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Cecilia Yung has worked in children's publishing for more than twenty-five years. She is the Art Director and Vice President at Penguin Books for Young Readers in the U.S. Cecilia has worked with many major artists and award winners, such as David Small, Peggy Rathmann, Emily McCully and Ed Young. Anita Loughrey interviewed her in December 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

CY: A photography teacher in college suggested that I check out children's publishing. From day one, I recognized that this is a job that stimulates and satisfies every aspect of my brain.

In your opinion, what makes a good art director?

CY: A good art director understands both the material and the artist and finds a way to get the very best out of them. A good art director knows when and how far to push. A good art director articulates the issues at hand, knows the difference between subjective and objective comments, listens carefully and is open to (good) surprises.

What makes an artist's illustrations stand out for you?

CY: Something that makes me gasp or laugh or fight my way across a crowded room, and then rewards me when I linger to look at the details.

Do you think a website is a useful tool for illustrators to showcase their work? How often do you look at a portfolio online?

CY: I look at websites regularly (at least a few times a week) to find artists, to keep tabs on the competition, and even to look at other work by artists I am currently working with to find solutions to problems.

What kinds of things can turn you off of a portfolio?

CY: Bad technique, awkward anatomy, unappealing faces, trendy images, and clichéd solutions.

What do you believe is the most important part of your job?

CY: To balance the needs of the publisher (to publish books that are relevant and profitable) with the needs of the artist (to create something unique) and the needs of a child (to read a story that touches and transforms them).

What is your favorite thing about being an art director?

CY: The most exciting thing is to see an idea grow and develop and end up in a place no one could imagine.

Do you make suggestions for revisions to art work? What sort of suggestions have you made, and how in your opinion have they improved the final product?

CY: Yes, that is one of the most important parts of the job. I look at technical issues like anatomy and perspective. I look at legibility of an image to make sure that it is understandable and conveys the content and intent of the story. I look at expressions, body language, and the palette to make sure they express the emotion of the story. I look at how one scene relates to another to create a narrative.

How would you go about matching an illustrator to an author?

CY: I read the story again and again with the illustrator's work in front of me to match their "voice." Then I see if the strength and weakness of an artist's work will complement the strength and weakness of the story.

What are some of your favorite children’s books and why?

CY: My favorite books make me laugh out loud or see something in a new light or nod vigorously in recognition. Spinky Sulks (William Steig), Knufflebunny Too (Mo Willems), Arnie The Doughnut (Laurie Keller), The Art Lesson (Tomie dePaola), Goodnight Gorilla (Peggy Rathmann), to name just a few.

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on?

CY: So You Want To Be President (Judith St. George and David Small) and The Cod's Tale (Mark Kurlansky and Steve Schindler) because of the overwhelming role of the illustration in making the books a success and the way they present "dry" information with humor and freshness.

Show Way (Jackie Woodson and Hudson Talbott) and Leonardo's Horse (Jean Fritz and Hudson Talbott) because of the complex visual strands and the inventive solutions. They have both beauty and brains.

Leaves (David Ezra Stein) because of the warmth, innocence, and effortlessness.

How involved in the marketing of the book(s) are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at your house?

CY: Not at all. As an art director, I represent the creative possibilities and would like to be as removed as possible from the merchandising of a book.

Is there an area on your list that you would like to "grow" at this time?

CY: There is a lot of sameness out there. What I crave is an original voice.

What is the ideal art sample submission?

CY: Strong work with no weak links: a distinct style that makes my head swivel, fresh solutions that suggest a lively brain, and enough samples to convince me that the artist can deliver that every time.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Ginger Clark is a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd. in New York. She represents science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, paranormal chick-lit, literary horror, and young adult and middle grade fiction. In addition to representing her own clients, she also represents U.K. rights for the agency's children's list. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and pet chinchillas. Anita Loughrey interviewed Ginger in February 2008, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What is the book or experience that made you want to work in children's literature as a literary agent?

I was always a big reader as a child and teen, and sometime during high school I decided I wanted to be a writer. However, I realized that it would be very tough to do that and earn a living--so at first I thought I would be a lawyer to pay the bills and write in my spare time.

After spending several summers working for lawyers, I realized that law probably was not the field for me--and so I interned for a medical publisher in Philadelphia during my last summer in college. I liked it a lot. When I graduated a year later, I moved to New York and have worked in trade publishing since. And I no longer want to be a writer myself.

So to answer your question (finally!), there was no one specific book or experience that made me want to be an agent. More just an intense love of reading and books from an early age. I do remember being about age 5 or 6 and reading a picture book to myself for the first time at the local library, and how powerful and independent I felt doing that.

How did you get your start as an agent?

My second job in publishing was working as an assistant to an agent at Writers House. I started taking on clients within a year and a half of starting and then built my list during the rest of my time there. When I moved to Curtis Brown in the fall of 2005, I took almost all of my clients with me.

What does the ideal cover letter say?

It begins by spelling my name correctly! There is a sentence that sums up the plot nicely, along with a sentence or two as to why the author thinks I'd be the right agent for the book. Then, no more than two paragraphs of plot description. Then please suggest authors whose work yours is similar to.

Please also be correct as to what age group you are writing for. Fourteen-year olds are not interested in reading about ten-year olds, so your work is probably not YA or Teen, but middle grade.

Also, there is no such genre as sci-fi/fantasy. It's either science fiction or fantasy. (Unless it's science fantasy, and I can sense your head is exploding, so never mind!)

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

Unrealistic dialogue is a big turn off for me. And this is key with writing for the children's market--kids are very good at picking out what is legit and what is not. They know when characters don't sound like themselves or their friends.

I also am not a fan of a lot of "info dump" early on in the manuscript--or really, at any point in the manuscript. World building and communicating background information can be conveyed by dialogue or interior monologue.

Now that you are handling U.K. rights to Curtis Brown's children's list does that mean you will be based in the U.K.?

No, no--it just means I will be going to London once a year to meet with editors, and also seeing many of them at Bologna. Most of my time will still be focused on handling my own clients and their needs. It does mean I will be learning an entirely different market, and what works and doesn't work there.

I'm just back from my first trip over to meet editors in London, and it was very productive and very educational.

And man, London is rather expensive. Though the chocolate and cheese are fabulous!

Do you specialize in any particular genre and/or are you looking for anything in particular (genre-wise) at the moment?

I do middle grade and young adult fiction. In particular, I'd love to see science fiction for either age group; young adult urban fantasy with a female lead; young adult military SF; and more fun, contemporary boy books. Also, young adult paranormal romance and chick-lit would be great as well. I'm also still a sucker for gorgeous writing and interesting, unusual characters.

What are publishers telling you about the market and what they'd like to see?

I think my above answer has some overlap here. I'm also hearing they want more middle grade series, that the picture book market is slightly recovering from the drop off a few years ago, and that young adult fantasy still sells, but it needs to be a little more fresh and different than, say, five years ago. And they'd like a good, fun science fiction series for middle grade or young adult.

From an agent's point of view, what are the "realities" of children's book publishing?

Kids are not reading as much and as widely as they did twenty years ago. I could spend an hour discussing why I think this is the case, but it's a fundamental reality.

However, there is a lot more variety in terms of subject matter and adult subject matter than there was when I was a child.

One series that is represented by another agent here at Curtis Brown, The Squad (by Jennifer Lynn Barnes) is about cheerleaders who are secretly spies for the CIA. It is exciting, funny, and a blast to read. I wish I had had something like this when I was young!

Publishing in general is a smaller market than it used to be, so writers need to be realistic about how much money they can make, and how long it could take to build an audience successfully. Patience is required, as is a day job.

Cynsational Notes

See also a previous Cynsations interview with Ginger Clark.

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Marie Wabbes' first picture book was published by Ecole des Loisirs more than 42 years ago. Since then, she has produced over 175 picture books that have been published worldwide. Other interests include breeding Arabian horses and working with African illustrators, guiding them to produce their own picture books. Anita Loughrey interviewed Marie in January, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Are you a writer as well as an illustrator and, if so, which comes first the images or the words?

MW: First the words, as I started in life working as a journalist, working for fifteen years for a newspaper called the le Soir in Brussels. The illustrations come later. I've always wanted to be an author-illustrator.

What were your other career choices, if any?

MW: Well, I am the mother of four children. I bred Arabian horses, and I am still an international judge for these horses. I have to travel the world to the shows.

Do you have favorite medium you work in? If so, did the medium choose you or did you choose it? Can you elaborate?

MW: When I started illustrating, the fashion was ink and watercolor. Later, I decided to use a marker to have a more dynamic drawing effect. The color and lines came together like in the Little Rabbit books. Next, I started drawing portraits of teddy bears in pastel and gouache and started illustrating my books with the same medium.

At the moment, I am writing another book about a teddy and a little boy who is convinced his teddy is really alive.

If you were to illustrate yourself, what would you look like?

MW: I would see myself as a kitchen garden full of flowers and vegetables. If I could be any character from one of my illustrations I would be a teddy bear, to be cuddled and loved. I have a collection of old, very much loved teddies. I could draw myself as one of them.

Do you have a favorite children’s book that you wish you had written and/or illustrated? Why?

MW: My favorite children's book is Babar, because the little elephant lives a happy life and is always positive. It is very French, a witness of the pre-war period in France.

How far ahead do you work? Six months, a year? Longer?

MW: Normally six months, but I have been "sitting" like a hen on her nest on some projects for years.

What is your workspace like?

MW: My workspace is a very nice studio facing my garden, very convenient. There is a picture of Babar on the wall above my desk and 3D painting white on white...a "Castellani" Italian painter and a drawing of TinTin's dog Milou. I always work with classical music. I love opera also.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

MW: My favourite book was L’almanach du gai savoir by Colette Vivier. Later I discovered Barok Pimpol et Viginil by Simone Ratel. It is very funny and amusing.

How has your childhood influenced your illustrations and writing?

MW: It was the second-world-war. My father was a prisoner in Germany, and we were sent to a farm and I loved everything--the smell of the fresh baked bread, the cherries on the trees, the cows and hens, getting up early in the morning to go mushrooming...in the wet grass.

My illustrations are always fed by details coming from that world. I live in the country and still love it.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Josh Adams co-founded the Adams Literary in the U.S., which exclusively represents children's book authors and artists, with his wife Tracey Adams (agent interview). The agency is affiliated to David Higham in the U.K. Anita Loughrey interviewed him in January, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What is the book or experience that made you want to work in children's literature as a literary agent?

JA: I can say with all certainty I would not be working in children's literature as a literary agent if it weren't for my wife, Tracey. I've always admired her passion and dedication to children's literature, and even before we started Adams Literary together in 2004, I had accompanied Tracey to many industry events and kept up-to-date on new books and trends.

From day one, I was intimately involved in every aspect of the business except agenting, which I really wanted to do but couldn't because, in addition to my role at Adams Literary, I was working as a full-time consultant.

It wasn't until after we moved to Charlotte, N.C., in October 2005, that I was able to start agenting. I've always enjoyed my work, but being a part of Adams Literary and helping our clients to accomplish their dreams is the most meaningful and rewarding professional experience I've ever had.

Do you have a background in publishing?

JA: I do have a background in publishing: magazine publishing. I was an editor at several national magazines for nearly a decade, most recently overseeing the editorial content for two magazines, and developing new magazine properties and publishing tie-ins, including books.

In 2000, I left publishing to get my MBA at Columbia Business School, and after graduating, I transitioned into marketing and brand strategy consulting for major international companies. I definitely think my experience in magazine publishing and consulting (as well as my MBA), have helped me to be a literary agent, especially when it comes to looking at books and potential client projects from both a creative and business perspective.

In your opinion, what makes a good agent?

JA: Passion, perseverance, an eye for talent, a thick skin, negotiation skills, people skills, ability to multi-task, a long-term perspective, and, last but not least, a sense of humor.

At what point in a manuscript do you "know" you either want to work on the project or not?

JA: I usually know pretty early on--usually by the end of the first chapter, if not the first paragraph. I'm an optimist, so I'll hope the rest of the manuscript holds up. And of course I'll want to know what else the person is planning, as we don't represent clients on a book-by-book basis. It's really important for me and Tracey to love an author or artist's work, so that's our main criteria when taking on a new client.

The hardest part for me is saying "no" to someone who I know is talented or whose work I know will sell (they may even have an offer in hand), but whose work I just don't fully connect with. But saying "yes" in such a case just wouldn't feel right to us or be fair to the potential client.

For you, what does the ideal cover letter say?

JA: As little as possible. It should say who the person is, how they came to us (by referral or conference), what they're submitting, and what else they're working on. We also want to know that the person has put thought into why they're submitting to Adams Literary.

If it's clear it's a mass cover letter, I will not give it as much consideration.

If it has another agent's name on it (yes, it's happened), I'll throw it away.

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

JA: Unlikeable characters and lack of detail. I need to feel like I can make an investment of time in the characters, and I need to be able to visualize what's happening.

Do you get involved with the marketing aspect of the book?

JA: We're certainly involved in marketing manuscripts, and we do as much as we can to promote our clients' work, highlighting it in our newsletter that goes out to editors and publishers worldwide, film and television producers, as well as people who've signed up on our site.

We also produce rights guides for Frankfurt and Bologna, and we attend Bologna annually.

We work closely with our clients, their editors and the marketing departments to facilitate coverage of books and events, and we share the best practices of our clients among them, as we feel authors are often (and certainly should be) the most effective marketers of their own books.

And, finally, we certainly put our clients in touch with marketers specializing in children's books if and when they want an extra push beyond what the publisher has done.

Do you give any pre-submission editing and revision requests to your clients?

JA: Yes, but my suggested revisions are typically more high-level--I don't line-edit, as I believe that's the editor's job--and they are only recommendations. My comments are aimed at clarifying any questions or issues I think readers will have, giving an overall sense of what I think works well or can be improved, and strengthening the work.

I don't expect manuscripts to come to me in perfect shape, as I believe it's my job to see the potential that's there. Obviously, the more polished a manuscript is at the time of submission, the better the chance there is that an editor will want to acquire it.

Although it doesn't happen often, I'll still send something out if a client doesn't agree with my suggested changes, provided they seriously consider the feedback from editors.

One of the reasons I don't line-edit is that we could send a manuscript out to five editors, and get five totally different responses, since tastes are subjective. Of course, if we get five responses all citing the same issues I'd mentioned, then I'd ask the client to revisit those issues before submitting further.

You co-founded the Adams Literary Agency with your wife, Tracey Adams, in 2004. Whose idea was it to work together?

JA: It was really a mutual decision. For years I'd wanted to have my own business, but wasn't sure what it would be, and Tracey at the time felt the need to have more autonomy in her work than she could at her previous (or, for that matter, any other) agency.

We were both excited by the prospect of starting a literary agency specializing in children's books in a very forward-thinking way. We both share a very "old-school" view of the industry--in that it's all based on relationships--but wanted to reinvent what we felt was often a very traditional and outdated way of doing things.

For instance, we were one of the first to have a Web site and to publicize our client list. We also continually strive to find new and better ways of accomplishing the routine tasks an agent must do. It's satisfying to be able to think "out of the box" and try new things without anyone telling us, "Well, we've always done it this way."

As a husband and wife team, how do you compliment and contrast each other?

JA: Tracey's computer desktop is very messy, and her actual desktop is very neat. My computer desktop is very neat, and my actual desktop is very messy. But, more seriously, we've somehow learned to build on each other's strengths while trying to avoid each other's weaknesses. I think we've both learned a lot from each other, and continue to do so every day.

We were profiled last summer in a Charlotte magazine article about couples who work together, and the writer asked for our advice to couples who are considering working together but have reservations about it.

Our advice was simple: If you have any reservations, don't do it. It may seem odd to some people who can't imagine working with their spouse--and we fully appreciate that there are many loving couples who couldn't--but Tracey and I really never thought twice about working together. We frequently joke that we share the same brain, which isn't far from the truth.

Describe your working relationship at the Adams Literary Agency?

JA: We really work together as a team on everything. We consult each other about any major decisions or issues, and we keep each other up-to-date on everything that's happening, so if need be, either one of us can pick something up where the other left off.

