INTERVIEW WITH TALIA BENAMY
Talia Benamy is an associate editor at Philomel Books (an imprint of Penguin Young Readers), where she focuses on everything from picture books to middle grade and young adult novels. She has worked on books by Chelsea Clinton, Sonia Sotomayor, Temple Grandin, Jane Yolen, Abigail Harrison, Lisa Graff, Ruta Sepetys, Dev Petty, Sarah Brannen, and Terry Border. She sees books as having the amazing power to shape kids’ worldviews, and looks for manuscripts that have the potential to do just that.
We talk about:
• What exactly does an associate editor do?
• How does the process of using a reader help you go through the slush pile?
• How do you determine if a piece of writing is good?
• What are common mistakes you see in submissions?
• What makes you reject a manuscript almost immediately?
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MISUNDERSTOOD VERBS
When you’re polishing and perfecting your work, one big thing to pay attention to is your verbs. Inspired by an article from Jan Fields, we’re going to come to a greater understanding of these action words.
Verbs are the powerhouse of the sentence. Because of that, understanding how verbs work will help you tremendously in the revision process. It's only by knowing what verbs are all about that you can make them do their tricks. So with that in mind, let's look at some of the most misunderstood verbs.
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10 THINGS THAT MAKE EDITORS CRINGE
Nobody wants to make an editor (or anyone) cringe when they read your manuscript. Inspired by a post from Jamie K. Schmidt, we’re covering 10 things that make editors cringe and tips to avoid them. Be sure to head to writingforchildren.com/187 to download the show notes because many of these tips will be easier to see in writing.
Everybody knows to use spellcheck or Grammarly when going over their writing. However, some mistakes aren’t generally caught by these two programs. And if you want to stop an editor’s eyes from rolling to the back of her head, you should check your writing for these errors.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA LONEY
At the end of January, the American Library Association announced their annual awards. DOUBLE BASS BLUES illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez and written by Andrea J. Loney was named a Caldecott Honor Book! Andrea was our guest last year, so in honor of her book's big win, we're rebroadcasting her interview with some bonus audio as she shares her tips for getting from unstuck to success.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!