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As Grace mentioned, we're in Fresno together for the IBBY regional conference. They asked us to speak together about Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.To prepare, we dug up all of the old drafts of the novel, and also my editorial letters/edits (to my horror, I discovered that although I had saved the different drafts with my edits in Track Changes, I had neglected to save any of my editorial letters, as they had been in emails and not saved as separate documents. Luckily, Grace was able to find them in an old email account. Whew!)
Some of the fascinating (at least to us!) things we found: The 1st draft was 22,859 words; the final draft was 42,840 words, almost twice as long! The 1st draft had 26 chapters, and the final book had 48 chapters. The green tiger was not in the original draft. In the original draft, the parents didn't try to follow/find Minli. In the original proposal, Minli was named "Cai" (and then "Kai"). The first working title was God of the West. The next title was Never-Ending Mountain.
I also read a portion of my first editorial letter for the book. As I mentioned at the panel, my letters with Grace tend to be a little more casual than to some other authors who I don't know as well. With Grace, I cut to the chase quickly--but I always start with praise! Here's a sampling:
Hola!
So, I thought I'd get down in writing some of the things we discussed over the phone. But just to reiterate, I loved it. I think overall, it's extremely well crafted with a wonderful story arc. The novel is moving, magical, and engaging. I think this is in really great shape! I have a few main comments, most of which we've discussed:
1) The novel feels a little slight right now, and things overall feel a little too easy for Minli. I'd like to add at least one more big challenge for her, and also make a few of the existing challenges a little more difficult/drawn out. For example, she seems to find the King in The City of Bright Moonlight too quickly--she should struggle with this more. I like the idea you mentioned, of having her spend one night with the boy and the buffalo.
Overall, don't be afraid to put your characters in peril! I don't think I worried once about whether Minli would succeed in her quest, or feared for her safety or her life. This made for a comforting, pleasant read, but I think more conflict overall would go a long way toward making this more rewarding.
...
3) It's not believable that her parents would just wait around for her at home for her to come back--have one or both of them go after her? Or have them send someone else after her? If they do stay behind, you need a convincing reason why, and also her reunion with them at the end needs to be more dramatic. Wouldn't they cry? And what did they do while she was gone? Did they set up a shrine to her? Pray for her every day? Maybe they sent the old man selling the fish after her, or maybe a man from the village, or a kind traveler passing through?
It was interesting looking back at the publication history of this very special book--and we had fun telling the story, too. We should be on more panels together, don't you think?
***
If you're in the Los Angeles area tonight (Monday, October 24), head out to the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore at 7:30 for Laini Taylor's signing of
0 Comments on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, before and after as of 1/1/1900
I'm in the throes of editing hell...actually, I'll rephrase that--I'm in editing HEAVEN! Just a whole lot of it at once, is all. But the books are SO GOOD, and this is the meaty part of my job that I love the most. Speaking of, I've been meaning to update my "How I Edit" post from almost exactly five years ago, as technology has changed my process somewhat. Perhaps that will be for next week.
What I was working on this past weekend specifically was finishing up an editorial letter for the first book in Libba Bray's new four-book series, The Diviners. It's a YA historical paranormal with hints of horror (okay, more than just hints) set in New York City in the 1920s. Flappers, Ziegfeld's Follies, speakeasies, political protests, secret government experiments, cults, ghosts, supernatural powers, and oh yes, a serial killer. It's magnificent, and coming out next Fall.
This past weekend I've also been working on Chris Colfer's middle grade novel The Land of Stories, coming out next August. It's a fantastical adventure to a fairytale land, and it's a page-turner, with unexpected twists and turns, a lot of heart, and best of all it's funny. I was reading it on the subway and found myself chuckling out loud at the dialogue. I'm excited for the world to see that this kid can write as well as he can sing. And boy, do I love his voice (I can listen to his version of Blackbird all day).
So, while I keep editing, I wanted to share with you two trailers that were released recently. The first is for Peter Brown's hilarious new picture book You Will Be My Friend!, starring Lucille Beatrice Bear, who some of you might remember from his last book, Children Make Terrible Pets. You Will Be My Friend launched earlier this month, and on Saturday I attended his book launch party at Powerhouse Studio in DUMBO. And as Lucy would say, OH! MY! GOSH! This is the cutest trailer EVER!
This second trailer is for Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bonewhich officially pubs tomorrow! Happy early book birthday! There's been an incredible amount of excitement and buzz for this book, and the love, especially from bloggers, has been tremendous (and well-deserved, although I may be biased...).
Isn't that cool?
Okay, back to work!
0 Comments on What I'm working on now, and book trailers! as of 1/1/1900
Beyond the Book: FALLING FOR HAMLET by Michelle Ray
Happy August, everyone! It's been a while since I've done one of these, and I have a few books that have come out this past Spring and Summer, so I'd better get crackin' if I want to catch up before the Fall releases.
Falling for Hamlet is a contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare's Hamlet from Ophelia's point of view...and in this version, Ophelia doesn't die.
The description: Meet Ophelia: a blonde, beautiful high-school senior and long-time girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Her life is dominated not only by her boyfriend's fame and his overbearing family, but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. As the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals into madness after the mysterious death of his father, the King, Ophelia rides out his crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell about it. In live television interviews, of course.
Passion, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy intertwine in this compulsively readable debut novel, told by a strong-willed, modern-day Ophelia.
This novel is the first (and only, so far) book I've acquired that has been published on the Poppy imprint. Poppy is home to our young women's commercial fiction. Originally the imprint only published paperback series, like Gossip Girl, The Clique, the A-List, etc, but in the past year or so the imprint has evolved a bit and also published hardcovers, and stand-alone novels. Another editor had recently acquired a modern retelling of Jane Eyre for the Poppy imprint (Jane by April Lindner) when this novel (then titled Ophelia Live!) was sent to me from agent Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, and when I read the description I immediately though Poppy would be its perfect publishing home. Now, when this is the case I will sometimes pass the project on to another editor, but the concept appealed to me so much, I wanted to read it myself. At Little, Brown, any editor can acquire for any of our "imprints", because we're a relatively small group, and we all attend the same editorial and acquisitions meetings. Although I don't usually tend to acquire the type of books that Poppy publishes, I've always loved reading their books, and had always wanted to acquire a Poppy book.
I read this book in one sitting, and absolutely fell in love with it. I guess you could say that I was falling in love with Falling for Hamlet. I loved how clever it was in modernizing the story. I loved the narrator Ophelia, who I felt was the perfect "every-teen" of sorts--she was relatable in that she didn't always make the smartest decisions, and she was still figuring out who she was and who she wanted to be. I loved that the book was about growing up in the public eye, and for anyone obsessed with the royal family, Prince William and his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton, etc, this book gives a great peek inside what life close to the royal family might be like, from the paparazzi, the scrutiny, the privilege, etc. I loved how it was sexy, smart, and full of juic
1 Comments on Beyond the Book: FALLING FOR HAMLET by Michelle Ray, last added: 8/2/2011
Falling for Hamlet looks awesome. I saw this book a while ago on a blog and thought it looked really good. Now I'm coming to find you've edited a lot of books I love and my boys, aka Shark vs. Train.
Last week, my daughter Sara sent me a picture of my first grandchild. I should note that she hasn’t been born yet. Still, It was such a great thrill for me to see my granddaughter’s face.
I’m posting one of my favorite poems today. It’s by Margaret Atwood. It was the inspiration for the wedding poem that I wrote for Sara and my son-in-law Jerry. They got married last July.
You Begin by Margaret Atwood
You begin this way: this is your hand, this is your eye, that is a fish, blue and flat on the paper, almost the shape of an eye. This is your mouth, this is an O or a moon, whichever you like. This is yellow.
Outside the window is the rain, green because it is summer, and beyond that the trees and then the world, which is round and has only the colors of these nine crayons.
This is the world, which is fuller and more difficult to learn than I have said. You are right to smudge it that way with the red and then the orange: the world burns.
A few weeks ago we had our biannual Library Preview. We introduced our Fall/Winter 2011 list to local librarians, reviewers, and educators. As usual, our School and Library Marketing Director/Guru wore amazing shoes for the occasion:
Our super secret guest star was author/illustrator Sujean Rim, creator of Birdie's Big Girl Shoesand the upcoming Birdie's Big Girl Dress. She talked about working in fashion, yet always harboring a love of children's books:
So, since we were talking about Fall/Winter 2011, I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek at the books I've edited on that list. Except as I started writing this, I realized that I had given an earlier sneak peek back in October here. Although, back then we didn't have all of the titles or covers finalized yet. Well, many of the covers are still in progress now (particularly for the YA titles, for some reason), but I thought I'd go ahead and post the covers we do have below. And since I described the books in more detail then, I'll be brief here.
Picture books:
YOU WILL BE MY FRIEND!by Peter Brown (Sept. 2011) This is a companion book to Children Make Terrible Pets. In this adventure, Lucy the Bear decides that she's going to make a new friend. Of course, this doesn't turn out to be as easy as she thinks it's going to be.
The House Baba Built: An artist's childhood in China by Ed Young, as told to Libby Koponon (Oct. 2011) This book has been a labor of love for everyone involved--we've been working on it for over two years, and in a sense, Ed has been writing it for his whole life, although in earnest since he became
6 Comments on Sneak Peek at Fall/Winter 2011, last added: 4/21/2011
I love that picture of Grace and the cover of DUMPLING DAYS --great colors!
And of course, thank you for mentioning THE HOUSE BABA BUILT. I am so in love with that book that my opinion hardly counts, but I do think that cover is great, too!
But let me back up. Midwinter was held in beautiful San Diego this year. ALA Midwinter is generally quieter than other conferences--we don't usually bring authors to the conference, because many librarians are busy meeting with their committees to decide the Youth Media Awards. No authors means no "author care" for editors. So, what do editors do at Midwinter? We work at the booth, we meet with agents, we walk the floor and check out our competition, and we sit in on open committee meetings. I sat in on a few sessions of the Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA--formerly known as BBYA--Best Books for Young Adults. They changed the committee to only consider fiction, as the list was unwieldy when it included nonfiction. There is a separate YA nonfiction award and list now), and a bit of the Notables committee meeting, too. It's fascinating to hear the members talk about the books, and I especially love it when they get really passionate or emotional about the books. Although, it can also be nerve-wracking when they talk about books that I've edited!
