Kimberly Ridley Talks About Writing for a Small Press

by Sue Heavenrich

One of the best things about reviewing books is that I get to meet so many interesting people. Usually by phone - I'll read a book and think: "I must find out more about why they wrote that book!" And all of them, writers and illustrators, have graciously shared their wisdom, trails to publication and trials, and their excitement about their subject.

For Kimberly Ridley, it's animals that have lived on earth for millions and millions of years. Horseshoe crabs! Goblin sharks! Tardigrades! Comb Jellies! They have lived through extinction events and keep on going...

I was first introduced to Ridley's writing through her first book, The Secret Pool. She wrote another about an estuary (The Secret Bay), and now this, Extreme Survivors, out last fall. Like her others, this book is published by Tilbury House, a small, award-winning publisher tucked somewhere in the town of Thomaston, ME.

Since it's her third book with Tilbury, I invited Kimberly to share what she likes about writing for this small press. Also, because she is a science journalist like me, we had a wide-ranging conversation - some of what you can find over at my Archimedes Notebook blog this Friday.

Extreme Survivors is part of the "How Nature Works" series. There are a number of very interesting titles in the series, and I wondered how Kim got a book included in the series.

Kim: After The Secret Bay came out, I was brainstorming with editor (and co-publisher) Jonathan Eaton. I felt like I had a relationship with Tilbury House, and I was interested in doing another book. So we began talking about horseshoe crabs - Jonathan has a background in marine sciences - and he mentioned the "How Nature Works" series. I checked out other books in the series. I really love the idea of asking "how does nature work?" - this is a question all scientists are asking - so my ideas evolved in that direction.

Kim with salamander eggs in a frisbee

I started wondering what animals, other than horseshoe crabs are ancient? What other animals haven't changed in a 100 million years? And what adaptations helped them survive? I jotted down a list of about 20, and made a timeline on a wall by posting photos and notes.

GROG: What attracted you to Tilbury in the first place?

Kim: I think it was the response I received when I pitched ideas to (editor) Jennifer Bunting. Having worked as a science journalist for a few years, I sent a letter pitching a handful of ideas for a children's book. I said that I work with scientists and wanted to write for children. Jennifer was familiar with my writing, so she acquired The Secret Pool, my book about vernal pools.

Working with a small publisher was a good fit for me. I appreciate the back and forth with editors through the revision process. The editors at Tilbury House work closely with writers, and they take tremendous care with the book through the writing and revision process. They also pay a lot of attention to detail. A good example is the care they put into acquiring the high quality photos for Extreme Survivors.

GROG: Speaking of photos, was part of your job to secure the photos for the book?

Kim: They asked me to help find preliminary photos, and then they followed up by purchasing the rights to use photos. The people at Tilbury House were also receptive to my feedback on layout and design. I admit I can be opinionated, having been an editor myself.

Kim shows wood frog eggs to students.

For Kim Ridley, doing research for a nonfiction project is "like dessert." She loves finding things out, coming across cool facts, and discovering amazing photos. Her advice to writers: go ahead and check out small presses, especially if you want to write science and natural history books for kids.

You can learn more about Kim and her projects at her website. And if you think you might like to submit a manuscript to Tilbury, take some time looking through their website.

Photos of Kimberly Ridley are from her website and used with permission.

An Interview with Nancy Churnin

By Leslie Colin Tribble

Last year at the 2016 Week of Writing Conference in Georgia, I had the utmost good fortune to be roomies with Nancy Churnin. We didn't know each other, nor was her name even familiar to me, but our chance meeting has given me sort of a front row seat in watching a career develop and forge ahead full steam. Nancy's debut picture book biography, William Hoy, How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game was published in 2016 and she has a pipeline of other recently published books and ones still to come. I asked Nancy is she'd be willing to do an interview for the GROG, and with trademark grace and kindness she agreed. I hope you enjoy learning from Nancy - she has wonderful things to say to those of us still waiting our publishing debut.

1. What made you decide to foray into the field of children's literature?
A man named Steve Sandy, who is deaf and a friend of the William Hoy family, told me his dream for William Hoy, the deaf hero who introduced signals to baseball so he could play the game he loved, to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I promised I would write a children’s book so kids would know the story and that the kids who got to know William Hoy would help by writing letters to the Hall of Fame. Kids have written almost 1,000 letters! I fell so in love with writing children’s books about “hidden” heroes — inspiring people that kids didn’t know about yet — I just kept going. My new book, Manjhi Moves a Mountain, came out in September and I will have three more books out in 2018. 

