SCBWI Central Iowa Network Event June 11

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a freelance reviewer of children's books? Or how to get those reviewers to write about your books?

Please join SCBWI members from the Ames and Des Moines areas at the Kirkendall Public Library in Ankeny on Saturday, June 11, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Two freelance reviewers will share their experiences and will be happy to answer your questions. You can also visit with fellow area writers and illustrators.

Kellye Carter Crocker is The Des Moines Register's new reviewer of YA books (started in January). Kellye worked as a daily newspaper reporter for 14 years, the last 11 at the Register. Since leaving the Register in 1999, she’s been a full-time freelancer. She’s written for Parents, Parenting, Child, Better Homes and Gardens, Glamour, Ladies’ Home Journal and other magazines. She also writes frequently for Pages, a national magazine for “people who love books.” Besides SCBWI, she’s a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, an organization for nonfiction writers. Kellye also is enrolled in Vermont College’s Writing for Children and Young Adults program.

Carol Elbert was a freelance reviewer of children's books for five years for Crayola Kids magazine. She's been a frequent presenter of book talks at conferences including the Festival of Books for Young People at the University of Iowa. Carol retired last year after working for more than 30 years as a children's librarian, 25 of them at the Ames Public Library.

The library's address is 1210 NW Prairie Ridge Drive, Ankeny. Here's a link to the library's website: http://www.ci.ankeny.ia.us/Library/. On the home page is a link to a Mapquest map.

Hope to see you there!

Peek into One Young YA Writer's Search for an Agent

I stumbled on the "Correspondences with YA Fiction Agent" web page by 18-year-old writer Robyn Schneider. This page (it's a single, very long page) includes Robyn's email queries to agents and their responses verbatim. I cringed a bit at that--what about copyright? But it's fascinating to read.

Robyn has a strong voice, which is probably one of her big selling points. She's sold two novels already! Man, when did she start? When she was 12?

Maintaining Focus

The day after the Iowa SCBWI conference last month (see my conference report), I queried Rosemary Stimola, a literary agent who spoke at the conference. She lives in New Jersey, so I figured that the soonest I'd hear from her would be two weeks. One week for my letter to arrive, and one for hers to come back to me (in my SASE).

So one week later when I saw my SASE with a New Jersey postmark, my first reaction was, "Geez, I didn't know the mail worked that fast." I don't think it could have hardly touched her desk. She said during the conference that participants should note something like "Iowa SCBWI conf." on the envelope when querying. I did, so that explains some of the quick turnaround. I also referenced our lunch chat in the opening of my letter, which may have helped too:

During lunch at the Iowa SCBWI conference this month, you indicated that you enjoy fantasy and mentioned your client Suzanne Collins's Underland Chronicles. I especially enjoy fantasies like this that start in the real world and cross over to a fantasy world. My middle grade fantasy adventure novel, The Guardian Tree, is rooted (so to speak) in the contemporary world (Iowa in particular) as wella s a fantasy world drawn from Norse mythology.

She sent my query back with this written on the bottom:

I'd be pleased to have a look, Michele. Send ms. w/SASE along. Expect approx 4-6 weeks response time. RS

That was an exciting response, but I was also a little freaked out. I really thought I'd have more time to finish a revision of the novel I queried her about before she might possibly ask to see it. Someday I'll learn not to be so impulsive.

Rosemary's request to see my manuscript arrived April 11. I'm still not done with my revision. Probably another two weeks' worth of work. At the very least, the pressure I feel has kept my nose to the grindstone for the last month. Nothing like wanting to fulfill (or surpass!) someone's expectations to help me keep my focus.