Children's Writers Chat 2-20-01

Subject: Childrens Writers Chat - editor

Author: writerbabe

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Date: 3/5/2001

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Children's Writers Chat 2-20-01

Guest: Erin Molta, editor at Little Simon

Tuesdays

9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT), Writers Workshop

Children's Writers chat - writers and illustrators of children's books meet for specific topics and special guest speakers, moderated by HOST WRTR WBABE & HOST WRTR CGaley, with HOST WRTR sUe & HOST WRTR Neely (Greeters).

****disinfected using Disinfectant 3.7.1****

<HTML>Children's Writers Chat 2-20-01

Guest: Erin Molta, editor at Little Simon

WriterBabe: Okay, folks. Time to begin.

WriterBabe: Erin, are you ready?

ShmerBear: Yes

WriterBabe: Great.

WriterBabe: Then we're going into protocol now.

WriterBabe: When it's time for audience participation, type ? for a

question,

WriterBabe: ! for a comment, and wait your turn in the queue to be called

on.

WriterBabe: Type GA for Go Ahead (guests, too) when you've finished

speaking.

WriterBabe: Tonight I'm delighted to welcome back one of our great guests,

WriterBabe: Erin Molta, editor at Little Simon.

WriterBabe: Howdy, Erin!

ShmerBear: HI Everyone!

WriterBabe: At Little Simon, you do novelty books.

WriterBabe: Please define those for us. GA

ShmerBear: A novelty book is any book with an added element--flaps, glitter,

pops, pull-tabs, board etc

ShmerBear: GA

WriterBabe: What subject matter/themes/characters are appropriate for

novelty books, and why?

WriterBabe: GA

ShmerBear: We at Little Simon try and target the 2-6 age group and for that

we focus on concepts like

ShmerBear: colors, counting, lettters, opposites or seasonal titles--simple

based on holidays. GA

WriterBabe: My own curiosity--why are seasonal books popular as novelty

books? GA

ShmerBear: Christmas makes good stocking stuffers--at a low price--also

inexpensive birhtday gifts on

ShmerBear: the fly, easter baskets. Our prices are usually much lower than

picturebooks but there's

ShmerBear: more durability and play value. GA

WriterBabe: I see. Thanks.

WriterBabe: What determines whether or not you use gatefolds, tabs, pop-ups,

glitter, or foil?

WriterBabe: How do you select the particular addition? GA

ShmerBear: Usually we have a series like Sparkle N Twinkles that are

definitely seasonal and though

ShmerBear: it's subjective sometimes a ms. will just fit a format. GA

WriterBabe: Recently we had Patsy Jensen, a packager, as a guest.

WriterBabe: She said most publishers can't handle the costs of novelty books

and farm them out.

WriterBabe: How is it that S&S can do these books?

WriterBabe: Or do you farm them out, too? GA

ShmerBear: That's true in alot of cases but we are doing more and more

in-house. You need a good

ShmerBear: production team and designers who know how to deal with the

mechanics.

ShmerBear: We also sometimes will get a ms and decide what format it will

fit--or make it up based on p

ShmerBear: pricing. GA

WriterBabe: If one isn't an illustrator, how easy is it to come up with a

novelty concept?

WriterBabe: What form of proposal should such a concept take? GA

ShmerBear: Look in bookstores! See what's out there. Oftentimes if you

give me a starting point we

ShmerBear: can finesse it. GA

WriterBabe: Yes, but doesn't it help to be an illustrator? GA

ShmerBear: It's easier if a person is both illustrator and writers but

authors are more than welcome to

ShmerBear: submit. GA

WriterBabe: You had a pop-up book contest which ended in December. Can you

tell us who/what won and

WriterBabe: why?

WriterBabe: GA

ShmerBear: It just means more work on our end to make sure the illustrator

gets the authors idea! GA

ShmerBear: Sorry, the judging is not final but I can say it wasn't

promising. GA

WriterBabe: Oh dear.

WriterBabe: Well, let us know if someone wins, please!

ShmerBear: I will! GA

WriterBabe: A few more questions from me, and then we'll open this chat to

the audience.

