Karen Akins: Conference Comments

“This was my first SCBWI conference. It was more than I expected. I got to meet so many talented writers and illustrators. It was incredible. The speakers’ willingness to impart their knowledge was helpful and inspiring.”

Hannah Dills: Conference Comments

“My favorite part of the conference is spending time with my writer friends and meeting new ones. Genetta, Sharon & Susan have provided a great forum for this conference. The faculty have been excellent.”

photo: Kristin Tubb & Hannah Dills

Cheryl Klein: Principles of Plot

PRINCIPLES OF PLOT

1. The story of the book is what happens in the book. The plot of the book is the deep structure of those events.

2. We can identify a plot by a change. If you don’t have a change, you don’t have a plot.

3. The protagonist is the person to whom the change happens and in whom the change occurs. Who changes in your plot?

4. Two dimensions of the plot are the Action Plot and the Emotional Plot. Some authors call them External Plot and Internal Plot.

5. Your story will begin when one of these changes does.

6. And while the entertainment of a book may come from its Action Plot, the deeper emotional effect and meaning of the book comes from its Emotional Plot.

The key structures of this speech are in a post on Cheryl’s blog.

Kaylan Adair: How to Get an Editor to Notice You (for all the right reasons)!

Guide to Etiquette Publishing: How to Get an Editor to Notice You for All the Right Reasons

How to behave at a conference: come talk to us! Saying hello does not make you a crazy stalker.

What sort of things is it appropriate to talk about? Ask about our tastes! Ask about our publishing house or agency and general questions about the publishing process. Mention that you’ve been submitted if you have, but don’t expect us to remember you.

DON’T Pitch your manuscript in a one-on-one casual meeting.

Don’t give an editor a manuscript to take back with them.

Don’t ask what publishers pay for advances.

Don’t ask what we really think of Harry Potter or Twilight, etc.

Submission etiquette:

The basics:

Cover letter: one page business letter that introduces you/includes short summary of work and genre

Query letter: letter you send asking permission to send manuscript

Summary: depends on publishing; check specific guidelines

Notification postcard: sent with the manuscript and we’re meant to send them back so you know it arrived safe and sound.

Submissions: what NOT to do

Don’t print on special paper. That means no colors or perfumes, peeps.

Don’t include anything extra with your submission. No photos of your dog, pictures, glitter, or food.

Don’t use the envelopes that are filled with newspaper.

Don’t include a detailed marketing/merchandising plan.

Don’t compare your book to mega bestsellers!

Don’t submit to us twice. We’ll tell you if we want to see more.

Don’t waste money on special shipping

Don’t worry about copyrighting. We aren’t going to steal your idea. Really.

Don’t get your lawyer brother-in-law to submit your book. Trust us—we know.

Don’t submit to multiple editors at the same house/multiple agents at the same agency

Don’t use a weird font. It makes it hard for us to read.

Double space your manuscript. Number your pages.

Personalize your cover letter, even if you haven’t met the editor/agent.
If you did meet us at a conference or in some other fashion, mention this right away.

Include a self-addressed stamp envelope even if you don’t want it back.
Use a professional tone.

Follow the submission guidelines!

Don’t include illustrations if you aren’t a professional illustrator.

Don’t write in rhyme unless you think of yourself as the poet. Forced rhyme is the worst!

Know the market!

Don’t submit to someone who doesn’t rep your genre.

Don’t pitch an entire series! Publishers won’t want to commit to five books at once right now.

Know your character through and through. TEENS ARE THE MOST DISCRIMINATING READERS.
Make sure you’re reading what is current.

The waiting game:

DON’T call us to follow up.

Wait three months before sending a polite status query.

Continue to submit your manuscript to others!

Start work on another project.

Patrick Collins - Creative Director, Henry Holt

Sending in your Art Samples:

See Henry Holt’s website for current submissions policy.
Patrick said artists can mail postcards or art samples to him. He prefers postcards. They are easy to take to a meeting and show other team members.

