Veronica Roth has signed a two-book deal with the Katherine Tegen Books imprint at HarperCollins.

Publisher Katherine Tegen negotiated the deal with Newleaf Literary agent Joanna Volpe. The release date for book one has been scheduled for 2017; book two will follow in 2018.

Here’s more from the press release: “In the untitled first novel of a highly anticipated duology in the vein of Star Wars, Veronica Roth explores—with poise and poignancy—the story of a boy who forms an unlikely alliance with an enemy. Both desperate to escape their oppressive lives, they help each other attain what they most desire: for one, redemption, and the other, revenge.”

I asked the kidlit agents participating in PiBoIdMo as your “grand prizes” to tell us why they love picture books. Their answers are sure to inspire!

Heather Alexander, Pippin Properties
Picture books are easy to love because they are tiny little windows that offer beautiful glimpses out into the whole, wide, wonderful world, and into hearts like and unlike our own.

Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
I do love picture books! There is nothing more satisfying that to find a picture book manuscript which has been carefully crafted to share a story with the youngest readers.  The Impressionist painter Pierre Auguste Renoir said that painting is “making love visible” and I can’t help thinking that is why some picture books are so endearing and everlasting. They make the love we feel for our children, our grandchildren, and the children within us very visible. It is a true craft which needs to be learned and practiced. And I honor those who learn this craft and honor children.

Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency
Picture books pretty much have me wrapped around their finger. I’m obsessed by the story-telling opportunities offered by this highly-visual genre! Picture books (as a format) seem simple at first blush, but they are often in fact quite layered and even poetic, displaying an elegant interplay between text and art. Best of all, picture books are accessible to everyone. You don’t have to be able to read in order to love them. They can be savored for what they offer visually, and when read aloud, until a reader has command over the written word. Simply, what format is better than the first one that takes children by the hand and turns them into book-lovers?

Susan Hawk, The Bent Agency
The best part of picture books, for me, is way words and illustration marry together to create a sum greater than its parts.  I love the way art builds meaning in the story, and how the simplest of texts can be full of emotion and heart.  I remember so well the picture books that I poured over as a child — mystified and delighted to be invited into the world of reading and books.  For me, it’s an honor to represent picture books!

Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary Agency

I love picture books because they celebrate a time in our life we all look back on so fondly. I love being a part of helping to create them because we’re creating books for kids who will look back on them for the rest of their lives.

Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency
I became a reader because of picture books, and I became an agent because of picture books. They are one of the richest and most influential forms of literature. So much feeling, so many laughs, in so few pages, meant to be read over and over again!

Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency
I love picture books because they speak to the quintessential child in each of us. They reach across the gaps of age and culture and language and bring us under their spell. A perfectly-crafted picture book is a full-senses experience that can last a lifetime.

Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency
I love the breadth of story and emotion—from clever and comical, to poetic and pondering—that can be found within the framework of a 32-page picture book.  I love the right prose, the visual subplots, the rhythm and rhyme and repetition (and repetition, and repetition).  But, most of all, I love them because they’re short.

Kathleen Rushall, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

I love working with picture books because they remind me that the earliest literature we read in life can be some of the most memorable (and the most fun!).

Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.
I love picture books because they’re fun to read aloud, and they’re meant to be read with someone else.They can’t not be shared! Even now, I don’t have kids, but when I read a good picturebook, my husband gets to be the audience. He’s very understanding. :-)

I had a chance to sit down with an editor friend recently to discuss one of the least fun (but most important) parts of the publishing process: the deal/contract negotiation. And lucky for me, Editor agreed to let me share some of that conversation with you here on Pub Crawl. We talked about a number of topics, but the one I’m going to focus on today has to do with three clauses:

1. Competitive Works (a.k.a. Non-compete clauses)

2. Option

3. Next Work

These are 3 different paragraphs somewhere in your book contract, but they are all intertwined, especially in this day and age of hybrid publishing and author branding.  Before I get into the conversation, let me break down what these are right quick:

Competitive Works clause – this clause has to do with any work you write after the book you’re being contracted for, and specifically on whether or not it would compete with your contracted book for sales in the marketplace.

Option – this is the next book the publisher has the first right to review, before you submit to anyone else.

