By Author: Editorial Anonymous

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Below are the latest articles from Editorial Anonymous. The results are culled from all sources Workflow: Writing follows.

  • Countdown: a Conversation with Deborah Wiles

    Perhaps you know Deborah Wiles from her moving picture books Freedom Summer and One Wide Sky, or her utterly charming novels Love Ruby Lavender, Each Little Bird That Sings, and The Aurora County All-Stars. (Some of my personal favorites.) Or maybe you’ve just noticed all the shiny awards stickers obscuring the covers of her books. Each of her books is a wonderful example of voice, character, and human nature, so I’m just one of the many people who are thrilled to their toes that she has a new book out: Countdown.Countdown is worth picking up just for the exemplary design of the book, from jacket to cover to endpapers to the way the many, many period images are treated. Even the details on the page edges! But most exciting of all is the way Deborah’s historical fiction combines a fresh, involving story with images and quotes from the 60s that…

  • A Phoenix Will Rise from Its Own Ashes

    Curiously, like racism! Except racism is more like the ugly, stupid, festering toad that you just can’t squash no matter how many times you hit it with a shovel.This charming book has a new cover! Look:And here’s the sequel:A further explanation here.You might start thinking that publishers simply aren’t listening to the strong reactions that recent instances of whitewashing have elicited from the community of readers / bloggers. You might even think that perhaps they’re hoping that eventually we’ll get tired of complaining about this, and they’ll help us get tired by giving us some more instances.But I don’t think that’s really what’s going on. I think what publishers and chain bookstore buyers are really thinking to themselves is this:”We’re not racists; teenagers are racists.”Now, whether or not there are book-buying teens who are racist and will not buy this book because there is a Chinese girl on the cover,…

  • I Loved Your Wedding Ceremony; the Decorations Were Gorgeous! Want to Read My Manuscript?

    I have finished a novel and think it’s ready to go out to some agents. My question may not pertain to a lot of your readers, but I value your opinion (and straight-shooting style). One of the agents I’d like to send it to is someone I used to be acquainted with in a past career (I worked with her husband, and was at their wedding), but I’m not certain she would remember me right off the bat. I haven’t been in contact with her or her husband for several years. I don’t want to come across like “Remember me? Wanna be my agent?” but I also think it would be silly/stupid not to remind her of my connection. After all, the novel deals with said past career, and the content is solidly within the lines of the things she represents (meaning I would submit to her regardless of a…

  • You Want to Acquire? Wonderful! Here’s the Other Half of the Submission!

    I am an aspiring author illustrator. My question is: for a first timer, how finished does the dummy have to be? I would expect more than thumbnails, but how close to the finished product does it have to be? Also, is it ever acceptable to send the manuscript alone and mention the illustration aspect only after a publisher expresses interest? Thanks.Certainly it would be fine to send the manuscript alone– if you’re willing for the publisher to choose a different illustrator. You cannot count on the publisher expressing interest before the editor has done the work of acquiring the manuscript, which often involves discussing a possible illustration style. If you’re unwilling to have anyone else illustrate, the editor will be very irked indeed to discover it at this stage. The dummy should have complete sketches and at least a couple pieces of finished art–all of which you would expect to…

  • Dropping the Namedropping

    I have one of those etiquette questions for you.Let’s say I have a beta reader who is a published author. If I submit to their agent/editor in the course of trying to sell the book, is it bad form to mention that this author was a beta-reader? Does this add any weight to the submission?Should I ask the author for permission before doing this? My fear with that is the author will think I am looking for them to pitch the book for me. All I would be trying to do is give the agent/editor the ability to access someone’s POV that has read the whole thing.Writing this out makes it all sound so passive-aggressive. So I figure I know the answer to all of this already.It doesn’t sound passive-aggressive to me, but your reasoning doesn’t make any sense to me, either– no agent I know would take on a…

  • Re-Vamp!

