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WRITE HABIT: #NYSCBWI15 Friday Intensive Editor Panel: “Great Books Happen Through Revision”

OR The Long Title: How to Incorporate Revision Notes in Your Manuscript 

(I like mine better)

Moderated by Author, Martha Brockenbrough

By Friday afternoons, most of us fizzle and droop after a long week. We're ready to shed our work clothes for our yoga pants and sweatshirts. For attendees of the conference, we already sat through a morning Agent Panel and two Group Intensives, but rather than sneak away for a caffeinated beverage, we gathered back in the ballroom for the Final Editor Panel. 

I LOVED this session. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. The Editors got along brilliantly. They were smart, funny, and nice, oh so nice. They LOVE books as much as we do, and they understand that it's tough being under the microscope--but a wonderful, marvelous, amazing relationship could turn an ordinary book into something extraordinary, provided we remember they're regular people just like us. (Sometimes Cliche adjectives get the point across! Catch my drift:)

Sara Sargent, Editor at Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Screen Shot 2013-10-24 at 7.13.39 PM

She loves Contemporary Realistic. She LOVES sweeping romance and kissing in YA. 
Who doesn't?!?!

She edited Abbi Glines, the New Adult ebook trendsetter, Deb Caletti, Jennifer Echols, Julie Cross, and Aaron Karo. 

LITTLE KNOWN FACT: The Editorial letter is the TOUGHEST part of their job. Editors HATE them.

“We’re not up in a castle cackling, after we hit send.” 

Editors are REAL people, with REAL emotions, and they feel REALLY bad after the send an Editorial Letter. 



Kristin Rens, Editor at Balzer & Bray, reps PB-YA


 
She has broad tastes. She likes funny, quirky picture books and MG and YA fiction with strong narrative voices and memorable characters. 

PSST: Kristin was Sara Sargent's boss and mentor for a long time. You could feel the positive vibe between them. 

She's worked with Audrey Vernick, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Michelle Markel, Melissa Sweet, Crytal Allen, Gretchen McNeil, and the list goes on and on.


BEST REVISION TIP: Read your book. Again. And Again. AND Again. 

LITTLE KNOWN FACT: She reads the book twice each round of edits. 

EDITORIAL ROUTINE: She processes slowly and with hard copy. She gets nervous, SO nervous, when she hits send, and then if she doesn’t hear from her client, she worries and worries and worries.  **See, Editors are as neurotic as the rest of us!

Jordan Hamessley, Adaptive Books, Formerly of Egmont USA

Image result for Jordan Hamessley
She's worked with Isla J. Bick's new series, The Dark Passages, Bree DeSpain's new series, Into the Dark, Kaitlin Ward's LGBT YA Horror, Bleeding Earth, and lots more.
She likes dark/quirky YA, funny MG, and tends to be called the Horror girl.  

INTERESTING FACT: She LOVES to work with her clients through every round of edits. She’s an over-collaborator if ever there was one. 

If you work with her, get ready to talk, and I mean that in the best of way. She's positive and funny, and prepared to work!



And that's a wrap on NY15SCBWI Editor Panel...I'm actually wondering if it's Friday already. I better go search for a caffeinated beverage, just in case...

Write on,

Kim 

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