The Industry Panel: Andrea Pinkney and Wendy Gu

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.

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.

Editors and Agents Panel: Tiff Liao

Editors and Agents Panel: Tiff Liao 

Before we jumped in, a poll was cast and for many attendees, this was their very first conference, spanning countries, time zones and stages of career journeys. 

"Always looking for books that are timely and timeless, stories that speak to the current moment but have a lasting impact."

Tiff Liao

Q: On submissions: Open or close? What are you looking for?

A: Currently close to submissions, but she is always on social media looking at what is happening in the business. You can follow her @tiff_liao

Q: The publishing world is always changing and the last few years have been challenging, but children's books bring hope. With editors and agents changing houses, there is a sense of publishing not being a stable environment. Talk about fears, what is the reality, how different is it now, and what your feelings are?

A: "As Laurent said, we are humans in this industry, we are a reflection of our environment." Changes and challenges are inevitable. In this business, we tend to focus on imprint closures but new imprints are happening as well. A refresh of perspective takes a while and publishing can take a long time to see the positive. But we are a resilient industry. 

For the creator: Find alignment and partnership in your agent and peers so you can focus on your work. They can help guide you through those changes

Q: Trends? Should creators write something commercial? What are the current trends? What is and isn't selling?

A: Tiff suggest not paying attention to trends. Publishing books takes up to 18 months to 2 years, so by the time the book comes out, the trend may be over-saturated or tired.  

As an editor, Tiff tries to foresee what will be most exciting in the future, seeking out fresher perspectives. Trends are cyclical. What may be tired to an adult may be new to a young reader, so finding the discernment between editor fatigue vs reader fatigue is important. Follow your passion, and write what makes you want to sit at the typewriter and create!

"You be YOU" 

Laurent Linn

Q: On craft: How, as an editor, do you approach craft?

A: For Tiff, at the start of the editorial process, she asks "what is the heart of the story? what do you want to preserve and protect?" 

"My role to help fix the mechanics, to enhance parts that are working."

Tiff is hands-on in the process, where she partners with the creator and works from top to bottom, beginning with large scale edits (character, plot, world-building). "I work very closely to the text." Then with each round, gets closer and closer, until finally, they polish it by the end. 

"I am here to support the author. I will hop on the phone or let the writer take the notes and edit on their own-whatever they need in their process"

Tiff asks a lot of questions and throws out pitches/ideas, helping to figure out how to address trouble areas. She stressed that it is important to adapt to the author. " You are the master of your world. I am here to help create and guide you to keep you excited and passionate about your vision"

She finds areas that can tightened/improved, emphasizing what is working well/what the writer loves.  Tiff wants the author to take the "spirit of the note" to help excavate parts of their brain to make the story sing to the reader. Tiff is upfront early on that she is there to support and will talk through every aspect but the writer is the navigator of the story.

"I'm your champion, your coach! Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work."

Q: On mentors: What is some inspiration from a mentor that has stayed with you? Informed who you are and where you are?

A: Tiff believes the best part of her job is learning. 

"Being a sponge sustains us."

Beverly Horowitz of Delacorte Press, told her the importance of remembering "It is not about you, it is about the young reader."

All of the work you do is to support the reader's intellectual, creative, and emotional journey, giving them knowledge, ideas, resilience, joy, etc. There is so little we can control but you can control the fact that the work you do is not about you. Always return to that. 

"Look in the mirror and ask yourself, 'Did I do my best?'"

This has been grounding for Tiff and she hopes it can be grounding to all in the industry.

Tiff Liao
Editor

About
Tiff Liao is Executive Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers. She's had the honor and joy of editing award-winning and bestselling authors including Tomi Adeyemi, Angeline Boulley, Dhonielle Clayton, Maurene Goo, Goldy Moldavsky, Tochi Onyebuchi, Margaret Owen, Jenn Reese, and "Queer Eye" star Karamo Brown. Previously, she was at Zando, where she launched the young readers program, and at Macmillan. Born and raised in California, she now lives in Nyack, NY, with her husband and puppy-cat.

Editors and Agents Panel: Saba Sulaiman

 

from top left: Laurent Linn (moderator), Josh Adams, Tiffany Liao, Saba Sulaiman, and Sonali Fry

Saba Sulaiman is a Senior Agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services, a boutique agency located in Milford, CT. She holds a BA in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies from Wellesley College and an MA from the University of Chicago, where she studied modern Persian literature. Being an immigrant who is constantly negotiating her own identity and sense of belonging in a place she now calls “home,” she is committed to championing books by writers from marginalized communities with compelling stories to tell; stories that demonstrate the true range of perspectives that exist in this world, and address urgent and often underexplored issues in both fiction and non-fiction with veracity and heart.

In Saba's introduction, she shares that her list right now is heavily picture book, and she's looking for more novels (she represents picture books all the way through YA, fiction and nonfiction.) Saba is drawn to character-driven narratives, unique and high stakes, morally gray characters, some humor (sharply observed humor), subtext, messiness of being human, timely and timeless.

Saba likes stories that "de-center me from my perspective" and "writers who can write in a way that can make ordinary things... feel fascinating."

And a warning about writing to a trend: "I can tell when a story's gimmick outshines its emotion."

Tries to "develop unique working relationships with each of my clients... they all have different circumstances in which they thrive creatively." Saba prefers working with clients that write across categories. Looking to work with authors, and careers.

What a great discussion!