interview your characters and have them answer questions. Kids love this!
· Blog, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Flickr - Web presence is a must.
· Vistaprint.com is an online printer and a great place to order business cards, postcards, bookmarks, etc.
· Do a book trailer. Post it on Youtube.
· The publisher’s publicity department should put together a press release and contact bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble to set up signings.
· You should contact your local newspapers, news channels, schools, magazines, clubs and organizations, librarians, book reviewers.
Laura does all of this. Wow! Both Alexandra and Laura are open and super friendly. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them, especially since Alexandra bought several different kinds of Michael’s Frozen Custard and shared them with us. J
Happy Writing!
Judy
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Alexandra Penfold, RA Pam Beres, ARA Judy Bryan (Moi) and Laura Schaefer
Shawn McGuire-Brown and Jamie Swenson
Jennifer Motl and Jeannee Sacken
Kate Heling and Karen McQuestion
