Paying it Forward: Part 5

• Colleen
• Paying It Forward Series
• 3 Comments

Continuing the flow of information from the Rutgers Conference.

Remember to check agent/editor submission requirements : )

Gretchen Hirsch is an Associate Editor at Simon and Schuster. Gretchen joined S&S in July 2009, and she edits and acquires for both the Atheneum and Margaret K. mcElderry lists. She has over five years of editorial experience, and has also worked at Harcourt Children’s Books and HarperTeen. Some books she’s edited include Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey, What Will Fat Cat Sit On? By Jan Thomas, and the forthcoming The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. Gretchen is looking for exciting and innovative books that will fit the literary heritage of both Antheneum and McElderry—offbeat PBs, innovative nonfiction, sweet and funny MG, and YA page-turners with lots of romance and suspense.

Lauren Hodge is an Assistant Editor at Little Brown Books for Young Readers. Working for Little, Brown’s novelty and licensing imprint, LB Kids, and for the LBYR imprint has allowed Lauren to gain experience with a variety of book formats—from board books and PBs to MG and YA fiction. She has edited the PB Birdie’s Big-Girl Shoes by Sujean Rim, designer behind the popular Daily Candy website, as well as the forthcoming board book You Are My Little Cupcake by Amy Sklansky. Lauren is particularly interested in contemporary “issue”-driven novels that capture ordinary characters in extraordinary circumstances, in addition to edgy, angsty, coming-of-age narratives. She is also interested in commercial, character-driven PBs with strong read-aloud appeal that will speak as much to the adult reading the story as to the child turning the page. For the most part, Lauren is not interested in sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, or romance novels.

Victoria Horn is an Agent at Liza Dawson Associates. Victoria’s interests include YA fiction, adult women’s fiction, romance and literary fiction. She is a sucker for snappy contemporary fiction and lush historical novels. She looks for sharp humor in unexpected places, a story that places her firmly in another world, and characters she can’t leave behind. She loves strong voices and high concept hooks, or particularly well told stories about timeless subjects. She would love to find a great boy adventure. She’s not currently looking for PBs, mg novels or sci-fi.

Connie Hsu is an Assistant Editor at Little Brown Books for Young Readers. Connie has seen it all, from board books to YA. She has edited The Devouring #1-3 (YA horror), The A-List Hollywood Royalty #1-2 (a spin-off from the bestselling The A-List series), and Moonshadow (MG ninja spy adventure). She has an affinity for Edward Gorey and Roald Dahl, and has acquired a similarly hilarious MG novel, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. She also acquired the fully illustrated YA novel, Happyface by Emo Boy comic creator Stephen Emond (due out March 2010), and she recently acquired a PB biography based on Booker T. Washington by Guggebheim Fellow Jabari Asim. Prior to jumping into children’s books in May 2006, Connie worked as a reporter for In Touch magazine and TV Guide, where she wrote in-depth articles about Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua and watched television for a living.

Katherine Jacobs is an Assistant Editor at Roaring Books Press. Katherine works on everything from PBs through YA. She is the editor of the chapter book series Gym Shorts by Betty Hicks as well as the MG Cat Royal Adventure series by Julia Golding. Katherine has worked on books by Kazuno Kohara (Ghosts in the House!), Jacqueline Wilson (Cookie) and Kate Thompson (Creature of the Night ). She also works on nonfiction and is editing a PB by Don Brown. Katherine is interested in smart, fresh, character driven stories for all ages (with a special fondness for historical fiction) and is probably not the best match for gritty, dark, realistic YA novels. She is a graduate of the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College in Boston, MA.

Leslie Kaufmann is an Agent at Kneerim and Williams at Fish and Richardson, P.C. Leslie represents authors who write fiction and non-fiction for MG and YA readers. She is actively looking for new clients who can write smart, witty stories about the extraordinary that is found in the everyday. While she does have a soft spot for light fantasy, these days she is mostly drawn to boy books, books set in NYC, and stories that sneakily impart some knowledge of something real yet esoteric upon readers.

Grace Elizabeth Kendall is an Editorial Assistant at The Blue Sky Press and Scholastic Press. Grace assists Bonnie Verburg and Dianne Hess with a wide range of material from board books to YA novels, both fiction and nonfiction. Recently, she assisted Bonnie with The Doom Machine, a novel written and illustrated by Mark Teague, and Living Sunlight: How Plants Brings the Earth to Life by Molly Bang an Penny Chisholm (illustrated by Molly Bang). And she assisted Diane with Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy. The editors she works with are always looking for well-crafted, engaging, enjoyable, and enlightening children’s literature. Grace received her Bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, majoring in English and Poetry, and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course.

More Monday!

Coll : )