I'm deep into the frantic juggling phase of my Fall/Winter 2011 list. Final drafts of novels are due into copyediting next week, picture books are supposed to be in the mechanical stage now and aren't, etc. etc. For a few months now I've been, juggling juggling juggling. As I said on Twitter, "Edit, revise, repeat. Edit, revise, repeat."
So, here's a sneak peak of what I'm working on now. Three of the books are still untitled, which tells you how much of a sneak peak this is...
Picture books: The House Baba Built: an artist's childhood in Shanghai by Ed Young This is an illustrated memoir of Ed's childhood growing up in Shanghai during WWII. His father decided to build a house to keep his family safe, and over the years they took in additional families to help keep them safe, too. This book is a beautiful testament to how times of great hardship and difficulty can also be times of great creativity, and how a child can remain happy during those times. Ed and I have been working with my brilliant fellow BRG, Libby Koponen to help shape the text. It's been a very, very long process, but a rewarding one, and it's going to pay off--it's a beautiful, fascinating look into wartime China from a child's point of view. It's a deeply personal book for Ed.
Untitled picture book by Peter Brown Peter is working on a follow-up to Children Make Terrible Pets, featuring Lucy the Bear. It isn't exactly a sequel, but more a companion. In this book, Lucy decides that she wants to find a best friend, goes about it the wrong way, and hilarity ensues, of course.
Middle Grade: Dumpling Days by Grace Lin Grace is hard at work at the revision right now! This is a follow-up to Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat. Pacy and her family go to Taiwan on vacation for a month in the summer to celebrate Pacy's grandmother's 60th birthday. And yes, there are plenty of mouth-watering descriptions of food.
Young Adult: Boy 21 by Matthew Quick This is Matthew's sophomore YA effort, and although it's much different from his first, Sorta Like a Rock Star, it's just as beautifully written, and yes, it made me cry. This is a novel about a boy named Finley, the only white player on his high school basketball team. His coach asks him to take a new kid under his wing, Russ, whose parents have been tragically murdered. The problem is, because of his trauma, Russ calls himself Boy 21 and claims to be from outer space...
Daughter of Smoke and Boneby Laini Taylor A Romeo-and-Juliet-esque story in which an angel and a devil (of sorts) fall in love. That oversimplifies the book, though--it's so much more rich and layered, unique, unforgettable, and absolutely gorgeous. The novel opens in Prague (very cool) and we meet a lovely and mysterious art student named Karou who has bright blue hair (which just may grow out of her roots that color), a strange (to say the least) family, and the ability to wish things into reality.We signed Laini up to three books (this book, a sequel, and another stand alone) in a huge auction, and I couldn't be more thrilled and honored to be working with her. Plus, she loves revising!
Untitled DJ book by Love Maia We're still brainstorming titles, but I think we're close to pinning one down. This is a debut novel about a sixteen-year-old named Marley who dreams of being a professional DJ. I've called this novel Save t
2 Comments on What I'm working on now, last added: 10/11/2010
Sorta Like a Rock Star is one of two books that I've edited in my career that have made me more than just cry--they've made me sob. Actual, stomach-heaving sobs. Not just moved, not just having tears well up in my eyes, but really cry. The other book was Rubber Housesby Ellen Yeomans.
I was remembering some of the books I sobbed over as a kid.The ones that stick out in my mind are My Brother Sam is Dead, Where the Red Fern Grows, Charlotte's Web, Summer of My German Soldier,and A Taste of Blackberries.I remember the sobbing, the streaming tears, the nose blowing and crumpled tissues. I remember feeling simultaneously anguished and reborn when I finished the books. God, I loved that feeling. A big cry feels good, particularly if it's not my own life's tragedies that I'm crying at.
As I always tell agents and announce at writer's conferences, I'm a sucker for books that make me cry. I just finished reading a wonderful book, One Crazy Summerby Rita Garcia-Williams. And yes, I had tears streaming down my face while on the train--although no actually sobbing this time, probably because they were tears of joy, rather than agony. But if you want sobbing, The Book Thiefis your book.
I marvel at the skill of these authors to write such real characters, so real that I suffer true pain at the loss that the characters suffer, or pain when I lose them altogether. That's something.
The last book I remember crying over was An Na's A Step from Heaven. For some reason neither The Book Thief nor Jellicoe Road (which I think you mentioned made you cry also?) did it for me. I think my brain might need a more traditional narrative structure. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for father-daughter relationship epiphanies (as in Eat Drink Man Woman).
I have recently realized, while writing-for-hire something with sad elements, that I would rather laugh than cry.MUCH.
Lighthearted cheerfulness keeps breaking into this story. I'll start a scene, someone will do something I didn't expect or plan, and I find myself loving it and laughing outloud. So, I've finally decided to go with that and just dump the heavy elements.
But, the book may have its tear-jerking moments, too. MY favorite books, as a child and an adult, make me laugh and cry.
THE TREASURE SEEKERS by E.Nesbit--mostly laughing, but sobbing in the scene where Dora tells Oswald what their mother said before she died
But as for plain sobbing:
LITTLE WOMEN (all-time weeparoo)
OLD YELLER
BLACK BEAUTY
CHARLOTTE'S WEB (will never forget two boys I babysat for giggling when we wer all listening to this on the radio and I started to cry)
BAMBI (the book, when Bambi got old)
PETER PAN (when Wendy grew up and Peter came back - the first book I ever sobbed over. I will also never forget the look of bewildered horror on my father's face--he was reading it aloud to us and when my sister and I began sobbing, put it down, clearly at a loss. "I don't have to read any more," he stammered. "No, no, finish it!" we sobbed.
Amber Appleton lives in a bus. Ever since her mom’s boyfriend kicked them out, Amber, her mom, and her totally loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy (aka Thrice B) have been camped out in the back of Hello Yellow (the school bus her mom drives). But Amber, the self-proclaimed princess of hope and girl of unyielding optimism, refuses to sweat the bad stuff. Instead, she focuses on bettering the lives of her alcoholic mother and her quirky circle of friends: a glass-ceiling-breaking single mother raising a son diagnosed with autism; Father Chee and The Korean Divas for Christ (soul-singing ESL students); a nihilist octogenarian; a video-game-playing gang of outcasts; and a haiku-writing war vet. But then a fatal tragedy threatens Amber’s optimism—and her way of life. Can Amber continue to be the princess of hope?
With his zany cast of characters and a heartwarming, inspiring story, debut YA author Matthew Quick builds a beautifully beaten-up world of laughs, loyalty, and hard-earned hope. This world is Amber’s stage, and Amber is, well…she’s sorta like a rock star.
I've mentioned this on the blog before before: the first time I read the manuscript for this novel, I was on the subway, and I had just reached a very tragic, very emotional part in the story and found myself suddenly with tears streaming down my face, actually sobbing, tears mixing with snot (no, not a pretty picture). And it was at that very unattractive moment that I realized, I must have this book. I couldn't wait to get off the subway and finish reading.
There's more to the story, though. I was on the subway on the way to visit my boyfriend in Brooklyn, and as when I got to my stop, I was completely lost in thought, caught up in the world of Amber Appleton. As I walked down the street I mptoced there were a bunch of people walking towards me, and I moved out of the way. But then I got caught in one of those situations with one guy where we both move in the same direction over and over and end up in an awkward street dance. But I finally dodge to one side and get around the guy, annoyed to be taken out of my reverie, when he reaches over and grabs my arm, scaring the sh*t out of me, and says...
"Alvina?"
It was my boyfriend. Yes, I was so lost in thought that I didn't even recognize my own boyfriend. Well, he was off to get pizza so I turned around with him apologizing and explaining why I wasn't paying attention, still flustered and emotional from reading the tragic scene, when all of a sudden I hear another male voice say,
"Alvina!"
This time it was illustrator Christopher Myers walking a dog with a friend. Still flustered, I say hi and try to be normal, but at this point I wonder who else I'm going to run into on the street. And I really just want to go up to the apartment and read the rest of the novel!
Anyway, the latter part of this experience doesn't really have anything to do with the book itself, except that I always remember these encounters when I think of falling in love with the novel.
And so, the book. Oh, the book. The second half of the book lived up to the first half, and the next morning I immediately called the agent to tell him how much I loved it. My editorial readers all loved it, too--in fact, we were all speaking like Amber Appleton for week's after reading the book. True? True. Sucka!
S
3 Comments on Beyond the Book: SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR by Matthew Quick, last added: 6/15/2010
I'm not done with Sorta Like a Rock Star, but I am digging it. I can't wait to share with the high school students I teach. Way to go Matt. On a side note, I also loved his first book, The Silver Linings Playbook.
Scott Humfeld said, on 6/14/2010 8:19:00 AM
I was glad that I was at home and not on a subway when I started Sorta Like A Rock Star because I couldn't put it down. Amber is such an inspirational character and Quick has brought her to life in such a wonderful way. The cast of characters is touching and highly entertaining. Thank you Alvina for making sure SLARS was published. One of the best books I've read in a long time. I also heartily support Quest For Kindness. The essays there are terrific and these days kindness needs to be promoted more than ever.
I love the story of you being so absorbed you didn't even recognize your own boyfriend! THAT is the kind of absorbtion every writer dreams of--though I at least always imagine children in that state.It's cool to know that you -- a jaded editor --got that into a book. YOu really ARE in the right job: I wonder how many editors react that emotionally to mss.???
This is a belated post (I'm always playing catch-up, I feel...), but wanted to do a quick wrap-up of the Book Expo America (BEA) festivities of two weeks ago. This year, BEA was during the work week, which I rather liked--it was nice not to have to give up a precious weekend (especially since I was moving), but being away from the office was tough, too. This year was also shorter than previous BEAs--two days to the usual three. So events were really crammed in there! At any rate, BEA was kicked off for me with the Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC) Not-a-Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction. This year was especially exciting, because two of the books I edited were up for the E.B. White Read Aloud Awards: The Curious Garden by Peter Brown, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.
Little, Brown was one of the sponsors of the event, and we had a a big banner announcing our author guests. Here's Grace with the banner:
Michael Buckley emceed, and David Weisner gave a wonderful keynote speech. And then they announced the awards. First up was the picture book category. And the winner was...
Yay! After taking home the Children's Choice a few weeks ago, Peter picked up another lovely glass award:
Next up was the Older Readers category. And the nominees...