Though Tracey or I may handle the day-to-day management of a particular client more than the other, we don't work with the notion that someone is a "Tracey" client or a "Josh" client. All of our clients are Adams Literary clients.

Tracey and I share the same philosophy about our business, our dedication to clients, and largely our taste in books, and--perhaps because of my background in branding--we work hard to maintain our reputation, and build the Adams Literary "brand" that is based on our philosophy. There are many good agencies and agents out there, and many different working styles and personalities, and I think our philosophy helps to differentiate us from other agencies.

How do you keep your working relationship separate from your home commitments?

JA: This is perhaps the most difficult part of having your own business--especially when it's run out of your home. Since this is Tracey's and my livelihood, and it's our name on the business, there really is no "off" switch. But as much as we love what we do, we need time away from it, too. Tracey is a bit better than I am at switching off work-mode after hours. So even though you might get an email from me late at night and I will constantly check my iPhone for email when I'm away from the office, I do have one hard rule: I don't respond to email on the weekends.

Cynsational Notes

Don't miss: SCBWI Bologna 2008 Agent Interview: Tracey Adams of Adams Literary from Cynsations.

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Val Brathwaite is the Art Director for Bloomsbury U.K. Val has a wealth of publishing experience, having worked at Belitha Press, HarperCollins, Kingfisher, Orchard Books, and Scholastic. She lives in London with her husband and two sons. Anita Loughrey interviewed her in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

VB: I was offered a job with a children's publisher Orchard Books based in London. After nine years working for an adult publisher, I thought it would be an interesting change.

In your opinion, what makes a good art director?

VB: Good communication and organization. Adaptable creativity.

What makes an artist's illustrations stand out for you?

VB: Someone who is a good draftsman, who is able to bring their own style and individuality to their work and who is professional in their approach.

Do you think a website is a useful tool for illustrators to showcase their work? How often do you look at a portfolio online?

VB: I think it is very good and often look at work online.

What kinds of things can turn you off of a portfolio?

VB: Bad draftsmanship and a disorganized folder.

What do you believe is the most important part of your job?

VB: Communication, organization, being creative, and understanding commercial needs.

What is your favorite thing about being an art director?

VB: I love meeting and working with the many different artists and authors.

Do you make suggestions for revisions to art work? What sort of suggestions have you made, and how in your opinion have they improved the final product?

VB: I suggest changes when they are needed. Generally, the comments range from specific details not being correct to the inconsistency of characters and/or color in picture books. The revisions ensure the final art is in tune with the story and character descriptions and that the artist has the right approach for each book.

How would you go about matching an illustrator to an author?

VB: We look at the style of the story, i.e. quirky, fantasy, traditional, etc. and then look at different artists' styles that will match the character of the text.

What are some of your favorite children's books and why?

VB: I am a great fan of French picture books. I think they are very creative and stylish.

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on?

VB: I feel proud of most books I have worked on--in particular the new young fiction series we have created at Bloomsbury.

Is there an area on your list that you would like to "grow" at this time?

VB: We are looking at developing color young fiction for early readers. They are more of a fiction format aimed at beginner readers (age 5-7): These around 48 pages with color illustrations throughout but more text than a picture book.

What is the ideal art sample submission?

VB: I am happy to see samples on email, disk, or prints.

How involved in the marketing of the book(s) are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at your house?

VB: We work very closely with our marketing team, but do not market the books--they do that. The budgets vary, depending on the title and author.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Susanne Gervay is an Australian author who writes children's and young adult fiction. As the daughter of Hungarian post-war refugees, a mother, and a cancer survivor, her experiences empower her to write books that reach out to youth on their journey to adulthood.

Her young adult books break into new territory and include That's Why I Wrote this Song, The Cave, and Butterflies.

Her best-selling younger fiction, I Am Jack, tackles school bullying with humor and insight. Tricycle Press (Ten Speed Pres) has recently bought the rights to I Am Jack for released in the U.S. in fall 2009, with an option for the sequel Super Jack. The book also has been adapted as a play by the premier theater company, Monkey Baa Theatre (it has been placed on the international touring list for 2009 when it will be released in the U.S.).

Anita Loughrey interviewed her in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Did you always want to be a writer?

SG: I thought all eight-year-old kids wrote stories and poems. It was something I did for escapism from the turbulent family life of being the daughter of post-war refugees. Sometimes my writing was funny. Other times, it acted as a way of understanding life.

I wrote because that is who I am. I didn't think of it as a career. I'm always surprised that I became a writer and grateful for it.

What other jobs have you had (that led to being a writer)?

SG: A teacher, journalist, hotelier, daughter, wife, and the mother of two fantastic kids.

What are you working on at the moment?

SG: I have just finished a hectic promotional tour of my new YA novel, That's Why I Wrote This Song, which took me across Australia from Western Australia to Darwin. So, I'm now considering where to start--a third book in the I am Jack series or an autobiographically-inspired YA novel called Rosie.

If you could be a character from one of your books, who would it be and why this particular character?

SG: I am a character in my books. I'm the Mum in I Am Jack and Super Jack. Of course, I'm an excellent Mum. (My kids think my star jumps are so embarrassing.) My Jack books are inspired by my family, filled with all the funny and sad bits of life, with Nanna who loses her teeth and Rob who washes dishes until they sparkle and Jack who tells great jokes.

I Am Jack was written for my son when he was bullied at school and has become a rite-of-passage book on school bullying in Australia.

How has your childhood influenced what you write?

SG: I often feel that children's and YA authors are stuck in those turbulent years between childhood and adulthood. It's as though we live in a dual world where the child and the adult walk hand in hand.

As the child of post world war Hungarian refugees who experienced Nazism, then communism, to escape and find a new home in Australia, childhood was passionate, loving, painful, scary. I wanted to write for young people, so that life is less scary and so they have fellow traveler in life, in the pages of my books.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

SG: I read To Kill a Mockingbird at 15. It was the defining book for me, as I sought to understand human relations and the great issues of life from family to racism to power.

Is there a book already published that you wish you had written? Why?

SG: It's To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch, the father is like my father in many ways, with his courage, honor and love. My father was a hero, too. He didn't know it, like Atticus, but he was. My father appears in many of my books in different ways. He's the grandfather in The Cave.

How long does it take you to write a book?

SG: Books take me a long time to write. I have to be profoundly affected by something to write about it. I think, rethink, emotionally engage, start to play with story and emotions.

Depending on the book, I research as well. For my YA novel, Butterflies, I spent six months researching, interviewing, understanding burns before I wrote. It is a book about the emotional, psychological, physical, social challenges of growing up with burns.

It was tough writing as I lived inside the world of Katherine to discover her courage and how we can be greater than our "burns." However, Butterflies is more than burns. It shows the ebb and flow of emotions that affect us all, particularly in the transition between childhood and adulthood.

On average, it takes me a year to write a book. However my latest book That's Why I Wrote This Song, with music and lyrics by my daughter Tory, took three years.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

SG: Having the courage to start. To jump into a journey that will become my life for a long time. I can't separate from my characters and story, so it's like a fantasy book without the fantasy. I slip through the wardrobe like in Narnia, and am in that world. I cry when the characters suffer, laugh when they are funny and grow as they grow. I find the process emotionally challenging.

Do you work with the television, radio, or stereo on? In cafés, nursing a half-cup of lukewarm tea or in isolation?

SG: I usually have music on. It gets me in the mood. When I was writing That's Why I Wrote This Song, rock music blasted from my study. Usually I'm a Pavarotti girl, not a rock chick. However, this book and music was about the youth music scene, and I was emotionally there at those festivals, music gigs and living the life. So Good Charlotte and Eminem rocked from my stereo.

I write alone in my study on my computer, as I need the space to enter into another consciousness.

You have battled with breast cancer and come out the other side. Were you still writing whilst you were fighting the cancer? If so, what were you writing? Did writing help?

SG: When I told my son that I had cancer, he said, "But Mum you never die." We laughed because it's true. Illness is just one of those challenges that has been in my life since I've been two years old. For all its hardships, it offers gifts.

Through it, healing has become part of the DNA of my writing. I could not have written Butterflies without it. Butterflies is currently part of a traveling exhibition on "Outstanding Youth Literature on Disability" (IBBY); I Am Jack is a rite-of-passage book in Australia dealing with school bullying and being adapted into a play which will tour regional Australia in 2008.

My recent YA novel written for my daughter, who wrote the lyrics and music that integrate into the text, was completed during a hard time of illness. Nothing would stop me writing it for her. It's just been published and is a celebration of our relationship and that search for identity intrinsic to youth.

While my books are endorsed by Life Education Australia, The Children's Hospital Sydney, National Coalition Against Bullying, WAYS (Youth Outreach Services), NSW Cancer Council and other organizations, they are never didactic. They are always story with passions and loves and humor, engaging readers into that turbulent passage between childhood and adulthood in a journey that is theirs.

My books are trade books but are also read extensively in schools and are part of many programs that reach out to youth.

On Tuesday 27th November 2007, I was awarded the Lady Cutler Award for Distinguished Services to Children's Literature in Australia by the CBC (Children's Book Council). I am very proud of that.

(See the following article ["Patients Have a Voice"] I was asked to write for GOFUND supported by Nicole Kidman who is a patron. This explains more fully that relationship between illness and writing.)

How much do you think a writer needs to market his/herself/the work? What do you suggest?

SG: A writer has to be a performer today who is prepared to market his/her work. Word of mouth is of course the best form of marketing. If your work speaks to the reader, then that is powerful. However, you have to get your book to the reader first to start the word of mouth process. That's where marketing is essential.

When I have a new book released, I do a lot of radio interviews especially on the ABC (like the BBC) stations across Australia from Perth to Canberra to Adelaide. I also do newspaper and magazine interviews. Television is difficult is much more limited, and I usually only do one or two segments. I speak at writers' festivals, conferences and schools.

A launch is a good idea, depending on the book. That’s Why I Wrote This Song is such an innovative book crossing into music and film. So it was good to launch it. We had the event at Bondi Pavilion Theatre overlooking Bondi Beach. Tory and her band Not Perfect performed the songs that drive the book--"I Wanna Be Found" and "Psycho Dad." It was launched by The Herd, a hip hop band which is popular in Australia and endorsed by WAYS a youth organization that runs Bondi Blitz Battle of the Youth Bands at Bondi Beach.

There were hundreds of people, and it received media coverage and reviews in the Sydney Morning Herald and was a great celebration.

I find there are problems now in balancing the marketing and writing, with talks and media taking increasing amounts of time and preparation.

Do you have a blog, and if so, how often do you blog? Do you get lots of feedback from readers?

SG: My blog is on my MySpace, which readers access through my website.

I get some reader feedback through my blog, but most readers email me directly rather than on my MySpace blog. My website and youtube is getting increasing usage, so while readers may not send feedback, but they are reading my blog.

Can you share your favorite fan mail, if you have one?

SG: When a reader relates to a book, they often feel they know the author personally. It's like the reader and author are friends. I get lots of fan mail. Here are a few examples:

Dear Susanne Gervay:

I loved your book Butterflies and if this has not yet been suggested it is I think a great idea. The book Butterflies made me cry and a movie would be even greater.

Thanks,
Jessica

Subject: That's Why I Wrote this song...

IS totally awesome! I started reading, and couldn't put it down--I finished it in the first two days. I loved the relationship between the girls, and the way you totally captured their world--I'm amazed at how you do that so convincingly and make it seem so authentic...wow.

Sarah

What was it like collaborating with your daughter to write That's Why I Wrote This Song?

SG: It took three turbulent years to create That's Why I Wrote This Song. Working as a mother-daughter team was at times hilarious, loving, and very hard.

When my daughter Tory, who was seventeen, asked me to write a book inspired by her, it was such a deep request. Tory and I had been through a great deal together. Illness has always been part of my life, which, as a sole parent, has been tough on my children. Tory was deeply affected. We laughed and had such special times as she dressed my wounds and helped me. So how privileged was I to write for her. Nothing could stop me writing this book, and although it would be fictional, the spirit would be hers.

Tory writes rock songs. Rock is such a powerful form of youth expression as it reaches into the eternal quest of search for identity. That's what is intrinsic to Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, The Stones, Queen and the many other rock writers and singers over the past decades. My books are always about search for identity in its many shapes and forms. Our book would connect through music.

The title That's Why I Wrote This Song came from Tory's rock song "Psycho Dad." The lyrics of two of her songs "Psycho Dad" and "I Wanna Be Found" would become the driving force in our book. The songs drive the narrative, characters, and themes as the music and lyrics meld with my text.

Once we started the journey of the book, life became very tense. I write honestly and I trod into sensitive areas. It was turbulent and many times in the process, I questioned ever doing it. So did Tory. However, That's Why I Wrote This Song has finally been released, and it is special and our mother-daughter relationship even stronger.

What sort of research have you had to do to write such cutting-edge young adult novels?

SG: The research is intense. When I wrote The Cave about youth male culture, a survival camp, climbing mountains, and fording streams, I was challenged. I went on trips into our bush--the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves near Sydney. I cut out articles about RAVE parties and body piercing in the newspapers. I interviewed a friend who knew about "magic mushrooms" for a whole afternoon.

However, the major talks were with my then age-seventeen son. I drove him crazy as talked with him for hours and hours, until I understood the physical demands of rock climbing and kayaking. I felt like I "sucked" out my son's life. He forgave me and ultimately gave approval for the book, otherwise I couldn’t have written The Cave.

The process is similar for my books. I interview, live the life, go into the experience, so I can emotionally understand that search for identity that is pivotal to young adults. YA readers always know a liar, so my books have to have integrity. I have to know the reality, to write about it.

You deal with a lot of issues in your books, such as fears, sexuality, self-esteem, prejudices, bullying and violence. What message do you hope you are conveying to the young adults that read your books?

SG: That passage to adulthood is a fragile one. Youth are seeking experiences, yet are inexperienced. As they plunge into life, pulling away from the ties of dependence on their parents and childhood's rules, they face the world with very little armor.

Life can be jagged with peer-group pressure, family break-ups, broken hearts, parental expectations, body-image fears, sexuality, a world which presents the Twin Towers and climate change as the future. Without the experience that life is uneven, that there are hard times, but also good times, young people can get lost. That is where young adult literature can become a friend, providing experience, inviting readers to become participants, to find their own answers and travel the pathway of life and know it's worth it.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Giselle Tsai is one of the founding members of the children's book department at CommonWealth Magazine Group. Their list includes picture books, easy readers and short novels. Giselle was interviewed by Anita Loughrey in January, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into publishing? Tell us a bit about your background.

GT: I have always cherished a passion for literature. Reading is an indispensable part of my life. I graduated from the English Department of National Cheng-Chi University. Then I earned a MA degree in Children's Literature at University of Reading in the U.K.

Personally, reviewing or analyzing a book is as enchanting as making a book myself.

However, creating books is also important and something fewer people do in Taiwan. In my role as editor, I hope to introduce those lesser-known works from abroad, as well as to cultivate creators in our own country.

What is the Taiwan Commonwealth Magazine Publishing Group? Do they publish children's books? If so, what areas of children's publishing are they involved with?

GT: CommonWealth Magazine Group is derived from a bi-weekly magazine broadly defined as an economic journal. Now it has grown to include three magazines, one publishing department, and an educational foundation.

In the beginning, we published books concerning the economy, health, and education. Some of the books regarding education have been very well received and become influential in Taiwan. Teachers and parents inquired about whether or not we would begin to create children's books ourselves. Thus, we decided to take the plunge and create our own line of children’s books.

In 2005, the children's book department started functioning. We began by producing picture books, chapter books, and novels. No matter what genre we touch upon, we tend reinforce concepts by organizing many titles as series. Our editorial work and marketing strategies are closely intertwined, and the response to our books has been favorable from both book lovers and parents.

In 2006, we began publishing non-fiction. Croq’Sciences and Guide pour un Enfant Citoyen are two of the most popular books in this line.

