Q: Do you have a preference when it comes to point of view?
A: She's favors a single point of view within one book. She gravitates toward first person POV in the manuscripts she works on.
Q: When you're passionate about a book, how many times out of 10 do you get that book contrated.
A: 10
Q: How can a first-time author can promote a first book?
A: An the very least, have a website. Talk to marketing department for tips on promotion. Go on facebook. Visit local bookstore and sign copies. Those are the basics. Beyond that, keep in communication with your marketing department to let them know you'll do whatever it takes. School visits are imporatant for a lot of authors as well.
Q: Are simultaneous submission OK?
A: She's fine with sim subs. It generally depends on the editor. You should mention in your cover letter that you've sent it to other houses.
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Showing posts with label Kathy Dawson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kathy Dawson. Show all posts
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Kathy Dawson: Summing Up and Q&A
She told the audience of writers that editors really don't know what they're looking for until they see it.
She was asked what she looks for in picture books. Wordplay, humor, new perspectives.
She was asked about the effect of the economic downturn in her experience in publishing. She just left Harcourt after it's takeover from Houghton Mifflin. What it means is that there are a smaller number of people to do the same amount of work. But, she says, people working in publishing are passionate about it and will ride out the storm. She feels it's tougher on picture books than MG and YA. She says the pace of change in how the publishing industry works is more rapid than ever. There are things happening now. she says, that are changing the way publishing works. A lot of what happening is the industry correcting itself.
She was asked what she looks for in picture books. Wordplay, humor, new perspectives.
She was asked about the effect of the economic downturn in her experience in publishing. She just left Harcourt after it's takeover from Houghton Mifflin. What it means is that there are a smaller number of people to do the same amount of work. But, she says, people working in publishing are passionate about it and will ride out the storm. She feels it's tougher on picture books than MG and YA. She says the pace of change in how the publishing industry works is more rapid than ever. There are things happening now. she says, that are changing the way publishing works. A lot of what happening is the industry correcting itself.
More From Kathy Dawson
Something else that appeals to her is intrigue. Great books often have a "gasp factor," she says.
She also looks for adventure in a manuscript. Which really means a great plot. A great book doesn't have to be a deep character study if there's a really exciting plot.
She also looks for adventure in a manuscript. Which really means a great plot. A great book doesn't have to be a deep character study if there's a really exciting plot.
More From Kathy Dawson
Kathy's talking about using details as a way to establish voice. She's looking for passages that use detail masterfully.
She looks for action, rhythm, intrigue and adventure.
Action, for her, really means perfect pacing. Too keep up the pace of your novel, she suggests, go through a draft and delete everything you can. Young readers must be hooked, hooked fast, and stay hooked until the end.
Rhythm, she says, is another way to refer to voice. This is important whether you write from frist or third person point of view. It's just as critical in novels as in picture books.
She's reading from Pretties by Scott Westerfeld as an example of effective use of repetition.
She's also reading from My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe, and Saint Iggy by K.L. Going, also as examples of good use of rhythm.
She looks for action, rhythm, intrigue and adventure.
Action, for her, really means perfect pacing. Too keep up the pace of your novel, she suggests, go through a draft and delete everything you can. Young readers must be hooked, hooked fast, and stay hooked until the end.
Rhythm, she says, is another way to refer to voice. This is important whether you write from frist or third person point of view. It's just as critical in novels as in picture books.
She's reading from Pretties by Scott Westerfeld as an example of effective use of repetition.
She's also reading from My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe, and Saint Iggy by K.L. Going, also as examples of good use of rhythm.
The Inside Scoop: Kathy Dawson, Dial
Kathy Dawson, Associate Publisher, Dial Books for Young Readers works on mostly middle grade and YA, and will do a few picture books.
She's got four pieces of advice to share:
First, instead of write what you know, instead write what you don't know. Challenge yourself. Learn something new.
Second, it's all in the details. It's how you show and don't tell. But using detail is a way to get readers inside your characters. She's reading from K.L Going's Fat Kid Rules the World as an example of an author writing from a perspective she hasn't personally experienced--being an obese teenage boy--and using details to help readers relate to the main character.
She's got four pieces of advice to share:
First, instead of write what you know, instead write what you don't know. Challenge yourself. Learn something new.
Second, it's all in the details. It's how you show and don't tell. But using detail is a way to get readers inside your characters. She's reading from K.L Going's Fat Kid Rules the World as an example of an author writing from a perspective she hasn't personally experienced--being an obese teenage boy--and using details to help readers relate to the main character.
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