What I Really Want to Do is Direct

On Sunday, at Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn I met a true New York icon, Spike Lee. With his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, he wrote the picture book Giant Steps to Change the World, illustrated by my client Sean Qualls. Tonya read the book while Sean showed the audience his artwork and the three then answered questions from adults and kids alike and signed books for their fans.



The topic of today's blog post... What I Really Want to Do is Direct (thought I'd sneak in a plug for my client's book by drawing a connection with Spike Lee. Tricky, huh? Buy Giant Steps to Change the World wherever books are sold).

A couple of entries ago, I said that I would tell you about my ninth and tenth 2011 resolutions in a later post. Well, the time has come...

9. Write the picture book already.
For YEARS I have had a picture book title in my head. I even wrote down the first line once, but I have never attempted to write the next line and certainly not the whole manuscript (or revise that non-existent complete manuscript to my satisfaction). Why not? I know from working with so many picture book creators that crafting a picture book is the work of a certain kind of brilliance. I worry that trying my hand at writing a picture book would send the wrong message to those clients. Would they find it disrespectful that I should dare to think I could do what they do? For so long I have said that I'm not a writer, I'm not the one to create a great character or start a story and carry it through to resolution; I'm skilled at helping writers and advocating for their careers. Am I to be one of the fools who attempts to write a picture book but doesn't realize how difficult it is to write a successful one? All of these are real concerns of mine, but to be honest...the biggest impediment has been the fear that it won't be any good...and if it's no good what does that say about me as a representative of children's book authors. But as Sondheim wrote in Company "Don't be afraid it won't be perfect...the only thing to be afraid of really is that it won't be."

All that to say... My ninth resolution is to write the picture book already. And not to wait until Dec. 31st to do it. I am challenging myself to sit down and write a draft when I have the time and head space to do it and to revise and tinker with it some as well. The goal is not to make it perfect or make it sell, but to be active with it in 2011 so it doesn't eternally become relegated to the "this idea I have" folder in my mind.

10. Actively pursue more Middle Grade and YA fiction projects / represent more novelists. Unlike most agents, author/illustrators comprise the majority of my client list. I treasure being a part of the picture book world and enjoy its rewards (see my last post on The Caldecott Call). But yes, I am also actively looking for more fiction to round out my list.

What am I looking for?

*I have many author/illustrator clients who have expanded their audience by creating graphic novels or highly illustrated book for older readers alongside their picture books as Grace has done with the Year of books, Ling & Ting, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (see also Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady series and Matt Phelan’s The Storm in the Barn). I think the use of “beyond the spot” illustration in middle grade fiction (and to a lesser degree in YA fiction) will continue to grow. I would welcome submissions of this ilk. Of course, Jeff Kinney makes it look simple…but it’s not. I am looking only for submissions in this category from true author/illustrators. I am not looking for another diary or journal format book for older readers, but an original piece of fiction in which the art naturally tells part of and enhances the story. I love when art adds humor to a funny book like in The Strange Case of Origami Yoda or gives further insight into a character in more serious fiction such as The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.

*Humor: I think there is room in this market for more laugh-evoking fiction. I am not looking for potty humor (unless you are Dav Pilkey, don’t try it) or adults writing what they *think* kids will find funny (how irksome it can be to hear the writer coming through a first person child narrator). King Dork by Frank Portman and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green come to mind as great examples of humor in YA. The True Meaning of Smekday is a personal favorite for middle grade readers in addition to Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s in-the-works Platypus Police Squad series. Perhaps even better are books that can make you laugh out loud AND tug at your heartstrings, like Lisa Railsback’s Noonie’s Masterpiece.

*Retellings: I am a sucker for a great, unique retelling. I’m not talking about Austen (can you get better than Clueless? Plus, I already have Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland on my list) or Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, or other Shakespeare usual suspects. My client, Pamela Keyes, debuted as a YA author last fall with The Jumbee, a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera set in the Caribbean in modern day. And how about Neil Gaiman’s version of The Jungle Book, the Newbery Medal winning, The Graveyard Book? That’s what I am looking for.

*Interesting settings and places in time: I am not looking for the next civil war, depression, Holocaust or 1960s story. I am looking for the next Al Capone Does My Shirts, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Ninth Ward, Revolution or the upcoming Bird In a Box by my client, Andrea Davis Pinkney. That doesn’t mean send me manuscripts about Alcatraz, Evolution, Katrina, France, and Joe Louis. Like the titles, I listed, I want manuscripts that exhibit personal stories that a 21st century reader can still relate to with fully developed (not stock) characters. I want to see a rarely used locale, time period or historical event shaping the story and the protagonist without dominating the text.

*Wow this author can write: While it can be difficult to sell a straight, contemporary middle grade or YA novel in this publishing climate there are books that are so wonderfully written that they cannot be ignored. If you can write as well Tim Tharp, Sara Zarr, or Francisco X. Stork, please be in touch immediately.

*Plot matters: Yes we need to like a character, and “voice” can separate a submission from the stacks, but when a writer can sustain a tight, page-turning plot…that’s the jackpot. Great examples of such successes are Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta and Paper Towns by John Green.

*High-concept: This is what most agents are looking for and is much harder to define. A lot of high concept books are becoming the “Big Books” that publishers want. Paranormal Romance and Dystopian titles can be considered high concept, but I am not looking for manuscripts in those categories. The Invention of Hugo Cabret with its use of wordless spreads almost like silent movie stills is definitely a high concept book. Of course, format innovation is not the only way to yield a high concept label. Some of my favorite books are the Lemony Snicket books which set themselves apart not only through their great packaging but also through tone, narration, and word choice that couldn’t be found in other children’s books published at the time. To be clear, high-concept doesn’t always mean high-art. There are entertaining, independent reads that are definitely high-concept.