Patrick also sees drop off portfolios on Mondays, you don’t need an appointment. Artists can drop a portfolio off at the Henry Holt office and pick it up the next day. He also does in-person portfolio reviews by appointment.

Henry Holt accepts unsolicited manuscripts. The Henry Holt editors rotate each week to read unsolicited manuscripts. They only respond to submissions (both art & manuscripts) if they are interested.

FREE copy of HANDCUFFS by the fabulous Bethany Griffin

We're giving away a free autographed copy of HANDCUFFS by Bethany Griffin.

The first one to come ask for it at the blog table wins!

Behind the Scenes at Candlewick with Associate Editor Kaylan Adair

Candlewick Press was named the fastest growing publisher by Publisher’s Weekly. They do board books, picture books (the backbone of Candlewick’s list), brand new readers (books for someone just learning to read), early readers (for children beginning to read on their own), chapter books (5-7 short chapters), middle grade fiction, nonfiction (picture books through anthologies for older readers), young adult fiction. Genres run the gamut. They are looking for strong writing.

Kaylan showed a photo of the Candlewick library where they keep multiple copies of all books currently in print. They have a separate library full of archived copies of out-of-print books.

The Candlewick Meetings:
No acquisitions meeting: The editors are given the freedom to acquire projects.
Production Meeting: Weekly meetings to discuss the status & titles on current and future lists
Picture Book Meeting: discussing picture book submissions
Illustrator Search Meeting: editor meets with designers to discuss potential illustrators for a picture book
Sketches Arrive: editor & designer look at sketches and make suggestions
Final Art Arrives: artwork is scanned and designer puts everything into layout
Covers Meeting: evaluating cover designs. All departments work together on this one.

Kaylan showed an example of the cover selection process for the book, Swim the Fly. There were 25 steps to finding the right cover!

Kaylan Adair has worked on more than 100 titles. She acquires everything from picture books to upper YA. She is looking for well-written stories with interesting characters, strong, unique voice, and lots of heart.

Perfecting Your Pitch

PERFECTING YOUR PITCH: an awesome and interactive workshop led by Genetta Adair, Sharon Cameron, Susan Eaddy, and Patsi Trollinger. Writers were given a step-by-step guide to create a perfect elevator pitch and then tried them out on each other, speed dating style. Writers had a minute and a half to pitch and then receive feedback. When the bell rang, writers had to move on and repeat the pitch to a new partner!

So what is a pitch, anyway?
It’s boiling your story down to its most basic elements.

Some guidelines:

Know what you want to say

Make it short and conversational

Find your hook! What is the most interesting or unusual thing about your writing?

Fill out the PERFECTING YOUR PITCH worksheet: Know your genre, age range, hook, main conflict, and main action to formulate your perfect pitch.
This should be 25 words or less.

Cheryl Klein – Dimentions of Character

Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor with Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic imprint) talked about character. Character is important, but must be paired with action.

ESSENCE (who the character is):
1. Facts – age, where they live, gender

2. Internal qualities – personality, ethics, morals, values, degree of self-awareness. A Character can have two internal qualities that conflict with each other.

3. External qualities – factors that show the internal qualities: Appearance, manner of speaking, patterns of behavior.

4. History (backstory). Readers only need to know what’s relevant to plot or to understand the reason behind characters’ actions. It can also be used as emotional context, to make the reader sympathize with the character.

“Let your characters word and actions speak for themselves.”

ACTION
1. Desire – what the character wants: to get the girl, be the smartest person in the room, etc. Ask yourself: When a character wakes up, what’s the first thing he thinks of.
“The desire often becomes the plot engine of the novel.”

2. Attitude/Energy – content of what character says. Try journaling as the character to see what they say.
“If you wouldn’t want to hang around with a character in person, you wouldn’t want to hang around them in a novel.”

