Finding My Story

Dr. Asali Solomon facilitating

Today I went to a free writing workshop hosted by the Art Sanctuary. The Finding Your Story workshop was part of this year's month-long Celebration of Black Writing Festival. It was facilitated by Philadelphia-born-and-raised Asali Solomon, author of Get Down and Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Haverford College where she teaches African American Literature and Fiction Writing

I had never been inside the Germantown Historical Society before. We did our writing activities in one of the museum showrooms surrounded by artifacts- old quilts, maps, bicycles, rare first edition books and so on from Germantown’s historic past.

The Germantown Historical Society

It was nice to be part of a small community of women writers for a few hours. Only women showed up for the workshop today; I wonder what that's all about?

There are so many common threads that run through women's stories; I always love hearing women's voices come alive on paper. Quite a few of us shared that we're interested in writing for children, and I noted once again the similar interests and concerns that draw people to writing children's literature.

My first published short story for adults will appear in Obsidian: Literature of the African Diaspora this summer, and although it's a step, I'm still trying to find my story. I'm not sure how the writing activities today helped, but I'm sure there was some sliver of insight today that will bear fruit later on. One thing I've learned as a writer is to trust "talk about process'" to work its way into my process somehow. Solomon is a fan of Lynda Barry and recommended her illustrated writing workbook, What It Is. I've never been a fan of process books, but I may check it out.

I'm thinking of hosting a workshop like today's this summer, but for children's writers. I'm keeping it on my list of seven possible things to do before breakfast...

3 Mistakes Writers Make When Trying to Network and Build Their Tribe

The ability to network and network well is perhaps the key to success in life and career. This is true in all fields, and it is exceedingly true in publishing.

Every successful, published author will tell you that winning the publishing game is all about who you know. Well, most of the time anyway. Increasingly so.

Also, books don't get published by publishing houses; they get published by people. By a whole lot of people working at publishing houses. Writing a book may be a solitary endeavor, but it takes a whole tribe ― reader fans, critique partners, editors, agents― to raise a book up from oblivion.

The anthropological concept of the tribe has important implications for the online world. Research has shown that Internet users are spontaneously forming tribe-like communities of like-minded people who share their own distinct languages (not that we needed research to tell us that!)

Successful writers are certainly doing this; they are savvy at using online networking to build their tribe. Whether it's through a blog, a Facebook page for their unpublished book, LinkedIn groups, or writers' forums, successful writers are those that are actively using the Internet and social media to reach out to the right people, and to build invested, supportive, congenial communities around their words (their work.)

Yet there is more to networking than just reaching out to people. It's what you do once you've reached out, how you handle and develop the relationships that you form online, that counts. So many writers handle their online associations poorly, sometimes from the get-go, and only end up with a bunch of defective, dead-end, pseudo-relationships with the people they meet online.

These frail online associations are prone to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and break off frequently and abruptly, often without explanation. There is little interest in, or knowledge of the other person beyond what they can do for you. Either party may feel like they have been given the short end of the stick in the "relationship."

If you are a writer who has been struggling with online networking, here are 3 simple but big reasons why you may be failing at building your tribe and thereby losing at the publishing game:


1) You're not interested in making friends

In my personal experience, I've found that many aspiring children's authors are defective at online networking because they do a poor job of cultivating online friendships. These people see their online contacts as a mere means to an end, when in fact, it's the people who actually become friends with the people they meet online who reap the most rewards from online networking.

I truly believe that if you're networking with someone and you have no interest in making friends with that person and getting to know them better, then you're better off not networking. You're also failing at networking. The truth is, people are more likely to help out a friend and remain invested in a friend's ideas, projects, and goals, than in some utilitarian associate's. Also, it is human nature for people to be more likely to help out a good friend than a bad friend.

The great Greek philosopher Aristotle, in his Nicomachean Ethics, wrote about what constitutes a good friendship (well, he calls it a "perfect friendship", but let's face it, those are rare). He believed it boiled down to eunoia which roughly translates as "good will". So wanting what is good for the sake of another. Aristotle believed that a good friendship is reciprocal good will. Imperfect, defective friendships on the other hand, are relationships held together only because each individual regards the other as the source of some advantage to himself or some pleasure he receives.

I have quite a few online contacts who only email me or leave a comment on my blog or on the Anansesem Facebook page when they want something. They never share anything about their life, or seek to know me better as a person. Needless to say, I've stopped reaching out to these people.


2) You don't introduce yourself

I can demonstrate this principle best by telling a personal story. You may have noticed that I have a button that links to my LinkedIn profile on the homepage of this site. Many a time someone has invited me to connect on Linkedin without so much as introducing themselves. At first I would accept such requests, thinking that it couldn't hurt; the more contacts the merrier right? Wrong. I once had the experience of discovering that two of these impersonal contacts had been bad-mouthing me behind my back. It is true that some people want a window into your life just so they can throw cold water on your fire.

Now, if someone tries to establish contact with me online without introducing themselves and stating their intention for wanting to connect, 99% of the time I ignore them, especially if they are emailing me with a question or request (believe me, this has happened to me more times than I care to recall.) For one, because I'm so invested in my work, adding someone to my online circle is like letting them into an important part of my life. I don't just let random strangers into my life. Who does?

Secondly, the first email or other form of contact usually sets the tone of the relationship. A person who doesn't take the time to introduce themselves in a friendly and transparent way is not interested in a relationship of mutual good will. Such a person comes across as calculating and I can't be sure of their intentions. In my experience, such a person will almost always prove themselves to be utilitarian contact, i.e., a bad friend, and therefore not worth my time.


3) You keep all your online relationships online

Assuming that the Internet was never meant to be a substitute for real life, it's interesting how many writers think they can confine their networking to online interactions and get anything meaningful out of it. It's true that a lot of writers tend to be introverts who would much rather stay at home than get out and meet people. Yet the fact is, if you're a writer, you're in the business of people. The business of writing is one of people helping people tell stories about people, stories that people will read, both to themselves and to other people. It is true; writing is all about people!

So get out from behind the computer screen, get out there, and get to know people. Meet fans and readers of your work, meet up with online critique partners, meet agents and editors at writing conferences. Orchestrate in-person encounters with the online contacts that you want to be a part of your tribe, and demonstrate your interest in them as people. Find out about their likes and dislikes. What is their favorite sports team? Ask about their children.

Getting to know people as flesh and blood human beings not only increases your chances of them liking and therefore supporting you, it will also help you to become a better writer. I have observed that taking online relationships to the next level almost always leads to someone influential in the publishing field noticing a writer and her work.

Conclusion

The caveat to all of the above, is that you must be genuine. Whether you are developing friendships with fellow writers, introducing yourself to an editor via email, or meeting up with people from your online critique group, be yourself, be transparent, and be grateful for whatever support you get without expecting or demanding it.

As you patiently allow people to decide if they like you (and your writing) and to support you however they can, and as you invest yourself in acts of reciprocal good will toward your supportive online friends, you will find yourself building the enthusiastic, supportive tribe you deserve and need.

What other things can writers do to network effectively online? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Daniel Pennac's The Rights of the Reader

This list of 10 Inalienable Rights of the Reader by French author Daniel Pennac has been popping up all over the book blogosphere. I like it in large part because it's illustrated by one of my favorite children's illustrators of all time, Quentin Blake. I'm curious, do you take this list seriously? Do you really think young readers should be allowed to exercise these rights, both inside the classroom and out? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Interview with Nancy Viau

It's a slow Thursday. I work from home and I relish the quiet, but right now I'm battling an infection. It's so hard to be productive when your brain is in a fog. I'm taking it as a sign to slow down, let things slide for a bit. I've given myself permission to just curl up in bed and finish reading Water for Elephants.

