Robert Brown at Scholastic: How to reach 35 million kids

We have just a few weeks before the annual Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators conference in New York City kicks off. It's going to be an incredible career boost, featuring the likes of Shaun Tan, Meg Rosoff, Mo Willems, Margaret Peterson Haddix--not to mention some of the best editors in the business.

So a word about the SCBWI: I've never been a joiner. Quit the Brownies. Did not do the sorority thing. Have never owned any team booster uniforms. I don't do reunions. As a committed member of Club Unaffiliated, I hope I have some measure of authority when I say that the SCBWI is the best thing going for anyone wanting a career in children's literature. You'll learn what you need to learn and meet people you need to meet to get started (and in this category, I include your fellow writers and illustrators). I would not have my career without this group.

If you're serious about your writing and illustrating, joining this organization and attending its conferences are the best investments you can make. There are still a couple of spots open in the winter conference. You can sign up right here.

One thing Team Blog does in advance of these conferences is post interviews with faculty so you can get a sense for who they are and what you'll learn from them. Today I'm featuring an interview with Robert Brown, the national sales and program manager at Scholastic Book Fairs. Bob has long been a friend of children's book writers and has dedicated his career into turning kids into readers. And it's a lot of kids ... 35 million and their families each year. Especially in an age where bookstores are in peril, this way of reaching young readers is vital.

We have a rare opportunity to hear from Bob about how his job works and how we can best position our books for inclusion in the fairs. Here's a glimpse:

First, some background about you: How long have you been at Scholastic, and what led you to the fairs?

In 1987, I founded Cornerstone Books Incorporated (d/b/a Books, Bytes & Beyond), located in Bergen County, N.J. I joined Scholastic Book Fairs in August 2012 because of our shared mission to help children become lifelong readers. I have more than 20 years of experience bringing quality children’s literature to children, parents, teachers, and school administrators through a variety of literacy events.  

How many schools host them, and how many readers do you reach?

Scholastic Book Fairs, working in partnership with schools across the county, hosts more than 120,000 book fairs each year providing more than 35 million students and their families with access to thousands of books.

What's your process for choosing books, and what kinds of books tend to do best with kids?

Scholastic Book Fairs and Scholastic Book Clubs team of book experts, which includes former educators, booksellers, and book fair and book club veterans, review thousands of titles from dozens of publishers every year.  Every book fair and every book club flyer features a wide assortment of age-appropriate books, including the newest and most popular children’s books, as well as a selection of tried-and-true classics, numerous national and state award-winning titles, multicultural books, high-interest nonfiction and other books that will help instill in young children a love of reading and keep them reading for the rest of their lives.

What are the all-time bestsellers?   

Series are generally the popular books for young readers. These include Captain Underpants, Pete the Cat, Skippyjon Jones, Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, If You Give A…, Llama Llama, Clifford, Hank Zipzer, Goosebumps, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, and the Origami Yoda books. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games series are some of our all-time bestsellers.

As kids and families increasingly adopt technology, what new opportunities will arise for books and authors through the book fairs?

We have Storia, Scholastic’s exciting new teacher-recommended ereading app that is designed specifically for children.  Storia ebooks are available for every age and reading level and many come enriched with functions to support kids’ reading development, including, comprehension quizzes, vocabulary activities and read-aloud for the younger readers.  There are currently thousands of Storia ebooks, and the list keeps growing. Our book fair materials and displays also include digital enhancements such as QR Codes, where families can access more information about books on the fair, including author videos, book trailers, and reading tips for parents. We also offer an online book fair for families who are unable to attend the in-school event in person.

More information about the Scholastic Book Fairs
Like the Scholastic Book Fairs on Facebook

 

Molly O'Neill: a 'sucker' for friendship stories #NY13SCBWI

The always delightful Molly O'Neill has spent a decade working in the wonderful world of children's books, and for the past several years has been an editor at HarperColllins' Katherine Tegen Books imprint.

She publishes the gamut: literary and commercial fiction in the picture book, middle grade, and YA categories. You've no doubt heard of Veronica Roth's DIVERGENT and INSURGENT, both No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. She also edited A DOG'S WAY HOME by Bobbie Pyron; the INSIGNIA trilogy by S. J. Kincaid; A CHRISTMAS GOODNIGHT by Nola Buck and Sarah Jane Wright; DESTINY, REWRITTEN by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (forthcoming); and WILD AWAKE by Hilary T. Smith (forthcoming). 

