For those of you curious about my progress on SQUIDs: It has been slow -- mostly because I've been concentrating on agented manuscripts and books already under contract -- but I'm doing a little bit each day, and the responses are going out in batches. Look for a big burst next week.
For those of you curious about my progress on my book: Also slow, again because I've been concentrating on my day job; but also steady now . . . and the one good thing about the slowness is that I keep having more material to add, most recently a fun talk called "Twenty-Two* Revision Techniques *(Subject to Revision)." So. I already know April will be crazy workwise, plus I have to write the last of my speeches this spring ("'The Wand Chooses the Wizard': Of Carleton, Children's Books, and Creating Yourself") for delivery on the 23rd at my wonderful alma mater, Carleton College (so this is kind of a big deal for me); but by May, I hope, I'll be done with it.
For those of you curious about anything else in the whole wide world: Leave a question in the comments, and because I've been such a bloggy flake / flaky blogger this spring, I promise to give answers to the first nine queries with names attached (that is: no answers for Anonymii). Have at it!
Friday, March 26, 2010
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Here's a question for you, flaky, soggy, or however you may be: in the submission/publication process, how important do you think a personal connection between editor and manuscript is to the overall success of the project? Not only to acceptance (I assume that's an essential first step!), but to the crafting of a lasting work of which both author and editor can be proud?
ReplyDeleteThanks--and best of luck with your many upcoming projects!
I don't have one of the accounts that make me not anonymous commenter, so I will ask a question just because I'm the second literal commenter as I write this, but knowing that technically you can't answer mine so I'm not wasting one of the other eight chances remaining for others:
ReplyDeleteCheryl, can you please please pretty please ask Ms Rowling to submit a manuscript - I'm not particularly fussed on the actual storyline because anything she writes will appeal - so you can commence the editorial process and I get to purchase in a few months. LOL
Char (see, I'm not really anonymous)
'Anonymii' makes me laugh. And sounds slightly scary.
ReplyDeleteIf you were a writer, who had no other connection to the publishing business and you had just completed re-re-re-re-writing your first novel and you were finally ready for submission...
ReplyDelete...and considering the current economic climate...
...would you seek out an agent or focus on the publishing houses that accept queries from unagented writers?
Thanks!
I've seen / heard some kidlit agents and editors asking for more magic realism on their desks. Are you seeing more of it in your SQUIDs and agented submissions, and do you think it'll become more popular on the shelves in the future?
ReplyDeleteAlso, bonus!: What's your favorite Sondheim song?
Thanks!
Sob, I remember when you were AT Carleton College! :) Now look at you a successful and beautiful woman and editor!
ReplyDeleteIn a review for *House Rules* by Jodi Picoult, a critic referred to Asperger's as the "disease du jour" (which shows some measure of ignorance since AS is not a disease.)
ReplyDeleteThere do seem to be a number of books, movies, TV shows, etc that have characters on the Autism Spectrum. When does the market become saturated? Is it like vampires (although I cringe to make the comparison) and there is room for more protagonists with different ways of being? How do publishers gauge which underlying topics have room left to explore and which do not?
I have a question about the synopsis requirement on your submission page. For a YA novel, what length of a synopsis makes you smile?
ReplyDeleteCan you talk a little bit about the current picture book market? I know that is a pretty vague question, but I am curious, from an editor's point of view, about how hard it is to launch an new PB with an unknown author into the world right now, and if you think the market is likely to improve or not.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any questions due to my brain getting on a bus and leaving me for good. I will say that I ran into the Ray/Pec brain bowl team at the Savannah tournament a week or two ago and I was floored because they had only two people on the team. They held up well nevertheless. I tried to send them telepathic answers to help them out though it never works. The coach went to school with you but I could not tell you what her name was!
ReplyDeleteWe pre-published writers think a great deal about what makes a book good enough to publish, but that's such an insanely lofty goal that we sometimes lose sight of the fact that some published books are better than others. So.
ReplyDeleteWhat, in your opinion, are some of the major differences between the run-of-the-mill published book and the stand-out-from-the-crowd published book? What do you see in books that get starred reviews, win awards, and/or become bestsellers, that you do not see in the rest?
If you have rejected one genre manuscript from an author, will you consider/read another genre manuscript from the same author?
ReplyDeleteGreat question, Patricia. I second it!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you updated us on the progress of your book. I was just wondering how it was going. I can't wait to read it. I know it's going to be a great success hearing you speak and reading some of your other talks.
ReplyDeleteHow international is the publishing industry culturally? By that I mean the interchange of books/ideas across different cultures other than Western, and more specifically, American... One Australian author, Matthew Reilly, has commented that the reason why his first few books have American protagonists is because the American people only like to read about Americans. How true is this?
ReplyDeleteI'm Australian, so I'm very interested to hear what an American thinks of their cultural dominance in many Western and non-Western countries.
I don't write children's books, but I'm rediscovering all the classics (and more) through the eyes of young kids. Beverly Cleary is my daughter's fave, plus anything Roald Dahl. My son is more of an Encyclopedia Brown follower.
ReplyDeleteI'll be sure to check your blog every now and again for any tips on YA and kids books.
My dad went to Carleton! And I am, in fact, wearing a Carleton College sweatshirt right now. :)
ReplyDeleteCheryl, I don't remember how I first came across your blog, but you've been on my Google reader for some time now. I'm so excited to learn that you went to Carleton! I went to St. Olaf, and my boyfriend went to Carleton. Will you post anything of your speech on the blog? I wish I could attend.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how much of this I just wasn't aware of. Thank you for bringing more information to this topic for me. I'm truly grateful and really impressed.
ReplyDelete