What I learned at the SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference

Left to right: M.T. Anderson, Arthur A. Levine, and Me (Lee Wind)

I've long believed that having a career in the world of Children's literature meant nurturing oneself in three realms:

Business

Craft

Inspiration.

And I knew that the SCBWI Summer Conference would deliver that. And the editors, agents and authors did! Here are some highlights that will resonate with me for months to come:

Business

Stephanie Lurie saying "I think digital could be the re-birth of the picture book."

Rubin Pfeffer suggesting that "Perhaps SCBWI should become an e-publisher."

David Diaz urging we writers and illustrators to hold on during all the current changes because "publishing will be HUGE - bigger than it has ever been before."

Alexis O'Neill's session on school visits showing me the steps of the path forward.

Bruce Hale's enthusiasm about Skype School visits!

All of it made me think and feel hopeful about our role as content creators in the future of children's literature.

Craft

M.T. Anderson's incredible session on experimental fiction techniques was, well... incredible. Who knew a poem could be just numbers? It blew my mind! Oh, and his Keynote on how "literature restores the sense of the unknown to the known!"

Paul Fleischman running down all the separate documents he keeps while writing - fascinating!

The writing exercise in Linda Sue Park's intensive that helped me see how character and setting can't be separated.

Inspiration

A Gail Carson Levine writing prompt that makes me want to write a new book.

Rachel Vail saying "Life or death moments are a dime a dozen in 7th grade" - and me nodding emphatically.

Gennifer Choldenko saying, "There is a kid out there who needs your book. Write for that kid." And me feeling that so strongly.



And yet, what I really understand now is that there is a fourth realm that is critical:

Community.

Hanging out and talking craft and life with Kathleen Duey.

Talking with Diane De Las Casas about School Visits and Facebook friends.

Asking Rilla Jagga if she really thinks people multi-task or if they just switch their attention back and forth really fast, and having her answer: "We are a single CPU Processor."

Listening to Lisa Yee speaking about Sid Fleischman so beautifully.

Ashley Bryan leading over 1,100 of us in chanting poems. Magical!

Standing with the rest of SCBWI Team Blog onstage during the Golden Kite Awards and hearing the appreciation for the work we do was remarkable and heady. I was (and remain) so grateful.

Gleefully celebrating with my friend Sara Wilson Etienne at the announcement of her 2 book deal the monday of the conference in Publishers Weekly!

Seeing my friend Rita Crayon Huang taking amazing photos throughout the conference - and even a new author photo for me!

The fun of dancing with friends new and familiar at the Gala Saturday night!

And maybe most exciting, me being on the Saturday "A Look at the GLBTQ Marketplace" panel and having the honor of hosting the "GLBTQ Lunchtime Chat by the Pool" on Friday.

And my epiphany about the conference is that it's here that I find that sense of community - that sense of not just having found my tribe, but of BELONGING to my tribe. And that makes being at the conference, hanging out in the hotel lobby, smiling at people I don't know on the escalators, and talking children's books with other passionate, smart, wonderful people so amazing. It's something we can't really convey digitally. Being there, in person, and feeling truly part of it all - the fabulous comraderie that, for me, makes the conference priceless!

Thank you to my SCBWI kid lit community. I'm so excited about the future, and so grateful to have been part of this conference.

And I already can't wait for the 2011 Winter Conference in New York!

Namaste,
Lee

ps - if you want more details on the sessions these amazing moments were from, check out my posts on the official SCBWI Conference Blog!

The SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference: Day Four!!!!

Breathe deep. Pace Yourself. So. Much. Good. Stuff. Still. To. Come!

Rachel Vail's morning keynote! (check out this pre-conference interview with Rachel by my fellow SCBWI Team Blogger, Suzanne Young!)

Paul Fleischman's Keynote!! (You can check out my pre-conference interview with Paul here - he's incredible, I can't wait for this one!)

We get a publisher's panel, with Justin Chanda, Jennifer Hunt (there's a great pre-conference interview with Jennifer by SCBWI Team Blog captain Alice Pope here), Stephanie Lurie and Francesco Sedita (also interviewed by Alice here), the final morning and afternoon workshops, and Ashely Bryan's closing Keynote.

An autograph party finishes the day and the conference, and there will be lots of hanging out and schmoozing and hugging and sharing of conference tales...

Thanks for coming along on this adventure with me and the rest of SCBWI Team Blog!

And tomorrow we'll all get a chance to process some of the amazing insights of the last four days...

Namaste,
Lee

The SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference: Day Three!!!

Yippee!

