Tag: Joyce Sweeney

Agent Interview: Joyce Sweeney (The Seymour Agency)

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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!!!

Conference Roundup: SCBWI Florida 2022 Conference Report

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Normally, the third Monday of the month means an Industry Insider Interview, which is me doing a deep dive into the career of a single editor, agent, or other picture book industry person. But since I just got back from the rousing success that was the May 2022 SCBWI Florida conference in Orlando, I’m instead creating a new OPB feature–a Conference Roundup–since I want to share some of the best nuggets of industry wisdom that I jotted down during my three days there. Some comes from agents, some comes from editors, some comes from authors, and some comes from illustrators–but it’s ALL good.

To help give you a sense of what it was like to be there, I’ll include a few photos, as appropriate.

**Everything listed below came directly from my scribbled notes. Any mistakes or misunderstandings are likely mine. If you’re one of the folks I quoted below and you’d like me to amend my quote, please just let me know!**

Bruce Coville, author of My Teacher Is an Alien

“In the words of Winston Churchill to the people of England during WWII, never give up, never give up, never, never, never give up.”

“One of the most pernicious ideas that spreads in American culture is the meme of the starving artist. You can only do good work when you have to type in the cold with little fingerless gloves–there’s a reason for this idea. It’s culturally useful. Artists who are doing their job right are dangerous. And the whole point of the meme of the starving artist is to keep us unequal, less able to do our important, life-​changing work. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s supposed to  make you think. There’s nothing the dominant culture wants less than people who think, because you can’t think without knowing if you need to change. Teachers have this horrible dual obligation. They’re supposed to maintain the status quo AND teach kids. You can’t do both. They are mutually exclusive. If these people learn to think, they’re going to think about all the stuff that’s going on that’s wrong. But our job as artists is to lead kids to think by the stories we give.”

Brett Duquette, Executive Editor of Little Bee Books

“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.”

“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.”

Sophia Gholz, author of Bug on a Rug

“I love to cross promote between a school and a bookstore…I’ll call up a store in a nearby city. I’m Sophia Gholz. I’m a children’s book author. I’m going to possibly do some local school events. I would love to do a book signing, or just stop by and say hello and maybe sign some stock. If they say yes, follow up with an email that says, ‘Do you guys have any local schools that in particular you’ve worked with, or that you recommend I reach out to?’ Sometimes they’ll put you in contact with the school, but sometimes I’ll find a local school nearby myself. Hey, I’m Sophia Gholz. I’ve already spoken to this local bookstore, I would love to come in while I’m in town, and do a school visit or two. I’d love to present to your kids. And while I’m there, you know that I’ve already spoken to so-​and-​so bookstore and they’re happy to support and supply books for the school visit. The school is going to love this, and the bookstore is going to love you coming in, too.”

“Myth number five is that authors must be present on social media. Authors do NOT have to be present on social media. In fact, I know some authors who have walked away because it was toxic–Twitter, specifically, but sometimes all social media. Yet their publisher said, We would like you to be back on at least Twitter and Instagram. So, I’d say Twitter and Instagram are pretty important. Personally, I think social media is a big deal. Do you HAVE to be on it? No, but you can have a presence on all the platforms and not be active. Still, I think having a presence is vital because that’s the first way people are going to look you up these days. So, even if you just have a page with a link to your website, I think it’s important to at least have a presence. That being said, I think it’s important to engage.”

Aneeka Kalia, Associate Editor @ Viking Children’s Books

“Be patient, be persistent, and be kind to yourself.”

Rajani LaRocca, author of Red, White, and Whole

“Be open to new ideas but also to input.”

“Joy McCullough was my mentor, and she gave me an amazing edit letter [on Midsummer’s Mayhem]. She loved my book, but her big suggestion was to get rid of a main character…I was so terrified. But I started two revisions, one with him, one without him. Three chapters in, I was like, He’s got to go. And once more, I rewrote the book that took me three years to write…in the end, I had four agent offers, and I chose Brent Taylor.”