WriterBabe: How do you generate ideas for your books--in-house, authors,

illustrators, agents,

WriterBabe: packagers, other? GA

ShmerBear: All of the above! GA

WriterBabe: LOL

WriterBabe: What are the markets for novelty books?

ShmerBear: We have internal meetings to brainstorm and people submit.

WriterBabe: Thanks, Erin. Didn't mean to jump the gun there.

ShmerBear: Novelty books are sold in bookstores, specialty stores (Zany

Brainy)

WriterBabe: Not supermarkets and chains such as K-Mart?

ShmerBear: Targets and regular book channels--though not o much schools and

libraries because of the

WriterBabe: GA

ShmerBear: fragility of some formats. GA

WriterBabe: Erin, not other stores? GA

ShmerBear: KMart does take lots--wha other stores do you mean?

WriterBabe: (Folks, I'm opening this to you all next. Start typing ? or !)

JOANWRITE: ?

WriterBabe: Stores such as K-Mart.

WriterBabe: I was wondering if the crash of chains such as Caldor, Bradlees,

etc. has hurt sales. GA

ShmerBear: Bradlees used to take some Toys R Us. . .GA

WriterBabe: We crossed comments!

ShmerBear: Other stores usually pick up the slack.

WriterBabe: That's good to know.

WriterBabe: Anything you care to add, Erin, before I call on the audience?

WriterBabe: GA

ShmerBear: No! on with the ?

RoxyanneY: ?

WriterBabe: Okay.

ShmerBear: GA

WriterBabe: Joan, you're first.

JOANWRITE: Do you only want to see books in series? Is 2 enough for a

series? ga

ShmerBear: Two is fine and though we encourage series ideas it's not a

hardfast rule.

ShmerBear: We can make a series of a format, too. GA

JOANWRITE: Thanks

WriterBabe: Roxy, your turn.

RoxyanneY: Marilyn asked earlier what form proposals should take. As an

author, should I make notes as

RoxyanneY: to what I think the art should be, or at least what I have in my

head, to give the artist a

RoxyanneY: starting point - like what should go under the flaps, etc.? GA

ShmerBear: Yes, it's always helpful. THough it may change, it's a place to

start.

ShmerBear: GA

SandyCarl: ?

Grant Devereaux: ?

WriterBabe: Sandy, go ahead.

SandyCarl: Could you explain what you meant by "we can finesse it"? ga

ShmerBear: Sometimes what an author wants to do is not practical.

ShmerBear: Say an author wants a pop on every page but I feel a flap would

work bettr or vice versa. GA

WriterBabe: Grant, you're next.

WriterBabe: Grant?

Grant Devereaux: I was wondering, what impresses you most in a submittal

WriterBabe: (Please have your questions ready to send)

Grant Devereaux: from a new Author, Besides the art work and writing? h

Grant Devereaux: How do we get your attention and avoid the slush?

Grant Devereaux: ga

ShmerBear: Innovation and a feeling that a writer knows what we do so we

don't

ShmerBear: get manuscripts that are completely inappropriate for our market.

ShmerBear: For instance just because it's sweet and young doesn't make it

for us. It NEEDS a novelty

ShmerBear: element. GA

WriterBabe: The queue's empty, gang.

Julisari: ?

WriterBabe: More questions for Erin?

WriterBabe: Juli, your turn.

Julisari: Can you tell us a bit about novelty elements more? GA

ShmerBear: Be more specific, please.

WriterBabe: What do you want to know, Juli? GA

Julisari: for instance...the story should lend itself to pop-up ideas and

such?

ShmerBear: For me--if there is a flap in the book there has to be a reason.

Julisari: would you consider John Goodall novelty?

ShmerBear: Exactly--if there is a pop-up there should be an overall purpose.

GA

ShmerBear: I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with him.

WriterBabe: Nor am I. What are his titles, Juli? Ga

Julisari: He was published by Margaret McElderry years ago

Grant Devereaux: ?

Julisari: wordless picturebooks in small format with lifting flaps...hang on

I'm trying to find, I'm s

Julisari: orry:)

WriterBabe: Juli, you can get back to us with that info.