  

2. Had you done any writing for children before or was participating in Julie Hedlund's 12x12 your first foray into the world of children's literature?
I had written stories on my own that I sent out on my own that never went beyond anyone’s slush pile. Making the promise to Steve Sandy took me to a new level of seriousness and purpose. When I finally realized that I was going to need to know a lot more about writing children’s books in order to keep my promise, I began signing up for online groups and classes. Finding 12X12 was transformative. All of a sudden I found myself surrounded by folks on different stages of their writing journey, all willing and eager to help each other, to critique manuscripts, to explain what an effective query letter was. That’s where I truly began to learn how much I needed to learn!

3. You found your agent as a participant of 12X12. Can you tell us about that?
One of the perks of the gold membership in 2013 was the opportunity to submit to one agent each month. During this time I knew that my story on William Hoy wasn’t ready, so I sent out different stories to the first six agents of January through June. They were all rejected. Then, in July I woke up at  4:00 am with a brainstorm about how to rewrite William Hoy based on what I had learned the previous six months. I sent it to Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary, the agent of that month, and she got back to me within the hour saying she wanted to send it out! Now I should tell you that that version of William Hoy also met with rejections, but nice, detailed ones. I studied what the editors were saying and then I got another brainstorm. Karen sent out my freshly revised version again in 2014 and voila! The lovely Wendy McClure of Albert Whitman accepted it right away. I am now working on my third book with Wendy and each journey is a joy. Karen sold my second book, Manjhi Moves a Mountain, to Marissa Moss at Creston Books and that has been an amazing experience as well. I am working on my third book with Marissa now, too. I feel so blessed to work with both of these editors.

4. How many books do you have out now (including ones yet to be published that you can talk about)?
I have two books out now and three more coming out in 2018. There’s one more that will come out in 2019 IF I can get it right. First up in 2018 is Charlie Takes His Shot, How Charlie Sifford Broke the Color Barrier in Golf in January. It’s the true story of Charlie Sifford who was inspired by what Jackie Robinson did for baseball to become the first African American golfer on the PGA Tour. Irving Berlin, the Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing comes out in June. It’s the story of a boy who came to America as a penniless refugee from Russia and went on to write one of America’s most patriotic songs, “God Bless America.” The Queen and the First Christmas Tree, coming in September, is the story of Queen Charlotte, a kind queen with a heart for children, who introduced the first Christmas tree to Windsor Castle in 1800.  

5. How do you choose your topics/individuals that you write about?
I am always looking for the untold stories of people who inspire me and who helped make the world a better place. There are many worthy subjects, but the stories I know I will tell best are the ones that tug at my heart and won’t let go. If I can’t stop thinking about them, I know I have to write about them.

6. How do you balance your regular career with your children's writing career?
I am very fortunate to have work that I enjoy as a theater critic with the Dallas Morning News. It gives me the opportunity to see and evaluate the creative work of other people, to interview people about their work and to spread word of good work with our readers. I try not to overthink how I do both because I’m afraid if I think about it too much I would be like one of those cartoon characters running off a cliff and continuing to run because she doesn’t realize there’s only air beneath her! I just shoehorn it in wherever I can. It probably helps that I have no hobbies and all I like to do is write and read and see shows!

7.  Tell us about your research and writing methods - how do you do your research, how long you take to research, how long it takes for you to write your first draft, etc.
The time it takes varies. I can write a first draft very quickly. But my first draft is never my last draft! I worked on William How for 10 YEARS. Manjhi, in contrast, took roughly five months. Charlie Takes His Shot took a couple of weeks. I’m working on one now that I don’t know how long it will take. As for how I research, the Internet and the library are my friends. When I was researching Manjhi, I found interviews with him on YouTube. I try to find out everything I can, then I put everything I learned aside and try to focus and feel the heart of the story. Who is this person? What was this person’s dream? What was his or her fear? What were the challenges in the journey? What was it about this person that led up to his or her success in achieving this dream and, for me, how did this make the world better? After I write that draft and revise it enough to be happy with it, I search out experts to fact check me. That’s where I learn how many things from secondary sources can be incorrect! The reading and notes from experts have been essential for me.

8. How many revisions do you go through before your manuscript is finalized?
I lost track of how many revisions I did for William Hoy. It took me 10 years, so I imagine hundreds. For Manjhi, maybe 30 or 40. I actually like to revise. I want the books to be as good as they can be for the kids. The better made they are the longer they will last.