Today's the Golden Kite Luncheon and Awards Presentation - I can't wait to hear the winners speak - especially Julia Durango (she wrote the awesome MG adventure, "Sea of the Dead" which won the Golden Kite for Fiction!)



There's a morning panel on Narrative Nonfiction, and keynotes by Carolyn Mackler, Gennifer Choldenko and Rubin Pfeffer throughout the day. You can check out this great pre-conference interview with Rubin Pfeffer here by SCBWI Team Blogger Martha Brockenbrough.)

The amazing parade of morning and afternoon workshops continues, but don't despair if you can't clone yourself. SCBWI Team Blog will be doing our best to give you the flavor (and a few choice tidbits) from sessions YOU couldn't attend!

So make sure to check out the Official SCBWI Conference Blog, and hit the bookstore (you don't want your favorite books to sell out before the autograph party tomorrow...)

follow the tweets to
#LA10SCBWI

And at 5:30pm (or immediately after Rubin Pfeffer's Keynote) join me and Social Media Guru Greg Pincus for The SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference Tweet Up! That's where those of us tweeting the conference (and tweeting about Children's Literature) will gather in person to mingle and mix and meet each other. Join us in the conference hotel lobby!

Oh, and there's peer critiques and yoga later tonight at 7:30pm - both yang and yin to keep your energies flowing!

One more day of this marathon of goodness to go...

Namaste,
Lee

The SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference: Day Two!!

Whoo-wee! We're going strong!

Gordon Korman, Marion Dane Bauer, E.B. Lewis and Gail Carson Levine are all giving keynotes in the main room today!

And there's a morning literary agent panel with Ginger Clark (you can check out my fellow SCBWI Team Blogger Jolie Stekly's pre-conference interview with Ginger here), Lisa Grubka, Ken Wright, and Josh Adams (check out my pre-conference interview with Josh here!) that should be really interesting.


There are fantastic morning and afternoon workshops - including an afternoon workshop called "A Look at the LGBTQ Marketplace" with Arthur A. Levine, Aaron Hartzler, and Tony Valenzuela . Oh, and me! Yes, It's my 1st time on an SCBWI Panel - I'm excited and honored and have so much to share... and did I mention I'm excited?

There's a lunchtime Los Angeles Region Meet-and-Greet in the hospitality suite, so if you're a local, stop on by and say "Hi" to Claudia Harrington, and Edie Pagliasotti, our Regional Advisors, and Sarah Laurenson, our ARA!

Right after Gail Carson Levine's Keynote (around 5:30pm) there's going to be a NaPiBoWriWee reunion hosted by the powerhouse author Paula Yoo in the main lobby - which should be crazy fun to hang out with the other authors who each wrote a picture book a day for 7 days! (You can find out more about the NaPiBoWriWee reunion at Paula's blog.)

And today also boasts the illustrator's portfolio showcase from 5:30pm-7:30pm, and, of course, the Dinner and Poolside GALA, "Heart and Soul Celebration."

I'll be wearing some kind of red... and will be blogging and dancing up a storm!

How about you?

Namaste,
Lee

The SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference: Day One!

I'm really excited - it's one of my favorite times of the year - The Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators' Summer Conference here in Los Angeles.

Here's what you need to know:

Tweets about the conference will be under #LA10SCBWI - you can follow that hashtag to keep up with all the twitter talk! And you can follow me on Twitter here.

The Official SCBWI Conference Blog is here at http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

Things NOT to miss:

Friday Morning: Jon Scieszka's Keynote - this should be amazing - he was the very first Ambassador for Young People's Literature in our country!

Also, M.T. Anderson's Keynote - he is such an incredible writer and you must check out the interview he did with me - I learned so much from his answers, and it's one of the talks I'm MOST excited about from the whole conference!


Lunchtime: Once again, I'm honored to host the

LGBTQ Poolside Lunch Chat from 12:45-2:00pm

Come join me, Lambda Literary Executive Director Tony Valenzuela, and Vice President at Scholastic Inc. and the Editorial Director of Arthur A. Levine Books, Arthur A. Levine in an informal discussion about Writing and Illustrating for LGBTQ and Allied Kids and Teens.

After lunch there's an editor panel with Claudia Gabel, Brenda Murray, Jennifer Rees and Nick Eliopulos (you can check out my pre-conference interview with Nick here), moderated by Krista Marino. That should be stellar.

There are fantastic morning and afternoon workshops - so many it's hard to choose!, an afternoon keynote by illustrator Loren Long, and even peer critiques and yoga at night!

There's also an informal non-fiction "mixer" happening at 7:30 p.m. in a room called Olympic 2 - Thanks to Alexis O'Neill for the heads up on that!