    Adam Rex and his friends are… what’s the word? Maybe there should be a new word for this.

  • The Future: It’s What’s for Dinner.

    I was shown a Dr. Seuss book on the iPad and had to wonder at the possibilities. As an illustrator I’m attempting to prepare for this brave new world by learning some animation techniques. As things become more digital do you think that this will be,A) Incredibly usefulB) Kinda handyC) A waste of time, static images will still be the norm(A), and sooner than anyone thinks.The future is not just ahead of us, it’s sitting on top of us. It’s sneaking up behind us. It’s the milk in your cereal and the monster under your bed. The future is here, but soon you will not be here! The future leaves no survivors! All your worst nightmares are about to come true! The future is here for your SOULS!

  • High Ho, Sparkles! Away!

    The question that I have is about query letters. I know that you need to put in any published work that you have. My question is, what really counts as a published work. My first novel “Redacted” was published by PublishAmerica. I have know come to realize that I got caught up in a trap. So should i mention that in my letters to agents. Or should I just not mention it? It is hard enough trying to get a foot in the door, I don’t want to do anything to hurt my chances farther.Look, you wouldn’t put your career as a unicorn trainer on your resume, would you? Even if the High Unicorn Shaman had conferred the title on you? Even if you’d paid a lot for the harness and horn polish?Self publishing is imaginary publishing. It’s as much a career credit as that time you traded your cow…

  • Your Manuscript is Too Appropriate. I Hate Appropriate!

    If I’ve written a YA novel over 100,000 words, will agents/publishers reject it right out simply because of word length before even reading my query? Or if my query is only so-so (which it probably is), could the word count tip the scales for tossing it?Don’t be silly. The Amulet of Samarkand? The Hunger Games? These ring any bells?…Unless by “over 100,000 words” you mean “200,000 words”. If you’re going to get into Deathly Hallows / Breaking Dawn territory, you better be J K Rowling or Stephenie Meyer, and I think I would have noticed that in your email address.

  • Also Included: Photos of the Design I Shaved into My Cat’s Fur

    I am an aspiring illustrator I am currently putting together a portfolio. Over the past few years I have painted a a few murals in childrens’ rooms and for some elementary schools. Would it be inappropriate of me to include pictures of these (original artwork, of course) if I feel that they showcase my talents as an illustrator? Or is it best to stick with book specific artwork? Thanks in advance for your help. Great blog btw.I suppose if you could manage very good quality images of the murals, that might be ok . . . but if you want illustration work, don’t you think you should show us examples of the media we’d be getting from you?

  • Black Holes: Powerful, Attractive, and Non-Responsive

    What are your expectations toward agents who have submitted a manuscript to you? I didn’t have one for my country because authors approach the publishing houses directly but I now have an agent from an established firm. This agent is keen and enthusiastic for my work and always gives good advice. My agent works well with my editor here but, despite the book having received two award nominations, the response is quiet from America. Do you have agents contacting you for follow up or does that bug you. I trust my agent but I am curious cos if it were me, I’d be picking up the phone and going: have you read it yet? Look at this book – it’s fantastic!Of course agents follow up to see whether I’ve read it yet.But there are plenty of editors who simply ignore such proddings (the most well-known and highest-ranking editors are often…

  • Can I Submit Now? Ok, How About Now? Or Now?

    I have submitted an unsolicited picture-book manuscript to a house that accepts these (with a policy of no reply unless there is interest). What do you think would be an acceptable waiting period before submitting a second manuscript?Just long enough so that they don’t clip the two manuscripts together (in which case probably only the manuscript on top would get read). Give it a week to be safe.

  • Where To Begin?

    ok, so im really confused i dont know how to become a professional writer and yes i know my spelling isnt the best, or my grammer but i think i have some great ideas and i hardly understand any of the crap that is on the internet about it. So please can u explain in a simple way how do i get something published or become a known writer, i wanna know now so that im prepared for the future.I sympathize about there being a great deal of information and advice (sometimes conflicting advice) available about the craft of writing and about the publishing industry. However, there isn’t a single best path to published authorship, and the advice you need could fill several blogs– it’s not something I can give you in one blog post. You could certainly start by reading Harold Underdown’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s…

  • Is Quirky a Good Thing?