High-concept to me also means something more substantive than a hook. I am probably not the right agent for a simple YA love story with the twist being that the guy is a fallen angel. If you can tell me not just that your manuscript “is great for readers who like Harry Potter,” but give me a very clear idea and make me want to read the book with a simple, specific phrase or tagline, that’s great. Also quick comparisons help (ex. Frog & Toad meets Law & Order was used in my pitch to editors for Platypus Police Squad).

Let me also be clear that I am not looking for high-fantasy, very technical science fiction, horror, issue novels, or quiet coming of age fiction. I am not commenting on the value of manuscripts that fall into these categories; I am telling you that I am not the best agent for such work. In fact, I tend not to gravitate toward genre fiction, but genre bending fiction (like the part satire, part mystery, part contemporary YA The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart).

(Quick practical matter) If you choose to submit a novel to me, please follow my submission guidelines which can be found on my page at Publisher’s Marketplace. Here you will also find further information about my client list (please note: I do not post all deals on this site). More information on Writers House can be found at our website www.writershouse.com. Please do NOT send me specific questions about your work or my submission process (or what I said in this post). I simply do not have time to answer those questions individually. Non-client writers should only email me if with their submission. Also, if your manuscript falls into one of the categories that I said I am not interested in seeing, please understand that this is a matter of personal taste and needs. I ask you not to send me your work “just in case” I might make an exception. There may very well be another agent who is the right match for you. I wish everyone the best of luck in finding the right home for their work.

The phrase “what I really want to do is direct” can connote a lack of appreciation for the success one has achieved in their current vocation. I picture it said by someone incapable and received with an eye roll. I want to make clear that I love working with author/illustrators and that my call for novelists does not mean I am abandoning those clients who I have been working with for years or the medium they use to express themselves. Far from it. Instead, I am looking to stretch different agenting muscles and fill what seems to be a curiously open section of my list. As for writing my own manuscript, if you ask “will it take you away from full devotion to representing your clients?” Did I just roll my eyes? Sorry.

This will be my last weekly blog entry (at least for Tuesdays and for now). Next week, we welcome back Blue Rose Girls regular, Anna Alter, from her maternity leave. I have really enjoyed filling in for Anna here and hope my entries have been helpful and fun for you to read. I do hope to do some guest posts in the future. If there are specific topics you would like me to explore, please leave suggestions in the comments.

Rebecca Sherman is a fabulous agent with over 9 years of experience at Writer's House. Her clients include Lunch Lady author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka, the Scott O'Dell Award Winner Matt Phelan, Caldecott Honor Illustrator Brian Pinkney and Blue Rose Girls Anna Alter and Grace Lin. You can follow Rebecca on twitter @rebeccagent.

Caldecott Call

As anyone who would ever read this blog already knows, last Monday the ALA Youth Media Awards were announced. Two of my clients were recipients of honors.

Our very own Grace has now been recognized two years in a row by award committees: last year with a Newbery Honor for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON and this year with a Geisel Honor for LING & TING: Not Exactly the Same!



I must admit, before Grace received both honors, there was a significant level of expectation (despite the fact that that one should never expect an award doled out by a committee). WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON had been named on numerous mock Newbery lists, some bloggers even predicted that it would win the 2010 medal. Because the midwinter conference was in Boston last year and Grace was present throughout the weekend at the convention center, many attendees told her that they were confident she would have a seal on her book by the same time next week. In my BRG entry recapping 2010, I have already detailed the hours leading up to calling me that Monday morning. To describe it one word? Nerves. Grace’s call to me was the end of an emotional journey which included hopefulness, anxiety, and melancholy. The last stop in that journey came with Grace’s call; it was relief, happiness, and pride all at once but most importantly calm.

I had a similar experience with Grace’s Geisel honor. Even before the holidays, Alvina had suggested to Grace that she answer the phone if an unknown caller rang the Saturday or Sunday of Midwinter 2011 weekend. It may seem overconfident, but how could Ling & Ting not receive a Geisel distinction? So when Grace called that Sunday evening, I answered the phone with the slightly cocky, “Oh, you already know something do you, Ms. Lin?!” The call brought closure; Ling & Ting was indeed award-worthy.



But oh how different Monday morning was.

To back track, I first met David Ezra Stein at the SCBWI annual conference in the summer of 2006. He seemed like a wonderful person, and I really liked his book Cowboy Ned and Andy. But, it wasn’t until the next year, his book LEAVES came out, and I KNEW I wanted to work with him and our agent/client partnership began. Toward the end of 2007, there was a lot of buzz for Leaves; it had received five starred reviews, and I distinctly remember, my colleague Steve Malk saying on the phone, “I think Leaves is going to win the Caldecott.” That would have been great, but I just began working with David; I hadn’t sold Leaves, we hadn’t worked together through its development. When it was not acknowledged with an award or honor, I simply thought “onward!”

The following year, I sold Interrupting Chicken to Sarah Ketchersid at Candlewick at auction. It was the first book David would write and illustrate for Candlewick, and I was excited to help forge this new relationship.


These images are part of the submission material from Interrupting Chicken. David’s sketches tend to be very loose and many changes come about from this stage to final art.)

Two years later after a lot of hard work on David’s part, but also from Sarah and his designer, Ann Stott, Interrupting Chicken was published to good reviews. David and Candlewick made a wonderful trailer for the book. PW had just included it in their article “Don’t Write the Obit for Picture Books Yet” as a new picture book by a non-household name that can still sell well.



But…on Monday morning, I had no expectation that David’s non-household name status could change in a matter of hours. Of course, there is always the possibility, even though, no other clients had a lock on an award the way Grace did on the Geisel. I have several clients who were eligible for Coretta Scott Awards. There are very few predictions made publicly/online on awards other than the Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz, so I was unsure who the frontrunners were except in those races. My client, Matt Phelan, had received some Caldecott buzz for his illustrations in Flora’s Very Windy day.