I'll be at this first day of the conference having a grand time, learning a ton, and working with the rest of SCBWI Team Blog to capture a taste of all the excitement for everyone.

If you get a chance, stay "Hi!"

Namaste,
Lee

Nick Eliopulos: An Exclusive SCBWI Team Blog Pre-Conference Interview

Nick Eliopulos is an Editor with Scholastic, following a 5-year stint with Random House Children’s Books. He has edited many middle-grade and young-adult titles, including the Tapestry series, The Pricker Boy, Unfamiliar Magic, and the Sons of Liberty graphic novel.









He has also worked on chapter books, cutting his teeth as an assistant on the Magic Tree House series. At Scholastic he is at work on the sequel to Dark Life and several forthcoming middle-grade projects.

Nick will be on faculty at the upcoming SCBWI International Summer Conference July 30 - Aug 2 in Los Angeles, CA. He'll be part of an editor panel on Friday afternoon, "From Your House to My House: What Makes Me Choose Your Book," will give a Saturday break out session on "Graphic Novels" and will lead a Sunday session on the "Rise of Genre Fiction."

I'm delighted at the opportunity to interview Nick in the final week's countdown to the conference!

Lee: Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview, Nick. I'm very excited to hear you speak at the conference! The first thing I want to ask is a question I hear a lot from my fellow writers who submit to conference manuscript critiques or contests: "They only want 15 (or 10, or 5) pages?" (I hear it even more from writers decrying first page critiques!) Most of the time these writers feel that the readers "aren't seeing enough" of their work to make a judgment.

When you read a manuscript on submission, how many pages do you read to know if you want to read more?

Nick: I commit to 30 pages as a general rule, but I often go beyond that.

The thing to remember is this: as an editor, I am looking for potential. I understand that your first 30 pages may not be your best 30 pages. More often that not, I’m going to want to cut 15 of those 30 anyway, because I am merciless with my green pencil.

You can tell a lot in 30 pages. If there’s a quality in the writing that makes me want to engage—even if the writing isn’t quite where it needs to be, but I can envision helping you get it there—then I keep reading. It’s my job to listen to my instincts and figure out whether you and I might click creatively and professionally.

Ideally, a first-page critique isn’t meant to give an assessment of the entire work by any means—certainly not when we’re talking about a novel. This sort of critique is a great opportunity for feedback on what kind of first impression your writing is making. But I can’t envision ever using the old Hollywood model of deciding whether to pass on a submission based entirely on a single page.

It’s worth mentioning that this is a major reason that publishers like Scholastic don’t accept unsolicited submissions. If we did, there’s no way I could commit to even 30 pages—even if reading submissions were all I had to do all day (and it’s not). I feel the system works—particularly for those who take advantage of the opportunities that the SCBWI and similar organizations provide.


Lee: Editors and Agents constantly talk about the importance of "voice" - yet it seems a very hard quality to explain. Do you have a working definition?

Nick: In simplest terms, I think of voice as a bridge from the author to the reader. It’s about your style, how you express yourself and your characters, how you choose to communicate.

I wonder if those involved in kids’ books fret over voice more than those in adult publishing? Because, allowing for some noteworthy exceptions, a children’s book involves an adult writer communicating with a child or teen reader. So the author has a lot to keep in mind when it comes to the voice. You don’t want to risk talking down to your readers. But the more sophisticated your voice, the more you potentially limit your audience. Can you write from the perspective of a teenager without sounding like a terminally uncool parent trying to ham it up? Can you bring a fresh, interesting spin to the “master storyteller” narrator the way Lemony Snicket does, without losing sight of the emotional core of your story?

It’s a tightrope walk, to be sure. And ultimately it’s more art than science. But every time you write out a single sentence, you are making choices about voice. The trick is that great authors, successful authors, they learn to make those choices consciously.

Lee: You're leading a session on graphic novels. What would be the three must-read graphic novels we could read to best prepare for your session?

Nick: "Scott Pilgrim" by Brian Lee O’Malley, for its adoption of Eastern/manga elements and its seamless blending of the fantastic and the mundane.

"Smile" by Raina Telgemeier, for its charm and grace and emotional insight.

"The Sons of Liberty" by Alexander & Joseph Lagos et al., for its inventive mix of commercial and educational appeal.

And if I could mention a nonfiction title as well: I think anyone interested in comics and graphic novels should read "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. Even if you’ve been reading comics your whole life, even if you have an innate grasp of the medium, McCloud’s analyses and explorations are immensely useful.


