Win a Free Major Edit from a Former Harcourt Editor...

Former Harcourt Children's Books editor gone freelance Deborah Halverson (her teen fiction is published by Delacorte) recently launched the writer's advice site Dear-Editor.com, which she describes as a "Dear Abbey" for writers. To celebrate the one-month anniversary of her site, Deborah is giving away one free Substantive Edit of of a YA/MG fiction manuscript. (Recently, four of the writers she's edited landed lucrative 2-book deals with major publishers, so the winner of this giveaway would be in good hands.)

Visit www.Dear-Editor.com for more details and instructions on how to enter. The giveaway is lottery-style, and the deadline is April 14. Also check out DeborahHalverson.com, friend her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Allyn Johnston on Her New Simon & Schuster Imprint...

After more than two decades working at Harcourt (most recently as VP and editorial director), Allyn Johnston was relieved of her position after a corporate merger between Harcourt and Houghton Mifflin. But before she seemingly had time to pack up her office, it was announced that Johnston would be heading up a new imprint--she joined Simon & Schuster as vice president and publisher of a not-quite-named imprint (more on that below) under which she'll publish mostly picture books out of San Diego. Here Johnston talks a little about this new phase in her long and successful editorial career.

Your imprint with Simon & Schuster was announced almost immediately after you left Harcourt. Is it something you’d been considering? How did it come about so quickly?

I hadn’t been considering another job because I’d been told by Houghton that I’d still have one, even though they had decided to close the San Diego Harcourt office. Then my job was eliminated in March, and Rubin Pfeffer, Senior Vice President and Publisher at Simon & Schuster, called immediately.

After working at Harcourt for more than two decades, what’s it like doing something else? Weird? Liberating? Weirdly liberating? How has that transition been for you?

In a word, it’s been like freefall.

Will you have additional editors working with you?

Yes, Andrea Welch, with whom I worked for more than eight years at Harcourt, will be joining the imprint on July 14—and I can’t wait!

You haven’t named your imprint yet. Why did you choose not to simply go with Allyn Johnston Books? What type of name do you have in mind?

We wanted the imprint name to reflect our west-coasty-ness rather than be tied to my name. But you would not believe what a challenge it’s been to find one with the perfect simplicity and spirit and tone that wasn’t already taken! (Or didn’t sound like a Hallmark card or, worse, a real estate office.)

We do have a name now, and I wish I could tell you what it is, but I don’t want to risk jinxing it. (What I can say is we’re gonna be located in a second-floor studio space on a flower-filled lane about a block from the beach.)

Is there a philosophy behind your imprint? Tell me about what sort of books you want to publish. Are there certain qualities you’re looking for?

We want our list to be made up of the kinds of books that people buy multiple copies of and give over and over again at birthday parties.

Are you open to unsolicited submissions?

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept unsolicited submissions.

How many books will you be publishing and when do you estimate the first book under your imprint will be released?

We’ll be publishing about 18-20 books a year, and the list will be officially launched in Summer 09 (though three books will be coming out in Spring 09). The imprint will mostly be a picture-book list, though we’ll also publish an occasional middle-grade and YA novel. Among the authors and illustrators on our list will be Mem Fox, Marla Frazee, Lois Ehlert, Douglas Florian, Cynthia Rylant, Debra Frasier, M. T. Anderson, and many others, both new and recognized.

New Agent Interview: Michael Stearns...

After nearly 20 years working on the editorial side of things--most recently as editorial director and foreign acquisitions manager for HarperCollins Children's Books, and prior to that, as senior editor, director of paperback publishing for Harcourt Children's Books--Michael Stearns decided to mix things up a bit. Starting last month, he left Harper to become a literary agent at Firebrand Literary.

Stearns brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He has worked on hundreds of books for children and adults including many bestselling and award-winning titles such as A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls by Elise Primavera, Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson, Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge, the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, and the Chet Gecko Mysteries by Bruce Hale. He has taught a dozen classes on writing, edited three anthologies of original stories, and published a half dozen pieces of his own fiction for both adults and children.

Below, in his first interview as an agent, Stearns talks about his career shift, the kind of material he's looking to represent, his submission policy, his agenting style, and exciting changes at Firebrand.