Publishing Perspectives is a blog series I started that's all about seeking insights from people on both sides of the publishing fence ―the folks who work in publishing and the writers working toward publication.

Today I'm happy to welcome picturebook and middle grade author Nancy Viau to the series, and to the blog. Last October when I attended the Philadelphia Stories Push to Publish conference at Rosemont College, I heard Nancy speak on a Writing for Children and Young Adults panel. I remember nodding along vigorously and thinking, "This lady really knows what she's talking about." I recently reached out to Nancy and she generously agreed to this interview. Thanks Nancy!

Your debut middle grade book, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, was noted by reviewers for its humor. How did you go about writing such a spunky, funny, chatty heroine?

I took the experiences of my four kids, mixed them in with those of kids I observed in stores, schools, and on playgrounds, added in a little of young Nancy Viau (my brother will tell you I was loud), and tweaked everything together to create Samantha. A lot of Sam’s spunk comes from the fact that she’s a work-in-progress, and readers connect with that.

I read somewhere that you were initially dead set on writing picture books until a critique partner suggested you write for an older audience (This is the story of my life by the way). You've said that you "dabbled" in writing a chapter book and Samantha Hansen was born. What would you say to children's writers who are trying to figure out where they fit?

I would ask, “What kind of writing do you enjoy the most?” In order to answer that, you may have to experiment. Try writing poetry and prose—everything from adult mystery to teen romance, picture books to chapter books. Send submissions out and get feedback from editors. They’ll tell you if your writing sounds too old for middle grade, too young for YA, etc.

You glean inspiration from nature and it's a theme that runs through your work. Did you have a conscious moment when you realized you wanted to write stories with nature themes, or did it just sort of happen?

Sort of both. Take cookies, for example. They are in the pantry and since I (consciously) love them, I’ll eat a bunch. It just happens. Nature is all around, and since I’m an outdoorsy person who loves science and the natural world, I can’t help but write about it.

Look What I Can Do!, released earlier this year, is your first picture book. What new or surprising skills has writing in this genre/format added to your repertoire?

I’m surprised that I can write a story that makes sense using less than 200 words!

And your second picture book, Storm Song, was released just this Tuesday. Congrats! I haven't read it yet, but I already love it since I love anything to do with rain. Can you tell us what the book is about? Also how long did it take you to write the first draft?

Storm Song is filled with onomatopoeia that describes the beginning, middle, and end of a thunderstorm. The underlying theme is that storms are really very musical, and I thought that if I could get kids to see this, maybe they wouldn’t be frightened when a big storm looms over the hill. In the story, the family spends quality time together and even the dog relaxes a bit. The first draft took six months to a year. I’d work on it, put it aside, and then go back to it.

You managed to get an offer for Look What I Can Do! from Abrams while you were still unagented. Many writers wouldn't dare venture into that territory. What's your advice? 

The one proactive thing writers can do is to go to conferences and meet editors. Pick editors’ brains; find out what’s on their Wish List.

I was browsing the Where's Nancy? page on your website. You make a lot of appearances! What's the secret to a great author event, be it a book launch, meet and greet, book signing, or author visit?

1. Be prepared. Practice what you will do or say. 2. Stay in touch with the organizer of the event so there are no surprises on either end. 3. Be on time. 4. Show up with a smile and an energetic attitude (even if the traffic was horrendous, your kid got sick at the last minute, the hotel had bedbugs, or the parking garage was full). 5. Put the audience first and be grateful they have come to listen to you.

You're represented by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary. What would you say is the most important thing you've learned about working with an agent?

It’s really hard to find the right fit—someone who is your business partner and advocate; someone who understands and respects your passion and the fact that you are not perfect; someone who sees value in your writing and your ambition. What I’ve learned is that you don’t settle for an agent who offers anything less.

You started the KidLit Authors Club which brings together published children's book authors from from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and surrounding states. What, for you, has been the most rewarding aspect of running this group?

Oooh, where to begin…? There are so many rewards! The best part is that, given any moment of the day, I am surrounded by people who have a common goal—getting the word out about our books. We share info and opportunities without hesitation, and it’s that team spirit that has led to our success.

And lastly, what's the most fun or rewarding thing (or both) about being a children's author?

I can act like a kid and no one can say it’s not part of my job.

Nancy Viau is the author of Look What I Can Do! (Picture Book/Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013), Storm Song (Picture Book/Amazon Children’s Publishing/formerly Marshall Cavendish Children’s, 2013), and Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head (Middle-Grade Novel/Amulet Books, 2008). Her stories, poems, and activities appear in Highlights, Highlights High Five, Ladybug, Babybug, and many other magazines. She is a member of The Authors Guild, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and The KidLit Authors Club—a regional marketing group she started that consists of published authors who bring interactive book parties to bookstores, libraries, festivals, and conferences. You can follow her on Twitter at @NancyViau1.

Types of Books for Children and Teens- Formats Explained

I recently had a client who was confused about the different children's book formats. This is not unusual. I remember when I first started out to learn about children's publishing, I was confused by all the jargon myself. Early readers? Chapter books? Picturebooks? Isn't a children's book just a children's book? Well, hopefully this post will clear up all the confusion.

If you want to succeed in this field, it's important to know the standard genres and formats associated with books for children and young people. This is crucial information both for the purposes of writing your story, and for submitting your manuscript to agents and publishers. When you query a literary agent for example, you need to include the book genre and format in your query letter. The last thing you want to do is come across as an amateur who doesn't know their stuff. Below is everything you need to know to use children's-book-format-speak with ease. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you have any questions.

Board books

Board books are the "baby" of the children's book family. Board books are often marketed as infant, toddler, or baby books. They are meant to be read (and played with) by infants ages 0 to 3 and are designed as such. Infants tend to chew, dribble on, and throw down objects, so the pages of board books are made of thick paperboard with a glossy finish to withstand the wear and tear.

Board books are also small in size and typically (although not always) square-shaped– the standard size being 6×6 inches – making them easy for the small hands of very young children to handle. The length varies, but 12 pages is typical and 300 words or less is usually what publishers require (in terms of your manuscript, think one-half to one page). Board books can have a single word on each page, or a few very simple sentences.

Since these books are for pre-emergent readers (babies and toddlers who are just beginning to grasp the basic concepts of books, letters, and print) and early emergent readers, they have very simple subject matter and basic plots. Many of them teach early learning concepts, like the alphabet, numbers, or colors. Lullabies, nursery rhymes, fingerplays, or wordless books are typical for this format. The illustrations in board books emphasize bright, colorful imagery to engage tots.

The pages of board books often have die-cut rounded corners, or may be shape trimmed with a special die cut. Board books can also have special/novelty features to engage very young children, e.g. lift-the flaps, "touch and feel", finger tabs, pop-ups, or books that make sounds. The vast majority of board books are printed and produced in China and Mexico.


Picturebooks

Picturebooks are written for children ages 4 to 8 (or 3 to 8). At this time, children typically enter the emergent reader and early reader stages. Also, their attention spans are longer and they can sit still for more time. They are now ready to leave board books behind and read longer books, i.e., picturebooks. Recommended word lengths vary slightly from publisher to publisher, but fall into the 400 to 900 word range. In terms of your manuscript, that means 2 to 3 pages.

