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by Anne Greenberg | Editor of Children’s Chapter Books

Do you wonder what kinds of stories editors at publishing companies are acquiring? Want to know what the trends are, what editors are looking for, and what they’re tired of seeing? (Hint: Dystopian futuristic YA novels may be played out.) There are several industry e-newsletters you can subscribe to free of charge.

Bonus: Those same industry e-newsletters often list the agent representing the authors as well as the acquiring editor.

Publishers Weekly

For trade books (books intended for individual consumers), PW is the industry magazine in print and online, and it has a dedicated semiweekly children’s book newsletter, PW Children’s Bookshelf. It covers many types of events in the children’s book business, and its Rights Report feature selectively lists recent acquisitions, including the editor and the agent representing the author. Online you can find blogs, Best Books lists, and previews of the coming publishing season—another good way to find out what’s happening in the business.

Some of PW is behind a paywall, but some of it is free. The website is http://publishersweekly.com/, and you can subscribe to the e-newsletter at http://publishersweekly.com/pw/email-subscriptions/index.html.

Self-publishers can consider PW Select. It’s a monthly supplement (print and online) that covers the self-publishing industry, and it includes interviews with authors, book announcements and listings, news, features, analysis, book reviews, and more. For a fee, your book will be listed with a brief summary, and it will be eligible to be reviewed. You can find out more at http://publishersweekly.com/pw/diy/index.html.

(Full disclosure: Publishers Weekly is one of my clients.)

Publishers Marketplace

Online only, Publishers Marketplace tracks deals, sales, and news. Much of what it offers is inside news relevant only to those in the publishing industry, but you can browse agents and authors. It puts out a free abbreviated daily e-newsletter, Publishers Lunch, which contains some of what is available by membership only, including which agent sold which book to which company. The site is http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/.

Shelf Awareness

Online only, Shelf Awareness is directed primarily toward those in the publishing industry, particularly those who sell books. However, it has a separate edition for readers covering published books, which comes out twice a week, in addition to its daily e-newsletter. You might be inspired by the interviews with authors, or you can click on its links to other book news. Check it out at http://www.shelf-awareness.com/.

Publishers’ websites, Facebook pages, and Twitter feeds

Social media is the name of the game, and publishers have jumped on the electronic bandwagon to varying degrees. If you think your work would be a good fit at a particular publisher, check out what it’s saying about itself online.

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

SCBWI offers its members lots of support and benefits, including bulletins, podcasts, conferences, and local chapters as well as an online community. The website is http://www.scbwi.org/.

The Bookseller

This is a source for publishing news in the UK. The website is http://www.thebookseller.com/.

 

About the Author

ANNE GREENBERG was an in-house editor of children’s books for 16 years at Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, specializing in fiction for readers 5–8 (but not picture books), 8–12, and young adult. Now she is a full-time freelance, doing developmental editing, editing, and copyediting of children’s books, in addition to adult fiction and nonfiction. Known for her thorough yet sensitive work, at S&S/Pocket she edited more than 550 books (including all-new Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys titles) and worked with more than 40 writers, including first-time authors. Honors for her list include The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti, a teen novel that garnered two starred reviews and the cover of the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books; Why Do They Hate Me?, a nonfiction compilation that was named a VOYA Nonfiction Honor Book; and Violet Eyes by Nicole Luiken, a teen science fiction novel that was a YALSA Quick Pick nominee. As a freelancer, she has edited young adult novels published by major houses, as well as self-published titles.

Request her children’s book editing services via Editing-Writing.com or Book-Editing.com.