Comments on: Inside the Mind of a Children’s Book Editor

By: Edward. R.

Edward. R. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:35:59 +0000

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.

By: Jon Bard

Jon Bard — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:56:19 +0000

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!

By: Debbie Duncan

Debbie Duncan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:47:38 +0000

Arthur Levine greenlighted Harry Potter in the U.S. His imprint at Scholastic publishes many of the best kidlit.

By: Marianne Mitchell

Marianne Mitchell — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:23:43 +0000

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?

By: Susan Berger

Susan Berger — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:06:06 +0000

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.

By: Jon Bard

Jon Bard — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:13:49 +0000

Hi Danielle - I've got a video response for you! Play Video Comment

By: danielle

danielle — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:56:33 +0000

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.