Tag: Agent Interviews

Agent Interview: Rachel Orr (Prospect Agency)

On By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews1 Comment

Welcome to Rachel Orr, a longtime literary agent with Prospect Agency. Instead of going with the standard biography here, I’m going to include a few key things she’s said—or others have said about her—that are especially telling.

  • “values her close relationships with authors and believes that nothing feels as good as a fresh, clean line edit.”
  • “loves authors who have more than one idea and are willing to revise.”
  • “has no spare time—but, if she did, she would spend it dancing, running and reading, of course.”

With that, let’s get to the interview itself to learn more about her. Here we go!

RVC: Let’s start with the here-​and-​now instead of diving into the deep past. You’ve been agenting for a good while. In all your experience, what has most surprised you?

RKO: I think what has most surprised me most about agenting itself is the close relationships I’ve been able to establish and maintain with my clients.

When I worked as an editor at HarperCollins, I really valued the relationships I had with my authors—and I worried that I would lose that as an agent. However, one agent assured me that I would have even stronger relationships with my clients. After all, an editor may only work with a creator on a single book, but an agent ideally works with a creator over the course of an entire career. That was really exciting to me, and has also turned out to be quite true.

RVC: That’s great to hear!

RKO: I do, however, make sure to respect the author-​editor relationship, and feel that part of my role is to place the right author with the right editor. That’s a fun challenge in this ever-​changing industry, for sure.

RVC: I’m noticing that you like to use RKO as your initials. Is there a special story or meaning behind that choice? Are you secretly a huge fan of old-​school wrestling moves?

RKO: Great question, but not a very exciting answer, I’m afraid. They’re just my initials, and that’s how my name was abbreviated when materials were circed around the editorial department at Harper, so I just got used to it. Plus, I like that there was once an RKO film production company (which produced Citizen Kane, though I’ve never seen it). Kind of cool!

RVC: Fair enough. You’ve been at the Prospect Agency since 2007. What’s special about it, and why’s it such a good fit?

RKO: I love that Prospect Agency is a small agency made up of smart women who care deeply about books and also have a savvy business sense. We get the job done, but I don’t think we present ourselves as intimidating. (I hope not, at least!)

I was fairly intimidated by many agents when I worked at Harper—though there was one agent, Liza Voges, whom I found to be incredibly approachable. She has an amazing roster of talented clients and a solid knowledge of the industry, yet she is so incredibly down-​to-​earth and makes people feel at east. That’s how I strive to be as well.

I also appreciate the fact that while my colleagues and I will often collaborate and confer on various matters, we have autonomy, too. There’s a lot of trust involved. The president of Prospect, Emily Sylvan Kim, really allowed me to grow the children’s division of the agency when I began, and to start the illustration branch (Prospect Portfolio) from scratch. She always listens to the wild ideas I have for expanding promotion and fostering community, and I’m so grateful for that.

Lastly, what I feel is most special about Prospect is the close-​knit feel we’ve been able to establish. My clients consider each other family. I love when I get a photo of my clients helping each other out at a trade show, or simply having coffee together. It warms my agent heart!

RVC: Thanks for the great answer! Now, by reputation, you’re a hands-​on, editorial agent. True? 

RKO: Yes, absolutely. I’m an editor at heart, and I suppose that’s really the only way I know how to agent.

RVC: Please give me an example of what that looks like. 

RKO: Well, it looks a bit different for each client, depending on their needs. With some clients, I might play an editorial hand early on, talking through different possibilities for a new project and then helping to flesh out the characters and plot line. With others, I might not get involved until after they’ve already written a manuscript, and then provide (hopefully) helpful feedback by means of line edits.

RVC: Which has proven more valuable to you as an agent—your work as an editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, your stint as a Barnes & Noble bookseller, or your time as a student at Kenyon College (where you had cool internships at The Kenyon Review and Highlights for Children)?

RKO: While every experience has helped to shape my career in some way, of course, I’d definitely say that my work as an editor has been the most valuable. On a broad level, it helped me to gain an understanding of how a publishing house operates, which I would not have been able to get otherwise. On a more personal level, it’s where I met so many wonderful mentors—Barbara Lalicki and Rosemary Brosnan, in particular—who were instrumental in my development as an agent. From them, I learned how to write editorial letters—specifically, how to request changes to help improve the story while still honoring the creator’s intention. Also, I was often invited to join them for meals and events with their authors and illustrators, which taught me so much about building these creative relationships. In addition, they placed a lot of trust in me, which helped to firmly establish my own confidence in my work.

RVC: If I spoke with Emily Sylvan Kim (owner of Prospect Agency) or fellow agent Charlotte (Wenger), what would they say is your agenting superpower?

RKO: They might say my knack for carefully reviewing contracts (though that is, admittedly, not my favorite part of my job). Hopefully, they might say planning events (since I’m the one in charge of our retreats and soirée), which is much more fun!

RVC: Just between us, what’s your REAL agenting superpower?

RKO: Maybe diplomacy? (My former boss at Harper used to say that I should have been a diplomat.) Either that or juggling so many different projects and creators. I believe that it’s essential for client care to respond to them as promptly as possible (at least to their emails, even if I can’t get to their manuscript right away) and always make time for phone calls if they need to talk something through. So I try my very best to make that a priority.

But, honestly, the variety of projects and clients is what I love most about my job. I love people, and I love figuring out exactly what each individual client needs in order to thrive. And I love giving feedback on a tender, lyrical middle-​grade novel about a girl whose mother struggles with mental illness, and then wracking my brain trying to figure out where to send a poetry collection about animals in pants. It’s what keeps things interesting.

RVC: So, you’re looking for “short, punchy picture books (either in prose or rhyme) that are humorous and have a strong a strong marketing hook.” What are some mentor text examples that’ll give a clear(er) sense of what you mean?

RKO: One example of a humorous picture book in prose that I’m really excited about is Lauren Glattly’s debut Proper Badger Would Never!, forthcoming from Flamingo/​PRH on April 2. This was a story that I fell in love with as soon as it hit my inbox. It’s fresh and unexpected and a little bit naughty (okay, a lot bit naughty) with a surprising ending that is far from being sweet and wrapped up in a bow. And while the marketing hook may not be completely clear at first (the way a hook might be if it’s, say, a seasonal title), I do think it could be a fun (and funny) way to open up conversations with kids about manners in terms of what not to do.

In terms of verse, I would suggest reading anything by Sudipta Bardhan-​Quallen, who has an excellent sense of rhyme and meter and is also very intentional about considering marketing hooks. Check out her picture book Roxie Loves Adventure (Abrams) about pugs and love; Chicks Rock! and Chicks Rule! (companion titles, also both from Abrams) about girl power and music and STEM; and the forthcoming Cats in Construction Hats (Random House Books for Young Readers) about construction vehicles and colors.

RVC: How much do industry trends/​marketplace changes affect what you’re looking for?

RKO: I would say that it doesn’t affect what I’m looking for so much so much as it affects when I send a particular project out. For example, if I fall in love with a manuscript about, say, a narwhal, and the market is flooded with narwhal books at the moment, then I’ll ask the writer to send me more manuscripts to consider. Then, if the writer and I decide to work together, then we can keep the narwhal manuscript in our back pocket for when the market would be more favorable. This is why, in my opinion, it’s crucial for writers to have at least five polished manuscripts (preferably in different styles and on different subjects) ready to share when querying agents.

RVC: That’s great advice! In a 2021 Good Story Company interview you did with my buddy, Mary Kole, you talked about how some picture books eventually transform into other formats, like graphic novels. 

RKO: Yes, it’s something that definitely happens from time to time. Author-​illustrator Steve Breen’s young chapter-​book graphic-​novel Sky and Ty (forthcoming from Pixel + Ink on April 2) was initially conceived as a picture book. The first dummy, however, was about twice the length of a standard picture book. It didn’t have very much text, but it did had have a lot of art and a lot of story that seemed to naturally break into chapters. Given that Steve was already using a limited palette of two colors for the art (along with the fact that he worked as a cartoonist at his day job), it made sense to go in the direction of a graphic novel, especially since the market was so hot for them.

RVC: I don’t think writers fully appreciate this—having a literary agent doesn’t mean guaranteed sales. Sometimes it simply doesn’t work, right? Even when a writer and an agent are 100% onboard with a project.

RKO: Yes, unfortunately, that’s true. (Teardrop!)

RVC: What do you do when that happens?

RKO: Well, I feel that it’s important for the author to keep on writing and for me to keep on supporting that author. It sometimes happens that I might not immediately sell that first manuscript that made me fall in love with the author’s work, but I might sell the second manuscript, and then the third. And then, once the author has established a relationship with an editor, I might be able to go back and sell that first manuscript. (This happened fairly recently, actually.)

Or it might be that we revise the manuscript after getting solid, consistent feedback from editors. We also might decide to shelve the project and pull it out again when the market for that particular genre is better, or when one of us has another idea on how it might be strengthened. Sometimes I might ask one of my illustrators to do a sample that we can submit with it, if we think that might help an editor to better visualize the book. (This strategy once helped to sell a manuscript eight years later!)

In a worse-​case scenario, I just pull the manuscript out from time to time, read it again, and weep that it hasn’t sold. (Maybe not really—I’m not a bit weeper—but I’m definitely crying inside!)

RVC: Since we’re talking about things not being what people expect…what do you think is the most common misconception about literary agents?