The number of pages in a picturebook is always a multiple of 8. So 16, 24, 32, 40, or 48 pages; however the standard picturebook length is 32 pages. Why multiples of 8? Well, it has to do with a technical aspect of book bindery, namely, the fact that the pages of books are printed as signatures. This means the picturebook is actually printed on a single, large sheet of paper which is then folded and gathered to create the pages of the book. In terms of size, 8x10 inches (vertical book) is the most popular pictureook size. Other standard sizes used by traditional publishers include 8x8 inches (square book) and 10x8 inches (horizontal book).

Picturebooks are so called because the illustrations dominate the text or are as important. In fact, the hallmark of a good picturebook is that the illustrations and the text accompany and complement each other to the extent that the text would be incomplete without the illustrations, i.e. the pictures play an equally important role as the text in telling the story. It is not uncommon for every single page of a pictureook to be illustrated. Picturebooks are illustrated using a wide rage of media, from water color, acrylic, and color pencils to collage, photography, and digital illustration.

Picturebooks cover an almost endless array of topics and are written in different styles. They require simple, linear plots, i.e. no sub plots or complicated narrative twists. They also require one main character who embodies the child's feelings, concerns and point of view (usually a child or animal character; however, an adult protagonist that children can sympathize with can work as well (An example of this is the picturebook, A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead). There are many types of picturebooks such as rhyming, rebus, multicultural, wordless, concept, and post-modern picturebooks (the categories can overlap of course). Another type of picturebook is the picture storybook which I describe next.

Picture storybooks

A picture storybook (also called a "story picturebook") is a type of picturebook. The term "picture storybook" is used by some publishers to specify a longer picturebook for older children (more than 900 words is the ballpark). Picture storybooks have more plot development and higher vocabulary level compared to picturebooks. There will also be more text on the page; in fact, in picture storybooks, there may be long chunks of text that take up an entire page.

Another main difference between picturebooks and picture storybooks is the way they are illustrated. Above I explained that picturebooks rely heavily on the illustrations to tell the story. With picture storybooks, the illustrations aren't really integral to the story, but rather, serve the purpose of holding the child's attention. Often, with picture storybooks, the illustrations appear on every other page.

Some publishers use the term "picturebook" to refer to both picturebooks and picture storybooks. This is where people can get confused because they may have read on one publisher's website that picturebooks should be no more than 500, 600 or 900 words, while other publishers state that they accept picturebooks up to 1,000, 1,500 or even 2,000 words. Just remember that publishers who say they accept "picturebooks" longer than 900 words are using the term "picturebook" broadly or interchangeably to include both picturebooks and picture storybooks. Your picture storybook manuscript should be around 6 pages long, and certainly keep it under 9 pages. Shorter is better than longer.


Rebus books

Rebus books aren't usually included in the round-ups of children's book formats I've seen online which is why I'm including them here. Rebus books are a type of picturebook where pictures are used to represent certain phrases, words or parts of words (syllables). These word substitution books are great for getting children engaged in reading. Rebus books also allow children to "read" and understand a story that might have been beyond their reading level if text alone was used. Furthermore, rebus books are valuable for helping children understand a key reading principle, i.e., that words represent concepts.

If you are submitting a rebus story manuscript to a publisher, you can underline or highlight the words you think would make good pictures. Or you can simply send the full text of the story and the editor will pick which words to illustrate. Check to see what the publisher requires.

Easy readers

Easy readers, also called "beginning reader" and "easy-to-read" books, are books for children aged 6 to 8 who are just beginning to read on their own. They have 2 to 5 sentences per page and if they have chapters, the chapters are short (1 to 2 pages). Easy readers have very simple and somewhat predictable storylines, controlled vocabulary, and are grammatically simple. The story is told mainly through dialogue and action with very little description of characters or the setting. In terms of subject matter, easy readers cover themes and topics that children can easily relate to such as family, friends, pets, school, holidays, sports, being left out, first day of school etc.

Much in the same fashion as picture storybooks, easy readers have color illustrations on every page or double page that are included merely to hold the child's interest (i.e., the illustrations are not crucial to the story.) Easy readers are meant to be a stepping stone to longer chapter books; as such, they have a small trim size compared to picturebooks or picture storybooks making the format more "grown up", and they are usually soft cover.

Easy readers have different lengths depending on the publisher. They can be as short as 200 words or as long as 3,500 words (although most easy readers are in the 1,000 to 2,000 word range). That means anywhere from 32 to 64 book pages. Easy readers are commonly used in Kindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms for reading instruction. Many publishing houses have their own brand of easy readers with numbers or letters to indicate different reading levels.

Chapter books

Chapter books are for children aged 7 to 10 who are reading independently. Children can feel a great sense of pride when they begin reading chapter books because they see it as entering the privileged realm of "grown up" books. You'll often find that children who reach this stage start referring to the books they used to read before as "baby books" or "little kid books".

Compared to easy readers, chapter books are meatier, with more complex sentences and plot development, however paragraphs are still short (2 to 4 sentences). They also tend to be character-driven stories. Many chapter books use hooks at the end of the chapter that compel the reader to keep reading. In terms of length, again, this varies from publisher to publisher, however the average range is 4,000 to 12,000 words. Your chapter book manuscript should be 40 to 60 pages. Chapter books may or may not be illustrated; when they are illustrated the illustrations are black and white.

Early chapter books (sometimes called "transition books") have bigger print and slightly shorter chapters on average (2 to 3 pages) compared to more advanced chapter books which have chapters that are 3 to 4 pages long. They are also shorter- about 30 manuscript pages. Chapter books are sometimes written as a series, in fact, some of the most popular and commercially successful chapter books are series.

Novels

Novels for young people fall into two categories: middle grade novels and young adult novels ("YA novels"). Both middle grade and young adult novels cover a wide range of genres from speculative fiction and fantasy, to historical fiction, science fiction and more.

Middle grade novels (also known as "children's novels") are novels for children's ages 8 to 12. These books are also sometimes marketed as "tween" or "pre-teen" books. The fiction ones can be anywhere from 25,000 to 45,000 words long. The vast majority of published middle grade fiction novels have 35,000 to 45,000 words, however you'll see longer word counts for fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction middle grade novels (think Harry Potter). When writing a middle grade fiction novel, aim for 100 to 150 manuscript pages. With non-fiction middle grade novels on the other hand, word counts vary a lot (from as short as 5,000 words to as long as 100,000 words) depending on what different publishers are looking for.

Compared to chapter books, middle grade novels have longer chapters, more sophisticated themes, and more complex plots (i.e., sub plots, secondary characters etc.) Middle grade novels typically aren't illustrated; however, some stylistic middle grade novels have illustrations every few pages (These are known as "illustrated books", an example being The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman). Some of the most popular middle grade novels are published as a series with each book featuring the same cast of recurring characters.

Young adult novels are books for teens ages 12 and up. These novels can be anywhere from 40,000 to 70,000 words long, although YA novels in the paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi or historical genres can be longer, sometimes as long as 120,000 words. The safest bet is to stay below 100,000 words. That's 130 to 200 manuscript pages. By definition, in YA novels the main character, and usually most of the secondary characters, are teenagers. The content and plots of young adult novels can be quite sophisticated, however these books always address themes and issues that are relevant to contemporary teens (self-discovery, dating and sexuality, coming-of-age, death, substance abuse, school violence, etc.)

Short story collection/Anthology

Generally speaking, publishers are not interested in short story collections or anthologies for children and teens unless they are written by already established authors. The short stories may be by one author (a collection) or by different authors (an anthology). All the stories in a collection or anthology are at roughly the same reading level and target a particular audience/age group. Often, the stories will share a common setting or theme, e.g. bullying.

