Inside the Mind of a Children’s Book Editor
Dec 10th, 2009 | By Laura Backes | Category: Publishing Trends, Submitting Your ManuscriptTo get published, it pays to understand the way editors think. Here’s a primer…
( A special welcome to visitors of this free preview of The CBI Clubhouse, The Essential Children’s Writing Resource. To learn more about the Clubhouse and why you should join our merry band of Fightin’ Bookworms, click here. Or, if you’d rather poke around on your own, click here to visit our home page.)
In an increasingly impersonal, computerized world, it’s comforting to know that the industry within which we toil –publishing–is still ruled by real, live humans. OK, so some of those humans happen to be beancounters, obsessed with sales projections and profitability reports. Fortunately, though, there remains a human core to the industry that appreciates artistry, encourages creativity and truly seeks to make a positive difference in the world. It’s time to give editors a little love.
They’re underpaid, underappreciated and overworked. They have to sift through countless horrible manuscripts to find the occasional gem. And, when they do find a winner, they get none of the glory. (Quick, name the editor who greenlighted Harry Potter…. See what I mean?)
I raise these points not simply to give editors some richly-deserved sympathy and respect. Rather, I do it to start you thinking in a way that can truly benefit your writing career. Taking the time to understand the life of an editor–what drives her, what moves her, what catches her attention–will make you a smarter, better and more successful author. In fact, one can argue that the phrase "give an editor what she needs, when she needs it" pretty much sums up the secret of making it as a children’s book writer.
(A quick note–I tend to refer to editors generically as females. While most editors are women, there are many superb male editors at houses large and small. No offense intended, gents. I simply can’t abide using the phrase "he or she" or "him or her" over and over.)
So then, what do you need to know about our friend the editor, and how can you benefit from the knowledge?
Reality #1: She’s swamped.
Editors are buried with submissions. Most of them have no chance of ever getting published: they’re not properly formatted, ignore age-range and page-length standards, don’t match the publisher’s needs and worse.
Success Strategy: Know all the rules before submitting. Take guidelines seriously. Research the publisher’s catalog and make certain your manuscript fits their style and scope. These simple steps, so often ignored, will give you a huge edge.
Reality #2: She’s walking a tightrope.
Remember those old cartoons where a character had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other? Being an editor is sort of like that–on the one hand, editors are trained to seek out creativity and artistic accomplishment. On the other, they have to deliver books that will make the publisher money. Most editors have far too much pride in their work to simply rubberstamp overly commercial pap and call it a day. However, they also have mortgages to pay and mouths to feed.
Success Strategy: Don’t allow your work to veer too far to the commercial or too far to the "art for art’s sake"’ side. Keep pushing yourself creatively, but take the time to study current bestsellers to learn what makes them "tick." Also, in your query and cover letters, help an editor see the commercial potential of your manuscript by indicating the size and scope of a potential audience for the book. (For example, your book deals with adoption. Research how many adoptive families are in the US, how many web sites exist on the topic, how many groups with newsletter and speaking opportunities are out there, etc., and make the case that a large, easily-reached market for the book is already in place.) You’ll look smart, you’ll demonstrate to the editor that you understand the need for promotion and you’ll separate yourself from the "wannabes."
Reality #3: She’s human.
The fact that real, live people are manning publishing’s gates is generally a blessing. Sometimes, though, human frailties can cause misunderstanding, miscommunication and frustration. Maybe your manuscript reached an editor on a day where her mind was otherwise occupied; maybe she has a personal distaste for the subject matter of your manuscript; maybe she has a jerk of an ex-husband who came from Kentucky, and thus holds a grudge against all Kentuckians. Who knows?
Success Strategy: If you’ve gotten off on the wrong foot with an editor, don’t take it personally. You can try making contact with a polite card or email, but don’t call or otherwise hound her. Don’t bad-mouth her to your writer buddies. Don’t complain to her higher-ups and don’t obsess over it. Successful writers know not to take rejection personally, and understand the value of patience, decency and compassion when it comes to dealing with those brave and tireless souls who work to keep flesh, bones, brains and heart a part of the publishing equation.
