Editing - is it necessary?

Housekeeping Stuff


I am collecting names for my newsletter. If you are not sure if you signed up - you can always sign up again. You won't get double I promise.


If you sign up between today and my launch, you will get a free ebook on everything I have learned about self publishing and online marketing - this will be for anyone who is self publishing or who markets online. I'm pulling together and formatting all my notes on this whole process as well as some online marketing tips and tricks (some I haven't even talked about yet) and putting them all into one place. I plan to be complete by Jan once I get through the entire process. That way you would not have to go back through a bunch of old posts to find information. Who knows maybe I'll even turn it into a self pubbed book one day :)


My newsletter will have author news, but it will also have arc giveaways, marketing contests, as well as online marketing and self pubbing advice. The first one will go out before my launch. If you don't like it after that - you can opt out and still get the ebook.


Also I added my online virtual launch party to Facebook so you can sign up there if you didn't get it. :) I will be doing an online chat on online marketing, self publishing journey, and my book as well as giving away prizes and special secrets.


If you are on Goodreads, friend me :) You can also mark Untraceable "to read". Somehow, it's already gotten on some good lists: Self publishing books to watch for in 2011 and Best Cover.  Nice :)


Enough boring stuff....


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Editing - is it worth it? And why?


I just got my copyedits back.


First, let me say if you need a good copyeditor, email me. Because mine was AWESOME!


Untraceable has been through the ringer more than once. In addition to the scrutiny of my former agent and slew of beta readers, Untraceable was also recently edited by Lexa Hillyer at Paper Lantern and Emily Lawrence (previously at Aladdin). 


These two editors were great for my book and I HIGHLY recommend them. If you need their information, you can email me offline.


Now, I did not include this original editing cost in my current eXperiment budget b/c I'm not sure I would have used both or spent as much if I had known I was going to self publish. Not that it wasn't worth it - but now I'm on a different budget. I would say look to spend anywhere from $25-$50 an hour to get a reputable editor to work with you. At the time, I needed a fresh perspective. Editing and covers are definitely going to be the biggest expenses for any self publisher.


What I found out this week is that overall editing and copy edits are very different. I never knew this before. I assumed editing was editing. Just like I assumed revising was just copyediting.


Here's the difference:


Book Editing:
This editor looks at the whole story - the big picture. They make sure you have a roadmap and are thinking about the key story elements of Flush out the plot and subplots. What is waste? Do your characters have an arc and how do they grow over the book? 

Copy Editing:
This editor checks for spelling errors, grammatical errors and structural errors and sticks to a style/manual - Chicago manual etc. This editor's job is to make sure words are spelled correctly, the correct word is used (example. since vs sense), the correct punctuation is used, there are no run on sentences, there are no redundancies, and the topic stays the same in each paragraph and the paragraph before and the paragraph after cohere. They also look for inconsistencies in wording or style or tone.

An editor is usually more big picture and a copy editor is down in the deets. These jobs sometimes overlap some as editors definitely catch typos and smaller stuff while the copy editor also finds overarching inconsistencies and plot problems. But, these jobs are usually - and almost always - done by two different people. I always assumed if you had your book edited - it would include both. WRONG!  


My decision


At first, I thought since I had the book professionally edited, I would not need a copy editor.  I went back and forth about doing copy edits, but my traditional author friends encouraged - no insisted - that I needed them. Now that I see my edits, wow, I am so glad I did it!!!


Two main reason why copy editing is critical:


1) Copy editing caught all those things NO ONE else did. Punctuations, inconsistencies (green eyes or brown eyes), did I type "form" and mean "from". etc I had no idea how much was in there! I would have been mortified had I put that out. 


2) I wanted to put out the best product I can and be proud. No regrets. I don't want to just see a book out there, I want to see my book at it's very best. 


3) Increase the chances of success and your credibility.  Trust me, there are already a lot of naysayers out there that probably do not support self publishing or even me doing it for that matter. And, I personally don't want to give anyone a reason to say "oh! no wonder she is self publishing". 


4) Go for quality. Whether any of us wants to admit it - at some point that doubt about self publishing is what goes through our traditional-publishing loving minds when we first see someone is self publishing. It is what holds us back from self publishing. It is what has held me back. It is why I am experimenting with the process.


