An article by Marilyn Singer in Children's Writers and Illustrators Market, 2003
Have
you heard the one about the editor at a writer's conference?
She'd been "on" for hours and was enjoying a
much-needed moment of privacy in the bathroom. Then, from the
adjacent stall, came an eager voice. "Hi," it said.
"I'm so happy to finally meet you. Let me tell you about
this picture book I've written…"
Truth or urban legend? Well, maybe a bit of both. But the fact is
with more and more publishing houses closing transoms to
unsolicited manuscripts and more and more
"pre-published" writers desperate for entrée, this
kind of story isn't far-fetched. Only slightly less dramatic
stories have been verified, and they demonstrate the real
frustration editors have with conferences. Because of these
tales, I decided to ask a number of editors what they like and
dislike about these events. It's my hope that both writers and
organizers will benefit from their responses.
The Ambush
All editors expect to receive queries and manuscripts after a
conference. They welcome the opportunity to discover new authors
and material. But there isn't an editor alive who likes to be
accosted immediately after a presentation or during a lunch
break. Several editors have likened this onslaught to a
"feeding frenzy." They say that some writers even foist
manuscripts or portfolios on them. As Melanie Donovan of
HarperCollins says the ambush "is more likely to hurt rather
than help an author's chances of getting published and
manuscripts stand more chance of being mislaid than if they were
submitted via the usual means."
Translation: writers should make pitches and send manuscripts via
traditional mail. At the conference, an editor will supply an
address and any necessary instructions (writing "SCBWI
attendee," for example, on the envelope) so that the query
or work will arrive safely. A conference moderator may want to
repeat these instructions-or, better yet, put them in a hand-out
for attendees to take home.
The New York Minute
Many editors will critique manuscripts during a conference.
Critiquing is another good way to discover writers and to show
them what immediately grabs an editor. But because these
critiques are so brief, all an editor can really give is a first
impression. Stephanie Lurie of Dutton, says one of her pet peeves
is when "people expect to have an in-depth discussion of a
manuscript they brought along or submitted recently."
Atheneum's Ginee Seo once got hate mail in response to such a New
York minute critique: "Anonymously, of course, so I had no
way of letting the poor person understand that what s/he
witnessed was really NOT editing. Editing is not about
negativity-it's about trying to figure out why something isn't
working. But, of course, in a public forum it's hard not to take
any kind of criticism personally."
Perhaps the critiques should be confined to smaller conferences
where editors can have prescheduled one-on-one sessions. The
danger with these-with conferences, period-is over-scheduling.
Editors and other speakers have sometimes been run ragged with
critiques, panels, speeches, etc. Good pacing is a must. In
addition, Judy O'Malley of Cricket Books suggests giving the
speaker a "'keeper' who runs interference, plays time-keeper
for critiquing sessions, makes sure I get time to eat and even a
break here and there, a cup of coffee, water, etc. This can
really help…Pacing the schedule and giving speakers that bit
of TLC can mean that more authors/editors/agents who really do
value these opportunities to interact with writers and
illustrators can do it more often, and more sanely. "
The Quick Fix
Everyone agrees that a good panel or Q&A session is
invigorating. Editors enjoy thinking about and discussing a
wealth of important topics related to children's books,
especially with, as Greenwillow's Rebecca Davis puts it,
"people who are passionate about the subject." "I
love Q & A time," says Harold Underdown of
ipicturebooks.com, "especially when people aren't censoring
their questions. I remember being on a panel of editors in Philly
and getting asked, 'What do editors really think of agents?' This
prompted nervous laughter and a great discussion."
A good discussion can be made even better when the moderator is
talented. As Timothy Travaglini of Walker Books suggests,
"Audiences can be shy on occasion; they might not think of
the right questions until days later; or they might never know
exactly the right questions. A good moderator will not only
broach new topics...but will ensure that the panelists cover
everything that will be of the most use to the attendees."
But what is truly useful and what the attendees want to know is
not always the same thing. Some writers are really interested in
perfecting their craft, and their questions demonstrate it.
Others, unfortunately, are too concerned with format or are
interested in the quick fix, and their questions reflect that:
"Will colored paper catch your attention?; "Do you want
things double-spaced, with one- or two-inch margins?";
"How many words should a novel be?"; "Do I need to
use a fixed vocabulary for a picture book?"; "Do I need
to hire an illustrator for a picture book?"; "What's
hot these days?"; "Are you interested in rhyming
picture books?"; "How about a novel about a really
stupid kid who time travels back to the Gold Rush and strikes oil
instead?"
The answers to many of these questions can be found in numerous
books about children's writing or on the Internet [for example,
check the FAQ, written by Anne LeMieux, David Lubar, and myself,
on my website]. As for the "Tell me what you want, what you
really, really want" type of questions, editors tend to give
the same response over and over: I want something great."
Prior to going to conferences, writers need to do their homework.
They need to learn about format and something about the industry,
about what a publishing house actually publishes and how it
works. They should also spend some time finding out what types of
books different editors edit by researching the editors on the
Internet (hint: search for the editor's name, in quotes, and a
keyword such as "editor" or "books"). The
conference hand-out should also list what types of books editors
do or don't publish (example: "Betsy Blue Pencil edits
picture books and middle-grade novels, but not YA or poetry. She
is partial to realistic or historical fiction and dislikes
fantasy."). After learning these basics, writers are free to
focus on the essence of writing: craft. Stephanie Lurie has
actually met folks who want to know how to get published, but
haven't yet written a thing. "I think conferences should
concentrate more on technique and less on the pot o' gold at the
end of the rainbow," she says.
The Center of the Universe
How can writers develop their technique? By reading good books,
by writing a lot, and by learning from good teachers. Most
editors feel that the best teachers are not editors, but
established authors. Conferences used to feature stellar line-ups
of these, but now the emphasis is increasingly upon Editor as
Idol - a situation that doesn't please the Idol her/himself. As
Scholastic's Dianne Hess put it, "I don't deny that it's
important to have small doses of business people. But this is
putting the cart before the horse. The real bottom line of
publishing is being able to publish great writers. And you can
learn much more about how to write from other great writers than
from listening to endless chatter about what publishers are
looking for."
Editors want to get off the pedestal! At conferences, they'd like
to see more master classes, workshops, and critiques conducted by
established authors and attended by serious-minded writers.
"We aren't the center of the universe," says Harold
Underdown.
And it's true. Editors are not gods. Sometimes, they even need to
use the bathroom - preferably in private.
Inspired by this article, Amy Cullings Moreno has created a
really cool pin. Check it out on her website: http://amycullingsmoreno.com/Piranhabutton.htm