SCBWI & The Author-Agent Relationship

Day 6 of the SCBWI spring conference re-cap. Yes, the re-caps are finally coming to an end. After Elana Roth's excellent session (photo shout out to Okie Book Woman again!), there was a panel discussion, but the meat of what I learned in the conference was in the previous lectures, so I will not drag this re-cap along any farther than today. 

Agent Elana Roth from Caren Johnson humanized agents for me. She took the agent "ahhhh" in the sky with angels singing in the background and brought it back down to someone who is there to work for you and with you. She continually emphasized that you, the author, are the commodity, and the agent should never forget that without the author, there is no job.

That said, Elana went on to parallel the agent/author relationship with that of a marriage. 

Stage 1: Dating

Just as in a relationship with a significant other, before you go on a date, you make sure you yourself are in the best state possible, the same follows for your mss. It should be in the best state possible--revised, edited, etc. before you put it out there.

She also advised to know what you're looking for and make sure you "woo" the right agent. Elana suggested making a list of first-round and second-round agents, so once you're through the first list, you have even more you can query.

Her final point was to make sure you talk to the agent and ask questions (have them prepared ahead of time) to make sure you and the agent have similar expectations (eg. response time, vision for your career, possible editors to submit to, how you like to communicate, level of editorial work the agent will do, etc.)

Stage 2: Marriage

This is when the legal and business terms come into play--the contract. Elana emphasized that you should read the contract and make sure your rights are protected. She referred us to aaronline.org's FAQ section for a handy resource.

In a marriage, one of the challenges is the balance of power; the same follows with an author/agent relationship. The Author provides the product. The Agent provides the guidance and facilitates movement in the marketplace. In this relationship, as with marriage, communication (2-way) is vital. Trust is also indispensible.

Stage 3: The Divorce

If the passion for your writing dies, the relationship won't always work out. Elana's suggestions for when you need to part ways included these bits of advice: A) Talk it through--be curteous B) Terminate the agreement before you look for a new one C) Find out the book's status with all editors before you terminate D) Contract should cover all details pertaining to money.

Bonus agent info: In a recent lecture by Nathan Bransford at the University of Tulsa, he

 addressed a question about how common it is for great authors to be passed by numerous publishing houses before someone picks them up (citing J. K. Rowling as an example). Nathan said that it's not as common as it's made out to be, and more importantly, something like Harry Potter may not have been the phenomenon it was if it had been taken by the wrong agent. You want someone who LOVES your book. If those people who passed on it didn't have the passion

to make it what it is today, then you don't want an agent like that anyway. 

Back to SCBWI, all-in-all, I really enjoyed Elana's humor and wit as she presented her topic. Considering she was up against a rough time slot (an hour after lunch), she did a great job engaging the crowd and informing us about the harsh and happy details of reality. 

As the conference wrapped up, I finally got the guts to pull out my camera. I got a single shot of the panel, and I made sure to get a picture with Stacy Nyikos who is both an accomplished author and my seat neighbor for the bulk of the conference. 

SCBWI & The Role of the Editor

Day 5 of the SCBWI Spring Conference Re-cap. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of Abigail Samoun, so you will have to simply enjoy the tragically beautiful tulips wilting under the heavy snow that fell that day. Ahh, classic Oklahoma weather. We always have a random snow in March before spring is allowed to officially arrive.

That being said, when I wasn't looking longingly out the window and wishing I was back at home with my baby girl enjoying her first official snow, I was learning and growing under the able tutelage of Abigail Samoun, editor at Tricycle Press (an imprint of Ten Speed Press). 

Abigail's speech painted a concrete picture of what an editor actually does. She began with a candid photo of her desk (well, we had to go on faith that the desk was there, it was not actually visible under her piles of books, letters, computer, slush piles, etc.) and continued through her job description, a motivational speech about rejection letters (and a tasty tidbit--if the editor personally signs their name, follow up!), and finally ended with some insight into the process of editing a manuscript. 

Abigail told us that they generally receive 150 submission a week which amounts to 7500 a year  (only 3-4 of those are actually chosen for publication). She did encourage us to submit since Tricycle is one of the few publishing houses that still accept unsolicited manuscripts. 

As an editor, her job responsibilities include guiding a project through the development stage; championing projects (this point was brought home with an example of a book that wasn't immediately accepted in acquisitions, but she fought for and won); offering guidance and suggestions; keeper of the story's logic and clarity; helper to find the perfect illustrator, art director; and communicator with production staff. 

Abigail made it clear that a relationship with an editor can be a work in progress. While you may not hit it off or get accepted right away, if there are signs of interest, you should definitely continue to reach out. It may take years, but developing a relationship with the editor can pay off in the long run.

Most of Abigail's illustrations centered around a book she worked on called The Day We Danced in Underpants. With a title like that, I was immediately sold.

**Due to my desire to finish up my SCBWI re-cap in a timely fashion, I have taken a break this week from the Wednesday Walkthrough series, but they will be back in full form next week!**

SCBWI & The Business of Writing

Once I get my first contract and sign for a multi-million dollar advance, I'll look like this lady above. wink. wink. I'm kidding. But, when publishing does become part of my world, today's lecture recap will come in handy. This is day 4 in the SCBWI spring conference recap. This one will be short and sweet.

Gail Gross from Intellectual Property Attorney, LLC, spoke about the technical side of contracts and negotiations. I scribbled notes furiously while she promised to "go slow," but I was soon left in her dust of terms and negotiations. Two things I learned from this lecture:

1) When I get published, if I don't have an agent, I better hire someone to read over the contract for me because I don't know enough to know if it's fair and if all of the rights are taken care of properly.

2) I need an agent.