RKO: I think there’s possibly the misconception that literary agents are scary, which is absolutely true. Joking! We are not scary. And we do not only care about money. (That was one misconception I had when I was an editor, at least.)

My guess is that most of these misconceptions stem from the age when you didn’t necessarily need to have an agent to get a book published. I feel like there were fewer agents then, and those agents primarily focused on the business side of publishing. That’s not necessarily the case today.

RVC: What’s a typical workday look like?

RKO: Well, one aspect of my job that I love is that there is no typical workday. Also, I’ve also had the luxury of working from home (before it was even popular to do so), which gives me the flexibility to mix things up a bit, if need be.

But, in general, I usually start my workday around 8am after my teenage son and daughter have gone off to school. I might begin with work that requires more quiet and focus (since I won’t have a ton of emails to answer just yet)—something like getting back to a client with editorial notes on a manuscript or dummy, or drafting a pitch letter for a submission that I’m planning on sending out that day, or reviewing a contract. At 9am, when emails start coming in, I try to answer them promptly, but thoughtfully (though sometimes they come in quickly and it’s like a game of Whack-​a-​Mole). Around 10am, I might have a call with a client to discuss the status of a project, or brainstorm ideas for future projects. In the afternoon, if I’m not having lunch with an editor in the city (which is always a treat!), I try to get more work done that requires concentration before my kids get home from school.

Then it’s usually a mad rush of making dinner and picking kids up from their activities and helping with homework (which mostly involves me frantically looking up Khan Academy videos on the slope-​intercept form while my son figures it out on his own).

RVC: As a part of two teens, I’ve been there, and I have that URL handy. Here you go!

RKO: Finally, I’ll catch up with more emails in the evening while my husband watches basketball on TV. I realize that doesn’t sound very exciting—but it is, I promise you.

RVC: What’s something that makes it all worth it?

RKO: Absolutely, hands down, the best part of my job is when I have the chance to call a client and share the good news that we’ve received an offer from an editor. It’s most thrilling, of course, if it’s the client’s first book, but even the twenty-​first book is really pretty great.

RVC: Totally agree with that! Now, one of your clients, Cori Doerrfeld, had a surprise hit with The Rabbit Listened. What’s the story behind that story?

RKO: Well, first off, what I’ve always found to be most surprising is that so many people viewed this book as a surprise. 🙂 True, this was definitely the book that put Cori on the map, so to speak, but she had been illustrating children’s books for nearly a decade by this point. In fact, we had just sent one of her dummies (Good Dog) out on submission the same day I read The Rabbit (as it was called then). It was a Wednesday afternoon in May, and I remember sitting in the reading room of the Hoboken Public Library and thinking, OH! This is good. Often I’ll make a lot of edits before sending a project out, but I made very few tweaks to this dummy (like, maybe only one).

Our only slight hesitation with sending it out immediately was that we had just gone out on submission with Good Dog. We didn’t want editors to feel like they had to choose between the two projects. But then we decided just to go for it! I sent it out late on Thursday afternoon and started getting offers the very next day while I was driving to my family’s house in Pittsburgh. When I stopped halfway for lunch, I called Cori and and gave her an update, and we discussed how we would proceed. Funny—I always imagined big deals going down over a three-​martini lunch, rather than in the parking lot of McDonald’s, but that’s exactly how it happened. We sold the book to Kate Harrison at Dial/​Penguin Random House. Since then, it has been on The New York Times bestseller list and translated into over 25 languages. Cori’s fourth book with Dial, Ready to Soar, will came out March 12.

(Oh, and for the record, we did sell Good Dog as well to Chris Hernandez at HarperCollins. Hurrah! 🙂

RVC: Two more questions for this part of the interview. What was your first special experience with a picture book?

RKO: I would say Aunt Lucy Went to Buy a Hat by Alice Low, illustrated by Laura Huliska-​Beith. It was the first picture book that I acquired as an editor at HarperCollins, so it will always hold a special place in my heart (cliché as that sounds!). Laura was especially amazing to work with, and it was fun to see her solve artistic challenges. For example, Aunt Lucy needs to lose her hat in the beginning of the book and then have it by the end, but we didn’t want it just magically flying behind her on every spread. So Laura came up with the idea to show Aunt Lucy looking in the mirror at the beginning of the book, and she thinks her hat is gone, but it’s really tied around her neck with ribbon and hanging behind her (which the reader can clearly see). It was such a fun solution, and taught me the importance of trusting an illustrator, too.

RVC: Last question! What are some cool upcoming things you’d like to brag about?

RKO: Oooooo…let’s see! A few upcoming projects that I’m excited about include the picture books Métis Like Me by Tasha Hilderman (Tundra/PRH)—her debut!; My Towering Tree by Janna Matthies (Beach Lane/S&S); I Worked Hard on That by Robyn Wall (S&S Books for Young Readers) and the middle-​grade graphic novel Blake Laser by Keith Marantz and Larissa Brown (HarperCollins). Can’t wait!

RVC: Alright, Rachel. It’s time for the SPEED ROUND. Let’s get zip-​zappy fast here with the questions and answers. Are you ready?

RKO: Sure am!

RVC: Which picture book world would you most want to visit?

RKO: The Paper Party by Don Freeman.

RVC: What’s something you think you’re much better at than you actually are? 

RKO: Giving interviews?

RVC: What word do you always mispell misppel get wrong?

RKO: brocolli

RVC: Who sets the standard for picture book rhyme?

RKO: Suzy Levinson

RVC: What’s the One That Got Away?

RKO: Gentlemen by Michael Northrop.

RVC: What’s a favorite line from a picture book you repped?

RKO: “…so he can go bite them.”

RVC: Thanks so much, Rachel! This was a hoot!!

Industry Insider Interviews: Tips, Advice, and More from 12 Editors & Agents

On By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews, Editor Interviews2 Comments

Last month’s round of tips, advice, and more from non-​OPB interviews was such a hit that we’re giving it another go this month. I’ve combed the internet far and wide to find even more useful picture book info from industry folks. See what you think!

I’ll see you back here next week (January 1st) for Only Picture Books’ 23 Favorites of 2023.

Winsome Bingham, Editor at Reycraft Books

from Picture Book Builders

I do not agree with you “that there are some elements good stories need, like conflict and tension, that keeps the story moving and the reader reading.” I see this all the time in craft books and I disagree. Many cultures do not tell stories this way. Yet, they tell amazingly good stories. We cannot dismiss stories because it doesn’t follow the standards of whiteness. We have to respect cultures and embrace those cultures and their style of storytelling. This is why we are at the point in publishing where there’s a need and cry for “diverse books and stories.” Authentic storytelling is not one way, it isn’t a cookie-​cutter narrative. Authentic storytelling is how that culture tells stories and what stories they deem necessary to be told. And I would hope that others would want to experience how different cultures document their stories.

***

I love rhythm in writing. Rhyme is rhythm, but rhythm is not necessarily rhyme. I love to use onomatopoeia to break up the monotony of the text. So, my books tend to have a lot of poetic devices. I am all about musicality and cadence. The use of consonance, assonance, and alliteration adds a boppity-​bluesy feel to the text. When I was teaching, I learned the books that went over well with my students were the ones that were rhythmic in nature.

Brenda Bowen, Literary Agent at The Book Group

from JaneFriedman.com

The takeaway message to self-​published authors is to spend a lot of time and thought putting your book together. The Churchmans [a couple who self-​published] looked at formats and chose the largest trim size that could fit comfortably on standard shelves. They printed the book on 100lb paper—heavier stock than most traditional publishers can use—and also used extra heavy board for the hardcover case. They hired an editor to help them shape the text. And they mounted a Kickstarter campaign to fund their upfront costs. They took a lot of care.

Once the book was published, they truly believed in it and felt others would, too. That’s the moment to take the book to booksellers and librarians and teachers—when you have something that stands out in the marketplace and that’s backed by the courage of your own convictions.

Stephen Fraser, literary agent at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

from Marie Lamba

[I like] A writer who stays in touch every six weeks or so.  Agents aren’t paid until they sell a book, so clients need to be respectful and appreciative of an agent’s time. I don’t mind chatting on the phone or communicating via e‑mail. I don’t generally meet with clients who may be in Manhattan on vacation or for other business – I just don’t have the time.  If there is some event at a publisher which involves my client, that, of course, is different. And you know every writer is different. Some work very independently; some need more hand-​holding. And that is okay.

***

Because I was previously an editor, that is always my instinct: to see the potential in a manuscript and figure out how to bring it to full flower. I am glad to toss ideas around with a client, read a partial, or give feedback on a full manuscript. Not all agents work that way. I won’t let a manuscript go out until I feel it is right. I am especially fussy with picture books.

Michelle Frey, Executive Editor at Knopf Children’s

from Picture Book Builders

I’m most likely to pass on rhyming picture books or picture books that cover ground that’s well-​trod (alphabet books, goodnight books). That’s both personal taste and a business decision.  For example, it’s extremely hard to pull off rhyme.  And in a market flooded with “goodnight” books, it can be hard to make another one stand out in the crowd.  Also, just as a matter of personal taste, I don’t like treacly-​sweet “I love you” books.

***

One of the most common mistakes in picture book writing is saying too much. The writer does not carry all the weight—there will be a talented illustrator involved who will be bringing your text to life and interpreting it in their own way. This means that robust physical descriptions, for example, are usually repetitive.  And much about emotion can be communicated visually as well.  Picture books are like poetry—each word matters, and needs to be there for a reason.

