Ask the Editor with Katherine Gibson

Welcome to our quarterly Ask the Editor feature! Katherine Gibson is an editor at Zonderkidz and was previously at Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. She's collecting questions from SCBWI-MI members and sharing her answers with our community. Did you miss her other Q&As? See the links at the end of this post.

Here's Katherine:

Hi everyone! Huge THANK YOU to everyone who sent me their questions! I hope all of you, whether you submitted a question or not, find this post helpful and informative.

As with my previous Ask the Editor posts, I humbly request that you take my comments in the spirit in which they’re intended. The advice here is meant to be friendly and helpful, and I don’t want anyone to finish this post feeling vulnerable or discouraged. We’re all in the process of growing and changing as writers, and that’s a good thing! 

Also, a general disclaimer that my thoughts are my own; I do not speak on behalf of all publishing. If I say something that you really don’t agree with, or you’ve received comments from an editor or agent that directly conflict with my perspective, you can disregard my comments if you so choose. What you find here is solely one editor’s perspective. 

Finally, if you have any questions about writing or publishing that aren’t addressed here, please feel free to email me. I’m always happy to gather questions for my next post!

Thanks so much, and happy reading/writing! 

With regard to quiet books, are there certain topics that are more marketable than others? What makes a quiet story stand out, and is a first-time author at a disadvantage by submitting a quiet book?

Great questions! For me, a quiet story that's gorgeously written is definitely compelling, and I think from a marketing standpoint, if the story focuses on a POC or a particular social issue (socioeconomic status, LGBTQ rights, etc.), then even if the story itself is a quiet one, it could still gain lots of attention since there's such a demand for diverse books in the marketplace. 

I do think that for a first-time author, a manuscript that's flashy/trendy/high concept could make a publisher more willing to take a chance on someone who's making their debut, as publishers generally want a strong hook for the book, and that's usually either the concept or the author's platform. That said, I've seen plenty of authors make their debuts with quiet books, so it can definitely be done! 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on illustration notes. I realize it's a very individual matter, but what’s the best approach in your opinion?

You're absolutely right to say that it's an individual matter, though I think for most editors, when it comes to illustration notes, less (or in this case, fewer) is more. Personally, I prefer that the only illustration notes in a manuscript are put in because they're important to the understanding of the book. For example, if the manuscript has a sound effect, like BANG or KAPOW, and it’s not clear from the text what’s happening to create that sound effect, an art note could help explain the physical action.

If the illustration note isn't necessary to the story, I generally advise writers to leave it out; artists like having room to be creative just as much as writers do, so most artists don't want the illustrations dictated too much.

Do you have a word count limit in mind when you evaluate fiction picture books?

I don't personally have a specific limit, though a picture book manuscript that's too wordy for the subject matter is definitely a red flag. Generally speaking, most editors and agents expect a fiction picture book to be less than 1000 words, so that's a good rule of thumb for writers to keep in mind. (Nonfiction picture books are typically longer, but not dramatically so — maybe 1300-1500 words for the norm.) 

I think it was Neil Gaiman who said that children's book writers have to be able to justify every word they use, and I think that's true — in picture books, every word has to do its job. Some fiction picture books are going to run longer than the average, and that’s okay, as long as it can be justified. But something that never fails to impress me is when a picture book writer manages to convey depth and nuance with just a few hundred words. 

The picture book biography market feels saturated, but I still hear about many people who are currently working on them. What should writers consider to ensure their picture book biography stands out in a crowded marketplace? 

You’re totally right to point out that there have been a plethora of picture book biographies in recent years, but while the market has definitely cooled, I wouldn’t say it’s completely saturated yet. I think publishers are still open to taking on picture book biographies; they’re just a bit more discerning about the ones they take on. I think for a picture book biography to make a splash, there needs to be something surprising about it. 

For example, maybe it’s a significant, previously untold story (like Hidden Figures was when it was published). Maybe it’s a diverse, Own Voices story that the author can lend a particular insight to. Maybe it’s a biography that takes place entirely in a person’s childhood, or maybe it’s a biography about a thing rather than a person (such as Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover). 