She has a really great blog, named for the daily walk she takes to the subway. And she was kind enough to give us a preview of what she's looking for and what she'll talk about in New York.

Can you give us a preview of what you'll be talking about in New York?

I’ll be talking about my list—sharing some of what drew me to each of those books, as well as some of the questions I ask myself when I’m thinking about acquiring a project.

How does the market look these days? And is there any particular type of story you're hungry for?

The market’s tough! And it’s more bestseller-driven than ever, because all the means of social communication that are so big in our world right now make it really easy for everyone to want to be part of the conversation around the same topic: whether that’s a book, a movie, or the latest viral video about hilarious animals. That means that as an editor, I have to do a lot of honest thinking about how (and if) there are ways to help a story resonate with as many different kinds of readers as possible.

What I’m hungry for as an editor changes, depending on what I currently have on my list—I am usually looking for the opposite, kind of like how when you’ve had too much cake, you eventually start to crave vegetables. In the business world, I think this is called “diversifying your portfolio.” In any case, my list is heavy in the dystopian/futuristic/sci-fi categories right now, so I’ve got my eye out for memorable middle grade, charming or humorous picture books, and YA that feels fresh and non-derivative. I’ve also published a lot of series books lately, so I’m eager to balance my list with the kind of standalones where I know that I’ll be building an author’s strong voice over time, even if his/her books are not directly-connected stories. And I’m eternally a sucker for stories where friendship plays a pivotal role or where the author has created a vivid setting and sense of place that weaves into the story in meaningful ways.
 
When you're reading a submission, what things do you look for that make you want to work with a particular writer?

The sense that the writer is curious, and actively engaged by the world and its many fascinations. A compelling voice. A richly-layered story that makes me think in interesting or meaningful ways. Authorly confidence in the story and characters and world he/she has created. A writer who has clearly devoted significant time in honing his/her craft as a writer. (See also this post that I wrote back in August: http://writeoncon.com/2012/08/the-importance-of-craft-by-editor-molly-oneill/).
 
The speed round: Coffee or tea? Salty or sweet? Cats or dogs?

  • Coffee, unless I’m editing. Then I drink jasmine or peppermint tea. I have no idea why.
  • Usually salty.
  • Cats. Though I’m pro-dog, too.

Follow Molly on Twitter

Here are some favorite posts from Molly's blog:

 

Meg Rosoff: 'Writers are naturally questioning, fairly dark people'

Plenty of people labor under the idea that books for young readers must be simple and adorable, all the better to match the adorable simplicity of childhood. There's much to enjoy about books in this vein, of course.

But there's this truth: for many of us, childhood is neither adorable nor simple.

So we can thank the dog* for Meg Rosoff, who writes bold, weird, dark, and wonderful books for young readers.

Her style is unique. Her stories are grim, complex, and hilarious as they explore war, incest, sexual identity, religion--a Pandora's box of subjects far removed from the usual young reader fare. And she does it incredibly well. Among her honors are a Printz Award and a Carnegie Medal. And How I Live Now, which won the Printz, will be a movie starring Saoirse Ronan.

She'll give a keynote address at the SCBWI Winter Conference in New York (Feb. 1-3). The early-registration discount is still available. I was thrilled to ask her a few questions about the writing life.

What's your writing process like? Do you know where your stories are going when you start, or do you surprise yourself along the way?

My writing process is difference with each book.  With How I Live Now it just flowed out all of a piece as fast as I could write it down.  With Just in Case, I thought I was a one-trick pony and couldn't get it to work -- when I submitted a draft to my editors in the US and UK, they both rejected it.  They didn't say, "Gosh Meg, you've already written a bestseller, I'm sure this one will be fine once you finish it," they said, "No. Please go away and never darken our door again."  Not even, "Go back and work on it more."  Just no. 

So I was quite pleased when that one won the Carnegie prize, but god, it was a long slog.  With How I Live Now I had an idea where it might end, but with Just In Case I was dancing on coals the whole time without a clue.  I wrote and rewrote and rewrote.  And cried.  And it came out OK in the end, which was a massive learning experience about the different ways to write a book.  But I'm not sure I enjoyed writing it.  OK, it was awful. 

