Overheard

@ SCBWI LA! 

"Don't believe everything you hear." - Author Jon Scieszka, in regards to the industry and writing for children.

"The books that take us away from what we expect are what show us the world anew." - Author MT Anderson

"A pitch should include the page/word count, the first 15-20% of the plot, comparison to other writers, genre, and industry questions." - Agent Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown)

Senior Editor (Katherine Tegen Books, imprint of HarperCollins Childrens) Claudia Gabel looks for story inspiration all over (music, TV, movies, magazines, etc) and believes writers should too!

Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary) explained the difference between preempts and auctions. (Preempts are meant to take a book--or books--off the table, an editor makes a bid high enough to keep others from bidding. At auctions, agents allow multiple editors to make bids on the book.)

"The best time of year to submit to an agent, is the time of year your book is ready." - Agent Lisa Grubka (Foundry Literary & Media)

"You want an agent who will aggressively market for subsidiary rights. If a publisher gets them, they take a cut on top of the agent's cut." - Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary)

According to Author Gail Carson Levine, some of the best ways to create suspense are: time (pressure), distance (looming destination), thought (character worries turn into reader worries), action, separation, MC flaw, secondary character flaw, isolation, expectation (too high or too low), a test, a disaster, something lost...

"Learning to be a character physically changes the way the character thinks." - Author Rachel Vail

"Everything you do online should be friendly and professional." Agent Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown)

"Don't be careful what you wish for. Be proud of what you wish for!" - Author Carolyn Mackler

"You must know the rules before you can break them, but the rules are beginning to wiggle." - Publisher Francesco Sedita (Penguin Young Readers)

"I'll never tell an editor no if they truly love a book." - Publisher Justin Chanda (Simon & Schuster)

"Great story telling has been around for ages and will continue for ages." - Publisher Jennifer Hunt (Little Brown)

"Most successful authors develop after several books." - Publisher Stephanie Owens Lurie (Disney Hyperion)

"Write what you think is cool and release your inner child." - Publisher Stephanie Owens Lurie (Disney Hyperion)

"Timeless (writing) will always be timely." Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary)

"Writing is a BITCH. But In The CHair!" - Author Rachel Vail

"Agents have short attention spans. Grab them early, both in your query and in writing." - Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary)



Okay. Any questions??

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