Linda Ashman's Blog, page 3
August 11, 2016
Hey, Coach! (& the Value of Trying Again)
One of the more challenging aspects of writing picture books is the speculative nature of the process. Coming up with a story idea is easy. But is it a good idea? Or, more to the point, is it marketable idea, one that will lead to an acquisition?
Unfortunately we won’t know until we actually write the story—and not a rough version of it, but a fully-developed, honed and polished, ready-for-publication manuscript. All of which takes time and effort—and no small amount of hope that the investment will pay off.
And, frankly, there’s no guarantee that it will—which is why I’m so happy on those rare occasions when an editor pitches a story idea to me (e.g., Over the River & Through the Wood and Will’s Winter Nap, coming fall 2017). Even then, an editor may pass on the manuscript, but at least we’re starting from a place of guaranteed interest.
I also appreciate it when editors provide specific comments on a submission and offer to reconsider it if revisions are made. Hey, Coach! began life as a multi-sport “mish-mosh,”as Sterling editor Meredith Mundy put it. She suggested I focus on one sport—soccer—and offered to take a second look. I did, she did, and the mish-mosh is now a book. For a peek behind the scenes—and a look at the two manuscripts and sample illustrations—visit the Hey, Coach! page.
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April 28, 2016
Meeting Illustrators
One of the things I love most about writing picture books is watching the illustrations develop from the sketches to the final art. I don’t always get to see this evolution, but I appreciate those editors who include me in the process. Even better is when I get to meet the artist behind the work. After twenty years and 30-plus books, I’ve only met two of my illustrators—Lauren Stringer and David Small—in person. But I’ve had friendly email exchanges with many of them, typically after the artwork is finished (most publishers prefer to keep some distance between authors and illustrators, which generally seems like a good idea).
In the last 18 months, I’ve had the great pleasure of chatting with five illustrators of my books over at the PictureBookBuilders blog. If you, too, love hearing about an illustrator’s process, click on the names that follow to check them out. In addition to Jane Dyer, who illustrated All We Know and Babies on the Go, I interviewed Brooke Boynton Hughes (Henry Wants More!), Simona Mulazzani (Rock-a-Bye Romp), You Byun (Little Baby Buttercup), and Kim Smith (Over the River & Through the Wood and the forthcoming Hey, Coach!). I also enjoyed chatting with another favorite illustrator over at the blog—Zachariah OHora. I keep hoping some artistic transference will happen through these exchanges, but it’s yet to materialize.
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January 13, 2016
Timing is Everything
I have two new picture books out this month, published a week apart. Editors typically frown upon such proximity—better to have one book at a time in front of reviewers, bookstore buyers, and shoppers, the thinking goes—but, as an author, I have little say in the matter. In fact, a quick look at the origins of these books gives you a sense of how wacky the journey to publication can be.
I wrote Rock-a-Bye Romp (originally Rock-a-Bye Baby—the “Romp” was a last-minute inspiration from Nancy Paulsen and crew) way back in 2003. I got an offer, turned it down (due to artistic and financial differences), then accepted an offer from another publisher in 2006. And there the manuscript sat—for six long years. There were editorial changes, and—when prompted—occasional submissions to illustrators, but otherwise nothing happened. Luckily I had a clause in my contract that allowed me to get the manuscript back. My agent, Jennifer Mattson, then sold the manuscript to Nancy Paulsen in late 2013, and Nancy signed up the wonderful Italian illustrator Simona Mulazzani—a very happy ending.
Henry Wants More! also was written quite a long time ago—back in 2005. My agent at the time submitted it a few places but, after getting three declines, I decided to revise it before submitting again. Eight years later, in 2013, I finally did. By then I was working with Jennifer, who sent it out to Maria Modugno, who’d recently moved to Random House from HarperCollins. Maria signed up Brooke Boynton Hughes, another superbly talented illustrator.
SO . . . two manuscripts, written years apart, sold to two different editors many months apart, illustrated by artists continents apart, wind up being published a week apart.
By the way, if you’re a Goodreads member (it’s easy to join, if not), you can enter to win a copy of these books now through the end of January. Just follow these links: Rock-a-Bye Romp and Henry Wants More!
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November 18, 2015
One Family = Counting + Unity
One of the things I love about picture books is that they can say so much without actually “saying” anything. Take One Family, for instance, written by George Shannon and illustrated by Blanca Gomez. Ostensibly a counting book, it celebrates humanity in all its diversity and families in all sorts of configurations—a powerful message of unity in these times of turmoil and violence. Take a look over at PictureBookBuilders.
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October 14, 2015
Meet Kim Smith–and OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOOD Giveaway!
I really admire artistic talent (since I have so little myself), so it’s always fascinating to me to see how an illustrator’s artwork evolves over the course of creating a book. Kim Smith, illustrator of Over the River and Through the Wood, gives us a peek into her artistic process in my latest PictureBookBuilders post. Leave a comment there by November 1st and you’ll be eligible to win a signed copy. Stop by!
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October 2, 2015
Celebrating the Right to Vote
When I think of non-fiction books with a distinctive voice, I think of Jonah Winter. I’ve admired his biographies for years, and so looked forward to reading his latest. It isn’t easy to take a complicated (and sometimes ugly) subject like the history of voting rights in the United States and turn it into a compelling picture book, but he manages to pull it off with Lillian’s Right to Vote. How does he do it? Read this PictureBookBuilders post, and get a glimpse of Shane W. Evans’s gorgeous illustrations.
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August 18, 2015
Dog Adopts Man (and Other Role Reversals)
Manuscript feeling a bit stale? Need a fresh take on the ordinary? How about trying some role reversal? You’ll find some great examples of picture books that successfully switch things up—including I’m My Own Dog by David Ezra Stein—in this PictureBookBuilders post.
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July 24, 2015
SCBWI Carolinas Conference September 2015
The SCBWI Carolinas chapter has another fabulous conference coming up September 25-27, 2015. Registration info is here.
I’ll be leading a Picture Book Intensive on Friday morning (note: registration is in addition to the conference). Here’s the description:
Working with Limits—and Limitless Choices
Picture books have certain structural restrictions. Yet, within those constraints, writers have enormous freedom in terms of the topics they choose and the ways they tell their stories. In this workshop, we’ll look at those structural limitations, and explore some of the many story-telling tools and options at our disposal—things like voice, point of view, format, word choice, and rhyme—to bring out the best in your manuscripts. Bring your good ideas (barely formed to well-developed), pad and pen, and be ready to experiment!
I’ll also be doing manuscript critiques on Saturday. Hope to see you there!
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Learning from Llamas
Not sure how I missed Anna Dewdney’s bestselling Llama Llama series, but I’m happy I finally discovered it (while searching my library for books about raising llamas, which wasn’t so fruitful). I share my thoughts about why these books are so successful—and what picture book writers can learn from them—over at PictureBookBuilders.
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June 23, 2015
Zachariah OHora Interview and Book Giveaway
I’ve been a fan of Zach OHora’s books ever since spotting one at the library a few years ago. He talks about his process and gives us a behind-the-scenes peek at his latest book—My Cousin Momo—over at PictureBookBuilders. Stop by for a chance to win a copy!
From My Cousin Momo by Zachariah OHora
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