Lee: From your perspective as an editor, and with an eye to acquiring a manuscript, how important is a writer's having or not having a website/ blog/ high facebook friend count/ gigantic twitter following / social media platform?

Nick: I can’t say that it makes much of a difference. If a manuscript doesn’t speak to me or doesn’t work for my group’s list, then knowing that the author has a big Twitter following isn’t going to change that. I might include that information when going to my bosses with a manuscript that I’d like to acquire, but it’s never more than icing on the cake at that point. And the cake has to be very good for the icing to matter.

(Which is perhaps where my metaphor falls apart, because in real life I have been known to eat icing by the spoonful.)

Lee: *snorts and laughs out loud*

Nick: If you’re a fantastic writer with nothing but a decade-old Friendster account you never figured out how to upload photos to, well, there’s plenty of time to teach you the ropes of online promotion once your manuscript is as strong as we can get it and moving through the production pipeline.

Do keep in mind, of course, that these are public venues. If you are published or hope to be published, it’s important to conduct yourself professionally on the web.


Lee: Do you have any advice for those attending the SCBWI Conference?

Nick: Remember that editors are people, too. We can offer insight into this industry, sure—but so much of our job is so very subjective. How any particular editor feels about your writing is a result of his or her personal interests and biases, as well as our idiosyncratic notions of where the market is and where it’s going. So if one of us doesn’t respond to your work the way you’d hoped, chin up. You only need one home run to win this ball game.

Literary agents, on the other hand, are sometimes robots, so you should accept their word as objective truth.

(Kidding!)

Lee: Okay, you're cracking me up! The SCBWI Conference will heat up Summertime in LA - to cool down, which drink would quench your thirst: Ice tea, or lemonade?

Nick: I’m more of a lemonade guy. But I’m originally from Florida, so the heat doesn’t scare me, and I never, ever put ice cubes in my coffee. Bring it on, LA!

And thanks, Lee, for the chance to be featured on your blog. It’s a great resource—one I wish had been around when I was a gay teen, wondering why I didn’t see myself represented in the books I read (except when I read between the lines).

Lee: Awww... shucks! Thank you for the kind words - the honor is mine!

You can hear Nick Eliopulos in person as well if you attend the SCBWI Summer Conference, which starts this Friday - you can still register!



Click on the SCBWI Team Blog logo above (or here) to check out all the pre-conference interviews with more luminaries from the world of Children's Literature on the Official SCBWI Conference Blog!

Namaste,
Lee

M.T. Anderson: An Exclusive SCBWI Team Blog Pre-Conference Interview

M.T. Anderson is one heck of a writer.

Whether it's Science Fiction (like the amazing "FEED",



a finalist for the National Book Award) or Historical YA (like "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party,"



a Michael L. Printz Honor book) or even Middle Grade fantasy adventure (like "Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware")



his voice (and books) are unique, compelling, hard to put down... and stay with you long after you've read them.

He's also the former department chair of the M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College.

M.T. will be a Friday Morning Keynote speaker at the upcoming 39th Annual SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, July 30-Aug 2, 2010.

I'm really excited to hear him speak, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to ask him some questions in the run-up to the conference!

Lee: Hi, M.T. Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview!

Let's dive in...

In "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party," the character of Octavian, by virtue of having been raised by scientists back on the cusp of Revolutionary War in Boston, speaks and observes his story with an extreme emotional detachment - even including his unfolding childhood understanding of being a slave. Were you concerned that a distant main character would be difficult for readers to connect with?


M.T.: I think you have to be true to your characters, however you imagine them. Octavian has been trained to think of himself as an experiment -- that’s who he is. He has been through awful things and has seen terrible experiments, and his rationality is his way of dealing with an overwhelming sense of danger and pain. While he’s detached, he is, at the same time, ardently and defiantly passionate.

Though most of us don’t come from such an extreme background, on a much milder level I think many teens live with the same kind of self-consciousness and uncomfortable dual awareness. They are constantly seeing themselves and trying to calculate who they should be (and failing) and they’re always second-guessing themselves. I wanted to write about a kid like that. So many of our most committed teen readers are smart kids who are struggling to reconcile the different aspects of themselves.

This element couldn’t have been cut out of Octavian’s character. In many ways, that’s what the two books are about. In the first volume, Octavian gradually finds ways to recognize and embrace his own burning commitment to action. The second volume is about how he acts on that commitment.


Lee: Following up, there's a whole section of Octavian's story told via other characters' letters that mention him. He's on the run, he's "free," but suddenly has NO VOICE. It was a powerful choice you made as the author, and it spoke volumes about the character's lack of freedom. Had you always seen that part of the story told in that way, or did it evolve through some experimenting?