9. What nuggets can you give to those of us who are still waiting for that first publishing contract?
Don’t give up. Remember why you’re doing this. You have a story you need to tell, that only you can tell in the way you do. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find critique buddies and support groups you trust. Remember we are not always the best judge of what needs to happen when. Trust the universe. Yes, it took me 10 years to sell William Hoy and I shed my share of tears in those 10 years. But looking back, I shudder at the thought that one of those early versions of the story would have been printed rather than the book that I am so proud of today. I trust my agent and my editors and when they tell me a manuscript isn’t ready, I will work on it again and again until it is. That said, you also need to find the agent and editors that “get” you. Somehow you have to figure out the difference between a manuscript that isn’t ready yet, and one that simply hasn’t found the right editor and home. Don’t give up and you will get there. And don’t stop submitting. I submitted to every contest and took advantage of every submission opportunity. Remember, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. 

Nancy, thanks for the interview! I'm so glad we met at WOW 2016!

Nancy Churnin is the theater critic for The Dallas Morning News and author of THE WILLIAM HOY STORY, HOW A DEAF BASEBALL PLAYER CHANGED THE GAME (Albert Whitman), on the 2016 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids list, the 2017 Texas Library Association's 2X2 and Topaz lists, the 2018 Illinois School Library Media Association's Monarch Award Master List and Connecticut's 2018 Charter Oak Children's Book Awards list. MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN (Creston Books), a 2017 Junior Library Guild selection and Silver Eureka Award-winner from the California Reading Association, on the Mirrors & Windows long list from the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association and the Children's Book Council showcase. Coming out in 2018: CHARLIE MAKES HIS SHOT: HOW CHARLIE SIFFORD BROKE THE COLOR BARRIER IN GOLF (Albert Whitman in January); IRVING BERLIN, THE IMMIGRANT BOY WHO MADE AMERICA SING (Creston Books in June) and THE QUEEN AND THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE (Albert Whitman in September). A native New Yorker, she's a graduate of Harvard University, with a master's from Columbia University School of Journalism, who is happy to live in North Texas.

An Interview with publisher Lucinda Clark

            A Lady of Many Hats:  An Interview with Lucinda Clark

By Anne Iverson

Lucinda Clark, the founder and publisher of P.R.A Publishing, wears many hats in and about the literary and publishing worlds.  In a lively interview, she discussed several of these hats.

 A:  Lucinda, can you first give us a little of your background?

L:  I had my start as an art dealer for 10 years and am the principal of Phoenix Rising Art Consultants..  I currently live in Martinez, Georgia with my husband, Robert,  and we have two grown children.

A:  One of your hats is that of Publisher.  What were your reasons for starting P.R.A.? What is your background?

L:  I started my company back in 2001/02 with the publication of a book of poems written by  Jeanne McGhee, a visual artist I was representing.   Back then, our local Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Books-A-Million,  were eager to help local authors and would give them shelf space.  Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily the case today. 

            I truly enjoy working with emerging authors (international and in the U.S.), getting to know them, and developing personal relationships.   We really care about our authors and I’m proud of the fact that 4 of our 6 titles coming out in 2016-17 are by international authors. (Of those books, one is YA Fiction and five are poetry.) Yong Ho Nam's My Love for You Before I had You, Derek Berry’s Heathens and Liars of Lick Skillet County and From Above and Below, Volume 5 of Middle of the Road series. Sighs and Murmurs, Poetry Diversified 2017, Growing Flames.

           

A:  What about your Author Hat?               

 

L.  My first love is poetry.  I want poetry to sing!  I want to feel something when I read it or hear it.  I enjoyed reading all of Dr. Seuss books, especially Green Eggs and Ham.  He had such cool characters and I loved the rhymes!   

            I have a series of five poetry anthologies, View from the Middle of the Road.  Volume one, Where the Greenest Grass Grown (2000), which I wrote with my children.  Volume Two, U. S. .and Us (2006), features the work from four African American Poets.  Volume three, Search for Knowledge, was published in 2008.  Volume four, A Pathway to Dreams (2010), features contributions from all male poets. The Fifth Volume, From Above and Below, will be published in 2017.   In 2013, I published Poetry Diversified:  An Anthology of Human Experience, which features the collected experiences of the 2012 Poetry Matters Contest Winners.

A:  What about your Poetry Matters Hat?