In the long run, we'd like to establish ourselves as a publisher with a wide variety of children's books. There's still a long way to go, but we're working hard.

In your opinion, what makes a good editor?

GT: An editor is more or less like a film producer. First, they should have the talent to distinguish work with potential from those without. With the knowledge of book production and marketing, they merge all the necessary elements to grow a manuscript into polished work.

Moreover, there's the reader's part to consider. It's important to know where the reader is and try to match their needs with creators' ideas. A published book without readers will pine away. A burgeoning author without readers will also pine away.

Therefore, what a good editor does is to be the bridge connecting authors and readers. In doing so, both sides prosper.

When you're reading a manuscript for the first time, how long does it take you (approximately how many pages? chapters?) to figure out whether it's something you want to pursue?

GT: On the whole, I will read the summary of a story, but how the story is told matters more to me. There are few original stories nowadays, so I value "how" more than "what."

I'll at least read half of the manuscripts for novels, and three to four chapters for easy readers.

As for picture books, I must read the whole story and closely examine the storyboard before I start any plans for publication. Of course, the attitude of the author/illustrator to revise and work with me also counts.

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

GT:
o A contrived plot
o Loose structure
o Flat characters
o An obvious moral

What is your favorite thing about being an editor?

GT: I enjoy sharing ideas and giving advice to creators. Nothing compares to the moment when all of us, with respect and sincerity, finally finish a book in the end. It's like merging everyone's dreams into one and making it come true all at once.

What are some of your favorite children's books and why?

GT: As a little girl, I loved A Little Princess and The Secret Garden very much. The former gives me a sense of wonder and conveys the power of imagination--I can imagine whatever things I like and to some extent, by thinking of them, they become real. The latter installs a tremendous courage into my heart, as if telling me children can "create" a world of their own without the help of any adult. A seemingly powerless girl can be strong enough to bring others (even an adult) salvation. Both of them left a great impression on me.

After I studied children's literature, I also became enchanted with the stories by E. Nesbit. The narration in her work can be read in so many different ways, and she's so good at blurring the boundary between reality and imagination. Her stories create tremendous interest both in kids and adults.

What book(s) or magazine feature are you proudest of having worked on? Why?

GT: I would say it's an easy-reader series, written, illustrated, and organized all by Taiwanese creators. As the editor, I'm proud to be the one bringing it to life. Nevertheless, there's still much to be done.

Have you worked with both fiction and non-fiction? If so, how do the processes compare? What do you like most (and/or least) about each?

GT: Most of the time, I work with fiction, but I do have some experience with non-fiction. In our case, fiction is a world well explored while non-fiction is almost a foreign land. Our ideal is actually to add fictional elements to non-fiction and, therefore, make hard knowledge more palatable to readers.

I like to imagine wildly with authors when creating a story. It's simply a natural thing to do. When it comes to non-fiction, I regard it a challenge to see how children first see the world and how they feel about reality. If we can recall how, for the first time, nature appealed to us and such, we may do a better non-fiction book. However, I realized writers in this field are not easy to find and editors are particularly essential.

What does the ideal cover letter say?

GT: Concise and sincere.

Do you look at art samples?

GT: Certainly, looking for a proper illustrator is a constant need, so I'm more than willing to hear from those who are interested in children's books and capable of illustrating them.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Pat Cummings traveled a lot when she was young, as her father was in the Army. She has been writing and illustrating children's books since she graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. She currently lives in beautiful downtown Brooklyn, with her husband Chuku Lee and the ghost of her cat, Cash. Anita Loughrey interviewed her in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Are you a writer as well as an illustrator, and, if so, which comes first, the images or the words?

PC: Yes, I write. Usually, the writing proceeds any work on illustrations, but at times the imagery comes first, particularly if there's something I want to draw.

Two books I've written: C.L.O.U.D.S. and Carousel both started with images. In fact, Carousel began as a series of sketches with only a loose concept to tie them together. The writing and art developed at the same time. Short answer: it varies.

Do you have favorite medium you work in? If so, did the medium choose you or did you choose it? Can you elaborate?

PC: More like a reliable one. I work in watercolor and gouache with color pencil waaaay too frequently. I don't like the idea of being too comfortable with my default media, so if the story calls for it, I try other things. I've used acrylics, oil, pen and ink, pastel, even collage at times. I don't know about being "chosen" by a medium, but there have been times when a particular one seemed to make more sense.

In Carousel, for instance, there are dream sequences that seemed to "need" the luminosity that oil allows. For Storm in the Night, it made sense to work from dark to light in acrylics since it took place at night and the story was illuminated primarily by lightning flashes. With acrylics, applying light colors to the dark backgrounds works. So I could illuminate a night time scene in the way that lightning might: by applying highlights and flashes of light as needed.

How has growing up as an "Army brat" all over the world influenced your work?

PC: Well, I learned early that what appears "foreign" is not by default frightening, so I think I've learned to enjoy exploration. Also, constantly lacking familiarity with new surroundings as a child, my imagination tended to generate exactly the sort of stuff that fills children's books.

Things and imagery have different meanings in different places, so I try to keep that in mind. I remember going into a store in the U.S. after living in Okinawa and seeing a figure of Buddha mounted on an ashtray. After living in Asia, it was like seeing Christ on an ashtray and it struck me as disrespectful.

I generally feel free to incorporate into my work any imagery from any culture or location, but only after doing my homework. I don't think imagery should be casually appropriated. So, for example, the fabrics in Ananse and the Lizard are based on textiles worn in West Africa, the source of the story, not other regions of the continent.

Constant moving probably reinforced my love of fantasy. When you don't know anyone, speak the language, or know the terrain, your imagination fills in the blanks. In Germany, my mother read us stories about castles and dragons, then we'd spend weekends touring castles along the Rhine. It wasn't hard to imagine dragons climbing those crumbling stone walls. Or in Okinawa, I'd see the front page of the local newspapers...grown-up newspapers...blaring headlines about ghost sightings. I'd walk through villages, dodging little old ladies dressed head-to-toe in black, toting bundles of sticks on their heads. Of course I believed in witches.

I think it was a great way to grow up, and, best of all, it made me love traveling. So now it makes sense to go to the locations in my books to get reference... (and, better still, that makes the trip tax deductible). Maybe being called an Army "brat" all through childhood didn't hurt either. A tough skin comes in handy when there's a less-than-glowing review.

Is it true your brother was the inspiration behind some of your books and which ones?

PC: Yes, my brother is a frequent inspiration. He's Harvey in Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon! and the sequel coming out in January, Harvey Moon, Museum Boy. He's Petey in Petey Moroni's Camp Runamok Diary. He's the baby in Angel Baby, and he's the Artie of Jimmy Lee Did It. His was an "eventful" childhood, so there are quite a few exposes left to write.

Do you model your other characters on any other people you know?

PC: At times. Sometimes there's a personality trait I want to capture, and sometimes I have friends and family model for the characters.

What are you currently working on?

PC: I'm painting the pages for Ananse and the Monster, another story about the West African trickster. And I'm working on a non-fiction book, a collection of biographies of notable African Americans.

If you were to illustrate yourself, what would you look like? (please feel free to draw yourself--animal, plant, mineral!)

PC: Interesting question. I did illustrate myself, once. It's on the cover of C is for City. In one tiny window, in one building under a night time sky, there is a little silhouette of a figure. It was 4 a.m., and I was feeling sorry for myself, no doubt. I felt like the only person awake, with no one to call, working all night to meet a deadline. So I put myself in a window in a city scene where every other window was empty (but brightly lit for some reason) late at night. Quite tragic!
What is the hardest thing about being an author-illustrator for you?

PC: Deadlines. Distractions. Getting to all of the stories I'd like to do. Basically, the need for sleep and exercise is the hard part.

Did you always want to be an author-illustrator?

PC: I didn't know the word "illustrator," but I was hustling my classmates in kindergarten, selling ballerina drawings. So yes, I loved to draw from the time I was little, and, seeing that it could help me make new friends and even some pocket change, it never occurred to me to do anything else.

The writing came later as a means of revenge. With three sisters and time on his hands, my brother became inordinately creative with his pranks. He's given me a lot of material I've yet to use. Also, I realized at some point that I needed to write my own stories so I could choose whatever imagery interested me.

What were your other career choices, if any?

PC: When I was a junior at Pratt, I actually thought I'd like to go to graduate school to become an archaeologist. I subscribed to an archaeology magazine and checked with one university about their requirements. When I found out how many science courses would be necessary, I decided that the magazine would suffice.

Do you have a favorite children's book that you wish you had written and/or illustrated? Why?

PC: You mean, other than Harry Potter for obvious reasons?

I recently read a manuscript by one of my students that I think has a wonderful, surprising plot that I would have loved to have imagined. But no, not really.

I see books all the time and think, "Ooooh, I love the way they've drawn their characters," or "I want to use their same color palette for something." I might read some lines that seem amazingly right or lyrical or funny and wish I could turn a phrase in so succinct a way. But there's no one book that I wished I done...other than Harry Potter.

How far ahead do you work? Six months, a year? Longer?

PC: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. My record finishing time is four months. That only happened by cutting my sleep to four hours a night max. That was years ago, and my sleep pattern has never recovered. My longest time was eight years. That was Ananse and the Lizard, and I actually traveled to West Africa and did research, which added to the time.

Actually, I have one book I signed up in 1990 so that might be the longest running one if ever I finish it. Of course, I would like to finish in six months. I would like to own a villa in Brazil too.

What does your work space look like?

PC: One editor cruelly referred to me as working "amidst cheerful clutter" on a book flap. It isn't all that cheerful.

What's on your wall over your desk or drawing table?

PC: Hmmmmm. Pictures of family. Pictures of spiders, lions, porcupines. Masks, a lei from Hawaii, dried roses. Two postcards from gallery shows. A 2002 calendar with a picture of my Mom and I on a school visit to Germany. A colorful chart showing five books due by Fall 2007. Two are crossed out.

How has your childhood influenced your illustrations and writing?

PC: I suffered a happy childhood. I could have used some angst. I had funny parents and funny siblings. Everything struck me as funny, and anything funny still appeals to me. I've been told that everything is not funny. I know there are massively serious things going on in the world. But my childhood has definitely skewed my perspective.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

PC: Hands down, it was C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Going through a closet into another world was too delicious an idea to resist. Portals in general still interest me. Fantasy books had to offer more that just iconic characters like witches and fairies, I wanted be surprised by some unimaginable, alternate reality.

I think that's why Harry Potter appeals to so many.... You can't really imagine all of the twists and turns that come your way.

In adult fiction, books by Haruki Murakami give me the same sensation now, and that's not an easy thing to pull off.

Do you work with the television, radio, or stereo on? In cafés, nursing a half cup of lukewarm tea or in isolation?

PC: All of the above when I paint: I like old, chatty, plot-heavy movies I don't have to "look" at to follow. Radio shows that pull my attention so I can paint without obsessing, books on tape, music. I've worked recently in coffee shops, but it's too distracting for the long haul.

When writing, I like absolute quiet or very soft jazz or classical music. Complete isolation is great, but if my husband is home, we work in companionable isolation. We're in a big loft, and his workspace is in view but quite separate. And lukewarm tea is absolutely mandatory.

Do you have a blog or website to showcase your work, and if so, how often do you blog? Do you get lots of feedback from readers? Has it proved to be useful?

PC: My website has been under construction for years. I know zip about websites. Periodically, I press students or my brother into adding a line here or there. Very chop shop. Mostly, I hear from people who send spam with outrageous headings.

My website is www.patcummings.com, and I would love to receive mail that does not offer to enhance body parts I don't own.

If you could be a character from one of your illustrations who would you like to be and why?

PC: I really resonated with the character of Alex in Carousel. She went right through her bedroom window into her dream. Fortunately, I have great dreams, so I really knew the sort of feeling I wanted to capture when painting hers.

I think I most identify with the characters I have in front of me though. And right now, I'm in love with the porcupine in the new Ananse book. He has the open, trusting, somewhat gullible demeanor of a four-year-old, and I find that appealing.

I'm determined to keep him guileless and eager to believe the best, particularly because his exterior image implies just the opposite. He looks unapproachable, even dangerous. I do like the idea of a tough exterior: admittedly, the world can be harsh, so it seems wise to keep your quills up. Porcupine in this story is slow to think badly of Ananse.

He's also prone to stutter. I'd choose him because I hope to believe the best of others. I'd also want protective armor to deal with incoming stress, and I'd hope to be surrounded by friends who accepted me, stutter and all. Don't know that I'd want the quills though. I sleep on my back.

Is it difficult to illustrate somebody else's writing? Has it ever caused any problems?

PC: No. I can't remember any real problems. Other people write stories I would never have imagined, so their work can take you someplace new, which is exciting. I've always worked with editors who insulate both the writer and myself.

I might get a suggestion from my editor that was a direct request from the author. But it would never be presented as, "The author thinks you should..."

And the one time I remember having an issue with the text, I told the editor my concern, and two new paragraphs magically appeared that resolved the matter. I'm sure the editor never told the author, "The illustrator thinks you should...."

It's impossible to draw or write what's in someone else's head, so I've come to appreciate that the editor stands in the middle. Even if suggestions and questions come to them carved on stone tablets from the author, I've been fortunate to have editors filter those comments to allow at least the illusion of total freedom. So, no, I can't remember any real problems.

Phew. I've been very lucky to have the editors I've had.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Sarah Odedina is a senior publishing director with Bloomsbury Children's Books in the U.K. She has edited and published such highly-acclaimed books as, Witch Child by Celia Rees, A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly, and Holes by Louis Sacher. She was interviewed in November 2007 by Anita Loughrey, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

SO: It was very simple. I wanted a new job, and one came up at Orchard Books. The wonderful Judith Elliot, who was publisher there at the time, offered it to me despite the fact that I had no children's book experience. It was in the Rights Department.

After almost five years at Orchard, I knew I had found the area I wanted to work in, Children's Books, but I wanted to move in to an editorial position at that point. I was fortunate enough to be employed in that capacity at Bloomsbury. Again, without experience!

In your opinion, what makes a good publisher?

SO: A belief in the books that they publish.

When you're reading a manuscript for the first time, how long does it take you (approximately how many pages, chapters?) to figure out whether it's something you want to pursue?

SO: I think the rule of thumb is 30 pages. If something is not exciting me by then, I reckon it probably won't. I am just an ordinary reader after all, most readers (children especially) don't want to keep going when things aren't exciting quite early on.

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

SO: Nothing specific. I suppose I am looking for something that I find original and exciting.

What are the "realities" of children's publishing?

SO: It is a hard market. We publish too many books. The realities of the trade in the U.K. are that fewer books are selling to fewer people, and yet we (publishers) continue to pour out thousands of titles a year.

What are some of your favorite books and why?

SO: Holes by Louis Sachar. A quiet and understated masterpiece that combines a fable like quality with humor and a social setting that is utterly contemporary

No Matter What by Debi Gliori. A picture book that, in 32 pages of beautiful art and very few words, addresses the biggest question of all--enduring love.

Is there a character you met in a book when you were a child that changed your life?

SO: Not changed my life...but enchanted me, yes, Robinson Crusoe! I loved the adventure. I was quite a tomboy, and nothing would have thrilled me more than being stuck on a desert island building tree houses.

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on? Why?

SO: Witch Child by Celia Rees. It is a powerful story set in the 1700s, a desperate time for some women. This story accurately deals with the historical context and does it in a passionate and compelling way that really appeals to contemporary readers. I have seen young readers at signings clutching the book with heartfelt adoration. It is a book they love about a girl they would love to either know or be!

No Matter What by Debi Gliori--a picture book with universal appeal and one I am sure people will be sitting on beds reading 50 years from now.

Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley. We are always looking for something new and exciting, and, with this book, I really think we have found it!--a collection of short stories that is a novel. A classic spooky book that you can rush your way through or savor ever word.

Have you worked with both fiction and non-fiction? If so, how do the processes compare? What do you like most (and/or least) about each?

SO: Fiction...that's my thing!

What does the ideal cover letter say?