M.T.: No – I knew from the get-go that I would narrate that part of the book from someone else’s point of view! Otherwise, I had this narrative problem: How do I deal with a narrator who has experienced something so horrible that he wouldn’t want to narrate it to anyone?


Lee: In "Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware," you really play with reader expectations, which gave the story a wonderful sense of silliness. Moments like the narrator trying to convince readers the Stare Eyes Competition was exciting and then admitting it wasn't, and suddenly ending the chapter with , "Forget it. Let's go back outside." How do you approach voice?

M.T.: Voice is tremendously important to me. It’s one of the main reasons I read books! I would never start writing before I had a feel for the voice in which I’m writing.

Otherwise, it’s like showing up for a costume party completely undressed. And hoping you can quickly whip up an outfit at the party with duct-tape.

No, that was not one the best nights of my life.



Lee: Do you tackle voice differently in MG versus YA?


M.T.: For me – and this is a personal thing – there is a difference. In writing middle grade, I imagine the voice going TOWARDS the reader. In YA and adult, I imagine the voice coming FROM the narrator. I guess it’s because, naturally, I think of writing middle grade fiction as akin to story-telling or reading aloud.

But that’s just me.


Lee: That's fascinating. Thanks for sharing that! You've written such a variety of books, for different ages and in different genres. At the same time, a lot of writers are being told that we should focus and write a number of books in one age range and genre before branching out - because ideally, every author needs to "brand" themselves. What's your take on "branding?"

M.T.: Oh, I don’t know. There is nothing I love more than an author whose books all have matching spines. But on the other hand, why would you want to get shoveled into a corner so you have to keep doing the same thing again and again if you don’t want to? If you have found your groove and you love it – then great! Stick with it! If you’re tired of what you did and you want to do something new, I think it’s kind of abominable for an editor or agent to growl at you for it. Think of it as diversification of their investment.

Consider someone like Kate DiCamillo. Imagine how differently her career would have gone if someone had said, “You can’t write a fairy tale about a mouse! You’ve already written two contemporary novels set in the South! No one wants to hear what you have to say about European rodents.”

I’m all for experimentation. You’ll work better if you’re being challenged. And don’t forget that your agent is supposed to serve you, not the other way around. Tried and true axioms about “what works” never work.


Lee: Creating a Science Fiction or Fantasy world - world building - as you did in "Feed," and frankly, in all your books, is such a huge undertaking. Do you keep notebooks, or wall charts, or is it all just in your brain? How do you organize your worlds?

M.T.: I don’t really do much tracking of the world on paper. I did in the Octavian Nothing books – but that was a world that used to exist, not a fantasy world, so I just got maps from the period and kept long lists of facts about each location. I had charts of the money and army ranks and the deployment of different regiments.

For a series I’m working on right now for Scholastic (THE GAME OF SUNKEN PLACES, THE SUBURB BEYOND THE STARS), I did create some documents with lots of back-story in them so that I could get a better sense of what happened before the characters arrived on the scene. I wrote a list of regnal dates and some fragments of an ancient elfin chronicle, talking about the last generations of a vanished empire. It was incredibly fun to do. I’m such a history nerd, I loved counterfeiting documents. Later, Scholastic printed some of these documents in the paperback version of THE GAME OF SUNKEN PLACES, and is creating a website that will be up soon with other fragments I wrote to fill in areas of back-story. (I think the link will be www.scholastic.com/gameofsunkenplaces.)

To see some cool, insanely detailed world-building, check out D. M. Cornish’s lovely, superbly rich MONSTER BLOOD TATTOO books. He supposedly made up the world before he made up the plots for the books. The books have encyclopedias in the back full of made-up terms, and there are lots of maps and charts – and as a boy, I would have loved it all!

It all contributes to the plenitude and variety of the world created.


Lee: The titles of your books are so awesome - they're evocative of tone and voice and you really seem to consistently "nail it." Do titles come first, or last, or somewhere else in your process?

M.T.: The titles hit me at different times. For example, some years ago I wrote a book about an army of stilt-walking whales invading the land. I couldn’t come up with a good name for the book. I kept on thinking of crappy puns, but nothing fit. Finally, my editor noticed that my working title was WHALES ON STILTS!

Simple. To the point. Kind of ridiculous.

We went with that.


Lee: Your SCBWI Keynote speech is titled, "The End of All Our Exploring: The Journey of Narrative." Is there any homework or reading in advance you'd like to suggest we do beforehand to get the most out of your talk?