Wendi Gu, Agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

from EasternPennPoints

I tried writing something myself the other day and it was SO hard. Everything I put on the page felt stupid and I had every conviction that no one else would ever be interested in reading it. I gave up too quickly and started answering my work e‑mails instead. I’ll go back eventually—probably, maybe.

Writers, don’t take for granted that you are already putting your dreams into action by just getting something down on the page. Do you delight in the writing process? Good. Then you are already, in my book, living a successful life.

Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Birch Path Literary

from EasternPennPoints

First, when I started in children’s publishing, we were just beginning to see books like Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Spiderwick Chronicles become feature films, and it really ushered in a golden age of big blockbusters and bestsellers for kids’ books. The idea of co-​viewing and getting parents and kids to read and watch content together has really grown in the last twenty years. Second, we’ve seen graphic novels and illustrated fiction for middle grade and even YA become a much bigger part of the book landscape. And third, the era of power librarians and influencers building buzz about more literary books on social media has really taken shape over the last decade. It used to be books were either commercial/​high concept or literary/​librarian-​driven, and now many of the popular books are both commercial and literary.

***

I think children’s publishing will continue to want to publish more diverse voices and more little-​heard point of views so the cannon of kidlit reflects the diversity of our world. I also think, given how many kids are using technology from the time they can hold an iPhone, the industry will continue to try new formats and initiatives to hook kids on reading, since we are competing with video games and apps even in the preschool age group.

Liz Kemp, Editor at Orca Book Publishers

from Orca blog

Editing picture and board books is not so much about changing words as it is project management. There is, of course, plenty of word changing, but a lot of my job is managing expectations.

An author pitches me a text that they have been writing and visualizing for some time (potentially, years!); I read this text and it inspires something in me to make me want to sign it and publish it as an Orca book; the Art Director reads it and has her own vision of what these words look like on the page and then hires an illustrator whose job it is to create a visual concept inspired by the story. We’ve gone from one person with an idea to four people with four ideas, and my job is to make sure that at the end of the day what we’ve created together is respectful of all of these separate visions.

***

Picture books are a huge influence on a child in their foundational years, I’m very mindful of what message each book we publish is imprinting on soft squishy brains. I love to see dark humour in submissions, a reminder to children that there is also light where there is darkness.

And since I have this platform, what I really REALLY don’t like to see in submissions is name calling. I think it’s unnecessary and I don’t want my little readers to ever think it’s okay.

Jennifer Mattson, Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency

from Picture Book Builders

People in children’s book publishing are often drawn to this industry, at least in part, because it offers a chance to do something meaningful and positive in the world. I think it’s safe to say that with the start of the Trump administration, many acquiring editors feel uniquely positioned to help counter some of the policies or currents of opinion—about immigrants, about diversity, about LGBTQ issues, about science, and, of course, much more—by acquiring manuscripts that foster a different narrative. There was already a lot of love among editors for topics that develop empathy among young readers in all sorts of way—i.e., Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrode’s The Lost and Found Cat, focused on a refugee family; Selina Alko’s The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage; or your own Over the River & Through the Wood, which features an extended family at Thanksgiving that includes a gay and biracial couple. But there’s (if possible) an intensified level of passion behind publishing these kinds of books now. And, across the board (fiction and nonfiction, picture books and older fiction), there is an increased awareness of the need for more #ownvoices publishing, to use the hashtag shorthand for stories about diverse characters written by authors from that same diverse group.

When I started in children’s book publishing, as a marketing assistant at Penguin Putnam, most nonfiction picture books were instantly pegged as “institutional” (i.e., for the library and school market). Since then, I think authors, editors, and publishers have found ways of making nonfiction picture books that work for both the institutional market, and bookstore customers (known in the industry as the “trade” market). Our agency is particularly proud of I Dissent!, represented by my colleague Caryn Wiseman—which has made frequent appearances on The New York Times Bestseller list and the Indie Best lists, both key markers of bookstore sales. (My own 5‑year-​old has really responded to RBG’s story, and now regularly “dissents” to whatever I choose to serve her for dinner. )

***

The most glorious part about being an agent is that moment when you share good news with an author or artist. That doesn’t happen daily, but luckily a job as a children’s‑book literary agent has no shortage of happy tasks. My background is in editorial (I was an editor at Dutton Children’s Books for about five years), so I love to sink my teeth into providing editorial feedback. But I also spent five years as a kids’-book reviewer at Booklist, where I wrote 24 book reviews every month. I find that writing pitch letters—i.e., brief descriptions of a project, addressed to editors/publishers—allows me to tap back into what I enjoyed about reviewing (minus the uncomfortable parts of having to be a critic!)

Natascha Morris, Senior Literary Agent at The Tobias Agency

from Johnell Dewitt

I can tell from the first page if I want to read on. I tag as I look through things: yes, no, further investigation needed. I am looking for specific stories now and specific writing qualities. If it is something I might be interested in, I give it three chapters. I need to be compelled in three chapters or I pass. After that, if I am still interested, I request. Once a full manuscript comes in, I read it with an eye for how much work it will need, and if I have a vision or feel compelled. I have perfectly lovely manuscripts that I pass on because I just didn’t find that passion. And passion drives the ship. When you are neck deep in 13 passes from editors, you want to feel that spark of joy that makes you say, “Screw this, I know I am right.”

***

Don’t play to market. You are not writing for today, you are writing for tomorrow. Be inventive.

***

This business can be very disheartening. As an author, you take a lot of knocks. I take them, too. Don’t lose your joy. Remember why you wanted this in the first place. 

Meredith Mundy, Editorial Director of Abrams Appleseed

from Picture Book Builders

Editors take projects they are excited about to an Editorial Meeting first—attended by all the other children’s book editors. If that group is enthusiastic about the proposal, then it goes to a second meeting called “Pub Board.” At that point, we have gathered up a list of comp titles, any relevant info about the author (including their sales tracks if one exists), and we have estimated costs to see what the financial picture might look like for each project. This meeting is attended by a lot of folks: our Sales, Sub Rights, Design, Digital, Finance, Executive, and Marketing & Publicity teams. It’s a tough crowd, as it should be! It costs a LOT of time and money to create each book, and we want to be sure that the whole company is 100% on board before we make an offer for publication. It’s so exciting when we DO get that green light and are able to make an offer!

***

It happens occasionally that an author will suggest an illustrator and that person gets chosen to work on the book, but the decision really lies with the art director, and more often than not, the AD will have a dozen other illustrator suggestions in the hopper to be considered. I am always amazed by the wonderful artists our designers and art directors come up with for projects I may have had very different visions for initially!

***

Always have several picture book ideas in your back pocket. Your first idea or manuscript may not be the one that inspires and delights an editor, but if there is interest in your tone or style or sense of humor, be ready to submit something new to see if it might hit the mark!

Monica Rodriguez, Agent at Context Literary Agency

from Latinx in Publishing

I think as writers we often forget how many plates agents have to spin and that most agents still need a day job to survive financially. Being on the other side of things helped me understand timing and what goes into deciding what projects to represent. While there are so many wonderful stories out there that I may fall in love with, there’s also an element of how I can make this book great and if I can sell it. Oftentimes, as writers we idolize the idea of getting an agent and forget that it is a business partnership as well. The reason why it takes so long for agents to get back to writers right away is because clients come first and it takes time to read, to make sure the project will be the right partnership. That being said, I wish I knew how much went into agenting before I started querying because now a rejection isn’t something I worry about and I understand if it takes long, it actually might be a good thing. It’s all about patience, right timing and working on your craft in the meantime.

Jennifer Rofé, Senior Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency

from Picture Book Builders

A big part of this process for me is trying to make sure that the surface story and takeaway are strong enough to catch an editor’s attention and enable them to see the bigger picture. I’m not an editor in the way that your editor, Frances Gilbert, is and she will definitely make Bad Dog [the interviewer’s book] an even stronger, more focused, and nuanced story. But I want to be sure that a new project is as strong as the client and I can possibly make it in order to usher it forward to an editor. Another part of this process is identifying a client’s writing or illustrating tics. For example, if I may put you on the spot – one of your tics is the way you initially draw a character’s nose or mouth, so I point it out to you and encourage you to try something different. For other illustrators, it might be a specific composition that they regularly rely on. For authors, it might be word choices or story structures. A trickier part of this process is identifying if a new project is living up to a client’s potential. Is this at least as strong as their last work? Is this even stronger and representative of new heights for a client?

***

[if a project doesn’t get acquired]

Then we reevaluate. Responses from editors can help us see a flaw that we didn’t notice and we might revise from there. Or perhaps we find that the market isn’t interested in this project right now, so we shelve it – for the time being or for always. Or perhaps it’s a matter of finding the editor who connects deeply with the project. Or perhaps it’s timing – the project isn’t working right now, but in a handful of months or even a year, it has a better chance of working (for a variety of factors). Sometimes a project I think will be a hard sell can sell quickly. Sometimes a project I think is a slam dunk, won’t sell at all.

And sometimes, responses from editors will prove that you should have listened to your agent.

Industry Insider Interviews: Tips, Advice, and More from 18 Editors & Agents

On By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews, Editor Interviews1 Comment

Instead of having a regular one-​subject interview, I’m going to share 18 interesting, surprising, and/​or useful things said by literary agents or editor in interviews I’ve read this past year. For those of you who care about such things, none of these interviews were at OPB. But maybe down the road I’ll do some a roundup post or two that’s only from OPB, kind of an OPB Greatest Hits! Does that sound like a good idea to you?