I think the key thing that determines whether or not a picture book biography works is its relevance. How does it relate to our lives today? How did this person/event impact our world? Why is this a story we need to know about? If you have a strong answer to those questions, then you have a story worth telling, regardless of the market trends.

Is it better to do cold submissions as an unpublished author of picture books or find an agent to represent you? 

I think in general it’s advisable to secure an agent, as they have a ton of industry connections, which can help find the right publisher for your book, plus they can help you deal with some of the more unpleasant parts of the publishing process, such as negotiating contracts. 

That being said, everyone knows how tough it is to find an agent; I think most agents only sign a handful of new clients each year. So if you’ve been searching for an agent and haven’t had any luck, it may be worth sending your submission directly to a publisher. A lot of publishers won’t consider unagented manuscripts, but there are some that will, especially smaller independent presses. 

I think the key for submitting a project — whether it’s to an agent or a publisher — is to research the kinds of books they publish/are looking for. If you can make a strong connection between your manuscript and their list, they’re much more likely to take a closer look.

How are illustrators submitting their work for consideration these days, for both picture books and young adult art? Which social media sites are best for illustrators to use, and how often should you put up images?

You can send art samples digitally of course, but I know a lot of illustrators and artist’s agents who still send postcards featuring their illustrations. (Personally, I like the postcards, because I can tack my favorites above my desk and have an easy reference when I need to look for an illustrator — plus they make my office pretty!) 

For either format, you’ll want to be sure to include a link or URL for your website so agents and editors can scroll through the rest of your portfolio after they’ve seen your sample. Beyond your website, I think it’s great for illustrators to post their work to both Twitter and Instagram. Most designers, agents, and art directors are active on those sites, so it can be a great way to get their attention. 

You don’t need to post new images every day — I’d say once or twice a week would suffice. And it doesn’t have to be finished art, mind you; it can be a quick sketch or a small doodle. (I particularly love when artists post random drawings of their pets or houseplants, but that might just be me.) The point is to show you’re regularly practicing your craft and creating quality art. And the more illustrations you post, the more agents and publishers will feel like they understand your art style.

Which areas do you concentrate on in your editing process? Do you have any criteria that you follow?

The areas I focus on while editing tend to depend on the individual manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses, but in general I concentrate on macroedits in the beginning (plot structure, characterization, theme, etc.) and then work my way down to more microedits (grammar, word choice, and so on).

I’m not sure that I follow a set criteria, but one self-imposed rule I try to follow is this: The first time I read a manuscript through, I try not to do any editing. Instead, I read for comprehension and take notes on things that stand out to me, either good or bad. I like to think of it as the manuscript introducing itself to me. Then once I have a clear picture of the whole story, I’ll go back through it a second time and actually insert those comments where appropriate. 

I think reading the whole manuscript through first helps me to understand the scope of the project. That way, when I go back through the notes I took, I can easily see which issues are going to be the biggest things to tackle, and I know where and how to start the editing process.

Katherine Gibson is an editor for Zonderkidz, having previously worked for Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. She graduated from the University of Denver Publishing Institute in 2013 and has spent the last five years editing and publishing award-winning children’s books, including Sibert Medal and Caldecott Honor book The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus and Plume, which was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book.

Thank you, Katherine!

To submit a publishing question, email Mitten blog editor Kristin Lenz with "Ask the Editor" in the subject line, and she'll forward your question to Katherine. Or, stay tuned on the SCBWI-MI MichKids listserv – Katherine will ask for questions a few weeks before her next post.


To read Katherine's previous Ask the Editor posts, click on these links:

• https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2019/05/ask-editor-with-katherine-gibson.html
• https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2019/02/ask-editor-with-katherine-gibson.html

Coming up on the Mitten Blog: 

Book Birthdays galore, a Writer Spotlight, a new Featured Illustrator, and another round of Hugs and Hurrahs. We want to celebrate your success! Please email your children's writing and illustrating good news to Patti Richards by Sept. 23rd.