    Is it ever worthwhile to de-quirk a novel?My book has one seriously odd character: a home-schooled narrator. The consensus among replying agents, however, is that the voice is just too “quirky”. Fair enough, but now what?Is a complete re-write in order? And a re-query to follow?Or should I trash the manuscript, hit the bottle, and move on?Yes, sometimes it is worthwhile to revise this sort of thing.Quirky can be great– it can mean charming, funny, unique. But “too quirky”… If you’re getting a lot of this feedback, I would start to wonder if what the agents really mean is weird and distancing.The right amount of quirky reminds people of themselves, their own uniquenesses. Too much, though, and you can lose your audience, especially among kids, who can be pretty judgemental about weirdness in others.Still there are good examples of very unusual behaviors and world views that absolutely work for the…

  • Laying Blame Where It Belongs

    Just once, I would like to see a reviewer say, “This book was a worthy effort by the author and designer, but was ruined by the publisher’s inept design and production decisions.”Is that distinction asking too much? Apparently so; I have never seen it, though it would be accurate in a number of cases.I’m not certain to what degree reviewers are aware of design and production quality– one imagines it’s somewhere between the public’s vast ignorance and the industry professional’s close scrutiny. But what books would you posit as examples of such a charge?

  • Fat Vampire: a Conversation with Adam Rex

    You may know Adam Rex from his alien-invasion novel The True Meaning of Smekday (which wins for most hilarious alien). Or from his bestselling poetry collections Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Frankenstein Takes the Cake (which win for best running jokes). Or from his very entertaining blog. Now Fat Vampire is about to come out, which wins for Best (Comic) Relief from the Vampire Craze.To find out more about his newest book, I put on my trenchcoat and met him in a darkened parking garage.ADAM REX: You’re Editorial Anonymous?EDITORIAL ANONYMOUS: Yeah. Why?ADAM REX: I dunno, I expected someone older, I guess. Isn’t this a school night?EDITORIAL ANONYMOUS: I’m often mistaken for younger than I am. If you guess my age, you’ll be wrong.ADAM REX: 42.EDITORIAL ANONYMOUS: Shit.(awkward silence)…So thanks for agreeing to this interview. I’m guessing that you saw and/or read a bit of the Twilight oeuvre, and reflected (of…

  • Why You Want the Intern to Read Your Manuscript

    From the intern over at Bookends Lit. She’s right!The editors and agents who are Established and Experienced and who you Really Want to Read Your Manuscript? They skim and discard the slush so fast it would make the faint-of-heart weep. An enthusiastic intern (with smart opinions) can make us actually read the whole manuscript.

  • How to Know What You’re Doing

    Brenda Bowen (www.bowenpress.blogspot.com) visited us at Dreamworks studios today. She shared her brilliant insight on how to get children’s books published. One of the things she said was that most agents right now don’t want to see rhyming stories. But she also elaborated by saying that there is a difference between real poetry and simply rhyming, and the former has a better chance if you really know what you’re doing. Do you concur with her advice, or do you have any additional thoughts on the topic? Thanks dude.I absolutely agree.There are a lot of people who know very little about children’s books and about writing poetry and who nevertheless don’t see any problem with that and send us AWFUL manuscripts.They can’t remember many children’s books outside of Goodnight Moon and Dr. Seuss, and so they figure most children’s books are poems. But they aren’t.They don’t read much poetry themselves, and…