I’ll see you back here next week for the final OPB picture book review of 2023.

Anjanette Barr, Dunham Literary

from PBS Spotlight

I always ask myself whether this is something children actually WANT to read about. If you have a great story idea, but it’s on a topic the typical 4–8‑year-old crowd doesn’t care about, then you may need to choose a different format for your book. It’s easy to forget what that age group is interested in if you aren’t spending a lot of time with them, and this is often a glaring problem in manuscripts from new picture book authors. Remember that even though we want adults to enjoy reading our books aloud, it’s always the kids that matter most.

Sheila Barry, Kids Can Press

from cynsations

The hardest part of my job is having to say “no” so many times in a day or week. We turn down far more manuscripts than we publish (we probably reject 100 manuscripts for every one we accept), and I write more rejection letters than I can count.

Many of the projects we turn down are perfectly publishable, but they just aren’t exactly right at this particular moment for Kids Can Press, and it can be hard to keep finding ways to say: “We like your work, but we don’t like it quite enough to contract.” I’m almost always impressed by the graciousness of the people I turn down. But I still don’t enjoy doing it.

Savannah Brooks, kt literary

from Literary Rambles

I’m open [to self-​published or indie authors] so long as the project they’re querying hasn’t already been published. Those I won’t take on because the project really needs to be an Indie bestseller in order for editors to consider it. Otherwise it doesn’t really matter to me unless those projects are problematic/​poorly written. My general advice is don’t try to use self-​publishing as a way to launch yourself into traditional publishing. It backfires more often than it works.

Julia Churchill, AM Heath

from Words & Pictures

Every author is different, every book is different and every campaign is different. Publishers bring expertise, creativity and investment to the marketing of a book and an author. I will look through each campaign and ask questions. If I think it looks basic, I’ll ask for more. If I think they should be using the author more, I’ll ask why they aren’t. If the author and I have any other ideas ourselves, we will bring them to the publisher and talk about how we can make them work. If I see something that has fallen flat on one campaign with another publisher, then I will share my experience and ask why that happened, and if maybe we should re-​route the budget into a different area, or if they still think it’s worthwhile. I ask questions, I make suggestions, I voice my concerns.

What I want for every author is the premium big-​budget campaign, the diamond standard, but very few get that. You can imagine marketing and PR campaigns to be on a sliding scale. Some campaigns are on the more basic end of the scale. If that’s where your author is in this moment, it’s important to know that, so you can deal with it. I can brainstorm with the author what they can do under their own steam, dovetailing with publisher’s efforts, and also ask the publisher to bring in their expertise and some budget in order to help support the author. Everyone wants the book to be successful.

Not all authors want to be in a room presenting to a hundred people, they want to sit in their shed and write – and why shouldn’t they? Some authors do — and love being on panels or at festivals – it’s about knowing the author, and building the campaign around them and the book.

Mary Cummings, Great River Literary

from PBS Spotlight

If I’m intrigued, I send insights about areas to revise. I don’t want to hear back in, like, two hours because I don’t believe the writer will have really pondered and had opportunity to decide whether the revisions seem like a direction that feels right. But I also want to hear back in some reasonable amount of time (a few months would be really long for a picture book, unless my thoughts for revision would have major impact on illustrations for an author/​illustrator).

Adria Goetz, kt literary

from Johnell Dewitt

I particularly love what I call “historical footnote” picture books, that build a story around lesser known bits from history. I’m also looking for picture books that capture ordinary or natural moments that feel like they’re magical—moments like capturing fireflies, bread dough rising, watching a bird murmuration, the Northern Lights, planting a seed and having it grow into a living plant, and so on. We’re surrounded by ordinary magic, and I want to celebrate it! I’m also particularly looking for picture books that explore something peculiar that happens in nature.

Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown, Ltd.

from liveabout dotcom

One interesting thing is that independent booksellers have been compelled to be so much more nimble and creative to stay competitive and so many of them have gotten really good at selling picture books and middle-​grade books.

There would sometimes be a situation when I’d hear that Barnes & Noble “passed” on an author’s book and it used to be devastating—devastating. I would have an inconsolable author and have nothing to really to be able to tell him or her. That’s become less and less the case.

Of course, it’s great if the book is at Barnes & Noble, but it doesn’t need to be there. If they pass —while it’s not ideal—between school, library, and the indies, now we’re able to say, “That’s OK. There are other ways to sell the book.”

Susan Hawk, Upstart Crow Literary

from Writer’s Digest

Keeping texts concise is key – take a look at newly published picture books to see approximately how long they are. Editors aren’t looking for a lengthy text. I often receive rhyming picture books and these can also be a tough sell. Ask yourself if your story must rhyme; sometimes it can open up possibilities if you aren’t bound to a rhyme scheme.

I also avoid texts that teach a lesson. I find that a story that’s in service of a lesson can obscure the star of the story – the characters I want to fall in love with.

Carol Hinz, Millbrook/​Carolrhoda Books

from Picture Book Builders

I regularly see picture book biography texts that are well done but just don’t completely grab me. A common problem with these is pacing. Everything in the subject’s life is given equal weight, so the highs don’t feel all that high nor do the lows feel all that low.

In expository picture books, giving each scene its own spread may still apply, but depending on the approach the author uses, the pagination may be pre-​determined by the structure of the text.

Whether a book’s text is narrative or expository, I firmly believe that a page break has to mean something. The turn of a page should reveal something interesting, different, or new. And when I’m reading picture book submissions, I am looking for a reason for readers to keep on turning the pages.

Christa Heschke, McIntosh and Otis

from Justin Colon Books

Communication is key!!! It’s so important to me that my clients feel comfortable talking to me about any concerns they have throughout the process. I am always here! Most authors will feel a range of emotions throughout the submission process and beyond. Are you feeling disheartened? Would you like to talk strategy? Do you have editors you’d like me to submit to? Are you confused about contract language or what something means? I am always open to suggestions as well. It’s a partnership! Every author is different as far as how often they want to communicate and in what way (phone, email, etc.) and how involved they want to be in particular aspects of the process. So, I always like to be as clear on those details as possible. I want everyone I work with to be happy, know that I have their back, and be comfortable talking through things with me.

It’s also important to understand what each author’s goals are career-​wise and beyond so I can do my best to meet them.

Allyn Johnston, Beech Lane Books

from Picture Book Builders

A picture book is more than anything else a piece of theater, with pictures and words unfolding together as the pages turn and turn and turn all the way to that most important and satisfying one—the final turn from pages 30–31 to page 32.

A picture book is not a static piece of double-​spaced writing on several sheets of 8½ x 11 paper. It’s also not a chunk of writing that sounds like part of a young middle-​grade novel. The text of a picture book is more like poetry than prose. It needs rhythm and succinctness and not a bunch of description and dialog. To steal from Mem, it needs “perfect words in perfect places.” And not too many of them.

If you are a writer but not an illustrator, you of course must leave room for the artist to tell the picture story. But you also must let go of the notion that it is in any way your job to control what happens in the pictures. (No art notes! None. You may think I’m joking! But I’m not.) Your job is to write the best story you can possibly write, one that is so deliciously gorgeous and unexpected and fun in the way it unfolds, and in its emotional power, that no one who reads it can get it out of their heads.

As author/​illustrator Marla Frazee has said so beautifully, “It’s the text and the art that are collaborating in a picture book.” It’s words and pictures together that make the whole. Trust each of them to tell its part.

Naomi Kirsten, Chronicle Books

from Children’s Illustrators

It depends on the project since I work on a variety of formats, from original picture books to novelty books, board books, puzzles, and games. Regardless of the project, though, I typically seek out a style that can be best described as eye-​catching, soulful, and enduring. I also gravitate toward illustration styles that resonate with readers all over the world. I’m committed to reaching all readers, regardless of geography, so an illustration style often needs to have universal appeal.

Another quality that I look for is flexibility. It’s great to see a signature approach or aesthetic in a portfolio, but knowing that an illustrator is willing to step outside of their comfort zone to meet the needs of a potential project is ideal.

Finally, what typically sets an illustrator apart for me is their visual voice: That often comes through in a strong sense of color and line. If an illustrator is comfortable working in a limited palette, I like to see variations on that sensibility. I tend to gravitate toward illustrators who have a style that appeals to children all while speaking to an adult’s sense of artfulness. Since adults are the ones buying books for kids, they are always part of the equation for me—adults are also the ones who will likely be reading the picture book again (and again) to the youngest of readers, so it’s important to have a kid-​friendly style that adults can appreciate, too.

Emma Ledbetter, Abrams

from cynsations

Three hundred and fifty words is definitely on the short end of the picture books we publish! Word counts can vary greatly depending on things like the age group they’re targeting, and whether they’re fiction or nonfiction.

But yes, in general, there has been a trend towards brevity in recent years. I see this not as brevity for brevity’s sake, but because often, a manuscript reads as “too long” because it would simply be a stronger story if it were shorter.

When I edit a picture book text, sometimes I’ll encourage an author to condense when I find that there’s excessive description; too many different plotlines going on at once; or too much information incorporated (this can be a particular issue with nonfiction).

Every word is important in a picture book, where space is precious and limited—so every story needs focus and intent.

Steven Malk, Writers House

from Publisher’s Weekly

The most exciting thing for me has always been reading a voice I’ve never read before, coming across a perspective, point of view, or experience that’s different and new. The advice I always give is just to communicate what it is that makes you unique.