Alas, Grace did not win this time, but the very lovely and deserving Kate Messner won for The Brilliant Gall of Gianna Z. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!
The next morning, a little too bright and early, was the Children's breakfast. Camera crews were everywhere capturing the newly-scandalized emcee of the event, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, who was lovely and funny:
Then, watch the unofficial trailer (filmed at our company Halloween party last year):
Shark: me Train: Maria Mercado, also the designer of the book Narrator: Connie Hsu
How did we get to this wackiness? Well, it went like this:
I'd been corresponding here and there with author Chris Barton for probably over five years--and by "corresponding" I mean that he would send me a manuscript and then I would decline it, but invite him to send more. During that time he eventually found a fantastic agent, who sent me a manuscript titled "Shark vs. Train." I was intrigued by that title. And when I read the manuscript, I was intrigued even more. Heck, I was more than intrigued, I was in love. It was so wacky, so deliciously random and bizarre, and best of all, it was so childlike and child friendly.
The concept is this: a train and a shark battle it out in different environments. For example, who wins when they're underwater, in Shark's natural habitat? Shark, of course--Train helplessly sinks to the bottom of the ocean. But Train wins on the train tracks, while Shark struggles to pull heavy cars. But then Shark wins at a pie-eating contest, and Train wins in a burping contest. The battle goes back and forth until towards the end you realize that neither one is winning. This is one of my favorite "nobody wins" pages:
Train: Sure would help if we had thumbs.
Shark: Yep.
I knew that it might be hard to imagine the final product without illustrations. And so before I brought this to our acquisitions meeting, I had to think very carefully how I would present the project. I wanted to make it clear how one should think about the book, and so this was how I positioned it on the proposal:
Handle: Celebrity Deathmatch meets the World Wrestling Entertainment as a shark and a train battle it out
This is what I placed at the beginning of description:
WARNING: this picture book manuscript is wonderful
7 Comments on Beyond the Book: SHARK VS TRAIN by Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld, last added: 5/14/2010
Whta a fab-sounding bok - and thank you for taking us behind the scenes.The trailers are both great - who's the narrator in the "official" one? I empathise with your colleagues. Of course I'll only want to get it for my boys ;-)
The narrator is actually the publisher of our Orbit imprint, Tim Holman. We really wanted a David Attenborough-like narrator, and decided to use in-house talent!
I can't imagine this book WITHOUT Tom's hilarious Cartoon Illustration!!! It screamed for an Illustrator with a great sense of humour and Tom has this tot he max! One of my favorite books is "What Are You So Grumpy About"! There aren't many pic books out there for boys and so what better then sharks and trains and competition (three of their favorite things) I can see a lot of Dads too, being thrilled to get away from reading yet another pinky princess book at bedtime:)
I've been working on a "Beyond the Book" post for today but got waylaid--it will have to wait till next week. But in the meantime, I wanted to direct you all to this beautiful blog post by author Matthew Quick (aka "Q") over at the blog Debutante Ball (also where I wrote this guest post last December). It will brighten your day, I promise! I'll be posting a Beyond the Book about his debut young adult novel Sorta Like a Rock Star later this month (it wasn't the post I've been working on, though), but in the meantime, his post introduces the book. All I'll say right now is READ IT.
Also check out the new blog Quest for Kindness by Matthew and his wife, author Alecia Bessette. I look forward to reading it!
In less than a day I had been harassed, enchanted, shouted at, cried on, and clawed. I’d been cold, scared, dirty, exhausted, hungry, and miserable. And up until now, I’d been mildly impressed with my ability to cope.
At her boarding school in New Zealand, Ellie Spencer is like any ordinary teen: she hangs out with her best friend, Kevin; obsesses over her crush on a mysterious boy; and her biggest worry is her paper deadline. Then everything changes: In the foggy woods near the school, something ancient and deadly is waiting.
Debut author Karen Healey introduces a savvy and spirited heroine with a strong, fresh voice. Full of deliciously creepy details, this unique, incredible adventure is a deftly crafted story of Māori mythology, romance, betrayal, and war.
As I've mentioned on this blog, my very first agent lunch was with Barry Goldblatt. And if I think about the success rate of submission to acquisitions of any agent, he would be number one. The first thing he ever sent me was GEEKTASTIC by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. The most recent submission/acquisition was The Diviners series by Libba Bray. And in between? He sent me Guardian of the Dead. There may be another submission or two somewhere in between all of these that I've turned down, but my memory is failing me. So: We're three for three! And wow, what a three they are.
Barry called me first to ask if I liked urban fantasy--up till then, I hadn't published any fantasy on my list. But yes, I did like it, and I'm glad he called to ask first rather than assume. Then again, that's why he's a good agent. He knows these things.
I first read Guardian of a Dead when I was going through a "reading slump"--I hadn't read a submission that I had loved in at least a few months, and I despaired that I would never again find love. Well, I fell in love with this novel.
I was absolutely blown away by the voice. It was strong, fresh, and authentic. And I fell in love with the main character, Ellie. To be frank, she's overweight and not as put-together as she would like, but she’s also a martial arts master and is just plain kick-ass. In fact, I can't think of a better adjective to describe her than kick-ass. It really fits.
I loved the setting: New Zealand. And I loved that overall the book was different. Yes, it's urban fantasy, and yes, there's a romance, but there's not a vampire, werewolf or zombie in sight. No angels, either. As for fairies...well, kinda. But you've never seen fairies like this before in YA lit!
Did it have some problems? Of course. The main issue being that in that draft that I read, Ellie was in college, and acted as such (lots of casual sexual encounters, drinking, etc.). But I knew all that was editable, and fell in love with all the things it had going for it: delicious horror elements, incredible action and adventure, mystery, magic, humor, romance, betrayal, monsters, and of course an epic battle at the end.
The submission came with two amazing blurbs from two NY Times bestselling aut
0 Comments on Beyond the Book: GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD by Karen Healey as of 1/1/1900
The Newbery Honor is not the only award that Grace's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has won. Last week Grace was in New York to accept the 2010 Josette Frank Award for fiction, awarded by the Bank Street College of Education. From the website:
This award is given each year to honor a book or books of outstanding literary merit in which children or young people deal in a positive and realistic way with difficulties in their world and grow emotionally and morally. In addition to being a well-known author of articles about children's books, Josette Frank was the first editor of the Children's Book Committee publications and remained a member for over sixty years. The prize to the author of the award books has been generously provided by The Florence L. Miller Memorial Fund.
She shared this honor with The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. The other honorees were Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone and Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca for nonfiction, and Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski for the picture book award. Everyone but Jacqueline Kelly was on hand to accept their award, and it was a lovely ceremony.
I know Grace was a little relieved to know that Newbery Honor winners do not give speeches, but she did have to give a few words to accept this award. And wow, what words they were. Grace seriously brought the room to tears with her heartfelt, beautifully written speech.
After all of the speeches (and to be honest, Grace wasn't the only talk that made me tear up!), the authors signed books. They were seated behind a desk with quite a bold sign, and Grace showed us what kind of rebel she is:
Grace, me, agent Rebecca Sherman, and Connie
Afterwards, the winners (and a few guests--including me!) had lunch with the committee members. It was nice hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones.
Beyond the Book:I Can Be Anything!by Jerry Spinelli, illustrated by Jimmy Liao (and also, Eggs)
(aka, How I became Jerry Spinelli's editor at Little, Brown)
I wrote about I Can Be Anything! ages ago (October 2008, to be exact) in my post about matching picture book texts with illustrators. The book is finally out in stores! And yes, it can take a long time for a picture book to make it into the world. To put it into perspective. we signed up the text around the same time we had signed up Jerry Spinelli's novel Eggs, which pubbed in June 2007.
I just went back to look, and it appears that I never did a "Beyond the Book" post for Eggs; I'll touch on that book a bit in this post, because the acquisition of these two books are inextricably linked.
It was fairly soon after my department was relocated from Boston to New York. I was an assistant or associate editor at the time. Assistant editors and associate editors are generally the ones in editorial who are handed projects to oversee. Yes, I was also acquiring my own books, but much of my list consisted of projects I inherited from either my boss or editors who left. Jerry hadn't published a new book with Little, Brown since the Newbery-Award winning Maniac Magee in 1990, and his editor had since retired. We still had his backlist going strong (mainly his first four novels: Space Station Seventh Grade, Who Put That Hair in My Toothpaste, Jason and Marceline, and Maniac Magee), and I was asked to oversee a redesign and "branding" of the four books. I was happy to comply, and set to reading all of the books over again. While reading Space Station Seventh Grade, I noticed some outdated language, namely the word "Oriental." I emailed the publisher to ask if they thought it would be okay to update the language (to "Asian"), and he said "Yes, but run it by Jerry first." Now, up to this point I had yet to be in touch with Jerry directly, and was a bit intimidated! But I emailed him, introduced myself, and explained what I was hoping to do. He emailed right back and said thank you and yes, please do update the books, and then asked, "Are you my new editor at Little, Brown?"
Well. What could I say to that? I believe I answered that I was his new "editorial contact" but I also decided that then would be a good idea to send him a fan letter, and so I did. Gosh, I wish I still had that email, but the gist of it was that I was a huge fan of his work, and that I knew he had a relationship with other publishers, but if in the unlikely event that his other publishers were to pass on a project, I would be more than excited to "welcome him home" to Little, Brown.
Well, he agreed that he couldn't see adding a third publisher to his rotation but did say he would love to work with Little, Brown again, perhaps in another genre--picture books perhaps?
He sent me a collection of his poetry, and the text that was to become I Can Be
5 Comments on Beyond the Book: I Can Be Anything! by Jerry Spinelli, illustrated by Jimmy Liao (and also, EGGS), last added: 3/11/2010
Oh, my gosh, the illustrations for this book really make the story sing. I would buy it in a heartbeat for my kids (who range in age from 13 to 1). I have long been a fan of Jerry Spinelli (I had the opportunity to meet him at Chautauqua in 2003), and EGGS is one of my favorite books. Thank you for sharing this story about the road to publication for both of these books.
Thanks for the post. I remember reading about I CAN BE ANYTHING! at Blue Rose Girls before--and thought it looked like a terrific picture book. I just called my friend Pat at her children's book store and ordered myself a copy.