I'll admit it. I felt that way at one time. I guess it was because the self publishing I had seen at the time wasn't good and never seemed to be high quality work. I'm especially picky on covers and jacket copy. I can tell a touched up photo a mile away. Whether it's on a traditional book or self published book - I can see it immediately.


But I'm here to say, NOT ALL self published authors fall into the "cheap or homemade category". It's time we change our mindsets on this. Because it's not always true. There are some great authors self publishing. Look at Mandy Hubbard - she and Cyn Balog just came out with a book that is self pubbed. And I KNOW they are good.


Sure there are a lot of books that people publish that have been written in a week with no beta readers and have been slapped up on Amazon with clipart and typos. But there are also some GREAT authors out there that have WONDERFUL products, covers and writing, and do it right. Unfortunately, we all get lumped in a stack together, no matter what our product looks like. 


How do you find a good one?


There are a bunch of bad copy editors. So don't be fooled. 


1) Find someone that someone has used. That is how I found mine. A recommendation.


2) Ask them for a sample of a few pages (one page is not enough) so you can see their work. This is standard. If they won't do it, don't hire them. The three I looked at all did samples.


3) Check their rates and timeline. You need a guaranteed rate - I would go for project rate not hourly - and give a deadline.


4) Don't pay until the work is done. A deposit is okay but most won't ask for it upfront.


5) Find out if they are tracking changes or writing changes on the manuscript. Some people think writing it catches more than reading it. I prefer tracked changes.


So if you self publish, not only do you need beta readers, but I feel you also need an editor (like Lexa or Emily) who will make sure your story is the best it can be. At the end of the line, it can only help if you also hire a copy editor.


My thought: do not do this if you aren't committed to doing it right. Self pubbing is not the easy way out and it shouldn't be the cheap way out. It's a feasible option that works for some and not for them.


But can guarantee you this -  your book will NEVER have its best chance if it isn't the best it can be.  If it looks cheap and isn't well done... if it is full of typos...if you cut corners, the reader will know. They will think you didn't care enough about them to get it right and will be upset they paid money.


Editing can catch all the little things that could be the little difference between a book being good and a book being great.


Here are some articles on editing:
What it looks like
Cost of editing vs not editing
Don't skip the copyedits

Part 2 - Cheryl Klein (Second Sight Giveaway)

Last week, Cheryl Klein stopped by to talk about her new book, Second Sight, An Editor’s Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults.

Part 1 aired last Thursday.

This week, in Part 2, Cheryl talks more about the editing side of her career.

Let's get started.

Cheryl, in addition what are the top 3 reasons you reject a book?

Not necessarily in order:

1. I don’t find the characters or their conflicts all that interesting.

2. The narrative voice annoys me, and therefore I don’t want to spend two years listening to it. (Most likely because of broadcasting, as above.)

3. It isn’t something that I think I can publish effectively, either because I don’t think it’s very good, or because there are a lot of books like it already in the market, or because it’s not really an Arthur A. Levine Books type of book (meaning it will do better published as something other than a literary hardcover book).

Can you give us an idea of day in the life of Cheryl Klein?

I get up between 7 and 8, do all the typical morning stuff, take the B train from my neighborhood in Brooklyn to the Broadway-Lafayette stop in Manhattan, and arrive at the office by 9:30, where I have a cup of tea and check my e-mail. I deal with any fires there, then try to turn to the first thing on my to-do list—whether it’s negotiating a contract (which can involve a lot of talking to other departments) or writing flap copy or preparing for a presentation or line-editing a manuscript or examining proofs.

The day then alternates among those tasks, attending meetings, and continuing to deal with what comes in from our production department or over the phone or e-mail—though when I’m in the middle of a novel line-edit, that tends to subsume everything else for me, because I find the work so interesting and absorbing, and because line-edits take a while.

The last thing I do every night at work is write my to-do list for the next day, so that I have my priorities set and ready to go the next morning.

There are so many books on writing out there. What is your favorite book on plot? How about voice? (besides your own of course :)

My favorite book on voice, by far (and character, too), is Orson Scott Card’s Characters and Viewpoint.