Despite the fact that I had no Monday morning expectations, I was experiencing a sense of unrest. On my walk to the office, I called my mom and jokingly asked “Why hasn’t anyone called me this morning?” Once in the office, I involuntary jerked forward any time I heard the phone ring… anywhere in the office; I wondered if life-changing news was being relayed, and I kept thinking that in San Diego and in New York editors, agents, and publishers were rejoicing with secret news that the entire country would be privy to in the next couple of hours…as I sat in anticipation. At 9:54, I posted on twitter “I’ve been unreasonably antsy all morning.”

I need to shake some of that energy off, so I walked away from my desk, got a drink of water, went to the ladies’, stopped for a quick chat with a colleague. When I got back to my desk and looked at my Outlook, the top email was from my assistant. It came in at 10:02. The subject line was “Sarah at Candlewick called.” My heart leapt, my hand shook as I opened the email which simply said “Sarah called to talk about David Ezra Stein. She’s out of the office, but her cell is [number omitted, because…duh!]…

And then I remembered that I had called and left a message the previous Thursday for Sarah saying that I wanted to catch up about David. Immediately, I thought “who in their right mind returns a call the morning of ALA awards announcements?”

A brief tangent for those that don’t know; this is how an author or illustrator finds out about an ALA win. Early in the morning of the award announcement, all employees of any given publishing house that are in attendance at ALA midwinter conference gather in hotel rooms and wait for committees to call. If/when the phone rings, the committee tells the school & library marketing contact and all those in the hotel room “your book X by author and/or illustrator Y has received award Z.” Then school & library marketing contact gives the committee the winner’s phone number so that the committee can call the winner and deliver the news. After that call, the winner would call to celebrate with the editor who most likely already has been told either because she is in the room or because the publisher has called the editor from Midwinter. AND, a client should call their agent to break the good news.

So, I was instructed to call Sarah the morning of the award announcements, not David. Chances were Sarah was returning a call, but as I dialed her number, there was a hopeful part of me that thought, “She wouldn’t do that the morning of the awards; Interrupting Chicken could have won something.”

Here is a reenactment following Sarah picking up the phone and saying hello…
Agent: (warbling) Hi, it’s Rebecca; I’m returning your call? (Question mark intentional though, yes, that should be a statement).
Editor: (with hesitation) Have you spoken to David this morning?
Agent: noooooooo? (again, should be statement; voiced as question)
Editor: BlabberingStammeringHemmingHawing (note: editor should be cast as a woman who normally has a relaxing confidence, level-headed with a soft voice; we can tell something is off here).
(Though editor has not said a thing, agent suspects she knows the very thing editor is not saying)
Agent: (not meaning to, but yelling) WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY!
Editor: somethingsomethingwhitenoise We Just Got a Caldecott Honor whateverwhateverwhatever

And scene.

Actually, this phone scene ran long, because Sarah and I then tried to guess if David had already been called or not. If he had, maybe he didn’t know that he was supposed to call us; after all, this had never happened to him before. If he hadn’t been informed yet, we didn’t want to ruin the moment when the committee called him. Luckily, David and Sarah were supposed to meet at 10:30 to go over the dummy for his next book. Between the two of us (muddled by emotion), it took far too long to come up with a plan in which Sarah would call David. If he knew something, he would tell her of course, if he didn’t say anything, Sarah would pretend she was calling about their meeting.

Agent: (again, at an unintentional volume) WELL, IF HE KNOWS, WILL YOU TELL HIM TO CALL HIS AGENT! (Yes, that should be a question mark.)

We hang up.

As I explained in my 2010 recap, when an agent gets news on ALA awards morning, we are supposed to swallow the excitement until it has been announced to all. I am not proud of this, but last Monday morning after hanging up with Sarah, I proceeded to run around my office building like a maniac. I ran up the stairs to tell Simon Lipskar. Not in his office, I veer right toward his assistant, who sits next to my assistant, who sits next to another assistant.

Manic Agent: WHERE’S SIMON?
Simon’s Totally Together Assistant: It’s Monday…
Manic Agent: DAVID EZRA STEIN JUST WON A CALDECOTT HONOR FOR INTERRUPTING CHCKEN
Simon’s Totally Together Assistant: Would you like me to call him at home?

Manic Agent then tears down the stairs, calls her own mother, interrupting a class of preschoolers to relay the good news. Her mother marvels, “two years in a row,” and says a whole bunch of things about pride and loving her daughter, but her daughter quickly gets off the phone to keep the line clear. She can’t sit still though, so she runs down the hall to the office of the Children’s Subsidiary Rights Director (who had already sold audio rights to Interrupting Chicken to Recorded Books). Said rights director has her assistant in the office, but in honor of the title character…

Interrupting Agent: (blurting out): INTERRUPTING CHICKEN JUST WON A CALDECOTT HONOR

Agent’s unruffled assistant comes down the stairs, peaks into her boss’ office doesn’t see her. Agent sees this happen, and gets her attention.

Agent: I’m over here!
Unruffled Assistant: (in everyday voice) David’s on the phone
(Stage direction: without saying a word, Agent swiftly walks away from slack-jawed colleagues in subsidiary rights’ director’s office back to her desk. Unruffled Assistant heads up to her office to put through the call).

Agent: (answering the phone) IsThisCaldecottHonorWinning David! Ezra! Stein! (agent notes, in the future, when a client calls with award news, she will let them tell her without blurting out that she already knows).
Just Slightly Less Than Cool As A Cucumber Client: They told me not to tell anyone.

Honestly, I can’t remember much of our conversation, except that always level-headed and measured David did say at one point…

Just Slightly Less Than Cool As A Cucumber Client: (imagery not verbatim): I’m not the type to do jumping jacks and shoot off fireworks, but I really am very excited.