And there’s the really basic stuff of just being professional. You want to come across as really serious about what you’re doing. You don’’ want to come across as someone who’s just dabbling or who doesn’t take the business particularly seriously as a potential career. It is a career. You should demonstrate that, just like with any job.

***

I love coming across a voice I haven’t read before. I love books that open windows into a wide range of experiences. Not many people know it, but I’m a huge fan of mysteries and read them in my spare time whenever I can. I’d love to find a great mystery, especially a mystery with real emotional stakes and a setting we haven’t seen before. I’ve always been a big fan of flawed or unreliable narrators as protagonists. I love music, history, and sports, so I’m always receptive to books that touch on those subjects as well.

Wendy McClure, Albert Whitman & Co

from nancychurnin.com

In terms of process, it’s [writing a picture book] sort of a cross between composing a poem and writing a short essay. For many years I did a column for BUST magazine, and my word count was around 800 words, and once I got used to that limit, it sort of changed the way I wrote those pieces: I’d know, after a couple of paragraphs, whether my pacing and structure was tight enough to work with that word count. If it wasn’t, I’d start over. I find now that I do the same thing with picture books, because working with those texts as an editor has given me a feel for that length. It’s funny, because I still believe in writing first drafts without worrying about word count, and that sometimes you need too much story at first to have enough in the end. But it’s also useful to understand the sense of scale a picture book has. It’s like figuring out what size paintbrush you need. As an editor of picture books, I’m always in that world to some extent! But it’s a little different when it’s your own manuscript. I liked letting my editor (Christina Pulles) make decisions about page breaks and jacket copy, and I was able to sit back more and watch the magic happen, which was fun.

Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties, Inc.

from Cynsations

I often find that our very most successful clients need a gatekeeper—there can come a point when there’s nobody left who will tell an author to “shelve it” or that the author “can do better.” We are the keepers of the castle, the ones you can trust to tell you the truth about the work as we see it.

Maria Modugno, Random House Studio

from Robsanders.com

If I knew the formula for making a finished book irresistible, I would be a millionaire. Even after years of experience, I find it hard to anticipate which titles will really take off. I always pause when I have the first bound book in my hands and celebrate that achievement. What the market thinks is out of our control. Nevertheless, most bookstores use the top seasonal holidays as a hook for a display. Back to school is another important season for picture books. It goes without saying, that the publisher has priced the book competitively and the trim size is right for the story, i.e. some books are “lap books” that can be spread across the laps of two readers; some illustrations call for vertical size and others for landscape.

***

The overwhelming reason that manuscripts are declined is because they just don’t have that extra spark, something that makes them irresistible. And that quality is the most difficult to define.

There are some things you can check—does the story have a distinctive voice? Does the plot work without relying on coincidence? Does it end with a surprise [such as a] birthday party? How does it sound when you read it aloud, or better yet have someone read it to you. Take care that you are not convincing yourself that it’s a good text.

***

I’m a saver of scraps. I have a jar of mismatched buttons that I keep on hand just in case. Don’t ever give your manuscript a funeral. Set it aside for a while first underlining the parts you love the best.

Something that isn’t working completely will still have a number of gems you can use somewhere else.

Brooke Vitale, freelance editor

from Brookevitale.com

So what does it mean to have a book for kids aged 3–7? It means that you need to focus on things these children can understand and can relate to. Keep in mind what a young kids’ experience with the world is and what is interesting to them. A four-​year-​old isn’t going to want to read a book about a ten-​year-​old. They can’t relate to what that character is going through and probably won’t understand the book. Young children are still learning how the world works and wont usually comprehend more complex emotional stories. That’s why most picture books tend to be simplified. A book about bullying, for example, would likely focus on a protagonist stepping up to stop the bullying, not the actual physical and emotional abuse the bullied child experiences.

But more than being something they can understand, books for kids this age need to be compelling. They need to keep a child engaged and actively hold their interest.

If you’ve ever read to a kid, you know that they have notoriously short attention spans. If you don’t have a story that keeps their attention, they’re not going to want to read your book. Find a way to engage them, and keep them engaged.

Agent Interview: Joyce Sweeney (The Seymour Agency)

On By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews4 Comments

This month’s Insider Interview is with Joyce Sweeney! Here in Florida, Joyce is a legendary figure who ran one of the most successful kidlit writing coach businesses—dozens of Joyce’s clients found publication thanks to their help and guidance. Joyce is a well-​published author on their own, too, having written more than a dozen novels for young adults.

A few years ago, Joyce became a literary agent for The Seymour Agency, and that’s where they’re dealing with picture books on a more regular basis.

Let’s hear from Joyce directly about this new career!

RVC: You’re clearly an animal lover–I saw your recent FB post where you talk about your dear friend at Flamingo Gardens…who happens to be a rescue crow.

JS: My husband and I are both dedicated animal lovers and rescuers. Most of our pets have been rescues and when we get free time, like last Saturday, we head to the wildlife areas immediately. I think I have done so well in nonfiction picture books because I have a great eye for nature and wildlife stories.

RVC: We’ll circle back on animals in a moment. In the meantime, tell me about your relationship with books as a kid.

JS: My mother was a book lover, who was actually shamed by her parents for “reading too much” and not going outside. So, I grew up showered in Little Golden Books and being read to all the time. Picture books transported me because story and art are possibly my two favorite things. One of my favorite “picture books” as a preschooler was a book of Chinese poetry for adults with beautiful watercolors. I pored over that book.

RVC: What specifically appealed to Young You about the art?

JS: It was unlike anything else I had seen. Watercolor art and scenes of Asian life. It was so beautiful!

RVC: Let’s jump ahead a bit. What future did you imagine for yourself when you attended Wright State University?

JS: I was planning to be the next JD Salinger. I got closer than I thought I would!

RVC: I assume you’re saying that because you had your own books published and not because of other Salingeresque things (being a hermit, refusing to be edited, suing your biographer, offering a residency for a cartoonist at your house, etc.).

JS: Yes, I was talking about his impact on teens through his writing.

RVC: Roger that! Please share how your five-​week classes at the Florida Center for the Book turned into the robust writing coach business that you did for so many years.

JS: I was in a rhythm of teaching regular classes at the library and there would be repeat students. I’d say, “How has your writing been going?” And they’d say, “It was great during the class, but then I stopped.” So, I realized writers needed a “never-​ending class” and I started one. People started getting published and the rest is Magic Bean history.

RVC: For those who don’t know, what’s the Magic Bean reference?

JS: When I started teaching ongoing workshops, and people started getting published, we decided there should be some kind of prize given out. I had a friend who had just gone to Costa Rica and she discovered the beautiful seeds of the Guanacaste tree. They seemed perfect. So, anyone I have helped, when they are traditionally published, they get one.

I think it was Sherri Winston who coined “magic beans.”

RVC: What’s one of your favorite success stories from your coaching days?

JS: Can’t choose! During the first two years of that class, I saw the launch of Alexandra Flinn, Dorian Cirrone, Noreen Wald (Nora Charles), Gloria Rothstein, Sherri Winston, and a slew of others. It was thrilling.

RVC: It sure sounds like it! Now, one of the things you’re famous for is being a true coach—caring and supporting your clients well beyond anything story related. What’s your secret?

JS: I care. I mean I really do. I know how they feel. I’ve lived everything, good and bad, that they go through. A writer starts talking to me, I want to put everything down and listen. And I can usually find a hopeful direction for them to take.

RVC: From my perspective, it looked like business was booming. Why make the switch to agenting?

JS: I really love change and I really love a challenge. This was a big one and it came out of left field because it was offered to me rather than something I went after. Nicole Resciniti [President of The Seymour Agency] surprised the heck out of me during a lunch meeting by just springing it on me. But she pointed out, “You’ve been doing this job for years. This just takes it to the next level.”

And she was right.

RVC: Why is The Seymour Agency a great fit for you?

JS: I think because of the tone Nicole sets. We have that same urge to mentor, nurture, make dreams come true. All the agents at Seymour support and help each other to an unbelievable extent. It’s a loving, supportive atmosphere. I’ve never been at another agency, but I think our vibe is quite rare.

RVC: Describe a typical workday as an agent.

JS: That’s the beauty of it–there’s no such thing. This morning, I have to sign off on a contract for a client, execute a contract with a new client, read several new picture books some clients want me to see, send out a middle grade on submission, and have a phone meeting with one of my favorite clients. There will be about twenty surprises that come in on top of that. The days literally fly by.

RVC: What is the most common misconception about agenting?

JS: That agents don’t care or take clients’ hopes and fears lightly. We think about all of them all the time.

RVC: What’s the story of—and behind—your first picture book sale?

JS: My lovely friend and client Mindy Weiss runs a little showcase on Twitter called Picture Book Party. My first year as an agent, I found several manuscripts I loved, including a lyrical PB called Peaches by Gabriele Davis. I remember telling my husband about it and saying I wished I could have Peaches but that writer is too good for a beginning agent. But we had a phone interview and Gabriele and I really clicked and she picked me!

RVC: Congrats on that!

JS: She is a dream client. She works hard and participates in the process well. A few months after we went out, we had two R&R’s [revise and resubmits] and from that came her sale to Abrams.

RVC: When might we see Peaches?

JS: It comes out next spring, and this book will always be special to me.

RVC: How do you collaborate with your clients to develop their picture book projects before submitting them to publishers?

JS: It’s an ongoing process. It’s not just how to edit or tweak what they have, but as they submit and start to get industry feedback, we have to collaborate on how to brand them, how to develop their uniqueness into something editors will clamor for. It takes a lot of time and thought to position a client to make a sale.