Video Interview with Gerald Hausman

Spring is in the air. When I was out running this weekend, I took this photo of some of the first Cherry Blossom trees to bloom around these parts. Always enjoy the welcome sight of these lovelies.

And here's another first: my first video interview! I read Gerald Hausman's Jamaican children's novel The Jacob Ladder in February for Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge, the reading challenge I'm currently hosting here on the blog. He kindly agreed to answer my questions about the book. In the video below he talks about what inspired him to write The Jacob Ladder, his writing process, the art of storytelling, and much more.

I edited the video myself, another first, and I'm telling you it was the best I could do. There are some glitches, but they're not too noticeable. Hausman was kind enough to take care of the actual shooting, for which I'm grateful. Did I mention I kind of wish this was my job? Going around talking to authors for a living? Sounds great to me. Maybe I'll have my own literary talk show one day...

One more thing. You'll see in the video that I ask Hausman a question related to obeah in the book. There was some misunderstanding about that question. He thought I was asking about the contentiousness/appropriateness of situating dark magic in children's books, but I really inquiring as to whether using obeah to explain the actions of certain people absolves those people of personal responsibility and thus sends the wrong message to children. We had a interesting email exchange about obeah in the Caribbean subsequently; Hausman is very knowledgeable on the topic. Incidentally, 6 out of the 7 books I've read so far for Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge feature or bring up obeah in some way. Interesting no?

Interview with Zetta Elliott

Zetta Elliott, PhD

Publishing Perspectives is a blog series that's all about seeking insights from people on both sides of the publishing fence ―the folks who work in publishing and the writers working toward publication.

Today, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Zetta Elliott to the series! I first came to know of Zetta when she reached out to me via email back in 2010 and then I met her at the A for Anansi: Literature for Children of Black Descent conference at New York University that same year. Since then I've been following her blog, Fledgling, and have read all of her excellent books for young people. An outspoken advocate for diversity and equity in children's publishing for many years, Zetta's efforts on behalf of underrepresented writers and their stories have never ceased to inspire me. Many thanks to Zetta for agreeing to this recent interview.

I think of you as a "no holds barred", uber-transparent blogger. You aren't afraid to engage contentious commentators, or offend with what you say on your blog, and you've even shared your annual writing income with your readers. As a blogging author, is transparency something deliberate on your part? Or is it just sort of an inherent aspect of who Zetta Elliott is?

I've said for years that we need greater transparency in publishing, so I’d better practice what I preach! Mostly I think that’s part of who I am—and why I write. Some people blog just to promote their work or their image as an author; I think I use my blog more as a kind of journal, and friends have warned me about my openness. There are risks, but as Audre Lorde reminds us, “Your silence will not protect you.” I don’t expect to reach a point in my writing career when it’s “safe” for me to speak my mind, so I might as well do it now. Telling the truth doesn't just help the speaker/writer, it helps those who are unable or unwilling to speak for themselves—and I do get messages from other writers thanking me for saying something their agent warned them against. I want change in the industry and that won’t come from staying silent when I see something unjust.

You've written 3 well-received books for young people, including the Coretta Scott King Award-winning and ALA Notable Children's Book, Bird, and you also do a lot of work advocating for equity and diversity in publishing. Why heap advocacy on top of being an author? Isn't the best advocacy just to write the books that need to be written?

Well, as you know, there’s a difference between writing books and getting them published. I’ll always write, but publishing is another matter. I have stepped back from the advocacy work; I felt I was becoming too immersed in the children’s literature world and that field doesn't define me as a writer or a scholar. Fighting for access is a burden most white writers don’t have to bear, but writers of color make up less than 5% of the children’s book authors published annually in the US so the advocacy work has to be done. I work with See What We See and that social justice group will tackle inequity in children’s literature when it launches this fall.

Last year, you made 2 funded trips to Nevis, the Caribbean island where your father was born, to connect with your roots and do research for your in-progress family memoir, The Hummingbird's Tongue. I understand that you now have Nevis citizenship and are planning to open your own arts center, Black Dog Arts Center, on the island. What role does heritage and legacy play in your writing and in how you see yourself as an author?

“Funded trips?” I paid for both trips myself, though I did get two grants last year (one to do research in South Carolina, and another to do research in northern Ontario). My author income (royalties and honoraria) pays for my travel; this spring I’m heading to Ghana for the Yari Yari Ntoaso conference in Accra. I think travel is important for any artist. Writing is like wringing a sponge dry and then you have to absorb more ideas and observations.

I was named for my grandmother, Rosetta Elliott, and I want to know her story—that’s what took me to Nevis. I was then invited back to participate in their inaugural book fair. Right now I know more about Nevis in the 1700s than I do about the contemporary country. One day I hope to open an arts center/museum but I don’t think I could live in the Caribbean full-time; mostly I want to contribute something and an arts center could bring in visiting artists to lead workshops for Nevisians so they can continue to tell their own stories.

My father deliberately hid his past; he didn't want his children to feel connected to Nevis and in a way I’m going against his wishes by reversing his migration and digging for the truth. But I think I owe my ancestors a voice. I can do things they couldn't, and that’s why I write historical fiction—it allows me to turn back the clock and write them back into existence.

Speaking of The Hummingbird's Tongue, you write for both adults and children. I've previously had cause to wonder if authors who split focus and write for both adults and children have a harder time progressing their careers. What do you think?

I don’t know—I can’t think of anyone whose career failed because they wrote for different audiences. Really, my role models are people like June Jordan and James Baldwin and Toni Cade Bambara—they wrote for young readers and adults, and didn't seem to worry about their work finding a home. Publishers today prefer to market authors in just one way but hybridity is a big part of life in the African diaspora, and I don’t feel I should have to limit myself to please others.

You're one ideal of the independent, self-driven woman. You travel often and solo, live alone, and you recently blogged about becoming debt-free. What would you say to single women trying to build a career in publishing? 

Being child-free definitely gives me more time to write, and not having dependents makes it easier for me to travel at will. I've worked with kids since I was 16 and I continue to teach children now that I’m an author and professor; no one has ever questioned my expertise but I suppose I move in mostly progressive circles. Being in Nevis last summer I definitely noticed that people were concerned with my marital status and whether or not I had kids—I got the feeling some people felt my “success,” which they admired, came at too high a price. Some people don’t think a woman’s complete unless she’s got a man and/or kids, but those people don’t worry me. I don’t have any advice for single writers—every writer has to make the most of the time and resources s/he has.

In a 2010 article in The Huffington Post, you blogged in detail about your children's publishing journey and how, after many years, you used self-publishing to finally break into an industry that you experienced as being unreceptive to your stories. Since then 3 of your children's books have been published, and you have 2 more on the way. Do you feel vindicated and has publishing changed much since you set out to get published?

I don’t feel vindicated because nothing has really changed—I still struggle to place my manuscripts and publishers still refuse to reflect the diversity of our 21st-century world. I have one published picture book and about 15 unpublished picture books; I published two novels with AmazonEncore, but now my editor has moved on and I’m not sure whether my latest novel will find a home. Self-publishing remains an option but it’s hard work and very time consuming. A friend of mine wants to start a non-profit kids press one day and that’s probably my best option if I want to see more of my work in print.

Speaking of "on the way", let's talk about Judah's Tale and The Deep, your two in-progress YA novels. I'm really excited about both of these books. Please give us a two-sentence synopsis of each book.

