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First National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jon Scieszka, is here, looking dapper as always:
Since being laid off from his ambassadorship, Jon has not been resting on his diplomatically immune laurels, oh no. He and fellow faculty member
Francesco Sedita have a new book out called
SPACEHEADZ that you'll all want to read. And if you haven't heard about his excellent new GUYS READ: FUNNY BUSINESS coming out this fall, you'll want to get in line for it now, especially after you watch the star-studded book trailer (at bottom of post.)
But Jon's not talking about his middle grade books this morning, but picture books!
"Tales of a Picture Book Writer: Do's, Don'ts, Maybes."A Big Don't: Don't do as Jon did, don't send your picture book manuscripts to gardening publishers.
Biggest Do: Congratulate yourselves for being here, at a children's book conference. As opposed to Jon's dentist, everyone he's ever golfed with, the kid down the street, and the Pope, who all say they have great ideas, but haven't written them down, and maybe, haven't read a picture book in the last few decades.
Big Do: Read every book in your chosen genre that you can, especially those on the School Library Journal's list of Top 100 Picture Books (top three are WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, GOOD NIGHT MOON, and THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.)
Big Do: Read really crappy books, too,
that's an education, Jon says.
Big Do: Find books you connect with, Jon's favorites TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO, NO, DAVID, and CAPS FOR SALE
Now, Jon is listing all the picture books he finds creepy. Most of them are written by comedians or involve bunnies.
Do: As his agent, Steve Malk, always says become an expert in your field. Read The Horn Book, PW Daily, School Library Journal, and industry blogs. See Betsy Bird's Fuse #8 blog for a great blog roll (like Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and our own SCBWI blog.)
Don't: Once you start writing,
stop reading all the blogs and industry magazines and get down to working. Jane Yolen is right, Jon says, just DO. Write, write write. But if you
Farewell & Autograph Party
After Kathleen Duey's inspirational farewell keynote address, conference goers enjoyed the Farewell & Autography Party where they were able to meet and greet the authors and get their autographs! Fresh lemonade, pretzels, and candy treats were provided for everyone as they headed out the door and back to their homes.
It was clear that close friendships had blossomed between conference goers over the past four days and that everyone - from aspiring newbie writers to published veteran authors - were inspired to rush home and WRITE WRITE WRITE.
The room was full of camaraderie and everyone enjoyed the celebration at the farewell shindig. Tonight, the faculty will meet for a final celebratory wrap-up party.
The entire SCBWI TEAM BLOG - Alice Pope, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Lee Wind, Paula Yoo, and Suzanne Young - would like to thank SCBWI for giving us this opportunity to share the highlights of the 2009 national conference with everyone. We had a blast attending all these panels - our one regret was that we wish YOU were there! :) If you would like to find out more about SCBWI and join as a member, please go
here for more info: http://scbwi.orgRemember, we are an interactive forum, so please comment away on our blogs. We look forward to the dialogue between SCBWI members about this year's conference.
Posted by SCBWI TEAM BLOG
Linda Joy Singleton, author of the DEAD GIRL series with Flux, has an autographed copy of her brand new book DEAD GIRL IN LOVE to give to you! So if you're here at the conference, the first person to find Linda and tell her you'd love to read her book will get it!
CHRIS EBOCH: "What I Learned From Nancy Drew: Tools for Fast-Paced Plotting"
It LITERALLY was a packed room for Chris Eboch's "Fast-Paced Plotting" lecture. So packed that (NO exaggeration), about a couple dozen people sat in the AISLES, taking copious notes.
Chris provided a handout with extremely detailed notes on plotting plus book recommendations. Some highlights from her handout and from the lecture:
-- She showed the original ending for a Nancy Drew cliffhanger followed by the extensive revision and discussed the reasons behind those changes. Her editor said, "I would like to see more of a slow build-up toward the intense action. In horror movies, it's always the ominous music and the main character slowly opening the closet door that scares us the most, not the moment right after she opens the door."
-- Some books she recommended included her 2009 book, "Haunted: The Ghost on the Stairs" and "Haunted" The Riverboat Phantom" from Aladdin. She also recommended Louise Spiegler's "The Amethyst Road" and "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Renni Browne and Dave King."