What an awesome-looking book! But why, oh why, does it have to have that icky "Perfect for Graduation" thing spoiling the front cover??? That had to have come from Sales, I bet. ARGH.
Just wanted to post a new deal that I just made with a fellow Blue Rose Girl. It was just announced!
Newbery Honor winner and NYT bestselling author Grace Lin's DUMPLING DAYS, a charming and heartfelt follow up to Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat, for Fall 2011 publication, and RETURN TO SKY and NEEDLE AT SEA BOTTOM, two original fantasy follow ups to WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, for Fall 2012 and 2013 publication, respectively, again to Alvina Ling at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, in a three-book deal, by Rebecca Sherman at Writers House (World English).
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers—one a Mohawk-wearing, Punk-rocking seventeen-year-old Neo-Nazi; the other a gay thirteen-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Told in alternating perspectives, this book tells the story of the boys’ lives before and after the violent hate crime that changes both their futures. This is a tragic but ultimately inspirational journey of two very polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and then their peaceful reunion years later. It is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.
Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin weaves a compelling and powerful story, inspired by the real lives of Timothy Zaal and Matthew Boger. Theirs is a journey from fear and hate to tolerance and hope. And it is proof that people can truly change.
This book has had an interesting genesis—it started when a film agent approached a literary agent asking her if she knew anyone who could write the story of two men, Matthew Zaal and Timothy Boger, in book form. The literary agent really saw this as powerful material for a young adult novel, and approached her client Davida Wills Hurwin about taking it on.
When I met with with the agent over two years ago, I was initially interested because of Davida’s involvement—her first novel, A Time for Dancing, had been published by Little, Brown and was the first YA book I read after starting work there. It was handed to me by another assistant (Amy!) who told me that although Little, Brown did not publish much young adult fiction, A Time for Dancing was a perfect example of the type of YA we did publish. I absolutely loved it—I thought her writing was beautiful, and that she perfectly captured the raw emotion of the story. And, of course, it made me cry. And then, when the agent went on to tell me the incredible story of these two men (whose story has been shared on NPR, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and more) I thought, this is exactly the kind of book I love to read. Edgy but authentic, and ultimately uplifting and inspirational. In fact, after the meeting my assistant Connie kept saying, "Are you excited? This is your kind of book!"
The book was in the process of being written when the agent pitched it, and so it wasn't until over six months later that I finally was able to read it. And it delivers. Davida has done a brilliant, sensitive job of bringing their story to life. She interviewed both men at length, going back to meet with Tim again and again after realizing that his story was more challenging to tell. It’s such a powerful story even as fiction, and the fact that it’s based on truth takes it to that next level. She also wrote a very thoughtful author's note at the end of the book explaining her process, and we also include a brief Q&A with Tim and Matthew. I've had the opportunity to meet Davida twice so far, and she is such a warm, loving soul. It has been such a pleasure working with her.
The book's official publication date was yesterday. Happy book birthday! As always, I love the design of this book, this time by the amazing Ben Mautner who told me that he couldn't stop thinking about the book after he read it. He put so much thought and care into the design. Here's the cover...
If you take off the jacket, a stark white case cover is revealed with just the word "Revelations" that shows through a die-cut in the front of the jacket:
And here is the full jacket:
On the back cover, we had some wonderful advanced praise--I was so pleased to discover how strongly others responded to the book:
"In the lively voices of the separate narrators, two antagonists survive a hate-crime collision. Their entwining paths point a new way forward. Hurry to read this book; time is still of the essence." -Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Matchless
"In addition to being impossible to put down, Freaks and Revelations is that rare book with the power to change the world. Lots of books shine a light on the humanity of the oppressed victim. This book grants humanity to everyone. Freaks and Revelations should be required reading for all humans. We need what it provides, and we'll be better for it." -Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Diary of a Witness, Pay it Forward, and Becoming Chloe
"Your heart will break as you follow these two scared, scarred boys toward the night both will regret forever. A compelling and essential book for teens." -Ellen Wittlinger, author of Love & Lies, Parrotfish, and Printz Honor Book Hard Love
“Freaks and Revelations proves that the power of forgiveness and understanding will always triumph over hate. A brutally realistic story, told with gut-wrenching authenticity.” --Julie Anne Peters, author of Keeping You a Secret and National Book Award finalist Luna
In Freaks and Revelations, Davida Wills Hurwin exquisitely illuminates a dark, haunting story of pain and redemption so that it stays in the reader's heart long after the last page is turned. --Alex Sanchez, author of Rainbow Boys and Bait
“Freaks and Revelations is a must-read, and should find a conspicuous place on bookshelves in every high school in the US. The book offers amazing insight into the nature of hate, and the crimes it perpetrates. Davida Wills Hurwin should be very proud!” --Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank, Impulse and National Book Award finalist Burned
“Freaks and Revelations is a painfully-honest journey through the collision-course lives of two adolescents…one a homeless gay kid hustling the streets of West Hollywood the other an increasingly violent white supremacist desperate to find himself in LA’s punk rock scene. Through misfortune and serendipity both boys learn the meaning of pain and forgiveness.” --J. Dallas Dishman, Ph.D., hate crimes researcher and author of “Anti-Gay Violence in the City of West Hollywood”
We also received the strongest response from our teen Hip Scouts that I've ever experienced. Here's just a taste of a few of the reviews:
"Freaks and Revelations by Davida Wilis Hurwin was a rare novel that showed the truth behind human nature. Hurwin captures people in their most vulnerable state, being faced with something completely different from your own views, and self discovery....Overall this novel is a beacon of hope and a step closer to coexistence and acceptance of any lifestyle. This doesn't rank as a 'must read.' It is ranked as an 'absolutely need to read!'" -Jeff, 17
"Through Freaks and Revelations, Ms. Hurwin has opened not only my eyes but the eyes of everyone worldwide to hatred and misguidance that could and can be prevented. I am in awe. This story could not be told any better if not by the real people themselves. I couldn't put it down. I loved it; every single word of it. There is hope for a better world, where people understand and respect each other rather than the hate that engulfs us now." -Michelle, 18
"Freaks and Revelations was one of the best books I have ever read. Profiling the two main characters years before the incident gives readers a chance to get to know the characters and gives them an insight as to why they act the way they do and how they got to that point. It also allows the readers to sympathize with the characters and go through their hardships with them. All of this makes the book more touching and a better read. Each hardship a character went through, I felt as well. It also raises awareness for those who have to suffer in this way. I think that this story is so important to have out there and it was done in a brilliant way which paints a picture impossible to ignore." -Julia, 15
"Freaks and Revelations is the sort of book that strikes its readers as completely different, new and gripping. The two main characters, Jason and Doug, are from extremely diverse backgrounds, but it's easy to relate to them both in many ways. Their story is a story about the struggle to survive in a world where no one else understands the way you are, the struggle to grow up when you don't know if anyone even cares whether you do, the struggle every teenager faces in deciding if it's okay to be unique. The reality of this tale is powerfully intense, and its message is one that everyone should take to heart. Freaks and Revelations definitely gives its readers a deeper understanding of what it means to hate, to love, and to respect one another. It is truly a masterpiece." -Melissa, 17
"Freaks and Revelations by Davida Wills Hurwin is a raw and poignant book about two young boys ostracized from their families and left to fend on their own. This novel is told through dual perspectives, and the readers are captivated by the raw emotion each of the characters experience. They cross paths in the most unusual way and in the end, everyone learns about how everyone should be treated with respect. I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to gain a new awareness and want to read an amazing book." -Tynisha, 16
And finally, a glowing review from School Library Journal:
"Freaks and Revelations is based on a true story so emotionally detailed that it could easily be a memoir....Hurwin gets inside her characters’ pain without sentiment; she present each home and its horrors soberly...The author’s prose is clear and incisive, and many chapters resonate like good short stories. Jason’s narrative stands with Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson’s Target and Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak as a survivor’s story. Doug’s equally layered story—of coming full circle out of hate—sets it apart." --School Library Journal
I absolutely love this book. It's raw, and there are parts that are certainly tough to read, but above all it is honest, authentic, and as many of the quotes say, I think this should be required reading for all. It is a look into lives most likely very different from your own, it is a book about tolerance, acceptance, empathy, and change. I hope you'll all read it. It is a book that gives me hope.
1 Comments on Beyond the Book: Freaks and Revelations by Davida Wills Hurwin, last added: 11/2/2009
With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!
This is the book that I've acquired based on the least amount of material. I've acquired books based on partial manuscripts, but I have never acquired a book based on basically one paragraph:
Description: From Dungeon Masters to cosplaying Klingons, Science Fair winners to the Drama club stage crew and band geeks to comic book collectors searching for that pristine back issue, GEEKTASTIC explores the subculture of geekery, letting those who are often the supporting cast become the stars. The inner sanctum of geekdom will be penetrated and demystified. In this book all will be revealed, from the convention hook-ups and fanfiction rivalries to the civil wars between lovers of original Star Trek and those on the side of the next generation, and the unfortunate incidents when the bacchanalia of the chess club goes just a little too far. Hang on to your laptop and chug some Jolt cola, because once and for all, you'll see that there's very little difference between the most popular and the least.
GEEKTASTIC promises to make you cringe with recognition and embrace your inner geek.
But what the pitch also came with was the incredible team of Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci, and five fantastic contributors already attached: John Green, MT Anderson, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, and Kelly Link. And what it came with was a fantastic idea that, to borrow the words of Holly and Cecil, sang to my geek heart, and sang to the geek hearts of my colleagues.