WriterBabe: Grant, go ahead.

ShmerBear: He may have been cnsidered novelty back then because it was

something different. GA

WriterBabe: Grant?

Grant Devereaux: Sorry

Julisari: I found it but will wait for Grant..sorry:)

Grant Devereaux: I think what she was asking

Grant Devereaux: what I want to know is what you mean by Novelty...do you

mean

Grant Devereaux: some type of toy apsect

WriterBabe: Grant, Erin answered that at the beginning of the chat.

Grant Devereaux: or novelty in the approach

WriterBabe: Books with flaps, foil, tabs, pop-ups, glitter.

Grant Devereaux: and that is all you do?

ShmerBear: Novelty is an added element that is not found in a picturebook.

Yes, that's all Little Simon

ShmerBear: does. GA

WriterBabe: I've an editing question for you, Erin.

WriterBabe: You've edited many kinds of books.

WriterBabe: Why do you or don't you like editing novelty books?

WriterBabe: Give us the pros and cons. GA

RoxyanneY: ?

ShmerBear: Having to fit it into a format and within a certain pricing

structure is frustrating

Melduvall: ?

Julisari: !

ShmerBear: at times. But I love coming up with formats and I love this age

ShmerBear: group. GA

WriterBabe: Juli, give us your comment, then back to questions.

Julisari: The book is Paddy Finds a Job

ShmerBear: Also--I'm a big fan of glitter and foil in a book!

Julisari: with sub-title a Pop-up book....1981....aigh:)

WriterBabe: Thanks, Juli.

Julisari: it looks for far older than what I would imagine would now be

selling?

WriterBabe: I like glitter on everything, Erin! Especially myself.

ShmerBear: As I said before there were not a lot of publishers doing those.

So it was truly innovative

BOEDEN: ?

ShmerBear: back then and probably was the beginning of novelty publishing.

GA

WriterBabe: Roxy, you have a question.

RoxyanneY: I've seen a lot of flap and pull-tab books with big name

characters like Maisy, et al - if

RoxyanneY: we have a story idea around a character like that, how would we

best approach submitting it?

RoxyanneY: Should we contact the creator of the character, the publisher of

those books? GA

WriterBabe: (Good question!)

ShmerBear: That's hard because those ideas usualy come from in-house. But

your best bet is the

ShmerBear: publisher. GA

WriterBabe: Mel, fire away.

Melduvall: Typical length you seek from author and finished book length?

ShmerBear: Our average book is 6 spreads though it could be longer. For

younger books a line per page

ShmerBear: or spread is the best. GA

Melduvall: ?

WriterBabe: Sue, your turn.

BOEDEN: Hi. How do you feel about photographs instead of illustrations?Are

you strictly fiction?GA

ShmerBear: We do photo books and we are looking for more nonfiction ms

BOEDEN: Thank you.

ShmerBear: for young children. Simple simple simple!

ShmerBear: GA

Neely f: <><><>>< 15 MINUTE WARNING <><<<<><

BOEDEN: Gotcha.

BOEDEN: Thanks

WriterBabe: Mel, go ahead.

BOEDEN: ga

Melduvall: Spread is double page?GA

ShmerBear: yes

ShmerBear: ga

WriterBabe: Queue's empty, folks.

Julisari: ?

WriterBabe: Erin, how do you determine that a novel book will be a spin-off

of a picture book?

WriterBabe: A novel? A film? GA

ShmerBear: Do you mean a board book?

WriterBabe: Whoops, I mean a novelty book.

RoxyanneY: ?

ShmerBear: We do board book reprints of bestselling picturebooks that are

targeted at the 2-4 age level

ShmerBear: Little Simon doesn't do tie-ins with films. GA

WriterBabe: No novelty books on picture books? GA

ShmerBear: Not unless it's become a property of itslf--like Eloise is now.

Jabrohard: ?

ShmerBear: Or Clifford. GA

WriterBabe: Okay. Thanks.

WriterBabe: Juli, go ahead.

Julisari: Would you consider novelty for older age group? or is this not as

marketable? thanks for you

Julisari: r answers:)..ga

Julisari: I wonder if MArilyn already asked this above....sorry

ShmerBear: It depends--we've done some novelties for 7-8 year-olds it

depends on the format. GA

WriterBabe: Roxy, your turn.