M.T.: Naw. People have enough work to do as it is. I’ll be talking about Grace Lin’s WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON some of the time, and Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom books another part of the time, but who needs homework?

Instead, eat a chipwich. No connection with what I have to say, but they’re delicious.


Lee: Chipwich, duly noted. Last question: Los Angeles will be hot and sunny and the pool will be sparkling. Ice Tea, or Lemonade?

M.T.: I can’t wait! It’s going to be great to see old friends and meet new ones. Although typically at conferences, my cocktail is NyQuil or Robitussen.

Thank you so much, M.T.!

I hope you get to join me in hearing M.T. Anderson's keynote at this summer's SCBWI Conference. You can get more information on the Conference and sign up here!




Check out more fantastic pre-conference interviews at our official SCBWI Conference Blog!

Namaste,
Lee

Josh Adams, Literary Agent: An Exclusive Pre-Conference SCBWI Team Blog Interview

Josh Adams, together with his wife Tracey, runs Adams Literary, a boutique agency exclusively dedicated to representing Children’s book authors and artists, including many bestselling and award-winning clients. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School, Josh spent years in publishing and media before bringing his editorial and business backgrounds together as a literary agent.

On faculty at the upcoming Society of Chlidren's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 2010 Summer conference in Los Angeles, Josh will be presenting a "Submission Strategies" workshop on Friday afternoon, will be part of the "Literary Agents View the Market Place" panel on Saturday morning, and has a Monday afternoon breakout session called "Agent Secrets!"

I'm excited to hear Josh speak at the conference, and delighted to interview him here in the final run-up to the conference!

Lee: Hi Josh! Thanks so much for agreeing to this pre-conference interview. My first question is about stress. A lot of writers and illustrators stress out about meeting agents at conferences. Any advice for hopeful and stressed out conference attendees?

Josh: Just be yourself. That's what I plan to do. Hopefully you'll see that literary agents are real people, too.


Lee: From your perspective, is a business card something you expect/want when meeting an author or illustrator?

Josh: It's not something I expect, but I'll certainly take one. I don't carry any myself, so don't take it personally if I don't hand you one. At this point we assume that people who don't already know how to reach us will find us at www.adamsliterary.com.


Lee: For an as-yet-unpublished writer, is an on-line presence (a blog, facebook friend count, twitter following, etc...) important to you?

Josh: Not at the expense of the quality of the writing. It's not something we particularly seek out, but if an aspiring author has a site or online presence, we'll definitely check it out and take it into consideration as part of the big picture.


Lee: For illustrators, is there something different that you're looking for in a physical portfolio versus an online website/portfolio?

Josh: I prefer visiting an online portfolio, where it's easier for me to see a full range of work. What I'd look for in a physical portfolio is the texture and media of the works.


Lee: Small versus large literary agency. You and your wife Tracey are closer to the small end of the spectrum. What do you see as the pros and cons of small versus large?

Josh: Tracey and I—and Quinlan Lee, too, who works closely with us—love being a part of what we call a boutique agency. Tracey came from larger agencies before we started Adams Literary, but it has never been our desire to be a large agency. We much prefer working collaboratively with our authors and artists than managing a large staff. I think a boutique agency can offer every advantage of a large agency, with a more personal approach—and, in our case, one that is focused exclusively on the children's and YA market. The only disadvantage—and it's ours, really, not our clients'—is that there is no "off" switch. We are always working, which is why it's good that we're so passionate about what we do.


Lee: There's a puzzle for writers when trying to find that "match" with an agent. On the one hand, we're told to look at the books of an agent's current clients to see if we're 'apples to apples.' On the other hand, if you already represent apples, might you not prefer kiwi, so you have something different?

How would you suggest writers tackle finding the best "match?"

Josh: While I'd highly encourage writers to look at our website and our client list to get a sense of who we are and what literary works we gravitate toward, we certainly don't look for clones. I always hesitate to mention a specific or favorite genre out of fear that I'll be deluged with one type of book at the expense of something spectacularly different that otherwise might not be sent our way. I like to be surprised. What we look for is a fresh perspective, a great voice and memorable characters—writing that draws us in, keeps us turning the pages, and provokes us in a compelling and unforgettable way, whatever the genre. We gravitate toward the timeless, not the trendy. Our first criteria is not "Can we sell this?" but rather, "Do we love this?"


Lee: That's great to know. Okay, "Agent Secrets?" What a great teaser of a topic! If we promise to tell EVERYone, can we convince you to share one secret here?