And, I told him I could tell. I also remember that during David’s effusive gratitude, I was distracted by my colleague, Dan Lazar who came to my doorway. While trying to listen to David, I pointed to the copy of Interrupting Chicken on my shelf, smiling and then wildly put up my hand to Dan to high-five…but Dan thought I was trying to say that Interrupting Chicken had won FIVE awards… well, that is one way to deflate the mania.

Honestly, I did feel revved up all day. It powered me through a spin class that night, and only started to ebb later in the evening. It wasn’t until my book club meeting the next night, when I could explain it. Unlike the announcement of the Newbery Honor for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, which ended an emotional journey, the news that David had won a Caldecott Honor STARTED the day’s emotional journey. Experiencing an ALA awards day that began without expectations and found a client winning an honor was completely different from my experience the previous year.

I wonder what emotions a Medal phone call will bring. Get crackin’, clients!



In all sincerity (and poking a bit less fun at myself), I am over the moon happy for the deserving, David Ezra Stein. As David said in our call, we are thrilled that the committee has recognized a “funny book.” Trying to remain sensible, David says, “I know it doesn’t change the world,” to which I interrupted, “so many more children are going to read and be read Interrupting Chicken now. They’ll remember it as adults as one of their favorite books and part of their childhood, and in that way it does change their world.”

Rebecca Sherman is a fabulous agent with over 9 years of experience at Writer's House. Her clients include Lunch Lady author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka, the Scott O'Dell Award Winner Matt Phelan, Caldecott Honor Illustrator Brian Pinkney and Blue Rose Girls Anna Alter and Grace Lin. You can follow Rebecca on twitter @rebeccagent.

Tradition and 2011

When Alvina’s entry last week mentioned the tradition of BRG’s to post their New Year’s resolutions, it got me thinking about tradition.

Every New Year’s Day since that day in 1995, I have placed a new, daily Disney calendar on my nightstand and ripped off the cover so January 1st showed. Why my mother decided I needed or wanted a Disney calendar for Hanukkah at 16 years old, I can’t say. I also can’t explain why it became clear that she should buy me another the following year. In 1996, the calendar came with me to overnight camp and that summer while she was becoming my best friend, my co-counselor and I would turn the page together at midnight. Starting that summer, the calendar became a sort of horoscope; it was always easy to start the day with the image of Cinderella’s fairy godmother, but when Queen Maleficent greeted me, I approached the day with trepidation. Through the years the calendars have followed me…to college, to my first apartment, to New York.

(Please still take me seriously as a professional literary agent)

In December, my mother called and said she had bad news, “Rebecc, I can’t find the Disney calendar. “ Still on the phone, we went online together and confirmed—there is not a 2011 daily Disney calendar. Now I know that so many have faced much greater losses. Still, without a choice, a tradition that I’ve maintained for half my life ended.

When I was at my mother’s house between Christmas and New Year’s she had the local news on TV (for some reason she still doesn’t believe me that the Daily Show provides more news that he local NBC). There was a “man on the street” segment in which people were asked what their New Year’s resolutions were. One woman exclaimed, “If I tell you it won’t come true!” and the newscaster responded, “No! That’s a wish!”

It was a funny moment, but it also made me think. While it’s pretty obvious, I had what my 2010 gift bestower, Oprah, would call “an ah-ha moment.” A wish is hoped for and beyond one’s control. (I realize Alvina and Grace also mentioned this in their 2011 posts, but I needed to realize it for myself and in my own way). A resolution is an achievable goal that can only be reached by the efforts of the list maker herself. So here are my resolutions…*

1. By the end of each business day, respond or have my assistant respond to every email or call from a client, a publisher’s office, or within Writers House.

Now it may seem a given that I would do this, but days are quickly filled with the most urgent matters and on projects that were already on the calendar for the day. At times, the emails I receive between the time I leave the office and enter the next morning could fill my entire day. My goal is not to answer every inquiry posed to me daily, because it would be impossible. I will respond and give a realistic timeline for when their email or call will be addressed or who I need to be in touch with to provide a complete response.

2. To have bi-monthly meetings with my assistant dedicated to discussion of submissions and queries from potential clients.

3. Be more consistent about announcing clients’ achievements on Twitter and Facebook.

4. Check in more (whether over lunch, drinks, or just by picking up the phone) with editors and other agents to see what is new, talk about the industry, or to pick their brains about something instead of just calling when there is a particular matter regarding one of my clients that needs to be discussed.

5. Be a better Book Club hostess. I started an industry book club in 2005 that meets monthly at Writers House. I love having to opportunity to read published middle grade and YA books with other adults who read and love these books. However, in 2010, we most definitely did not meet 12 times…and that is admittedly my fault. I will make sure our record is better in 2011.

6. Check in with clients who don’t call or email as often to provide the opportunity for discussion about what has happened since we last spoke and get updates on how their writing or art is going even if I know that they are making progress and are sure to deliver on time.

7. Make sure clients 2011 needs are met. As an agent, especially one who represents so many picture book clients, it’s easy to live two or more years ahead (I have already sold books on schedule for 2014). While keeping a close eye on selling books for the future, I can always do more to attend to the books published this year and the promotion that goes along with those books.



There are a couple more resolutions (8 &9), but I am going to discuss them in greater detail in a post to come.

10. And though it may seem vague, my big resolution is to look carefully at my work- related traditions. There are many that are in place because they serve my clients and me well. I certainly am not going to rid myself of those simply for the sake of change. However, I resolve to challenge my own traditions when they can be improved upon or should be ended (to save time, open my mind in some way, allow for new connections to be made, etc).