-- Add subplot: "If you can't pack your main plot any fuller, try using subplots to add complexity and length to your manuscript. A subplot may be only loosely related to your main plot, but still add complications."
-- Chris also advised, "To keep tensions high, make sure your characters are struggling enough." She mentioned the "Rule of Three" where a character tries and fails a first time, tries and fails a second time, and then tries and succeeds, achieving the goal by the third time. "If the character succeeds on the first tyr, then we don't believe the problem was that difficult for that character." She said it's "satisfying" when the character finally achieves the goal by the third time and proves the problem was a "worthy challenge." Although the "Rule of Three" is used in picture books, Chris advises that in novels, there are often many steps beyond just three tries, and writers must make sure these many complications always push the story forward.
Overall, Chris had a very detailed and extensive lecture with many great tips on how to improve the plot of your novel and to make sure the pacing never drags. The handout she distributed among the standing-room-only crowd was especially valuable with her meticulous notes. Another fantastic example of the wonderful information you can learn at this conference!
Posted by Paula Yoo
Barbara Fisch and Sarah Shealy are offering a great workshop for new authors. It's basically Publicity 101. Some of my favorite parts:
All reviews of your book will be good. Kidding. When you have a good review, use it. Mention it on your blog or website. BUT when you quote, you're only allowed to pull 10% of the review. Interesting, right?
Also, blogs and blog tours are a great way for exposure. You can have giveaways and contests.
And finally, the children's lit world has a longer build than other genres. So if you don't see a review right away, don't panic.
Posted by Suzanne Young
DONNA GEPHART: "12 3/4 Ways to Tickle Young Readers' Funny Bones"
Some hilarious higlights from 2009 Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner Donna Gephart's panel:
-- She provided handouts for everyone with a list of techniques and details to hone one's humor skills.
-- She advises taking risks. "Mine your embarrassment," she said, discussing how writers should not be afraid to talk about real life embarrassing moments.
-- "Embarrassment is funny but humiliation is not," she said. "You want to empathize with your character. Readers want to laugh, not cringe."
-- She gave a writing exercise in which conference goers had to do: List embarrassing things that happened to you or list things that embarrassed you as a kid.
-- She suggested paying attention to the "sound of language" as another tool to write humor. For example, the "K" sound is funny, such as "Chicken is funny. Roast beef is not. Pickle is funny. Cucubmer is not. Twinkie is funny. Pie is not."
-- She also advised using exaggeration and understatement as tools for writing humor. Examples included "Exaggeration: referring to a tropical breeze as a hurricane" and "Understatement: referring to a hurricane as a tropical breeze."
-- Ultimately, she says writers should not TRY to be funny. "Forced humor is no fun for anyone."
-- She also gave a handout listing funny picture books, early readers, chapter books, and MG/YA novels.
It was a packed room where people participated with a lot of enthusiasm to Donna's writing exercises. And yes, there was much laughter!
Yet another shining example of great lectures provided by award-winning writers at the SCBWI national conference.
Posted by Paula Yoo
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on 8/10/2009
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MICHAEL REISMAN: "What Hollywood Wants With Your Book"
(Pictured above: Michael preps for his lecture by providing not one, not two, but THREE handouts!)
Michael Reisman, author of the bestselling SIMON BLOOM middle grade novel series, discussed the behind-the-scenes tips on why and how Hollywood options books, based on his own experience for more than ten years as a story analyst for movie studios and television networks, including Nickelodeon. His own SIMON BLOOM book was recently optioned as a movie.
He provided three handouts that were extremely helpful. They were:
-- A sample of "script coverage" on Lisa Yee's novel, MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS. This showed Michael's synopsis and analysis of her novel and whether or not he considered potential movie/TV material. He wrote "CONSIDER," which means "Worth a serious look; needs varying degrees of changes."
-- A handout explaining what points story analysts consider while reading and covering book properties. (Examples include "Characterization: Asks how realistic and multi-dimensional the characters are. Will audiences identify with them? Will they care about them?")