Next Work – this clause states rather explicitly that the book you’re being contracted for is going to be your next book, and that you can’t publish another book until (usually) 6 months after the contracted work.

Does that all make sense?  I sure hope so.  If you have questions, leave them for me in the Comments and I’ll do my best to answer. For now, I’d like to get into the highlights of the conversation I had with Editor….

Editor: The trifecta of non-competes/option/next work drives me crazy because I have to narrow down what I can work on next with the author.  What’s happened a lot recently is that I’ve bought a book–very clearly a stand alone–and then the option becomes….

Me: Let me guess–next book “in the world of the Work or featuring the same characters”?

Editor: Right.  And I’m thinking “No, because this is clearly a standalone, and then that takes away my option.” And so then they get into Competing Works and request that they can publish anything as long as it doesn’t include the characters in the book. And so we get into sticky situations because I didn’t offer for this book as a series, I want to buy it as a standalone, and I want to have a first crack at your next book. I don’t want my authors writing an unnecessary sequel for the sake of satisfying their option with me. And the tough part for me is that a lot of this is happening during the initial deal negotiation, not the contract stage anymore.

Me: Oh, yeah–it has to. I can’t tell you how many times a contracts department will come back at me with “we can’t agree to that language, you should have discussed it with the editor at the time of deal negotiation. It’s too late now.”  So it’s forced us to have more complicated and complex negotiations with editors from the get go.

Editor: (Nods) I get that, too. One of the difficult things to navigate is how to make the offer if there’s suddenly going to be a sequel later.  When a submission comes to me with an outlined sequel or sequels, the offer is very different than if it’s a standalone. And when the option is narrowed down simply to sequels, so it feels like they’re just trying to get out of the option.

Me: I don’t think it’s that they’re trying to get out of the option. I think it’s actually that we’re trying to give our authors an option.  What if their editor leaves? What if their publisher gets bought out by another house?  I’ve had publishers take the full option period they have, just to say no in the end. And when that happens, it’s like, man–you just put the author’s career on hold for 4 months.

Editor: Yeah, that’s not a good situation either. It’s true that editors move all the time.

Me: Do the agents you work with typically give you a look at the work first anyway, no matter what the option says?  Out of professional courtesy?

Editor: The agents I work with consistently do, yes. I feel very strongly about the authors I work with, and I’m hoping to cultivate a career and a brand with them, not just one book. The agents I typically work with know that.

Me: We do. (smiles)

Editor: And sometimes there are agents that push for a multibook deal when it might not be the best decision to.  If I’m acquiring a book that comes out in 2016 today, and the sequel in 2017–it makes me a little nervous, too, about what the future might bring.

Me: Especially with all of the industry changes and upheaval.

Editor: Exactly. Do you often push for a multibook deal?

Me: It depends entirely on the book, the author, the editor, the publisher, etc.  Sometimes a multibook feels necessary because it means that publishers will….

Editor: Commit.

Me: Yes!  And it gives the author a chance to grow without losing momentum. It often guarantees a certain amount of investment from a publisher.

Editor: It’s frustrating because publishing is so fast and so slow at the same time. For me, I’m very focused on the author, their project and the brand. I want to go beyond the book and cultivate a bigger brand, but I don’t always have the ability to hit the go button.

Me: It sounds like what we need to do is all work more closely together than every before–the author, the agent and the editor as a trio.

Editor: Yes. I think we all want what’s best for the author in the end.

–

You heard it here, folks! Getting to be a fly on the wall of some publishing industry folks.  This is what we’re discussing all the time!  And there’s more where that came from.

 

by Joanna Volpe

—

We’ve all seen the “day in the life of…” posts.  In fact, the awesome Jordan Hamessley London of Pub Crawl has posted one, too–one of most popular posts on our blog.

What I’d like to do is take that idea a step further and invite you into my brain.  It’s fascinating to see what someone does, externally, on the daily.  But what are they thinking while they do it?  Well, below is what I’m thinking these days.  Of course this shifts and morphs based on external situations and forces.  For example, a few weeks ago I was thinking “Is summer almost over?  How did that happen?  I need to go on vacation, quick!”  and about 6 months ago I was on the red carpet at the Divergent premiere and thinking “Theo James looks rather dashing in his suit!”  But now that I’m back into the the swing of things for work, that’s on my mind most.  So come on over and take a peek and what’s in this crazy thing I call a brain.  These are not in order of priority.  Thoughts don’t work that way!

