Farrin Jacobs and Denene Millner: Editors Panel #scbwiWinter22

 

Editor Farrin Jacobs

Farrin Jacobs is editorial director and vp at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She has edited a variety of fiction and nonfiction, including New York Times best sellers Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World, and Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by author/illustrator Vashti Harrison;  I Am Malala and We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai, as well as the picture book Malala’s Magic Pencil;  I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda with Liz Welch; and Printz-winner Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

Editor (and author) Denene Millner

Denene Millner is the editorial director of Denene Millner Books, an imprint that publishes stories featuring Black children and families, by Black authors and illustrators. In her imprint’s debut year, Denene published Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, one of the most decorated picture books of 2018. Her debut list at S&S earned a second Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award Honor for Illustration when she published Cozbi A. Cabrera’s Me & Mama, along with the NAACP-nominated Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Duncan, and Wings of Ebony, a YA fantasy book that debuted on the New York Times best seller’s list. Denene is also a six-time New York Times best-selling author, Emmy Award-nominated TV show host, and award-winning journalist who has written 31 books, among them the picture book Early Sunday Morning. The Atlanta-based editor and mom of two is interested in stories that celebrate the humanity of Black children. (FYI - Denene is pronounced De-neen)

Highlights from what Farrin shared:

"I love voice. Especially for YA and MG - I love a sad story told by funny people." On the NF side, Farrin is looking for stories that haven't been told before, and is looking to lift girls' voices.

Illustrators: "Put your portfolio on your website." Especially if you want to illustrate picture books, make sure you're showing you can do sequential art and tell a story.

Common denominator of authors Farrin works with: Kind people.

If we're asking to revise and see again before acquisition, "we're serious." If Farrin puts time into it, to give notes, it's with the hope of setting it up for success for acquisitions.

On writing across age, subjects, genre categories: on the business side, it can be challenging - if we're trying to develop you as a YA writer, and suddenly you have a MG, it can be hard. Book buyers at retailers have to buy in... How many books can you produce a year. Are you over-publishing? That said, if you're amazing at all the things, we want to be there for that.

Farrin also spoke about the tension between creativity and commerce, the "collaborative" acquisitions path books take at Little Brown, how sometimes they pass things to other editors if not right for them, and much more.

Highlights from what Denene shared:

"I really love it when I get a story that speaks to the mission of Denene Millner books." Books about joy, bonding and loving with family. Pet peeve is that most of children's book with African American characters have been focused on Black firsts, or Civil Rights, or slavery... "As a mom, I didn't want to read those stories to my kids before bedtime" Bonus: "if it's really beautiful and I can look at it and see art and imagine illustrations... that makes me really happy."

Acquisitions is more straightforward - as part of Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, Denene runs it by Justin Chanda, and if they agree, Denene can make an offer. 

Denene does look at unsolicited manuscripts, and loves social media for authors and illustrators. 

"I love working with illustrators... it's crazy as hell and beautiful to see." The collaboration can be magical. 

On working with authors: please remember Denene is "trying my best to help you make this book the best book it can possibly be." Denene is a writer as well, who has written 34 books and been through this before, so understands the journey. 

Denene publishes exclusively African American authors and illustrators. Loves books that stretch outside New York City, outside northeast. And she applauds working across age, subjects, and genre categories - as it's something she does herself.

Denene also spoke about how things have changed since the pandemic and the racial pandemic - Black Lives Matter - she's seeing lots more manuscripts of Black folks celebrating joy. Now she's competing with other publishers for those stories. It's "a trend that makes me very happy. And a trend that makes readers very happy."

The Editors Panel is Happening Now!

 

The editors panel - clockwise from top right, author curator (Heartdrum/HarperCollins) Cynthia Leitich Smith, Emma Ledbetter (Abrams Books for Young Readers), Michelle Frey (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers), Farrin Jacobs (Little Brown Books for Young Readers), Denene Millner (Denene Millner Books/Simon and Schuster), and ASL interpreter Lynne Kelly.

The Editors Panel!

top row: moderator Lin Oliver, sign language interpreter Brian Truitt, and Carol Hinz
middle row: Emily Feinberg, Kandace Coston, and Melissa Manlove
lower row: Sydnee Monday and Farrin Jacobs

Moderated by Lin Oliver, the panelists discuss what they're publishing and why, and then answer some audience questions.

Highlights include:

Kandace Coston, Assistant Editor, Lee & Low Books:

Kandace is looking for "strong female protagonists...unapologetic women who have been overlooked by history" but "whose contributions to society cannot be ignored."

Kandace speaks of POC and native creators and other underrepresented communities, and how Lee & Low's New Voices contest has for the last 20 years worked to create a path to publication for those creators and stories. (One of her responsibilities now is to read the hundreds of submissions that come in for the contest.)

She discusses the demand for greater diversity, and how "writing nonfiction can become a form of activism."

She recalls watching Hidden Figures in the movie theater, and the impact the true story of a brilliant group of Black women mathematicians might have had on her if she'd seen it as a young person.

Nonfiction is "an opportunity to break stereotypes... and the story of how our country is more multifaceted than we know."

Emily Feinberg, Editor, Roaring Brook Press

Emily shares about some of the books she's published, starting with picture books, and considers the through-line of many of the books she's worked on.

If Sharks Disappeared is a series that started as an infographic that Emily saw online, and then contacted the illustrator.

She cautions that she doesn't do a lot of picture book biographies as they can seem "wikipedia-ish," but then speaks of "Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge" as an example of how to do it right.

For older readers, she encourages playing with how a story is told, like the transcripts of sourced quotes in “Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal.” 

Emily says her goal with nonfiction is 

"To give young readers the tools they need to be part of the conversation... To impart knowledge in way that sticks."