-- A handout explaining coverage "jargon." ("CONSIDER" was just defined above, but another example includes: "CONSIDER CONCEPT: Too many problems to adapt directly, but may be worth purchase for core ideas or key elements" and "RECOMMEND: Buy; needs no or almost no changing.")
Some highlights from Michael's extremely informative talk:
-- "Don't write what will make a movie deal. Write what makes a good book." He emphasized how different these genres are and you should simply concentrate on writing the best book possible, period.
-- Retain your movie and TV rights. "I'm a happier man because of my movie deal" given that he retained his own rights.
-- Get a movie agent or manager to help navigate through the Hollywood world.
Overall, Michael delivered a very thorough lecture on how Hollywood approaches book properties and why they option or do not option books. But the information he provided in the handouts and in his advice/examples during the lecture were both applicable not only to published authors interested in trying to get their works optioned but also for aspiring writers because the points brought up about how Hollywood story analysts critique premise, dialogue, storyline and premise ideas was very helpful. Another example of the excellent informative lectures provided for writers at SCBWI's national conference!
Posted by Paula Yoo
And here's Pt. 4 of ELaw's keynote with more colorful commentary!
PAULA: ELaw says "I really encourage you to be up to your elbows in this area when you're not writing." She's referring to reading and keeping up with the books in today's YA and children's literature. She's praising THE HUNGER GAMES and Suzanne Collins as "an incredibly economical writer." "Really read in the genre," she says.
LEE: (Silence)
PAULA: Uh Lee? Any color commentary?
LEE: Oh sorry. I was busy writing down ELaw's jewels of wisdom in my notebook. I want to remember every. single. word.
PAULA: I agree. ELaw is captivating the standing-room only ballroom with her incisive and insightful advice.
LEE: Uh, they're all sitting, Paula.
PAULA: Sorry, I got carried away.
LEE: Uh oh, she's now talking about the "bad news."
PAULA: Don't worry, she's just saying the bad news is that she can't tell us HOW to write a good book. She says that's up to us because we're the writers. Instead, it's her job to help get those good books out there.
LEE: You know, she's also having a really good hair day.
PAULA: I know! How does she stay so poised on Day 3 of this exhausting conference? What's her secret?
LEE: Could it be a Bumpit? Stay tuned for my Part 5 post to find out!
Posted by Paula Yoo
And... we're off! Elizabeth Law is now speaking. (I have nicknamed her "ELaw," like JLo.)
LEE: I like the pink sweater and the chunky jewelry. It's a nice touch.
PAULA: I agree. The pink really shows off her lovely complexion.
LEE: Oh, she's now talking about Egmont. Did you know their profits go to a children's charity? She's feisty, fashion savvy, AND generous. Talk about fabulous!
PAULA: Only eight people in their company? Wow. I thought WE had a tough job. SCBWI TEAM BLOG is a picnic compared to the hard work ELaw and her staff does!
LEE: I like that she doesn't whine or complain. She's very positive. She says YA hardcover is growing and children's publishing is the growth area of publishing. Oh, and she's seeing better manuscript submissions now. That's awesome! But she says we have to up our game because the competition is stiff.
PAULA: Hey Lee! Where are you going?
LEE: (Running away) I have to go revise my manuscript!
PAULA: You have plenty of time for that! Come back for more ELaw jewels of wisdom!
LEE returns... stay tuned for Part 3...
Posted by Paula Yoo
GOLDEN KITE AWARDS: SID FLEISCHMAN AWARD WINNER DONNA GEPHART
Donna Gephart's middle grade novel, As if Being 12¾ Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President!, won the 2009 Sid Fleischman Award. This award is for authors whose work exemplifies the excellence of writing in the genre of humor.
Although Sid Fleischman wasn't able to attend today's award, he wrote a speech in her honor that Stephen Mooser read out loud. Fleischman wrote, "This year's recipient knew at age 14 that she wanted to be a writer. She saved her babysitter money to buy a typewriter."
Fleischman praised Gephart's "irrepressible humor" which was not simply full of "ornamental quotes." He said she understood the true aim of comedy, that it was "tragedy wearing a putty nose."
Fleischman joked that Gephart "... also wins the award for the longest title."