The book on plot from which I’ve learned the most is Aristotle’s Poetics, which I read for the first time in college, but I was really lucky to have a great professor teaching me the significance of all the jargony theoretical statements in the book (the edition we read, anyway).

I also like The Fiction Editor by Thomas McCormack, which is also jargony, but says some really useful things about the larger points toward which plots should work.

What is the one piece of advice you would give a writer who keeps getting so close but doesn't make it?

Figure out what (1) your two greatest writerly strengths, (2) your favorite subject to read about, and (3) your two biggest weaknesses as a writer are.

Develop (do not yet start actually writing) a book that uses (1) to portray (2) and minimize (3). For instance, if you know your strengths are awesome characters and dialogue, and your favorite subject is romance, but you’re terrible at plotting and creating tension, come up with your awesome characters, but put them in a simple story that doesn’t involve a lot of tension—a love story with a straightforward central conflict that lets the characters do their thing.

Then get help with (3) to improve it as much as you can before you dive in; then write the book and revise it.

And have fun. When writers have fun, readers do too.

In the spirit of Actor's Studio, here a few questions for you. We'll call it Editors's Studio. First, what is your favorite word?

My boyfriend will tell you the word I say the most is “Meh” or “Feh.” The word whose sound I like the most . . . I’ve always been fond of “spackle.”

Wait, is that a word? :) Okay, how about the word you hate the most?

Hmm. Soundwise, I think I must have blocked this offending word from my mind, because I can’t think of one! Meaningwise, “failure.”

What is your favorite thing to do in your personal time (you cant say reading! :)

I love cooking and baking—the absorption of putting all these ingredients together in just the right quantities, the ability to listen to music or NPR while I work, the deliciousness that results, the pleasure of serving it to others (sometimes!) and eating it.

And lastly, what profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

In the realm of reality, I think I really would enjoy being a professional baker. In fantasy, I’d love to sing and dance in a Broadway musical. Both of those professions are about being part of a community and making other people happy through your work, and those are two of my greatest satisfactions in being an editor, too.

Thanks Cheryl!

Comment and your name will be entered into a drawing for a copy of Second Sight by Cheryl Klein.

The Bookanistas love Cheryl Klein's new book, Second Sight

Cheryl Klein stops by to talk about her new book - Second Sight, An Editor’s Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults.

For those of you who have not heard Cheryl speak - I'm sorry :( because you are missing out. The woman is brilliant and every time we talk, I have so many "aha" moments.

I've had the pleasure of being on faculty with Cheryl and she was as fun and engaging as she is smart.

A personal tidbit I learned - she loves music. Like goes to concerts all the time. That's how cool she is.

Anyway, never fear, now all of her best, amazing talks are in this book.

This will be a 2- part interview with a giveaway on Part 2.

Hi Cheryl, tell us about yourself.

Hi Shelli. I’m a narrative nerd of long standing: I love stories of all kinds—true, false, books, film, theatre, biographies, for children, for adults—and thinking about how a good story works or why the bad ones don’t. I’m lucky enough to get to work with lots of brilliant writers and stories in my job as a senior editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. And I have a book coming out that brings together all the writing I’ve done over the years about plots, character, voice, and all those other great components of written stories. The title is Second Sight: An Editor’s Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults, but thinking about it now, I really could have called it The Collected Narrative Dorkery of Cheryl Klein.

What made you finally decide to do this book (besides all the begging we have done!)

Ever since I started putting a good number of my writing talks on my website, people had been asking me when I was going to publish a real book on writing. And while I love editing other people’s books, I thought it sounded pretty awesome to have a whole book of my own.

You talk a lot about plotting in this book. What do you find is the biggest problem writers have with plotting?

The writers are so close to the characters and understand so much of their backstory and thoughts that actions and plot developments that seem hugely significant to them (“them” meaning “the characters and writers”) only make the reader say “Um, what just happened there . . . ?” A lot of the work I do with my authors focuses on building in the backstory and character development that makes the action in the book matter as much to the reader as it does to the writer.

