1.
Expression: Please tell us a little about
your background and what brought you to
children’s publishing.
VG:
My first job in publishing was as sales
and marketing assistant for Severn House,
working mainly on adult hardback fiction
for the library market. Lots of Barbara
Cartland! I lasted a year, before making
the move into children’s publishing.
I’d always been particularly interested
in the way illustrations and text worked
together and studied the Graphic Novel as
part of my English degree course at university
– so when Hodder advertised and I
found out they were the UK home for Asterix,
I thought it was a good sign! I’ve
loved the excitement and creativity of children’s
publishing ever since.
2.
What is your all-time favourite book?
VG:
I don’t have one favourite –
different books suited at different times
and meant different things to me. I have
lots of favourites and they make a rather
disparate bunch! From Five Children and
It to Kit’s Wilderness, to Trainspotting,
The Wasp Factory, and anything by Anne Tyler…
3.
What book(s) are you proudest of having
worked on? Why?
VG:
I’m proud of all the books I’ve
worked on, but the most recent one I published
at Hodder, which I loved working on, and
which has subsequently done incredibly well,
was Cressida Cowell’s How to Train
Your Dragon – a very funny Viking
adventure story with LOTS of illustration
– in fact it was Cressida’s
first fiction novel, having previously only
written and illustrated picture books, so
it was great helping her develop a longer
story.
I’m also proud to have published
Laurie Halse Anderson’s fiction here
in the UK – her teen novel, Speak,
is a fantastic piece of writing –
sharp, witty, hard-hitting and totally gripping.
It was one of the launch titles of the Bite
list as a result.
4. How would
you describe the publishing programme at
Simon and Schuster Children’s Books?
What kind of books do you publish, and how
many new books do you acquire each year?
VG:
I joined Simon and Schuster in July, with
a brief to grow the fiction list, so it’s
still early days going forward. But the
current publishing programme has a strong
emphasis on older fiction – with Paul
Magrs (Strange Boy), Karen Wallace (Raspberries
on the Yangtze) and Valerie Mendes (Girl
in the Attic) leading the way, and some
excellent U.S. authors, like E R Frank and
Holly Black. I’m keen to build on
this, but initially I’m particularly
looking to develop the younger and middle
fiction areas, where at the moment we are
under-represented, though the wonderfully
creepy Spiderwick has got us off to a very
good start. We currently publish about 50
new fiction titles a year, with about a
third of these being UK originated. I’ll
be working on increasing this to closer
to half of all titles, though don’t
want to be prescriptive about it.
5.
What opportunities are there for projects
other than novels and picture books (short
story collections, poetry, anthologies,
etc.)?
VG:
I’d never say never, but at the moment
the list isn’t big enough to be diverting
from the core commercial areas, though something
really special would find its own place.
6.
How linked are Simon & Schuster UK and
Simon & Schuster US?
VG:
We have a strong, mutually supportive relationship
– if we can work together, we will,
though it comes down to individual editors’
tastes as to whether a book fits their list.
We get first look at most of their fiction,
unless previous options are in place, and
we return the favour where we control world
rights. We have combined successfully on
a couple of recent auctions to win global
rights in projects we’re both really
enthusiastic about, which is a tremendous
advantage to have – but there are
also strong on-going relationships with
other publishers, which we cherish and continue
to nurture.
7.
Are you aware of any major differences between
the UK market for children’s books
and the US market? Do you think they are
becoming more similar, or less so?
VG:
In my experience, younger fiction is much
harder to import – different school
systems and difficulty in anglicising being
the main reasons – it’s more
likely to work as part of a series, but
the market is tough as a whole. Middle grade
and YA novels are much more straightforward
– and the markets here are much closer
together, as recent global deals have shown.
Kids here are so used to American culture
bombarding them from every angle, that the
same barriers don’t exist at the older
end. A huge amount of teen fiction transfers
from the States to the UK and finds a ready
audience, and middle fiction is going the
same way. Basically, if it’s a strong
enough story, it will resonate with readers
anywhere.
8.
Are there any books currently on your list
that you would consider quintessentially
Simon and Schuster?
VG:
I think books are more likely to reflect
an editor’s taste and the changing
requirements of the market than any corporate
identity. I’d prefer us to be known
for quality and individuality across a broad
range of genres and age levels than for
any one book or series. But there is a very
international flavour to our list –
with authors from Denmark, New Zealand,
South Africa, Bali, Israel, the US…
as well as some excellent home-grown talent!
9.
What do you look for in a book? What thrills
you? Could you please give an example of
writing and/or art that you are excited
by?
VG:
Accessible writing, beautifully crafted
– simplicity, but with power behind
it. David Almond’s writing is a prime
example of this. A story which grabs you
immediately and makes you want to follow
its journey. A character you fall in love
with and feel you want to know. It’s
difficult to analyse – you just know
when you’ve found it…
10.
Anything you are definitely not looking
for?
VG:
Nothing with an overt message, or where
the issue dominates at the expense of character
– nothing formulaic or overtly schmaltzy…
11.
What, for you, is the role of the ‘ideal
editor’?
VG:
I imagine the ideal editor is very different
for each author! So I think it is probably
knowing when to step in and when to stand
back. To be able to make suggestions, brainstorm
ideas and see both the detail and the bigger
picture – but not to hem an author
in. But also to stand firm when you have
to – without trying to be an author
yourself.
12.
Are you aware of any trends in children’s
publishing at the moment? How do you feel
about them?
VG:
Well, fantasy is still going strong –
though it’s much harder to stand out
within such a crowded arena and only the
best books and authors will work. I’m
delighted by the resurgence in historical
fiction – I’ve always been a
huge fan – and sea-faring adventures
and pirates are very current too –
all forms of escapism in their different
ways. But I’m really more interested
in pre-empting trends than following them
– seeing what’s going on outside
of the publishing industry, what’s
exciting kids in the general market place
and whether we can tap into that in book
form.
13.
What say does the sales/marketing department
have in the look or type of book you produce?
VG:
I’ve always worked very closely with
sales and marketing – after all, they’re
the ones who actually have to get the book
you and the author have slaved over out
into the market place. It’s generally
a team discussion - I have strong views,
but am happy to be persuaded!
14. Will you look at illustration samples?
If so, do you advise an illustrator to send
new samples every six months or so?
VG:
I’m really only interested in seeing
black and white samples, as the covers are
commissioned by the art director.
15.
Are you accepting unsolicited manuscripts
at the moment?
VG:
No. We just don’t have the capacity
to manage this at the moment and prefer
to see material via agents.
16.
What do you see as some of the common mistakes
authors could avoid making when submitting?
VG:
Don’t say ‘I read it to my kids
and they loved it’ – they’re
biased! Don’t send illustration samples
with your text – publishers tend to
commission their own, and are very unlikely
to use colour art in a fiction text. Just
send a synopsis and sample chapters to begin
with – we’ll ask if we want
to see more. Send a biography – anything
that might be relevant to the marketing
of the book is useful to have to hand.
17.
Is there anything else that you would like
to add?
VG:
Just that I’m looking forward to meeting
everyone in Paris in October! |