Here are some highlights from Donna Gephart's speech:
-- She screamed so loudly after getting the congratulatory phone call from Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser that "... I lost my voice for three days."
-- When describing herself growing up, Gephart said, "I was the quintessential nerd... and I still am."
-- "This is the only award of its kind to honor humorous children's books, and it's pretty special. Even though I've been writing humor of different sorts for over twenty years, sometimes it's nice to be taken seriously."
-- Her advice? "If you've ever heard the words 'never' or 'can't,' I have three words for you. 'YES YOU CAN!'"
DAN LAZAR: "How to Craft a Winning Query Letter: Secrets to Keep You Out of the Reject Pile"
Highlights from Dan Lazar, Writers House agent, panel on query letters:
-- Website recommendation: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com (his bio is listed here: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/DanielLazar/)
-- Want some of Dan's secrets to writing a query letter that ROCKS? Here are a couple tidbits:
1. "If you can write the Next Great American Novel, then you can write a great query letter. Period." Dan brought two real query letters to demonstrate what worked for him, and one "fake" letter to show what doesn't work. One letter showed the writer's voice, which intrigued Dan who wanted to see the writer's voice in the actual manuscript. So if your voice comes through in a query letter, that can help get you out of the "reject" pile!
2. If you have never been published and do not have any publishing credits, don't worry. No need to apologize or even bring that up. You don't need logos or colored paper to impress. And it doesn't hurt to open with "a specific familiar reference. "I'm a human being and I have feelings, so you should appeal to my vanity," he joked.
3. Do NOT start with "To whom It may concern"!
4. MAIN THEME: BE SPECIFIC. Dan cannot stress this enough. He says you should be as specific as possible in your query letter, from stating why you are interested in pursuing Dan as your agent, specific details about your bio, your manuscript etc.
5. Try to avoid "What if?" when describing your book's story in a query letter. It's a "good tool" he says for sparking plot ideas and brainstorming, but not for a query letter. He recommends being MORE SPECIFIC and using more original language instead of starting off with "What if..." when describing/introducing the plot of your book in the query letter.
6. For email queries: He says find out first if agents accept these - he does, FYI. Technical note: Do not include any HTML coding because that can result in inconsistent formatting and invite spammers.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Dan offered dozens of tips and secrets on how to write an effective query letter. It was a packed lecture hall and it was clear everyone appreciated Dan's helpful advice. Again, another reason to join SCBWI and attend these conferences for fantastic advice from veteran industry experts!
Posted by Paula Yoo
Great session with Stephen Fraser. Quick notes:
The state of the children's book market is “cautious”. Publishers ask 'is this book essential to our list?'
We are in an era of no mediocre books. They don’t want midlist books. Pubs want books that will be best sellers.
So make your books stand out.
Posted Suzanne Young
Good morning! Did everyone survive last night's insanely surreal and super fun Blue Moon Ball party? In case you can't remember what happened last night (LOL), here are three photos I snapped for evidence of the merrymaking... if you want to see more photos, please check out my website for a wrap up photo gallery later today at
http://paulayoo.com
Picture No. 1: Jay Asher and I (Paula Yoo) found our Mojo! We did not plan out outfits together, but I was wearing a retro '60s blue velvet dress and white gogo boots (check out more pics later at
my website), so I was delighted to discover Austin Powers himself was attending the Blue Moon Ball. Yeah, baby! :)
Picture No. 2: This was the official SCBWI drink this year - a Blue Moon Frozen Daiquiri! If you weren't able to make last night's party, don't worry, I made sure to have one for you! :)
Picture No. 3: This picture is proof that YES, men DO attend the national SCBWI conference. (The statistics are something like 10,297 women and 23 men at the conference. I found two of them, picture book authors, and had to snap their picture as proof of their existence. I call them the Blue Moon Prom Dudes. LOL.)
For more updates on the party and more pics, check out my
website soon for more dish!
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WENDY LOGGIA, "I Wanted to Love This: 7 Reasons Why Your Manuscript Gets Declined"
Delacorte editor Wendy Loggia's panel focused on the manuscripts that ALMOST were accepted but were not quite ready for primetime. (She was not focusing on manuscripts that were obviously not ready at all, she was focusing on the manuscripts that are ALMOST ready to go.) She felt these 7 tips would help SCBWI members and aspiring writers as they revised their manuscripts.