I've heard you say voice is so critical to you loving a book. What do you find is the biggest problem writers have with voice?

I’d say it’s either that the voice isn’t distinctive—that it sounds like a hundred other narrative voices already out there, with no particular personality or beauty to distinguish it from anything else; or that the voice too-obviously broadcasts everything the character is feeling, oncoming plot developments, other characters’ true natures, etc., etc., without regard for proper pacing of the information or emotional flow.

The book touches on how to write from various POVs. What can a writer do to write an effective 3rd person vs 1st person character?

A first-person narrator has to do three things effectively: (1) tell the story; (2) be believable and compelling as the voice of that particular character; and (3) bring a personality and richness to the story beyond mere factual narration—some imagination, charm, or elegance. In third person, (2) is removed, so all the voice has to do is tell the story well.

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Was this enough for you? No? Cheryl will be back Monday with Part 2 - talk about a cliffhanger :)

In the meantime, what questions do you have for Cheryl?

Check out the other Bookanista posts:

Elana Johnson shares her love for Like Mandarin

Christine Fonseca purrs over Save the Cat

LiLa Roecker is sweet on Like Mandarin

Carolina Valdez Miller gushes over Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Bethany Wiggins is enchanted by My Fair Godmother

Carrie Harris falls for Head Games

Rosemary Clement Moore travels Across the Universe

Katie Anderson goes Retro

Corrine Jackson celebrates Where She Went

Stasia Ward Kehoe sings about The Mockingbirds

Marvelous Marketer: Alvina Ling, Executive Editor at Little Brown (Young Readers)

Today Alvina Ling (Executive Editor at Little Brown Books for Young Readers) has stopped by to share her thoughts on marketing.

Alvina and I are were both on faculty at the Carolinas and I can say she is as cute and sweet as she is a great editor. She's funny, loves karaoke, and especially likes taking pictures of food. I think she took a snapshot of mine before each course! :) (no really I have a picture to prove it - that is MY dessert she is enamored with!)

Hey Alvina, thanks for stopping by. First, tell us about yourself as an editor.

Wow, that's quite the open-ended question! Let's see. Aside from the fact that I'm an all-around awesome editor (haha); in terms of acquisitions, I'm the type of editor that will only sign up books that I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with. Then again, most editors are like that.

I'm also the kind of editor that looks for the type of books I loved as a kid, or the type of books that I WISH existed when I was a kid. I tend to love literary writing and the so-called "quiet" book, although of course love books that straddle that sweet spot of literary writing with commercial appeal. I'm also a blogging and tweeting editor--in terms of marketing and publicity, I try to do what I can to get my books noticed and out in the world. I'm generally a very accessible, approachable editor. I'm also a Karaoke-loving editor!

Yes, I have heard karaoke is your specialty! :) I'll need to look you up for BEA. I know most editors support their author's marketing, but how does Little Brown as a publishing house support their authors in their book marketing efforts?

As with most major publishers, we have some books that have huge marketing campaigns, including publicity tours, advertising, posters, displays, mailings, events, bookmarks, etc. etc. In comparison, I think there are other books that might give the perception that we don't do much in terms of marketing, but in reality, as an editor, I'm very happy that each and every book we publish gets some type of support.

We have a passionate and creative marketing department, and we're always trying new things. We also have an amazing school and library marketing department, and books that don't necessarily have wide commercial appeal get considerable school and library marketing support--special mailings, featured at conferences such as ALA, IRA, TLA, and NCTE, etc. Also, each and every book we publish gets a marketing and publicity contact. I've been pleased that our marketing department is also open to ideas and feedback from the author, and I've seen many examples (although of course not always) of an author suggesting something that we've decided was a good idea and executed.

We also have a document that we send to authors that gives advice on what the author can do themselves to help promote their own books (blogging, Tweeting, school visits, etc.)

It's nice to hear that some publishing companies promise some marketing no matter if you are mid-lister or headliner. On that note, what do you feel is most important in promoting books? What doesn't seem to work?

This might be a cop-out answer, but I think the most important thing in promoting a book is to first have an excellent book to promote. Word-of-mouth is probably the most powerful and yet most uncontrollable element in book promotion. We can do everything we can to get the books into the right people's hands, but if they don't love the book and then recommend it to others, it ends there. I also think an appealing, commercial cover paired with a strong title goes a long
way to selling books.

