My Experience At The Conference: Helaine Becker

Thanks, Helaine!

My Experience At The Conference: Daniel Gundlach

Thanks, Daniel!

Ginger Knowlton: The Current Market For Your Work

Ginger Knowlton is the Executive Vice President of Curtis Brown Ltd. and represents many writers and illustrators of children's books.

Ginger's been at Curtis Brown since 1986, starting her work with Marilyn Marlow.

Agents are looking for commercial, bestselling work, but Ginger is always looking for good storytelling, books that are engaging from the start.

"Storytelling is key. Take me away to a new place and I will be happy to represent you."

Comment on how you would describe the current marketplace: 

Interesting times. Exciting, exhilarating, and exhausting.

When a manuscript comes across your desk, what would you like to see that would tell you that it has a place in the market? (other than a good voice)

You need a hook; something that she can incapsulate in two sentences.

Ginger gets right to the writing. The letter isn't what she's looking at. It's all about the writing.

Can you comment on a general trend you see in the marketplace that you feel is representative of publishing now?

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green is a great new book,  mixing tragic with comic.

Ginger predicts a blurring of the genres, and that transmedia is probably going to be more prevalent.

Regina Brooks: The Current Market For Your Books

Regina Brooks

Regina Brooks is the founder and President of Serendipity Literary Agency.

She shares her background (she was an engineer, later an editor, and feels that being an agent is the perfect mix of left and right brain for her.)  She started her agency 12 years ago, and has four agents that work for her.  She feels her agency is further distinguished from the field by also having a social media strategist, and says they help their authors build their platforms and even with their publicity.

Regina encourages we authors to think about what's our book's hook, as well as saying that she's looking for authors who are bringing something new.

She also runs an annual contest for YA writers - asking them to share the first 250 words of their manuscript and explains there is so much she and the editor judges can get from that - the quality of the writing, a sense of where the story is going...

Her taste?

She represents titles across the board, from the poetry of Marilyn Nelson (a three time finalist for the National Book Award) to "Putting Makeup On The Fat Boy" by Bil Wright, which just won the ALA's Stonewall Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.

"A Global Reach"

Regina says that when she speaks to publishers they want to look at books that have a global reach, that aren't too domestic or locked into the U.S.A.  If your book has a global reach, it's easier for her to sell.  She posits this may be the reason for the success and popularity of fantasy, as

"fantasy isn't locked into the U.S. or domestic marketplace."

State of the Union of Children's Publishing?

Regina rattles off five new YA imprints that have just formed, and feels this is a sign of robustness.  There are opportunities beyond the big six publishers.


Quotable Moment:

"Middle Grade is the new Y.A."

(Which means publishers are asking her for Middle Grade.)

The Agents Panel Begins!

Lin Oliver introduces, from left to right: Ginger Knowlton, Regina Brooks, Chris Richman and Ken Wright.

Team Blog will be doing individual posts to focus on what each agent is sharing... look for those soon!

The Bookmaker's Dozen Panel: An Illustrator's View

Thanks, Jess Yeomans!

Jane Yolen Announces A New Grant For Mid-List Authors... And the 2012 Winners!

Congratulations to Mary K. Whittington for winning this year's inaugural Jane Yolen Mid-List Author grant!  A published author who hasn't had a new book come out in a while, Mary recently had a stroke, and is halfway through writing a new novel using voice recognition software.  Jane calls Mary her hero, and hopes the grant helps her get that novel finished and out into the world.

And our cheers as well to Ann Whitford Paul and Barbara Diamond Golden for their honor grants.

More information about the Jane Yolen Mid-List Author Grant (and how to nominate a mid-list author you know for next year) will be forthcoming on scbwi.org, where you'll find information on all the author and illustrator Grants and Awards.

A Shout Out to the team behind #NY12SCBWI

The SCBWI Staff

Lin Oliver introduces to the packed room, from left to right: Brandon Clarke, Liz Brown, Gee Cee Addison, Kim Turrisi, Jeff Miller, Chelsea Mooser, Sarah Baker and Sara Rutenberg.

Thanks to you all for making SCBWI and this conference run so well!

Illustrator Social

Lots of fun last night in the Illustrator Social's packed conference room. Here's the first minute or so of the social with Cecilia Yung telling us about some SCBWI success stories:



Here's Debbie Ridpath Ohi talking about her SCBWI success story. Cecilia Yung holds up a copy of the fruits of that success story, I'M BORED, out soon!

Here's Fred Koehler talking about his SCBWI success story and a snapshot of his forthcoming DAD'S BAD DAY.

Here's some bloke named Peter Brown looking amazed at all the great illustrators in the room and the fact that someone had brought a giant bottle of vodka to share.

Let's have more of these! Thanks to all the illustrators for attending and thanks to the Illustrator Committee for making it happen.

Saturday Night Cocktail Gala

We mixed, illustrators and writers, faculty and regional advisors.

Yum!

We mingled.

And we found...

Community.

Remember, you can see more photos at the conference tumblr photoblog here.

ARE YOU READY?!?!? How many illustrators can you fit on a podium?