The project went to auction, and in my offer letter, I included some of the geek qualifications of my colleages (names deleted to protect the...er, geeks):
“I saw Star Wars seven times when it first came out and even saw it twice on the same day. I also made a Star Wars scrapbook and had a huge crush on Mark Hamill (what a geek! Everyone knows Harrison Ford was the cute/smart/cool one.)” –former neck-gear-wearing geek
"I seem to always love TV shows about misfits and geeks or else I watch shows that only misfits and geeks would watch: 1970s Favorite TV Show: Mork and Mindy; 1980s Favorite TV Show: Square Pegs; 1990s Favorite TV Show: Daria; 2000s Favorite TV Show: Antiques Roadshow UK" --geeky watcher of the entire Lord of the Rings Director's Cut DVD collection (in one sitting)
“In high school I truly believed you had to do paperwork to join the apathy club.” –recovering Zappa addict geek
“I used to have crushes on anime characters, like Spike from Cowboy Bebop. I would download the Japanese theme songs from these anime series and pine for my unrequited, animated love.”–cartoon fetishist geek
"Sometimes I look at my friends and wonder what our superpowers would be if we were a crime-fighting squad." –resident fantasy/sci-fi loving geek
“I was a band geek - part of the colorguard to be exact. We'd march around the band at football games waving our flags in our skirts & boots thinking we were cooler than the cheerleaders - oh, definitely not...” –former wannabe cheerleader geek
"One Halloween I dressed up as the Ebola virus--I even included symptoms written in blood-like red pen on my back. The other kids thought I was dressed as puke." –former infectious diseases geek turned adult hypochondriac
"I recently went to a competitive cat show and took a class on puppet making." –former Moon Boot-wearing geek
“I feel like my geek qualifications are far too numerous to list, whether it was collecting comic books as a kid (and buying two copies--one to put away and never touch--and one to read) or collecting action figures in my 20s... Or it could be getting braces for the first time when I was 30 (alas, no headgear)! But perhaps my geekiest moment is the level of excitement I feel over the possibility of having this book to work on--lot's of very geeky marketing ideas come to mind that would help readers from coast to coast celebrate their inner geek!” –all-around geek
As for me? Well, I included my geek qualifications, too--in resume form, no less (click to enlarge): According to the agent, the incredible Barry Goldblatt, every other interested party also included their geek qualifications, but I'm proud to say that I was the only editor to include hers in resume form.
We got the book, and team Holly and Cecil were on board. I've never worked on a short story collection before, so this was a bit of a challenge. We came up with our dream list of contributors, and asked for rough topics from our existing contributors, and then chose contributors to fill in the blanks. We wanted to cover all kinds of geeks: book geeks, sci fi geeks, band geeks, comic book geeks, theater geeks, science geeks, and more. The final book as everything from a baton twirling geek (story by Lisa Yee), astronomy geeks (Wendy Mass), LARPers (Garth Nix), Quiz Bowl geeks (David Levithan), Buffy the Vampire Slayer geeks (Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith), Rocky Horror Picture Show fanatics (Libba Bray), and it's kicked off by a story by Holly and Cecil, about a Klingon and a Jedi hooking up at a ComicCon. Geek categories that didn't get a full story were covered in the comic interstitials between each story, illustrated by Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, including this one: There's truly something here for everyone. I've really loved how a story that one reviewer may not have cared for was the favorite of another reviewer. Sure, some of the stories speak mainly to hard-core geeks, and non-geeks might not get all the references. But that's kind of the point. This is a book for geeks, by geeks; but it's also a book for past geeks and future geeks.
Other challenges: -contracts details were a headache--we had to negotiate with many different agents and coordinate payment for 19 different contributors. -How would the editing process work? We decided that Holly and Cecil would edit the short stories until they were happy with them, and then pass them along to me. -How to determine the order? At one ALA, Holly, Cecil, and I sat outside in a courtyard and each made our own order--it was like making a mix tape. Then we compared lists and worked out the order together. -Keeping track of all the stories and all the deadlines was a juggling act for me and my assistant Connie. And yes, I may have once sent queries for the wrong story to the wrong contributor... whoops! -The subtitle: we went through so many different possibilities, from "Stories of geeks by geeks," "Stories of geeks and the geeks observed," "Stories for your inner geek," "Stories of the Awesomely Uncool," "Stories from the Nerdishly Obsessed," and so on. In the end, it was assistant editor T.S. Ferguson who came up with the final subtitle, "Stories from the Nerd Herd." And yes, we debated the difference between geeks and nerds, but in the end, we felt that this was a book for geeks and nerds alike to relish in. This is a picture we took of Holly right after we settled on the subtitle:
Working on the package for this book was so much fun. The designer Ben Mautner had the genius idea of approaching Design collective eBoy for the cover avatars. Our brilliant marketing team came up with the idea of having eBoy make avatars of each contributor, which we also used throughout with each author's bios. (Read more about the cover design in the PW Cover of the Week article here.) We even made a wink at the whole "All Your Base are Belong to Us" thing on the back jacket flap ("All Your Stories are Belong to Us."). Viva the nerd herd!
The book has been greating great reviews, including from trade reviewers: “Throughout, this all-inclusive love fest plays homage to the classics of D&D and Star Trek, but there’s plenty of room for fans of new faves such as the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica and Joss Whedon-verse as well…Geeks, old and new school, will appreciate this collection written by their own.”--Booklist
"Geektastic explores universal themes in original settings, and its talented authors bring transparent, infectious enthusiasm to what is obviously a cherished topic."--The Horn Book
Blogs: "Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci's wonderful anthology of nerdy fiction and comics, Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd was a great read: the short fiction ran the gamut from soul-searing angst to high comedy and all the territory in between....All told, Geektastic is a cliche-busting, smart, and funny book about celebrating your inner mutant. Highly recommended." --boingboing.com
But my favorite review is from one of our teen Hip Scouts: "I’m not sure that I can describe how much I loved this book, but I’ll do my best. Imagine kittens sneezing adorable kitten sneezes whilst dancing on a rainbow. That’s how great Geektastic was."--Meg, 16Read more about GEEKTASTIC here, and play a game featuring the avatars, the Great Geek Escape!
Read a recent interview with Cecil and Holly here. Check out pics from our Geektastic bowling party at BEA here. And check out the fantastic Lego avatars our resident Lego expert Jonathan Lopes created for ALA: I LOVE this book. Love it.
So, how geektastic are you?
2 Comments on Beyond the book: GEEKTASTIC edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci, last added: 8/25/2009
This book looks like so much fun. I am looking forward to reading it, and I can think of a few relatives to gift a copy to. Thanks for the inside scoop on the publishing process.
Looking back, I was disappointed to discover that I had never written a post dedicated to Sean Beaudoin's debut novel, Going Nowhere Faster, which came out in April 2007. Going Nowhere Faster was a novel about an unmotivated genius, Stan, who has just graduated from high school and is working a dead-end job at a video store. I called it Good Will Hunting meets Clerks. It was hilarious, with a sharp voice and memorable characters, and from the moment I read the proposal, I knew that Sean was a special writer, someone with a bright future.
His second book, Fade to Blue, does not disappoint. In fact, in my mind it changed Sean from "just" a contemporary, humorous, smart writer, to a writer where there are no limits. A writer who can do anything, a writer who will keep surprising.
Fade to Blue is what I call Donnie Darko meets the Matrix. Or maybe it's Charlie Kaufman meets I Am the Cheese. Or perhaps it's Feed meets Be More Chill. However you describe it, this book is crazy. It's crazy good.
Speaking of crazy, the book starts out from the point of view of Sophie, a goth girl who thinks she just might be going crazy. Her father disappeared mysteriously almost a year earlier, on her 17th birthday. And now her 18th birthday is approaching, and she's having these crazy dreams. And did I mention that there's a weird Popsicle Truck stalking her?
Kenny Fade is the opposite of Sophie. He's the big man on campus, basketball star who has everything. But it's not all perfect with him, either, because, like Sophie, he thinks he may be going crazy.
The book alternates chapters between Sophie and Kenny, with some chapters from Sophie's brother O.S. and some other mysterious figures thrown in. It's a mind trip, and above all, it'll take you on a ride. It's innovative, funny, smart, and a little bit scary and sad, too. And it will make you think.
In terms of how this book came to be, this was not one of those books that came to me almost done. This one needed work. Because there were so many twists and turns, and because the mystery element was crucial to the overall success of this book, I needed help--I needed that invaluable "fresh read" several times throughout the revision process. In addition to my assistant, I had to recruit the help of three other editors along the way to give me that fresh read. This was truly a group effort, and a fun one at that. The revision process was as crazy a ride as the book is.
The book's title was also a challenge. The proposal came in called Sour White, which never felt right to me or the acquisitions committee. In the book, Sour White is the name of a soda that plays a key role in the plot. But most of the people we polled, and for some reason mostly women, had a negative reaction to the name. So, the author came up with a long list of other possibilities, including: Scatterblue, Standing Without Permission, Black Kite Blue, Splickity Lit, Sky Blue, Code Blue, Neon Blue Panic, and more. (BTW, Sophie's last name is "Blue")
What do you think? Do any of these appeal more than Fade to Blue? Maybe one will work as the title to a future book.
In terms of the design of this book, a lot came from the idea of having a comic book artist illustrate the cover, as a comic book plays an important part in the plot. But Sean took it a step further and asked if it would be possible to include an actual comic in the book. Now, when he asked this, I think my first thought was "Cool," and I think my second thought was, "How the heck do we do that?" Luckily, the amazing designer, Kirk Benshoff, who at the time had started to work mainly with our graphic novel imprint, Yen Press, was up for the task of figuring this out with me. We started by coming up with a list of possible artists. I believe it was Sean's agent who suggested Wilfred Santiago, who ended up being the artist we chose. And from there, it was working out the budget for the interior comic, having Sean write the text and description, and then Wilfred worked his magic.
Here are some shots of the 12-page interior comic. Does this mean that I can now say that I've edited a comic book?
And finally, check out this fantastic blogger review. Perhaps we'll put a blurb from it on the paperback edition: "This book is nine different level[s] of F*CKING AWESOME!"
I concur.
Sean is hard at work on his third YA novel, tentatively titled You Killed Wesley Payne which is due to pub next Fall. It's a slick, noir-ish mystery set in a high school where the cliques are battling for power. So: What do you think of that title?
*pronounced something like "bo-DWAH"
2 Comments on Beyond the Book: Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin, last added: 8/6/2009
wow, I love how there is an interior comic--it's great that LB is willing to do all this "out of the box" production; it really pushes books to a whole new level!
Beyond the Book: Confetti Girl by Diana LopezConfetti Girl was submitted to me by agent Stefanie von Borstel of Full Circle Literary after we had met at a conference. I had mentioned that I was looking for more multicultural projects, both projects that had very much to do with cultural identity, and other projects that featured main characters of color, but of which their ethnicity was not the main focus in terms of the story and plot. I had given her a copy of The Year of the Dog as an example of the latter, and she told me she had the perfect novel to send me.
