How I Became a Stalker
Newsletter #9
An Awkward Part of the Process
I didn’t know when I started writing picture books that part of the job was to become a stalker. But here I am and that’s what happened. I did know that I wanted to have my picture books traditionally published and to do that, I began my agent search. What’s a literary agent? Since I know many of my readers at this point are unfamiliar with the writing industry, here’s a quick vocab lesson.
PUBLISHER - books are bought, produced, and distributed through a publisher, and in the US book market, there are five main ones, called “the big 5”: Hachette, Harper Collins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster
IMPRINT - under the umbrella of publishers are hundreds of imprints, or brands dedicated to publishing certain genres or catering to particular markets
EDITOR - editors work for these imprints/publishers, acquire books, and help prepare them for publication through notes that the author uses to revise
AGENT - a business partner of an author who sells books to a publisher via editors and negotiates the best deal
Most publishers only accept work to consider from agents, so if I wanted the best chance to be published by the Big 5, I needed an agent. And here’s where the serious stalking came in.
First, the basics:
searching lists of top agents on Publisher’s Marketplace
determining which agents take picture books
reading up on their manuscript wish lists
checking out their websites, sales records, and current clients
Then, digging deeper:
searching for articles written about them and reading every. single. one. Multiple times!
watching any interviews or videos or webinars of them (this is where you can really see their vibe, how they talk, what their humor is like or if it’s missing)
learning which future conferences they’ll be at or other presentations they have planned so you might have a chance to submit a manuscript (aka story) to them after attending the event
finding all their social media and scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling to see what their personality, interests, and values are (taking note—this agent likes corgis, that agent is obsessed with cheese, etc.)
Really, if you keep following the links, you can even find things like where they went to school, what they were involved in, wedding websites and registries, etc. See? STALKER. That’s me. Part of the writer profile.
Are there parts of your job that make you feel a little awkward or icky? Please let me know I’m not the only one!
Book Report: PAPER SON, THE INSPIRING STORY OF TYRUS WONG, IMMIGRANT AND ARTIST
Written by Julie Leung
Illustrated by Chris Sasaki
Before this book was published, I already felt drawn to its premise because I knew the importance of telling the story of paper sons; years before, I had even written down ‘paper son’ on my list of story ideas. (I learned about paper sons in my Asian American studies courses in college and took multiple field trips to Angel Island to see the barracks where the immigrants lived, carved poems in the walls, and hung themselves in desperation.) When I read the story, I fell deeply in love with the determination and courage of 9-year-old Tyrus being detained and interrogated at Angel Island and the sacrifices his parents made to help him thrive as an artist. Julie’s well-chosen events of Tyrus’s life exemplify his struggles and triumphs so well, especially the way he blended Chinese watercolor art style with Western techniques for a Disney film. Chris’s gorgeous illustrations showcase several artistic styles and reflect the quiet yet impactful life that Tyrus led. I very much appreciate the way this book brings an unsung hero to our attention, and the photos in the back matter are a welcome bonus.
Themes: immigration, dreams, biography, determination, courage
Discussion Ideas:
What character traits would you use to describe Tyrus and his father, and how did those traits enable them to lead the lives they did?
What types of injustices did Tyrus encounter in his life, and how did he overcome those unfair experiences?
Mentor Text For:
strong verbs
descriptive language
shades of meaning
careers (there are references to many different jobs)
appropriate use of transitions (time reference)
sentence structures
Link to Teacher Resources: Classroom Activities
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Weekly Progress Report
This is a section for “stuff I did” that relates to my writing career. I believe in celebrating all wins, big and small alike.
sketched a dummy of a work-in-progress
revised this work-in-progress and sent it to my critique group
watched an Ask an Agent webinar
researched several editors from Simon & Schuster
wrote a few posts for future newsletters
Sending you courage and grace in all you choose to do,
Susan
Does mindless scrolling on social media for public figures, reading the hate (and love) comments and laughing count? It's quite entertaining!