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[CCBC-Net] MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE - question
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From: leonardsma at aol.com <leonardsma>
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:30:06 -0400
Ursula Nordstrom received a letter from Donovan, who was the director of the Children's Book Council and thus a person already known to her, asking whether she would like to a consider the manuscript, which I think he must have descibed in specific enough terms for her to know what to expect. The letter she wrote back, and subsequent letters that trace the revision process, are reprinted in DEAR GENIUS. It's clear from the correspondence that UN was unafraid to take on the topic and that she was well aware of the potential for controversy. Her strategy in this and comparable situations was to solicit the endorsements of experts, who would write letters or blurbs in support of the book. There's a letter in DEAR GENIUS to Dr. Frances Ilg, director of the Gesell Institute of Child Development, at Yale, asking for a comment. UN also wrote to Dr. Mary Calderone, an authority of sex education. I believe they both responded as requested. This was UN's way of preparing the ground fo
r the reception of a controversial book, and it seems to have been an effective strategy.
John Donovan was a lawyer and a very charming as well as a very reasonable man, and it's clear from the correspondence that UN liked and respected him greatly. He was very quick and cooperative about revisions, too. So, on all counts he was a good person to take a chance on.
Leonard S. Marcus
54 Willow Street, #2A
Brooklyn, New York 11201
tel 718 596-1897
e-mail leonardsma at aol.com
web www.leonardmarcus.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Silverrod <nsilverrod at sfpl.org>
To: leonardsma at aol.com; janeyolen at aol.com; CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Sent: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:11 pm
Subject: RE: [CCBC-Net] MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE - question
Leonard, Can you comment on Ursula Nordstrom's willingness to publish "I'll Get There; It Better be Worth the Trip," the groundbreaking first gay novel for young people? Nancy Silverrod, Librarian San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94102-4733 415-557-4417 nsilverrod at sfpl.org Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891) A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb -----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of leonardsma at aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 6:17 AM To: janeyolen at aol.com; CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE - question If possible, I would rather keep to the topic of publishing history. But as a reviewer I would say that I see a lot of
middle grade books being published. Publishers have said in the last few years they were publishing fewer picture books, but I see a lot of those too. I find it a little confusing. Leonard S. Marcus 54 Willow Street, #2A Brooklyn, New York 11201 tel 718 596-1897 e-mail leonardsma at aol.com web www.leonardmarcus.com -----Original Message----- From: janeyolen at aol.com To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Sent: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 9:05 am Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE - question Kathy asked Leonard: "Because I hadn't thought about it until this discussion and I'm curious to hear your answer, I'd like to repeat Sally Miller's question: does it seem to you that fiction for the middle-grade child is being a little neglected in favor of more of today's really lovely picture books at one end and the explosion of timely and well-written young adult novels at the other?" I w
on't presume to know how Leonard will answer, but I want to point o
ut two things. First, publishing is a business. And if it is "common wisdom" of the moment that they are selling high end picture books or ChickLit or mammoth fantasy trilogies better than anything else, a lot of those will be published. Authors always hear from editors that what they really want is middle grade fiction, preferably humorous. But in fact they want what they think will sell big and what they can get through the committee. And that is the second thing I want to e mphasize. Leonard touched on it already in answering a different question. In almost all publishing, certainly with the major publishers with multiple imprints, everything goes through the Committe's Mill, which grinds exceeding fine. A single editor no longer has the power to push through book after book on her own. Even editors with their own emponymous imprints have to answer to that greater group. JaneY Jane Yolen www.janeyolen.com __
_____________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net Official SFPL use only
Received on Wed 23 Jul 2008 11:30:06 AM CDT
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:30:06 -0400
Ursula Nordstrom received a letter from Donovan, who was the director of the Children's Book Council and thus a person already known to her, asking whether she would like to a consider the manuscript, which I think he must have descibed in specific enough terms for her to know what to expect. The letter she wrote back, and subsequent letters that trace the revision process, are reprinted in DEAR GENIUS. It's clear from the correspondence that UN was unafraid to take on the topic and that she was well aware of the potential for controversy. Her strategy in this and comparable situations was to solicit the endorsements of experts, who would write letters or blurbs in support of the book. There's a letter in DEAR GENIUS to Dr. Frances Ilg, director of the Gesell Institute of Child Development, at Yale, asking for a comment. UN also wrote to Dr. Mary Calderone, an authority of sex education. I believe they both responded as requested. This was UN's way of preparing the ground fo
r the reception of a controversial book, and it seems to have been an effective strategy.
John Donovan was a lawyer and a very charming as well as a very reasonable man, and it's clear from the correspondence that UN liked and respected him greatly. He was very quick and cooperative about revisions, too. So, on all counts he was a good person to take a chance on.
Leonard S. Marcus
54 Willow Street, #2A
Brooklyn, New York 11201
tel 718 596-1897
e-mail leonardsma at aol.com
web www.leonardmarcus.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Silverrod <nsilverrod at sfpl.org>
To: leonardsma at aol.com; janeyolen at aol.com; CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Sent: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:11 pm
Subject: RE: [CCBC-Net] MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE - question
Leonard, Can you comment on Ursula Nordstrom's willingness to publish "I'll Get There; It Better be Worth the Trip," the groundbreaking first gay novel for young people? Nancy Silverrod, Librarian San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94102-4733 415-557-4417 nsilverrod at sfpl.org Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891) A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb -----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of leonardsma at aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 6:17 AM To: janeyolen at aol.com; CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE - question If possible, I would rather keep to the topic of publishing history. But as a reviewer I would say that I see a lot of
middle grade books being published. Publishers have said in the last few years they were publishing fewer picture books, but I see a lot of those too. I find it a little confusing. Leonard S. Marcus 54 Willow Street, #2A Brooklyn, New York 11201 tel 718 596-1897 e-mail leonardsma at aol.com web www.leonardmarcus.com -----Original Message----- From: janeyolen at aol.com To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Sent: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 9:05 am Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE - question Kathy asked Leonard: "Because I hadn't thought about it until this discussion and I'm curious to hear your answer, I'd like to repeat Sally Miller's question: does it seem to you that fiction for the middle-grade child is being a little neglected in favor of more of today's really lovely picture books at one end and the explosion of timely and well-written young adult novels at the other?" I w
on't presume to know how Leonard will answer, but I want to point o
ut two things. First, publishing is a business. And if it is "common wisdom" of the moment that they are selling high end picture books or ChickLit or mammoth fantasy trilogies better than anything else, a lot of those will be published. Authors always hear from editors that what they really want is middle grade fiction, preferably humorous. But in fact they want what they think will sell big and what they can get through the committee. And that is the second thing I want to e mphasize. Leonard touched on it already in answering a different question. In almost all publishing, certainly with the major publishers with multiple imprints, everything goes through the Committe's Mill, which grinds exceeding fine. A single editor no longer has the power to push through book after book on her own. Even editors with their own emponymous imprints have to answer to that greater group. JaneY Jane Yolen www.janeyolen.com __
_____________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net Official SFPL use only
Received on Wed 23 Jul 2008 11:30:06 AM CDT