Stefanie pitched Diana Lopez as the "Latina Judy Blume"--not a bad comparison! Here's the summary of Confetti Girl:
Apolonia "Lina" Flores is a sock enthusiast, a volleyball player, a science lover, and a girl who's just looking for answers. Even though her house is crammed full of books (her dad's a bibliophile), she's having trouble figuring out some very big questions, like why her dad seems to care about books more than her, why her best friend's divorced mom is obsessed with making cascarones (hollowed eggshells filled with colorful confetti), and, most of all, why her mom died last year. Like colors in a cascarone, Lina's life is a rainbow of people, interests, and unexpected changes.
As I often mention, I need to make sure I love a book enough to want to "marry" it before I acquire it. After all, if we take on a project, we have to read it over and over at many different stages, to be wed to it for its lifetime. And so we have to make sure that we’re willing to commit completely, heart and soul, to a project.
As soon as I finished reading the first draft of Confetti Girl, I knew I wanted to marry it. Sure, I wanted to work with the author to make the novel even better, but the great thing about marrying a novel as opposed to a person is that you truly can make changes (a person might not be as open to changing!).
However, I also knew that it wasn't quite ready for our acquisitions meeting. My main issue was that it was stuck between the Middle Grade and Young Adult age groups, and I thought it should be younger, solidly middle grade. Thankfully, Diana and Stefanie agreed to revise the novel before a contract, and I sent over an editorial letter. She actually ended up revising the novel twice before I brought it to the acquisitions meeting, as the first revision was still not quite there, but close.
And throughout every stage of the process, I was always delighted with how much I loved this book in all of its manifestations. Diana’s voice is so lovely and sweet, and as clichéd as it sounds, this book truly made me laugh and cry.
Thankfully, my acquisitions committee loved the novel, too, and a year and two months after the first draft was submitted to me, I was able to offer Diana a contract. I'm so thrilled that it is finally out in the world (it pubbed at the beginning of this month).
A note on the cover: this is the first novel designed by our fantastic senior art director Patti Ann Harris, who specializes in picture book and novelty books. And I think she's done an absolutely fantastic job and perfectly captured the joy and flavor of the book. We hesitated a bit to put socks on the cover, as there have been a few similar designs on books recently, but in the end, it was just so perfect for the novel (Lina is a "sockiophile" after all!) that we went with it. Patti Ann did a photoshoot in the office, and the feet on the cover belong to one of my editor colleagues! We sent the socks to Diana when we were done: Diana is a Texan native and taught middle school there for nine years, and she has perfectly captured that setting and age group. Her characters are quirky and real, and every time I read her book, I marvel at how simply charming and engaging her writing is.
Happily, the book has only received glowing reviews thus far:
"The story is saturated with Spanish traditions, such as the making of "cascarones" (confetti-filled eggs), and the chapters begin with "dichos," truisms that help Lina feel connected to her mother. Employing lovely metaphors and realistic dialogue, adult author López (Sofia's Saints) delicately displays the power of optimism and innovation during difficult times." --Publisher’s Weekly
"An appealing coming-of-age novel." --Kirkus
I absolutely knew from the start that this was both an author and novel that was extremely special, and I hope you all agree!
Read more about Diana and Confetti Girl on her website and this great interview over at Cynsations.
4 Comments on Beyond the Book: Confetti Girl by Diana Lόpez, last added: 7/19/2009
In my previous post about my reaction to Jellicoe Road, I touched a little on the way I read submissions, mainly that I generally decide about novels based on the first 30-50 pages. I thought that I'd expand on this and talk more about how I read submissions and the way I decide if a book is something I'm interested in taking on, or something to decline.
Another editor I know got some flack for saying at a conference that editors (or, at least, her specifically) read submissions looking for a reason to say no. When I heard this, my first instinct was to say what an agent at the same conference said: that she reads looking for a reason to say yes. But honestly, the truth is a combination of both.
It's just not possible to publish every submission we get. Knowing this, it's true--I'm looking for reasons to reject most manuscripts. Some possible reasons? (feel free to ask me to elaborate on any of these)
-not well written -too slight -too quiet -forced rhyme, off rhythm (for picture books, mainly) -too similar to something already on our list -too similar to too many books already in the market -forced/inauthentic dialogue -too didactic -melodramatic -cliche -slow pacing -too niche in appeal
and of course I could go on...
However, I'd be lying to say I'm not always hoping for that surprise--that I'll fall in love with a submission. And sometimes I'll fall in love with something despite it being something on the above list. It really IS like falling in love--I can fall in love with something, flaws and all. When I'm reading something that I'm really loving, my heartbeat will speed up. My mind will start racing, thinking about what I need to do to ensure that I get that manuscript. I'll imagine pitching the book at our editorial meeting, and then at our acquisitions meeting. I'll think about how I would edit the book, even what the cover would look like. I picture it winning the Newbery, making the NY Times bestseller list. In other words, I'll imagine us married with children during the middle our first date.
Generally, when I read a manuscript, it's either/or. Either I find a reason to say no, or else I fall in love with it. But the tough decisions happen when a manuscript falls somewhere in between. Agents, and perhaps authors who submit on their own, may be familiar with that rejection that takes an especially long time to come, where an editor apologizes and says that she was "mulling it over." This is what happens when I read a manuscript and can't immediately say no, but don't completely fall in love with it either. When this happens, I may put it aside to revisit later. And sometimes when that happens, I don't think about it again, and therefore usually will end up declining it. Sometimes when this happens, I keep thinking about it, which it generally a good sign that I don't want to let it go. And sometimes I'm completely on the fence, and then will either ask my assistant to read it, and/or I'll bring it to our editorial meeting to get some second reads.
This happens when the concept is really great, but the writing isn't particularly special. Or if there's just nothing wrong with the writing or the book, but I just don't fall in love with it. Or if I know the book is something publishable, but it's about something I just can't see myself working on, or reading over and over.
Sometimes when I'm in-between, a lot will depend on the current state of our list. Are we looking for more of that particular genre, or are we too saturated? For example, we're fairly overloaded with fantasy right now, which allows us to be even more selective than usual in acquiring that genre. A fantasy novel really has to be outstanding and original for us to even consider taking it on. For picture books, when I first started almost ten years ago, it was so much easier to acquire picture books than fiction. But in the last seven or eight years, in reaction to the market, we've cut our picture book list way back, and because of that, I'm even more picky when acquiring them--I can't just like something, I need to love it.
Sometimes I'm feeling in-between when an agent tells me that he or she has either received an offer, or else they "have a lot of interest." When this happens, I'll usually just end up passing on the submission, thinking that I don't love it enough to want to compete against other publishers. Of course, if I do love a manuscript, hearing that there's other interest will spur me on to move through the process more quickly.
And yes, I'm looking for love--I do want to say yes, I just know I can't say yes to everything. But like most people, I want the happily ever after.
Thank you for an excellent post, and for allowing us to ask for expansion on some of your reasoning to reject. I'd like to take advantage of that and ask what falls under the 'too slight' category. I've got a good idea, but would love your exact take on it.
Thanks, and no problem about linking to this elsewhere.
Angela, in terms of "too slight," this generally means that I don't feel like a submission has enough depth. This could be that there isn't enough conflict in the plot, or if the book feels too one-note, etc.
You say you are overloaded with fantasy right now and are looking for something original. Can you say anything more about what you're seeing too much of in terms of fantasy?
We're seeing a lot of YA urban fantasy with a heavy romance element--not unlike TWILIGHT, but with Angels, or Twilight with werewolves, or Twilight with Witches, etc etc. We're a little more open to middle grade fantasy, but as a genre, we're definitely not actively looking for it.
Fabulous post, Alvina. I'm sharing it with Snoop's groupies over at writingforchildrenandteens.com. BTW, I thought you might find Snoop's own critique codes interesting to you... Sound familiar? Too bad he won't look at my own work. BAH!
I can completely understand the need for an editor going in to reading slush submissions with the idea that they are looking for a reason to not like the story/writing. It's not a democracy in business, it's not like innocent until proven guilty. It is the opposite, prove that I am wrong and that this is the next best seller, totally get it. As for Peter's latest book, so many reviews have talked about the art is strong, the writing weak, that in itself makes an illustrator/author wonder which of the two contributions in a pic book makes the final product marketable.
Too quiet: This is similar to "too slight"--basically a book that may not have much of a plot, where not much happens. I happen to like quiet books, though, but the writing has to be absolutely standout gorgeous. Many good night books are quiet, and for good reason.
Christine, of course I'll have to respectfully disagree with the opinion that Peter's writing is weak--I think it's the best writing of his career. Although I will say that his art is the much stronger component. I think we've had the debate before whether the text or art is more important. There are many books where I personally disliked the art, but turned into huge bestsellers. I think strong art can lift a mediocre text, and a strong concept/text can life mediocre art. I'd give a slight edge to the art, but just barely. It's all subjective.
Oh, and to answer your other two questions, Colorado Writer:
Also...if the historical backdrop is simply a setting for a good story, does it still have to be categorized as a historical? I think it depends. I don't think it necessarily needs to be the main categorization of a novel--it could be an adventure book, or a romance, or a mystery first. But I think it's hard to avoid the historical tag all together--and why would you want to?
Are quiet books like Because of Winn Dixie or How to Steal a Dog? still wanted? Yes!
I’m so sorry I just now found your post. How generous of you to share this great information with everyone. Honestly, this post is like a treasure trove and I feel very fortunate to have found this.
If it’s not too late, I had a question about middle grade sci-fi. Would you say it falls into the same category as middle grade fantasy and as genre, Little Brown is not actively looking for it?
I don’t know if you are still checking this blog and I’m sensitive that this is a very public forum but I am meeting with an editor from your company in June about my middle grade sci-fi story and now I am having doubts. The woman I am meeting with didn’t want me to rule her out because she is definitely seeking MG and boy oriented material but did admit heavy sci-fi would be a bit of a stretch for her but that she would enlist other editors if she saw something in my work. I just want to make the most of my meeting with her. It’s my first meeting with an editor and I had a couple of choices but when this particular editor came up, I got very excited and decided to meet with her over anyone else.
My story is basically TWILIGHT meets HARRY POTTER… just kidding, it’s nothing like that but that but your comments about being pitched so many variations of TWILIGHT, made me laugh. In the movie business there’s never a race to be first but everyone wants to be second. I guess books are no different.
I just saw your comment--congrats on meeting with an editor at L,B! I would say that we're very open to science fiction, especially middle grade--it's not something we have very much of. But yes, I don't think all editors are as open and able to read and *get* science fiction as others are. But as she said, she'd pass it on to another editor if she saw promise in it but it wasn't for her.