3. Action – what the character does to get what they want.
Desire + Attitude = Action.

Cheryl did an exercise with the audience, building a character using the essence points. She said the more characteristics you add in each category, the more interesting your character will be. Add depth by asking Why to each trait.

Cheryl said both the villain and the main character have motivations.

“Everyone is the hero of his own story.”

Chris Richman: Hooking an Agent

Upstart Crow gets about 400 submissions weekly. So in this competitive industry, how do you make your work stand out?

1. Submit the absolute best book that you can. Note: this is definitely not your first draft. Join a crit group. REVISE.

2. Network! Go to conferences *cough SCBWI Midsouth* Join message boards like Verla Kay. Twitter! (Follow us at #midsouth)

3. Research the agents you are going to be submitting to. Spend time and effort to make sure the agent you are sending your work represents your work! Try http://agentquery.com

4. PITCH—the dreaded query! What to include: information about the book and information about you. List your relevant writing experiences and a brief bit of personal information. *MOST IMPORTANT PART. Pitching continues in every stage of a book’s life. TWO TYPES OF PITCH: query versus elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is 25 words or less.

5. The waiting game, which includes all the lovely waiting involved in this industry. Be prepared to wait!

*note: Chris currently has seven clients and is looking for more.

More about Chris Richman from the website:

Chris Richman received his undergraduate degree in professional writing from Elizabethtown College, and an MA in Writing from Rowan University. A former playwright, contributor to The Onion, and sketch comedy writer, Chris broke into agenting in 2008 and has quickly made a name for himself by selling several noteworthy projects. Chris is actively building his list, enjoys working with debut writers, and is primarily interested in middle grade and young adult fiction, with a special interest in books for boys, books with unforgettable characters, and fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Howard Shirley, Keynote Inspiration

SCBWI-Midsouth member, Howard Shirley says:

"When Caroline Cooney said her first 8 books weren’t published, that said to me, just keep at it. She inspired me."

The Opening Ceremonies: Welcome!

• Tracey Barrett, who served ten years as regional advisor, passes the torch to Genetta Adair…literally. She also receives a coffee cup and a tee shirt!
• This year, we have over 140 attendees from 15 states!
• Raffle: Win a full manuscript critique with a close edit of the first 30 pages from Michael Stearns of Upstart Crow Literary Agency. The proceeds benefit Safe Haven, a local homeless shelter.
• Conference attendees are also donating books for children at the center.
• Stay tuned to the blog for breakout sessions, giveaways, interviews, and more!

PREVIEW: Amazing breakout sessions from Kaylan Adair, Associate Editor at Candlewick Press, Tracy Barrett, former Regional Advisor and author extraordinaire, Patrick Collins, Creative Director for Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Caroline B. Cooney, Awesome Author of 75 novels for teens (which have sold over 15,000,000 copies) Chris Richman agent at Upstart Crow Literary, Cheryl Klein, an editor with Arthur A. Levine books, and Shelli Johannes-Wells, a marketing expert who runs the superblog Market My Words! Stay tuned!


Additional faculty for conference critiques: Kathryn Knight, editorial director at Dalmatian Press, Candie Moonshower, author of THE LEGEND OF ZOEY and VIVIAN VANDE VELDE: AUTHOR OF FANTASY FICTION, and Marietta B. Zacker, agent with Nancy Gallt Literary Agency.
SCBWI MIDSOUTH VOLUNTEERS
Regional Advisor: Genetta Adair
Assistant Regional Advisor: Patsi B. Trollinger
Newsletter Editor: Patricia Wiles
Conference Coordinators: Sharon Cameron, Susan Eaddy
Illustrator Coordinator: Alison Lyne
Manuscript Contest Coordinator: Sharon Cameron
Listserv Moderator: Tracy Barrett
Webmaster: Patricia Wiles
Listserv Critters Coordinator: Holly Folsom
Conference Brochure Designer: Becky Mitchel Ziemer
Book Donation Coordinator: Kristin O’Donnell Tubb