Of course, all my resolutions for 2011 are not business related, and I won’t enumerate them here, but I do want to touch on them. I would guess many of you readers have personal as well as professional resolutions for the New Year and they can definitely effect each other, no? Anyway…

I was part of the beginning of BRG resolution-making in December of 2008.


If you notice, there is silverware carefully placed over some of my resolutions, theoretically so that BRG readers wouldn’t see them. However, the real reason was probably that I didn’t want everyone to see goals that I might not really expect myself to achieve. They were resolutions not wishes. They were in my control, not left up to chance. They wouldn’t be easy and would require change. So, in terms of personal resolutions, I resolve not to keep with tradition, to not have the need to put those resolutions on my list in 2012.

I could tell you what my wishes are for 2011 too…but if I told you, they wouldn’t come true!

p.s. It seems to be a new tradition of mine to write blogs that are one week late. I will write about the ALA awards next week, but can’t end this entry without saying how proud I am of my client David Ezra Stein who received a Caldecott Honor for his picture book, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, and our Grace who received a Geisel Honor for LING & TING: Not Exactly the Same!

*I have decided that action taken to meet these resolutions did not begin on the stroke of midnight January 1st, but the day this blog posted. My resolutions. My rules.

Rebecca Sherman is a fabulous agent with over 9 years of experience at Writer's House. Her clients include Lunch Lady author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka, the Scott O'Dell Award Winner Matt Phelan, Caldecott Honor Illustrator Brian Pinkney, recent Caldecott Honor Illustrator David Ezra Stein and Blue Rose Girls Anna Alter and Grace Lin. You can follow Rebecca on twitter @rebeccagent.

Catching You Up on My 2010…all in one post.

Between my last day of 2010 in the office and today, I was busy hopping from New York to Chicago to L.A. to Chicago to New York (why? tradition. I’ll talk more about that in my next post). All those time zones and I lost track of days and missed my last post of 2010. If you’ll indulge me, I am going to hold off on my resolutions post until next week and provide my overview of 2010 in agenting today instead. I will do my best to leave out events already covered by the other BRGers.

January

Sometime in early January, I was sitting in my apartment when my cell phone rang in the a.m. When I looked down to see that the caller was Matt Phelan, I was puzzled. Had I slept through a week or two? Was an ALA committee overly ambitious this year? Wasn’t I supposed to be in Boston for this moment?

I wasn’t delirious. He was calling to tell me that THE STORM IN THE BARN won the 2010 Scott O’Dell Award. (Click here: http://readroger.hbook.com/2010/07/2010-scott-odell-award.html to read the magnificent speech Scott O’Dell’s widow, Elizabeth Hall, gave when presenting Matt with the award in June).

Then there was the morning of January 18^th. I had a yet undiagnosed sinus infection and had powered my way through the weekend of ALA midwinter with tea and tissues. I spent the night before watching the Golden Globes with my cousin who attends Boston University and my friend Angie (who happens to be a wonderful librarian. Check out her twitter feed @deweydecimator) and ate a full bag of Stacy’s pita chips out of nerves (not for Jeff Bridges who was sure to win Best Actor…for the awards to be announced the next morning). I woke up early and no call. I took the phone into the hotel bathroom while I showered and no call. I got into a cab with Angie and two other librarians as it snowed and headed to the convention center and no call. It was not until I was heading up the escalator toward the room where the announcement was to be made that my cell phone rang. It was Grace, and she told me this would be happening…

Proud Editor and Agent

I was in the convention center and supposed to keep my composure so that no one would guess who any recipients were before the announcement was made. I got to the top of the escalator did a happy dance, hugged Angie, and ran to the corner to call my mom. Nope, not suspicious at all.

Later that month, I found out that WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON would be a New York Times Bestseller.

*Other January highlights—winter getaway in the Hamptons with 10 of my closest friends, As You Like It at BAM.

*Low points—I had back to back sinus infections. No fun.

*Great reads in January—Loving Frank by Nancy Horan and Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

In the Hamptons, celebrating Megan’s birthday. As a Midwesterner, I had never experienced Carvel’s Fudgie the Whale cake before!

February

February 1^st marked the 50^th anniversary of the sit-in by African American college students at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina as well as the publication of SIT-IN by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney:

In the parking lot of an outlet mall in Kenosha, Wisconsin I learned that SIT-IN would become the first picture book I represented to make the New York Times Bestseller list. It was an especially wonderful week when both SIT-IN and WTMMTM were on the list.

The debut middle grade novel NOONIE’S MASTERPIECE by Lisa Railsback was published. While the publication of every book is special, there is something extra important about a debut. This one is near and dear to my heart as is BETTI ON A HIGH WIRE, Lisa’s second book on 2010 (way to start with a bang!) which published in the summer.

Read Lisa Railsback! Start with her debut!

Also Alex and Grace got married in February which allowed for this to happen:

Look Ma, I’m a cupcake!

*Other February highlights—being in Chicago for my best friend’s daughters’ first birthday and watching her eat cake for the first time.

*Low points—Avatar

*Great reads—manuscript month

March

In March, I served on faculty at the Whispering Pines SCBWI retreat. I try to speak at a couple (or small handful) of conferences a year. I also try not to stay in haunted places. One out of two’s not bad.

Newbery Honor author Cindy Lord, an illustrator whose name is escaping me, Editor Alexandra Penfold, me, Editor Connie Hsu. It is also a bit eerie that I am wearing that exact outfit as I am typing this post.

*Other March highlights—The Bank Street Book Awards

*Great reads—Chiggers by Hope Larson and The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

April

In April, Matt Phelan call me at 8 at night on my cell phone on the beginning of a long weekend to tell me about a call he just had with a big producer…which I still can’t talk about because the contracts not done. Yes, I am a tease.