WENDY LOGGIA BIO: Executive editor of Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's books; the focus at Delacorte is almost exclusively on middle grade and YA novels. She is the editor of THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series by Ann Brashares, the GEMMA DOYLE trilogy by Libba Bray, as well as several debut novels by SCBWI members including Kristin O'Donnell Tubb's AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT and Georgia Bragg's MATISSE ON THE LOOSE.
Wendy looks for a strong narrative voice, great stories, and for writers that display a clear authorial hand. She joked about spending "nine years crushing people's dreams" but then discussed the real reasons as to why she will pass on book submissions.
Some highlights from Wendy Loggia's panel:
-- She tells aspiring writers always to think about WHY someone will want to buy your book. They are going to pull out their wallet and spend 18 dollars or more, so make your book worth it.
-- She will pass on a manuscript that is "too similar to other novels I've worked on." Examples included writers who love THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series which she had edited, so they submit a novel just like it. She also says she will pass on books that are too similar to other books already in the marketplace. She says they have received a flood of similar Twilight vampire books, books about werewolves, etc.. "Instead of jumping on a trend, write what feels true to you."
-- Voice, voice voice. "I may love the concept, but I can't connect to the voice. The voice wasn't special enough, I don't see teens/tweens connecting to the voice, I think the voice is meant for adult readers. It may have great moments but if there's too much telling or not a compelling voice, I will pass on it."
-- Sometimes she will pass on a book if the author seems to be too much trouble to work with. "Working on a book is like a marriage," she says. "Editors and authors spend a lot of time together sharing ideas. It's not all fun and games. If person feels like trouble before process has even started, I don't want to get involved." She will google people who have submitted their work and read their blogs as part of her research to make her decision. She said "it's like a job interview."
These are just some of the tips she offered. All of Wendy's seven tips were all very helpful and telling to the standing-room only crowd at the main ballroom for both aspiring writers and published veteran writers. Again, another reason why this conference is so great - you get exclusive information that can really help you improve your writing and help you on your journey towards publication.
Posted by Paula Yoo
MELISSA STEWART: "The Art of Science and NonFiction"
MELISSA STEWART BIO: Award-winning author of more than 100 nonfiction books for young readers. Her latest is UNDER THE SNOW, a Junior Library Guild Selectio. She's a judge for the American Institute of Physics Children's Science Writing Award and a member of the SCBWI Board of Advisors.
Highlights from Melissa's panel on nonfiction writing for children and teens:
-- She provided a handout with lists of books to study for the following areas:
1. STRUCTURE: She recommended books such as "Beaks" by Sneed Collard, "A Place for Butterflies," by Melissa Stewart, and "Team Moon" by Catherine Thimmesh, along with several other recommendations.
2. VOICE: She recommends books like "Army Ant Parade" by April Pulley Sayre, "Lightship" by Brian Floca, and "Mammoths on the Move" by Lisa Wheeler, along with several other recommendations.
3. WORD CHOICE: She recommends "Baboons" by Melissa Stewart," "Move!" by Steve Jenkins and Robin page, and "If You Hopped Like a Frog" by David Schwartz, along with several other recommendations.
-- Her website is listed as www.melissa-stewart.com if you want more information.
-- For style, she showed example of nonfiction from an encylopedia versus an excerpt from a children's book that employed narrative non-fiction. It was very helpful for everyone taking notes on how to elevate their nonfiction from something that read like a magazine article to a narrative book form.
-- She says there's nothing wrong with a more straightforward, authoritative voice for a children's nonfiction book, but there's also room for a more casual, fresh narrative voice, depending on what is the best "voice" and "style" to tell your story and impart educational facts.
A detailed, thorough and meticulous panel that not only taught conference goers how to elevate their nonfiction projects but also provided fiction writers with great information on how to play more with language, word choice, voice, and style.
Posted by Paula Yoo
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More highlights from Brenda Bowen @ Agents Panel:
- On revising a client's work: "I was working with an aurhor on a picture book, and he revised it couple times. I said it was good and he said, 'Let's see what an editor says.' (Much laughter from the audience. Brenda shrugs.) Well, I have a different hat on now."