What I Was was fairly easy, though I wove a new character in quite near the end of the process to keep it from being a two-character story.  The Bride's Farewell refused to work for so long that I started to panic, and then a great writer friend (who hadn't read it) gave me a general piece of advice from fairy tales, and the whole book snapped together like a Rubik's Cube (old person alert).  From 2-D to 3-D in a couple of days. The fairy tale secret: take one of the children out of the family -- make him/her a cuckoo in the nest.  I did that with Bean -- made him a foundling or possibly a half-brother, and the whole book started to make sense.  Magic!

There is No Dog was just a bastard to write.  I like to think I was distracted by falling in love with horses, but who knows.  It was so hard I had to lie down in a dark room for months after it finished.  And the one that's out next year wouldn't start, but from the afternoon I started writing, it flowed out like music.  But that one (Picture Me Gone) involves a mystery of a man who runs away from home, and I didn't know why he-done-it until about the 6th draft.  So it's not, um, shall we say, straightforward.  I'm definitely a groper-in-the-dark.

Holy cow but your stories are courageous. I don't want to spoil things for readers who haven't read all your titles yet, but you've dealt with war, with sex boundaries, with religion. What is it about difficult topics that attracts you?

I don't set out to deal with "difficult" subjects.  I'm just interested in the things that puzzled me as a kid, in my teens, 20s, 30s, in my 40s.  Now.  Why do people fall in love and why do they not....why do some people believe in god (I never did).  Why are some people straight and some gay?  Where does identity come from?  How do you know who you are?  How do you find out?  Why does my mother say no one will marry me if I don't wear more pink? (not that I hold a grudge)

All the subjects that I found so difficult during my adolescence (which is still trundling on to an embarrassing extent in my, ahem, 50s) like family ties, and chemistry, and gender, and what saves people from themselves....I had such a long struggle to see life in focus that I'm a bit obsessed with the struggle. 

Imagine taking violin lessons from someone who just found playing effortless from the age of three -- they'd say "but just play!  It's easy!"  Whereas I can remember every miraculous insight, every epiphany, every mystery, slowly and arduously coming into focus.  All the aha moments.  I've come to life the hard way, I suppose.  I wasn't born understanding the difficult stuff and i never trusted the experts after the big Santa Claus lie, so I've spent a lot of time grappling.  You have to grapple with your brain if you grow up in the suburbs or you turn into a zombie.  Writers are naturally questioning, fairly dark people. 

What have you learned along the way that you wish you knew when you started?

I've learned that there are lots of ways to write a book.  That the books I loved 20 or 40 years ago are the ones I still love.  That in order to write well, you have to be patient and persistent and connected with your subconscious.  That you have to write for yourself and hold your corner -- always listen but don't always take advice.  That the best books aren't necessarily the ones that sell best. But in a way, it was easier when I started.  I knew nothing except that I loved books and wanted to write one that wouldn't inspire contempt in my friends. 

Speed round: Chocolate or vanilla; early to bed or early to rise; hardback or ebook?

Vanilla by a zillion miles, don't like chocolate much.  Early to bed and late to rise.  Hardback, if the book is worth reading. 

* Alas, I have just been informed There Is No Dog.

A sampling of Meg's books (she writes YA and picture books)

 

For more Meg Rosoff:

Her site

Her blog

On Twitter

 

An Interview with Jill Corcoran: #LA12SCBWI

The sunglasses are a giveaway: Jill is based in Los Angeles.Here's my final SCBWI faculty interview before the Los Angeles conference next month. And it's with my agent, Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency. [Insert Kermit the Frog-style clapping!]

How I met Jill: I wasn't looking for a literary agent when I started following Jill on Twitter. I just liked what she had to say, and I liked her friendly style. A few months later, she tweeted about a LA Writers Roundup that would feature Arthur Levine as faculty, and I resolved to travel down to California to be part of the fun.

Jill and I hit it off at the retreat, and over time, exchanged lots of email and fellow-writer encouragement. Jill, as you might not know, is a writer and editor as well as an agent. Her first anthology of poetry, DARE TO DREAM ... CHANGE THE WORLD is just out from Kane Miller/Usborne (and it's already sold out on their site!). It features poetry from Jill, Jane Yolen, Bruce Coville and more. 

