Agent, Editor, & Author Kari Sutherland On First Lines, Revisions, & Representation

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Author Tips, Kari Sutherland, publishing, SCBWI events

 

Agent and author Kari Sutherland joins this year’s LA SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat faculty. She was a Senior Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books before joining the Bradford Literary Agency in 2017 and she co-writes the middle grade Menagerie series with her sister, Tui Sutherland. She’s worked with bestselling and critically acclaimed authors on projects such as the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. Needless to say, she knows a thing or ten or about writing, editing, and publishing books, and she’s here to share some of that knowledge with us!

Sarah Parker-Lee: You graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in English and Psychology. Why do you consider this the perfect combination for working with authors on character and plot development?

Kari Sutherland: I’d say both fields help me pinpoint when a character is behaving in a way that isn’t authentic or in a way that may produce a reaction in readers that the author is not intending. Having studied the way minds work, it gives me insight into personality and character growth. With my English studies, I know how to catch and keep a reader’s attention through voice, sentence structure, and plotting. Psychology classes also prepared me to be an excellent listener and to help coax out what a person really wants to say – in this case, through their manuscripts.

SPL: Your Bradford Lit bio says you’re passionate about helping to polish each manuscript and equip your clients for success. What does that entail?

Get to Know Samantha Swank, Scholastic Assistant Editor and Working Writer’s Retreat Faculty

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Mobi Shinobi, Samantha Swank, Scholastic

Samantha Swank is an assistant editor at Scholastic, where she works on fiction and non-fiction for ages zero-eight. She is a faculty member for the Working Writer’s Retreat, set for Sept. 15-17 at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino. She talks to Kite Tales about her work, children’s publishing, and her love for Benjamin Franklin.

EV: What made you decide to sign on as faculty for the Working Writer’s Retreat? What can participants expect from you?

SS: I thought the Working Writer’s Retreat sounded like a great opportunity for me, both professionally and personally. It’s great to get out there and meet other industry folks and talent, and there are worse places to do that than in California! My goal is to offer the participants some helpful feedback about their manuscripts and give them an idea of what I’m hoping to acquire going forward. And they can definitely expect an impassioned karaoke performance on Saturday night.

Pam Gruber: Editor’s Perspective, Writers & Illustrators Day Faculty

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authors, Cecilia Vinesse, Claudia Gray, Emily Lloyd-Jones, Jen Calonita, Josh Sundquist, Pam Gruber, publishers, publishing, YA, young adult

Pam Gruber is a Senior Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers where she has worked on everything from novelty and picture books to novels. She primarily acquires middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She loves alternate histories, off-beat teen romances, witty voices that can make her laugh and cry simultaneously, and stories of characters being asked to see their world in a different way. She is also on the faculty for this year’s Los Angeles SCBWI Writers and Illustrators Day (Feb. 25^th) where she will deliver a keynote and lead a breakout session on immersive world-building. For a great preview and insights from an editor-extraordinaire (and cute cat photos!), read on:

SARAH PARKER-LEE: Your list includes a hybrid graphic-novel series, VIP by Jen Calonita, Claudia Gray’s new space opera, Defy the Stars, and YouTuber Josh Sundquist’s debut novel, Love and First Sight. You certainly don’t dwell in traditional spaces for content or creator! What makes you want to take a risk on non-traditional projects? What’s the difference between non-traditional and straight-up gimmicky?

Melissa Manlove: Editor’s Perspective, 2017 Writers and Illustrators Day Faculty

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authors, illustrators, Illustrators Day, Melissa Manlove, picture books, publishers, publishing, writers, Writers Day

Melissa Manlove is an editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. Her acquisitions tend to be all ages in nonfiction; ages 0-8 for fiction. She’s also a keynote speaker, a breakout session speaker, manuscript critique faculty, and an illustration contest judge for the Los Angeles SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day, coming on February 25^th, 2017. When acquiring, Melissa looks for fresh takes on familiar topics as well as the new and unusual. An effective approach and strong, graceful writing are important to her. She also has 17 years of children’s bookselling experience and is currently on staff at Book Passage.

Sarah Parker-Lee: Your workshop intensive for the SCBWI Los Angeles Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day event, “What We Say Without Saying: Developing Voice in the Text and Art of Picture Books,” is for authors and illustrators. “Voice” is so often associated with text. What does it mean for illustrations? Do authors and illustrators find one voice together, or a way to intertwine their individual voices?

Melissa Manlove: Voice is a lot of things at once, but style and point of view are a couple of the biggest parts, whether you’re talking about text or art. Artists can make a lot of decisions that will make an impact on readers without them being very aware of it—choices that are ‘show not tell’ in the art, like palette, texture, composition—and decisions that ought to be deliberately calculated to communicate what’s most important about the book they’re illustrating; to evoke emotion, to tell a story.

Authors and artists always have separate voices, but when they are both working towards the same (or complimentary) narrative goals, they achieve a harmony that makes them feel like two halves of the same whole.

Stephanie Stein: Editor’s Perspective

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editor, HarperCollins, middle grade, publishing, Stephanie Stein, writing tips, YA

HarperCollins Children’s Books editor Stephanie Stein works on a range of YA and middle grade fiction by authors including Kiera Cass (the Selection series), Erin Hunter (Warriors), and Cynthia Hand (The Last Time We Say Goodbye). As faculty for this year’s SCBWI Los Angeles Writer’s Day, Stephanie gave a compelling keynote address, “Writing Your Book (Not Someone Else’s)” and a breakout session on what to expect from an editor when you’re revising your work together. Kite Tales caught up with her after LAWD16 for a follow-up on defining your writer’s voice, why that’s essential to getting published, and why everyone’s path to publishing looks different.

Talking with Chuck Sambuchino about Reference Guides, Query Letters, Agents, Writing a Synopsis, Word Count—and Clown Attacks

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agents, authors, Chuck Sambuchino, editors, queries, query letters, reference guides, synopsis, word count, writing tips

GIVEAWAY: We’re giving away one copy of the newly-released Writers Digest 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market. We enjoy reading your comments! Therefore, on October 30, 2015, one person who has commented (left a reply) attached to this post will randomly be selected for this fabulous prize.

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I met up with Chuck Sambuchino on October 10th at the Writing Conference of Los Angeles, where he was the featured speaker. With humor and enthusiasm, Chuck provided current marketplace insight and information. The breadth and depth of his presentations clearly revealed his expertise as a successful writer and editor for Writer’s Digest publications and as an author of his own two books. Read on for Chuck’s tips on reference guides, query letters, agents, writing a synopsis, word count—and clown attacks.