- As a former editor, Brenda says certain agents who have excellent reputations or cache can influence editors' expectations. When she was an editor, Brenda says, "I was aware that some agents' names in the inbox meant that what was attached, although maybe not perfect for me, was going to be really good for someone in the house, and that it was ready to go. I'd like to be one of those agents, like you folks (she nods to the panel)."
- Brenda believes in a long-term relationship with her clients. "I spent my time nurturing creative careers. It's not good for us to make one sale and never sell your work again. You have to imagine a partnership, to trust that we're going to give our best to each other and that we'll be there for the long haul."
Posted by Paula Yoo
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BRENDA BOWEN: "Agents Panel: The State of the Business" Part 1
Highlights from the Agents Panel: The State of the Business featuring Brenda Bowen, Sarah Davies, Stephen Frasier, Dan Lazar, Kelly Sonnack, and Marietta Zacker.
Each SCBWI Team Blogger focusing on one agent.
Stay tuned for live blogs from Lee Wind's blog on Dan Lazar, Alice's blog on Sarah Davies, Jolie's blog on Stephen Fraser, Suzanne's blog on Kelly Sonnack, and Jaime's blog on Marietta Zacker.
I'm focusing on BRENDA BOWEN: She is a literary agent with Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, a full-service agency founded in 1932, and the home of Dan Brown, Fancy Nancy, and Kafka. A former publisher, Brenda specializes in children's books at SJGA, and is always on the lookout for funny books for middle graders.
Highlights from Brenda Bowen's quotes @ the panel:
-- Her imprint, The Bowen Press at HarperCollins, became "a statistic" because it launched in January 2009 and was "axed" in February 2009. "But when a door closes, another one opens," she said to great applause, referring to her new job as a literary agent with Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
-- What Brenda is looking for: "A strong voice, assured confident writing, and creative use of language."
-- She does like "literary books" but she also has a fondness for funny books and asks that if you plan to submit a funny book, please indicate so!
-- For Brenda Bowen, please put "SCBWI-LA" in the subject line of your email query
-- Although Brenda has only been an agent since July, she's already signed some great clients. She says one person had written such a compelling sample via email that she downloaded the entire 15 pages attached and read it immediately and signed the writer right away. "So it does happen," Brenda says, adding that again, the voice was extremely "compelling" which is what sold her on the writer.
Stay tuned for more highlights!
ARI LEWIN: "How An Editor at Disney/Hyperion Evaluates and Acquires," Pt. 2
Some highlights from Disney/Hyperion Senior Ed. ARI LEWIN'S lecture (Part 2)
-- Picture books - keep 'em short! Doesn't do original board books (too expensive to produce)
-- "Things I do not buy: I don't love a lot of historical fiction UNLESS the voice is so so good that blow me away. Examples of historical fiction that are exceptions include A Northern Light and The Book Thief."
-- "I personally have a tough time with quiet or slow-moving plots. Quiet, I don't do. I don't do a lot of problem novels unless the voice is really fresh."
-- Editorial meetings are like "a really cool book club" where everyone reads the submission and discuss it in a "frank and honest" way and how it might do in acquisitions, publicity, and marketing before making a final decision. If editorial director approves, then they move to acquisitions.
-- Acquisitions meeting: She says people "dread" this because it's so important for editors who love a book and really want it to be published. What she does before she submits to acquisitions committee (they meet once a week): "I really have to come up with a sales handle. I have to write the flap copy and make it sound so exciting and compelling, just like something they would absolutely want... often times, I will massage what the story actually is because I know how I will edit/revise it. They will understand the direction I will take it in."
-- She also does an acquisitions form that has a one or two line sentence "sales handle," like "This is Men In Black meets Boarding School" for the marketing department. She went on to discuss the other aspects of how books are acquired, which include a profit loss statement etc.
-- Earn out formula: Retail price of your book, $16.95 times the royalty (10%) times the number of copies gives you how much money the book earned, minus the reserves."
She does an Q&A now with the standing room only hall of conference goers. Again, a very informative nuts & bolts panel about the editor's point of view.