SO: It is brief, it outlines the submission very succinctly, and it doesn't say "my grandchildren/children/friends' children loved it!"

Is there any area on your list you'd like to "grow" at this time? Do you look at art samples?

SO: I think we have a very balanced list, and, no, I don't want to grow any specific part of it. But we are always looking for new authors and great books. Yes, we look at art samples.

How involved in the marketing of the book are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at your house? A YA novel? Etc.

SO: I am very involved in marketing. We don't have an average budget, as each book has its own budget, which depends on all sorts of things, including the track record and profile of the author, what opportunities the book lends us, and how much we can rely on the author.

What is your favorite thing about being a children's book publisher?

SO: The fact that I can work on books that are going to be read by generations of children. The fact that I work with authors of world standing. The fact that many of our books are published around the world and will be read and enjoyed by children around the world.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Martha Rago is Executive Art Director for HarperCollins Children's Books. She has worked on such bestselling titles as 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle, Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein, Russell The Sheep by Rob Scotton and Diary Of A Spider, illustrated by Harry Bliss. Martha was interviewed by Anita Loughrey in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

MR: Publishing as a career was not obvious to me at first, although now I cannot imagine anything for which I would be better suited. I was an Italian studies major with a great interest in European culture, language, history and art. I always drew, painted, and made art in some way without much thought about it.

I tried a few fields after college: fashion merchandising, then fashion design, among them, and soon started going to evening school for illustration with children's books in mind.

After my first course in typography, it was as though a light went on and my calling was clear. I felt passionate about combining my love of art and language with the beauty of type and the order and clarity essential to good design.

Once I realized what I wanted to do, I put all of my efforts into finding a position and began my career then as the assistant to the art director at G.P Putnam's Sons.

In your opinion, what makes a good art director?

MR: The art director I first worked with often likened her work to that of a midwife. These many years later I see that as an apt description for what is involved in bringing a book to life. The qualities one would seek in a midwife, an artist would probably want in an art director!

One would want someone with solid technical training for guidance and support in the process of creating the work and with a good understanding and a keen eye for what makes the final work successful.

Of course one needs to be organized, able to prioritize and juggle multiple tasks. But more than practical skills, a good art director needs to be sensitive to the nature and dynamic of the relationships involved in the creative process. The art director should have a positive and effective relationship with the artist, gaging when and how much information will be absorbed and useful. The editor has acquired the text for his or her own strong reasons as a viable project for the publisher. Their point of view and vision about the work is key, though not less than the author who may have his or her own feelings about the imagery.

Everyone brings to the work their personal response, even the art director. So the art director needs to have a good understanding of the dynamics of all the relationships involved. This includes a clear sense of the marketplace toward which the work is being directed, to bring out the best, most appropriate work to satisfy all these needs.

The art director's task is to apply a broader perspective, with consideration of technical, and practical aspects of the work, to mediate and unify all the points of view into harmony.

A good art director is technically savvy, an effective and sensitive communicator, and then, as needed, a counselor, nurturer, cheerleader, task-master, expediter, and even, yes, a trusted midwife.

Do you think a website is a useful tool for illustrators to showcase their work? How often do you look at a portfolio online?

MR: Absolutely, I refer to websites every day!

What kinds of things can turn you off of a portfolio?

MR: Material that is inappropriate and clearly not for children's picture books or illustrated books for children such as non-narrative or not character-driven images like still lifes, landscapes, adult-themed pictures.

What do you believe is the most important part of your job?

MR: What is important for an art director differs from publisher to publisher.

At HarperCollins, a major part of my job is managing: keeping the design department on track, inspired, and creative; keeping work flowing on schedule; solving any kind of internal problems as they come and go.

I am at heart, however, a designer. To be happy in my work, I need to feed my own creative spark. I do this by designing a few books every year, so I don't ever lose touch with the designer in me and to stay on top of ever-changing technology.

I need also to keep on top of the trends and changes in the industry, to be well-informed so my guidance of others is meaningful and I have the fuel to generate creative ideas all around. I visit bookstores and attend conferences and events. I assess the competition and mine the illustration world in any way I can for inspiration and ideas.

What is your favorite thing about being an art director?

MR: Being part of the creative process is tremendously satisfying for me. I really enjoy the discovery of different points of view and personalities through the work we do together. Often the discussions are full of humor and positive energy, simply because making art can be such a pleasure! Not every relationship is complex or fraught with problems--very few, really. And some are almost magical in the way they go so smoothly. Even the challenging ones give you a great sense of accomplishment in the end. The struggle often inspires deeper respect and stronger connections with those involved.

And in the end, when you make a book that you feel is well-crafted, that you are proud of, that will affect the readers in a positive way for many years to come, it is very, very pleasing.

Do you make suggestions for revisions to artwork? What sort of suggestions have you made and how in your opinion how have they improved the final product?

MR: The nature of my relationship with artists is to be a sounding board and offer feedback when I think my suggestions will be valuable and improve the work or give it the best chance in the marketplace. Sometimes requested changes are minor, sometimes they require rethinking a spread or series of images. Of course, we try to vet the sketches and dummies thoroughly so major changes are not made to final art. My input (and really it is the combined input of myself, the editor, and sometimes the publisher and sales department) is most observable in our work on the jacket, the book's most important sales tool.

David Weisner recently re-illustrated the jackets for the seven classic titles comprising C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. In his first sketch for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, David created a beautiful image of the open wardrobe, with the fur coats parted, snowy footsteps leading from the opening into the magical wintery world. It was stunning.

David and I carefully considered the concept further, and we agreed it was static and lacked the energy and the emotion of the story. We wanted something dramatic and that would appeal to both young and old readers, and we needed to follow this direction for six more titles in the collection.

Because of the collaborative nature of the work, I cannot say precisely who came up with what ideas to suggest to him, but when David was presented with the problem, he thought carefully about the solution and came back with his own ideas. He focused on the heart and soul of the story rather than on a symbol and depicted a powerful Aslan with Lucy and Susan at each side nuzzling into his mane. In doing this, he got right to the emotional core of the story in a fresh way. The characters add a sense of tenderness to the grouping, but the focus is on the magnetic gaze and the power and majesty of the lion.

It is appealing to children, but, with its archetypal feel, also works on an adult level. And artistically, the detail and color of the rendering is impeccable. This set a high bar for the rest of the jackets, but it helped make the direction clear and resulted in seven stunning, dramatic and effective jackets, giving a fresh look to these beloved classics.

I never tell an artist what to paint but make observations, present the need for change as a problem to be solved and invite the artists to solve it using their own vocabulary and ideas. I cannot say my suggestions make the jacket work, but it is the artist's response to my comments that makes the ultimate difference.

How would you go about matching an illustrator to an author?

MR: It is more often an illustrator is matched with an existing text, rather than putting two creative people together and hoping for the right dynamic. But when it works after careful consideration of artist matched to text, such as Jamie Lee Curtis with Laura Cornell, the publisher will want to continue that relationship as long as possible.

After reading the text, I have an immediate visual sense of what it could be as a finished book in terms of artist's style and often even the feel of the design--it's a personal, instinctive response. I'll have in mind a short list of potential artists based on that.

Then I usually frame it within the context of children's publishing: have I seen this before or is it totally new; what are the comparisons and competitive books available currently; how would this fit into the world in a practical way; what kind of impact could it have? The editor and I discuss our reactions and agree on a direction. Sometimes we spend a lot of time researching and looking at various artists' work, and other times it's a clear choice.

What are some of your favorite children’s books and why?

MR: I love pretty much anything written and illustrated by William Steig, who never wrote down to children or became overly sentimental. He used language beautifully and wrote with humor and tenderness. His use of line and color is unmatched.

Dr. DeSoto still makes me laugh, Brave Irene pulls at your heartstrings, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble will definitely make you cry and laugh at the same time.

Others that I consider classics I couldn't imagine life without: Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day, The Trip, Peter's Chair; Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown; Wanda Gag's Millions of Cats; The Story of Ferdinand (Munroe Leaf and Robert Lawson); Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson; Marc Simont's re-illustrated picture book of George Thurber's Many Moons.

Why do I love these? Distinctive voices, characters, stories that feel true and/or bring you to a new awareness, and wonderful art.

More contemporary favorites are Paul Zelinsky's Swamp Angel (Anne Issacs, author) and Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann--both tall tales in their own way, with great characters and a surprising, engaging storyline.

This is just a smattering of the books I love, and more come to my attention every day!

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on?

MR: Last fall, we published Not a Box by first time author-illustrator Antoinette Portis, and we are following up with Not a Stick this winter. I am proud of these books because they are solid conceptually, fresh and distinctive in their approach and style and were for me a satisfying collaborative venture between the artist, editor, and myself.

Antoinette approached the editor, Margaret Anastas, with her idea, based on the endless imagination a child uses playing with a simple box. We both agreed we had something special that we could develop successfully: a strong concept, an appealing character, and a clear, distinct voice in both the style of writing and in drawing technique.

From the moment we started working together the three of us shared ideas, batted around large and small changes, experimented with colors and techniques, design approaches and production materials. The collaborative spirit of the work together was exciting, and we were thrilled with the final product. It is especially satisfying, too, that Not a Box won the Theodore Geisel Award this year, went on to the New York Times Best Seller list and was chosen as one of the ten Best Illustrated Books from the Times for 2007.

Is there an area on your list that you would like to "grow" at this time?

MR: I would love to find more artists-authors who can create strong character-driven stories.

What is the ideal art sample submission?

MR: As I become busier, portfolio reviews can be cumbersome, and I like to cut to the chase. First impressions are significant. I know within the first two pieces if an artist has the level of skill I am looking for and the individual style that will pull them out from the pack.

An artist should try to evaluate the work with this in mind. It's important to look at one's own work critically, and pull out weaker pieces. Keep the selection focused on one's strengths and on the kinds of projects for which one would want to be considered.

I like to see eight-to-12 pieces of art, less if the artist supplies a complete dummy with sketches and text blocked in. In that case, I would want to see two-to-three finished samples of color work related to the dummy and then a few pieces that show the artist's range--different characters and settings.

The ideal portfolio showcases the artist's best work. Don't create a dummy if you don't have a fresh idea, don't stretch it out to 12 pieces if four of them are weak. A picture book must have 17-32 terrific images, and I need to see a portfolio that shows me the artist can deliver all the way through.

What makes an artist's illustrations stand out for you?

MR: I would not underestimate technical skills, which are very, very important: anatomy, composition, and perspective, good use of color and line, and effective use of materials. But I am always looking for someone who has not just the technical skills but a distinct individual style, a clear voice and images that suggest narrative, through context, emotional tone, and the way they relate sequentially.

I look for work that demonstrates a strong narrative and clear characterizations, more than cartoon-y or exaggerated stylization. I appreciate distinctive characters, whether human or animal, that feel "true." Placed in a context that tells a story and creates a whole world and works sequentially, the work then has the essentials of a good story: character, place, narrative.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Nancy Miles is the founder of the Miles Stott Children's Literary Agency. She represents many highly acclaimed authors, including: Ronda Armitage, who wrote The Lighthouse Keeper series; Dominic Barker, who wrote Blart; and Justin Richards, who has adapted the television series, "Dr. Who." She was interviewed in November 2007 by Anita Loughrey, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What is the book experience that made you want to work in children's literature as a literary agent?

NM: I sold rights in children's books for 15 years. Specializing in children’s literature seemed a natural thing, and negotiating terms is what I knew!

Do you have a background in publishing?

NM: Yes. I worked for various children's book publishers in London over a 15-year period. My career was preceded by a three-year Diploma in Book Publishing at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes). So publishing has been the plan all the way through.

How did you get your start as an agent?

NM: I made my own start. My family decamped from London to the depths of west Wales with the birth of our third child. I didn't feel ready to stop working in the industry, and, with limited publishing opportunities in this part of the world, I had to look to myself for inspiration. With a background in rights selling and technology at my fingertips, I couldn't think of a good enough reason not to start my own agency.

In your opinion, what makes a good agent?

NM: I think one of the most important things for an agent to be is a good communicator. An author or illustrator needs to feel that his/her agent is at the end of the phone to listen, to discuss ideas and career paths, and to fight his/her corner where necessary.

Equally your client must feel confident that his/her agent has good relationships with publishers and other third parties to ensure that the right homes are found for their work.

Keeping your client in touch is really important.

Do you represent writers and illustrators?

NM: Yes, but mostly writers.

Do you look at art samples?

NM: Yes. I'd love to have one or two more fabulous illustrators on my list. But probably not more than that.

Do you also represent other publishers or agents abroad? If so, can you tell us which publishers and agents?

NM: Yes. I represent one New York based publisher--Roaring Brook Press. I also represent U.S. agents Rosemary Stimola [interview] and Barry Goldblatt [interview]. I have a reciprocal arrangement with Barry.

How many clients do you represent?

NM: I currently represent 14 individuals, plus publisher and U.S. agents as above.

Do you represent on a project-by-project basis, or do you take on the "whole" writer or the illustrator or even the entire list of a publisher?

NM: I always commit to the "whole" writer or illustrator. Developing a working relationship with your client, working out a career strategy, considering changes of direction, etc., happens over time. I wouldn't want to share my investment with anyone else, and it's hard to see how a project-by-project arrangement wouldn't leave all parties dissatisfied and unfulfilled.

On the other hand, I do take on the entire list of a publisher, though I will cherry pick from that list. It doesn't do agent or client publisher any good to submit material indiscriminately. And you would try the patience of the U.K. publisher if you were to persist in submitting material which is unsuitable for their list, the U.K. market, or whatever.

At what point in a manuscript do you "know" you either want the project or not?

NM: Usually almost instantly, if it's a "no."

The "maybes" are far trickier to judge. In my experience, it's rare to read an unsolicited manuscript that blows your socks off. More common is the text that shows promise but needs lots of work. You have a stay of execution by limiting the first submission to three chapters. So if it's a "maybe" you can ask for more--or the whole book if it's written--and this will invariably answer the question for you.

What does the ideal cover letter say?

NM: Not very much. A brief line or two about who you are, what you're submitting, and who it's for. If the author/illustrator has been published, this is always good to know. And, unless there's artwork involved, I can't understand why people want their material returned. It's a waste of everything. So ideally I'd like the letter to say, "don't bother to return the manuscript!"

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

NM: Quite often it's the covering letter. I loathe it when people compare their work to books written by established authors. A dreadful title will also put me off. Poor sentence structure and spelling mistakes are the voices of doom.

From an agent's point of view, what are the "realities" of children's book publishing?

NM: That's a big question. One of the first things that seem to surprise a lot of aspirant authors is how difficult it is to write a good children's book. Writing for children is not the easy option it's often believed it to be.

Although children's books have enjoyed a tremendously exciting 10 years or so with an increasing number of high-profile authors making headlines, the market remains intensely competitive, and publishers will expect and require a very good reason to acquire a title, especially from a new author.

There are tons of children's books out there, and, with publishers spending limited amounts on marketing most children's titles, it's incredibly difficult to sell books in volume.

Picture books have been having a particularly tough time, and publishers will rely heavily on co-edition success to make them profitable. Young adult novels suffer from being neither children's or adult books, and few book stores seem to know how to sell them well. It's not easy to get published. It's a long, hard slog, and there are no short cuts.

What was the easiest book to sell and why?

NM: A good book is easy to sell, and a book is good for all sorts of reasons.

Have you ever represented a book that you loved but couldn't convince an editor to publish? What advice do you give authors in this situation?

NM: Yes. I submitted a lovely, touching novel by an unknown author a few years ago that I could not persuade any publisher to take on. Most of the rejections were "good" ones, and it was a difficult book to pin down in terms of who it was for. Although it could be read on several levels, it was perhaps pitched a bit too high for the target age. It was probably a bit overwritten, too, which is a common problem with less-experienced authors.

In this particular situation, I showed the author the publisher responses I felt were constructive. I encouraged him to come up with new synopsis, taking on board the editorial feedback he'd received.

Are you accepting new clients now?

NM: Yes, especially for authors of young, middle grade, and young adult fiction to balance out my list. I've got enough picture book authors for the moment but would love another illustrator or two.