Josh: All I can say right now is that hopefully people will come out of my presentation with a much better sense of what literary agents do—and how to beat the 1000-1 odds of working with us. Though perhaps it doesn't have as catchy a title, in my "Submission Strategies" workshop, I'll also be sharing some secrets and tricks-of-the-trade.


Lee: Los Angeles. Four Days. More than 60 agents, editors, authors - all luminaries in the world of Children's Literature. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of writers and illustrators, hanging on the faculty's every word... Which refreshment will help keep you talking: Ice Tea or Lemonade?

Josh: Several cups of coffee in the morning, lots of water throughout the day, and a glass or two of something a bit stronger at night! ;)

You can hear Josh Adams in person at the SCBWI Summer Conference, July 30-Aug 2, 2010 in Los Angeles, CA - which is where I'll be! You can still register for the conference here.

Hope to see you there!



Click here (or on the SCBWI Team Blog Logo above) to click over to the Official SCBWI Conference Blog - where you can check out all the amazing pre-conference faculty interviews so far!

Paul Fleischman: An Exclusive SCBWI Team Blog Pre-Conference Interview!

I'm incredibly honored and stoked to interview Paul Fleischman, who will be giving the Monday Aug 2, 2010 Keynote speech, "Surviving The Novel," at the upcoming SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators) Summer Conference in Los Angeles, CA.

Paul won the Newbery Medal in 1989 for "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices" - a book of lyrical poems about insects that he made both musical and a shared reading experience - bringing the magic of reading a picture book with a child to two readers of any age. It's playful and ingenious, and like so much of Paul's work, redefines the box - while still being outside it.




He's written picture books (like "Weslandia,"

"Time Train," "Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal," and "The Animal Hedge," - which totally made me tear up!,

plays (like "Zap")

middle grade and Young Adult novels (like "The Half-A-Moon Inn," "Breakout," "Whirligig,")


and Non-Fiction that like everything else, blew my socks off (Like "Cannibal in the Mirror" and "Dateline: Troy")




Let's jump right in!

Lee: Hi Paul, thanks so much for agreeing to this interview!

Your books always seem to start with an incredibly cool concept - "Dateline: Troy" matched a re-telling of the Trojan War with headlines from the last 30 years to show that while it seems like ancient history/myth, every part of that story could be real. (Like the King and Queen consulting a dream interpreter after the Queen's nightmare - matched with a news article revealing that President Reagan and his wife Nancy consulted astrologers while they were in the White House.)

Is that how your writing a new project always starts?

Paul: Some start with form--such as poems for two readers. Some start with content--like the newspaper story about an all-day freeway traffic jam that led to Breakout. I need something exciting that will generate the desire and energy to get me over the hundred hurdles that await. Working in new forms brings me that sort of excitement. The idea is just the beginning, of course. As my father used to say, ideas are everywhere--it's what you do with them that counts.


Lee: Your novel "Whirligig" explores the sometimes unexpected consequences of our actions. The book starts off with 16 year old Brent, obsessed with trying to be popular, making a series of choices that costs another teenager her life - and then the restitution the victim's mother asks of him. The wind sculptures he makes in honor of the girl he killed transform other lives, in ways he doesn't know.

There's a power in writing that many people are scared of. From funny moments like Steph and Alexandra talking about cooking Pepsi down to a syrup to eat on ice cream to under age teens drinking and smoking pot at the opening chapter's party - authors write things that other adults fear young readers will try for themselves.

How do you, as an author, insulate yourself from that pressure/noise and honestly write the story that needs to be told?

Paul: This issue has faded. There no longer seems to be anything that can't be included in YA books. Instead of angry adults outraged by your material, the more common problem is marketing departments rejecting manuscripts for lack of profit potential. Dateline: Troy, which you just mentioned, was turned down by dozens of publishers for this reason.


Lee: While gathering books from the library's shelves of Paul Fleischman titles, I came upon two different versions of your picture book, "The Birthday Tree." One illustrated by Marcia Sewall (Harper & Row, 1979) the other by Barry Root (Candlewick, 2008). How did that come about, and what was it like to see two completely different visual interpretations of your words?

Paul: Writing is one of those rare jobs in which you get paid more than once for the same labor. If you're long-lived, you might have your out-of-print picture books bought and reissued with new art, as Candlewick has done with several of mine. The Birthday Tree was my first book and I love Marcia Sewall's pencil illustrations--a medium all but vanished these days. Though that book has a special place in my heart, I love the warmth and palette of Barry Root's work as well.


Lee: You're scheduled to talk about "Surviving the Novel." Why that topic?