Posted by Paula Yoo
ARI LEWIN: "How An Editor at Disney/Hyperion Evaluates and Acquires," Pt. 1
Some highlights from Disney/Hyperion Senior Ed. ARI LEWIN'S lecture (part 1)
-- They accept electronic submissions because of recycling/environment (Disney ordered Sony Readers for the editors)
-- Does a lot of traditional editor stuff - network, schmooze with editors, reads their client submissions on the subway and at home
-- "I don't read the cover letters the agents send me. I want to see the WRITING. The pitch can be awesome but the writing or story might not be. I trust the writing more than the pitch."
-- "What I'm looking for: I don't know any editor who would really say 'I'm looking for fantasy only.' We all want the same thing - good, compelling, engaging stories and they can come from unexpected genres you've never worked for. So oftentimes you know it when you see it."
-- "My No. 1 thing is VOICE. I'm looking for a voice that's fresh and original and believeable. I want the character to feel real and not like anyone else I've read before. It can't be generic."
-- No stereotypes wanted in voice and characteristics of the character. Dialogue should be realistic "If your two teen girls sound alike, I sort of sniff that out."
-- Recommends E. Lockhart's "The Boyfriend List" as an example of realistic girl teen dialogue.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
Posted by Paula Yoo
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on 8/8/2009
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EVE BUNTING: "Creating An Extraordinary Picture Book" with Eve Bunting, Melinda Long, Kadir Nelxon, Arthur Levine
Good morning! Welcome to Day 2 of the conference!
Arthur Levine of Scholastic is moderating an insightful panel with picture book authors Eve Bunting, Melinda Long and author/illustrator Kadir Nelson about what makes an "extraordinary" picture book.
To remind myself, I broke down the word "extraordinary" to these words: EXTRA ... ORDINARY. So to me, an "extraordinary" picture book goes BEYOND the "ordinary" and has something "extra" to it that makes it not only beyond ordinary but has that "extra" factor that makes it a future classic... and timeless.
The Extraordinary Eve Bunting spoke from her heart when asked what makes a picture book "extraordinary." She said "the heart" is what makes a picture book extraordinary. "I always ask myself when I finish writing a book - is it worth saying?" she told the audience. She stressed that if there is true "emotion" in your writing, that's what elevates your book beyond the ordinary.
When asked by Levine, "What makes YOUR book 'SMOKY NIGHT' (illustrated by David Diaz) extraordinary?", Eve gave this eloquent and moving answer:
"SMOKY NIGHT, illustrated by David Diaz, is 'extraordinary' because it won the Caldecott. The art was what won the Caldecott, but I also think the story was strong. It came from my emotions. I was in Los Angeles when the riots happened (in 1992). From our house, we could smell the smoke. I immediately thought of a child seeing the looting and hatred going on in Los Angeles, and if something jolts me in a way that it makes me ashamed or sorry or sad or happy, that's a book I want to do. So when I personally smelled that smoke and heard the noise and read about what was happening, I felt so much sadness and shame that people, as one famous person said, 'can't get along.' People should be able to get along no matter what their color or ethnicity. Unfortunately we will have more nights like the smoky night I was describing, so I believe this book was worth saying."
She added: "I need to have that jolt o emotion, that gets me going. I can't put it out of my mind, I think about it and it's a catharsis for me to put it down."
She also said that winning awards is not always the criteria for making an extraordinary book. "'Terrible Things' was published in 1980 but it's still published and still getting letters from kids who read it. I feel it's not always necessary that books win awards to be closest to your heart."
The panelists continued to discuss the craft of writing and illustrating their books and their own process to creating books. Keep reading for more blogs from our SCBWI TEAM BLOG to find out what the others had to say!
When asked if the authors had a special place to write, one author talked about longing for a "clean, well lighted space." Eve Bunting said: "I have a clean, well-lighted space now, but when I first started writing, I had an attic bedroom that no one used. It was dusty and dirty but it had a door and it was away from the children. I told them unless it was a fire or if they were hemorrhaging to leave me alone." (The audience laughed.) "I had a sign from a hotel that said 'Privacy Please' that I hung on the doorknob. But it didn't work. The kids would come to the bottom of the stairs, waving a sneaker and crying, 'I lost a shoe!' But now that they've flown the coop, now I have a clean, well-lighted space that's now my own."
