Interview with HarperCollins Senior Editor, Maria Barbo

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editor, HarperCollins, Maria Barbo, publishing tips, Writers Day, writing tips

EDITOR’S NOTE: Unfortunately, as you may have heard, SCBWI L.A.’s 2020 Writers Day has been postponed due to the Coronavirus. Please check your emails for the announcement which provides more details. Despite this news, the below interview (unedited from the original) provides fantastic information – so, please, read on! 

MARIA BARBO (Senior Editor at HarperCollins) acquires high-concept series and standalones for young readers of all ages—focusing mostly on middle grade and select picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels. She is particularly interested in projects with authentic voices, strong hooks, and fresh perspectives that use humor, magic, or illustrations to help young readers learn to navigate their world. She works with award-winning and bestselling authors such as Natalie Lloyd, Jim Benton, and Lisa Greenwald. Prior to joining Harper, Maria worked at Scholastic Inc, earned an MFA in painting, and lived in Spain via the Fulbright Program. When she’s not working, you can find her playing soccer or practicing her handstands.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! We’re excited to have you as a Keynote Speaker at SCBWI L.A.’s 2020 Writers Day event. Your topic, “It’s TOTALLY Personal: Character Motivation is Everything” sounds amazing, as does the breakout session, “Master the Middle of Your Novel.” Does character motivation differ in picture book, middle grade, or YA?

MARIA BARBO: Thank you, Christine. I’m excited to meet everyone in L.A. I’d say the basic guiding principle across all age levels is that your main character’s motivations, their deepest desire, is what drives the plot forward. What do they want? Why do they want it? And which of their personality traits is going to get in their way?

Interview with Best-Selling Middle Grade Author, Ridley Pearson

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author, Author Tips, Dave Barry, Kingdom Keepers, Lock and Key, Peter and the Starcatcher, Ridley Pearson, Steel Trapp, Super Sons

Ridley Pearson is a #1 New York Times best-selling author of more than 50 award-winning books for readers of middle grade and young adult. His novels have been published into two dozen languages and adapted for television network and the stage.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! Your best-selling Peter and the Starcatchers series is co-written with Dave Barry and includes illustrations, but that still must be a very different process from writing your new DC Comics Super Sons graphic-novel series. How does it feel to use words so sparingly?

RIDLEY PEARSON: Words are like coins; you can spend them freely or carefully. One of the projects Dave Barry and I co-wrote was to retell the Peter Pan story through the artwork of Disney Legend Mary Blair (artist). We were given 1,500 words, max. Despite an abundance of glorious artwork from the 1930s there were pieces of the story unrepresented by the archival artwork. Dave and I learned firsthand the importance of every single word.

Ask an Editor: The Difference Between a Mentor Text and a Comp Title

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comp, comp title, mentor text, Tara Luebbe

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Dear Editor – What is the difference between a mentor text and a comp title?

—May, Los Angeles

Because of her great webinar on this topic for 12 x 12, I’ve asked Tara Luebbe to reply.

Dear May – A mentor text is all about craft, as it’s a book that helps you shape your manuscript. A mentor text could cover a subject matter or concept that’s comparable to your story. It might mirror your story arc, utilize a format you’d like to explore, or have a main character with a similar obstacle to overcome. It may use a voice or POV you want to try, or be written with a brand of humor or sense of irony you are looking to emulate. So the right mentor text can provide a template for figuring out one or more challenging elements in your own work.

Ask an Editor: Is Querying an Agent Different Than Querying a Publisher?

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agents, editors, publishers, publishing houses

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Dear Editor – I’m getting ready to query my book for the first time and am confused. Do I query an agent or a publisher?

—Jackson, Los Angeles

Dear Jackson – Congratulations on having finished a manuscript! To pursue traditional publication, a writer “queries” (sends a query letter to) a literary agent or a book publisher. At a publishing house, it may be the acquisitions editor’s job to find new talent so, sometimes, you will hear a writer saying they “queried an editor”—this is essentially the same as querying the publisher. Whether you choose to query an agent or publisher, check online submissions specifications to see whether they are accepting queries and, if they are, how to do so.

Interview with Middle-Grade Author M.G. Hennessey

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author, Author Tips, child welfare, foster kids, M.G. Hennessey, middle grade, novel, published, The Echo Park Castaways, The Other Boy

Local author and SCBWI member M.G. Hennessey’s new middle-grade book, The Echo Park Castaways, addresses LA’s child-welfare system. The four main characters share the same foster-care home and the story is told from three viewpoints.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! This is such an important topic but you convey the issues in a way a middle-grade reader can understand. Did you write it in an alternating fashion as it’s published, or did you write each character’s piece separately?

What Does It Mean to Have a Book Optioned?

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Author Tips, option, optioned book, published, publishing

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Dear Editor – What does it mean to have a book optioned?

—Ivy, Los Angeles

Interview with Best-Selling Middle Grade Author Robert Beatty

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Author Tips, authors, disney, fantasy, historical fiction, hyperion, interview, middle grade, Robert Beatty, Serafina, series, Willa of the Wood

Robert Beatty is the successful author of the New York Times best-selling Serafina series and of Willa of the Wood. His fourth Serafina book, Serafina and the Seven Stars (Disney-Hyperion) was released on July 9, 2019. I met up with him when he stopped in Los Angeles for the opening-day book event at the Grove’s Barnes & Noble.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to LA! Serafina and Willa are some of my favorite middle grade characters. Your books spin fantasy and historical fiction together seamlessly. Much of Serafina takes place at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and includes real-life characters such as the Vanderbilts. How did you choose this location?

Ask an Editor: Writing Accents and Using Slang

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accents, sensitivity readers, slang, writing tips

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Dear Editor – How do I write in an accent or use slang when it’s not the way I speak?

—Yolie, Westside

Dear Yolie – Let’s start with some definitions. Accents are “speech habits typical of the natives or residents of a region” while slang is a defined as “language peculiar to a particular group” (Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary).

ACCENTS: With accents, sparing use can be more effective. While some stories may carry an accent throughout, this works only when it’s done well and is easy for the reader to follow.

Interview with Seth Fishman, Nonfiction Picture Book Author

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agent, Author Tips, nonfiction, picture book, picture books, Seth Fishman, The Gernert Company, Writers Day, writing tips

Maybe you’ve come across SETH FISHMAN’s award-winning book A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars. Or, perhaps you attended his Keynote Presentation at SCBWI LA’s 2018 Writers Day event. His books are rocking the nonfiction picture book world

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! It’s great to see a local writer doing so well. Let’s talk a bit about nonfiction picture books. In your latest book, Power Up: Your Incredible, Spectacular, Supercharged Body, you shift the focus from the amazing universe around us to the fascinating world inside our bodies. Power Up has an engaging story line and is loaded with cool facts. Do you have any advice for aspiring children’s nonfiction picture book writers?

Ask an Editor: What’s the Best Way to Find an Agent?

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agent, agents

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Dear Editor – I’ve been working on my middle-grade book for years with my critique group and think it’s finally ready to send out into the world. What’s the best way to find an agent?

—Susan, Los Angeles

Dear Susan – Finishing your manuscript is quite an accomplishment. Kudos! Since you’re looking for an agent, that must mean you’re seeking traditional publication.