Alvina, thank you so much for getting back to me. I know I was late in catching your blog so I am even more appreciative of your comments.
It’s very encouraging to know Little Brown doesn’t have much middle grade sci-fi. Seems like if agents or editors specifically exclude genres, there’s a good chance it is sci-fi so thank you for putting my mind to ease about that. I’m also glad that editors will pass things around, if they need help or other opinions.
My story is definitely sci-fi and I am proud of that because I think sci-fi is so universally appealing, if it is done right (i.e. E.T., Star Wars, etc…) but I’m also proud to say the sci-fi aspect of my story is only the back drop I use to enhance the story – hopefully. I don’t believe in writing to draw attention to the sci-fi elements of any story. I think sci-fi is so much more effective when it simply unfolds around the main characters without drawing much attention away from the plot, if that makes any sense.
Now, I am even more excited to meet with Andrea in about a month.
My assistant Connie and I had just opened up a brand-new box full of copies of Grace's upcoming book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (pub date: June 2009). It was absolutely beautiful, and the gold ink on the cover was really striking...but then I noticed that the book had somehow been printed with the wrong title!!! Printed on the cover in brilliant, beautiful gold ink was one of the other titles Grace had tossed around when we were brainstorming different title ideas.
Before Grace completely panics, I have to say that this was all in a dream I had Friday night.
So, in my dream, it took me a while to realize what had happened. I freaked out and said to Connie in a panicked voice, "It has the wrong title!!!!" I had no idea how this could have happened. The ARCs had all been printed with the right title, we had all reviewed the proofs and the title had been right then. I frantically checked the interior, and the title was okay there, so it was just the jacket. That was a small relief. We started running around the office find the appropriate people to notify, and eventually determined that we'd have to print the jackets over...
And that's when I woke up. What a relief.
I'm not surprised I had this dream. Last week was a stressful work week (unrelated to Grace's book), we've had some printing problems with finished books lately (one book had been printed without the last 16 pages, another had the author's byline mysteriously gone from the front cover--in both cases, it was deemed to be the printer's error, and the books were reprinted at no cost to us--whew!) and I also found out that Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is printing on Tuesday (yay!). So, everything combined, it's somewhat natural that everything going on resulted in the nightmare. But man, I'm going to be nervous the first time I see a finished copy of the book! But the designer, the brilliant Alison Impey, will be going on press to make sure that the colors are just right--and I'm sure she'd notice if the title was wrong. Grace, don't worry, we'll get it right!
What types of anxiety work dreams do you all have? I have then all the time, sometimes funny, sometimes scary.
11 Comments on Work Nightmare, last added: 5/11/2009
I haven't had a work anxiety dream in a while, but my standard stress dream is about my teeth falling out. Whenever I have that dream, I know I need to build in some relaxing time.
(Please make sure I'm on the list for Grace's book. I don't request many books from the publishers, but I am really looking forward to hers.)
I practically had a heart attack until I read that it was a dream.
Since (as everyone who reads this blog knows) I haven't had a regular job in many years, I don't have work nightmares anymore. What I do have are boyfriend nightmares--this is a relatively new thing, at least to have nightmares about one of them every night. I seem to be cycling through them all -- one old boyfriend or my ex-husband per night. Luckily, I am able to banish the details almost immediately.
I know this has nothing to do with children's books -- or does it? could this be one of the benefits of writing for kids, you don't need to deal with boyfriends if you don't want to.
(This may make me seem crazy, I'm not, I just used to be REALLY bad at picking boyfriends! I've learned a lot since then, and if I ever have a boyfriend again, he will be someone who is great in real life and in dreams, too!)
I was traveling in NY last week and weas pretty stressed because I had little time to work on my current book project. Last time I was in NY was for an SCBWI conference, and I think that's why my anxiety dream was that I was arriving at the conference when I realized that *I* was the keynote speaker and had totally failed to write a speech. So I ran into a side room and was frantically writing, and was just getting something together when I realized -- oh no -- I would need images for the power point, too! And all I had with me were photos of my baby.
I actually had this dream TWICE in the same night. Total Panic.
Melissa S. said, on 4/14/2009 12:52:00 PM
sooo - as a former member of the LB production dept., will you tell me which printer screwed up so badly? :)
EM said, on 4/14/2009 1:05:00 PM
But Abigail, I totally used pictures of my babies in my last SCBWI PPT presentation. Was it all a dream?
I have dreams of this often, as my publisher seems to go from cheaper overseas printer to even cheaper. (last book was dark tints of orange on every page)
Other then colour/print nightmares I often wake up "drawing". Literally my hand is in the air making ovals. I can't imagine a civil servant having dreams like this, sitting at his/her desk shuffeling papers:)
I can totally relate to that dream: would anyone besides an editor ever have it? Maybe the production manager? There's just so many things that can go wrong with in the process---files going missing, art going missing, fonts not loading correctly, text dropping out, pages dropping out. Not to mention all the little niggling grammatical catastrophes---misspellings, capitalizations, errant commas. Phew! Ours is a VERY stressful job. The worst thing that ever happened to me was when the Fed-Ex guy left final artwork outside the side door of our returns warehouse. We were looking for it frantically for four hours and I kept imagining having to call up the illustrator and telling him we'd lost four months of his work.
Thanks everyone for your great name ideas. I haven't been able to decide on one yet, but I've narrowed it down to three. Two I came up with myself, but one was submitted by a commenter. I'm going to put them up to a vote, but regardless of the outcome, Charlotte wins a free L,B book of her choice!
The final three are: 1. Beyond the Book 2. An Editor's Story 3. Every Book a Star (Charlotte, you may have just been joking about this, but I like it, because it's true!)
Please vote for your favorite name! And as Charlotte wins a book regardless, don't let that affect how you vote.
Okay, so here's my post about North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, as promised.
On Friday night I went with a girlfriend to see the movie He's Just Not That Into You--not the greatest movie ever made, of course, but with my realistic (low) expectations, it was a fun time, and afterwards there was plenty to discuss regarding dating and men and how we view ourselves.
We discovered that we were both incredibly awkward teens, and considered ourselves fairly unattractive. That's nothing new--I'd guess that at least 90% of the population considered themselves ugly and awkward as a preteen and teen. But we were both shocked that the other was not of the special 10%, and marveled at how far we've come. When I reflect on it more, though, I realized that there was a point while I was still in my awkward stage when I started to consider myself pretty--I just never thought that anyone else (aside from my parents) truly found me attractive. Even in college when I started to date somewhat successfully, I thought that only after someone of the opposite sex got to know me well would they be able to find me physically attractive--hence, my whole "friends first" approach to dating, which is how my first three relationships developed. My theory was confirmed when my second boyfriend, after we had dated for a few months said, quite honestly over dinner one night, "I just realized that you're really pretty!" Umm...thanks?
This all leads back to North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. This novel is narrated by Terra--tall, blonde, kick-a*s body, but no matter how much she works on herself, no matter how much make-up she wears, she never sees herself as beautiful because of the port-wine birthmark that covers half of her face. We've all been there, right? Especially as a teen. "If only my teeth were straight, I'd be beautiful. If only my skin cleared up, I'd be pretty. If only my nose were smaller. If only I lost 20 pounds. If only XX"
Over the course of the novel, Terra learns to adjust her definition of beauty, and Justina hopes that the same will happen with the readers. In one guest blog during her blog tour, Justina talks about the influence of Maya Angelou's poem "Phenomenal Woman" on her novel, saying:
I’d rather be The Most Phenomenal Me I can be than The Most Beautiful Girl in the room. One will sustain me forever, the other will fade and leave me yearning for my glory days. I don’t want to live in memories of my past prime when I have the beauty of now.
Agreed.
Now to choose a question from the many great suggestions. These two were related, so I'll address them both:
I loved North of Beautiful--did the book come in pretty much perfect like this, or did you get to work with Justina to weave all those themes together so beautifully?
and
I always love to hear about process. It would be interesting to hear about a problem or course change from your perspective and from the perspective of the author/artist.
Justina's previous two novels, Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies)and Girl Overboard came to me in very good shape and almost complete. North of Beautiful, on the other hand, I first read as a proposal--I think about three chapters and rough synopsis. And to be perfectly honest, I was a little concerned. First of all, the main character was a Chinese adoptee with a port-wine birthmark. Her father was not just verbally abusive, but physically abusive as well. Oh, and her mother was a borderline alcoholic. Sounds like a lot, huh? Frankly, it felt almost depressingly oppressive. I had complete faith in Justina's ability as a writer, but I had to recommend that she make some significant changes and see if we were on the same page.
Justina really is a dream author for an editor to work with. She's not only a smart and skilled writer, but she's also very open and listens to and carefully considers feedback. I don't expect authors to agree with every comment I make, but it makes a world of difference when an author really listens to my questions and edits and addresses them in a seamless and believable way. In this case, she dealt with many of my comments by taking the original Terra, and transfering some of her issues over to the wonderful character of Jacob. She toned down Terra's parents as well. And it all worked.
I absolutely love what Justina has accomplished with this novel. It's beautifully written, compelling, moving, rich, and layered. And it introduces the reader to fascinating things such as geocaching, cartography, travel, adoption, and collaging. I also love the relationship between Terra and her mother. And as to the question about whether I played a role in weaving the themes into the novel, that was all Justina. She is a genius! Truly. And don't just take it from me, take it from the glowing reviews all around the blogosphere--and did I mention it's received three starred reviews? "With every carefully chosen word, well-crafted sentence, and fully developed character, Headley maps out a wholly satisfying reading experience that takes readers from terra nullis to terra firma."--Booklist (starred review)
"This emotionally satisfying novel is replete with themes about the true meaning of beauty, the destructive power of verbal abuse and the restorative ability of art. Mapping and cartography terms are expertly woven throughout the text, adding yet another level to an already complex and deeply felt read. Look out, Sarah Dessen. You may have met your match in Headley." --Kirkus (starred review)
"Laced with metaphors about maps and treasure, Headley’s (Girl Overboard) finely crafted novel traces a teen’s uncharted quest to find beauty....All of her characters hold secrets; finding them out will be as rewarding as Terra’s discoveries of caches."--Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
Justina always tries to give back in some way with each book, and for North of Beautiful she is sponsoring a Video Challenge where she'll be donating $10 for every video uploaded (up to $1,000) to Global Medical Surgeries, which helps kids with cleft lips in third world countries.
