Kate DiCamillo (pictured, via) has landed a deal with Candlewick Press for a new middle grade novel.
President Karen Lotz negotiated the terms of this agreement with Pippin Properties literary agent Holly McGhee. Editor Andrea Tompa will edit the manuscript.
The publisher plans to release the book in Spring 2016. According to the press release, the story “features three girls over one tumultuous summer, discovering a friendship that changes their lives.”
(more…)
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Me: I'm a little nervous about the workshop. I want to talk with other writers, but I don't know them and I don't know what to say.
Him: Here's how I do it--if I see a kid outside on a Ripstik, I say, "Can you do tricks on that?" and then I say, "Can I have a turn?" Then we start talking about Ripstiks and stuff and then we're friends. You should just ask people what book they're writing now. That's what you should do.
Me: You are a very smart boy.
* * *
First off, thank you and congrats to Linda
Bernfeld and a host of others who pulled off another fantastic workshop in O-town. Linda called me last week and asked me if I wouldn't mind picking up an editor from the airport and driving her to the hotel. Ha! An hour alone with an editor.
Yes, Linda, yes, I would be more than happy to help, mwahahaha.So that's how I got to meet Nancy
Siscoe, Associate Publishing Director and Executive Editor for Knopf & Crown Books for Young Readers. You will be proud to know that I did not ply Nancy with possible stories, not even once! But I did play an endless loop of my middle-grade ideas, recorded on CD at a pitch so high, only the subconscious could hear it. Nancy should be writing out that six-figure contract even as we speak.
People I met (as in, I actually spoke with):Michael
Stearns, Firebrand Literary--Michael sported the best accessory in the house--a cast. I was so happy to meet him, I forgot to ask him what happened to his foot. I shook Michael's hand, so now if he goes back to New York and shakes my agent's hand, well, you know, six degrees of separation and all that. In any case, Michael was witty and informative and very approachable.
Andrea
Tompa, Associate Editor, Candlewick Press--Andrea was cool and funny, and I caught her as we were all packing up. More on what Andrea likes later.
Lots of other writers. I asked them what books they were writing and now we are friends.
What Happened in the Middle-Grade Track:Bruce Hale, author of the popular Chet Gecko series, Michael
Stearns, and Andrea
Tompa sat at the head table for the Middle-Grade Track. One thing that always surprises me at conferences is how well the speakers work together and how they play off each other.
For me, the first page critiques provided an excellent education. Humorous pieces elicited the best comments from the judges. (At this point, I was thinking of them as Paula, Randy, and another Randy (two
Randys because no one was
snarky enough to be Simon).) They advised us to avoid
frontloading--making an info dump in the beginning so your reader has the whole thing right away. Instead, feed in the necessary information through dialogue and other bits and pieces.
Bruce told us to let the manuscript cool off between revisions, a month if you can do it. I must say my cooling off periods have been much shorter, but I like the idea of leaving the manuscript long enough to stop editing it in my sleep.
Michael showed us how to pace a novel by outlining a YA
chicklit novel in which a guy named Bruce was the loser in a romantic triangle.
Andrea reminded us to make sure to bring into play things you introduce. Everything should serve a purpose. Although Candlewick is a closed house, she reads manuscripts from conference attendees for a specified period of time.
If you know me from somewhere, like this conference, she said,
open [your query] with that. Andrea likes literary science fiction and stories that feature an outdoor challenge.
The mood at the workshop was one of
camaraderie and excitement. Writers were buying books and signing books and everyone looked happy. Even the lunch was good. What can I say? I had a great time. Now I'm looking forward to Miami!
Sounds like you not only had a good time but made some contacts and learned some useful stuff. Cool.
Sounds like an absolutely wonderful time!!!!
(and I forgot to google ripstik last time. Now I will....)
:-)
Hey Danette, I think I met your agent this weekend at the NJ SCBWI June conference... Ted Malawer? I sat with him at dinner where I embarrassed myself multiple times -not all the synapses were firing properly. He was so kind about it and laughed at me... I mean with me. I really liked him. He was the most approachable. So if he is your agent, Wha-who!
Sounds like a good time. Our local writers conference is this weekend.
Sounds like it was awesome! I love this:
I shook Michael's hand, so now if he goes back to New York and shakes my agent's hand, well, you know, six degrees of separation and all that.
Hee.
And if either of them knows someone who knows Kevin Bacon, WELL!
I found you via Verla Kay. Great post, lots of fun.
Good luck with that 6 figure Knopf deal. If it works, may I steal the idea from you? ;)
Colleen Ryckert Cook
Yes, Charles! Last year I made friends by bringing Andes mints and passing them out. This year I had tiny Dove bars.
Chris--well worth it! And it felt good to be right there in the thick of it--everyone talking about writing and all the things that go along with it. As writers alone at our desks, it's nice to have some face-to-face interaction with our peers.
Sheri,
Ted is my agent and although I've not met him personally, he has been an excellent agent. I am very happy to have signed with him.
Travis, Good luck at the conference! Looking forward to your notes.
Ha! Courtney! I don't know if I can link to Kevin Bacon, but I can link you to John Travolta!
Here we go: A man wrote the script for Michael; his daughter works downtown with my sister WHO I KNOW! So I think that makes me three (or four) degrees separated from JT. So that makes you (and anyone else who's reading this) four (or five) degrees separated from JT! All right!
Colleen,
Of course you may use the subliminal CD literary contract technique. (You must make sure the pitch is correct. You can test this by recording messages to your husband or boyfriend--do the dishes, then give me a backrub.) Good luck!
Good for you with that endless loop of MG ideas recorded at high pitch! That's just what I would have done. Hope you made sure to intersperse your name many times...
Lots of good, useful ideas here. It's so important not to load readers up with all the information right away, but sometimes hard to hold back just enough to avoid confusion.
Thanks for sharing! :)