RoxyanneY: I just want to clarify what a board book is - the squarish ones

with hard pages, yes? Like

RoxyanneY: John Prater's Baby Bear books? GA

ShmerBear: yes--indestructible, chewable pages are board books. :-)

RoxyanneY: thank you...:)

WriterBabe: Erin, what are the novelties for the 7-8 year-olds like? GA

Neely f: _+_+_+_+ 10 MINUTE WARNING ++_+_+_+_

ShmerBear: We've done a journal with a padded cover, and other books with

press out jewelry.

ShmerBear: My Secret Fairy Handbook is one. GA

WriterBabe: I saw that one in the bookstore. Fun!

Julisari: ?

WriterBabe: Jab, your turn.

Jabrohard: Do you do original board books? Say of a story or concept too

small for a regular PB?

ShmerBear: Also 8x8's with stickers. GA

ShmerBear: Not really. Unless it's a well-known commodity--illustrator,

concept. THey are a hard sell

ShmerBear: GA

WriterBabe: Erin mentioned before the chat officially started that Little

Simon does very few board book

WriterBabe: these days.

WriterBabe: Juli, go ahead.

Julisari: What about the Lois Ehlert books with cut and die(sp?) in

picturebook size and format...is

Jabrohard: Okay. Thanks anyway.

Julisari: that a novelty book? ga

ShmerBear: Yes it is. As are Eric Carle's GA

Julisari: thank you:)

WriterBabe: More questions for Erin?

ShmerBear: Can I just say that with Easter coming up--check out the

RoxyanneY: ?

ShmerBear: holiday tables in bookstores. Novelty titles are always well

represented. GA

WriterBabe: Roxy, last question.

RoxyanneY: How far ahead is your production schedule, in case we had a

seasonal idea?

ShmerBear: I'm signing up Halloween titles for Fall 2003 now!

Neely f: o0o0o0 5 MINUTE WARNING 0o00o0o

WriterBabe: Hoo boy!

ShmerBear: But there's still time for Fall 2002 and after!

ShmerBear: THese books take more production time. GA

WriterBabe: Erin, what things in particular--themes and such--are you

looking for? GA

Julisari: ?

RoxyanneY: ?

ShmerBear: Concepts, weather, going to bed, afraid of the dark, Easter,

St.Patrick's Day. . .

ShmerBear: Fall--though not seasons just specific for back to school. GA

ShmerBear: Mothers and Fathers Day

SandyCarl: ?

WriterBabe: Thanks.

ShmerBear: Sharing

ShmerBear: I'll stop now. GA

WriterBabe: I believe we're just about out of time. Any final words of

wisdom for us, Erin? GA

ShmerBear: Check out the bookstore and find some 3-4 year old kids--see what

they are fascinated with!

Neely f: FOLKS the bell is tolling 10 or 9 or 8 depending on your time zone.

ShmerBear: Thank you all!

WriterBabe: Excellent advice, ERin.

Jabrohard: Thank you Erin. Great talk. Very informative.

CGaley: Great job, Erin!!! Thanks!

RoxyanneY: This has been a really great workshop. Thank you so much for

being here!

BOEDEN: Great Session, Thank you Erin. Thanks Marilyn, Chuck, Donna and

Joan! Ü

Julisari: Speaking of sharing, Thanks for Sharing with us:)****

WriterBabe: Thank you so much for being a great guest!

Neely f: ()()()( )())()() CLAPPING ()()()() for ERIN.

SandyCarl: Thank you, Erin.

WriterBabe: Applause, applause!

CGaley: G'night, everyone... see you next week!

CarolynB34: thank you!

ShmerBear: Good night!

LYPHIS: Thank you all..

BOEDEN: Night Writers. Have a great and productive week.

WriterBabe: Next week our guests will be a bunch of voracious readers ages

10-14.

Melduvall: Thanks Erin!!

WriterBabe: They'll tell us what they like to read!

WriterBabe: See you then.

WriterBabe: Night!

END

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