Editors Panel: Andrea Pinkney

Andrea Pinkney

Andrea Pinkney wears two hats, and wears them well.  She's a New York Times best-selling and award-winning author of more than 30 books for children and young adults, and is a Vice-President and Executive Editor at Scholastic!

She starts with some show and tell of some of the books she's edited, including Exclamation Point, Glory Be (a SCBWI Success Story!) and Drawing From Memory.

From her editor's perspective, Andrea shares that she works with notables and newcomers, and that she is always looking for the next newcomer who will be notable...  (and she says this looking around the ballroom!)  She tends towards books that are multicultural and is "particularly fond of things that don't fit in a box."

She compares her acquisition thought process to a marriage.  First, you have chemistry with the person, then you feel smitten, you have an emotional connection, and you feel yourself falling in love.  Similarly, Andrea asks herself about a book,

Am I still going to feel this way two years from now?  Twenty years from now?  Will my grandchildren feel the same way about it that I do?

Will it stand the test of time?

Sometimes books like Hunger Games land at the exact right moment to be a hit, but Andrea thinks with our world of wars and reality TV shows that that book has what it takes to be a perennial.

There's lots of discussion on the panel about the ins and outs of acquisitions meetings, and Andrea gives an example of how she championed "A Wreath For Emmett Till" - the Marilyn Nelson book that went on to win a Coretta Scott King and Printz honor!

The editors panel also explores the what (and why) of books staying in print, the influence of genre on a book's success, the new Core Curriculum, and much more.

What a great way to find out more about Andrea and her colleagues, and get this insider's view of publishing!