1.  What do I need to print to take home with me today?  It’s Friday, and that means the weekend provides some serious reading time.  I’ve been more cognizant of having a work/life balance, so I won’t take home 3 full manuscripts this weekend because it’s unrealistic and I will forget what my husband’s face looks like. I’m going to go for: 1 contract for review, 1.5 manuscripts (both which do not need line edits), and a synopsis that I’ve been working on.  And yes, I still print my manuscripts.  What’s it to you?

2. Where are we with XX contracts?  These days contracts are taking longer and longer to negotiate with publishers.  With all of the industry upheaval, each side is trying to look into their crystal ball and figure out the new and vitally important things we need to ensure are in the contracts to cover our needs.  In my case, the needs are the needs of my authors.  Right now I have 7 outstanding contracts on my personal list that I wake up thinking about almost every day, even if it’s just for a minute or two.  Of course I have a badass contracts person handling them, but we go over them together weekly.

3. Damn. B&N didn’t take any (or very little) copies of title X. What can we do to help the book get the exposure it needs for readers to find it?  I can only speak for my agency, though I know colleagues at other companies have the same worries about this.  In this ever-changing industry, it’s getting harder and harder for new voices to be discovered.  We’ve cultivated a Client Care program that focuses on: publicity & marketing (both traditional as well as school & library) as well as educating authors/illustrators to give them the tools they need in today’s publishing world.

4. This work is just not at the level it needs to be for me to take it on submission.  This happens more frequently than I think people talk about, and not just with queried project.  Even with clients I’ve worked with for a long time.  We can both do a ton of work on it, but it Just. Isn’t. There.  And I have to be the one to break that news.  But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I was sending out work that wasn’t up to snuff with the competitive market.  It would be doing a disservice.

5. This manuscript is amazing!  Where am I going to submit? This is always, always going on in the back of my head as I start to approach submission time for a project.  It’s like I’ll be reading and email and suddenly think “ya know who would be perfect for project X….” and I jot it down.  This goes on over and over until submission time comes, and then I’ll sometimes share my sublist with the team to see if they have any thoughts or ideas to add.  I love this part of the process.  It’s all about sharing a great story with the right person.

6. I should tweet/FB/pin/post about that.  “That” is referring to whatever awesome thing one of our clients is doing.  But of course, I don’t want to be just a self-promoter online, so I also try to balance it with enough social media that’s simply for funsies.  It’s a lot of work to be mindful of that balance!

7. What is the next big industry thing to happen?  Of course I don’t always have a prediction here, but sometimes I do.  And in either case, we’re always touching on the big items in our weekly meetings (at the very least) and how they affect our clients.  Right now, it’s the Amazon-Hachette business.  We have Hachette authors, and this whole ordeal has really affected their sales.  This is the kind of thought that will lead me back to thought #3! And of course we’re discussing who is going to be the next publisher that will be in this situation.

8. I can’t make the email stop; make it stop!  Yes, I actually have this thought.  Sometimes the sheer volume of email becomes so heavy that all I can think is “stop!”  At that point I usually take a walk, have a coffee, come back and plow through.  But with it being so easy to stay connected these days, the workload has shifted with a heavy emphasis on email.

9. I wonder if there’s a book in this?  I’ll be reading an article, having a discussion, reading a script, a web comic, watching a youtube video…whatever!  And usually somewhere in the back of my mind there is something connecting dots and thinking about book potential.  If I’m still thinking about it a week later, that’s usually when I’ll bring it up in our weekly meeting.

10. I need to follow up with X person on Y thing.  There is a lovely app called Mailbox, and without it, I would go crazy.  It will pop something back into my inbox when it’s time for me to follow up, based on a pre-determined date/time that I set.  I don’t even remember what I did pre-Mailbox. I think I always had 10 or so To-do lists going at a time (I still do this a little).  Either way, there is ALWAYS things to follow up on.  Where are our cover comps?  What’s the eta on the publicity and marketing materials?  Where is our payment?  Did you lock in that date with the venue?  Have you had a chance to review our contract notes? How are revisions going?  etc, etc.  A lot of the work I do is about keeping things moving.  I don’t want anything to slip through the cracks for our clients.  And also, I have an amazing, godsend of an assistant who takes over most of this follow-up so I can focus on bigger picture items.  Like “how many books are selling for title X?”  And yes, I just snuck in an 11th thought to this top ten list!

