SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference Interview: Jennifer Rees

Today on Alice Pope's SCBWI Children's Market Blog, Alice posted the latest of our SCBWI TEAM BLOG Annual Conference faculty interviews. She talked with Scholastic Press editor Jennifer Reec.

Here's a bit from the post:

I'm particularly excited about interviewing Scholastic Press editor and Annual Summer Conference speaker Jennifer Rees because she got her start in children’s books working as a children’s bookseller at my favorite hometown bookstore, Joseph-Beth Booksellers.

At Scholastic, she acquires and edits fiction and nonfiction picture books, middle grade fiction, and YA novels. Some of the recent titles she worked on include SWIM! SWIM! by Lerch; FINALLY by Wendy Mass; WISH I MIGHT by Coleen Murtagh Paratore; AFTER EVER AFTER by Jordan Sonnenblick; EVERLASTING by Angie Frazier; SELLOUT by Ebony Wilkins; LIFE, AFTER by Sarah Darer Littman; FEVER CRUMB by Philip Reeve; and MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins. (You might have heard a little about that last one.)

At the Annual Summer Conference Jennifer will offer two sessions--YOUR VOICE IS YOUR VOICE: KEEPING IT REAL and WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT.

To meet Jennifer, as well as host of other terrific editors, register for the conference today. (It's in less than three weeks!) Click here for information. 

EVE BUNTING Highlights from "Creating an Extraordinary Picture Book" panel

EVE BUNTING: "Creating An Extraordinary Picture Book" with Eve Bunting, Melinda Long, Kadir Nelxon, Arthur Levine

Good morning! Welcome to Day 2 of the conference!

Arthur Levine of Scholastic is moderating an insightful panel with picture book authors Eve Bunting, Melinda Long and author/illustrator Kadir Nelson about what makes an "extraordinary" picture book.

To remind myself, I broke down the word "extraordinary" to these words: EXTRA ... ORDINARY. So to me, an "extraordinary" picture book goes BEYOND the "ordinary" and has something "extra" to it that makes it not only beyond ordinary but has that "extra" factor that makes it a future classic... and timeless.

The Extraordinary Eve Bunting spoke from her heart when asked what makes a picture book "extraordinary." She said "the heart" is what makes a picture book extraordinary. "I always ask myself when I finish writing a book - is it worth saying?" she told the audience. She stressed that if there is true "emotion" in your writing, that's what elevates your book beyond the ordinary.

When asked by Levine, "What makes YOUR book 'SMOKY NIGHT' (illustrated by David Diaz) extraordinary?", Eve gave this eloquent and moving answer:

"SMOKY NIGHT, illustrated by David Diaz, is 'extraordinary' because it won the Caldecott. The art was what won the Caldecott, but I also think the story was strong. It came from my emotions. I was in Los Angeles when the riots happened (in 1992). From our house, we could smell the smoke. I immediately thought of a child seeing the looting and hatred going on in Los Angeles, and if something jolts me in a way that it makes me ashamed or sorry or sad or happy, that's a book I want to do. So when I personally smelled that smoke and heard the noise and read about what was happening, I felt so much sadness and shame that people, as one famous person said, 'can't get along.' People should be able to get along no matter what their color or ethnicity. Unfortunately we will have more nights like the smoky night I was describing, so I believe this book was worth saying."

She added: "I need to have that jolt o emotion, that gets me going. I can't put it out of my mind, I think about it and it's a catharsis for me to put it down."

She also said that winning awards is not always the criteria for making an extraordinary book. "'Terrible Things' was published in 1980 but it's still published and still getting letters from kids who read it. I feel it's not always necessary that books win awards to be closest to your heart."

The panelists continued to discuss the craft of writing and illustrating their books and their own process to creating books. Keep reading for more blogs from our SCBWI TEAM BLOG to find out what the others had to say!

When asked if the authors had a special place to write, one author talked about longing for a "clean, well lighted space." Eve Bunting said: "I have a clean, well-lighted space now, but when I first started writing, I had an attic bedroom that no one used. It was dusty and dirty but it had a door and it was away from the children. I told them unless it was a fire or if they were hemorrhaging to leave me alone." (The audience laughed.) "I had a sign from a hotel that said 'Privacy Please' that I hung on the doorknob. But it didn't work. The kids would come to the bottom of the stairs, waving a sneaker and crying, 'I lost a shoe!' But now that they've flown the coop, now I have a clean, well-lighted space that's now my own."

Another fantastic panel at the SCBWI National Conference, and this blog was to provide with you with a taste of some of the jewels of wisdom offered by Eve Bunting. Again, I highly recommend joining SCBWI and attending the conference (full-time or part-time) because what we are blogging about only covers the tip of the iceberg. Imagine what else you will discover when you come to our next conference!