RVC: How do you balance the commercial appeal of a picture book with its artistic and literary merits?

JS: I think in kidlit, artistic and literary merit is PART of commercial appeal, because a lot of sales are awards driven or based on educational value, etc. The best projects always have both: literary and artistic merit and commercial hooks.

For example, there’s City Feet by Aixa Perez-​Prado, which is my first client book to come out just this past January. It’s so fun and kid friendly because of the rhythm and fun of the text and the kooky, funky shoes, but it also has Aixa’s beautiful, mixed-​media art, the multilingual text, and most fun for me, maps of cities around the world embedded in the collages.

RVC: Share an example of a picture book project that presented unique challenges or learning experiences.

JS: I had an author illustrator who kept getting the note that they loved her story but not her illustrations. That’s hard for an artist to hear. But she did the bravest thing I ever saw. She took a year off to raise her game, studying every technique she could find. She was already a trained artist, but she pushed it further. I admire that kind of dedication so much. I believe she is on the brink of her first sale right now.

RVC: I sure hope so–it sounds as if she earned it. Let’s talk about the business side of things. How do you stay updated on the latest industry news, trends, and best practices to best serve your clients?

JS: We have regular agency meetings, trainings, and updates. I get a slew of industry newsletters every day and I learn a lot just from interactions with editors and listening closely to what they’re saying. I hold regular meetings with clients and big group meetings about twice a year and try to brief them on the “state of the industry.” Plus, we have a Facebook page where they all share info they are finding out.

RVC: What challenges do you see facing the picture book industry today, and how can authors and illustrators adapt to these changes?

JS: It’s a robust industry and I’m thankful for that. The challenges seem to come and go. COVID was a challenge, paper costs was a big problem, then general supply chain issues. What I am seeing now is some editor burnout, I think from surviving all the things I mentioned above.

RVC: I’m seeing some of that, too.

JS: The good thing is, kids want and need books and that never changes.

RVC: In addition to your novels, you’ve published a number of poetry chapbooks. How does your work as a poet inform how you work with picture book texts?

JS: Sometimes I can make a really good editorial suggestions, like “end the line on THAT word.” That knowledge comes from poetry. And I definitely know good lyricism when I read it.

RVC: Talk to me about those magical power lunches. How often do they happen? What goes on? Do you split dessert or does everyone get their own? 

JS: The first rule at The Seymour Agency…the agent pays for everything. We are hosting and treating our clients and it’s a great, relaxed way to really talk in depth. I knew so many great local writers from Florida SCBWI and a lot of them became clients, so I can see them anytime. But some of my clients also travel and make regular pilgrimages, which I love.

It’s good to be Florida based. Everyone wants to come here.

RVC: Complete the sentence. Joyce Sweeney is an agent who…

JS: cares about your career and is responsive to your needs.

RVC: One last question for this part of the interview. What are some upcoming projects that you’re especially excited about?

JS: Barefoot Books is launching a series called OUR WORLD that takes a creative approach to showing different countries and cultures. I have two clients participating in that: Aixa Perez-​Prado for Argentina and Ana Siqueira for Brazil.

RVC: Okay, Joyce…it’s time for the LIGHTNING ROUND! Zippy questions and zappy answers, please. Are you ready?

JS: I was born ready!

RVC: Magic beans, magic wands, or magic hats?

JS: I actually have all three. Doesn’t every agent?

RVC: Most underappreciated astrological sign?

JS: Scorpio (yes, I am one). But we always get the “murderer” meme. And we are really very loving, protective people.

RVC: Favorite cat joke/​pun?

JS: An old woman was walking along the beach with her cat. She found a magic lamp and a genie appeared. He gave her three wishes. First, she wished to be young and beautiful. Granted. Then she wished to be rich. Granted. Third wish. She looked at her cat and said, “Turn him into a handsome young man.” Granted and the genie disappeared. The cat, now a handsome young man, stood before the now young beautiful, rich girl. And he said, “Aren’t you sorry you had me neutered?”

RVC: Favorite picture book that features an animal protagonist?

JS: Olivia!

RVC: What’s the last picture book that made you LOL?

JS: I read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild over and over.

RVC: Your picture book philosophy in five words or fewer. 

JS: Think like a child!

RVC: Thanks so much, Joyce! 

JS: Thank you! These were great questions!!!

Agent Interview: Jennifer Rofé (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)

On By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews2 Comments

Help me welcome this month’s Industry Insider guest, Jennifer Rofé, a senior agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency! Welcome, welcome, welcome!!!

As much as I truly enjoy creating snarky biographical introductions for OPB guests, when I see something great that someone else created, I must acknowledge it. Given that, here’s Jennifer’s fantabulous Twitter bio.

“Children’s lit agent with @AndreaBrownLit who dreams about being a bakery-​owning cowgirl. Never mind that I don’t bake or have a horse. (she/​her)”

Wow, right? [Making a note to improve my own social media bios in light of seeing this one!] 

And since it’s been a few months since we’ve done a Fun Facts section and I miss their pithy biographical goodness, we’re going to finish this introduction with a “7 Fun Facts about Jennifer” list. Here goes!

  • My first job was writing for a wine trade magazine, and they hired me because I knew nothing about wine. I didn’t even know what Merlot was.
  • My favorite color is yellow.
  • My favorite band is, and always has been, and always will be, the Indigo Girls.
  • My comfort meal is white rice with a fried egg and plátanos.
  • Things I love? “Troublemakers,” sass, underdogs, talking animals, and magic.
  • I am good at dream interpretation.
  • I love hidden passages and secret rooms. One day, I will have a house with both.

Thanks so much for that, Jennifer. Now let’s all zip ahead to the interview and uncover a bit more of the elusive recipe for how a literary agent superstar is made!

RVC: Whenever I have a name question, I now ask it aloud instead of quietly wondering about it in silent semi-​embarrassment. It’s a 2023 resolution of mine! So, here come two questions. 

1) Do you prefer Jen or Jennifer? 

Formally, like for work announcements, I go by Jennifer. But in life, I prefer Jen. So please call me Jen.

2) How do you say your last name?

JR: Row-fay. The accent on the e makes it a hard “a.”

RVC: Gotcha. Thanks for that! Now, you earned a BA in English with a minor in Social and Ethnic Relations from UC Davis. What was the intended career plan with that?

JR: Hahahahaha! I have no idea what the intended career plan was. As I was in line graduating college, I realized that I maybe should have studied Classics and Business. But it all worked out. Seems like it was a bit of a winding road, but in hindsight, I can see how I was getting here all along.  

RVC: You worked as a middle grade teacher for five years. What was the best thing(s) about that time in your life?

JR: Those kids were the best. Except for one class that drove me to drink spiked hot tea in the bathtub!

RVC: Oh, I’ve been there, too.

JR: I always appreciated the kids who other teachers didn’t like.

  • The “troublemaker” who was actually very intelligent. (I’m certain this kid is now either an entrepreneur or a criminal.)
  • The kid who came from a family of underperforming students and so the same was expected of him, but he was very smart. (I helped this child get into a private high school.)
  • The kid who brought a water squirter to school and stood behind a post to spray friends during the passing period. (On the inside, I was laughing, but I had to pretend to be mad.)

Being in middle school can be hard, but there’s something about that time that is a magical twilight.

RVC: What was your teaching superpower?

JR: I was good at bringing the low-​performing students to level, and the principal started intentionally giving me those students. I loved working with those kids, and I really didn’t do anything different with them than I did with my more achieving students. I knew they could get it done and I treated them accordingly.

RVC: What convinced you to make the move from teaching to agenting?

JR: I long knew that I wanted to do something pertaining to children’s media. I thought maybe cartoons, but then I had a summer internship at Disney and it was miserable. Then I thought maybe educational publishing, so perhaps I should become a teacher first, which I did. I also always liked kidlit, and I would wander the bookstores perusing the children’s section, but working in traditional publishing never occurred to me.

Then one day, the office admin at the school where I was working asked what I was doing over the weekend, and I told her I’d probably go to Borders (a blast from the past!) at some point to look at books. She said I should go to Book Passage instead, which is a fantastic indie bookstore in the Bay Area, where I had been living at the time. When I got back to school Monday morning, she had put in my box the monthly newsletter from Book Passage. I noticed that they offered workshops, and there was an upcoming one on children’s literature. Lemony Snicket, Megan McDonald, and an editor from Chronicle were presenting. And so was Literary Agent Andrea Brown.

I remember thinking, What’s a literary agent?

I signed up for the conference–which was a lot of money for me at the time–just to find out what a literary agent is. On the last day of the conference, Andrea presented, and I thought, That’s what I’m going to do. I approached her after and asked how I get her job. And here I am.

RVC: Wow!

JR: That office admin has no idea how she changed my life.

RVC: Who was the first client you signed? 

JR: The first client I signed on my own, in 2006, was Meg Medina, for her first book Milagros: The Girl from Away.

RVC: What was the tipping point with that book? What moved you to an “I’m taking it!” decision?

JR: The tipping point happened very quickly–on page 1. And that’s because even though Meg was writing about a fictional island, I could tell immediately that it was influenced by Cuba. My mom was born and raised in Cuba until her family fled the country, and I recognized Cuba from stories I had been told. In fact, if I recall correctly, I believe one of the first things I said to Meg when we spoke was, “You’re writing about Cuba, aren’t you?”