Do you get involved with the marketing aspect of the book?

NM: Yes. Where appropriate, I'll ask a publisher for their marketing plans at negotiation stage. Although these do not go into the contract, it does concentrate the mind.

By the time publication time arrives, everyone's forgotten what's been promised, and you do have to ask questions well in advance of publication. And keep asking them.

Marketing performance will certainly affect my decision on whether to place titles with a publisher.

Do you give any pre-submission editing and revision requests to your clients?

NM: Yes, though this will vary from client to client and from project to project. An established author with an on-going publisher/editor relationship will need less input from me than a first timer. But I will always offer suggestions for revisions, even with an established author, if I feel it will improve the submission and attract a better quality offer.

Do you specialize in any particular genre and/or are you looking for anything in particular at the moment? What are publishers telling you about the market and what they'd like to see?

No and no. I'm always looking for a strong voice and a good, satisfying story, preferably with a good dose of humor. The combination is not easy to find, but it is possible to tease a book out of a good story, even if the voice needs to be brought out. But you need to be prepared to put the work in.

It depends who you talk to! Picture-book publishers are telling me that the market is tough and there's a dearth of good texts. The market for YA fiction is shrinking, and booksellers struggle to position them effectively in the stores. Strong, commercial series for middle graders are in demand as is fantasy (as ever) and action packed thrillers, especially for boys.

How many new clients do you take on each year?

There's no pattern. If I have the opportunity to sign up someone fantastic, I will.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the children's book world's most respected and versatile writers, historians, and critics. He has written many highly acclaimed books about children's literature, and the authors and artists who create it. Leonard's book reviews have been featured in many U.S. magazines including Parenting magazine, the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, and Publishers Weekly. He was interviewed in January 2008 by Anita Loughrey, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Did you always want to be a writer?

LM: I started writing when I was in the second grade, and I always knew I enjoyed writing. Around fifth grade, I was a big fan of "Perry Mason" on TV and thought I wanted to be a lawyer like him. Then for a brief time I wanted to be president of the United States. But a love of writing was a constant thread, even though it was a long time before I had any idea of how to go about making a living or a life as writer.

What other jobs have you had (that led to being a writer)?

LM: For my first three years in New York, I was a lowly copywriter for Dover Books, a New York paperback publisher specializing in reissues of out-of-print classics. I learned a great deal about art and bookmaking there, and a lot about the stinginess of publishers. After that I freelanced, writing book reviews and also teaching courses on children's books at the School of Visual Arts and elsewhere while trying to get started as an author.

What are you working on at the moment?

LM: I'm just finishing a book I've worked on for the last 14 years. It's called Minders of Make-Believe and is a history of American children's book publishing. I'm also finishing up a book of conversations with funny writers for children called Don't Make Me Laugh.

If you could be a character from one of your books, who would it be and why this particular character?

LM: I mostly write nonfiction. Of all the people I've written about as characters I might pick Feodor Rojankovsky, the great Russian illustrator of Golden Books, because his art has so much energy and he traveled so much and led such an adventurous life.

How has your childhood influenced what you write?

LM: As the youngest of three children, I spent plenty of time being "the child of the family" and thinking about childhood. Although very verbal, I started out as a painfully slow reader. Then the reading specialist who was assigned to help me at school suggested that I try writing poems to read to her. It was then that I began my writing and reading life. Thanks to that teacher, I experienced a feeling of great satisfaction because I found that it was easy to read what I myself had written and that made me want to write more and more.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

LM: My favorite picture book was a Little Golden Book called Laddie and the Little Rabbit. It had photographic illustrations by Bill Gottlieb, a photographer who took some of the best known pictures of Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. I think I loved the book because I wanted to have a dog and wasn't allow to. Laddie was a springer spaniel.

I recently met Bill Gottlieb's widow Delia and--all these years later--learned that the dog in the photos was her dog and that his real name was James Thurber! During my "presidential" phase, the book I treasured was the Young People's edition of President Kennedy's Profiles in Courage.

Is there a book already published that you wish you had written? Why?

LM: Goodnight Moon would be nice. I value clarity and musicality in writing, and that book is one of the ultimate examples.

How long does it take you to write a book? [See listing of Leonard S. Marcus's books.]

LM: It really depends. I spent maybe six to nine months on each of the three shorter books I have published with Walker (A Caldecott Celebration; Side by Side; and Pass It Down). My biography of Margaret Wise Brown took ten years. I spent about two years editing Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

LM: Saying exactly what I mean.

Do you work with the television, radio, or stereo on? In cafés, nursing a half-cup of lukewarm tea or in isolation?

LM: I sometimes listen to dreamy background music, not because it puts me in a dreamy mood but because it serves as a kind of company, in the way that having a cat around does.

How much do you think a writer needs to market his/herself/the work? What do you suggest?

LM: Shel Silverstein did none of that and had bestseller after bestseller. But I think that most writers do need to make an effort. I enjoy giving talks and readings and try to do as many of them as possible. Lately, I have been making more of an effort to group these programs so that I get the most out of a trip to another city or region. Publishers appreciate (or at least they should appreciate) an author's own promotional efforts and sometimes can be persuaded to help, for instance by contacting a public radio station in the city where a talk is about to take place.

Do you have a blog, and if so, how often do you blog? Do you get lots of feedback from readers?

LM: No. But I do have a Web site.

Can you share your favorite fan mail, if you have one?

LM: My favorite fan comment came from the wife of the illustrator of Goodnight Moon. After reading my biography of Margaret Wise Brown, Edith Hurd said to me: "You know us better than we knew ourselves."

When reviewing children's books, what qualities make the book stand out from the crowd?

LM: I look for a book that feels like one I've never read or seen before; one that has been done as well as it possibly could be done.

Why did you decide to write books about the creation, marketing, and world-wide impact of popular children's literature?

LM: As a history major in college, I got interested in early 19th-century American children's books as a mirror of life in America when it was still a pretty new nation. I enjoyed the history side of this study, and it also stirred memories of my own childhood.

After a while, I realized that because children's books are usually illustrated I would have the chance while writing about them to write about art as well as literature. I became fascinated by the challenge of telling stories in two different media, and by all the many different ways that artists and writers have found to do this effectively. I began to wonder why children's book art wasn't exhibited in museums.

This in turn raised questions about the value our society places on childhood and the things of children's culture. From there, one thing led to another as a searched for projects that interested me and that someone was willing to pay me to do.

What has been the most interesting and insightful interview you have ever conducted?

LM: That would be hard to say. Lloyd Alexander, who I interviewed for my book The Wand in the Word, was possibly the gentlest and, if I can say this, most humane person I have ever met.

William Steig, who I interviewed for two books, was feisty and very funny and deeply serious all at the same time.

I talked with Ursula Nordstrom when I was just starting work on my Margaret Wise Brown biography. She was retired by then, but sly as ever, and she did her best to turn the tables by interviewing me. She kept asking me personal questions and made me feel that she really wanted to know the answers.

I realized that that was how she drew her authors out, got them to write about the things that mattered the most to them. This was years before I knew that I was going to have the chance to edit a book of her letters.

When it came time to start in on that huge project (there were more than 100,000 letters to choose from in the Harper files), it helped a lot to have actually met her and to have heard her voice.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Katherine Halligan is currently Editorial Director for Picture Books and Novelty at Scholastic U.K. She joined Scholastic in September 2006, and since then has been responsible for re-launching their picture book list. She has worked with authors such as Angela McAllister and Malachy Doyle, and illustrators such as Gary Blythe, Charles Fuge, Caroline Jayne Church and Ross Collins. Anita Loughrey interviewed her in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

KH: At the risk of sounding obvious, a childhood passion for books and a love of words and pictures made it a clear choice for me--I can't imagine doing anything else. I began my publishing career in foreign rights, as I had studied languages, but quickly realized I needed to be part of the creative process. My job now is a perfect outlet for my overactive imagination!

In your opinion, what makes a good editor?

KH: A good editor is something of a chameleon: a sympathetic listener and champion of her authors and illustrators; a constructive critic; a creative and resourceful problem-solver; an energetic and effective communicator; an optimist and also a realist. Above all, a keen eye and a discerning ear are crucial.

When you're reading a manuscript for the first time, how long does it take you (approximately how many pages? chapters?) to figure out whether it's something you want to pursue?

KH: Picture book manuscripts are of course very short, but usually I know after the few lines of text whether I even want to finish reading--and by the end it is very clear whether it's a "yes" or a "no." Every word counts, and the best writers' voices are immediately apparent.

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

KH: I lose interest when I read anything that sounds overly contrived; anything that doesn't have a child's interests and sensibilities at its heart; anything that is overly long or over-explained.

What are the "realities" of children's publishing?

KH: Ever since I started in publishing, I’ve heard about what a "tough market" we're in, but I've been lucky enough to work on some very successful books. The reality is that not every book can be a bestseller, but if you publish every book with the belief that it might be, then you will have created an excellent book--and that can only be a good thing.

Another reality is that publishers are always looking for new talent and new ideas, and that children will always read books, so however difficult the current market there is always scope for growth. Yet, at the same time, it is certainly a reality that the market is incredibly competitive, so we have to be incredibly discerning about what we do publish.

What is your favorite thing about being a children's book editor?

KH: Do I have to pick just one thing?! I love the moment an idea hatches, the moment a brilliant manuscript lands on my desk, the moment an illustrator's first roughs arrive, the moment their final artwork is delivered, the moment the proofs come in... All part of this process that is ultimately about creating books--and that is my very favorite thing.

What are some of your favorite books and why?

KH: There are far too many to list here, but many of my favorites are books I loved as a child, such as Marcia Brown's Cinderella; Anno's Journey, Eloise, Goodnight, Moon and Ferdinand. All of these books share a richness of language, or imagery, or both--and all invite a child (or an adult!) into a particular world that is immediate and true.

Is there a character you met in a book when you were a child that changed your life?

KH: Peter Pan. When my younger sister was born, she came home from the hospital with a copy of the book--and, for the next year or so, I thought I was Peter Pan... If I am still in touch with my "inner child" then it's because of him.

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on? Why?

KH: Recently, I have been very proud of the deliciously silly Aliens Love Underpants, by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, which I commissioned at Simon & Schuster. When it was featured on the "Richard and Judy" show (where it was a category award winner), I was delighted that it was brought to the attention of such a wide audience across the U.K. I have been proud of it all along because of its unfailing ability to make everyone who reads it--parents, children, publishers, booksellers--laugh out loud.

Have you worked with both fiction and non-fiction? If so, how do the processes compare? What do you like most (and/or least) about each?

KH: So far, I have only worked on fiction. I think I would find it very difficult to stick to the facts!

What does the ideal cover letter say?

KH: Very little. The manuscript or artwork is what matters, and nothing you can say in a cover letter is going to make up for a submission that isn't good enough. Any other information that is needed (biographies, bibliographies, etc) can be gleaned later. In the first instance, it's best to let the words or pictures do the talking.

Is there any area on your list you'd like to "grow" at this time? Do you look at art samples?

KH: As I was brought to Scholastic to re-launch the picture book and novelty list almost from scratch, we've been in a continual pattern of growth. I look at art samples constantly--it is completely fundamental to what I do.

How involved in the marketing of the book are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at your house? A YA novel? Etc.

KH: Our average marketing budget for a picture book is usually very modest, although the occasional big book does get a bigger, dedicated marketing campaign. We have a general budget for marketing all our picture books, much of which is dedicated to promotional spend, as well as creating postcards and brochures. I am in close touch with the marketing team, and for big titles we brainstorm plans together.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Candy Gourlay was a London correspondent for the global news agency, Inter Press Service (IPS). She was also the Manila correspondent for Asia Magazine, a South China Morning Post publication. Candy has co-edited a collection of oral testimonies Woven Memories: Filipinos in the UK and part of her novel Ugly City features in the British SCBWI's first anthology, Undiscovered Voices. She was interviewed in January 2008 by Anita Loughrey, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Did you always want to do what you do?

CG: I wanted to be a writer since I was a child, but I had no idea what sort of writer until I stumbled into journalism after university. Journalism was a good way to get into writing, but I found reporting and gathering facts scary and intimidating. You had to talk to total strangers. You had to get it right. You had to resist the temptation to make a dull story a little bit more interesting.

But journalism is a great training ground--you learn how to edit your own work and how to be edited, you become meticulous about facts and gathering background information, and you have no fear of sitting down and writing when you need to (I perform best when up against a deadline).

I spent the eighties writing about miscellaneous dictators in the Far East, but the nineties found me at home surrounded by dictators of a nappy-clad variety. I missed the buzz of the daily deadline. From churning out two thousand word pieces a day, I found myself counting the minutes between naps and play groups.

Then the Internet came along. I suddenly struck on the idea that I could use my reporting and design skills to produce my own magazine online. This was pre-blog, pre Web 2.0. I bought some software that claimed to make it easy but I couldn't make the Web pages look the way I wanted them to. So I taught myself code--learning what I needed to upload my first website Mum at Work (Let's Do It All, We're Already Tired Anyway).

This lead to my current source of bread and butter, Web design. But my true love is writing.

What are you working on at the moment?

CG: I have just finished a novel called Ugly City--about a dystopian city state where parents must leave and children stay; it's the law. I had begun a novel based on some reporting I'd done in the Philippines about the children of migrant workers who had everything--Playstations, TV, cell phones--but who lived alone, with no parents. I thought, these kids must think they are so lucky, they had everything. Except of course, the most important thing: parents to look after them. But I got bogged down by the realities of the setting--the history and politics of the Philippines. Then I thought, why not just make the setting up? And that's how the Ugly City came to be.

Ugly City almost wrote itself--and I was fortunate to win a place in the recent SCBWI (UK) competition, the prize being inclusion in the anthology Undiscovered Voices, which will be distributed to editors and agents. Ugly City also led to my signing with an agent, and I am going to spend the whole of 2008 with my fingers crossed. Ugly City taught me a lot about action, plot and character. I am currently rewriting a novel I completed in early 2007, Volcano Child.

How has your childhood influenced what you write?

CG: I grew up in Manila during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the sixties and seventies. In that time, the Philippines spiraled into economic decline and the best and brightest people fled overseas to find work. I remember some of my teachers in grade school left to become maids in the United Kingdom.

Sadly, the emigration habit has become firmly entrenched in the Philippine mindset--everyone I know has a relative who is working abroad--often in menial jobs. My dad, who was an architect, left to work in the Middle East in the eighties as our house faced foreclosure. He says he worked as an architect. Sometimes I wonder what he really did out there. I had a week to learn to drive before he left, and in the first weeks, driving the younger kids to school, I had two collisions! Perhaps this is why the two novels I've written so far dwell on the themes of separation and yearning.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

CG: I loved so many books, especially those by Enid Blyton and Charles Dickens (to a girl living in sweltering Manila, the English landscape was the stuff of fantasy better than Hogwarts)--but If I had to choose a favorite book, it would be Little Women. I so identified with the March family, their poverty and struggle to cope with the absence of their father--I especially identified with Jo; I knew what it was like just needing to write!

Why do you blog? Is blogging for all writers?

CG: The rise and rise of Web 2.0--heightened interactivity of the Web--and my burning desire to write led me to blogging. I realize now that Mum at Work was a form of blogging in itself, because I was writing essays on why women should not neglect their creative side when they become mothers.

Today, I write a blog on trying to get published (Notes from the Slush Pile) www.notesfromtheslushpile.co.uk as well as a blog on writing my novel in progress, Volcano Child. I have also taken to writing blogs that have a clear end point. Last year, I kept a comic blog about the building of my shed. This year, I am blogging about a paradise island I recently visited which is a paradise no longer.

I blog because I like to write. I blog because journalism is a habit that is hard to shake. Some people say, but don't you run out of things to say? On the contrary, there is so much to say about everything that sometimes I can't sleep with all the ideas swirling in my mind. So I write it up. And the wonderful new technologies of Web 2.0 allow others to read and comment and share their thoughts on what I write.