Posted by Paula Yoo

GLBTQ Poolside Lunch Chat

I had a great time covering the GLBTQ (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning) Poolside Lunch Chat about the craft of writing children's books, YA novels, as well as the politics behind the GLBTQ label - some topics included having realistic characters that aren't "fake" (i.e. too perfect), how to market GLBTQ YA novels to the widest audience possible, the special challenges to writing and illustrating picture books featuring GLBTQ characters, etc.

Author Emily Wing-Smith participated in the conversation. She is the author of "The Way He Lived." Also present was author Malinda Lo, whose YA novel, "Ash," a re-telling of the Cinderella fairy tale with a twist (Prince Charming is a girl) debuts this September. (She's pictured above in the green shirt).

Scholastic Inc. VP Arthur Levine emphasized that all characters, gay or straight, should be realistic and authentic. "Imperfections are what make characters feel real," he said. "An idealized character doesn't feel real to anyone. You want your reader to believe in your character and for your character to be fully real."

Lee Wind discussed whether GLBTQ YA books are starting to move away from focusing solely on the "coming out" identity theme. He mentioned that transgender books are still focusing still on coming out but GLB YA may focus on other issues. For example, Levine edited Lisa Yee's ABSOLUTELY MAYBE in which one character may or may not be gay (I don't want to give away the spoiler) but his identity is NOT the main point of the story. Malinda Lo felt there are newer ways to tell the "coming out" story that can still make this theme timeless and fresh to new audiences. 

Overall, it was an illuminating conversation about these issues and more among both aspiring and published picture book and YA/mid grade novel writers. It was clear everyone appreciated this open, candid and very supportive environment to discuss these issues along with craft of writing issues. 

Plus, it was really sunny and we were all sitting by the pool. What more could you ask for a beautiful day! :)

Posted by Paula Yoo

More Q&A With Jennifer Rees

Q: Is she competitive with other editors? Do they pass manuscripts to other editors.

A: She's says there are a reason that there are different at publishers--they have their own flavors. Considering other editors' workloads, she would actually pass a manuscript along to someone else, but she's mention to the writer that they should consider subbing to someone else at Scholastic who may be more appropriate.

Q: Can I submit more than one picture book manuscript at a time.

A: no.

Q: Will she accept electronic submissions?

A: She will not. It's a lot more work for her and she's got limited time to devote to submissions, so having a printed manuscript is more efficient.

Q: What percentage of submissions does she contract?

A: She edits 10-15 a year out of--a lot--that comes in.

Q: Does she prefer working with agents?

A: She says working with an agents allows her to get you response faster.

Q: Why does she do conference?

A: She loves to connect with writers. It inspires her to do a better job and reminds her how important SCBWI is. A lot of newer agents and editors do a higher volume.

Q: Can you submit the same manuscript to two imprints at the same house at the same time?

A: No.

Jennifer Rees Q&A

Q: What's the market for picture books?

A: Like Kathy Dawson, Jennifer said picture books are tough to get published in today's climate.

Q: Do you like rhyme?

A: She says don't be sing-songy and don't force rhyme. If it's done well, she's for it.

Q: What if what you're doing is too similar to what an editor has already worked on. Where's that line?

A: If it's a very similar plot, she would not look at it. If it's similar generally (like distopian, for example) but a different twist on that than what the are doing, that would be considered.

Note: Jennifer doesn't take unsolicited manuscripts. She time frame on submissions is at least 8 months.

Some Books Edited by Jennifer Rees

11 Birthdays, by Wendy Mass (a mid-grade)
Chicken and Cat, by Sara Varon (which is a wordless picture book)
The Wedding Planner's Daughter series, by Colleen Murtagh Paratore
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

While the above authors Jennifer mentioned were published prior to working with her, she has found a few choice manuscripts through her slush pile and had worked on uncontracted revisions.

The Inside Scoop: Jennifer Rees, Scholastic

Says Jennifer Rees, Scholastic Press editor, her press loves the irreverent and the humorous as well as the commercial successes. As an editor, she loves variety—fiction, nonfiction, his, romance, teen fiction, history, humor, almost anything.

She loves genre and genre blending. After grad school she worked at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati (yay!) and took great joy in recommending books that her customers loved.

Here are a few things she wished she would find in every manuscript:

• A distinctive, fresh voice. Don’t hold back on your voice and writing style.
• Great characters. Let them speak to you as you’re writing.
• Something that aims to set his own trend. She wants something new, not knock-offs.
• A story that keeps me guessing. She doesn’t want predictable.
• A story that is out of the box.Write the story that keeps you awake at night. Your writing should be set to the music of its own song.
• A professional package. She wants a manuscript that is readable. She needs SASE.
• A writer who knows about the market.