 
L:  My husband and I started Poetry Matters in 2000 as a local writing contest in the Columbia County, Georgia, school system, which was designed to highlight middle school poets.  The contest grew to include more categories—young poets (middle school and high school), adults (poets ages 20-60), and seniors (poets 61 and above)—and has broadened its scope to the “Poetry Matters Project, Ltd.” .  We feature emerging poets— locally and globally, and offer opportunities (workshops and poetry readings) for the gifted poets in our area.   Our contest is open to everyone and there is no entry fee.

            I'm also working with Poetry Out Loud, a national program created by the National Endowment of the Arts Foundation.  (According to its website, "Poetry Out Loud encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.”)  I am pursuing channels to get our area high schools involved.

            For those of you who live in or near the Augusta, GA area, Lucinda will be presenting Emily Cobb, Poetry Out Loud Outreach Program Coordinator (from Atlanta) on Tuesday, Dec. 6^th at Open Mic Night at the Hire Grounds Café (3179 Washington Rd., Augusta, GA  30907) from 5:00-8:00 PM).  For more information, email www.poetrymattersproject@gmail.com.

A:  How about your Explorer Hat?                                              

L.  Yes, I am interested in exploring different genres and possibly expanding the scope of P.R.A. As you're aware, the publishing world is a far different one than just five or ten years ago.  Some of the literature genres I'm considering include science fiction, thrillers, post apocalyptic, fiction, and YA.  I am NOT interested in romance or erotica.  Whatever the genre, the focus for me (and the rest of the publishing world) is diversity.      

.

Links:  www.prapublishing.com

            www.poetrymattersproject.org

            https://poetrymattersproject.submittable.com/submit 

            www.poetryoutloud.org.

           

 
            

Posted by Anne Iverson at Thursday, November 17, 2016

Labels: Anne Iverson, Author Interview, interview, poetry, publishing

The School Program - Pre-Pub Panic, Part 2 ~ by Patricia Toht

As I mentioned in a February post, next year is publication year for two of my picture books. That means that 2016 is officially my year of Pre-Pub Panic!

My panic got off to a mild start. The first thing I thought about was the launch party, which was fun to consider - after all, it's a PARTY!

But more recently, I've been thinking about school programs. YIKES! What the heck do I have to offer???

Luckily, I spent a few years working for a literary events company that placed authors in schools for visits. I've seen some of the best in action - Brain Selznick, Jack Gantos, Megan McDonald, Carolyn Crimi, Kristy Dempsey.

I also peeked at my fellow authors' websites - critique buddies like Eileen Meyer, Heidi Bee Roemer, Darcy Day Zoells, Nancy J Cavanaugh, and Ruth Vanderzee, and authors whose dynamite presentations I have seen or heard about, like Aaron Reynolds and Miranda Paul.

Nancy J Cavanaugh at a school presentation.

Even more research helped. In my notes, I compiled a general list of topics for authors:

• THE publishing journey, 

or how a book gets published

• Your OWN journey, 

or the specifics of 

your path to publication

• THE process of writing 

a picture book or novel, 

fiction or nonfiction

• Your OWN process, 

or the unique way that you work

• A specific area of CRAFT 

(voice, character, world-building, etc.)

Image by www.GotCredit.com.

• Your WRITING AREA of expertise 

(poetry, humor, etc.)

• Your SUBJECT AREA of expertise 

(animals, medieval times, etc.)

• BOOK-SPECIFIC topics

A book about bugs? The presentation 

can be all about creepy crawly things.

• INSPIRING KIDS' WRITING, 
which often focuses on where ideas 
come from or revisions. 

Of course, choosing a topic depends quite a bit on the age level of the group you will be seeing, so it's best to have more than one presentation in your repertoire. 

What makes for a good presentation? Tips are multitudinous! I love this collection of advice from Book Moot, including:

* Stick to 30 minutes for younger kids, and 45 minutes for older.

* Have water on hand to refresh your throat.

* Know where the toilets are (and turn off your microphone while you're using them!)

* Make eye contact. Acknowledge and involve your audience. See Janie Reinart's recent post about ways to make your school visit interactive.

* To maintain order, YOU, the author, can tell kids to sit, ask them to quiet down, etc.

* Do NOT start signing autographs at the end of the session or you will be mobbed. Arrange for book signing time and supply a signed bookmark to be copied for all.

I urge you to visit Book Moot and read all of the wonderful tips.

Now, wonderful GROG readers, you help educate me, too. 

What presentation topics have worked for you? 

What tips do you have to pass along? 

I'm always thankful for your advice!

** Thanks to GROG fans chiming in, I have two dynamite websites for school program advice -- Alexis O'Neill and Kim Norman.

(And a shout out to Tammi Sauer, a school program dazzler!)