To be honest, the longer I'm in the business, the more clueless I am about what works and what doesn't. It really seems like a crap shoot to me. I know this isn't a great answer--but it's the truth!

What is the acquisitions process at Little Brown? From the time a book is submitted until you offer a contract.

The standard process is this: an agent submits a MS to me. I generally take between 1-3 months to read it. If I read and love it, I'll bring it to our weekly editorial meeting to ask for some additional editorial reads. The editors who volunteer will read it for the following week's editorial meeting. If the consensus is that we all love the book, then our editorial director or editor-in-chief will read the book within a week and determine whether it's ready to go to our biweekly acquisitions meeting.

We prepare materials for this meeting a week in advance, including a memo, comp titles and sales, and a P&L. At the meeting (which is attended by all of our Directors--Sales, Marketing, Publicity, etc.), our Publisher will ask for feedback, and then make the final decision of whether we want to make an offer or not.

Generally, due to the timing of the meetings, once it goes to editorial meeting it will take 3-5 weeks for us to make a decision. Of course, if there is other interest for a manuscript, or an editor loves a book so much they want to try to preempt it, the process can move much more quickly--we can have people give the book overnight reads.

Here's a little more information about how auctions work. I'd say from the time of submission, the fastest we can turn around an offer is one day. But, the average turnaround time from submission to offer is probably 2-3 months.

What is the most exciting part of acquiring a book? What is the hardest part about wanting a book?

Hmmm. I think the most exciting part of acquiring a book is the falling in love part. Reading a new submission for the first time, feeling my heartbeat speed up, feeling the butterflies, realizing that what I'm reading is really, really wonderful. The hardest part is wondering if I will be able to acquire the book--if I'll get the support I need in-house, if other editors at other houses are also
falling in love with it, if the author will want to be with me, too.

What is Little Brown looking for?

We're looking for quality books for children and teens. We're very YA heavy right now, and although that doesn't mean we're not still looking for wonderful YA books (that's what's selling right now, after all!), I think we're more actively looking for Middle Grade and picture books to balance our list. We don't publish much nonfiction, but of course will publish nonfiction that we all fall in love with, particularly if it has trade (bookstore/commercial) appeal.

We're looking to fall in love!

Thanks Alvina!

You can follow Alvina on her blog or Twitter.

ASK a question or comment and I will giveaway a few Little Brown YR ARCS that just came out in late fall. I will leave the post open until Tuesday night at midnight EST

Interview with Senior Editor at Dial: Liz Waniewski

The winner of the Oracle books is:

Jaime (who is a guy BTW :)
email your address to me at sjohannes@bilaninc.com.

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Today, Liz Waniewski (Senior Editor, Dial) stopped by to answer some questions. I met her when we were on faculty together at SCBWI Carolinas and adored her.

Hi Liz, thanks for stopping by. Can you tell us about yourself as an editor?

I’m a Senior Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, and have been working here for nine years. I edit everything from picture books to middle grade and young adult novels. The books I edit are character driven with distinct voices and points of view. Some of the books I’ve worked on recently are LADYBUG GIRL AT THE BEACH by David Soman and Jacky Davis, SAPPHIQUE by Catherine Fisher, FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB by Antony John, and FANTASY BASEBALL by Alan Gratz.

How does Dial support their authors in their marketing efforts? What do you feel is most important in promoting books?

Dial is part of Penguin Young Readers Group, so our authors have the support of Penguin Young Readers marketing behind them when promoting their books.

We offer many different kinds of support, depending on the author and the book project, from sending out review copies and press releases to the major book reviewers, magazines, and newspapers, to linking your author website to the Penguin website, to Penguin’s tweets and Facebook updates about new and upcoming books or author events, to our info packet about how to do effective online marketing, to much more.

One of the most important things in promoting books is an author who is willing to be a self-promoter. There is nothing as effective as an author who has contact with his/her fans, whether in person or online.

During the publishing process, what is the most exciting part of acquiring a book? What is the hardest part about wanting a book?