Paul: I noticed that picture book writers and poets have a fear of novels as something unattainable. This talk is especially for them. It comes from personal experience, as I felt the same way when I set out to write a novel for adults a few years ago and didn't think I could write at that length. I prayed I'd somehow get to page 200. I ended up on page 498. I'll share what I learned about longer forms.


Lee: There's a strong theme of respecting others in many of your books (I'm thinking of "Cannibal in the Mirror", which paired quotes from explorers deriding the "primitive" cultures they were seeing throughout history with modern day photos of we Americans doing pretty much the exact same thing. (Like a 1887 quote from an explorer of the Solomon Islands talking about the "superstitious practice" of affixing a small wooden figure to the stem of a canoe paired with a photo of the jaguar hood ornament from a car dealership in Darien Connecticut.) It's really thought-provoking.

Also, in "Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella" you re-tell the Cinderella story taking us around the world and helping us see just how universal our emotions (and our stories) are.

You make incorporating theme seem effortless! Sometimes writers who feel passionate about a theme go too far and their work starts to feel preachy - any advice to the rest of us on how to avoid this?

Paul: Keep your allegiance to your characters, not your theme. The minute your theme starts driving the book, the story will start feeling contrived--because it will be.

Lee: Ohh - that's so wise, I need to copy it and post it above my computer! You've written works of such breadth and variety - do you feel that it's the freedom of being a Newbery Medal winner, or is it a freedom all writers have?

Paul: I wrote in different genres from the beginning, which kept publishers and readers from pegging me. This was good, because I thrive on variety and dislike repeating myself or anyone else. The downside--that I don't have a clear brand and audience to match--doesn't bother me. The freedom to follow my own interests is far more important.


Lee: Last Question! It's going to be Summertime in Los Angeles. Four Days of sunning ourselves in ideas and inspiration and the world of Children's Literature. Which libation to quench your thirst? Ice Tea, or Lemonade?

Paul: Lemonade. Or Wyder's pear cider...

Lee: Thank you so much, Paul! I can't wait to hear your keynote at the conference!


Check out Paul's website and come see him share his wisdom at the SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, July 30 - Aug 2, 2010! You can still register for the conference here!

And Check Out ALL
the SCBWI Team Blog Pre-Conference Interviews,
and our reporting from past conferences,
at our official SCBWI Conference Blog!

Namaste,
Lee

Registration for SCBWI's 2010 Summer Conference is now open! The Top 5 Reasons You Should Register (If you're into writing or illustrating Kid Lit!)

One of the fantastic things to come from my blogging is that last year I was asked to be part of SCBWI Team Blog - the group of bloggers professionally blogging the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators two annual conferences.




I love the SCBWI summer conference for a thousand reasons, but here are my top 5:

1. Community - oh, to spend four days surrounded by other adults who are as passionate about creating books for kids and teens as I am!

2. Craft - A chance to learn from some masters of the craft, this year's summer conference will include keynotes from M.T. Anderson, Jon Scieszka, Marion Dane Bauer, Gail Carson Levine, and so many more!!! There are workshops galore, and even premium workshops where you can focus in four sessions on one topic with an expert and get deeper - like the workshop on YA voice with Krista Marino, or workshopping your picture book with the author and editor Diane Muldrow, or writing and illustrating your graphic novel with Mac McCool. Check out the full conference schedule here!

3. Business - It's an opportunity to get the "real" perspective on the business side of writing and illustrating for kids. What are agents looking for? What do editors think is the pulse of the market? What do they need for their lists? How can you write a killer query? What's the best way to move your career forward? More than 25 of the industry's leading Editors, Agents, Art Directors and Publishers will be there to share their expertise!

4. Opportunity For Professional Feedback - The summer conference gives attendees a chance to submit either the first few pages (10 or 15, depending on genre) of their manuscript or their illustrator's portfolio for a professional critique - by either a published author or illustrator, an agent or an editor. Now, sometimes lightening strikes, and someone is "discovered" and eventually published through these one-on-one critiques, and that's a great thing to hope for... but really, the chance to sit down for a half hour with a professional and talk about you and your work and your journey to publication and beyond... that's an amazing opportunity! (Who knows who you might get?)

5. Fun. - There's a gala party on Saturday night - with costumes! (Theme: Heart and Soul.) There are friends from writing groups and your region and from previous conferences to re-connect with. There are lunches, and hanging out by the pool, there are drinks in the hotel lobby late into the night, showcases, jokes, raffles, and even organized socials (I'm especially excited about co-hosting the Friday Lunchtime LGBTQ Chat By The Pool!)

So there are 5 great reasons I'm going to be at the SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference in LA.


Register, and I'll see you there!