The Deep: When fourteen-year-old Nyla find herself at the center of a battle between good and evil, she must learn to wield the astonishing power she inherited from the mother who abandoned her as a child. Far beneath the streets of Brooklyn, Nyla discovers a dangerous world filled with temptations that may lure her away from her friends forever.

Judah’s Tale: When Genna Colon magically opens a portal in Brooklyn, her boyfriend Judah finds himself pulled into the past and sold into slavery in the deep South. When hope of finding Genna fades, Judah must find a way to survive—and belong—in a country torn apart by war.

You describe both books as "urban fantasy" and in other places you use the term "speculative fiction". I know from reading your blog that you're fascinated with the possibilities of magic in the urban environment. You even wrote a scholarly paper on the topic. What, in your opinion, is the value of these types of stories?

They open up possibilities! I always ask myself, “What if?” I imagine alternate endings, alternate routes, alternate realities. Our youth need to develop the capacity to dream because we face many challenges in our communities, and we can’t create change without first creating a vision of the world we truly want to inhabit. Magic is a form of power, so it’s important that children of color know they come from people who have a long tradition of wielding power…

The Deep is the companion book to your 2012 middle grade novel, Ship of Souls (which I really enjoyed), and Judah's Tale is the much anticipated sequel to your 2010 YA novel, A Wish After Midnight (which I liked even more). Now that you've been through the process, what advice can you give to other writers about writing a series? 

It’s hard! That’s not really advice, but it’s the truth. I think sequels are really hard and I've given up the hope of having the second book be “as good as” the first. Judah’s Tale is not yet done and I've been working on it off and on since 2003. I will NEVER do that again. These days I only start projects that I know I can finish within a few months, projects that fit within my academic calendar. The Deep is a companion book, so I didn't have the same burden to maintain continuity—the characters are the same as in Ship of Souls but it’s a totally different story. I see The Deep as the bridge to the last book in that series, not that I have any idea when I’ll find time to write that!

I read a recent post on your blog that seemed to just ooze with frustration. You were lamenting the complacency of individuals and institutions who have the power to do something about the lack of equity in children's publishing but aren't doing anything. The complacency of certain groups aside, are children's publishing diversity activists a close-knit, collaborative community? Or is the disconnectedness of advocacy efforts a part of the problem?

True allies stick together and strive for the same goals. The See What We See “crew” is made up of that kind of committed people. A lot of people TALK about diversity, far fewer talk about EQUITY, and even fewer actually work to transform the publishing industry. Whenever I talk about SWWS, like-minded people come forward and ask how they can contribute, so that’s encouraging. Most institutions and organizations within the children’s literature community are made up of people from the “know something/do nothing” category. There’s nothing I can do about that.

In the blog post I referred to in my last question, you stated in the same breath that you'll soon be leaving the world of children's literature behind. Are you still determined to call it quits and if so, what will you focus on next?

As you pointed out, I’m currently working on The Hummingbird’s Tongue; I have another family memoir in the works that will trace my mother’s African American ancestors who escaped slavery in the US only to “pass” for white to avoid racism in Canada. I have to finish Judah’s Tale (hopefully this summer) and then I have a couple of adult historical novels I’d like to explore, one set in Nevis and the other in London. I’ll still work with kids and promote my books for young readers but I won’t be giving as much of my time to the advocacy work.

Last year you were accepted into CUNY’s Faculty Fellowship Publication Program. Do you think the university has a role to play in diversifying publishing?

It should, but it won’t! The academy is, in general, a very conservative space. Academic publishing is different from commercial publishing, and most scholars publish in order to get tenure; their books are sold mostly to academic libraries, little if any money is earned by the author, and scholars follow the rules and do whatever it takes to get the contract that will get them the job security they desire. The academy has not embraced digital publishing, certain presses are considered more prestigious than others…there isn't a lot of room for innovation. The FFPP is designed to give junior faculty time to polish scholarly essays for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Since The Hummingbird’s Tongue is a hybrid book, it’s unlikely to appeal to academic presses, though I may try to publish an excerpt in Small Axe or MaComère.

As a published author, you've been through the threshing floor of publishing multiple times. What are three of the most important lessons you've learned throughout the A to Z process of writing your books, getting them published, and being a published author out in the world?

Your work doesn't matter to anyone as much as it matters to you. Be prepared to defend your vision and nurture your book from infancy to old age.

Keep writing despite the obstacles and the rejection. Don’t stop and wait for everything to fall into place because chances are, that won’t happen.

Remember why you started to write in the first place and stay true to that because publishers mostly care about the bottom line. Would you write if you never won an award or earned a six-figure advance? I would.

Zetta Elliot is a black feminist writer of stories for children, poetry, plays, essays, and novels. She earned her PhD in American Studies from NYU in 2003 and has currently teaches in the Center for Ethnic Studies at Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Her poetry has been published in the Cave Canem anthology, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees, and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers. Her novella, Plastique, was excerpted in T Dot Griots: an Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers, and her essays have appeared in School Library Journal, Horn Book Magazine, The Black Arts Quarterly, thirdspace, WarpLand, and Hunger Mountain.

Her picture book, Bird, was a 2009 ALA Notable Children’s Book and won may awards including the Lee & Low New Voices Honor Award, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers, and the West Virginia Children’s Choice Book Award. Her young adult novel, A Wish After Midnight, was published by AmazonEncore in February 2010; her second YA novel, Ship of Souls, was published in February 2012. Her short story, “Sweet Sixteen,” was published in Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance in July 2012. Zetta was born and raised in Canada, but has lived in the US for over fifteen years. She currently resides in her beloved Brooklyn. You can follow her on Twitter at @zettaelliott.

Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge: Abraham's Treasure

So 3 months have passed since I started reading books for Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge and I'm halfway through my 8th Challenge book, Abraham's Treasure by Joanne Skerrett. The Challenge is to read 20 Caribbean children's or YA books in 6 months so I had hoped to be on book #10 at this point, but I'm happy with my progress considering all the other types of reading that I do.

In other Challenge news, I've decided to replace one of the Challenge books, Patricia Selbert's The House of Six Doors, with Popo and Fifina: Children of Haiti. I started reading The House of Six Doors and I think it's more for adults. I already have one adult/borderline YA book on the list (Abeng by Michelle Cliff) which is enough. See the updated list of Challenge books here.

Here's the low down on Abraham's Treasure by Joanne Skerrett (Papillote Press, 2011).

Publisher's synopsis

When teenage twins James and Jerome are told that treasure, buried during the days of slavery, is their rightful inheritance, their summer holidays turn into a frantic treasure hunt. Determined to find Abraham's Treasure, they de-code the clues that take them to the mystical interior of their Caribbean island home. 

On the way to a terrifying resolution, they meet a helpful parrot, a ghostly figure from the past and a legless man who can walk; they escape from a falling tower and discover a boiling lake. Close behind them, however, is their enemy, an evil stranger, who also has claims on the treasure.

Finished reading?

Not yet!

How I got the book

The publisher mailed me a review copy.

My expectations/first impressions

I'm always pleased to come across a Caribbean children's or YA book with a boy protagonist (this book has two) since the majority of these books feature girl protagonists. The cover is tantalizing (and thus clever). It shows what appears to be the eye of some monster-creature-thing. Is there some fantastical element to this story? I relish the recentness of this book; it was only published in 2011. As someone who has read so much of the Caribbean literature for young people written in the 80's and prior, I am more than ready for the new wave of Caribbean children's/YA writing. I'm curious to see if the contemporaneity of this story will translate.

My posts about this book

Check back here in upcoming weeks!

My rating

Check back here in upcoming weeks!

  Also...