After a particularly frustrating writing setback, I reached out to Jill for encouragement. Within a few hours, she’d brought me out of my funk AND offered to represent me. This, in a nutshell, is Jill. She knows what she likes and is unstinting in her support and encouragement. 

I am really excited she'll be on the faculty of the SCBWI-LA conference. To get you ready to make the most of her sessions, I asked her a few questions: 

You've been on the faculty of a bunch of conferences. What are some ways writers can make connections with agents without coming across as being too pushy or clueless? Do you have a short list of dos and don’ts?

Jill's new poetry anthology, DARE TO DREAMI love going to conferences and meeting writers and illustrators, and I have signed quite a number of clients via SCBWI conferences. In fact, I just came back from SCBWI Australia where I signed my first three author/illustrators! My best advice is to be yourself. Don't be nervous to talk to agent and editors, they are just people and honestly it is your writing and/or art that comes first. If you are nice and personable, that is a bonus. If you are not nice, or if you're creepy or too pushy, you will probably do yourself more harm than good. Be open to opportunities but do know that editors and agents meet a lot of people at these conferences and sometimes the people who just come up and pitch become a blur. It is the ones that we connect with on a more personal level that are most memorable.
You've mentioned that you're looking for romance. Why do you think it's so hard to find well-done romance? And what are some things that kill romance on the page? 
I keep putting out a call for romance because I am having the hardest time finding manuscripts that sweep me away and let me feel that yearning and heartache that is oh so intense as a teen. Maybe it is difficult to recapture the innocence and wonder of first or even second love. Of crushes and unrequited love. Of waiting for that kiss, that touch, that moment when you no longer think straight and lose a part of yourself--for the good and the bad--to the person you 'think' you love. Of discerning between love and lust towards another person, and towards you. Of truth and lies. Of wanting to believe and not trusting your gut. I can go on and on. 
As I say on my blog, I would love to sign all different kinds of romance-- contemporary, mystery, thriller, paranormal, historical, sci-fi.....doesn't matter---it is about characters--soul-searching, groin-yearning, heart thumping, heart breaking, fast paced, laugh out loud, cry out loud, make me want to be your character ROMANCE!
What kills romance on the page? Unauthentic reactions, dull dialog, overthought writing where it reads like an adult reminiscing rather than a teen experiencing the moment, characters that I don't care about so I don't care if they get together--the dreaded 'cardboard character'.
Do you have any anecdotes about writers who stuck it out through rejections and are enjoying great success today? 
Robin Mellom is a huge SCBWI success story. Here is a fantastic writer who had 6 books under contract as a debut author--yet it took years for her to become an overnight success. In fact, Robin's THE CLASSROOM is the lead title for Disney-Hyperion this summer with an amazing 9-book floor display in every Barnes & Noble and a fantastic Disney-created book trailer that is getting placement all over the web. 
On January 10, 2012, Robin Mellom wrote a blog post that brought tears to my eyes. I am going to copy and paste it here as well as give you the link. This is what working hard, believing in yourself and SCBWI are all about!
I met Robin at a SCBWI Summer Conference....long live SCBWI!
Today My First Book Gets Published

January 10, 2012

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed today with feelings of gratefulness (and shock) as I look back on how I got to this day. I’ll recap for you, in a somewhat (not really) shortened version, my path to publication…

In 2002, my son was born and a few months later (once I got him into some sort of a napping schedule) I started writing fiction for children in my “spare” time. Within a few months, I had the beginnings of a story about two kids named Trevor and Libby who try to make it through their first day of middle school. It was a wonky little story with quizzes and interviews and diagrams. (I mention this first story of Trevor and Libby because it will come back around much later, I promise.)

I took it to my first writers’ meeting at the beginning of 2003 and there I met other children’s book writers. They invited my to join their critique group and I met with them every other week. I also met with another children’s writing group on opposite weeks, which met on the top floor of Barnes & Noble on Friday nights. Since my husband worked nights, I took the baby with me and rocked him in his stroller while I read my Trevor & Libby story out loud hoping he’d sleep long enough  for me to get some feedback from these oh-so-helpful people.

I’ll stop for a moment here and say, I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for those critique groups. They studied their craft and loved sharing their knowledge—I am so incredibly thankful for them.