FRIENDS! We are so thrilled that the Book Maker's Dozen will be here tomorrow. Some of them spoke to us on Friday at the Marketing Intensive for Illustrators. We didn't want to give too much of it away on the blog, but we do want you to see Dan Yaccarino's fantastic trailers for one of his impeccable-as-always books, ALL THE WAY TO AMERICA!

Catch Dan Yaccarino, John Rocco, Sophie Blackall, Selina Alko, Sean Qualls, Peter Brown, John Bemelmans Marciano, Sergio Ruzzier, Brian Floca, David Gordon, Aileen Leijten and Brett Helquist on Sunday at 9:15 in the AM!

Ooo, and more of Yaccarino's awesome trailers:

Sarah Davies: THRILLERS

That's not a conference badge—that's a knife! Sarah Davies with her latest victim

Sarah Davies is a thriller addict. Her first taste was as a kid in England, she loved books by Willard Price, Agatha Christie. Some of you purists will say those are adventures and murder mysteries, not thrillers, but Sarah is here to tell us that action and ammunition alone will not make a good thriller, they need mystery and intrigue.

How do you make a thriller for kids? It's easier to do in young adult: YA thrillers can have elements of sexy romance, and bloodier action, which allows for bigger stakes.

A middle grade thriller is more action adventure, clue solving, and platonic friend relationships, with external vs. internal danger taking main roles in building the book's thrills.

The best thing you can do to learn how to write a great thriller is to read a great thriller, here are two Sarah recommends (and reps!) (Sarah also gave attendees a great handout on tips for thriller writing.)

Sarwat Chadda's (available in UK, edited by fellow faculty member Cheryl Klein for forthcoming edition) SAVAGE FORTRESS: 

And Megan Miranda's FRACTURE:

For something less scary, but just as intriguing and thrilling: follow Sarah on Twitter to see pictures of her dachsunds sleeping.

Jennifer Laughran: Fiction

Jennifer Laughran joined Andrea Brown Literary Agency in 2007. Her clients include Daniel Pinkwater, Calef Brown, Matt Faulkner, Jackie Dolamore, Ilsa J. Bick, Eric A. Kimmel, L.K. Madigan, Adam Selzer, Tara Kelly and Kate Messner, and many excellent debut authors.

Jennifer Laughran speaking to a packed room

Jennifer starts her session with sharing her background. She was a bookseller (her family owns an independent bookstore), then a buyer for a major bookstore and an events coordinator.

She became an agent in 2007 and finds the jobs are very similar – matching the right books to the right people… just in a more macro way.

Andrea Brown Literary has nine agents, Jennifer is their NY agent (the main office is in the San Francisco bay area.

They're the #1 children’s agency in the country, and they only represent children’s, PB to YA

Her focus is MG and YA
with a few authors who do PB also,
and a few author/illustrators.

Jennifer has a wonderful blog here's the link and has sold 78 books as of this month since 2008! (27 or so are out already.)

She covers a number of different metaphors and definitions of fiction, positing that fiction is always true, some element of truth, some part of the human condition that you’re exposing – that’s where “write what you know” comes in. It means “write what you know about the human condition to be true.”

She talks about many of the “rules” as a reader, and how you really need to ignore the rules.

A writing tip via author Holly Black:

“Write to please a reader self and not a writer self.”

Jennifer explains that means don’t write things that are boring.

“If you do get dressed in the morning, don’t tell me about it, I’ll take it on faith.”  Tell her about what happens when you leave the house and have an adventure.

Her Advice:
Write the book that you would have held close to your heart when you were a kid,
a book that only you can write.

Trends?
“trends suck. I hate them. I think you should be setting trends, not following them.”


The fact that the marketplace has contracted is a good thing for readers, but it’s tough for writers, means we have to work that extra hard. But she praises those of us here doing our work, saying we’re already one step ahead.

She’s running down different kinds of MG and YA books, and urges us to figure out how to differentiate our take on the subject if we’re going to write in a genre that’s well-known. Writing about vampires? How do you have a different take on it?

She explains how each of us can find our voice, defines high concept, and tells us

“There’s always a market for awesome books.”

Her tastes are “at the intersection of beautifully written and highly commercial,” saying the greater a manuscripts un-put-down-ability, the easier it is to sell, and that’s the book she wants to represent. She adds, “I am always interested in fresh unique funny MG and
mysterious, scary YA.”

She took a lot of questions from a very enthusiastic and interested audience, making us laugh many times and sharing so much great information.

Cathy Goldsmith: Picture Books for Illustrators

Cathy Goldsmith delighted session attendees with a multi-page handout outlining the key steps an illustrator goes through in their career, from submitting portfolios to going on a book tour. Here's a sneak at a point from each section:

Making portfolios (front load your portfolio with your best work!)
Starting to work on a picture book (ask about what type of binding will be used or whether you'll have illustrated endpapers!)
Considerations while working on a picture book (don't forget the gutter!)
Process (how many rounds of sketches will you need to get to final art?)
After publication (you might be asked to do additional artwork for print or online ads, be ready and willing!)