Why the huge career shift?
I don't see it as that big a change in what I do—but okay: why'd I skip over the fence separating publishing and agenting?

Something terrible happens to the successful: They get kicked up the corporate ladder as a reward for having done well.

I found myself as an editorial director at HarperCollins Children’s Books, as well as the manager of foreign acquisitions for the list. There were obvious benefits to the job—I could acquire with a freer hand, attend all the book fairs, develop a thorough knowledge of UK editors and publishers, line my pockets with gold and faded dreams—the usual. And yet . . .

I was spending more and more of my time attending meetings, and helping my team figure out their books and their publishing strategies; and spending less and less time doing what I've always loved most, which is working closely with talent. Editing, shaping, and bringing books to market is the funnest part of the job.

There is nothing wrong with what I was doing at Harper, but I wanted more hands-on time to nurture writers and their careers. And now I have that.

What types of work for young readers are you most interested in representing?
My list will be 75-80% novels, with the remaining 20 percent made up of picture books.

I'm not against picture books, but I am extraordinarily picky, and I find that most beginning writers tackle picture books because they mistakenly think they are "easier." So there is a higher degree of suckage in most picture book submissions. Rather than plow through that, for picture books I am relying on referrals and am signing only a few writers whose work I know and trust. (This 80/20 percentage is nothing new, by the way; this about equals the make-up of my lists at Harcourt and Harper.)

Okay, picture books are unlikely. But how do your tastes run with regard to novels?
I’m keenest for both teen and middle grade fiction. Nothing makes me happier than commercial novels with literary chops—good writing that isn't afraid of plot—though "good writing" is what everyone wants, I'm sure. What do I mean by “literary chops”? I mean, the writer has skill and voice, and that she recognizes character as a key to all good storytelling.

Genre-wise I flee far and fast from issue novels (hard to sell) and am much more interested in non-Tolkienesque fantasy, paranormal romance, comic coming-of-age, and thrillers (again, all with some literary spin). For whatever reason, I respond well to wit. Not dorky funny but genuine wit. (See authors I’ve worked with such as M.T. Anderson, Frances Hardinge, Bruce Hale, Derek Landy, et al.)

Are you open to unsolicited submissions?
Well, of course. Writers can submit via Firebrand’s website at www.firebrandliterary.com, which has very detailed descriptions about how to submit. People who have not submitted to and been rejected by Firebrand in the past can submit to me. If it is not for me, they will receive a form "No, thanks," rejection via email. If it is something I want to see more of, I'll invite them to send the full manuscript via email. Actual mailed submissions are not being accepted. (We try to be as paperless and green as possible.)

The website is going to relaunch in a few weeks with a new look, a new logo, and all sorts of unbelievable goodies. Same tender snark as at the old site, but with even more of the qualities that make Firebrand a different animal from other agencies.

What, exactly, are those differences?
Well, it will be revealed in greater detail on the site to come, but here’s a small tease: We are creating an aggressive marketing team to help sell-through for our books and authors—marketing that will complement those of their publishers. And we have a foreign rights agent in myself who, thanks to years spent buying and publishing major UK titles for the United States market, knows the UK market very well—the publishers, their lists, and the editors whose tastes shape those lists.

And there will be more. These are exciting times at Firebrand.

[Here's the agency's new logo.]


How would you describe your “agenting style”?
Oh my god, is there such a thing? “Post-modernist, with a surreal dash of ‘finger painting and graham cracker’ interpretations of Duke-of-Windsor-style men’s fashion”? “Jean-Paul Gaultier sans cones and bad dancing”?

No, no, no. I haven’t the foggiest idea what my “agenting style” is quite yet—I haven’t even been here a month!—though I imagine it will turn out to be much like my editorial style. That is, I will work very closely with my writers to develop their projects and to guide their careers. I love developing projects, and I think of myself as my authors' second head: someone who understands their goals as a writer.

I don’t waste time making nice. I get fired up about a book only when I feel like I've really found something new or exceedingly excellent. I don’t phone it in. If I love something, I’m all about that love. By the same token, I have little time for projects that are just “good enough.” Good enough rarely is.

My utter lack of a poker face is one reason I have the trust of the people I deal with—whether my writers and clients or the editors to whom I sell projects. People know that I can’t fake enthusiasm.