The most exciting part about acquiring a book for me is beginning an editorial relationship with an author. I sign up a book because I believe it has a ton of potential to make a difference to the kids who will read it, and I hope that the author has written it with a similar thought. It is exciting to be able to help an author get their work out into the world for kids to read and enjoy.

The hardest part about wanting a book is knowing that if other editors want it too, I might not get it. When I’m trying to sign up a book, it is because I love it. It is hard to let something you love go to another editor!

What is Dial looking for?

Dial is looking for books that walk that fine line of being literary and commercial, though if I had to choose one, I’d say we fall on the literary side of that line. We’re looking for excellent writing, fresh voices, interesting points of view, and stories that take us to places we’ve never been before with characters who jump off the page and drive that story forward.

Any questions for Liz?

Bookanistas with a bit of "Majix"

Winner of the ebook lot is...Shalonda!

Congrads and email me for instructions.

Bookanista Book Review
Majix by Douglas Rees

What is it about?
Kestrel (don't call her Susan) Murphy is angry. Forced to leave her posh San Francisco Bay Area home by her father's illness, she's living in Jurupa (sounds like vomiting), Southern California. It's too hot. The people are stupid. And you have to chew the air to get the oxygen out of it. On the plus side, Kestrel is a witch. Well, a witch-in-training. And she's going acquire the magic she needs to get her life back to normal. At first, she barely notices the people around her-Aunt Ariel, who's taken her in and is herself a well-known white witch; Jose Iturrigaray, the quiet, talented young artist; Blake Cump, troublemaker extraordinaire; Laura Greenwood, who wants to be Kestrel's friend. But life has its own magic, and gradually Kestrel finds that much of one's success as a witch lies in being open to it.
What's a teen witch to do when she's stuck in the most unmagical high school in the universe? Create her own "majix." Take notes. And above all, avoid nasty classmates, heartless grown-ups and boys who may prove a little too distracting for a serious teen witch to handle….

Why I love this book?
It's nice to see a lighthearted paranormal - especially for younger teens/tweens- after all the dark books coming out. I love the snarky sense of humor and found myself rooting for Kestrel. I felt like I was reading a diary more than a book because she writes down her thoughts in what she calls a "grim-oire". :) Don't be fooled. Majix isn't just about magic. It touches on some real issues: a sick dad, a new school oddity, and the everyday teen struggles.

Cover Love
I love the pink and brown tones. I think the silhouette is a nice touch considering all the faces on most covers. It adds to the mystery a bit.

Here's a snippet (or read an excerpt)My name is Kestrel Murphy.
Never call me Susan.
I mean, who ever heard of a witch named Susan?
Which is what I am. WITCH is what I am. I do magic, which is what a witch does. A year ago, I was on the white side.
Lately, I've been leaning toward the black...I blame the universe. What's the point in being a nice little white witch in the universe I've got? If I could choose my own universe, I'd be a white witch in it. But black makes a lot more sense in this universe.
Not that I'm complaining. A witch never complains. But if I did, I'd have a lot to complain about. For instance: Richard Milhous Nixon High.

Harlequin Teen is getting out some great books in their first couple of years. Here are a few other HQ books you may want to check out:The Oracle of Dating
The Iron King
Inside and Out
Intertwined
Soul to Keep (series)

Also, if you missed it, you can also read a past interview with editor Natashya Wilson.

Other Bookanista Reviews!

• Christine Fonseca is coveting the cover of A TOUCH MORTAL
• Bethany Wiggins is totally team Jay with THE BODY FINDER
• Beth Revis recommends THE REPLACEMENT
• Carolina Valdez Miller talks up NIGHTSHADE
• Shannon Messenger raves about The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter
• Lisa and Laura Roecker and Kirsten Hubbard are coveting 2011 covers

What do you think would be the hardest thing about being a witch?

Marvelous Marketer: Dan Ehrenhaft (Friend is Not a Verb)

Today, we have Dan Ehrenhaft from Harper Collins. I had the pleasure of meeting Dan for lunch in New York for BEA and he is funny and brilliant. One of those people that you walk away from and say "wow he is so smart!" I adore him and think he's a great writer. I've also heard he is also a wonderful editor. Who could ask for more? :)

Hi Dan, first tell us about you as an author.

