Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Code name: PYRG
I spent about an hour on the phone today with Editor X, from PYRG (Penguin Young Readers Group). I asked Editor X if he (or she) would be OK with me sharing her (or his) name on this blog. He (or she) politely suggested I refer to Penguin's family of youth-y imprints. So that's what I'd now doing. Editor X is officially a part of PYRG, so that is how I will refer to her (or him).
We had a great conversation, tho. He (or she) made some wicked smart suggestions, such as working to make the manuscript more of a teen novel, instead of just a novel with a teen main character. So I'll be reworking some of the other key characters, some of the settings, and some of the secondary characters as well.
Editor X told me to take my time, so I agreed to give it a couple of solid months. Editor X also discovered, just on this phone call, that I'd written another book, The Tilting House. He was quite pleased with the reviews that book has received and said that will help with the pitch to the publisher.
So now the work begins. August is almost over. My goal is to have these changes made, reviewed, reviewed again (and again), resulting in a finely honed version back to Editor X by the end of October.
Labels:
A Matter of Life and Seth,
Abigail Samoun,
editors,
penguin,
penguin group,
penguin young readers group,
publishing
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Let the edits commence.
I've decided to begin working with the unnamed editor at Penguin on A Matter of Life and Seth. The editor, who I hope to name once I get his or her permission, sent me a lengthy set of suggestions today. It looks like a few months of solid work to get through it all. Yeesh. But you know, these folks don't get these editor positions without being good at their jobs. And I can say that his (or her) suggestions all feel right to me. They draw out some of the concerns I've been subconsciously ignoring since I wrote this manuscript.
So nice work, Ms or Mr. Unnamed Editor.
And now, just because they pleased me so, I will share a few of her (or his) more lovely words--the words he (or she) shared BEFORE the pages and pages of suggestions:
First, he or she said:
Then he or she said a few other nice things which sound slightly more legal-ish to my ears, so I won't share them here. And then followed three single-spaced pages of detailed suggestions.
I'm going to talk to my agent, the esteemed Abigail Samoun, tomorrow, to come up with a game plan. Then I'll do my finger stretches and get to work.
I don't really do finger stretches.
So nice work, Ms or Mr. Unnamed Editor.
And now, just because they pleased me so, I will share a few of her (or his) more lovely words--the words he (or she) shared BEFORE the pages and pages of suggestions:
First, he or she said:
"Let me start off
by saying how much I enjoyed A Matter of
Life and Seth. I’ve been working on kids’ books for a little over six
years, and I’ve learned that there are three types of manuscripts (at least as
far as I’m concerned): manuscripts I wouldn’t bring to my publisher in a
million years, manuscripts that I don’t necessarily love but know readers
probably will, and then those books that I just have to work on. Of the latter,
I’ve come across only about five. Seth
is now on that list."
Then he or she said:
"When I got through maybe ten pages, I thought, Holy crap, this is Raymond Chandler. And
Seth is Philip Marlowe in a sixteen-year-old’s body."
Then, when I stopped sobbing and kept reading, I realized that he or she said:
"What you’ve done
with this novel is truly remarkable. You’ve written a detective story for teens
that doesn’t dumb it down. This is the type of book that will hopefully make
them want more detective stories, and turn to Chandler or Hammett or any of the
other greats. And you’re using all of the classic elements of a detective
story, but it feels fresh and relevant to the story."
Then he or she said a few other nice things which sound slightly more legal-ish to my ears, so I won't share them here. And then followed three single-spaced pages of detailed suggestions.
I'm going to talk to my agent, the esteemed Abigail Samoun, tomorrow, to come up with a game plan. Then I'll do my finger stretches and get to work.
I don't really do finger stretches.
Labels:
A Matter of Life and Seth,
Abigail Samoun,
editors,
penguin,
publishing
Monday, August 13, 2012
The March of the Penguin
Dear Reader, I'm looking for advice.
Here's the latest email from my elusive prey, the editor at Penguin:
Here's the latest email from my elusive prey, the editor at Penguin:
So I’m not quite done with SETH, but I did show some
pages to a colleague of mine who’s really good at her job and whose
opinion I value. She raised some interesting questions and concerns that she
feels should be addressed before I bring SETH to acquisitions. Thinking about it,
I can see her point.
Do you think Tom would be willing to work on the book with
me so we can get it in the best shape possible before I show it to my
publisher? I can’t guarantee a contract, but worst case scenario we get
it to a place where another editor might take it.
What do you think? I really like this book and want to see
it published. But I think my friend is right; it’s not close enough yet for
me to get a “yes.”
Let me know what Tom thinks, and I’ll start working on
some notes for him.
What should I do, Dear Reader?Should I walk away and hope for a better offer somewhere else? Or should I jump at this chance?
All he is saying, is give Penguin a chance.
All he is saying, is give Penguin a chance.
Labels:
A Matter of Life and Seth,
editors,
penguin,
publishing
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Still waiting to hear from a certain penguin about Seth
So the unnamed (but most assuredly brilliant) editor at Penguin who is reading my manuscript for A Matter of Life and Seth is still working and commenting. And to show just how connected we all are these days, check out his blog-referencing comment below, via another email to my agent:
Just a quick update: I got a bit sidetracked this week, so
I haven’t quite finished SETH. I’m about a third of the way
through, so will likely have feedback for you by the middle of next week. (I
didn’t want you sitting around waiting for a response that wasn’t
coming just yet.)
Regardless, I’m still really enjoying it. You can
tell Tom (who I just discovered has been blogging about me reviewing the book.
Haha.) that the voice is just right, not too stylized as you might expect from
a Chandler-esque novel.
Then, in a P.S., he states:
P.S. I can’t help but picture Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Seth. Have you seen Brick?
Have I seen Brick? I suppose it would be overly forward of me to point this most assuredly brilliant reader toward the following blog post from August of 2011:
By the way, here is Levitt in Brick, which really is one of my favorite noir films:
I could live with Gordon-Levitt as my title character in the film adaption, but I wouldn't want to be responsible for his type-casting.
Labels:
Abigail Samoun,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
penguin,
publishing,
teen noir
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Check out Rotator on Felt and Wire
Felt and Wire, one of the nation's leading design blogs, has done a lovely feature on Rotator Magazine. It's a long, lovely piece that does a great job capturing both the purpose and the process of this beast. And it's jammed with some great photos.
Labels:
Alyson Kuhn,
Felt and Wire,
rotator,
rotator magazine
Thursday, August 2, 2012
An encouraging word from Penguin Books!
After an incredibly long dry spell of no feedback from publishers, my agent, the esteemed Abigail Samoun, just forwarded me the following email today, from an editor at Penguin:
Hi Abi,
I just wanted to give you the heads up that I’m reading
LIFE AND SETH and am planning to have some feedback for you next week. You weren’t
kidding about the voice. It’s awesome.
I hope you’re enjoying your summer.
I'm not gonna mention the editor's name just yet. Maybe in a week. Don't want to unintentionally piss anyone off. But dang, I have to say this email took my breath away. And frankly, I could seriously use some encouragement in the form of an offer.
So come on, unnamed editor from Penguin, come through for me.
In the meantime, here are some logo usage guidelines for Penguin, which really does have a beautiful logo:
Labels:
A Matter of Life and Seth,
Abigail Samoun,
penguin,
publishing
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