Once I had a story, I submitted my Trevor/Libby book to editors and received great response, even worked on a major re-write of the manuscript with an editor, but in the end…no contract.

Eventually, I went on to get an agent and while we were subbing, I wrote another middle grade book. We submitted both books over the course of two years, getting “close” a few times. Again, I worked with an editor on re-writes for Trevor/Libby (two rounds) for about ten months. When it was in great shape and the editor was happy with it, she took it to the meeting. Woohoo! But found out the publisher wanted to focus on YA now, not middle grade.

Schreech. 

I’ll be honest. Even though I’d gotten many rejections over the years, I’d finally come to the moment where I was devastated—totally, utterly devastated. I cried. For days. I ate so much fried chicken I didn’t think I’d ever eat it again. (I have, but it still just isn’t the same.) I thought for sure my opportunity to get published had passed. I was ready to give up.

But my writing friends encouraged me. They told me to keep knocking at the door. And to be patient.

So I got back to work and started writing again. I can’t really explain why, but I started writing…and kept writing…like Forrest Gump running across the country.

I wrote a serious teen book.

I wrote a middle grade science fiction book.

I wrote a funny girl chapter book.

Run, Forrest, run!!

Again, we got close several times, but still…no contract.

But even after all those years, everyone along the way was so encouraging. One editor even contacted my agent to say she loved my writing and she felt it was going to happen for mesomeday…but I just hadn’t found my project yet.

Well…one day my agent said she’d heard from an editor that they were looking for funny teen fiction.

“That’s you. I think you can write funny teen. Try it.” I vividly remember my agent saying that to me. She had so much belief in me, I wanted to do it just so I wouldn’t let her down!

So I started writing my sixth book, DITCHED. I wrote like crazy, and that book came out of my brain in about five months. It was an absolute blast to write. After submitting it, we had interest within a few weeks (to my shock) from three different publishers.

And within the month, I had a two-book deal from Disney-Hyperion.

[insert heaving and sobbing]

But it all came full circle. (Like, massively full circle.) After I got my book deal, I drove down to Comic-Con in San Diego to have lunch with my agent and meet my editor in person. He’s a super polite (and Oh My God incredibly wonderful) person and during the conversation he happened to say, “So tell me about the first thing you ever wrote.” I mentioned the wonky Trevor & Libby story—about the weirdness of the quizzes and interviews and diagrams. He about fell out of his seat. He said they’d always wanted to do a “mockumentary” for middle grade. I was like… “I can totally do that.”

And in June, Trevor & Libby will get their own book: THE CLASSROOM, the first book in a 4-book series.

So today is about ten years in the making and many people helped me along the way. If it weren’t for the encouragement of this kidlit community (writers, editors, agents) I’m convinced I wouldn’t have kept going and this wouldn’t be happening to me right now. So, if it’s possible, I’d like to hug the entire children’s book world and give y’all a big smoochie kiss. Lean in a little closer to your computer screen…Muah! Xoxo THANK YOU!

I hope you love DITCHED. It took a while for this story to come out of me and I wanted you to know why. :-)

More about Jill Corcoran

Follow her on Twitter: @jillcorcoran

Jill's blog

Jill's formula for a query letter

Where to start your story

An interview with Arthur Levine: #LA12SCBWI

Here's Arthur with a couple of my friends, Sara Easterly and Jolie Stekly (SCBWI Members of the Year in 2010!)A little over four years ago, I met Arthur Levine at a regional SCBWI conference. Correction: I met Scholastic Vice President and Publisher Arthur Levine-slash-editor of the Harry Potter series.

I was beyond nervous to meet the man with the fancy title and epic publishing credentials. Then, when he sat down at a table next to me just before the conference started, it felt like someone had put my face under a broiler. It took me all day to work up my courage to speak to him (I had to wait for the redness to recede).

In the years since, I've seen Arthur speak at several national conferences and a regional retreat, and I've had the good fortune to work with him on my first two children's books, a young adult novel called DEVINE INTERVENTION and a picture book called THE DINOSAUR TOOTH FAIRY (Israel Sanchez is the illustrator).

While he's every bit as inspirational an editor as his title and credits indicate, I've also learned that he's just a regular guy who likes tennis and bacon. He's a husband and a dad. And, like many of us, he's a writer as well (his picture book MONDAY IS ONE DAY is just the thing for kids of parents who work outside the house). 