RVC: It’s clear that you’re deeply invested and interested in identity both from the projects you rep and how you represent yourself in the world.

JR: What most interests me about identity is how we’re perceived versus who we know ourselves to be or who we can become, and how that intersects. For instance, when Stranger Things came out, Joyce was my favorite character. She was perceived as a crazy, kooky lady, but she was right all along, and that nobody listened to her didn’t stop her from doing everything to save her son. Eventually, everybody got on board with Joyce.

In story, I am most interested in the character who is misunderstood, underestimated, overlooked. Even the students I appreciated the most when I was teaching were the ones who were underestimated.

RVC: What do you think is the most common misconception people have about the intersection of identity and writing?

JR: No identity is a monolith.

For instance, I’m half Cuban. Some would assume that I’m Catholic or that my mom’s family went to Miami after fleeing. Neither is true. We’re Cuban Jews, and my mom’s family ended up in Los Angeles.

The nuances of identity are infinite.

RVC: Let’s help writers by digging into industry specifics. Some agencies pass around queries/​manuscripts. How often does that happen at ABLA (the cool acronym for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency)?

JR: Every day.

RVC: What’s something most people don’t know about ABLA? 

JR: I don’t know if people really understand how collaborative we are. I talk with my colleagues every day, we help each other every day, and our hive-​mind approach has made us a strong, dynamic agency.

RVC: If I asked your ABLA colleagues what your agenting superpower is, what might they say?

JR: My in-​house nickname is Bonus Queen. I’m good at getting creative bonus language in contracts. And it’s so satisfying when those bonuses come through and clients earn additional money.

RVC: What’s your ACTUAL agenting superpower?

JR: When it comes to writers, I’d like to think I’m good at asking the questions that encourage them to pinpoint precisely what they’re trying to accomplish or say with a story. When it comes to illustrators, I’m good at spotting potential in the unexpected. For example, I came across the work of a fine artist whose style I thought would translate to picture books. And we very quickly landed her a picture book.

RVC: What trends is ABLA seeing in terms of picture book submissions?

JR: In terms of submissions we receive, we’re recently seeing texts about gardens, food, identity, and Christmas. There’s also been an uptick in stories that take place outside of a contemporary world–fantasy-esque, I guess you could say.

 RVC: I have two words for you. Big + Sur. 

JR: One of my favorite weekends of the year. ABLA runs the Big Sur Writers Workshops in Big Sur, CA, and Cape Cod, MA. Imagine being surrounded by fellow writers in clean, coastal air, workshopping your manuscript with small groups that are led by conference faculty, going away to revise for hours, strolling the redwoods or the sand to think, attending craft sessions from faculty, dining with colleagues. It’s a magical weekend.

 RVC: What’s a success story that emerged out of Big Sur?

JR: We have several Big Sur success stories–writers or illustrators who have joined ABLA or who have found other agencies and have gone on to get published. Two current successes that come to mind are Eric Rosswood, whose picture book Strong recently won the Stonewall Honor, and Angela Joy, whose picture book Choosing Brave has earned an impressive list of accolades, including most recently a Caldecott Honor.

RVC: You’re known for your The “So What?” Factor presentation.

JR: “So What?” started when I was teaching eighth graders essay writing. If Kayla stated that plastic bottles are polluting our oceans, her next sentences had to explain the “So What?” of this statement. This matters because…. And so on. At some point, I realized that I could do this with clients. If a plot point happens in the story, then there needs to be a “So What?” of that moment.

RVC: Why do you think the presentation is so popular? 

JR: I think this presentation became popular because it’s a simple way to think about how you’re moving your story forward. If X happens, then Y. And if you can’t figure out the Y, then rethink the X. Applying this to TV shows and movies is a great way to get the hang of it. Dirty Dancing is an excellent “So What?” vehicle. Johnny is accused of stealing wallets.

  • So What? Baby knows he couldn’t have stolen the wallets because she was with him all night.
  • So What? Protecting Johnny will mean that everybody learns what Baby has been hiding, including her parents.
  • So What? Their perception of her is going to be shattered.
  • So What? Well, lots of things, including that Baby needs that to happen so that she can come into herself as an independent young woman. Also, the dad is going to face his own biases and limitations. Everything that happens in that movie matters and moves the plot forward.

I haven’t entirely pinpointed how to do this with picture book texts because there is variation in the format. It can still generally apply, like with a more narrative structure, but concept books, for instance, might not have a “So What?” I believe I first started “So What?” as an agent with Mike Boldt! When he shares a new idea with me now, he often comes prepared with the “So What?” on hand.

RVC: What’s your best tip for ensuring the “So What?” game stays generative and supportive?

JR: You can certainly “So What?” your manuscript into oblivion. The core of it is understanding how each of your plot points moves the story forward and impacts your characters in a way that matters to the story.

RVC: How often do you participate in other workshops/​conferences?

JR: I mostly participate in SCBWI conferences, but I took a break after having my second child four years ago. Then COVID happened. But I’m slowly starting to do more conferences again. I enjoy them. They satisfy the teacher in me.

RVC: You’re an author, too. How did Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch come about?

JR: That was a happy accident. Mary Peterson was working on the story and we were doing a lot of back-​and-​forth, when suddenly I could see what the story needed. I asked her if I could take some extreme liberties with the text, and she said yes. So, I did, and we decided to team up.

RVC: What’s the most useful lesson that came about from that book?

JR: That revising is really hard. We almost quit during revisions. The experience helped me understand what writers go through. I am a more empathetic agent because of that experience.

RVC: In this post-​COVID world, I like to ask a health and wellness question in interviews. Here’s yours. What do you do to de-stress? 

JR: I build and remodel houses in my mind—I remodel mine almost daily—and look at homes/​interior design stuff online. If I weren’t working in publishing, I’d be interested in working in construction.

RVC: One last question for this part of the interview. What forthcoming projects are you especially excited about? 

JR: I’ll talk only about picture books that have been announced so I’m not spoiling secrets. The dynamo duo of author Dev Petty and illustrator Mike Boldt have a book publishing this year called Elmore the Christmas Moose. It’s a hilarious story about a moose who applies to be one of Santa’s reindeer, except he can’t fly. They also have a second Life Lessons from Chip the Dog book coming next spring, this one called Don’t Trust Cats.

RVC: OPB did an interview with Dev right here! What else are you stoked about?

JR: Author-​illustrator Sasha Mayer has her first book in a new series coming, called Squash, the Cat. It’s a funny and joyful story about a girl named Maggie and her best friend, Squash, who is her cat. And author-​illustrator Renée Kurilla has a book called It’s Fall coming this year. It’s a rhyming story about the delights of fall, and it’s illustrated in a limited fall palette. It’s cozy and wonderful.

RVC: Alright, Jen. You’ve been waiting for it. I’ve been waiting for it. The OPB audience has been waiting for it. And it’s now here!! THE SPEED ROUND!!! Lightning-​fast questions followed by shockingly short answers, please. Are you ready?

JR: Yes.

RVC: Guiltiest reading pleasure?

JR: I don’t feel guilty about any of it.

RVC: If someone narrated your life, who would you want to be the narrator? 

JR: Marin Ireland.

RVC: Which Indigo Girls song would make the best picture book? 

JR: My heart bursts that you ask this question because nobody ever has. And I know the answer because I’ve spent time thinking about it. It’s “Power of Two.” The illustrations would depict a parent picking up a child from school, and then they go on a drive to have a picnic and hike around and play in a field of sorts. Or something like this. Sorry this wasn’t a short answer!

RVC: What’s the One That Got Away?

JR: I will never, ever tell.

RVC: When your kidlit career is finally complete, what text should be on the career tombstone?

JR: “So What?” Juuuust kidding.

RVC: Thanks so much, Jen! This was a real treat.

JR: Thank YOU, Ryan!

OPB Favorites: Best Agent/​Editor Interview Moments from OPB in 2022

On By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews, Editor Interviews, OPB Favorites

Thanks to having such a GREAT crew of writers, artists, and industry folks visit OPB this past year, tons of terrific/​useful/​exciting things came out in the interviews. For this final Industry Insider post, I decided to compile some of the most memorable agent/​editor interview moments right here in one handy-​dandy end-​of-​the-​year post.

**If their answers required a lead-​in/​framing questions, I included those. Many of these gems, however, stand well enough on their own.**

Did I miss a great line or idea from a 2022 Industry Insider interview that really stuck with you? If so, go ahead and tell me in the comments.

See you in 2023!

Reka Simonsen (Editorial Director, Atheneum)

RVC: What’s the most common misconception about editors?

RS: Even in the book world, I find that most people still think that editing means correcting grammar and punctuation—the kind of red-​pen editing that a lot of us are familiar with from the notes teachers wrote on our school essays. More experienced writers and agents know otherwise, of course, but first-​time authors still often expect that the first thing they’ll see from an editor is a detailed line-​level edit of the manuscript, which is usually a much later step in the process, rather than a letter or conversation that looks at the bigger picture aspects of the story, which is more often the first editorial step.

Kayla Tostevin (Senior Editor, Page Street)

RVC: What important lessons did editing that book teach you?

KT: This book was probably my first big lesson on how incredibly subjective publishing is. The author-illustrator–my bosses–and I all had many different ideas about the best way to handle many aspects of this book, and I realized, oh, being an editor is much less about fully controlling the development of a book than it is about finding the best route to solid middle ground between multiple visions. It’s not steering the car so much as politely giving directions from the shotgun seat, while sometimes the driver ignores you to make their own rogue turns, or the backseat passengers argue, or your maps app dies and you have to ask everyone to pull over and be patient with you while you reroute.

