Speaker change: Meet Bonnie J. Doerr!

Due to a family emergency, Kitty Keswick will not be able to participate in our conference session, "A Conversation with an Editor." Her co-presenter, editor/publisher Laurie Edwards of Leap Books, did not want to leave us in the lurch, however, and has arranged to sub in another of her authors, Bonnie J. Doerr. Bonnie will be flying to Allentown straight from the Virgina Festival of the Book—ask her about it! Here's a little more about Bonnie. There's even more at her blog.

Bonnie has always played with words, ideas, and nature. To be separated from nature—to be containerized—would slowly suck the breath from her. For years this therapeutic pursuit manifested itself in poetry. In recent years her play resulted in stories and novels for young adults. A lifetime educator, Bonnie J. Doerr has taught students from kindergarten to college in eight states. Degrees in reading education, combined with a brief post as a science teacher, led her to write ecological mysteries. Years of teaching and living in the Florida Keys provided irresistible material. Her novels celebrate caring, involved “green” teens who take action with attitude and a touch of romance. When not at home with her heart in the Florida Keys, she lives in a log cabin in North Carolina.

BOOK BLURB:

Kenzie didn’t expect her first summer in the Florida Keys to be murder. Cute guys, awesome boats, endangered species, gun-toting thugs...

When city girl Kenzie Ryan moves to a Florida wildlife refuge, she plunges straight into an eco-mystery. Kenzie trades New York streets for Keys pollution cleanup, and now, instead of hailing cabs, she’s tracking down a poacher of endangered Key deer. Her new home does have some benefits—mainly Angelo, an island native, who teams up with her to nab the culprit. But will they both survive when the killer turns from stalking deer to hunting humans?

Hey, Pitch to Us!: Two publishers’ top five reasons

by Kathryn Craft

Pitch appointments fill quickly at The Write Stuff, and for more than two weeks now, all 75 of the available agent appointments have been filled. Appointments with our two publishers have filled more slowly. This always happens. My guess as to why: If you can sign with an agent, all windows of opportunity are still open; if you sign with a publisher—especially a small press—you’ll never know "what might have been."

But in today’s economy, here’s another way of looking at it: an agent may or may not be able to sell your book. A publisher, on the other hand, has the power to put your project into print.

To stimulate submissions, I asked our publishers—Renee Rocco from Lyrical Press and Laurie Edwards of Leap Books—to give me the top five reasons conferees should consider pitching to them at The Write Stuff. Here are their responses.

The top five reasons to pitch commercial fiction to Lyrical Press, as written by publisher Renee Rocco:

1. Lyrical Press offers its authors a solid marketing plan, professional and dedicated staff, as well as publishers who guide their authors throughout the publication process. From acquisition through to the expiration of a book's contract, Lyrical remains by an author's side for the life of the relationship.

2. The company is always evolving, experimenting with new ways to expand and reach a wider audience—offering readers three platforms in which to enjoy a Lyrical book: ebook, print and audio.

3. Comprehensive content and line editing cycles and a talented cover design staff assure authors their manuscripts will be in the best shape possible when presented to readers.

4. Although Lyrical Press has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, the house never takes for granted that publishing is a competitive business.

5. Lyrical's motto is, "If you dare to write it, we dare to consider it". That's right, we dare you to write something amazing!

The top five reasons to pitch young adult fiction to Leap Books, as written by publisher Laurie Edwards:

So why should you pitch to Leap Books? Many reasons spring to mind, but I’m limited to five, so here they are (although I must admit math isn’t my strong point, so I may have miscounted):

• Because you’re a workaholic, driven to succeed, and love to work long hours on revising your books to make them the best they can be (Notice I said books. We’re looking for authors who are interested in a writing career.) and you want an editor who understands your vision and voice, and will work with you to shape your masterpieces for the marketplace.

• Because you love YA with your whole heart and would rather write for a teen readership, even though most people ask when you plan to write a REAL book. And because you know that teens deserve top quality literature.

• Because you’re a unique individual with a special story to tell—one that touches hearts, souls, minds, and one that lingers in the imagination long after the covers are closed.

• Because you want the time and attention a small press can give you and would like to have more input in the finished project.

• Because you’ve checked out our website and/or read our books and you believe your book would be the perfect fit. And you believe in our mission to encourage reluctant readers to pick up an enticing book.

• Because you love a family atmosphere, including all the craziness and dysfunction it entails—the laughing, crying, cheering, encouraging, arguing (no, no, it’s called discussion)—and you want the support and caring that goes with it.