Besides being an editor, I am the author of way too many books for children and young adults including Dirty Laundry and The After Life. I’ve written under the pseudonym Daniel Parker and occasionally Erin Haft. My newest book, Friend is Not a Verb, has just been released by Harper Teen, for which I had a signing at BEA.

Henry "Hen" Birnbaum's life is a shambles. His girlfriend Petra both dumped him and fired him her band, PETRA. And on that same miserable rainy night Hen's sister, Sarah, mysteriously returns home after having vanished for an entire year. Worse, Sarah won't tell him where she's been and why. The solution to all of Hen's problems? Become a rock star.

You know things are bad when your dreams come with a washed-up '80s soundtrack.

I was excited to get a copy :) Now, can you tell us a little about your background in publishing and about your new job at Harper.

I started the month after I graduated from college--I knew I wanted to work in children's books, and I took the only job I could find: editing and writing cover copy for the Sweet Valley High series, and assisting in their production. The company behind Sweet Valley High, Daniel Weiss Associates, eventually became Alloy Entertainment. I worked on and off there from 1993 to 2009--at which point I joined Sourcebooks. Creating their YA imprint, Teen Fire, was by far my favorite part of the job, and watching it grow so quickly was amazing.

Just recently, I left Sourcebooks and joined the Harper staff as Director of Intellectual Property Development for the Children's department--working mostly on teen and tween fiction. (My boss, Elise Howard, was my very first boss at Daniel Weiss Associates, so I feel as if I've come full circle--it's very nice.) I am responsible for coming up with book series and properties in the emerging digital space for Harper to produce in-house. Once I pitch a project and Harper approves, I will work with the staff here to find an author and help to see the project through publication.

Sounds like a new way to go for Harper. How do you feel about book packaging in general and what will you do differently?

I know that packaging sometimes gets a bad rap--that a packaged series is somehow less real or legitimate than a work of fiction conceived entirely by an author--but some of the most amazing, compelling, and original teen and tween series have either been packaged by publishers in-house or conceived by an outside packager such as Alloy. As far as what I'll do differently goes... I'll definitely focus on bringing properties to life in a variety of media, and looking to the audience itself for guidance and inspiration.

You made a huge impact on Sourcebooks and started an online presence that grew quickly. What was your social networking strategy?

At Sourcebooks, in addition to our Ning Site and YAlitchat, they offered an “Author toolkit,” that encouraged authors to build a webpage as part of the Sourcebooks on-line presence. The marketing department also planned to send authors on extensive blog tours.

What do you think authors should focus on when promoting their books?

Connecting with their readers in any way possible is crucial. The YA authors who are the most exciting to me are those who are the most accessible to their fans: blogging, tweeting, interacting on existing social networking sites or sites of their own making.

What would you be if you were not an author or editor?

That’s easy. A musician! I play guitar in pretty much the only all-YA-author band on the planet, Tiger Beat, with Natalie Standiford, Libba Bray on vocals, and Barney Miller on drums. But if I were a full-time musician, I know I'd answer this question by saying, "What I really want to do is work in YA fiction."

Thanks Dan!
Note: You can also follow Dan on Twitter.

Thanks for having me Shelli!

For today, I'm giving away 2 of Dan's books: Tell it to Naomi and The AfterLife. Tell me, if you could be any rock star, who would it be and why?

Marvelous Marketer: Cheryl Klein (Senior Editor, Arthur Levine Books)

Hi Cheryl. Thank you so much for stopping by. Can you tell everyone a little about yourself and your publishing career?

Shelli, thanks for inviting me to be interviewed on Market My Words!

I’m a senior editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, where I started my career as Arthur’s editorial assistant in 2000. We publish hardcover literary fiction and nonfiction for readers from picture book age through YA. I’ve worked on everything from translations of Swedish picture books to the last three books of the Harry Potter series to American debut novels—an endlessly fascinating mix that I really enjoy.

In 2009, two of the books I edited won ALA awards: A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce won the William Morris Award for a YA Debut Novel, and Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, by Nahoko Uehashi and translated by Cathy Hirano, took the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for translation.