And another important call in April was the one I made to Jarrett J. Krosoczka. I was the one to break the news to him that his graphic novel LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE was nominated for an Eisner award! (Ah, the magic of twitter where I found a link to the nominees. Follow me @rebeccagent)

Serving Justice…Serving Lunch

*Other April highlights—Anyone Can Whistle at City Center and Sondheim 80^th birthday extravaganza (I am a sucker for Sondheim). My friends Alan and Melissa got married. I tweeted my teenage crush Johnny Galecki on his birthday and he tweeted me back.

*Low points- my wallet was stolen out of my purse in my office. A saga I wish on no one. Thank yous to all at Writers House who helped including my former assistant Ty King who slept on my loveseat that evening and especially our children’s subsidiary rights director Cecilia de la Campa my fellow wallet snatcher victim as well as NYPD detectives Garcia and Mercado.

*Great Reads—Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell, Matched by Allie Condie (It helps to know her agent)

May

SCBWI take two. This time in Orange County, CA. The wonderful thing about this event (at least for me) was that it was titled as “Agents’ Day.” I wasn’t the only agent on the bill! I had the pleasure of hearing talks by Brenda Bowen of Sandford J. Greenburger, Mary Kole of Andrea Brown, and Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon and learn from them too! Plus there was an attendee that did sketches of each of us for her blog http://www.dianebrowningillustrations.com/2010/05/scbwi-orange-county-agents-day.html Take note illustrator clients!

LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE wins a Children’s Choice Book Award.

Tricia Rayburn quickly “sells out” of her ARCs of SIREN at BEA and I scored a piece of original art from my client NOONIE’S MASTERPIECE at the ABC silent auction/not a dinner.

Are you are paranormal romance reader? Then why aren’t you reading this? It was Jenny Humphrey’s favorite book of 2010. No, really. Look it up!

*Other May highlights—The SCBWI trip also allowed me to visit with some of my favorite L.A. people. I attend my 5^th Whitney Biennial. So many shows: Everyday Rapture, Behanding in Spokane (in which Christopher Walken paused to give the death stare when a cell phone went off), the opening of Metal Children by Adam Rapp. My cousin got married.

*Low point—a pain begins in my ear, many months, doctors visits, and tests later, I learn that it is not my ear but my jaw that is causing the pain.

*Great Reads—Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (see above re: Allie Condie), Smile by Raina Telgemeier and Happyface by Stephen Emond

June

Me,Grace,Alvina at Newbery

The big work related highlight of June is the annual ALA conference. I know this event has been much detailed on the BRG blog already, but let me add my voice to the chorus and say what a great night the Newbery/Caldecott banquet was and how much Grace deserved the celebration. The weekend also brought a great deal of celebrating Matt Phelan’s the Storm in the Barn not only during the O’Dell party but also during Friday night dinner with his editor and a graphic novel panel put on by Booklist that evening. A trip to DC (even in sweltering heat) also meant the chance to meet with my client Caroline Hickey over a yummy tapas lunch.

*Other June highlights- My birthday (complete with pizza dinner and gelato dessert with close friends)! Toy Story 3 on the IMAX. Writers House/Little, Brown screening of Eclipse.

*Low point- my friend Bethany leaves Writers House (on the very bright side, she left to become Alvina’s assistant at Little, Brown!)

*Great Reads—Countdown by Deborah Wiles and Shug by Jenny Han

July

It was sweltering hot in NYC in July but three very important things happened this month.

#1 I sold THE PLATYPUS POLICE SQUAD series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka to Harper and had a blast doing it.(http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/44382-team-monotreme-walden-nabs-an-unusual-cop-series.html)

#2 LING AND TING: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace published and an early reader superstar was born:

4 starred reviews, 4 2010 best lists, and NYT notable book

#3 I did not break both my elbows…on July 5^th of 2009, I did indeed break both my elbows by tripping while on the way to the gym. The one year anniversary was appropriately celebrated with macaroni (elbow pasta- get it!).

Purple Elbow 2009. Note how my elbow matches my Northwestern Wildcat shorts

*Other July highlights- A Little Night Music with Bernadette Peters and Elaine “Stritchy” Stritch (yes, there is a Sondheim pattern). The final book in the not to be missed Scott Pilgrim series.

*Low points—my first generation kindle dies and the warrantee is up.

*Great Reads—The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger and The Last Summer of The Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

August

August is supposedly slow in publishing. Note: I said supposedly. Things seemed as busy as ever at the office (that is until things got busier in September). This month many wonderful picture books published including FLORA’S VERY WINDY DAY illustrated by Matt Phelan. On the author/illustrator front INTERRUPTING CHICKEN by David Ezra Stein and Anna’s DISAPPEARING DESMOND were published. I’ve loved these books since the very idea of them were relayed to me by David and Anna, and I’m thrilled they are finally available for everyone to love as much as I do.

*Other August Highlights- A wonderful summer art project called Key to the City brought me to places in New York I might have otherwise missed. I encourage you all to venture to the Louis Armstrong Museum in Queens.

*Low point- my first MRI. Yep, this is how long it took to realize my jaw wasn’t working right.

*Great Reads—One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Hereville by Barry Deutsch, Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (with a reread of Hunger Games and Catching Fire just before)

September

Are you all bored yet? September was busy. So busy that it seems I didn’t record one work related event that month. I bought a new Kindle? Moving on.

*Other September highlights—my mother and sister visit for the week between Labor Day weekend and Rosh Hashanah, and I am introduced to the wonder of Momofuku Milk Bar. My best friend gives birth to baby Eli on Yom Kippur.

http://www.momofuku.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/east-village-november-16.pdf

(May I suggest the compost cookie, cereal milk soft serve, and crack pie? Trust me.)

*Low points—everything else about Yom Kippur—fasting is not my friend. My assistant, Ty King, tells me that she is leaving New York …(on the upside) to become Steven Malk’s assistant in San Diego.

