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[CCBC-Net] Role of Jean Karl?
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From: Sylvia Engdahl <sle>
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 16:56:00 -0800
Yes, Jean Karl was my editor. She did enjoy science fiction, and she also was interested in publishing books for older, more mature readers than were acceptable at that time elsewhere. My main dissatisfaction with Atheneum -- which involved a marketing decision, not an editorial one -- was that they labeled and promoted my books for younger readers than they were intended for, and this resulted in their not being found by the majority of readers most apt to enjoy them. This was less of a problem with _Enchantress from the Stars_ than with the others, which really aren't of interest to any but the most exceptional readers below teenage. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to get them into print at all if not for this policy, as the market for teen books was then relatively small. But some of the later ones "fell through the crack" because librarians tended to shelve them in the children's room next to
_Enchantress_ and they did not circulate well there. (As you may or may not know, my "Children of the Star" trilogy has recently been republished by a small press as adult science fiction, a form in which it's more likely to reach the older teenagers.)
I always felt it was unfortunate that the structure of the publishing business forced everything Jean edited into the children's book category, because many books she chose were appropriate for high school age, and high school libraries didn't often buy "children's" fiction.
(In the 80s, she tried to overcome this by calling some "Argo Books," but Atheneum's marketing remained geared to children's libraries.) Yet they served what I felt was a real need: science fiction and fantasy for readers who don't care for the type issued as adult SF/fantasy, a field in which novels intelligible to readers without extensive background are considered too simplistic or not "far out" enough. Personally, I chose to publish for young people's because I wanted to write for a general audience, not a specialized one -- and this is not acceptable in the SF genre market (except in the case of small presses). Jean was indeed the only editor I knew of who liked books of this kind.
Of course, she also edited many fine books for younger children. Offhand I can't recall much science fiction, but I'm not very familiar with the field of books for pre?olescents.
Sylvia
_____________________________________________________________________
Sylvia Engdahl - sle at sylviaengdahl.com
Author of CHILDREN OF THE STAR and ENCHANTRESS FROM THE STARS
Personalized signed copies available!
Visit my Web site, http://www.sylviaengdahl.com
_____________________________________________________________________
Received on Tue 13 Nov 2001 06:56:00 PM CST
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 16:56:00 -0800
Yes, Jean Karl was my editor. She did enjoy science fiction, and she also was interested in publishing books for older, more mature readers than were acceptable at that time elsewhere. My main dissatisfaction with Atheneum -- which involved a marketing decision, not an editorial one -- was that they labeled and promoted my books for younger readers than they were intended for, and this resulted in their not being found by the majority of readers most apt to enjoy them. This was less of a problem with _Enchantress from the Stars_ than with the others, which really aren't of interest to any but the most exceptional readers below teenage. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to get them into print at all if not for this policy, as the market for teen books was then relatively small. But some of the later ones "fell through the crack" because librarians tended to shelve them in the children's room next to
_Enchantress_ and they did not circulate well there. (As you may or may not know, my "Children of the Star" trilogy has recently been republished by a small press as adult science fiction, a form in which it's more likely to reach the older teenagers.)
I always felt it was unfortunate that the structure of the publishing business forced everything Jean edited into the children's book category, because many books she chose were appropriate for high school age, and high school libraries didn't often buy "children's" fiction.
(In the 80s, she tried to overcome this by calling some "Argo Books," but Atheneum's marketing remained geared to children's libraries.) Yet they served what I felt was a real need: science fiction and fantasy for readers who don't care for the type issued as adult SF/fantasy, a field in which novels intelligible to readers without extensive background are considered too simplistic or not "far out" enough. Personally, I chose to publish for young people's because I wanted to write for a general audience, not a specialized one -- and this is not acceptable in the SF genre market (except in the case of small presses). Jean was indeed the only editor I knew of who liked books of this kind.
Of course, she also edited many fine books for younger children. Offhand I can't recall much science fiction, but I'm not very familiar with the field of books for pre?olescents.
Sylvia
_____________________________________________________________________
Sylvia Engdahl - sle at sylviaengdahl.com
Author of CHILDREN OF THE STAR and ENCHANTRESS FROM THE STARS
Personalized signed copies available!
Visit my Web site, http://www.sylviaengdahl.com
_____________________________________________________________________
Received on Tue 13 Nov 2001 06:56:00 PM CST