Blogging isn't for everyone. I am a compulsive writer, and it works for me. It keeps me sharp. But it could be a big time waster or procrastination device for someone else. I think we writers must always ask ourselves, Are we writing the book? If not, then we should stop all other activity and get on with the thing we set out to do.

Do you think the Internet is an important marketing strategy for writers? Why?

CG: The Internet is a huge opportunity for writers, especially with the realities of shrinking marketing budgets, commercial challenges and Amazon. There is so much out there for the writer--research tools, free thesauruses and dictionaries, blogs to talk up your work, ways to sell, social networks to well, network with. But all these take time and require a learning curve.

If you are at the early stages of writing, if you struggle with word processing, the Internet would be a curse. It is easy to lose an hour or two when all you wanted to do was check your "in" box. At the end of the day, it is up to you to judge whether you will have the wherewithal to resist the Web's addictive attractions. Keep your eye on the ball.

What does new technology have to offer a writer for children?

CG: I remember the days when I spent an hour each day snipping cuttings from newspapers and magazines to file away just in case I needed the information in the future. No longer. The Internet has transformed the process of writing.

Through my blogs and through writers' listservs, I have met like-minded people with whom I can maintain a running conversation from the comfort of my study. I run an online critique group that has been a great way to get quick feedback from my peers--and also to measure myself against the quality of the competition out there, which is scarily high. It helps me raise my game.

There is much to say about the Internet but one should not forget the other technologies that help the children's writer. If you write for children, you should watch children's programming. It allows you to hear the voices of your audience--as well as give you ideas about the way your chosen age group thinks.

And we mustn't forget that this is the world that our readers take for granted--TV, computers, games, the Web--this is the world our readers know. As writers for children, it is our responsibility to inhabit it with them.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Susan Fletcher has received many awards and other recognition for her books, including the American Library Association Notable Books for Young Readers, American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults, the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon, School Library Journal Best Books, and two Oregon Book Awards. She also was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award. Anita Loughrey interviewed her in November 2008, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Did you always want to be a writer?

SF: I've wanted to be a writer since I was in third grade. That's when reading got easy enough that I didn't have to actually think about it--I could just dive down into a story and live it. Third grade was also when I began to understand that there is music in words. One day, our teacher demonstrated on the blackboard that it just didn't sound right to have every sentence in a paragraph begin with the exact same word. Now I realize that there are exceptions to this, but that day I got for the first time that the rhythms and sounds of words matter. I'd been taking piano lessons and making up my own songs on the side, just for fun. Now I started playing with words in the same way.

What other jobs have you had that led to being a writer?

SF: I waited tables while in college, and then, after graduation, worked at an advertising agency buying television time. These jobs didn't lead to my becoming a writer by building up useful skills or giving me useful ideas. But I was pretty miserable at work, and I realized that if I was ever going to be happy in my working life, I was going to have to overcome my fear of rejection and just start writing.

I got a copywriting job at the agency, and then went on to freelance magazine articles. But when I wrote my first book for children, I knew I'd found work I loved.

What are you working on at the moment?

SF: Right now I'm working on another dragon novel, one that's connected to but very different from my Dragon Chronicles. I'm calling it a "companion" to the earlier series.

If you could be a character from one of your books who would it be and why this particular character?

SF: Well, that's a tough one, because I always try to make things hard for my characters. I give them experiences that I, personally, would not like to undergo.

But possibly I would most like to be Kara, from Flight of the Dragon Kyn, or Marjan, from Shadow Spinner--not because of what happens to them in the story, but because they might have meaningful work to do after the story is over.

Not that raising a family isn't meaningful; I think that raising my daughter was the most important thing I've done in my life--far more important than writing my books. But having this other work, this work that I love, apart from the family work, is just so satisfying.

Kara could be a falconer. Mitra could be a pigeon keeper and a storyteller. They could find refuge and usefulness in their work.

How has your childhood influenced what you write?

SF: It's probably influenced me more deeply than I yet understand! But on a rather superficial level, I'm attracted to writing about things I loved as a child. We had birds and dogs as pets--it seems we always had a pet. I do love animals, and I love to write about them. Even my dragons are influenced by my pets, past and present.

Also, I'm the oldest of four children, and I often find myself drawn to write about an older child protecting or taking care of a younger one. Not that I was such a great older sister! But it's a place I often go to in my writing.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

SF: As a child, my favorite book for years was A Wrinkle in Time. I don't think I fell that hard for another book until I encountered Anna Karenina late in high school.

Is there a book already published that you wish you had written? Why?

SF: To Kill a Mockingbird. It's hard for me to say why I've chosen this book above all others--because there are lots of books I wish I'd written. There are so many things I love about To Kill a Mockingbird, too many to mention here.

But probably the most important thing is that I love the characters so much. They've become part of who I am, as real to me as beloved friends who have moved away and might call or visit at any time.

How long does it take you to write a book?

SF: My first novel took a year and a half, and it's taken progressively longer and longer with each successive book. My last novel, Alphabet of Dreams, took five years. Ouch! Why? I seem to be doing more research. And also, in more recent years, teaching and school visits have taken lots of my time.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

SF: The hardest part is getting the first draft down. It feels like fog to me at that point--my characters unformed, the landscape whited out, the shapes of the characters' journeys shrouded. Once I get the shape of things, I can come back and bring it to life.

Do you work with the television, radio, or stereo on? In cafes, nursing a half-cup of lukewarm tea, or in isolation?

SF: Usually, I work in silence, when I can. I have an upstairs studio, and I don't turn on the music when I write. Sometimes, when I'm stuck, I take my laptop to a coffee shop; for some reason, café noises don't usually interfere.

How much do you think a writer needs to market him/herself/the work? What do you suggest?

SF: It does seem to me that we have to do more marketing than we used to. In the old days, school budgets were higher, and school librarians read the reviews and selected books from review journals. So all you needed was a couple of good reviews, and you would do okay.

Now, a lot of the sales have shifted over to bookstores, and they need brisk turnover to justify a book's presence on the shelves.

I'm not very good at marketing, and I don't really know what works. I finally got my website up, and I have fun updating it. I put in material for kids, teachers, and book group leaders.

Beyond the website, I send out postcards to children's bookstores and to other relevant venues. For my recent picture book (Dadblamed Union Army Cow), for instance, I sent postcards and/or letters to American Civil War historical sites. I also accept lots of invitations to signings and school visits.

I find that promotion takes time out from the actual writing, so I'm loath to spend too awfully much time on it. Also, for my two books that have sold the best, I did little or no marketing. But I realize that it's necessary in today's world. I'd definitely welcome suggestions from someone who knows more about this than I do.

Do you have a blog, and if so, how often do you blog? Do you get lots of feedback from readers?

SF: No, I don't blog. Maybe I will someday, but not now. (How do people find the time to blog?)

Can you share your favorite fan mail, if you have one?

SF: My favorite was a handwritten letter from a sixth grader from Texas. He told me that ever since he'd read Dragon's Milk, he'd been looking for a green-eyed girl. (In my books, green-eyed people can communicate with dragons.) "Some have come close," he wrote, "but not close enough." He said he'd gone to the library looking for the Bok of Dragon (a made-up title mentioned in my novel) but neither he nor the librarian had been able to find it. He asked me if my character Granmyr was a real person, because I'd put part of a letter Granmyr had written at the top of one of the chapters.

I just loved that he went looking for traces and artifacts of the world of Dragon's Milk in his world! I kind of hope he felt about my characters the way I feel about the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird--that they were friends who had just gone away for a while and might call or visit at any moment.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Babette Cole is the author and illustrator of over 70 books, including the Princess Smartypants series, Dr. Dog, The Hairy Book, The Smelly Book, The Slimy Book and The Trouble With... series. She owns a stud farm in England and breeds Show Hunters, which she rides herself, and has won several horse-show competitions. She was interviewed in November 2007 by Anita Loughrey, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What other jobs have you had (that led to being a writer and illustrator)?

BC: None, I have always been a writer and illustrator.

What are you working on at the moment?

BC: 4 projects:

o Doctor Dog Goes Green (picture book);
o Princess Smartypants Finishes Off (picture book);
o A set of pony novels;
o The Man Shortage Company (grown-ups' novel)

If you could be a character from one of your books, who would it be and why this particular character?

BC: Princess Smartypants.

How has your childhood influenced what you write?

BC: All sunshine, ponies, books and pictures.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

BC: Alice in Wonderland.

Is there a book already published that you wish you had written? Why?

BC: All Harry Potter books because they have done so much for promoting children's literacy.

How long does it take you to write a book?

BC: About half an hour for some and six months for others--it depends on the book.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

BC: Getting someone to look after my horses so I have time to work on my books.

Do you work with the television, radio, or stereo on? In cafés, nursing a half-cup of lukewarm tea or in isolation?

BC: I need to be completely isolated and very quiet with no interruptions.

How do you divide your time between working on your stud farm, competing in your side-saddle team, writing, illustrating and doing author/illustrator events and workshops?

BC: With great difficulty and little sleep.

Are any more of your books being made into films or adapted for television?

BC: Princess Smartypants and a further Doctor Dog series are in the offing.

Your fiction and illustrations have been described as quirky, goofy, zany and anarchic. How would you describe them?

BC: True to type.

What destinations have you traveled to, to research your books?

BC: Okavango Delta in Botswana, a lot of influence from the West Indies,Australia, and most importantly, the depths of my imagination.

How much do you think a writer needs to market his/herself/the work? What do you suggest?

BC: In the present climate of the times, it is most important that writers market themselves. A good website is essential.

Do you have a blog, and if so, how often do you blog? Do you get lots of feedback from readers?

BC: I don't have a blog but I have a good website where people put forward questions that I answer.

Can you share your favorite fan mail, if you have one?

BC: My most favorite fan mail was from a lady whose daughter was suffering from cancer and had had chemotherapy, hence she had no hair. She wrote me a lovely letter saying how much the hairy book had helped her daughter. The last pages, reading:

"Hairy Big and Hairy Small, I'm glad I have no hair at all."

I was so pleased that my book gave comfort to this little girl.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

David Saylor is Vice President, Creative Director for the Trade Book Group of Scholastic Inc. and has guided the art direction and design of hardcover and paperback trade book publishing since 1996. He has worked closely with many award-winning illustrators and authors, including Saxton Freyman, Christopher Myers, Stephen Savage, Maurice Sendak, Lauren Thompson, and Walter Wick. Anita Loughrey interviewed David in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

DS: I loved books, and so I worked my way into publishing. But my first experience with children's publishing was at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. That's where I recognized that I loved children's books and had a strong connection to the books I read as a child.

In your opinion, what makes a good art director?

DS: A good art director is able to guide an artist through the process of making a book by offering great feedback, encouragement, advice, sound judgment, enthusiasm, honesty, and sometimes, love. Appreciating and understanding an artist's work gives that artist a great sense of confidence to create their best work.

What makes an artist's illustrations stand out for you?

DS: Illustrations always stand out for me if they make me feel something or provoke a response: laughter, sadness, joy, insight. I love artwork that expresses life in distilled moments.

Do you think a website is a useful tool for illustrators to showcase their work? How often do you look at a portfolio online?

DS: I think websites are great for artists, and I would encourage anyone who is starting out (and established artists, for that matter) to think about setting up a site. I look at websites every day and find them incredibly helpful.

What kinds of things can turn you off of a portfolio?

DS: Portfolios that are uneven are distressing, meaning that there's a mix of good work but too much that's not up to par. I'm not a fan of gimmicky portfolios either: let the work speak for itself.

What do you believe is the most important part of your job?

DS: Encouraging and developing talent.

What is your favorite thing about being an art director?

DS: Helping talented artists make great books that we're both proud of and knowing that the result will have an impact on a child's life.

Do you make suggestions for revisions to art work? What sort of suggestions have you made and how, in your opinion, how have they improved the final product?

DS: I do make suggestions on revising artwork. I can't solve problems of technique, but I can offer opinions and suggestions that might spur an artist to improve something.

How would you go about matching an illustrator to an author?

DS: I read the story first, sometimes many times; then I think about my own emotional response to the words and imagine how a particular illustrator might interpret those words.

What are some of your favorite children’s books and why?

DS: I loved Alice in Wonderland very much when I was eight-years old: it made me laugh and I loved memorizing the verse parts and reciting them for my family. To my mind, the John Tenniel drawings are the work of a genius. And, like many children, I wept after reading Charlotte's Web. I couldn't believe that she died!

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on?

DS: I'm very proud of having launched the GRAPHIX imprint of graphic novels for Scholastic in 2005. I think there's tremendous talent in this area, and I'm so excited to bring great narrative and character-driven comics to kids. And there are many, many individual books that I've been very proud to have worked on, though I have to say that working on the Harry Potter books has been a wonderful experience.

Is there an area on your list that you would like to grow at this time?

DS: Graphic novels for children.

What is the ideal art sample submission?

DS: I suppose one could say the best sample is one that leads to a book being made.

How involved in the marketing of the book(s) are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at your house?

DS: I see the marketing plans for my books and sometimes offer opinions, but mostly I leave that to the marketing group who knows what they're doing much more than I do. Our budgets vary so much from book to book that I couldn’t say what the average budget is.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Paul O. Zelinsky received the 1998 Caldecott Medal for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel, as well as three Caldecott Honors for: Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995). He has been described as "one of the most inventive and critically successful artists in the field." Anita Loughrey interviewed him in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Are you a writer as well as an illustrator and, if so, which comes first, the images or the words?

PZ: My writing has mostly been adaptation, as of fairy tales, but whether or not that qualifies me as a writer, the words always come first for me. That is, a good story will provide me with everything I need to know to come up with its illustrations.

Do you have favorite medium you work in? If so, did the medium choose you or did you choose it? Can you elaborate?

PZ: To continue this theme, the story will begin by telling me what medium to work in. Some mediums give me an easier time than others, but I try not to let my wish to make it easier for myself get in the way of illustrating the particular text. I've done more books in oil paints than any one other medium, but I like to think that I play the field.

What is the hardest thing about being an author-illustrator for you?

PZ: Realizing that I have no legitimate basis for any sort of complaint. I've been extremely lucky. Come to me privately if you really need to hear me bemoan things, and I'll be happy to comply.

What made you decide to be a children's book illustrator?

PZ: I went to Yale, where the academic ethos looked very disapprovingly at courses with physical application--art just squeaked by as a defensible subject because of its claims to intellectual rigor--and, in the midst of this, I saw one day a seminar to be offered on the subject of picture books, making them as well as learning their history. It was going to be team taught, one teacher being Maurice Sendak. I got into this course and felt tremendously at home with the subject, because in fact I'd never lost my interest in picture books, even though I had never even considered them as a career choice.

I collaborated with another student on several picture book projects, which we mailed to various publishers, and a couple of which almost got picked up. But my already-set plan was to major in art and then become a painter supporting myself by college teaching (it was the example in front of me). So I went ahead and got my MFA in painting at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia (with one of my two years in Rome), and briefly taught college art, in San Diego, but realized at this point that I was not meant to be a teacher, and probably was meant to illustrate children's books. So I moved to New York and started up with my portfolio.

What were your other career choices, if any?

PZ: Different possibilities at different ages: architect, painter; at one point in college, I was even considering physicist, because I was so fascinated by the way physics explains the world.

Do you have a favorite children's book that you wish you had written and/or illustrated? Why?

PZ: I have huge admiration for a lot of children's books, and I wish I could do many of the things that other illustrators do, but I'm not sure I wish to have been the one to make any particular book that I love. Examples: many of the books by William Steig, Sendak's books, Margaret Wise Brown and several of her illustrators.

How far ahead do you work? Six months, a year? Longer?

PZ: I work by the seat of my pants. Trying to work long in advance, but often failing.

What does your workspace look like?

PZ: At the moment it's in pretty good shape--there are some empty surfaces, and the couch is available for sitting. My studio is a studio apartment in Brooklyn, a five-minute walk from the apartment where I live with my wife, and it's also our guest room if I don't need to be there late at night or early in the morning.

Besides the bed and the couch, I have one large drawing table (which I got from Lane Smith when he was moving out of New York City) and tables along one wall filled with equipment—copier, large printer, scanner, computer, light table--and a lot of things on shelves.