Martha Rago: Making Your Picture Book Stand Out

I'm a sucker for children's book historians (I have a Leonard Marcus cardboard cutout in my office!) and Martha Rago starts this session off with words from a favorite. A TOTAL CHILDREN'S BOOK BAD(er)ASS, Barbara Bader. Barbara contributes to THE HORN BOOK, which should be the first magazine you subscribe to if you are serious about having a career in children's books. 

She's also the author of the excellent AMERICAN PICTURE BOOKS: FROM NOAH'S ARK TO THE BEAST WITHIN, a book well worth the wait and weight if you can find a copy. Martha riffs off a quote of Barbara's to get us thinking about what illustrators need to do make their final artwork sing and the resulting picture book stand out.

Here are two of those things, briefly: 

1. Consistency of style. You can have more than one style, but they must all be strong and consistent. Martha's examples of illustrators with consistent styles:

Paul Schmid

Kadir Nelson

Adam Gudeon

  

2. Technical skill, you must master your technique! Susan Jeffers is a great example of someone who's mastered their particular media (medium?), in Susan's case, watercolors:

Susan Jeffers

Cassandra Clare: Love Triangles and Forbidden Love, Creating and Maintaining Romantic Tension in YA Literature

Cassandra Clare is the bestselling author of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series.

A strong theme of forbidden love runs through her books.

Readers go where the tension is, but readers also love romance. The path of love does not run smooth.

Love can be forbidden in several ways: by family, by society/taboo, or it can be unsuitable or dangerous in some manner.

Don't be afraid to create really big obstacles because it creates higher and higher stakes for your characters.

"The bigger the obstacles, the bigger the love needed to overcome them."

Love triangles are extremely popular. It's been part of our storytelling culture for hundreds of years.

Some pitfalls of the love triangle:
*Epic language, like "I will always love you."
*Indecision
*Having a love V, rather than a triangle because two characters don't have any connection.

"The kind of love story that is fun to live, is not fun to read about."

Surprise Guest!

Bigger-than-life Henry Winkler.  The photo is smaller than life.

Henry Winkler appears on the dais!

He's funny, and speaks of having co-written 19 books with Lin Oliver, being an actor and director and producer... even though he was never a good student.

They hatched the idea for Frank Zipster, and he's explaining their collaborative process.

"If you write what you know, not what you think other people will read or are selling or want to hear... if you write what you know, it jumps off the page."

He's very encouraging and inspirational, the crowd is laughing... He gets a huge round of applause and the crowd are on their feet!

The Morning Panel: Children's Books: Today and Tomorrow: Four Expert Impressions

from left to right: Rubin Pfeffer, Barbara Marcusw, Jean Feiwel, Nancy Paulsen and Lin Oliver at the podium

The morning panel is starting - we at Team Blog will be publishing four separate posts, so you can get the best of what each of these experts has to share:

Jean Feiwel, Senior Vice President and Publishing Director, Feiwel and Friends (MacMillan)

Barbara Marcus, Strategic Innovations Advisor

Nancy Paulsen, President and Publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin)

and

Rubin Pfeffer, Agent, East West Literary Agency

Chris Crutcher's Keynote: Turning Real Life Into Fiction

Chris Crutcher is the author of fourteen books -- eleven novels, two short story collections and an autobiography. He is also one of the most frequently banned authors in North America -- a fact he considers an accomplishment, rather than a drawback. Chris has been awarded the NCTE's National Intellectual Freedom Award, the ALAN Award, the ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award, the CLA's St. Katharine Drexel Award and Writer magazine's Writers Who Make a Difference Award.

Chris Crutcher giving his opening Keynote at #NY12SCBWI

To a sold out room of over 1,100 rapt writers and illustrators, Chris is telling us about his background and childhood. He worked as a therapist with troubled youth (dealing with child abuse and neglect and illness) for over 20 years, and he couldn't use those stories, but after a while the underlying truths became the stuff of his fiction.

He's sharing where the narrative voice came from for his books, and then the inspiration for and genesis of the character Ben Wolf from his novel, "Deadline."

He's reading an excerpt from the book now.  The room is still, listening to the words.  Moved.  Drawn in by the spell of it.  On the verge of tears, and then laughing.

And then, Chris says,

I love to make people laugh, and I love to make people cry, but what I want is for someone to read my books and go, Yeah, I get it."

That spiritual connection, the "what is the book about."  And he's sharing with us the moment he realized "Deadline" was about grief.

He's telling us the story of a child he encountered dealing with grief, and those of us in the room are rocked to our cores.

"The language of grief, and hard times can be pretty rugged, and we as writers need to tell them in their native tongue."

And one of Chris' best tips:

"If you're going to go down the tragic road, you want to go just as far down the comic road," explaining that you need to balance them out.

The room is up on their feet - an incredible opening keynote!

The SCBWI Photoblog!

Have you been taking great photos of your friends at the New York conference? Post them to the first-ever photoblog.

It's easy:

From a mobile phone, share your photos via email by sending them to:

zeoliazb565@tumblr.com

(The body text of the email will become the caption, not the subject.)

Or, from a computer, click here!
Enjoy the photos, and (to be read in the voice of a stern mother) use your best judgment when you post.