  • 3 Questions: Following Up, Giving Up, and Saddling Up

    I am in the process of submitting my manuscript for my second children’s picture book to agents. I got a solid referral to a high-profile agent. The referral came from one of the agent’s award-winning illustrators. I sent my letter and submission but haven’t heard anything back after about two weeks. Should I follow-up? If so, should I follow-up with e-mail, or snail mail?I would like to resume submitting my ms to other agents if he’s not interested, and one agent had suggested revisions, so I don’t want to keep her waiting.What should I do?A couple weeks is a very short time for most agents, so it would be nice if you’d give him a little more time before emailing to follow up.Unless you told him that it was an exclusive submission, though, I would not wait to continue submitting elsewhere.I have written what I think to be the cutest…

  • Query Critique: Knowing Your Reader

    I am a first-time writer and have done quite a bit of research about how to write a query letter, but without feedback I feel like I am throwing darts blindfolded. I’ve found your posts dissecting others’ queries very helpful. Please let me know what you think of this query letter. I sacrifice it on the alter of your expertise and your readers’ thirst for blood. Or education.Ok. But what about MY thirst for blood?Maria Black’s 2,477-day normal streak is destroyed by a song. Intriguing first line.She hears the latest single from rock star Sam Montgomery on the radio and begins to fantasize about him.Um… bit of a let down? Fantasizing about rock stars is among the most normal things for teenage girls.When Sam and Maria meet and learn that they have each been dreaming of the other, Oh! Is that what’s going on? Clearer sooner, please.they choose to accept…

  • Bios and Nonfiction

    I realize that the agent reading the bio of a query wants to see relatedness between the writer and the subject about which they write, so with that in mind – can revealing help or hinder in any way what a prospective agent thinks when weighing the merits of the writer against his/her work? I know it may help if I want to write some legal thriller novels, but I am only interested in the YA and children genres.If you’re writing nonfiction, then yes, we really do want some reason to think that the nonfiction is not full of mistakes copied from Wikipedia, or “facts” revealed to you on a piece of toast by Jesus.If you’re writing fiction, there doesn’t need to be any related experience with your subject. If there is– if you’re writing a legal thriller for teenagers and you have legal experience, or have actually been to…

  • BEA

    Stands for Book Expo America.Full of publishers and booksellers and authors and some people who want to be one of those things but are kidding themselves.And when I say “full” I mean AUGH GET OFF ME I AM GOING TO START THROWING ELBOWS AND KICKING PEOPLE IN THE BACKS OF THEIR KNEES IF I DON’T GET SOME SPACE.Everything was packed. The show floor was packed. The ABC dinner was packed. The kidlit drink night was packed. New York was packed, and I fricking hate taxi drivers. There was a line two miles long for the Children’s Breakfast, and I had to pull chairs out from under other people in order to conduct the very important meetings I had scheduled with important people. By the end of the week I was communicating mostly in catlike teeth-bared hisses.I communicated this to one of our marketing people, and she said she had had…

  • All Signs Point Toward Needing to Read the Signs

    How should the text of signs be formatted in a fiction manuscript? I’ve seen it in all caps but I am not sure if this is correct. For example -They drove past the rickety WELCOME TO TULSA sign.You are over-thinking this. If you desperately want to be correct, you could look it up in the Chicago Manual of Style, which is what most people use. But most editors will look benignly on however you format such a thing– as long as it’s clear what’s the text of the sign and what isn’t, it’s fine. The copyeditor will adjust it to the house style later in the process.In the days of yore, when email was exciting, there were some who’d always advise us to send partials with SASEs. Part of the thinking behind this was to control who got to see your MS. Has that culture of mailing queries and partials…

  • How Interested Do I Have to Be?