  Join the Challenge!

  If you want to do this Challenge with me, please take a peep at the
 (very succinct) Challenge guidelines. I hope you will join me!

  And to keep track of all the Challenge posts and news related to 2013
  Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge, visit the
  Reading Challenge Tracker page.

Agent Rejection: The Case of the Special Case

One of the things I will always tell clients about sending query letters to agents is that you absolutely must research both the agency and the literary agent that you're querying. Why? Well, because when an agent reads your query letter or email, the agent wants to know that you took the time to look them up and find out whether they and their agency would be a good fit to represent your work.

Research is exactly what I did when I recently queried Daphne Hart at The Helen Heller Agency. I had found out that Hart represented the familial Caribbean picturebook Birthday Suit by Olive Senior and thought she might be interested in my familial Caribbean picture storybook manuscript. When I read her bio on her agency's website however, there was no mention of her representing picturebooks. Still, I reasoned that she had represented Birthday Suit, so maybe taking on picturebooks was a new, recent thing she was doing. Maybe she was open to representing picturebooks but just hadn't updated her bio. I might be lucky, so I thought. So I sent my carefully-written query, mentioning Birthday Suit in the query, and within a day, Ms. Hart had responded with this:

Dear Summer,

Thank you for contacting me. I don't normally represent books for children so I can't offer to help you. I represent all Olive Senior's work so Birthday Suit was a special case. I wish you all the best in finding the right agent and the right publisher for your book.

Very sincerely,

Daphne Hart

So here we have the case of the special case― an agent making an exception for an author they already represent. And it's good for you to know that this happens. Just because an agent has represented a certain type of book in the past doesn't necessarily mean they are looking for books in that format or genre at the moment. Agents are people too: their tastes change, they can switch focus, they can have special, undisclosed reasons for doing things.

Nevertheless, it never hurts to send a query if you think there is any possibility at all that an agent might be interested in your work. Just make sure you articulate in the query why you chose to query them. As my experience shows, the least that will happen is that you'll find out that Daphne Hart at The Helen Heller Agency does not represent children's books. Good knowledge to have actually!

(By the way, it was very decent of Ms. Hart to 1) respond so quickly, and 2) respond at all. Many agents are just too busy and overwhelmed with queries to respond to you if they can't see themselves representing your work.)

Remember, many agents look for very particular things as they're building their lists. So for example, if you visit an agent's― let's call her Big Shot Agent― page on the website of the literary agency she works at, you'll read that Big Shot Agent "loves character-driven, page-turning fiction with real emotional power". Or reading Big Shot Agent's bio, you might learn that she "is actively seeking books with underrepresented or minority characters". Big Shot Agent might also let you know that he "specializes in first fiction, and in establishing new authors with a focus on front list commercial YA and adult fiction, with a particular interest in high concept historical fiction." (These are all quotes from actual agent bios.)

Knowing what the agent is looking for, what the agent likes/loves, and the agent's area of specialty, is crucial for deciding whether to query that agent AND also for knowing how to write your query. This is why it's a good idea to sign up for services like Publisher's Marketplace which provide you with up-to-date agent listings, including information like genres and types of books handled by listed agents.

In publishing, it would seem that there are a lot of rules (there are) and no one is special. How many writers wish that they could be the exception to the rule? I'm guessing many. But the truth is, so often, it's somebody else, and not you, who is the exception. My advice to aspiring authors: cultivate luck but follow the rules. Follow them to a tee.

Interview with Ibi Zoboi

Well, last week I started a new 'Publishing Perspectives' series here on the blog, which is to say, once a week for the next few weeks, I'll be posting interviews with people on both sides of the publishing fence, i.e., both the people who work in publishing and the writers working toward publication.

I love talking to writers and authors especially. Each writer is so different in how they approach the labor of finishing a book, getting published, and even in their relationship with the public. Clearly there is no one set of beliefs surrounding the craft of writing.

Today, I'm posting my interview with Ibi Zoboi. I first came to know of Ibi when we published her children's story, "The Little Golden Stone Man", set in Haiti, in the 2011 issue of Anansesem. Since then, I've been following her work and her blog, Tell My Horse. She's definitely someone whose writing career I'd be excited to watch unfold. I'm grateful to Ibi for graciously agreeing to this interview.

You're currently studying as an MFA student in Writing for Children & Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. How important is pre–qualification in our field?

I don't think there is such a thing as pre-qualification in writing. An MFA does not a guarantee a salaried job once you graduate, of course. And choosing to get one is a very personal decision. The only thing a writer must do is to write very well. And I'm certainly getting those skills at VCFA. I'm not there to write one good book. I'm there to learn the craft of storytelling.

There are certain skills a writer needs to make a career out of telling a good story. The Writing for Children program is very specific and it was the first to offer such a program. I'm surrounded by award-winning faculty and students (Trinidadian writer Lynn Joseph is my classmate). I'm in my second semester and I've read nearly a hundred children's and teens' books so far. I've examined different craft concepts and themes in children's literature and worked closely on my last manuscript. Rita Williams-Garcia was my last advisor and I'm now working with Susan Fletcher.

I'm a mom of three and I'm forced to carve out a block of time to focus on reading and writing. This has been worth every (loaned) penny! And I'm committed to a life-long career of writing for children so this was a necessary investment.

Last year you won the Gulliver Travel Grant given annually by the Speculative Literature Foundation. How have you used the grant to further your writing career?

The grant did not necessarily further my writing career. It's a nice addition to a bio or query letter, of course. But it did help the novel that I was writing. I'm writing about Haiti and I needed to be there on the ground to get some of the details correct. I'd been relying on blurry memory and Youtube videos before then. I visited Haiti during Fete Gede, or Day of the Dead, and Gede figures prominently in my novel. The Speculative Literature Foundation does an excellent job of highlighting and supporting genre writers (fantasy and science fiction), and I was truly honored to be their 2011 winner.

You've written a fantasy YA novel, Bandit, that's yet to be published. I love the title of the novel. Can you give us a sneak preview of what it's about?

Sixteen year-old, Brooklyn-born Anacaona Makandal has the magical gift of being able to teleport things with her mind (stealing) and make things come to life with clay (pottery). Ana comes from a long line of Clay Women and she has also inherited her magical stealing powers from her father, the last Great Bandit of Haiti—a Robin Hood of sorts, who can travel between the world of the living, the world of the spirits (the Vodou loas/deities) and the ancestors—Ginen. She is the only girl in Haitian history to inherit such a gift. A girl isn't supposed to be a Great Bandit. She’s supposed to fine tune her prodigious sculpting skills to become a Clay Woman like her mother and foremothers.

Do you think there is a gap in the market for genre MG and YA books featuring so-called characters 'of color' and is that something you hope to address as a speculative fiction writer?

Yes, there is a serious dearth of multicultural books featuring characters of color, and more specifically, black characters. I can count on one hand how many sci-fi/fantasy books for young readers from diverse backgrounds have been published within the last couple of years. Zetta Elliott does an excellent job at articulating the lack of diversity in the industry.

I was writing speculative short stories for adults first, before this YA boom. I also worked with children and teens as a creative writing teacher. When I realized that some kids had a hard time placing themselves in the future or pulling from their own cultural mythologies to write sci-fi or fantasy, I became more determined to tell these stories where inner-city black and latino kids were the heroes and heroines of their own stories.

You submitted Bandit to the Lee and Low New Visions Award contest which recognizes a debut author of color for a middle grade or young adult science fiction, fantasy, or mystery novel. Now you're one of three finalists for the award; congratulations! What did you do to prepare your manuscript for submission?

