Linkup
2007 SCBWI Midsouth Conference
Society
of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Mid-South (SCBWI)
2007
Midsouth SCBWI Fall Conference
(You
can see fall Conference 2008 photos by clicking HERE
)
This year's
conference was on two days this year, September 15th and 16th. This
year is a first for the Midsouth having a second half-day of
conference time.
We arrived
at eight-ish or so, to find a wonderful crowd of old and new friends
milling about, just before opening remarks. After checking in, Frank
and I went into the auditorium to listen to Lin Oliver's keynote
address. Ms.Oliver talked about all the neat tips/tricks/advice she's
heard over the years at numerous SCBWI conferences. She also gave a
quick history of SCBWI, ...........and she should know, since she is
the co-founder, and executive director. She said that of the many
good things that SCBWI tries to represent, one of the best is the
feeling of friendship and sense of belonging that comes with
communication with others that create....or in her words...."
Those of us that celebrate our own special brand of weirdness".
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Lin
Oliver is
co-founder and Executive Director of the SCBWI. She is the
co-author, with Henry Winkler, of the New York Times bestselling
book series, Hank Zipzer: World’s Greatest Under-Achiever
(Grosset & Dunlap), which has sold over two million copies.
Her new book series, Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?, will be out from
Simon and Schuster in the fall of 2008. Also a film and
television writer-producer, Lin Oliver is Executive Producer of
Louis Sachar’s “Wayside School” series, an animated show
currently running on Nickelodeon. She has produced Emmy-Award
winning films for Showtime, as well as a feature film based on
E.B. White’s classic novel, The Trumpet of the Swan.
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After the
keynote address, we all dispersed to our respective breakout
sessions. My first was with the Henry Holt Associate Art Director
Laurent Linn. This session was "How publishers work and why".
Mr. Linn gave a bit of his work background, some information about
his publisher, and showed samples of Henry Holt's extensive list. Mr.
Linn then went on to discuss the "behind the scenes" of the
making of a children's picture book. He talked about the back and
forth, during the book production process, between the publisher,
author, designer, illustrator and marketing department. The more sets
of eyes looking on during the creative process, the better the
finished book will be. He said that he gets approximately 150
individual art samples a month. Laid out on a huge table, the stack
looks quite formidable. Mr. Linn said he works a good bit with
illustrators he's worked with before, but also tries to add in
different illustrators, to keep the artwork for Henry Holt looking
fresh and new, for each season.
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Laurent
Linn,
Associate Art Director for Henry
Holt Books, began his career as a puppet designer in Jim
Henson’s Muppet Workshop. With the Muppets for 11 years, he
became the Creative Director for Sesame Street, winning an Emmy
Award. Laurent illustrates; reviews over one hundred books a year
as a member of the Children’s Book Awards Committee at Bank
Street College; and collaborates with noted editors, authors, and
illustrators on picture books, middle-grade books, and teen
novels at Holt.
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My next
session was a lively talk by Lin Oliver, on creating a series. This
session was mostly for writers, but the information also could apply
to graphic novel storytelling. I listened avidly as Ms. Oliver
described the usual definition of a series, and it's components
(Likable characters, it's "hook" or premise, and the
individual stories of the series itself). She said that series are
usually driven by sales to the children themselves, and in a proposal
for a series, the writer should indicate their target market. Ms.
Linn's extensive TV background, gave this talk a very "now"
feeling.
Feeling a
bit whim-shawed, but very energized, after trying to absorb such a
variety of new information (and relying on a couple of pages of
notes), we went to lunch, in Scarritt's "Harry Potter"
dining hall. Each time we eat there, I expect the snowy owl of the
movies, to come flying down the aisle.
After
lunch, it was back up to the lobby to have our "Critique Group".
The Illustrators' group, works more like a "show and tell"
with each illustrator showing off a bit of their work,and talk about
their current projects. Both published and pre-published gain a lot
by just interacting. We all work a lot of the time in solitude, and
just seeing another friendly, and more importantly understanding,
face can do wonders for a feeling of isolation. And then we have such
great discussions. I know I always learn so very much, each time I
sit in on a session. We discuss the tools of the trade...."You
mean Photoshop will do THAT?"....and how our projects are
going...and possibly get advice on ones that might have stalled.
The time
just flew....and it was off to my third session with Jennifer
Wingertzahn, editor at Clarion Books. Her topic was on "Finding
the right match for your manuscript". It was mostly geared for
writers, but one nice piece of information she related was that a lot
of editors have a say in who illustrates a manuscript the publisher
has acquired, and thus do indeed look at illustration promo pieces
that are sent their way. Ms. Wingertzahn said that you want your
editor to be joyful about manuscripts that are accepted, since that
same editor in effect becomes your cheerleader within a publishing
house. You really want someone who loves your work....and is willing
to get it thru all the hurdles of getting a book to print. If an
editor rejects your manuscript...(or your artwork)...then it mostly
means that it really "isn't right for their publishing
house"...just like a rejection note says. So when you get a
rejection notice, or don't get a call for an illustration
job.....just turn around and send your work elsewhere. You never know
when a "match made in publishing heaven" will happen.