What's on your wall over your desk or drawing table?

PZ: The window. I look out on a beautiful churchyard, where children play in good weather. Off to the side of my drawing table, the one wall that isn't covered with shelves has tools hanging from hooks, a bulletin board that I rarely look at, and a long stretch of wall where I've set up a system of poles hanging from the picture moulding with pegs sticking out of them. This is a system I set up two books ago. I mount the paper that will become my finished art on pieces of cardboard with holes that fit on the pegs, so I can fill the wall with the art, in the order of the book, and easily take pieces down to work on them and put them back up. Right now, the poles are there, but no art is on them yet.

How has your childhood influenced your illustrations and writing?

PZ: I was a big one for drawing when I was little; undoubtedly, I inherited it from my mother, who was a medical illustrator. I got plenty of encouragement for my creative endeavors, both at home and at school, where being able to draw was at least a little of a social boon, at least up until adolescence. More than that, I still remember pretty well the feelings of my childhood, which are what I draw on when I'm fleshing out the images for books.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

PZ: There were many, but to make a choice (generally a problem for me): as a child, maybe The Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown with pictures by the Provensens, and as an older child William Pène du Bois' fantasies like The Twenty-One Balloons, and later, the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Do you work with the television, radio, or stereo on? In cafés, nursing a half-cup of lukewarm tea, or in isolation?

PZ: I don't work much outside of my studio (when I do, it's at the dining table). I can't work with music playing, but I can with talk radio, which I used to have going always.

When I first started illustrating, there were about four radio stations in New York that had interesting enough talk to listen to, but now there is only the National Public Radio station. I still listen to that sometimes, and even though I could probably listen on my computer to stations all over the world, I haven't really tried to figure that out.

I often work in silence now. I thought the difficulty with music was a weirdness of my own, and I've been pleasantly surprised to find that many other illustrators and painters share this quality.

Do you have a blog or website to showcase your work, and if so, how often do you blog? Do you get lots of feedback from readers? Has it proved to be useful?

PZ: I have a website, with one page for each of my recent books, but I haven't gone back and created pages for all of them. There's a lot more than that on my site, but I don't blog or even include in my website a way to contact me. Maybe this is a mistake, but I'm too afraid of what I get some of anyway: messages from kids in school, or even in graduate education programs, who have an assignment relating to me, and are basically asking me to do it for them. I have a hard enough time with my actual work.

Is it difficult to illustrate somebody else’s writing? Has it ever caused any problems?

PZ: It's not difficult at all. I've been lucky enough to be presented with stories by some amazing writers. This means that the worlds they've created are wonderful, enticing, and very clearly delineated--you can tell what the pictures should look and feel like. Who wrote the story is immaterial. I feel the same whether it was me or someone else. My charge is to be faithful to the story.

Could you talk us through the process of how, after you are presented with a book a publisher would like you to illustrate, you generate your ideas for illustrating that book?

PZ: If I like the manuscript enough, it will tell me what to do with it. A picture book story may not appear to me in imaginary pictures--most often it doesn't--but it may start by feeling right only with a particular size and shape as a trim size. Some mediums would be patently wrong, and probably one seems best. Tight and realistic pictures, or loose and cartoonish? A deep space or a flat space?

I go looking through the history of art if I need inspiration. Mrs. Lovewright, for example, took me to Max Beckmann's early paintings as a touchstone. Clearly my fairy tales took me to Renaissance art.

Another key source for the drawings comes in the act of dividing a text into pages. This form of editing establishes the pacing of the book—its rhythm, its high and low points, the emotional impact of the page turns, and it sets a choice of subject matter for each spread.

What I do, though, is really very intuitive. I do most of my thinking about it later.

I love The Wheels on the Bus pop-up book [scroll and click for animated version]. Do you have to go through a different process to produce novelty books? If so, would you describe the differences? For example, how was the dummy different from a straight-illustration book?

PZ: Thanks for that. The process of making a pop-up book is somewhat different from making what the pop-up world calls a "flat book." It has more stages: between the planning, sketching stage and the finished-art-making stage comes a stage of mechanical development.

For Wheels, and much more so for Knick-Knack Paddywhack! I worked with a paper engineer and had a great time fiddling with pull-tabs and paper machinery, and at the end of that process we had the book broken into all its component pieces, which had to be painted separately so they could be printed as a mass of parts, which will get punched out and assembled by hand. Most of a movable book's art (in the word's industrial definition as anything that gets scanned for printing—my art training still makes me recoil at using the word art so freely) doesn't look like the pictures in the book, as it does for a flat book.

This makes the act of illustrating a pop-up book a bit less artistically rewarding, but it does keep you in mind of the fact that the painting you may be making isn't what really counts--the finished art (in the other sense of "art") is actually the book.

What are you currently working on?

PZ: Illustrations for two sequels: to Toys Go Out, a chapter book by Emily Jenkins--the new book is called Toy Dance Party, and to Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs--the new picture book is called Dust Devil, with some sort of subtitle explaining that Dust Devil is Swamp Angel's horse. Respectively, pencil drawings, and oil on wood.

If you were to illustrate yourself, what would you look like? (please feel free to draw yourself--animal, plant, mineral!)

PZ: Ay! Even though they say that everything you draw is in some respect a self-portrait, and even though I admit that more than a few of the characters I've come up with (such as the guitar player in Wheels on the Bus) may look like me, what I really like about illustrating is that it's like acting: you get out of yourself and into something else. At least you can think you're doing that.

If you could be a character from one of your illustrations who would you like to be and why?

PZ: I could choose any number of characters, most of whom are not skinny and seem to be very content. In The Story of Mrs. Lovewright and Purrless, her Cat, I'd like to be the minor character Dylan, for whom the cat will purr. In Knick-Knack Paddywhack!, I'd choose to be Old Man 4. But in another sense, I become every character that I draw.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Pauline Mermet is editor at Bayard Editions Jeunesse. She has worked with many prestigious illustrators, including Marc Boutavant, Emmanuel Guibert, David De Thuin, Marion Montaigne, Muzo, Yvan Pommaux, and non-fiction authors: Nathalie Tordjman; Anne-Laure Fournier Le Ray; and Yvette Veyret. She was interviewed by Anita Loughrey in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

PM: When I was young, I was full of anticipation each time I opened a book, novel, or comic book. My wish is to pass on that exciting feeling. Everybody has something to bring to build up our society, and I am proud to make children's books my contribution.

In your opinion, what makes a good editor?

PM: A good editor listens to people, makes quick decisions, and is open-minded. The editor wants to pass along the best ideas to the authors and their work. That's the heart of the job!

When you're reading a manuscript for the first time, how long does it take you (approximately how many pages? chapters?) to figure out whether it's something you want to pursue?

PM: When I receive a comic book, the quality of drawing is a key factor, and then I focus on the richness of the world brought by authors. It doesn't take a long time to know if it is an interesting project.

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

PM: When it's weak (writing, drawing) and when I can't see what it brings.

What are the "realities" of children's publishing?

PM: Difficult and challenging, since the market is so crowded How could we propose something new or with a new point of view or a new object? The more difficult the market, the more relevant and creative we have to be.

What is your favorite thing about being a children's book editor?

PM: To work with authors who keep a strong link with childhood is my favorite thing about being a children's book editor.

What are some of your favorite books and why?

PM: There are so many books...both adult and children's. Fiction is what I definitely prefer; it's a way to share other people's lives. Haruki Murakami, Philip Roth, Nancy Huston, Henri Bauchau, Emmanuel Carrère, John Irving, Vassili Grossman...are some of my favorite writers.

Is there a character you met in a book when you were a child that changed your life?

PM: Josephine from the Little Women, Alice Roy (the French Nancy Drew), Sophie from la comtesse de Ségur's Les malheurs de Sophie, and Antigone (by Henri Bauchau). All female characters that show that being a girl can be combined with independence, adventure, wit, and still femininity.

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on? Why?

PM: I think I'm proud of all the books I worked on. Each one makes me grow in some way. I especially liked working on La vie des Très bêtes because the relationship with the author was so good and because it was absolutely entertaining to receive a few hilarious scenarios each week.

Another book I liked working on is the Encyclo catho. It is the most challenging book I ever worked on: 544 pages with philosophical questions on almost every page. It was interesting to work with another editor on that book because an editor is often the only one in charge of a book, and for such a big and ambitious book, it was a relief--and also challenging--to be two in charge!

Have you worked with both fiction and non-fiction? If so, how do the processes compare? What do you like most (and/or least) about each?

PM: The processes are different. In non-fiction, I like to initiate the project. In fiction or in comic books, I like to develop the writing (or drawing) of an author.

What does the ideal cover letter say?

PM: I am worth it. I'll make you dream if you buy me (or teach you something at least)!

Is there any area on your list you’d like to "grow" at this time?

PM: I am thinking of developing the non-fiction section for little ones (4-8 years old).

How involved in the marketing of the book are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at your house? A YA novel? Etc.

PM: Each editor has to be involved in the marketing of the book. In some way, it is "le nerf de la guerre" (how to translate that French sentence...?!)--the nerves of war! War of nerves!

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Stephen Barbara is the Agent and Contracts Director for the Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York. His clients include acclaimed novelist and picture-book author Lynne Jonell, Teddy Children's Book Award winner Tammar Stein, and novelist Lisa Graff. He was interviewed by Anita Loughrey in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you want to work in children's literature as a literary agent?

SB: I was an agency assistant in 2005 when I discovered middle-grade author Lisa Graff (The Thing About Georgie (HarperCollins, 2007)(excerpt)(blog)) at an MFA reading at the New School in New York. She was my first client, and I netted her a two-book deal at auction. That had a large influence on me. I sensed opportunity in the children's world, and I pursued it.

Do you have a background in publishing?

SB: Yes, but not an extensive one. I worked at the Regan Books imprint of HarperCollins for a few months in 2004 before deciding to enter the agency business.

How did you get your start as an agent?

SB: I got my start working as an assistant and bookkeeper at a grand old agency in midtown Manhattan. I did that for a year. Then, in January of 2006, Don took me on as an agent and contracts director. I haven't looked back.

In your opinion, what makes a good agent?

SB: You need tenacity, which is a quality of businesspeople. And you need taste, which is a quality of people in the arts, because without taste you'll never discover the writers that the publishers love.

Great agents are rare, I think, because these two qualities don't often come together. You were born to agent if you have both the good eye and the drive to sink your teeth into business.

Do you represent writers and illustrators?

SB: Just writers.

How many clients do you represent?

SB: About twenty-five at present.

Do you represent on a project-by-project basis, or do you take on the "whole" writer (i.e. everything they produce)?

SB: I'm most interested in representing an author's career. I rarely, if ever, represent only one project.

At what point in a manuscript do you "know" you either want to work on the project or not?

SB: In the early going. I'll toss a query or manuscript after a couple of pages if it's not grabbing me. Life is too short. Likewise, when I love something I'm jumping out of my chair and reaching for the phone after just a couple of chapters--that moment of discovery is so exciting.

What does the ideal query letter say?

SB: The ideal query letter is a business letter: smart, correct, and to the point. Focus on briskly summarizing the premise of your project in a sentence or two, establishing pertinent information like the setting, conflict (if your novel doesn't have one, that's a problem), and protagonist or hero. Include a short but relevant bio.

Avoid the temptation of comparing your novel to War and Peace (1865-1869). You don't want to come across as sounding desperate.

What "turns you off" a manuscript right away?

SB: Pages of exposition, lots of dry description, flat writing, lack of tension, lack of dramatic conflict, conventional scenes (particularly characters waking up in the morning and staring at themselves in the mirror or brushing their teeth), clichés, banalities, formulaic prose, lack of a striking voice, and tin-eared dialogue.

From an agent's point of view, what are the "realities" of children's book publishing?

SB: You're referring to the harsh, bunny-eat-bunny world of children's publishing?

Truth be told, we're living through a golden age, and it is a good time to be in the field. Editors are acquiring. Authors are producing a variety of great work. The books are finding their readers. Advances are rising, and there is a nice amount of money floating around.

Yet children's publishing has avoided going the sink-or-swim way of adult publishing. There is still the notion that you build an author's career even if it takes time.

It is wonderful to be on the scene now.

What was the easiest book to sell and why?

SB: I negotiated a two-book deal with Scholastic that happened quite rapidly, as I recall. The editor who ultimately won the project was printing out the manuscript and emailing me the same day I sent it, and she put in a preemptive bid a few days later.

In retrospect, it seems easy, but it would be difficult to do again. So many things have to come together for such a quick sale--the right submission list, the right timing, and the right manuscript.

Have you ever represented a book that you loved but couldn't convince an editor to publish? What advice do you give your authors in this situation?

SB: Generally speaking, if I'm in love with a project--really in love, over the moon in love--I will sell it. It may take me six or even ten months, but I will find the right editor. The project you can't convince the editors to publish is the one you don't love but took on thinking it would be an easy sale. The universe won't allow that, I've learned. It is a wicked little irony.

Are you accepting new clients now?

SB: Absolutely. I'm always keen to find great new writers.

Do you give pre-submission editing and revision requests to your clients?

SB: Yes. I tend to spend a lot of time on story development with my clients. I've come to see that the work you put into a manuscript with your clients prior to submission is invaluable. There's nothing like a brilliantly executed piece of storytelling to set the editors' pulses racing.

Do you specialize in any particular genre and/or are you looking for anything in particular at the moment? What are publishers telling you about the market and what they'd like to see?

SB: I've had a lot of success with middle-grade fiction and it continues to be my favorite category. I would love to add more middle grade.

I would also like another literary YA novelist on my list--someone who can write gorgeously and deliver a story with impact.

It's hard to be more specific than that. You have to leave yourself open to being surprised by things you weren't consciously looking for.

How many new clients do you take on each year?

SB: I signed nearly 20 writers in 2006, but only half as many in 2007. I'm getting pickier. I'm looking more and more for the Derek Jeters, so to speak, the best new talent.

Quite honestly, I'd be happy to sign only a few new writers each year, if they were writers I absolutely adored and wanted to represent forever. That's kind of my philosophy. I would rather be great at just a few things than mediocre at a lot of them. So it's all about focus, focus, focus. That's the objective.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Susanne Koppe is the founder of the Auserlesen-Ausgezeichnet literary agency in Hamburg, Germany. She represents both authors and illustrators, such as Katja Bandlow, Franziska Biermann and Antje Damm. Anita Loughrey interviewed her in January, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What is the book or experience that made you want to work in children's literature as a literary agent?

SK: As a teenager, I was a member of a book discussion group at the International Youth Library in Munich. Sometimes editors joined us to discuss books, so I got an idea of editorial work and--of course--wanted to become an editor. I decided to study German literature and did my first training at dtv junior in Munich.

I think I always liked stories with a real plot, which at that time (the prime time of Peter Handke, etc.) were too hard to find in literature for adults. Maybe, it was also because there were some authors I loved so much I wanted to stick in the field. As a young woman, I loved fairy tales and fantasy. And I quite soon discovered how nice it was to work with illustrations.

When I finished my first two years of studies, I gained a Fulbright scholarship to study Children's Literature at Simmons College. At a summer conference, there were quite a few highly profiled speakers, among them agents and scouts. I also was introduced to the idea of packaging.

Coincidentally, after having finished my studies--I hold a German and American M.A.--I became a trainee at Beltz & Gelberg's rights' department. I was fascinated by the invisible literary good "rights" and the whole copyright system.

Later on, I started scouting and translating for Beltz & Gelberg and other companies, wrote for newspapers and became the first administrator of FILU, a self-organized illustrators' convention/agency.

After a five-year intermezzo as head editor of Rotfuchs, the children's book list of Rowohlt's, I was more than tired of the stress and the declining liberties in a marketing-oriented company.

I wanted to continue working profoundly with my authors and illustrators. I wanted to create books that turned out brilliant because of the serious work put in. I wanted to have the possibility to develop a project before it was killed by narrow-minded sales people.

So I decided to become an agent for writers and illustrators, offering rights and package deals at the same time.