Do I have any upcoming gigs at which writers can meet you and/or pitch their ideas?
The only things that should be pitched are baseballs. (Go, Mets!) Or nonfiction books for adult readerships.

I abhor pitches for children’s books. A worthwhile book lives or dies in execution, on the skill of the writer, and pitches are the complete opposite of that. A pitch boils an idea down to its most basic, but who cares? I want to see what the writer does with the idea.

You can find me at two SCBWI events this summer: a workshop in Florida on June 6 and 7, and the national conference this August in Los Angeles. As well, I will be dropping in on the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children during their summer session.

We'll be posting the appearances schedule of all of the Firebrand agents on our new website. Yet another reason to check it out!

Sorting Out Harcourt...

In addition to Allyn Johnston leaving Harcourt, the company's acquisition by Houghton Mifflin has brought about a number of other changes as well. Here's the scoop I've gotten at this point.

Harcourt Children's Books, now an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group, will be moving all operations to New York by the end of June (same address as Clarion Books). Betsy Groban is the senior vice president and publisher of the HMH Children's Book Group, and Jennifer Haller is associate publisher. Art director Michele Wetherbee is leaving the company.

At this point, the status of imprints Voyager Paperback, Odyssey Paperbacks and Red Wagon Books are under consideration. Harcourt Children's Books will be publishing only hardcover picture books and fiction. The company continues to not accept unsolicited manuscripts, preferring agented material.

Here is the current Harcourt information as it stands:

HARCOURT CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group, 215 Park Ave South, New York, NY 10003. Web site: www.harcourtbooks.com. Senior Vice President and Publisher: Betsy Groban. Associate Publisher: Jennifer Haller. 20% of books by first-time authors; 50% of books from agented writers. "Harcourt Children’s Books publishes hardcover picture books and fiction only.”

• Harcourt Children's Books no longer accepts unsolicited manuscripts, queries or illustrations. Recent Harcourt titles Tails, by Matthew Van Fleet; Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert; The Great Fuzz Frenzy, by Janet Stevens and Susan Steven Crummel; How I Became a Pirate and Pirates Don't Change Diapers, by Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon; and Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, by Adam Rex, are all New York Times bestsellers. Other Harcourt titles include Evil Genius, by Catherine Jinks; and Each Little Bird That Sings, by Deborah Wiles, a 2005 finalist for the National Book Award.

How to Contact/Writers Only interested in agented material.
Illustration Only interested in agented material.
Photography Works on assignment only.
Terms Pays authors and illustrators royalty based on retail price. Pays photographers by the project. Sends galleys to authors; dummies to illustrators. Original artwork returned at job's completion.

Allyn Johnston Leaving Harcourt...

I've known since last week that Editor-in-Chief Allyn Johnston was leaving Harcourt after 22 years there. The news just broke in PW Children's Bookshelf yesterday. Today is Allyn's last day at Harcourt. Over the years she's worked with authors and illustrators the likes of Jane Dyer, Lois Ehlert, Mem Fox, Cynthia Rylant, Debra Frasier and Marla Frazee.

Allyn wrote a wonderful piece for me focusing on picture books for the 2009 CWIM, finishing it up soon after she was let go. Reading her piece, feeling her love of picture books, getting a glimpse of what an insightful editor she is, made me sad to think that someone who it seems was put on this earth to edit books for young readers could be let go as a result of a corporate merger (Houghton with Harcourt).

Here's a excerpt of her CWIM piece:

“Authors and illustrators are our most important resource. Without them none of us would be here. Our primary job in the editorial department is to maintain—and build—strong, trusting, collaborative relationships with them so they keep bringing their projects to us. And when those projects are wonderful, great. The editorial development process is relatively smooth. But when talented folks bring us weaker ideas—or ideas that don’t quite make sense yet—we must try our best to help them figure out how to make the project work and to coax it out of them without being discouraging.

I think our biggest role, then, is to believe in our authors and illustrators, to believe great things can happen.”

I wish great things for Allyn as she moves on to the next phase of her career. As soon as I have news about what she'll be doing next, I'll let you know in this space. In the meantime, you can contact her here.

Houghton Mifflin Buys Harcourt Ed Division...

It's been all over the publishing newsfeeds, but in case you have haven't read about the Harcourt Education business being purchased by Houghton Mifflin, here's a link.