Week of January 27, 2013—Wisdom from FL
SCBWI, Miami
Monday, January 28—Wise Words from Rubin
Pfeffer
Rubin
Pfeffer from East West Literary Agency was one of the featured faculty members
at the FL SCBWI Winter Workshop. Rubin is my agent, so I always enjoy hearing
him speak, spending time picking his brain, and hearing his latest insights
about children’s publishing. Throughout the weekend, Rubin emphasized four
words that stuck out to me. Today I'll share those words and my reflections
on each.
s
RELATIONSHIPS
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SYNERGY
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CIRCUITOUS
s
REALISTIC
RELATIONSHIPS— a connection, association, or involvement
Throughout
the weekend, Rubin and others talked about the importance of relationships. That
includes the relationships writers form with agents and editors they meet and
eventually work with, the relationships agents have with editors, the
relationship between author and illustrator (although we usually don’t meet or
correspond with one another, we still have a working relationship), and so on.
Our goal is to build relationships that are lasting and productive.
SYNERGY—the
interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is
greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions
The work between
writer, agent, editor, art director, and illustrator takes synergy. Each
component of the process adds more and more to what ends up being a picture
book. We have to accept, embrace, and celebrate the synergy that goes into our
work.
CIRCUITOUS— roundabout; not direct: a circuitous route
Many things in the writing and publishing process take a
circuitous route. An editor mentions a topic that reminds you of a manuscript
you put away years ago. A rejection establishes a relationship that eventually
leads to a book deal. A project is delayed and in the meantime the perfect
illustrator becomes available. Circuitous events are part of the daily life of
a picture book author. While these round-about journeys may be frustrating,
they can also be extremely rewarding when the path finally leads to
publication.
REALISTIC—interested
in, concerned with, or based on what is real or practical
Rubin
spoke during the weekend about writers being realistic. I took away that he
meant we have to be realistic about the work writing requires, be realistic
about taking our craft seriously, be realistic about our chances of getting
published, be realistic about whether writing will be a career or not, be realistic
about the market and its demands, be realistic about the changes coming in
publishing, and so on.
2 comments:
Thanks for the post. You've got a great agent!
I wish I could have been there! Rubin is amazing.
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