And if that’s not enough to entice you, I’ll throw in a few bonus reasons:

• Because I promise not to bite your head off. I’m not scary or intimidating. I understand the knee-knocking, trembling hands, and sweaty palms. Been there, done that. As an author myself, I know the agony and anxiety behind every pitch session. So you can come in expecting to relax and have fun.

• But the main and most important reason is that you like Leap Books and what we stand for. You’re impressed with what we’ve put out so far and would like to see your book on our website and in our catalog.

If you’ve read the brochure, you know Leap Books is a teen and tween fiction publisher with a passion for getting teens to read. If you’ve checked out the website, you can tell we’re seeking to be cool and edgy. If you’ve read our latest releases, you know we place a lot of emphasis on voice and we love discovering new talent. If you’ve talked to our authors, you’ve heard we care—about each and every one of them. If you’ve talked to our readers, you’ve discovered they love what we’re doing.

If after all that, you believe your book is right for us, then please pitch it to me. It’ll make my day. And best of all, I might just say yes.

If appointments with these two publishers remain open on conference day, we will open up their appointments to authors who already have an agent appointment. Check with the conference registration table at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 27, to see if this opportunity exists.


Thank you for your interest in The Write Stuff! Registration closes with a March 12 postmark.

YA Publisher Laurie Edwards added

The Write Stuff conference has added young adult publisher Laurie Edwards of Leap Books to its line-up of publishing professionals who will be listening to pitches at this year's conference. Despite booming registration, it turns out The Write Stuff is not immune to the economic uncertainty that holds the publishing industry in its grip: Juliet Grames, editor at Overlook Press, had to withdraw from the line-up when she was recently laid off. We wish Juliet the best, and are thrilled that Laurie was able to join us on such short notice.

You can read Laurie's bio at our conference site. Here's a little more from Laurie about her new company, Leap Books:

Leap Books, LLC, is a new WY-based publisher that opened on January 1, 2010. A member of the Children’s Book Council, Leap is committed to producing quality fiction for teens and tweens. Our Surge line for teens (ages 14-19) will feature paranormals, contemporaries, inspirationals, and mysteries. Our Frolic line for tweens (ages 10-14) will focus on the same categories, but we’ll be putting out lighter paranormals for this age group. We also plan to branch out with fantasy, historical, and multicultural titles.

Although we are open to most every genre, at present we are accepting submissions only from agents or from attendees at conferences where our editors speak. From time to time, we may put out a call for a specific genre via Twitter. Once we acquire a manuscript, each submission goes through a two-level process prior to approval by an editor. A committee composed of editors, educators, librarians, and booksellers who are familiar with the target audience read the manuscript. If they agree it has potential, it goes to a teen focus group for review. Only submissions that get a unanimous and enthusiastic thumbs-up from both panels will be considered by Leap editors for acceptance.

We have an exciting lineup of books slated to come out over the next few months. Watch for Freaksville by Kitty Keswick and Under My Skin by Judith Graves, both first books in werewolf paranormal series by debut authors. Bonnie J. Doerr’s eco-mystery, Island Sting, about the endangered Key deer and Jane Greenhill’s I Was a Teenage Alien, a humorous sci-fi, will round out our spring offerings. We have a light paranormal and funny chick lit lined up for summer, and we’re working on several great titles for fall including For the Love of Strangers, a lyrical coming-of-age tale rooted in Russian mythology, by Jacqueline Horsfall. This popular author of joke books and nonfiction is now taking her writing in whole new direction, and we’re delighted to have this opportunity to publish her poetic and poignant fiction.

Leap Books plans to stay small so we can produce high-quality books and spend time promoting our authors and helping them develop their careers. There will be no mid-list authors at Leap; we only accept top-notch authors with terrific ideas and strong writing skills. At the same time, we’re looking to introduce fresh new voices to the world. We hope to get teens excited and eager to read more, to encourage reluctant readers to pick up books, and to put out books with artistic appeal. To do that, we’ve contracted several artists to add graphic elements to our books. We’re especially thrilled to have the gothic artwork of Canadian graphic artist Val Cox to enhance our paranormal books. For more information about Leap Books, our authors and illustrators, and our latest contests and giveaways, visit us at www.leapbks.com.

Joining Laurie at the conference for the Saturday session "A Conversation with An Editor" will be one of her authors, Kitty Keswick of the Harrisburg, PA area, who wrote Freaksville, a young adult werewolf tale. If you see either of them at the conference, please thank them for coming!