In other words, you should definitely say hi to him at the conference in L.A. Aug. 3-6, where he'll deliver a keynote the very first morning. (Registration and more information here.)

In case you're still feeling intimidated, here's more reassurance, from an interview I conducted with Arthur inside his book-lined office at Scholastic.

A lot of people are intimidated by you, Arthur. You've edited so many wonderful, award-winning books—and your name is right there on the spine. Should writers be afraid to make eye contact with you at conferences? Or are you actually approachable? 

The first thing people should imagine is that I am attempting to put on one of your bracelets and being unable to. 

(I wore three yellow bakelite bangles to the meeting and I took them off to type Arthur's answers. He could not get them on over his manly hands.)

In other words, I’m just a person with hairy wrists. There’s no need to be intimidated. There’s nothing to be intimidated about. 

But don’t feel like you need to pitch me. The moment when we’re saying hello is just a moment to say hello to another person. Your “impressing” me in that moment is not what’s going to make me publish you. It’s your great writing that’s going to make me publish you, and that’s gonna come later.

What I love about a conference is just the opportunity to have real, pleasant, face-to-face, casual interactions with people. It isn’t a place where somebody has to use that moment to pitch me something. I don’t actually like to be pitched at all. Ever. That is the truth!

Pitching is the genesis of awkward and difficult interactions. People get nervous because they  have this idea that they’re in the elevator with me and they have to take that five seconds to capture my attention. It’s SO not true. Just say hello, introduce yourswelf, nice to meet you, I enjoyed your talk. Thanks for publishing Book X if you have a book I’ve published that you loved. 

The bar is low. Just be pleasant! Treat me the way your parents said you were supposed to treat a stranger. Just be polite and nice. Remember that I am often quite overwhelmed at these conferences, as are the conference participants. We’re all working really hard and having a good time, but I’m not there to stand apart. I’m there to make connections on a person level.

You and your team have published a wide range of titles, from sweet and funny picture books to middle grade comedies to contemporary YA. Is there one thing that all Arthur A. Levine books have in common? 

I like to say that it’s the truth that connects all these things. The truth about anything. If somebody is telling the truth about something, it will come through in the writing. Sometimes the truth makes you laugh. And sometimes it hurts. And sometimes it’s just a big relief, right? It can take many, many forms.

For instance, THE DINOSAUR TOOTH FAIRY tells something true about friendship and rivalry. It’s a funny book about teeth and rivalry, and it does tell something true. MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS tells the truth about intelligence in its many forms. That’s what links all these things.

I think what makes something literary is the effectiveness of the writer at making me understand that truth. That’s what makes a book literary. There also is a certain high bar of authorial skill and illustrative skill.

You've changed your submissions policy. Now, you're asking for them electronically. What prompted the change?

It’s easier to track, share, and respond to submissions this way. (Find their full submission guidelines here.)

How does being a writer make you a better editor? 

I think writing and editing are two sides of a conversation. For a conversation to be really good, it’s helpful to be able to talk and to listen. I do always think that in the back of my mind, whenever I’m saying something or about to say something to a writer, how would this make me feel. I would guess that all good editors do that. For me, (writing) has this direct application. 

I have to be articulate about my reaction. It’s the only way I’m going to be able to let you know what that is. They’re not fictional skills. They’re just tools of articulation and diction, metaphorical expression.

I am the stand-in for the reader. I always say that. But I’m the reader you get to respond to.

Can you tell us about a few upcoming books conference attendees should look for? 

Who are some more of your conference success stories? 

I saw Dan Santat's portfolio in the portfolio display and knew right away that he was somebody with tremendous talent that I wanted to publish. This has gotta be 10 years later—we’re still working together.

Lisa Yee is somebody I met through SCBWI. She heard me and then contacted me afterward. She did not pitch me. 

Mike Jung: I encountered his writing on Facebook. Mike was leaving all these incredibly funny comments on Lisa’s Facebook page, so that’s how I saw his writing, which is a good thing for people to remember. When you’re writing publicly, people see things.

It has to be the writing first, of course. It really is their writing that will get them noticed, and it’s not hard to get good writing noticed by me. If it’s good, it’s going to stand out so much from everything else. Rest assured, somebody will bring it to my attention. 

Arthur A. Levine Books

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