From: cathy young <cathy>
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 12:11:54 -0700

I am LOVING this discussion of Dear Genius, and this talk about whether or not editors should get credit for the books they work on is important and productive for all of us involved in the world of children's books.

If I were stranded on a tropical island with only three books to keep me company, one of those books would be Dear Genius. It sparkles. UN makes my spirit fly!

How many of you, while reading Dear Genius, went back to look through The Long Secret, Where The Wild Things Are, Steptoe's beautiful books, and all of those delicious Ruth Krauss and Crocket Johnson books?

I did. My office was a mess. Every other letter caused me to run to my bookshelf and pull out another book. I've read them all quite a few times, but they became EVEN MORE MAGICAL when I learned the *stories behind the stories.*

In all of this talk about books and editors and the inner workings of the kids book publishing industry, we haven't talked about what makes a book sell, about what makes it popular.

I was a bookseller for some years before I made a pilgrimage to New York to learn about children's book publishing at Harper. I can tell you for a fact that customers (kids and adults) LOVE hearing the stories behind the stories. It makes them want to own an author's books -- so that they can be part of that creative process. I often stood near a shelf in the store with an indecisive parent. I'd tell him or her stories about some of the authors/illustrators of the books they were looking at, showing them future books so they could see how the creator's art changed over time. Sometimes I would pull out a few books published by Michael di Capua and show a customer how much attention this particular publisher/editor places on bindings and paper. Small conversations all, but they mattered to my customers, and I ALWAYS sold more books when I took the time to tell customers about the creative process involved in the books. It created a relationship between the customer/reader and the author/illustrator.

Librarians and teachers can tell you this, too. When an author comes to visit and tells the stories behind his or her books (what it was like to write them, who inspired some of their characters, what it was like to find an editor and first be published), kids get VERY turned on.

Just like we do. Reading UN's letters made we weep, shout, dance, giggle, and renew my commitment to the world of children's books.

So, in my humble opinion, as someone who has sold books, reviewed them, marketed them, and advocated for authors and illustrators
(thank you, Dick Jackson, for your help in choosing the right word) in a few other ways, the MORE publishing houses can share about the stories and people behind the books, the BETTER.

I think teachers, booksellers, librarians, and parents would LOVE to hear more about the relationship authors have with their editors. They'd love to hear more about the unique situations particular book art created for the house's book designers.

In my dream world, each publishing house would make available (on the Web or in printed pamphlets) "inside peeks" into the creative process behind a few books on each list. I'd like to see side-by-side interviews with the authors, illustrators, editors, and designers of some books.

I could talk about this forever, actually, but I will stop. Frankly, that the editor's name is invisible on most bound books is a big shame in *my* book, but that's only the beginning. Publishers and authors, bring readers deeper inside the magic of a book's creation, and I promise that your time and energy in sharing will be returned many times over.

Thank you to this group for such a lively, inspiring conversation!

?thy young

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cathy young www.grouchy.com www.read-this.com
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Received on Wed 12 Aug 1998 02:11:54 PM CDT