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Jennifer Wingertzahn
has worked in he children’s
divisions of HarperCollins and Random House, and is now an Editor
at Clarion
Books where she publishes picture books, novels, and poetry
for readers ages 0 to 18. Some of the recent books she’s edited
are Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa by
Niki Daly; The Wonderful Thing About Hiccups by Cece Meng,
illustrated by Janet Pedersen; Small Sister by Jessica Meserve;
and Where the Great Hawk Flies by Liza Ketchum. Other authors and
illustrators she’s worked with include Julie Downing, Tiphanie
Beeke, Stacey Schuett, Deborah Davis, and Susan Katz, and she
also serves on the faculty of the New York University Certificate
in Publishing Program.
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Then at the end of an
already eventful day, those of us with individual critiques went to
"judgement". At least I think that "critique"
sounds very foreboding, for what is really a chance for fifteen
minutes with someone with a ton of experience at evaluating artwork.
This year, for me, the critique session was a wonderful opportunity
to find out "how an art director thinks" in that crucial 5
seconds or so when they look at a mail submission/promo cards/tear
sheet that has come into their slush pile. It gave me a window into
how my promotional items might be viewed at that house and at other
houses. It so helps to know what might go into file thirteen, or
those things that might actually make it into an actual filing
cabinet....or if I'm really lucky onto a bulletin board on the
door.It was wonderful to get feedback from a very busy art director,
face to face. It's mostly the only time you can get this much
attention, from someone who is actually "in the know". It
will help immensely in planning my future mailouts.
After this it was back
home for the day....decompress a tiny bit...then back at eight the
next morning. My session the next day was again with Mr. Linn. This
time it was a discussion of the process that creates a picture
book...from raw manuscript to finished illustrations....in a book on
bookstands. Mr. Linn took several of the newest titles from Henry
Holt and highlighted the illustrations during the entire process.
From pencil sketches, thru changes, through finished artwork. Then
the approval process, and then to working with the design of the book
with text styles, cover treatment and binding design. He talked about
the printing process (CMYK and the use of the Macbeth room....ie. a
room with color corrected lighting that is a standard in printing
offices worldwide, to get the color "just right" no matter
who or where it's being viewed)
After all this
information, a few of the illustrators who were "brave"
enough gathered together to have a "art screening" with the
art director. We all put a couple of pieces of our artwork, (without
our names/contact info) in a box, and pulled one out at a time in
random order, and had Mr. Linn tell us his thoughts. Since the few of
us there all knew each other's work....(just like writers remember
someone else's story or "voice"), it quickly developed into
a lovely round table discussion of just what would attract an art
director's eye, what wouldn't and, most importantly, wonderful
suggestions on tweaking to make our individual illustrations "POP".
Both the very
informative talks by the speakers I had the opportunity to listen
to,and the wonderful "face time" with the Associate Art
Director Lauarent Linn made these two days something to savor in the
weeks to come.
I was unable to attend
(what I've learned was a very inspirational) set of talks by Jamie
Adoff,
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Jaime
Adoff is the
author of The Song Shoots Out of My Mouth: A Celebration of Music
(Dutton Juvenile), which was a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Honor book (2003), an IRA Notable book (2003), a New York Public
Library book for the Teen Age (2003), a VOYA poetry pick (2002),
and a CCB Best Book for 2002. The critically acclaimed Names Will
Never Hurt Me (Dutton Juvenile) was his first young-adult novel
and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
(2005). His latest novel, Jimi & Me (Jump At The Sun), was
the recipient of the 2006 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New
Talent Author Award. He lives in his hometown of Yellow Springs,
Ohio.
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or a most informative
brace of session by agent Ginger Clark....
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Ginger Clark
is a literary agent at Curtis
Brown, LTD since the fall of 2005. She
represents science
fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, paranormal chicklit,
literary
horror, and young adult and middle grade novels.
Previously, she worked at Writers House for six years as an
Assistant Literary Agent. Her first job in publishing was as an
editorial assistant at Tor Books. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr
College. She is the Secretary of the Contracts Committee of the
AAR. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their pet
chinchillas.
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but time is (even at two
days) way too short to do everything I'd like.
But I can only just say
HUZZAH to Candie Moonshower, Genetta Adair, and Tracy Barrett, and
their team of wonderful volunteers for a LOVELY weekend. It always
seems just like Christmas eve, right before the conference.....and
like Christmas day during. And the gifts just keep on giving (in a
real business sense) all thru the year.
I can't wait till next
year.....
(For another look at
this wonderful conference check out Kristi
Valient's blog.)
Alison Lyne
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