So go ahead and celebrate our friend the editor. In so doing, you just might be helping your career more than you could ever imagine.
Related posts:
. I have 2 questions at this point: How many submissions when you're just starting out (w/o) an agent is a good number? And when there are more than a few 'Editor' postions listed (senior, executive, etc.), who do you address your material to? Great stuff on this site. Articles and chat alike! Thanks and good luck to all.
Funny. My latest kids’ book follows every standard out there. I research EVERY publisher I send my manuscript to and ensure it’s a match. I have studied the book’s market and explained that the market exists, as well, have written a book that has not been introduced to the kids’ market. Ii have studied jacket flaps to ensure my query is punchy and to the point. Furthermore, I’ve “tested” the book on kids in the age market I’ve written it for. Yet, still, my manuscript has been rejected by some, and not received any response from others. Some publishers have had it for six months. Unfortunately, something about the traditional publishing industry is broken. That’s why more and more writers are looking at self-publishing. It’s not the ideal route, but if writers are willing and able to think like a business person and treat their book like a product that needs to be sold, that route can breed success – especially with the wealth of online marketing tools out there. Your article, unfortunately, offers nothing new for smart writers.
Hi Danielle – I’ve got a video response for you!
Play Video Comment
Forget being discouraged. Keep on!
I wrote a children’s picture book in 1993 with my (then nine year old) son Christopher.. It was sent out over and over. It was revised more than thirty times. Each time I could see how I could make it better, but with the help of various critiques groups, it did get better. The book was accepted for publication in 2005 and published in 2007 (when Chris was 25)
I have dreamed my whole adult life of having a TV series. I got one two weeks ago. I am 66. I am a semi regular on a new MTV series called Warren the Ape which will debut in January. Dreams come true at any age. There is no limit.
I have a blog with my critique group called Pen & Ink. We all have different perspective. I love each of their writing styles.
http://thepenandinkblog.blogspot.com
Right now I am continuing my posts of first lines from Children’s and YA books. I just wrote a post on Revisons which will be coming next week.
Please do not give up.
Danielle’s experience is all to common. Editors and publishers set up all these ‘hoops’ we authors must jump through just to get read, let alone get published. And we do. We jump. We follow guidelines. We polish our manuscripts. And for what? Nineteen months ago I sent out 6 queries to well-targeted publishers for my historical fiction. Only three have responded (no). The most recent one came this week–more than a year and a half later! I followed all the dos and dont’s these publishers had for a query submission. At the most, their guidelines said ‘responds in 6 months.’ So here I am all these months later still waiting to hear on the rest of the queries. If publishers are so understaffed that they can’t answer a query in a reasonable time, they should say ‘no’ to submissions. To ask an author continue to ‘be patient’ and ‘keep trying’ under the rules of this system is to assume the author has decades of years ahead of her. I don’t. You bet I’m going to look into alternative ways to publish this book. I may be doing signings at the Senior Center, but I’ll have my book!
Oh, and as to marketing, the publishers expect the author to do all that, too, so why not self-publish?
Arthur Levine greenlighted Harry Potter in the U.S. His imprint at Scholastic publishes many of the best kidlit.
Hi Debbie! I think the point Laura was making was the relative anonymity of even the most successful editors. It’s not a job for the glory seeking!
No talking animals. No vampires. No zombies. No magic escapes. Over the years I’ve seen all these on publishing and agency sites. So what happens, Harry Potter, Eragon, Twilight, and all their clones. The industry does not know what it wants even when a great story turns up in front of them. Do they follow a trend or do they blaze a new trail. Getting your story to market is a comination of need and luck and someone loving it..
One of my juvenile stories was rejected because it was “…entertaining, but won’t win us any prizes or awards..” That’s being psychic. Only a tiny portion of published books win awards. A publisher recently wrote me “..if your story is still available please send the entire manuscript.” This was after three years! They’re still reading it after another year. I may be published posthumously.
I will have a middle grade published next fall (unless Paris Hilton or a brainless celebrity bumps it.) My sucess comes from a dedicated , honest writers group, persistence, and luck.