There you have it.  And that’s just the Top Ten (11)!  I’d love to hear about what goes through your mind on the daily, too.  Please share in the comments!

—

Joanna Volpe is a literary agent who represents all brands of fiction, from picture books to adult. When she’s not reading, she’s either cooking, playing video games, or hanging out with her husband and chihuahua.

by

Jordan Hamessley London

and the Pub(lishing) Crawl Gang!

—

About three months ago, I had a life change. I left my job at Grosset & Dunlap at Penguin to become an Editor at Egmont USA. It was a very exciting move for me, if a bit scary. Grosset had been my first publishing job and my first “real job” out of college. I had a ton of memories there and it felt like my second home.

When I arrived at Egmont in December, I was thrilled to begin working on a new list and with a new team, but I realized something was missing. Now, this may sound crazy, but hear me out.

My desk at Grosset had been very lived over the course of my five years there, I had acquired numerous action figures, plush toys, photos, and trinkets from my authors. When I got home from my first day at Egmont, I knew I needed to bring in the little things that would make my desk feel like “home” again. What are those things?

Well, my Benjamin Linus bobblehead, of course.

And my paper machete, inspired by an amazing typo written by one of authors (attempting to spell papier mâché) and what I use on particularly intense edits!

At last, my workspace was complete!

My journey to complete my new workspace made me wonder where all of the other Pub(lishing) Crawl members do their work. Here’s a sneak peek at where they write/agent/and sell their books!

Erin Bowman’s amazing workspace

Susan Dennard’s desk

Julie Eshbaugh’s writing space

JJ’s workspace

Amie Kaufman – I usually work in my study, but I love to move around as well — this is the view of my writing spot at one of my favourite bars in Melbourne, where I can sit right on the river and watch the world go by!

Biljana Likic’s workspace

Jodi Meadows – You might think there’s a lot of yarn on this desk. You’d be right. You’re probably also overlooking some. There’s more than you think. No, another one besides those.

E.C. Myers – Basically, I write 95% of the time on my netbook, even when I’m at home, and I mostly use my larger laptop and keyboard for other work — graphics, video editing, e-mail — and blogging. I work best outside of my apartment.

Adam Silvera’s desk at work

Adam Silvera’s workspace for writing

Joanna Volpe’s desk

Joanna Volpe’s bookshelf

Kat Zhang – Here’s where I’m writing right now (local B&N). Only add in half a dozen toddlers running around.

 The Pub(lishing) Crawl team is a great example of how everyone has a different place where they work. What makes your workspace unique and special to you? 

—

Jordan Hamessley London is an Editor at Egmont USA, where she edits middle grade and YA. Her current titles include Isla J. Bick’s new series, The Dark Passages (#1 White Space), Bree DeSpain’s new series Into the Dark (#1 The Shadow Prince), and more. Prior to Egmont, Jordan worked at  Grosset and Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers where she edited Adam-Troy Castro’s middle grade horror series Gustav Gloom, Ben H. Winters and Adam F. Watkin’s series of horror poetry Literally Disturbed, Michelle Schusterman’s I Heart Band series, Adam F. Watkins’s alphabet picture book R is for Robot and more. When not editing, Jordan can be found on twitter talking about books, scary movies, and musical theater.

By popular request, they’re back! Every Wednesday, I shall be interviewing illustrators from the world of children’s literature, those you know well and also introducing you to pre-published future Caldecott potentials! Today’s guest is my go to pig-me-up on FB when I need a smile and a bit of whimsy to brighten my day. Welcome to Elizabeth Rose Stanton, whose debut picture book, HENNY, will be published next January by Simon & Schuster.

[JM Illustrator or author/illustrator? 

[ERS] Author/illustrator

[JM] What’s your nationality and which and how have certain cultures/regions influenced your work?   

