Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies®
Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies®
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Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011930126
ISBN: 978-0-470-94954-2 (cloth); ISBN: 978-1-118-09289-7 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-09290-3 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-118-09291-0 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Author
Deborah Halverson edited books with Harcourt Children’s Books for ten years — until she climbed over the desk and tried out the chair on the other side. Now she is the award-winning author of teen novels including Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth. Armed with a master’s in American Literature and a fascination with pop culture, Deborah sculpts stories from extreme places and events — tattoo parlors, fast-food joints, and, most extreme of all, high schools.
Deborah is also the founder of the popular writers’ advice website DearEditor.com, a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences nationwide, and a writing teacher for groups and institutions including the Extension Program of the University of California, San Diego. She freelance edits fiction and nonfiction for both published authors and writers seeking their first book deals. By conducting word-by-word line editing or more general substantive editing, Deborah helps authors hone their storytelling voices, synchronize age-appropriate language and subjects, and develop stories that appeal simultaneously to young readers and to adults such as parents, teachers, and librarians.
Deborah lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and triplet sons. For more about Deborah, visit her author website at www.deborahhalverson.com and her writers’ advice website at www.deareditor.com.
Dedication
For Robin Cruise, who gave me not one but three big breaks . . . and more importantly, her friendship
Author’s Acknowledgments
On my first day as an editorial assistant with Harcourt Children’s Books, the managing editor walked me down the hall to view an art show of newly arrived paintings for a picture book then in production. I stood among a bustling crowd of editors, designers, production people, marketing gurus, and inventory, financial, legal, and support staff — all of whom had dedicated their careers and personal passions to creating entertaining and enlightening books for children — and it hit me: I’d found my people. I discovered that day what I’ve come to love about the writers and producers of children’s books: They are a true community that cheers, collaborates, and works its knuckles to the bones in support of literature for young readers. The enthusiastic participation of the writers, agents, and editors who have contributed their expertise to the information you hold in your hand reflects that.
I extend immense thanks to the inspiring writers and teachers who’ve lent their voices to this book: M. T. Anderson, Kathi Appelt, Karen Cushman, Jennifer Donnelly, Jean Ferris, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Darcy Pattison, Mary E. Pearson, Gary Soto, Deborah Wiles, and Jane Yolen. Add to their voices those of my trusted children’s book agent Erin Murphy and my friend Senior Editor Kate Harrison.
Then there are those whose words are not directly quoted in this book but whose insight and expertise fill its pages: former publisher and all-around publishing visionary Rubin Pfeffer, editorial veteran Diane D’Andrade, vice president and editorial director Jeannette Larson, author Bruce Hale, author and copyright/free speech attorney Randal Morrison, publishing attorney Lisa Lucas of Lucas LLP, and publicists Barbara Fisch and Sarah Shealy of Blue Slip Media and Antoinette Kuritz of Strategies Literary Public Relations.
And just as no story would be complete without its grand finale, I extend my deepest appreciation to my agents for this book, Matt Wagner and Anna Johnson, whose idea it was to turn me into a dummy; to my editorial team: acquisitions editor Tracy Boggier, technical editor Barbara Shoup, copy editor Danielle Voirol, and especially project editor Vicki Adang, whose humor pervades this book as much as my own; to my husband, Michael, who champions me with absolute abandon, and my three sons, who inspire me to embrace every day as a new adventure; and last but far from least, to my mentor and friend Robin Cruise, the managing editor who ushered me into that art show on my very first day in publishing.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development
Project Editor: Victoria M. Adang
Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier
Senior Copy Editor: Danielle Voirol
Assistant Editor: David Lutton
Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen
Technical Editor: Barbara Shoup
Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker
Editorial Assistants: Rachelle S. Amick
Cover Photos: © iStockphoto.com/DNY59
Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)
Composition Services
Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker
Layout and Graphics: Corrie Socolovitch
Proofreader: Nancy L. Reinhardt
Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry
Special Help: Jennette ElNaggar, Todd Lothery
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services