    I was just wondering, in that vague kind of unfocused fashion that comes after just having had a full meal, what it takes to be an agent? A lot. Have you read any agent blogs, or is your interest too vague for that?Is there a course somewhere to prepare you for it? No.Is it merely a discerning eye for good stories? For what will sell? Yes. PLUS a knowledge of WHERE it will sell. Agents know the differences in publishing tastes between one publisher and another; one editor and another. AND they know the ins and outs of publishing contracts. AND they know industry practices and norms. AND they know the terrain of the modern author’s career path, and what’s best for them.If those sound like things you’d like to learn, then you could try interning at an agency.I’m a writing student at the University of Technology, Sydney, in my…

  • Query Redux

    In my zeal to share my brand new novel with the WORLD!!! I misinterpreted “cast a wide net” as “query a bunch of agents all at once.” No, I didn’t actually do the whole “Dear Agent” with a million email addresses in the “To:” field. That seemed rude to me… I simply googled agents representing my genre, and on Monday I sent 10 queries, on Tuesday I sent another 10, on Weds… etc.Only problem is, it seems my query wasn’t so hot. I’m getting more form rejections than not, a bunch of non-responders, and one kind agent who directed me to the Heroman’s guide. I did manage to score one partial request! But it’s still pending. My question is this: Of my sawed-off shotgun approach, there were about five “ideal agents,” eight “perfect match” agents, and several “might like it” ones. And I’m thinking if I’d stumbled upon Nathan Bransford’s…

  • Without Fear of Punishment… or Publication

    Do editors worry when children’s book authors post political trash talk on the internet?I’ve seen some pretty offensive comments on Facebook and other forums; as a result I’ve passed on purchasing several titles over the last couple of years. I don’t believe in banning books, but I just can’t bring myself to personally contribute to authors I find offensive. Well, editors are busy people and may or may not find the time to look into what a potential (or currently signed up) author is getting up to on the internet. So perhaps not– ignorance is bliss.But I would hope that if any of my authors held political views that they knew would offend major segments of the public (if aired publicly), they would take that under advisement. I don’t mean to say that they should necessarily say nothing about their views– I’m a big believer in free speech, and I…

  • Calamity Jack: a Conversation with Shannon Hale

    You may know Shannon Hale from her awesome Newbery-Honor-winning novel Princess Academy. Or maybe from her many other novels, which manage to be both thoughtful and a hell of a lot of fun. Or maybe you know her from that time you thought you were just going to hear another author talk, and ended up laughing so hard you had cross your legs to keep from peeing your pants.Or perhaps you know her from the fantastically entertaining graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge, which she wrote with her husband, Dean, with the fab illustrations of Nathan Hale (no relation). If so, you’re in luck, because–tada!– there’s a sequel out this spring: Calamity Jack, and there’s just as much fairy-tales-meet-the-wild-west hijinks as lit up the first book.In honor of its release, Shannon and I traded secret passwords and “met” in adjoining airport bathroom stalls.EDITORIAL ANONYMOUS: I enjoyed Rapunzel’s Revenge a great deal, so…

  • Books I Have Decided I Want

    Give them to me!What’s on your list, readers?

  • Art Samples: From Your Imagination to Our Recycling Bin

    Love your blog! I have a quick question about sending my artwork to editors. There are always several different types of editors: editor in chief, executive, managing, deputy, assistant, just plain editor, and so on. Who is the best person to send my work to so that it doesn’t end up in the trash? I am planning on sending my first sample pack to the art director and then send postcard updates to the editor as well.Those titles mean slightly different things at different houses. Any or all of those people may have a voice in illustration selection. Realistically, most of your samples WILL end up in the trash. That’s why you have to send a lot of them, to a lot of people. A few of them will like what they see and keep the postcard for future reference. If you want to send a more formal sample, like…

  • To Be Continued! Or Maybe Not.

    How does one decide how to split up a story into parts if the book is too long and the story is continuing into another book? Is it OK to end a book with a cliffhanger, or should you always come to some kind of resolution?It is OK to end a book on a cliffhanger. You should just be aware that if buying your book requires buying two or more books, the publisher is going to weigh their enthusiasm against the higher investment required.If you’re starting a series, consider whether you’re writing the type of book that often becomes a series. Genre fiction often carries series. Quiet, literary novels… not so much.


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