How did you get your start as an agent?

SK: For about a year, I thought of the concept of my future agency. I made sure the authors and artists I would like to work with--many of them friends--shared this wish. I invented the name "Auserlesen – Ausgezeichnet," which on the one hand means "Excellent and Exquisite," but also plays with the words reading (lesen) and drawing (zeichnen).

After I quit my job, it took me about half a year to develop up my visual C.I., my website and my first "program." Officially, I started at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2002. I offered some novels and tried to find jobs for my illustrators. As a give-away, I had produced stamps with little sample of the artists' work and quotes of the texts. These stamps continue to be my trademark even today.

I worked at home and was a one-woman show for one year. Luckily, my second year was so successful due to a big job by VW that I could move into an office I share with a graphic design company. Today, I have a steady freelance assistant for two days a week and occasional trainees.

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

SK: People being too bold, too demanding, referring too much to their so-impressed spouses and kids... People who can't write one halfway floating sentence.

From an agent's point of view, what are the "realities"� of children's book publishing?

SK: It's a tough business, but still it is not as tough as the general book market. I am frustrated about the uniformity of the market, but, luckily, again and again thrilled by great and unusual books.

Generally, I have the feeling children's book editors are a bit nicer, but also more dogmatic than other editors. They love to dictate to authors and illustrators what to produce exactly, seldom there is respect for their artistic liberty. Other realities? Little money and slow decisions.

What was the easiest book to sell and why?

SK: Internationally, the books of Franziska Biermann to Korea: Because her book, Mr. Fox Likes Books, is so successful there! In Germany, the novel, Mimus by Lilli Thal--outstanding novels always find more than one publisher interested--and the Christmas song book, Am Weihnachtsbaume, because of the unique concept. Both nationally and internationally, Antje Damm's book, What Is This?, is very popular.

Do you get involved with the marketing aspect of the book?

SK: I try to; it's very important, but sometimes it's hard because of my lack of time and/or the publisher's unwillingness. In any case, I always try to maintain my good relations with the media that prove to be so helpful again and again.

Do you specialize in any particular genre and/or are you looking for anything in particular at the moment?

SK: High-quality books and original activity books.

In Germany, there seem to be more illustrations again in the adult market, after a long period of photographed covers.

For the first time, I did a bridge between a magazine I work with and the book market (I published a book under the magazine's label).

What are publishers telling you about the market and what they’d like to see?

SK: Well, what do publishers do? They complain. And actually I think the market has got tougher. Especially as picture books have such small print runs. Books live less long, as the market is obsessed by bestsellers. So publishers love seeing something that "looks like..." If you offer something out-of-the-way, it needs to be outstanding. Many publishers (or is it just a few?) still love books, love to be amazed, love to believe in their works. And then, it's fun to show them something...

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Emmanuel Guibert is a talented comic author whose works include The Professor's Daughter, Sardine in Outer Space, La Guerre d'Alan and Brune. He lives in France with his family. Anita Loughrey interviewed him in November 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

Are you a writer as well as an illustrator, and, if so, which comes first, the images or the words?

EG: Yes, I write and I draw. But writing and drawing don't race with each other, so no one comes first. They are like Mom and Dad, very different, very close in one's heart, and impossible to say whom one loves the most (last time I did it, it's been big trouble).

Do you have favorite medium you work in? If so, did the medium choose you or did you choose it? Can you elaborate?

EG: I draw with anything. And technique is a matter one can only deal with a tool in the hand. I'd rather show you, someday, than heavily write about it.

What are you currently working on?

EG: Alan's war volume III.

If you were to illustrate yourself, what would you look like? (please feel free to draw yourself -- animal, plant, mineral!)

EG: My daughter draws me much better than I do. See below:



What is the hardest thing about being an author and illustrator for you?

EG: Success, fans harassing me at the grocery store.

Did you always want to be an illustrator?

EG: I always wanted to draw.

What were your other career choices, if any?

EG: Do you suggest I should try another job?

Do you have a favorite children's book that you wish you had written and/or illustrated? Why?

EG: Marcellin Caillou by Sempé and The Giving Tree by Shel Siverstein. I don't wish I had written them; I just adore them.

How far ahead do you work? Six months, a year? Longer?

EG: My lifetime. I'd rather go back to work than answering this Q&A because there's a deadline I can't exceed.

What does your work space look like?

EG: A messy cave.

What's on your wall over your desk or drawing table?

EG: A window.

How has your childhood influenced your illustrations and writing?

EG: I'll let you know when my childhood is over.

What was your favorite book as a child or adolescent?

EG: I've always had a lot of favorite friends, a lot of favorite colors, a lot of favorite dishes, therefore, a lot of favorite books.

Do you work with the television, radio, or stereo on? In cafés, nursing a half-cup of lukewarm tea, or in isolation?

EG: Yes, all of that at the same time. And even asleep.

Do you have a blog or website to showcase your work, and if so, how often do you blog? Do you get lots of feedback from readers? Has it proved to be useful?

EG: No.

If you could be a character from one of your illustrations, who would you like to be and why?

EG: I'm Ariol. Since I've been born, I'm a blue short-sighted donkey.

Is it difficult to illustrate somebody else's writing? Has it ever caused any problems?

EG: I only work with beloved brothers. A bed of thornless roses.

How did you become a comic book writer-illustrator?

EG: As cooks become cooks. Cooking.

Your books are often historically based, such as The Professor's Daughter portraying Victorian London, and Brune and 'La Guerre d'Alan' depicting Nazi Germany. How much research do you have to do before you start your illustrations?

EG: I have a time machine. But it's top secret.

Could you talk us through the process of how, after you are presented with a book a publisher would like you to illustrate, you generate your ideas for illustrating that book?

EG: I don't work commissioned. And when I ask myself how I am going to illustrate the book I'm working on, eventually, it never looks like my plans.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Fiammetta Giorgi is an editor at Mondadori Children's Books in Italy. She was interviewed by Anita Loughrey in December 2007, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

FG: In 1996, I began translating fiction from German and English into Italian (translating, among others, a few titles by Christine Nöstlinger and The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares) and it was thus, almost by chance, that I discovered my passion for children's literature.

In your opinion, what makes a good editor?

FG: You must of course study, know your market, and understand what children usually like; but more than anything, you must have the ability to fall completely in love with a book.

When you're reading a manuscript for the first time, how long does it take you (approx. how many pages? chapters?) to figure out whether it's something you want to pursue?

FG: I'd say 50-70 pages.

What kinds of things "turn you off" a manuscript right away?

FG: When I feel a book is artificial, when it is written on purpose to teach you something or to achieve a certain goal, when it is boring and not lively, when the characters feel false...

What is your favorite thing about being a children's book editor?

FG: Children's books (and the people working in the field) are often funnier, more spontaneous and creative than adult books (and those creating books for adults).

What are some of your favorite books and why?

FG: Just to name a few, Spinelli's Stargirl for the warm and spontaneous realism of the main character; Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret for the innovative and extremely expressive way of mixing text and wonderful illustrations; Brennan's Faerie Wars and Colfer's Artemis Fowl for their humor.

Is there a character you met in a book when you were a child that changed your life?

FG: I could not say that she "changed my life," but Pippi Longstocking was for sure a fascinating model when I was a child.

What book(s) are you proudest of having worked on? Why?

FG: There are many books that can make you feel proud, because you give children the chance to discover something precious: I'm proud to have in my catalog Hawkings' George's Secret Key to the Universe, for its optimism and the way in which it expresses amazing and complex concepts with immediate images. I'm proud to have La composición by Antonio Skarmeta, dealing with the difficult theme of civil war and dictatorship; but I'm also proud to have masterpieces such as Sabuda's pop ups. I also love working with Italian authors because you feel involved in the creation of the book.

Have you worked with both fiction and non-fiction? If so, how do the processes compare? What do you like most (and/or least) about each?

FG: Yes, I work with both. I like non-fiction because usually you can work a lot with the authors and suggest new ways of organizing and developing projects, but I prefer fiction because it is more emotional.

What does the ideal cover letter say?

FG: It is difficult to find a standard because I prefer "surprising" cover letters that can express what is new in each book.

Is there any area on your list you'd like to "grow" at this time? Do you look at art samples?

FG: I'd like to work more with Italian authors. As for the art samples, I'm working a lot with our art director and we like looking for new artists.

How involved in the marketing of the book are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at your house? A YA novel? Etc.

FG: I work a lot with our marketing department because we are trying to present each important book with a different approach. We work together to enhance the content and spirit of each book. Picture books in Italy represent a tiny part of the market, so we usually do not have a specific budget for a single book. For a YA novel, we can invest much more.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

Friend Mondadori at JacketFlap.

Carmen Diana Dearden is editor and publisher of Ediciones Ekaré, a Venezuelan Publishing House founded in 1978, which pioneered children's book publishing in Latin America. She is also President of the Banco del Libro, which won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2007 for their profound impact on children's reading in Venezuela and other Latin American countries. She was president of IBBY from 1992 to 1998. Carmen has three children who grew up with Ekaré books, and they have always been willing and creative participants in the process of producing them (and Carmen claims they are the fiercest critics). She was interviewed in December 2007 by Anita Loughrey, as one of the speakers at the SCBWI Bologna Conference 2008 (scheduled for March 29 and March 30 in Bologna, Italy).

What made you decide to go into children's book publishing?

CDD: My father was a walking encyclopedia, my mother a storyteller. I grew up surrounded by books and stories, and loved rewriting them or inventing new ones.

I studied anthropology because I was fascinated by different cultures and their oral traditions. When our work in the Banco del Libro's libraries in Venezuela showed us there was a scarcity of good books for children that reflected our culture, setting up a children's book publishing house seemed the natural thing to do. It was a challenge and a joy and a wonderful pioneering time.

I always wanted to work with words. And I still believe in magic.

In your opinion, what makes a good editor?

CDD: A good "nose," i.e. intuition to know what books will work; vision and the capacity to imbue others with it; timing, teamwork, and the power of persuasion.

When you are reading a manuscript for the first time, how long does it take you (approximately how many pages? chapters?) to figure out whether it's something you want to pursue?

CDD: The first page is usually the vital one.

What turns you off a manuscript right away?

CDD: Bad writing, long-winded explanations, stories with obvious messages, sugar-coated themes.

What are the "realities" of children's book publishing?

CDD: Are there such things? I know there are practical aspects of the markets, the big conglomerates, the competition, the fads, the imitations, the "politically correct" frenzies, but the best part about children's book publishing is that it is serendipitous and surprising.

What is your favorite thing about being a children's book editor?

CDD: Watching a work of art unfold, and guiding the whole process. Enjoying the unexpected, crazy things that usually happen.

What are some of your favorite books and why?

CDD: There are so many. From Ekaré: El rabipelado burlado, (The Hoodwinked Possum, retold from the Pemón ethnic group, illustrated by Vicky Sempere) because it was the first book we published; Margarita, (by Ruben Darío, illustrated by Monica Doppert) because it is a rounded little gem; La calle es libre (The Streets are Free, by Kurusa, illustrated by Monica Doppert), because it came from a small, urban "barrio's" real needs and the research process was so fulfilling; El libro de oro de los abuelos, (The little Latin American Book of Fairy Tales) because they are the traditional fairy tales retold with Venezuelan craftiness and part of my family tradition.

The Wind in the Willows, because I found it soothing; Sendak's Nut Shell Library for its humor and wonderful zany verses; Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series; Alan Garner's The Owl Service; Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man and Asimov's Foundation books because I am fascinated by fantasy and science fiction; Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird because I wish I had written it; Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday for its irreverent and appealing characters; Hoffman's Struwwelpeter for its crazy, gory verses; Walt Kelly's Pogo Possum and Quino's Mafalda comic strips for their humor and wiseness; Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" for its spookiness and rhythm; fairy tales, legends and mythology; mysteries for obvious reasons, especially Dorothy Sayer's The Nine Tailors which is so well written; dictionaries, because I love words.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, not only for what it's done to children’s book publishing but because I was riveted from the start and tried to get the Spanish rights long before it became a cult.

Is there a character you met in a book when you were a child that changed your life?

CDD: Struwwelpeter. My mother gave me the book because I would never let anybody comb my hair and she thought the sight of Struwwelpeter with his unruly hair and long nails would persuade me, but it had the opposite effect. I thought it was wonderful, and all the horrible things that happened to the children in the book seemed fantastic fun. I think it gave me the power to be a rebel in many things.

What books are you proudest of having worked on? Why?

CDD: The four mentioned above: Margarita, El rabipelado burlado, La calle es libre, El libro de oro de los abuelos. All our Indian tales--Narraciones Indígenas collection -- (to which El rabipelado belongs) because we were the first to start such a collection and worked with missionaries, anthropologists, and primary sources to select and rewrite them and sent the illustrators out into the field for a first-hand experience.

Our poetry collection--Rimas y Adivinanzas--(Rhymes and Riddles, to which Margarita belongs) was also a first, started with the purpose of making poetry fun in classrooms by choosing a poem and turning it into a small picture book (they are 15cm x 15cm format). The idea worked very well and it is still one of our best-selling collections.

Our Asi Vivimos collection (The Way We Live,) which was done with the intention of describing issues of our Latin American culture in which children were protagonists. Issues such as no space to play in densely populated urban "barrios"(La calle es libre); the clash between a poet and a military man in elections in a small Andean town (El robo de las Ae’s, The Theft of the A’s); the plight of an escaped slave in Puerto Rico (La peineta colorada, The Red Shell Comb); the clash between and indigenous and "white man's" culture (Ni era vaca ni era caballo, Neither Horse nor Cow). It has also worked very well, has been the most translated one, and was totally fascinating to do.

As unique translation experiences: Ana María Machado's El perro del cerro y la rana de la sabana. It was more of a rewrite and recreation than a translation because we had to change the characters (from cat to dog, for instance) to make the language rhyme and play in Spanish as well as it had done in Portuguese. It was done with the author herself during a book fair in Mexico; Fox by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Ron Brooks, because Ron helped us choose and work on the font to be used (his original was hand done)--a wonderfully funny and creative virtual experience!

Have you worked with both fiction and non-fiction? If so, how do the processes compare? What do you like most (and/or least) about each?

CDD: Mostly fiction. We did a nature and ecology collection (four books) and started a social studies collection which was fascinating but never made it to press.

Non-fiction is much more time consuming and rigorous, but also fascinating in the research put into it and the new things you learn. The "field work" needed in non-fiction is particularly interesting to me as an anthropologist.

Fiction can be done from an "armchair," but tends to be more fraught with sensibilities and emotions. It sometimes feels like walking on eggshells.

What does the ideal cover letter say?

CDD: I don't think there is such a thing because every writer is different. But basically, something short, to the point, and original.

Is there any area in your list you'd like to "grow" at this time?

CDD: Restart the non-fiction series based on social studies. Novels for ages 10 and up.

Do you look at art samples?

CDD: Yes, I look at art samples. It's a primary source of the sort of books we publish (picture books and illustrated books). It is also enthralling, and we have discovered many wonderful illustrators that way.

How involved in the marketing of the book are you? What is the average marketing budget for a picture book at you house?

CDD: I am involved in the overall process and the strategies, but the real work is done by our marketing and promotion team, who are always full of ideas. They do it with enthusiasm and enjoyment. (I think). Another characteristic of a good editor is to have confidence in her team. It works in Ekaré.

We don't have a budget for individual books per se, just an overall budget for marketing which we usually calculate at about 7% of yearly sales.

Cynsational Notes

Anita Loughrey writes teacher resources and children's non-fiction. Her books have been published by A&C Black, Hopscotch and Brilliant Publications. She also writes regular features for Writers' Forum in the U.K. about authors and the writing industry. She recently interviewed all 31 speakers for 2008's Bologna Conference.

The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series is brought to you by the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference in conjunction with Cynsations.

To register for the SCBWI Bologna Biennial Conference 2008, please visit http://scbwi.org/events.htm and click on SCBWI@Bologna. Queries? [email protected]

For a fun Spring thing...go to Ginger's blog and check out Vern.