It’s a kind of chaos I’ve learned to fondly embrace. Having to come up with a new title that satisfied everyone was an especially hard piece of this lesson.

Frances Gilbert (Editor-​in-​Chief, Doubleday Books for Young Readers/​Random House Children’s Books)

RVC: Let’s help some of the aspiring writers out there. What’s a common misconception about kidlit editors?

FG: I know our industry can feel opaque when you’re trying to break in. One thing I always let people know is that we’re always earnestly trying to find exciting new works. I think people have the idea that we enjoy rejecting things, when in truth it’s the opposite. We’re always avidly trying to find great writing. We don’t enjoy saying “No” as often as we must. “Yes” is always more exciting.

***

RVC: One more question for aspiring writers—what are your feelings on art notes? 

FG: If I don’t know what you envision happening in the book without art notes, then give me art notes. It’s that simple. I don’t understand why people worry about them so much.

Catherine Laudone (Editor, Paula Wiseman Books)

CL: Today, I make time to read for pleasure (and for school), and I go to the library once a week to check out picture books and graphic novels. Although I will admit that I consume novels mostly in the audiobook format these days. It’s easier to listen while doing the dishes, making dinner, or driving somewhere than it is to find time to sit down and read a physical copy.

Allison Cohen (Editor, Running Press Kids)

RVC: All the time, I see editors moving into the field of agenting. You did that, but then you boomeranged back to editing. That’s really quite rare.

AC: I loved being an agent. I loved working with writers across genres—children’s and adult, fiction and non-​fiction, etc. And the relationships I built with my authors were unbelievably special. But the 24⁄7 hustle was a lot. You’re not just an agent—you’re an editor, an accountant, a lawyer, a therapist, etc. I often found myself pulled away from some of what I loved best about the job—working with authors on developing their manuscripts. Don’t get me wrong, being an editor requires hustle—nights and weekends reading and editing—but it’s a different kind. I had been talking to an editor friend of mine about life and maybe making a change but not really knowing what that change was.

***

RVC: What’s one thing that a lot of people just don’t quite understand about picture books?

AC: There is SO much that has to come together to make a book. That’s why schedules can be so long. It takes a lot to create synergy between the text and illustrations—you have the manuscript, then you find the right illustrator, then you get the sketches (almost always adjustments are made), then you see the color art (more adjustments are made). You’re getting together materials to share with sales so they can sell in to their accounts. You’re building marketing/​publicity plans to launch the book into the world. All this is happening while the managing ed and production teams are doing their best to make sure the books are printed, shipped, etc. There are so many hands that touch a book. It takes time. It’s a lot of work, but then you get the advance copy, hold it in your hands and think, THIS IS WHY. It is incredible when everything works out.

Lisa Rosinsky (Senior Editor, Barefoot Books)

LR: Early mornings are still my favorite time to write…when my creative brain is still loose and dreamy, before my critic/​editor brain has fully awoken.
***

 

RVC: Who or what has influenced you as an editor?

LR: That’s a tough one…I’d have to name every book I’ve ever read and every editor I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. Most recently, though, I have to say that reading books with my two-​year-​old has taught me an enormous amount about editing. There’s nothing like reading a book over and over with a toddler to show you where the plot lags or fails to hold a reader’s attention, where the syntax is clunky or there are missing details. And picture books are a shared experience between an adult and a child—you have to think about the grownup buying and reading the books as well as the young audience. My new test for a manuscript when I’m reading submissions is, “Would I still want to read this one again after reading it at bedtime every single night for MONTHS?”

RVC: That’s a high bar, indeed!

LR: Absolutely.

Tricia Lawrence (Agent, Erin Murphy Literary Agency)

RVC: What’s the most important things authors should know or understand about effectively using social media to support their careers?

TL: That social media DOES NOT MATTER without the writing. It supports the book, but it doesn’t supersede the book. You only need a massive social media platform if you’re writing nonfiction for the mainstream adult trade market, say, if you’ve got a new approach to phlebotomy or something (ha!), but the story matters the most in children’s literature and teen literature. It’s ALL that matters.

That said, pick the social media tools you enjoy and leave off the rest. If you don’t like Twitter, it will be obvious. If you LOVE TikTok, go with god and have fun.

Jacqui Lipton (Agent, Tobias Literary Agency)

RVC: You work as a legal consultant for writers and creative artists. What’s the most frequently asked question you get? 

JL: Definitely questions about including other people’s work (e.g. song lyrics, lines of poetry, photographs) in your own work—and the extent to which that infringes copyright. A lot of people think that giving attribution to the original creator avoids a copyright infringement problem and it really doesn’t because copyright isn’t about attribution—it’s about copying. Attributing the original creator is always nice, but it’s not a copyright issue. If the original creator gives you permission to use their work and asks for attribution in return, that’s a contract (it’s a contractual license to use their work with attribution).

The other common question is about defamation—say, someone is writing a memoir and want to know what they can “get away with” writing about real people in their lives without being at risk for a defamation suit. Luckily for authors, defamation is a pretty weak law in the United States as compared with other countries. Truth does tend to be a defense and statements of opinion, rather than fact, are typically not defamatory.

***

RVC: What’s your personal feeling on Art Notes from authors?

JL: I think they’re fine as long as they’re not overdone. Some pieces require more art notes than others to clarify what’s happening in the text. As long as the author isn’t being overly prescriptive and not giving any room for the illustrator to shine, or, conversely, the author isn’t leaving too much of the narrative to the illustrator because the author, say, doesn’t really know how the story ends (!), I think, with practice, it’s usually relatively clear where and when illustrator notes should be included.

Agents should be able to help with this, too. I’m often discussing adding illustrator notes (or removing them) with client work, so there’s no “perfect” amount of illustrator notes to include when querying agents, and an agent who likes your work should be able to discuss including or deleting illustrator notes. Same with backmatter and other supplemental information.

Natalie Lakosil (Agent, Irene Goodman Literary Agency)

RVC: What are some of the lessons you learned by agenting children’s books?

NL: What I learned over the years was that you’re going to suck at it for a little bit. You have to push past that, the “I don’t know what I’m doing, and nothing is selling–why is nothing selling…WHY?” because you’re kind of figuring out your own path.

Obviously, I didn’t NOT sell anything, but I have a much stronger sell-​through rate now. Back then, I was still building connections. I learned that you have to stay flexible as an agent. Don’t be afraid to branch into something new, even though it’s going to take work. You’re going to have to do a lot of research. You’re going to have to talk to colleagues. You’re going to have a lot of trial and error and not be perfect in your style and process. That could all take years, but it’s worth it in the end. You just have to push past that learning curve.

***

RVC: What is the hardest part about being a literary agent?

NL: The emotional roller coaster of the industry. I get rejection daily. I pour my heart and soul into projects that don’t sell. I fall in love with projects that I don’t get to work on. I get horrible news when a book is cancelled, or something bad happens and something’s in jeopardy for an author or client. There are so many things that shift daily that you have to practice self care a lot so you can manage the ups and downs.

It’s commission work, too. Not everybody works on commission, but at least for me, it means there are ups and down throughout the year. You could have a fantastic first quarter that makes your year, then maybe nothing comes in for the next couple months and you’re questioning, “Am I ever going to sell a book again?” because you’re seeing other agents doing amazing things. And you’re thinking like, “Oh, should I be doing that?” There’s a lot of comparison going on. It’s like the Facebook thing, a lot of people shouting about all their amazing things. But they don’t share the hardships, and we all experience hardships.

James McGowan (Agent, BookEnds Literary Agency)

JW: What was the most helpful lesson you learned as an intern?

JM: Ask questions. I am by nature a question-​asker but it is crucial that every intern abandon any level of fear and just ask the question they have. There is no stupid question when you’re learning a field. Also, it makes you look engaged, interested, and people remember you better when they talk to you more.

***

JW: Was there anything about the process of having your book published that took you by surprise, having worked in the industry?

JM: Ha! No, not really. I knew what to expect. Well, maybe just the general anxiety of it all. I did not realize how much pressure one can feel when gearing up for a publication day.

 

And since OPB underpromises and over-delivers…here are a few inspirational SCBWI FL conference highlights from this year’s Orlando event, as well!

(If you want to see all of them, here’s the full write-​up on it @ OPB.)

 

Brett Duquette (Executive Editor, Little Bee Books)

BD: Revising can be hard. One idea is to take it like a cake in layers. Don’t try and do everything at the same time. Because if you’re like me, all you’ll do is just work on making verbs and nouns prettier. Have a language layer or a plot layer or a character layer. It might help to think about it like you’re painting.

***

BD: When I was younger, my brother gave me a photo of myself as a baby and said, Would you be mean to that person? So, if you’re hard on yourself, look at a photo of yourself as a child, and remember that you deserve love. Be gentle to yourself.

Aneeka Kalia (Associate Editor, Viking Children’s Books)

AK: Be patient, be persistent, and be kind to yourself.

Laurent Linn (Art Director, Simon & Schuster)

LL: Be true to your purpose. Because your purpose is one of the few things in life that you control.

***

LL: Be honest with your readers or readers who aren’t reading yet…no matter what their age or stage of development.

Joyce Sweeney (Agent, The Seymour Agency)

JS: Go ahead and feel the sorrow when something bad happens in your career, then get back up and say, Okay, well, what can I do now? What’s the next thing?