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| Andrea Pinkney |
Andrea Pinkney (bio from the African American Literature Book Club) is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of almost 50 books for children and young adults, including picture books, novels, works of historical fiction and nonfiction. Her books have been awarded multiple Coretta Scott King Book Awards, Jane Addams Children’s Literature Honor citations, four NAACP Image Award nominations, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor medal, as well as several Parenting Publication Gold Medals, and American Library Association Notable Book citations. In addition to her work as an author, Andrea has had an illustrious career as a children’s book publisher and editor.
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| Wendi Gu |
Wendi Gu is a children's book literary agent at GreenburgerKids/Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. She's lucky to represent voice-driven authors and dynamic visual artists who create early readers, picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels. She is most interested in finding illustrators, and contemporary middle grade and young adult and is not the right agent for science fiction and fantasy.
Some highlights from what Andrea shared in this panel:
Andrea Pinkney's first SCBWI conference was in 1989, when there were just 20 folks in the room (there are hundreds and hundreds here today!)
She speaks of the blurring of lines in terms of format and genre - "is it a picture book or is it a graphic novel?" We are publishing beyond categorys, and she'd like to see a lot more of that, including innovative formats like gatefolds and interactive elements.
Advice on what she's looking for:
"Bring your twinkle. Don't be derivative. Don't break the mold – smash it."
Andrea also tells us that you have to trust that your editor is really working for you. "Time may go by, you may not hear from me. But I'm in there. I've got the pom-poms." (for cheerleading.) She adds that editors and publishers want what you want. As many eyeballs on the book, as many books being run up on the register at bookstores as possible.
On managing her time as a writer as well as an editor and publisher:
Andrea writes daily. 4am is her "happy hour." She writes 4-6am every day of her life. And then swims 6-7:30am. After that she goes home, changes, and goes to work. "I stay limber." She compares writing with being a ballet dancer, that you need to have a practice, and says, "I'm always in the craft."
Andrea tells us an anecdote about caring so deeply about the books she publishes.
On awards: "that's not your beacon. Sure they're great to have.... But that should not be your driver," Don't make it what you're working towards.
Recalling the influence of mentors on her journey, including agent Marie Brown, Walter Dean Myers, and Toni Morrison, Andrea shares this advice:
"If you don't have a mentor, please get one."
Some highlights from what Wendi shared in this panel:
As an agent, Wendy Gu mainly focuses on picture books, some middle grade and graphic novels and 'select' YA.
Wendy speaks about a recent Authors Against Book Bans online meeting, and says, in the face of a trying political time, she was heartened to "bear witness to this very organized, very passionate community, that will fight against book bans in our country moving forward."
Thoughts on the creative-agent relationship:
When you're considering an agent,
"Question the idea of power dynamics. You should never be afraid of your agent. They are your colleague. They work for you. It is a symbiotic relationship."
And she adds, try to find someone with a spirit of organization. There's no limit to the amount of clients agent can take on. Because for every new client, they take on, they're spread more thin. So they need a system...
And the idea of being colleagues with your agent goes both ways. Wendy wants to get a sense with potential clients about communication styles, and to see whether or not they would be good colleague.
She asks herself, am I signing someone I want to represent forever?
Wendy speaks about the importance of having a community of agents so can speak to, and tells us more about how the team at HG Literary works collaboratively.
She sends a questionnaire to clients before their publicity meeting that helps with bullet points about the book, so the publicist knows how to talk about the author's original intention and background that relate to story. Provide a list of your local book community, local booksellers and librarians. Wendy reflects on how social media has become more and more anathema to how she wants to live her life. "It's hard to continuously treat yourself as a brand." Instead she suggests creatives "work to create a community within your own neighborhood."
How does she find new creatives to represent? She uses query manager and referrals from clients.
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