*Great Reads—The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

October

October brought a run of great art. Not only was I able to hang out with so many illustrators and industry friends at the Society of Illustrators Original Art show, I also joined Dan Yaccarino, Selina Alko, and Jarrett Krosoczka on meetings with their publishers in which they delivered final art for new picture books. This is definitely one of my favorite parts of my job.

Editor and Agent (in not-so-photogenic moment) admiring Julian Hector’s art from The Gentleman Bug at the Original Art Show

*Other October highlights: a brief run through NY Comic Con with Jarrett Krosoczka. Going to Chicago to meet baby Eli. My first meal at Gramercy Tavern. Annual Apple Picking with friends. The most unexpected and amazing event of 2010…see p.s.

*Low points- The NYT article on picture books

*Great Reads—The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

November

November was another hectic month as I tried to get EVERYTHING done before Thanksgiving/before the cruise. Unlike Alvina, try as I might…I might never achieve Inbox Zero.

*Other November highlights: Dinner and drinks with one of my two favorite husband and wife teams, Selina Alko and Sean Qualls. Went to a taping of Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Franco. Scottsboro Boys. Went to the Quidditch World Cup. I became a doctor via my second Gossip Girl shout out. Watch the first January episode for another wink to me.

A friend and me at the Quidditch World Cup

*Low points—some of the results of this month’s elections.

*Great Reads—(reread) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

December

Well you’ve already read a bit about my December on BRG so…

*December Highlights other than the cruise: Los Angeles Christmas inc. acquisition of an IPAD! Late December in Chicago ultimately as a better option weather-wise than NYC.

* Low points: where does the year go?

*Great Reads- Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine and Room by Emma Donoghue

This never-ending recap is far from a complete look at my year. (I read more books, saw more theater and films, and I didn’t even mention TV watching and I did plenty of that). For those whose names were not named please do not feel left out. For example, many books by clients of mine were published this year. (My recommended Hanukkah shopping list provides a nearly complete list of clients’ books of 2010). There were starred reviews and year end lists (and perhaps in 2011 I should keep a running tally). I sold 28 books (just one of those an adult title), had two books optioned for film, one book optioned for the stage, two picture books’ audio rights sold (not easy!), sold books in territories I never thought possible (Hello, Macedonia) and had a great time doing it all (notice the low points are never related to agenting- unless you count the NYT article).

Looking forward to a great 2011… resolutions to come next week.

p.s. this happened to me in 2010. I can check it off the bucket list. I have been OPRAH’ED. (look upper right hand corner at 10:26 and 11:04)

Rebecca Sherman is a fabulous agent with over 9 years of experience at Writer's House. Her clients include Lunch Lady author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka, the Scott O'Dell Award Winner Matt Phelan, Caldecott Honor Illustrator Brian Pinkney and Blue Rose Girls Anna Alter and Grace Lin. You can follow Rebecca on twitter @rebeccagent.

What Not To Read on Your Caribbean Vacation

When writing my last entry, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Picture Books,” I believed I was resurrecting an already laid to rest discussion about the New York Times’ obituary for the picture book. My post was uploaded on December 14^th. The day AFTER Publishers Weekly’s cover asked “Did the New York Times get it wrong?”

What timing.

Grace can attest to the fact that I actually wrote my entry weeks prior. It was one of the last things I checked off of my “to-do” list before I went here:

Me & My Sister, Rachel and a boat of Epic proportions

Yes, for the first time in my tenure as an agent I took an honest-to-goodness, no access to email vacation.

And what does, a literary agent do during an honest-to-goodness vacation?

A little of this…

A bit of that…

(My mother, sister, and I in front of an Ice Bar does denote a bit of drinking)

A whole lot of this…

It was a cruise. There was a lot of eating. Just after the picture was taken, I probably dove for that dinner roll.

And a good dose of this…

A new Hunger Games reader is born, while I remain puzzled about my choice of reading material.

Yes, on a vacation, a literary agent reads. For eight whole days I would not read emails or manuscripts. I loaded my kindle with published, adult books. On deck chairs, on beaches, on a balcony off of a very small room I shared with my mother and sister, and on an elliptical machine overlooking the ocean we were moving through on a very large ship, I read…

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and Little Bee by Chris Cleave

What is wrong with me?

Just to be clear. Both books were wonderful, and I would recommend them for sure…but they are not the kind of book that you read on a beach or on a cruise. I think I would have liked each so much more if I had read them on a cold New York day like today. I must admit that I have a tendency to read books in inappropriate places. I once read Lolita on a car trip and as a (slightly?) pretentious teen I tried to read Joyce at overnight camp. You would think I would have learned my lesson by now.

Of course, there are books that I have read in just the right place, in just the right time of my life. In my eyes, part of being a literary agent representing children’s books is championing work that is pivotal in a child’s development, and that they will remember well into their adulthood. I know that middle grade and YA fiction can be read by a pre-teen or teen at the very moment when they need it, when it can open their eyes, show them a place they never knew possible, change their perspective, or affirm what they are feeling inside. So much of children’s and young adult literature succeeds because it reaches a child or teen at the most fitting moment of their lives.

While Freedom and Little Bee both had an impact on me; I can’t help but feel my reading of them was somewhat skewed by the setting I was in. I would love to hear about books that you read in both the wrong and right places in time. (I’m a new blogger. I thrive on comments!)

I now realize that I should have been reading a book like this on my most recent vacation:

Pointing to a book by my colleague, Merrilee Heieftz’s bestselling author, Laurell K. Hamilton.

I have learned my lesson and given the opportunity (read: I don’t think I should wait another 9-years to take a manuscript and email free vacation), I promise to do better. Well, at least I can look at the glass half full…after Little Bee, at least I was smart enough not to read the next book on my kindle… Room by Emma Donoghue.

Wishing you all Happy Holiday reading!