In 2005, I rejuvenated my blog and then joined Twitter midway through last year. Both of those feature a miscellany of my personal and professional interests—movie reviews, interviews with my authors, videos I like, advice on submissions, you name it. My dedicated editorial website includes many of my past talks for SCBWI conferences. Arthur A. Levine Books has an imprint website and we Twitter our news at @AALBooks.


I am an avid reader of your blog due to how much craft and promotion advice you give to writers. In your opinion, what are a few things authors can do to promote their book?

I think every author should have a website, to provide a space for readers, teachers, and librarians who love their book to find out more about the book and contact the author. Websites are even more of a must for illustrators; when I receive a striking sample from an artist or see a picture book I like, then I often want to check out the illustrator’s website to see what other work s/he’s done.

Authors/illustrators should also collect and keep the e-mail addresses and/or postal addresses of everyone with whom they come in contact in relation to their book – people who write them fan mail, independent booksellers who feature it in their newsletters, kids who send them questions for their school reports, even blog reviewers who say one nice thing in an otherwise negative review. Then, when the author has a new book available, s/he should coordinate with the publisher to send out an e-mail blast or postcards and let those people know the book is out there.

Finally, authors should always be on the lookout for niche markets and publications to which their book might appeal. Because Elizabeth C. Bunce’s A Curse Dark as Gold was a Rumplestiltskin retelling set in a woolen mill, Elizabeth and I worked with her excellent publicist on a special mailing to fairy-tale and needlecraft publications, letting them know the book was available and highlighting the ways it might speak to their readers. While any efforts like this should always be coordinated with the publishing house, they can be very useful in breaking a book out in specialized and nontraditional publicity markets.

After that . . . honestly, I feel there are very few “musts” for every author, as everything greatly depends upon the author’s strengths and interests. If an author is temperamentally or socially inclined to blog or Twitter, then it’s wonderful to have them out there, participating in the conversation. But authors who aren’t so inclined certainly don't have to, as it can easily sound forced and fake and end up being a turnoff to the very readers we’re trying to attract.


I know you are heavily involved in the conversation online about writing and publishing. Why do you think being online and social networking is so important?

I think social networking platforms can be very useful, but they’re not essential. If you’re a social person with a decent number of friends and connections (even just old acquaintances from high school), and you can use those networks to inform your connections of your new book, then they’re fantastic. . . . Friends on Facebook from my high school class have told me they’re planning to buy my book, and most of them aren’t even interested in writing for children! But again, if you aren’t inclined to be on or not actively participating in such a network, then it probably isn’t going to be very useful to you in book promotion.


You and Arthur Levine appear to be involved in your author's publicity (He even dyed his beard pink for Laini Taylor's award event! :) How do you help your authors and what do you expect them to do on their own?

Arthur A. Levine Books has consistently gone the extra mile for its authors. When we publish an international book, we often reach out to the consulate from the author’s home country to see if they might collaborate with us on promoting the book here; these efforts have resulted in an exhibition at the New York Public Library featuring the art from our Swedish book The Red Bird, and ALA appearances from several Dutch and Flemish authors, among other things. My blog frequently features Q&As with authors or behind-the-scenes essays about the books I edit.

This last fall, my author Sara Lewis Holmes and I did a shared chat on Twitter about her book Operation Yes; you can see the transcript and I hope to do more of those in the future.

Scholastic has a terrific marketing and publicity department that enthusiastically supports all of our books and authors. We hope an author will set up a website for their book; will be available for school visits and media, as appropriate; and will give us a good list of contacts, as mentioned above. (Some media outlets and booksellers may be more appropriate for us to contact; some might be better for the author to contact.)


When evaluating whether to take on an author or book, do you ever Google them to see if they already have a web presence or platform?

Yes, absolutely! I’m always interested to see where an author’s name turns up, what those reveal about his or her background or interests, and how his or her personality comes through in writing not for official publication. I wrote about how this influenced my decision to acquire Sara Lewis Holmes', Operation Yes.

For those interested in submitting to me, my interests and submissions guidelines are available at my website.