Another fantastic panel at the SCBWI National Conference, and this blog was to provide with you with a taste of some of the jewels of wisdom offered by Eve Bunting. Again, I highly recommend joining SCBWI and attending the conference (full-time or part-time) because what we are blogging about only covers the tip of the iceberg. Imagine what else you will discover when you come to our next conference!
Posted by Paula Yoo
Arthur Levine had a great moment recalling a golden age. From a publisher's perspective: There was a period in the 80’s where there was a great momentum in picture books. The great thing about that period was the richness and input. People were talking about and wanting them. There was a sense that if he put them out there, people would want them. Now it’s harder. Now he has to do things differently to create extraordinary picture books. Like, cleaning the office.
Posted by Suzanne Young
Arthur Levine is leading a panel on Creating an Extraordinary Picture Book. His question to the distinguished panel: "What is an extraordinary book to you?"
Well, everyone is so bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning (not really) but they are trickling in to listen to Lin Oliver get us prepped for the wonderful upcoming panel. But already, she's got us cracking up!
She's reading from the submitted jokes. We were asked to take a popular children's book and change the title... something to reflect the recession. One of the winners: "Cloudy with a chance of Spam".
Getting packed in here now....
posted by Suzanne Young
A quick break in the action to show you a few photos from the day so far. Btw, TEAM BLOG has an amazing table on the SCBWI floor!
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Alice Pope, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Lee Wind, Paula Yoo, and Suzanne Young - You've done a great service for those of us who couldn't be there. Thanks for all your excellent blogging.
*clap clap clap clap*
Thank you!!
Thank you, SCBWI Team Blog!!!
Hi from New Zealand,
I've been following the SCBWI team blog the whole weekend and you guys did an amazing job...I laughed, I teared up, I was inspired...I was jealous...I am in awe...
In 37 days the National Children's Writers and Illustrators conference begins here for New Zealand. It is our first conference in 16 years and My team and I have been planning it for 18 months...I can't thank you enough for the inspiration you have been for me and my team and the wider community of writers and illustrtors in this country.
Kia Kaha..ake ake ake...
Be strong for ever and ever.
Maureen
Convenor
Spinning Gold Conference NZ Childrens writers and Illustrators.
Thank you to the SCBWI Conference Blogging Tag Team and your in-depth and personal reporting from the scene.
You made us feel as if we were a part of the moment.
You connected us to our colleagues in Los Angeles.
And isn't that the goal of every writer: to make us feel the story we're reading?
Great work, great thanks, and great gratitude for letting us eavesdrop on the party. {}
-Pamela Ross
New York
Thank you so much for doing this! I've enjoyed all the blog posts and tweets!
Thanks for a GREAT week Team Blog!
Thank you so much! Your sharing took some of the pain out of not being there. Hurray for all of you!
I'm still on a high from all the wonderful workshops and speeches I heard at the SCBWI conference. This was my second time around and it was as enjoyable as the first. Learned so much about the writing process. Thanks.
Hi. Wow. Thank everyone for the kind comments. We really appreciate it. I've also noticed some comment dialogue going on in the other blogs as well - yay! If you would like to keep up with SCBWI post-conference information, please follow twitter.com/scbwi as well as our individual blogs listed below:
Alice Pope: http://cwim.blogspot.com/
Paula Yoo: http://paulayoo.com
Lee Wind: http://www.leewind.org/
Jolie Stekly: http://cuppajolie.blogspot.com/
Suzanne Young: http://www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com/
Jaime Temairik: http://www.cocoastomp.blogspot.com/
We've all started posting post-con photos and wrap-up blogs at our sites. I myself have posted some blogs and photo galleries today and will continue to post some wrap-up conference blogs throughout this week. We also all blog regularly re: SCBWI events as well as blogs on the craft of writing for children/teens and industry/publishing advice, so keep in touch with SCBWI TEAM BLOG throughout the year!
Best,
Paula Yoo
http://paulayoo.com