I've been writing and calling myself a writer for the last thirteen years (Though things slowed down a bit after the birth of each of my three children). I think the time I've put into writing was the best preparation. I also got a chance to work on the first few chapters with my advisor at VCFA. What Lee and Low and Tu Books are doing is tremendous. There had been all these online discussions (and they're still happening) about diversity in children's books, and their New Voices and New Visions Awards addressed a serious need. I'm honored to be among the finalists.

The award winner will be announced on March 31. What will you do if you don't win? What will you do if you do?

I'm still working on my manuscript with my new advisor at VCFA. A book is not done until it's on a shelf. So I'm learning the very necessary art of re-writing. If I don't win, I get to work on it some more and make it even better. If I do win, I get to work on it some more and make it even better, but under a contract and a publication date. It's a win/win situation for me. I'm excited and sincere about the story that I'm telling, so I know it will get into the hands of readers with the help of some amazing folks. I've had some great ones who've helped me get this far.

Your first picturebook, A is for Ayiti, was recently published by One Moore Book. What have you learned about the art of writing picturebooks that you didn't know before?

Writing for children is very hard. A is for Ayiti is an ABC book based on Haitian culture using an English alphabet! Edwidge Danticat served as guest editor for the series and I had to go through several edits with her and the amazing publisher, Wayetu Moore. I also learned that there is a great need for more books like these. OMB's Haiti Series garnered so much support and attention. I'm so glad Wayetu Moore took on this huge task. A is for Ayiti was translated into Kreyol and copies are being sent to Haiti. I was so proud to be a part of this series.

You have a writing blog, Tell My Horse, where you dish about your writing projects and developments. How important is it for children's/YA writers to build an online platform before seeking publication?

I really don't think it's important to build an online platform before seeking for publication. I know some folks who have a huge online present and are vocal about different topics, but still had a hard time getting published. There are also lots of debut authors who I've never even heard of. Though it does help to have some visibility. For me, it's simply a way to get some of my ideas out. I'm a writer and the internet is just one giant notebook. You get to play around with your voice and words and send it out into the world.

I'm very passionate about mythology and Haitian folklore and children's books. So this is what I write about. People who are interested in what you have to say will seek you out. They will get a sense of your core values. These things are helpful, of course. But what's most important is to write, read, write, and read some more. I don't let blogging or social media get in the way of this.

Ibi Zoboi was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and is a graduate of the Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop. Her short story, “Old Flesh Song”, is published in the award-winning Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, a collection of African American speculative fiction. Ibi received an award from the Women Writers of Haitian Descent for her short story “At the Shores of Dawn”, which was published in One?Respe! literary journal. She won a "Tricky Talker of the Year" an annual tall-tale contest presented by the Afrikan Folk Heritage Circle. Her children’s fable, “Mama Kwanzaa & Her Seven Children”, was published in African Voices Magazine, and her short story "The Harem" is recently published in Haiti Noir, edited by Edwidge Danticat. Her children's story "Little Golden Stone Man" was published in Anansesem Caribbean children's literature ezine.

Ibi a recent winner of the Gulliver Travel Grant given annually by the Speculative Literature Foundation and is an MFA student in the Writing for Children & Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, visual artist Joseph Zoboi, and their three young children, and has completed a YA fantasy novel, Bandit, based on Haitian myth and folklore which she is currently honing for publication. You can follow her on Titter at @ibizoboi.

Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge: Abeng

I'm happy to be hosting 2013 Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge for the first time this year. If you've been following along, then you know that the goal of the Challenge is to read 20 Caribbean children's and YA novels in 6 months. I'm on book #7, Abeng by Michelle Cliff (Plume, 1995).

I enjoy being a reader partly because reading connects me to other readers. So as the year goes on, I'm hoping that more people will take the Challenge and read these books. So far, about a dozen people have committed to doing the Challenge, but they're all people I know. I'm trying to figure out how I can get more people in the book blogosphere involved in the Challenge. Caribbean literature for young people is so rich and diverse once you start getting into it... which is what I'm hoping more readers and book bloggers of all kinds and backgrounds will do.

Publisher's synopsis

Ever since Abeng was first published in 1984, Michelle Cliff has steadily become a literary force. Her novels evoke both the clearly delineated hierarchies of colonial Jamaica and the subtleties of present-day island life. Nowhere is her power felt more than in Clare Savage, her Jamaican heroine, who appeared, already grown, in No Telephone to Heaven. Abeng is a kind of prequel to that highly-acclaimed novel and is a small masterpiece in its own right. Here Clare is twelve years old, the light-skinned daughter of a middle-class family, growing up among the complex contradictions of class versus color, blood versus history, harsh reality versus delusion, in a colonized country. 

In language that surrounds us with a richness of meaning and voices, the several strands of young Clare's heritage are explored: the Maroons, who used the conch shell—the abeng—to pass messages as they fought a guerilla struggle against their English enslavers; and the legacy of Clare's white great-great-grandfater, Judge Savage, who burned his hundred slaves on the eve of their emancipation. A lyrical, explosive coming-of-age story combined with a provocative retelling of the colonial history of Jamaica, this novel is a triumph.

Finished reading?

Not yet!

How I got the book

Checked it out at the library.

My expectations/first impressions

Quite a bit of weight this book carries, what with being somewhat of a Caribbean classic. It's one of those 'canon' books. I'm intrigued by the maroon history element, partly because I know less about maroon history than I care to admit, but also because I'm always interested to see how slavery is addressed in books for young people. Happy to be reading a book that is a bit of a throw-back, especially since Abeng is so critically acclaimed. I'm curious to discover this portrait of Jamaica society and to see what might have changed since the time the book was published almost 2 decades ago.

My posts about this book

Check back here in upcoming weeks!

My rating

Check back here in upcoming weeks!

  Also...

  Join the Challenge!

  If you want to do this Challenge with me, please take a peep at the
 (very succinct) Challenge guidelines. I hope you will join me!

  And to keep track of all the Challenge posts and news related to 2013
  Caribbean Juvenile Literature Reading Challenge, visit the
  Reading Challenge Tracker page.

Interview with Tracey Baptiste

Over the weekend we had lovely Spring-ish weather in Philly. I was out running both days which always puts me in a good mood. I also celebrated my birthday with family. We went to Maggiano's and ate waaay too much food. I still have a huge chunk of the richest chocolate cake I've ever tasted in the refrigerator.

Today, before I finish off the rest of the cake, I'm posting my recent interview with Tracey Baptiste. About two years ago, I began following Tracey's blog, Knitting with Pencils, after reading her YA novel, Angel's Grace, a tender coming-of-age story set in Trinidad that was named one of the 100 best books for reading and sharing by NYC librarians.

My interview with Tracey is the first in a new 'Publishing Perspectives' series in which I'll be interviewing people on both sides of the publishing fence, i.e., both the people who work in publishing and the writers working toward publication. I've always found it fascinating to hear the stories of people who have been in the trenches of publishing so to speak. A big thanks to Tracey for kindly agreeing to this interview.

You were recently offered representation by Marie Lamba from Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. Congratulations! You must have written a great query letter. Can you share with readers a few tips for writing a strong query letter?

Queries have to capture the essence of your story. Where people go wrong is trying to tell their entire backstory. Agents are busy. All they want to know is "why should I take a look at this book?" The trick is this: a one paragraph intro that tells the agent that you are seeking representation for a book. Follow this with one paragraph that summarizes your book and captures its spirit. Think of it as the back cover copy. End with a one paragraph summary of your background as pertains to the writing of this particular book. That's it. Any more than that will work against you.

