Writing a Picture Book 3: Submission to Offer
A Twilight Chant Process Post
Part 3 of 4: Submission to Offer
Twilight Chant, by Holly Thompson, illustrated by Jen Betton
Soon after I sent the picture book manuscript off to my literary agent, Jamie Weiss Chilton (Andrea Brown Literary Agency), she wrote back with her thoughts.
She encouraged me to consider carefully the narrative arc created through the ordering of the animals. We emailed back and forth and discussed which animals to include and which to cut and why—where in N. America would all of these animals co-exist? All in one bio-zone or across bio-zones?
Also, some animals seemed to alter the tone and focus of the story. Some had a soothing effect, while others were a bit menacing and incongruous in a text that read like a chant, lullaby or soothing bedtime story. Jamie asked great questions that helped me refine my ideas. I worked on more drafts, until we agreed upon a final.
Before submitting to editors, my agent suggested I make a voice recording of myself reading the poem so that she and editors could listen to the way I heard the poem. I immediately made a recording. But of course, recording yourself reading a poem or story sends you right back to the manuscript to make improvements.
After more fiddly revisions, at the end of May 2014, I sent my agent the revised manuscript, which included 26 stanzas in 13 pairs for a total of 272 words.
Then in early June, my agent sent the manuscript and the voice recording out on submission to editors.
While a manuscript is out on submission, I move on to other projects, or at least I try to, but of course I’m waiting to hear news.
Soon, that June of 2014, we had a wonderful offer from an editor that I was eager to work with at Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers (@HMHKids)—Anne Hoppe.
The following month, I received my first email from Anne, now my editor, with these thrilling words:
“The text is so carefully rendered—lyrical and original, and amazingly evocative of this special time of day. I hadn't encountered the term "crepuscular" before and learning about these special animals is a bonus to beautiful text. I feel that you have created a truly fresh bedtime book—one that by its gentle refrain and sense of the day fading into night creates a calm and peaceful mood, one that might help lull a listener toward sleep without being yet another take on going to bed. Like crepuscular, though, this is just another bonus to what is overall a lovely, lovely text that I am certain will inspire gorgeous art.” –Anne Hoppe 7/19/2014
*******
See all four posts in this series
Writing a Picture Book 1: A Twilight Idea
Writing a Picture Book 2: Twilight Revisions
Writing a Picture Book 3: Submission to Offer
Writing a Picture Book 4: Contract to Illustrator to Launch
Part 3 of 4: Submission to Offer
Twilight Chant, by Holly Thompson, illustrated by Jen Betton
Soon after I sent the picture book manuscript off to my literary agent, Jamie Weiss Chilton (Andrea Brown Literary Agency), she wrote back with her thoughts.
She encouraged me to consider carefully the narrative arc created through the ordering of the animals. We emailed back and forth and discussed which animals to include and which to cut and why—where in N. America would all of these animals co-exist? All in one bio-zone or across bio-zones?
Also, some animals seemed to alter the tone and focus of the story. Some had a soothing effect, while others were a bit menacing and incongruous in a text that read like a chant, lullaby or soothing bedtime story. Jamie asked great questions that helped me refine my ideas. I worked on more drafts, until we agreed upon a final.
Before submitting to editors, my agent suggested I make a voice recording of myself reading the poem so that she and editors could listen to the way I heard the poem. I immediately made a recording. But of course, recording yourself reading a poem or story sends you right back to the manuscript to make improvements.
After more fiddly revisions, at the end of May 2014, I sent my agent the revised manuscript, which included 26 stanzas in 13 pairs for a total of 272 words.
Then in early June, my agent sent the manuscript and the voice recording out on submission to editors.
While a manuscript is out on submission, I move on to other projects, or at least I try to, but of course I’m waiting to hear news.
Soon, that June of 2014, we had a wonderful offer from an editor that I was eager to work with at Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers (@HMHKids)—Anne Hoppe.
The following month, I received my first email from Anne, now my editor, with these thrilling words:
“The text is so carefully rendered—lyrical and original, and amazingly evocative of this special time of day. I hadn't encountered the term "crepuscular" before and learning about these special animals is a bonus to beautiful text. I feel that you have created a truly fresh bedtime book—one that by its gentle refrain and sense of the day fading into night creates a calm and peaceful mood, one that might help lull a listener toward sleep without being yet another take on going to bed. Like crepuscular, though, this is just another bonus to what is overall a lovely, lovely text that I am certain will inspire gorgeous art.” –Anne Hoppe 7/19/2014
*******
See all four posts in this series
Writing a Picture Book 1: A Twilight Idea
Writing a Picture Book 2: Twilight Revisions
Writing a Picture Book 3: Submission to Offer
Writing a Picture Book 4: Contract to Illustrator to Launch
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