Laurent Linn, Author and Art Director at Simon & Schuster

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

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

Jacqui Lipton, owner of Raven Quill Literary Agency

“Be professional. It’s so easy to get angry with agents and editors in the industry, and then go out on Twitter and do crazy things. Do that in the privacy of your own thoughts.”

If you like what Jacqui has to say, you’re in luck–she’s the subject of the June 2022 Insider Interview!

Pat Zietlow Miller, author of Be Strong

“Read books by people with different life experiences than yours.”

“Support other authors no matter where they are in their journey.”

“Finding time [to write] was actually the hardest one for me. When I started, I had a full-​time corporate job, I had two kids at home, and I wanted to see them before school, after school, and on weekends. So, the time that was left was after they were in bed, because I wasn’t going to not see my kids. Something else had to go. For me, no television, less exercising, less socializing, less sleeping…I’ve heard Kate DiCamillo talk, and before she became KATE DICAMILLO, she got up at an extremely early hour and wrote before she went to her day job. That would never work for me. I’m not a morning person–can’t do it. But I could do late at night. I know authors who write entire novels in little bits and pieces of time. While they’re in the carpool line waiting to pick up the kids or while they’re freezing in the bleachers while watching their kids practice hockey.”

If you want to hear more from Pat, you’re in luck. Pat will be the subject of our June 2022 Author Interview. Watch for it in a few weeks!

Dan Santat, author/​illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

“Cultivate a sense of taste. Look into all things–movies, music, books. Find out why something is good, why something is bad. If something isn’t to your taste or your liking, find out why other people like it. Because when you’re editing your own work, and you’re asking yourself Is this good? you can base that off of the knowledge gained from other things. The other one is always continue to grow. You can never settle. I’ve been in this business for 18 years. And over time, if you do the same things over and over again, the process gets stale. So, always evolve. Don’t be afraid to change.”

“When I first wrote my first book, I had a perception in my mind of what being a child was like, but it didn’t match what children actually were thinking. What happens is that when you get older, you have this really polished, idealized view of what your childhood was like. And then when you actually see kids, it’s messy, it’s chaotic. But that’s the true way kids are–you have to really get yourself into that mindset.”

“I don’t create a character and then write a story. I create a concept, and then I find a character that creates the biggest conflict to that concept. So, create a character that best reflects the idea you want to express. Let’s say you have a story about needing to be quicker, or that things must be done quickly. A turtle would be the greatest adversary to something like that. Being messy, or a story about neatness? A garbage truck would be a great character that has to deal with that issue. Falling? Humpty Dumpty. It’s sad, but if I just say Humpty Dumpty, the first thing you think of is the fall, right?”

Taryn Souders, author of Dead Possums Are Fair Game

“[At school visits], it’s really cute because you are their favorite author that day. And they will say You’ve been my favorite author my whole life! and I’ve even gone to them and asked, Really? Which one of my books is your favorite? And they’ll say, I haven’t read any of them yet. So, you’re going to be their favorite whether they’ve heard of you or not. And it’s great. You’ll never leave a school visit feeling deflated.”

“You definitely want to make sure that you are practicing in a mirror. It’s so cliché, I know it. But you’re going to think you’re making a really friendly expression and you’re actually terrifying or something. So you want to look in a mirror. Make sure that whatever expression you’re making throughout your presentation, it’s engaging and portrays, Hey, I’m fun, I’m safe!”

Jennifer Swanson, author of Footprints Across the Planet

“Find a critique group and get them to tell you stuff. But listen–your job is to tell the story correctly. If they don’t get it, you didn’t do your job right.”

“For those of you that don’t know, educational publishing, is typically work for hire, which means they give you a flat fee, you get no royalties, and they come up with ideas. They tell you what to write. Trade publishing, of course, is royalties with an advance, and you come up with an idea. So, there’s a difference between the two. But if you want to get into nonfiction, a really great place to start is educational publishing.”

Joyce Sweeney, literary agent at The Seymour Agency

“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?”