3) I promised only two, but here's a bonus. When I start getting royalty reports, I should do the math myself and make sure the "numbers add up." Since I was a nerd and loved math in school, (I often taught English using mathematical equations since it just made more sense to me that way), I think I'll enjoy this part of the publishing experience. Gail also cautioned that "cumulative" does not necessarily mean publishers are calculating from the beginning of the contract. Sometimes it's just from the beginning of the last time they fixed or upgraded their computers.

**Photo courtesy of Okie Book Woman

SCBWI & What Makes a MSS Stand Out

Day 3 of the SCBWI OK Spring Conference Re-cap:

Mary Kate Catellani, (pictured above far right, thanks Okie Book Woman!) assistant editor at Walker Books for Young Readers gave an insightful look into what makes a manuscript stand out. She illustrated most of her points with class works that generally fall in the midgrade novel genre, and she left all of us smiling as she wrapped up a short, but sweet, lecture. Here are her five main points.

1) Plot. It needs to appeal, be unique and intriguing. It should stand out from the others. It should have unique details. She also cited "high-concept plot" as popular now. She even defined the new term for us. It's simply a plot that can be described in one (fairly short) sentence.

2)Voice. Her definition of voice that stuck with me was "the inkling that makes me stop and think again of what I just read." She used an excerpt of Abigail Iris The One and Only to really bring her point home. The entire time she was reading, I felt transported back into my own head as a young child. It was surreal to have so many moments when I thought, "I remember feeling that way." Now, that's an accomplishment! Mary Kate

 also admitted that voice is the primary reason she turns manuscripts down.

3) Characterization. MK referred us to Shannon Hale's website for writing exercises to develop characters, and she again gave some poignant examples of well-developed characters such as Gianna Z in The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z (to be released this fall) and the book Chasing Boys.

4) Setting. A couple of great examples: The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z and Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning.

5) Detail. This wasn't something I had read or heard before. But MK talked about how well-written details really sell the piece and give it character. Her example, "My friends say I look like Anne Frank."

Mary Kate also detailed what kind of books she's looking for right now: plots where cultural or spiritual identity is explored, funny characters starring in picture books, nonfiction with a new angle. She is not open to chapter books.

Not only was her lecture great, Mary Kate was very approachable (like all of the speakers this conference) and humored me by answering some personal questions as well. I really appreciated that. She confessed her relationship with the slush pile was a sparse once-a-month fling. But she also affirmed that if your work is well written, it was easily stand out in the pile. Guess I better get back to writing!

Early Readers & Chapter Books Defined at SCBWI Conference

Above photo of Kristin courtesy of Okie Book Woman :)

Day 2 of the SCBWI Oklahoma Spring Conference Re-cap

Kristin Daily editor at Harper Collins--my personal favorite speaker--covered a topic I'm most interested in now mainly since the book I've written falls into this category. She gave concrete details on what defines a chapter book and early reader. I have not been able to find information this specific before now which means this session alone was worth the price of admission.

EASY TO READ

Easy to Read books are generally 32-48 pages and are very structured. The primary goal of an easy reader is to put the first book into a child's hands that they can read on their own. ETR are not intended to be used in or with education texts, but often they are. ETR books generally come in one trim size (6" X 9"), and the font is usually a large 36 pt. Times New Roman. The content of the book is key despite the highly structured nature of the book--in other words, writing a good story is still the most important aspect of the book. Vocabulary is important, but the occasional difficult word is okay to include as long as the context clues surrounding the word make it easier for the child to define. 

Also, along the lines of plot, ETR stories always center on the child. ETR stories are mainly told through dialogue and action. There is very little description, and the story should jump right into the action from the get-go. The sentence structure should be simple, but, as Kristin pointed out, this does not mean it has to be short choppy sentences (because that constitutes a boring story). 

Illustrations for ETR are literal and concrete. Their purpose is to help the reader decipher the words in the text.

CHAPTER BOOKS

Chapter Books are a little different. The general audience of chapter books are children ages 6-10. The youngest chapter books start at about 60-70 book pages (about 5,000-6,000 words). The older chapter books (riding a fine line with midgrade novels) range from 9,000-10,000 words and generally have about 140 book pages. 

CB generally have some black and white illustrations. Their plot is simple and does not include a lot of struggle. Generally the main character is over the top such as Captain Underpants. Kristin cited Bruce Hale's Underwhere series as a great place to look for quality writing in this genre.

Thank you, Kristin, for such a helpful and informative session. As I said at the conference, I'll be sending you something soon :)

SCBWI Oklahoma Spring Conference

This past weekend I spent my Saturday learning the in's and out's of the current children's publishing world at the SCBWI Oklahoma Spring Conference.  This year's speakers came well-prepared with informative and helpful lectures. The speakers included Laurent Linn art director from Simon and Schuster for Young Readers; Mary Kate Castellani assistant editor at Walker Books for Young Readers; Kristin Daily editor at Harper Collins; Gail Gross royalty consultant for Intellectual Property Attorney, LLC; Abigail Samoun editor at Tricycle Press; and Elana Roth agent for Caren Johnson Literary Agency.

All of lectures had me scribbling furiously in my notepad. In an attempt not to overwhelm you'll, I'll cover one speaker per day. 

Laurent Linn talked about the importance of having a unique take on a story, and as far as art direction goes, he said that current illustration trends are very cinematic in nature. The Scarecrow's Dance is an excellent example of that. He also categorized children's books in six genres I had not considered before: Holiday, Folk/Fairy Tale, Children's Discovery of the World, Young Child Deals with a Difficult Concept, Non-fiction, Animal. Two great quotes from his lecture: 

"Know it (the writing craft), learn it, then forget it and let your subconscious do the work."

"Don't try too hard to do something unique because everyone is (inherently) unique."