[ERS] I am “all” American. Multiple lines of my family go back to the early 1600s in North America, and I have a touch of Native American.  It’s probably more accurate to say that my work has been influenced more by children’s literature, in general, than any specific culture or region. That said, I admire the work of many artists and illustrators, including:  Beatrix Potter, Lisbeth Zwerger, John R. Neill, John Tenniel, Edward Gorey, James Thurber. 

I could go on and on . . . 

[JM] Tell us a little of your beginnings as an artist.

[ERS] I studied art history in college, and then went on to get a graduate degree in architecture.   After I got married and had children, I decided to set aside my career as an architect to be a full-time parent.  I began to work as an artist, as time permitted, when my youngest child started kindergarten.  I did portraits, fine art (was represented by a gallery here in Seattle), some graphic design, and became a certified scientific illustrator.  It is only recently, now that the nest is empty, that I have been able to dive full-time into writing and illustrating for children.   

[JM] Do you have a preferred medium to work in? 

[ERS] I work mostly with pencil and watercolor, and sometimes with pen and ink and/or colored pencils. 

[JM] What does your workspace look like?        

[ERS] It Usually looks messy!   I have a cove in the basement lined on one side with bookshelves, and a desk at the end.  I call it “The Trench.”

[JM] Can you share a piece or two with us, maybe of a WIP, and the process of creating them?

[ERS] My process varies a little, depending on where the final image(s) end up. For my books, I work completely on paper.  HENNY was rendered in pencil and watercolor, and the final art was packed up and physically sent to Simon & Schuster in New York.    For posting on-line (such as my Facebook “daily” sketches or for blog posts), I always begin with pencil/paint on paper, scan it, then often do some touch up.  I have a very old graphics program that I use that is quite adequate for what I usually need to do—cleaning up stray lines or enhancing color here and there.  But the short of it is, I prefer to work old-school.  

Begins with a simple pencil sketch

Then I begin to paint, using a variety of watercolor, and sometimes gouache.

I go back and forth with color and pencil until I feel the picture is balanced

Then, in this case, I scan it in, clean it up a little, and send it on its way.

[JM] I know you have your debut picture book coming out in January of 2014. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration and development of HENNY? 

[ERS] Most of my ideas pop out spontaneously by way of the characters. A couple of years ago, I drew a fanciful bird with arms. He morphed into a chicken.  Then I started to think about all the challenges, and fun, a little chicken with arms might have, and Henny’s story unfolded from there.

Armed Chicks

Jacket cover for HENNY (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books)

 [JM] What’s with all the pigs?  

[ERS] The book I’m working on now is about a pig.

[JM] How do you approach the marketing/business side of the picture book world?

[ERS] Having a fabulous agent, Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary & Media, helps.  I couldn’t have asked for a better person to represent me. She is helpful, responsive, and she really knows the business. I also have the benefit of the expertise of the talented team at Paula Wiseman Books. Meanwhile, I’ve been working to build up my social network platform. I try and keep my blog current, as well as post sketches and little paintings on Facebook as frequently as I can.  I use Twitter occasionally, too.  Specifically for HENNY, I will be having the book launch here in Seattle the first week of January, and will then be working hard to make the rounds, so to speak, singing her praises!

[JM] What has been your greatest professional challenge?

[ERS] Staying focused. I always want to do other things (I have a pretty long bucket list).

Five Fun Ones to Finish?

[JM] What word best sums you up? 

[ERS] Quirky.

[JM] If you could live anywhere for a season, where would you go? 

[ERS] Paris–because I’ve never been.

[JM] What’s your go-to snack or drink to keep the creative juices flowing?

[ERS] Strong tea and the darkest of dark chocolate.

[JM] Cats or dogs? 

[ERS] Both!  I have an ancient one-eyed dog and two Scottish Fold cats.

[JM] If you could spend a day with one children’s book illustrator, with whom would that be? 

[ERS] Current: Lisbeth Zwerger    Past: Beatrix Potter

[JM] Where can we find/follow you and your work, Elizabeth?

http://www.penspaperstudio.com/

http://penspaperstudio.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.r.stanton

@penspaperstudio

[ERS]  Thank you for the interview, Joanna!  It’s been fun!

[JM] Thank YOU for being on Miss Marple’s Musings, Beth. To your continued success. I am looking forward to seeing HENNY when she comes out!