I neglected to read the guidelines before creating my video, so it's a bit longer than it's supposed to be, but oh well. Here's my video! Make one of your own!
Read the full rules of the Find Beauty Video Challenge here.
Charlotte, Martha, and the Anonymous who submitted the second question, please email me at [email protected] with your book choice (check the website for options) and mailing address. Thanks, and congrats!
16 Comments on Thoughts on Beauty, last added: 3/30/2009
My vote is for Beyond the Book. I kept going back and forth between 1 and 2, but Beyond the Book sounds more unique to me and still shows the concept that these posts will tell us more about the books you edit.
Have I not voted yet? I vote for Beyond the Book as well. Now where's this twitter poll?
Barbara said, on 3/30/2009 3:05:00 AM
Beyond the book!!! Has connotations of insider information and those behind the scenes shots that are extras on DVDs. I am sure that you feel that every book you work on is a Star, but the title, Every Book's a STar, is just a bit too rainbowy, if you know what I mean.... Cheers! Barbara
I last left off when the lost art for Wabi Sabi was found. The book printed beautifully, and it's now out in stores and has received two starred reviews so far, including one from Kirkus:
Reibstein's plain yet poetic text, which deftly incorporates original and traditional Japanese haiku, works harmoniously with Young's deceptively simple, vertically oriented collages of natural and manmade materials to create their own wabi sabi. Simply beautiful.
Our marketing department decided to make a short (3-5 minutes or so) video for the book to be distributed to some key accounts and also be posted on our website. We wanted to include the story of the lost art in the video, and as both versions of the art were at my office, I was to bring the art up to Ed's studio for the filming.
My assistant Connie carefully packaged up all the art so it would be manageable for me to carry by myself on the Metro North train. The film guy was due to arrive at Ed's studio at 3 pm, so I got on the train that arrived around 2:30. I had a rushed morning and no time for lunch, so I picked something up at Grand Central. The train was fairly empty at that time of day, and I had a row of seats to myself, but as I was about to eat some messy pasta, I thought it best to put the art on the overhead luggage rack to keep it safe and clean.
It was an uneventful trip, and I arrived at Ed's town right on schedule, gathered up all my stuff, and went out to find Ed who was picking me up. I saw him on the other end of the platform with his car and waved gaily at him. He waved back but had a bit of a perturbed look on his face. He put his hand out in a "what happened?" gesture, and all of a sudden, I knew.
I had left the art on the train.
I HAD LEFT THE ART ON THE TRAIN THAT HAD ALREADY PULLED OUT OF THE STATION.
ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod
"You left the art on the train?" Ed asked, with just a flash of irritation. Luckily for me, Ed is so Zen and understanding, and considering that he had been the one to lose the art in the first place, was even more understanding. Although, one might say this should have made him be less understanding--after all that the art had been through, how could I have been so careless?
"We'll get it back," he said. "It happens."
My mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do. I called information to get the MTA lost and found number. They informed me that they couldn't call the train because of federal regulations, but that when the train reached the end of the line, anything remaining on the train would be taken off, and would eventually be sent back down to the lost and found office in Grand Central. But I couldn't wait that long--we had a taping in 30 minutes! They said I could try the MTA police. I called Connie and she got on the case. In the meantime, I decided to get on the next train up (about 20 minutes later) and follow the art to the last stop, which luckily wasn't too far--about a half hour away.
Connie called and said that she spoke to the MTA police and that they were calling someone to check the train, and would call back to let her know the station where the package would be held. In the meantime, I also enlisted the help of the train ticket taker. When he took my ticket, I asked him if he was able to call other trains. He paused. "Why? What happened?" He asked. I explained my story. I told him that the MTA police was on the case. He shook his head. "They're not going to do anything," he said, "Let me see what I can do. I'll make some calls." He asked me some specific questions--which train, which car was I sitting in, what did the package look like, etc. I saw him making calls, but he had no news. Then he told me that at the very least, he now knew where the train was parked, and he would go on the train himself to look for the package when we arrived at the final station.
One stop away, he came up to me. "Someone will be waiting for us at the end of the platform," he said. "They have the package."
"THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!" I was so relieved and happy and grateful. I looked at him and blurted out, "Do you have any kids?"
His face lit up. "Two boys! Ages 2 and 5!"
"Perfect!" I said, "Give me your address. I'm going to send you a box of books for them."
"No, don't worry about it, I'm just doing my job."
But I felt that he had gone above and beyond. And it was the least I could do.
I got the package, called Ed, and hopped on the next train heading back. It turned out that the filmmaker had gotten lost and had arrived after 3:30. The train would get me back around 4. We were only an hour off schedule. The filmmaker, Ed, and I all had a good laugh about it. Of course, it was easy to laugh now that the art was safe and sound again.
The taping went quite well--here are a few pictures I took:
(Ed holding a wabi sabi material that he used in the art)
Half of the art stayed safely with Ed, and half of the art returned safely with me to the office for scanning. I kept it on my lap the whole ride back.
This video is still being edited--I saw a rough cut of it last week and it looks really great so far (Mark Reibstein was also interviewed in a separate taping out in California). I'll share it with all of you as soon as it's ready.
And that is the final chapter of my Wabi Sabi story. So far.
Oh, the stories that art could tell...
7 Comments on The Publication Story of WABI SABI, Part 4 (the final chapter...I think!), last added: 10/19/2008
I love how Wabi Sabi the circumstances around the book even are! Just humbling real-life crazy little imperfect moments. Thanks for posting all of the saga!
Umm--I don't remember. CHOWDER was one of them, and a novelty book about Pirates, maybe SERGIO MAKES A SPLASH and TICKLE THE DUCK, too? I received a thank you note back that specifically called out CHOWDER and the pirate book. Which reminds me, now that WABI SABI is out, I have to send them a copy.
Okay. My heart was thumping on this last installment of this story--especially since I hadn't heard any of it before. That is so something that I might do.
I was feeling it.
Ben Carpenter said, on 10/19/2008 1:01:00 PM
Alvina, that's a crazy story! And a beautiful backbone for the formation of a Wabi Sabi book. The art that kept slipping out of your hands.... I'll bet you had a HEART ATTACK when you realized you'd left the art on the train. ohmygodohmygod. But I love it that the conductor was the one who helped. AND that you sent him a box of books! So cool.
Anonymous said, on 10/19/2008 6:30:00 PM
I'm just so relieved your story had a happy ending !!!!!
As promised, I'm finally writing about Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young. Some of know may know some of this story--this book has had a long, crazy path to publication that I felt it was worth sharing. I may be remembering some details wrong, but this is the beginning of the story to the best that I know it.
I'll start with the man behind it all, the author, Mark Reibstein. He grew up in the same town as Roni Schotter (children's book author of Hannukkah! and Passover!), and his family was extremely close to hers, and he was thus exposed to the children's book publishing world.
Mark spent some time living in Japan, and while there he was introduced to the concept of wabi sabi. He asked many people about it, and they all paused and said, "That's hard to explain." but they would offer a poem, or a photograph, a small description, and gradually, Mark began to piece together the meaning of wabi sabi.
So, what is wabi sabi? Well, as I understand it, it is a Japanese philosophical belief in finding beauty in the imperfect, the unexpected, in simplicity and modesty. For example, a old, cracked clay tea cup is wabi sabi, but a fine china cup is not. Fallen leaves in muddy water is wabi sabi. A scruffy, multi-colored cat can be wabi sabi. Mark actually named his cat in Japan Wabi Sabi!
And so, Mark was taken by the idea of wabi sabi and started thinking about writing a children's book about this. Many years passed, and when he finally wrote the text, he showed it to Roni; she loved it and volunteered to introduce him to another local children's book author/illustrator who she thought might be interested in illustrating the project--Ed Young. At the time, Mark really wanted a Japanese illustrator for the project, and also, with life in the way (his teaching, his family), ended up putting the project aside for a bit.
A few years later, Mark was at a local book festival and looked closely at Ed Young's books and realized that he was actually the perfect illustrator for the book after all. He asked Roni to make the introduction, and thus began Ed's involvement in the project. Ed was immediately intrigued and told Mark he would like to illustrate it. He told Mark not to worry, that he would find a publisher.
He showed it to various publishers with no success--at the time, the text was very rough, too long, a bit convoluted. Nobody was seeing the vision for it. And then one day, Ed was talking to fellow author/illustrator Molly Bang, and she said, "Send it to Andrea Spooner. She likes challenging picture books!"
I love this story on story and am (sort of patiently) waiting for part 2. Libby, it's always interesting when you hear tales of book submissions that work against the "rules" of publishing (or what we are told are the rules and generally are for most of us) I would love to hear more of them, I have a few... Another story of "Illustrator gets publisher for writer" happened here in Canada, when a very new writer found an animator, working at Nelvana, willing to illustrate his book. The animator then walked the dummy in to KidsCan press (owned by Nelvana) It was accepted and went on to win recognition and awards. Another publishing story I always love is Alvina's meeting Peter Brown (at a party I think it was? Alvina?) and loving his art so much, wondered if he would like to try writing. Another Illustrator, Jeremy Tankard had his Editor suggest he try his hand at writing something of his own, to go with his hilariously simple, fun art style, thus "Grumpy Bird" (and the rest of GB adventures) and "Me Hungry" was born. As Jeremy tells the story, he hadn't written anything since he was 8:) Often it does seem like it is who you know, who knows you, luck and chance circumstance... then again, it's like being the child of someone famous. It may open a door, but without the talent to back the opportunity up, that door can be slammed pretty darn fast on your way out:)
The story behind the book is just as fascinating as the work itself, it always amazes me how convoluted the journey to publication can be. I lived in Japan for 21 years and came across wabisabi often, though it was something curious foreigners would discuss more than Japanese, it's easier to show examples than it is to explain it. Cover art looks perfect!
This book is so, so perfect, and I adore the concept of wabi sabi. At least, in the beautiful way you've just described it! It seems intuitive, suddenly, and like it should always have had this name.
Falling for Hamlet looks awesome. I saw this book a while ago on a blog and thought it looked really good. Now I'm coming to find you've edited a lot of books I love and my boys, aka Shark vs. Train.