If you've written a good query and a good book, 50-75% of agents should respond, assuming you've done your research and are submitting to the right ones for your work. I have been doing this for a while, so I can usually write a query in a couple of hours, with tweaking for a few days. But when I started, it would take a month sometimes to find the right words.

Let's talk about your unpublished novel. You keep dropping all of these tantalizing hints on your blog, like "the book takes place nearly a hundred years ago" and it "involves jumbies and Caribbean spirits". Can you give us a little taste of what the book is about?

I'll do you one better. This is part of the query I used to hook Marie:

This story takes a paranormal spin on the Haitian folktake, “The Magic Orange Tree.” It is set on a tropical island, and is filled with creatures from the bedtime stories that I grew up listening to on the island of Trinidad. It introduces a new creature to intrigue fans of vampires, zombies, and fae: the jumbie—a malevolent spirit with the power to maim, transform, or even consume human victims.

That was my opening paragraph. The rest describes the protagonist, 10 year old Corinne, who unwittingly draws a jumbie out of the forest, and who finds herself the central figure in the jumbie’s attempts to get revenge on the people of the island.

This is also my first attempt at a Middle Grade novel, and one that’s so creepy. Think Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. But I wanted something that captured the creepiness of those soucouyant stories my family would tell me before bed when I was a child.

You started writing the novel ten years ago and received many rejection letters from agents who read the manuscript. Most writers would have given up and moved onto another project. What drove you to hang in there with this particular novel?

This is a long story. Ready? I conceived of the story ten years ago, and I started writing it around the time my first novel was published (2005). I had a hard time getting it to work, so I put it away and went on to write two more novels (both terrible), and seven non-fiction books. Somewhere in there, I also had a second child.

About six years ago, a friend who is also an editor told me I needed to make it more “epic,” but I couldn’t figure out how. I put it away again for about three years. Then I worked on it fairly steadily for a year. I sent it to my agent, she liked it, and sent it out on submission, but it was rejected three times. She decided not to send it out again. This was when she and I parted ways. I worked on it for a few more months and started sending it out to agents. A few were interested, and asked for changes, but ultimately no one bit. Finally last summer I made a “last list” of agents to send to, and Marie loved it.

Here are the stats:

Editors queried: 3
Agents queried: 18
Agent requests for partials: 8
Agent requests for fulls: 4
Offers: 1

(Once I signed with Marie, I notified the other agents that I was no longer in the market for representation.) I really believed in this story, not because I worked so hard on it, but because it represents me and my culture in a very real way. I wanted a heroine that my children could look up to, and recognize themselves in.

I'm always curious about where the idea for a book came from. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

“The Magic Orange Tree” was one story in an anthology called Best-Loved Folktales of the World that I picked up when I was in college, and that I still have in the bookshelf in my office. I like to keep it close. It's basically a Cinderella story, and I happen to love Cinderella stories, so I'm not surprised that this one stuck with me. It had everything I liked: magic, a clever girl, an island setting, a nasty villain.

I remember you were having trouble with your villain, both her name and characterization. What do you think it is about villains that makes them so hard to write?

I had never written a villain before! What I found out was that villains need to be as strong as the protagonists. They have to be just as complicated, and clever, and should get equal weight in a scene. Fortunately I finally came up with a name that suits her. (Phew!) But that only happened about a month ago. So sometimes I still slip and write her original name when I’m revising parts of the book. It takes some getting used to. (Even my husband hasn't gotten used to the new name, and I’m not so sure he likes it.)

You grew up in Trinidad and moved to Brooklyn at age fifteen. How does your upbringing and background influence your writing?

The influence is obvious in this story: the jumbies, the girl on the island, but it’s also very present in my first novel, Angel’s Grace, which takes place entirely in Trinidad over a summer vacation. I suppose I could write more American stories. I have lived here longer than I lived in Trinidad. But you can take the girl out of the island…

The truth is, I really want to write stories that feature the Caribbean and the creatures I grew up hearing about. I am writing for the kid that I was (and still am), and for my kids too, so they don’t miss out on their culture. My daughter is very interested in soucouyant stories, and there aren't many books that feature them. Not many that are really good, anyway. This is as much for her as it is for me. I don’t worry about where that puts me in the U.S. literary scene. Assuming the books are ever sold, I’ll let someone in marketing worry about it.

Your first children's novel, Angel's Grace, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2005. What is the one thing you wish you'd done differently as a first-time author?

I was so terrified and shell-shocked throughout that process that I’m not sure what I did right or wrong. One thing that my editor told me was that I took her notes well, and did great revisions. But one thing I didn't do was ask a lot of questions. Like, there were supposed to be illustrations in Angel’s Grace. We did the illustrations (I have them in an ARC) but they never made it into the final copy. I have no idea why.

You've worked at big publishing houses like Scholastic and Chelsea House Publishing. From your insider's perspective, what would you say to children's/YA writers trying to work with these publishers?

I've freelanced for both of these publishing houses along with a few others. But freelance writing for a house is quite different from being an author that they seek out. In one you’re an employee who gives them exactly what they ask for. In the other, you’re “the talent.” But my advice for working anywhere in publishing is this: be polite. Publishing is a very small world, and word gets around fast.

You're a freelance writer, entrepreneur, mom, and knitter. And you have a full-time job. How do you fit writing into your busy life?

Now that I’m back to a regular full-time job, finding writing time is harder, but I love it, so I squeeze it in whenever I can. I don’t have a particular day or time that I regularly write. But if I’m not actively writing, you can bet I’m thinking about it.

You're a NaNoWriMo regular and it seems to work for you. So many writers find that challenge impossible to do. What advice do you have for anyone attempting to make NaNoWriMo work for them?

NaNoWriMo is like stream of consciousness novelling for me. It’s very freeing to write without worrying about what I’m writing or what someone will think of it. And even though a lot of what I do write during NaNoWriMo isn't usable, an amazing percentage of it is! Especially when I let it sit there for a few months before I look at it again. My advice is to just get as much of a story out of you as you can, and then not look at it for a long, long time. When you finally do, it will surprise you.

You are a cancer survivor and you've blogged openly about your cancer journey. I never told you before how much I admire you for your courage and strength and how personally encouraged I was by your blogs. What would you say to struggling writers out there who are also dealing with illness?

Writing about cancer was a tough choice. I come from a family who likes to keep their business to themselves. But as a writer, I felt compelled to communicate. I didn't start writing about the cancer though until I was almost finished with treatments. By the time everyone (including some of my friends and family) had heard about it, I had already been in treatment for a year, and had only a few months of chemo left. Writing about it during the hardest part of the treatments would have been too difficult and raw.

What I learned about writing while dealing with illness is that if you love it, being sick is probably not going to prevent you from doing it. I wrote query letters and jotted down story ideas while hooked up to chemo machines. I knew being sick wasn't going to be my life. My life was that other thing I did, where I wrote all the time.

Tracey Baptiste was born in the Caribbean island of Trinidad and moved to Brooklyn, New York, when she was fifteen. She is a former elementary school teacher who left teaching to work for an educational publisher, and then left educational publishing to work for herself. She is the author of a critically acclaimed young adult novel, Angel's Grace, and 7 non-fiction Middle Grade books including biographies of Madeleine L'Engele, Jerry Spinelli, and Stephenie Meyer. She lives with her husband and two children in Englewood, New Jersey, where she is honing her latest middle grade novel for publication. She is currently represented by Marie Lamba from Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. You can follow her on Twitter at @TraceyBaptiste.