What We talk about When We Talk Picturebooks

The paper was long ago removed from our recycling bin or deleted from our e-readers. Its validity has been refuted via comments sections and social networking, but I still cannot shake the New York Times article published nearly two months ago that proclaimed, “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.”

Because it's true. While we can cite what seem to be exceptions (for example, on the very day the article was placed at front doors around the world, I received confirmation of an impending picture book offer), the report was accurate.
For the past five years in which I have been representing picture book creators, I've been told that it is "a weak market." But as the statistics and anecdotes from booksellers prove, the number of books bought has dipped. While I can understand that $17.99 per book prohibits many parents from creating an at home library of books for toddlers, the lack of individual consumers contributing to the picture book economy is more troublesome with the decline of government funding for school and public libraries. This means children may not be exposed to great picture books because of financial restrictions of his parents and her country both.

In recent years, I’ve seen many picture book creators worry about e-books while I have maintained that bringing picture books to another format does not mean the end of picture books.

Which brings us to the element of the NYT article that fills me with (as I put it on Twitter) rage; the real danger is the notion that picture books can be bypassed, glossed over, or graduated from by toddlers told by parents that they should move on to “big boy or girl books.” The notion that parents can give their kids a head start at achieving scholastically, getting into a good college, and succeeding in life by pushing them in early on is alive in this country. My mother and sister are both early childhood educators and have come across parents who expressly stated that they “want their children to learn to read,” in preschool. The NYT reported the practice correctly; it’s the parental choice that is wrong.

What is achieved by teaching a child to read before they are developmentally ready? If a child “successfully reads” an early reader or chapter book before their peers but cannot comprehend the words or story, is that to be applauded? What happens to the child who is forced to read and is unable to discover books at their own pace? While we are deftly promoting graphic novels and illustrated books for older readers are we creating classes of children who hate reading because they feel they aren’t good enough at it? Doesn’t pulling picture books away from them at 4, 5, 6, or beyond create more problems than pluses?

The weekend after the NYT article was released, it was very much on my mind during a visit to my hometown, Chicago, where I visited with family and friends. Both of my best friends are mothers.

Riley, a high school English teacher who is working toward a second graduate degree had just had her first child, Eli, 3 weeks prior. She shared that she doesn't really know what how to connect with a newborn saying, “How do I teach him anything? He’s probably still thinking, ‘Wow. Wind. I’ve never felt that before.’” And then she admitted that she'd read Noam Chomsky aloud to him the day before. At three weeks, the content of what is read to a child is irrelevant; the importance is in beginning the practice of reading aloud to a child. Experiencing books together is formative. I couldn't help but think that children taught to be independent readers too early will miss some of this bond with their parents.

My Friend Megan (Top) and me (as Joey) at last year’s Ghouls & Ghourds event

My other best friend, Dana, has a 19-month old, Hannah. Hannah’s board books have their own bin among her toys so that she can willingly go to them on her own and turn through the pages. On the nights that Hannah doesn't throw a tantrum when the pajamas go on, she's invited to her mommy and daddy’s bed where they read her a picture book. One of Hannah's favorites is Pouch! by David Ezra Stein. Dana told me that Hannah is "reading" the book, in a tone that only seemed half joking. Hannah was saying "bee!" at just the right moment and "bunny!" where David wrote "rabbit!" Not to be a buzz kill, but I told Dana her kid was not reading. Yes, in part, she was memorizing but she was also using the pictures as visual cues, connecting concepts to words with David's renderings of various forest animals as her guide. I wondered how children who are moved away from picture books too early will come to understand the concept behind the words they can recite.

Every bedtime my sister requested “Horton Catchy Egg”

My sister, Rachel, now an early childhood educator, was once just my little sister. When she was 2 or so, she had a favorite book, Horton Hatches an Egg by Dr. Seuss. When my mom was trying to get something done, she would have me "read" to Rachel. We all had the book memorized, more or less. I couldn’t have read Dr. Seuss' cadence with ease at 5 or 6, so I paged through the book, using the pictures as my cues, telling me when it was time to say "I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful. 100%." I think about children too busy learning to read to share Dr Seussian language and lessons with little sisters.

And yes, I can't help but think about myself as a child. I was an easily frightened child (to put it mildly) and yet, one of my favorite books was Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard and James Marshall. As formidable as Viola Swamp was, I came back to the book again and again, because the illustration told me a secret; Viola Swamp was Miss Nelson all along. I think about the child that is pushed past picture books, not just because they can be comforting as Karen Lotz correctly asserts in the article, because the can also teach us about irony, humor, and so much more.

It’s easy to be disillusioned when faced with the facts of the business of picture books. And yes, it’s easy to be cynical and say that as an agent who represents so many picture book creators, my interest in saving the picture book is personal and financial. But here’ s the bottom line. What do we talk about when we talk about picture books? We are talking about childhood. I can’t accept this piece of childhood “languishing” as the Times put it.

Me from a Halloween gone by. Note the top nametag says Miss Nelson and is crossed out. The bottom says Viola Swamp.

The Times article should not be viewed as the last nail in the coffin. This is an opportunity not to be missed. The picture book community—publishers, creators, and agents like me—need to work with early childhood educators, librarians, and developmental psychologists to show parents that picture books are essential to childhood.

We can’t vilify or dismiss the article, and we can’t throw up our hands. Let’s work together to prove the need and might of the picture book. We can’t go down without a fight. I learned that from Miss Nelson too.

Rebecca Sherman is a fabulous agent with over 9 years of experience at Writer's House. Her clients include Lunch Lady author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka, the Scott O'Dell Award Winner Matt Phelan, Caldecott Honor Illustrator Brian Pinkney and Blue Rose Girls Anna Alter and Grace Lin. You can follow Rebecca on twitter @rebeccagent.