Carol Hinz, Editorial Director, Millbrook Press & CarolRhoda Books at Lerner

Carol is looking for “books that spark my curiosity, and that I think will spark the curiosity of parents, educators, and most of all, young people.” 

Carol shares categories and titles she publishes, including picture books that address science concepts in fresh ways, topics that may be be unexpected or "difficult," and middle grade nonfiction picture books on environmental themes (especially highlighting scientists of color and underrepresented backgrounds.)

She mentions science literacy, saying "the pandemic has made it clear what a poor job we've done with this in the US." She would love to see some novel approaches to help young people become more scientifically literate.

Overall, Carol says that about nonfiction, she loves "just how much is possible, in terms of topics and approaches," with Point of View and voice.

Farrin Jacobs, Editorial Director, Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Farrin discusses how Malala's story lent itself to spinning off to other formats, taking an anecdote from Malala's autobiography and making a picture book, and now even a chapter book. 

She speaks about how if its not a "big person with a big platform" then they're "looking for a story that will be picked up" for things like all-school reads and state lists and "have that long tail."

It's "all about stories and characters," and she talks about big idea books, and telling underserved stories.

Farrin says, "we're reaching readers when they're still developing" so she wants stories that help develop empathy, with "characters who feel and think."

Melissa Manlove, Senior Editor, Chronicle Books

With nonfiction, Melissa tells us that "you can do so many things."

And Melissa challenges us to ask ourselves, "What can I do that is new? What can I do that is surprising, and inspiring to kids?"

Sydnee Monday, Assistant Editor, Kokila/Penguin Random House

Sydnee explains that she's "Focused on publishing subversive, entertaining narratives" and especially the stories of Black, Indigenous and Queer people.

One example Sydnee mentions is the upcoming "Not Everyone Is Going To Like You" by Rinny Perkins

She speaks of self-sufficient marginalized communities, and using her list to celebrate underrepresented subjects and audiences. She's looking, in particular, for YA nonfiction.

Thanks to all the editors!

Editors Panel: Elise Howard and Farrin Jacobs

Elise Howard (far left) on the Giant Screen (also pictured are Neal Porter and Lin Oliver)

Farrin Jacobs (center) on the Giant Screen (between Lin Oliver and Laura Godwin)

Interestingly, Elise hired Farrin about six years ago at Harper Collins!

Now Elise is creating a new Young Readers program at Algonquin.  She is looking for "characters that I want to spend hours and hours of my life with."  She's also looking for one beautiful narrative nonfiction book a year.  She's drawn to books that bring us to new worlds (she references two books she's acquired, one about a closeted Iranian lesbian and the other about the daughter of bookies.)  She's looking for books that take her to new worlds, that "expand the imaginations and richness of the lives of my readers."

Farrin Jacobs is editorial director at HarperCollins Children’s Books, focusing on teen fiction. She's looking for "great stories, great, strong characters."

When asked about voice - Elise reads her own bio from the faculty bio section:

Elise Howard joined Algonquin Books as editor and publisher of books for young readers in November 2011. Elise was previously senior VP and associate publisher at HarperCollins Children's Books, where she primarily provided editorial oversight for the HarperTeen and Harper imprint fiction programs. In addition to her program management, list development, and acquisitions responsibilities, Elise also edited many books on the Harper list, among them titles by Avi, Lynne Reid Banks, Chris Lynch, Rachel Vail, and Neil Gaiman, including the Newbery Medal winner The Graveyard Book. Before joining Harper, Elise headed the Avon Books for Young Readers program. She started her publishing career as a book packager, creating and editing YA and adult fiction series and a handful of practical non-fiction titles for adult readers.

She compares it to this bio, by Dan Gutman:

Dan Gutman was born in a log cabin in Illinois and used to write by candlelight with a piece of chalk on a shovel. Oh, wait a minute. That was Abraham Lincoln. Actually, he grew up in New Jersey. Like many boys, Dan hated to read but loved sports. That’s why he writes so many sports books aimed at reluctant readers. HE graduated from Rutgers in 1977 with a degree in psychology (which means, in Latin, "a total waste of time"). He never took a writing class in his life, which is obvious to anyone who has read his books. In 1994, Dan penned a novel about a boy who can travel through time with baseball cards. Honus & Me was published by HarperCollins which turned it into an 11-book series. In his insatiable quest for world domination, Dan dreamed up My Weird School in 2004, a series of easy readers about a school in which all the grown-ups are insane and has written 40 of them. Dan’s goal is to keep writing My Weird School until HarperCollins rips the laptop out of his cold, dead hands. He has also written The Homework Machine,Million Dollar Shot, The Kid Who Ran For President, and a bunch of other books that didn't sell. When he’s not writing books, Dan writes self-aggrandizing third-person bios like this one.

"That's voice for you."

Farrin references Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series that she edits as a great example of having four points of view characters, all in third person, but you never get lost.  For teen fiction, she says that it's less about hearing the writer's voice but about hearing the characters' voices, and speaks about how important it is that the voice feels true.  She cautions us on being "too voice-y."

Elise shares that a common problem she sees is Middle Grade books written in first person.  This can lead to 9 and 10 year old characters speaking and seeing the world in ways that are too old.  She suggests trying out 3rd person, which gives you more range since there's a slight narrator telling the story through the eyes of the character.

There's a discussion about the future, and Elise suggests that maybe what will happen to the print book is that it will become "more durable, more collectable."

Farrin says that they are approaching 50%-50% digital to print, and it's really affecting their paperback print runs.

It's an excellent panel, giving us all a better sense of each of these editors and publishers, a cross-section view of the industry, what makes books endure, and their advice on what to do (and what not to do) on our career journeys as writers and illustrators.