I got an email today that made me realize that I really do get asked a number of questions that would be best served to answer in public, as I get these questions periodically in various permutations.
So, I’m starting an infrequent series today I’ll be labelling in the tags as FAQs. Here we go with #1, with of course identifying information removed.

My novel, the first of a proposed 7-book chapter series, uses children as the lead characters in a detailed fantasy world. It floats between the line of the more adult Wizards of the Coast readers, and the younger Mirrorstone audience. Categorically, it can belong to either, and maybe even both.
With that said, since the protagonists are children (and the wording is at the 7th grade level), would it be more prudent to submit it to Mirrorstone, or to Wizards? Is it possible to submit it to both imprints?
I just wanted to make sure I submitted it to the appropriate imprint. I wrote this initially as a young reader’s book, and the tone and verbiage corresponds to that age. But its detail and rich character devel
opment is making me wonder a bit.

There are a lot of good questions in here that a lot of aspiring authors would be interested in. Editors use very specific definitions for different types of books, and knowing what those definitions are and how to use them will make your query letters stand out.
When someone says to a children’s book editor that they have a chapter book series they’d like to propose, the editor thinks “early reader” for kids who have just learned to read, generally ages 6-8. Think Time Spies or Magic Treehouse or Junie B. Jones or Spiderwick.
So, let’s get some clear definitions of the terms we use, so that everyone will be on the same page. Since I work with fiction, I’m just going to refer to novels, but this applies to nonfiction, anthologies, short stories, and other categories as well.
Chapter book–ages 6-8, a short story written with care taken for vocabulary, generally printed in a larger font and containing several illustrations. Not as dependent on illustrations as a picture book, but still quite a few. Broken up into short chapters to help new readers get used to the format of a regular novel, compared to the more word-sparse picture book.
Middle grade–novels written for ages 8-12. Pretty much anything in the young readers section at the bookstore–Harry Potter (Sorcerer’s Stone, at least), Charlotte’s Web, all those longer storybooks generally are considered middle grade, aimed at kids who are fluent independent readers who like a longer story. Genres abound in this section–mystery, realism, fantasy, science fiction, and many crossovers between classifications.
Young adult, or YA–novels written for teens ages 12-18. Again, pretty much anything in the bookstore in the teen section. You’ll probably notice some crossover between stuff written for the older middle grade crowd and the younger YA crowd–Harry Potter is a great example of how the maturity level of the intended reader increases as the series is published–and some books are shelved in both sections. Again, genres in this category abound–fantasy especially is hot right now. And you’ll also notice that some books in the teen section have once been published for adults. Lord of the Rings, for example, is published in many versions, one of which you’ll find in the teen section. A lot of crossover between the older YA crowd and books published for adults, because teens tend to “read up,” meaning that they read books meant for a slightly older audience. Great examples of YA fantasy include Holly Black’s Tithe, Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty, most books by Tamora Pierce, the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix, Shannon Hale’s Goose Girl, and Charles de Lint’s The Blue Girl. There are so many more out there, too. And Hallowmere, the first volume of which, In the Serpent’s Coils by Tiffany Trent, will debut next fall, will be the first YA series to be published by Mirrorstone.
If you’ve written a story you think will appeal to teens, by all means, it’s something to propose to Mirrorstone. And don’t shy away from rich characterization and detail! The best YA writers use both (read Robin McKinley!)–plot is important, but should grow from great characters and their motivations. Generally, plots for younger readers (and here I mean anything under 18) tend to be more linear than plots in books for adults, but even so, that’s just a generalization. Twists and turns are welcome, and we actively seek characters we want to care about.
The best way to judge whether it would appeal to Mirrorstone as opposed to Wizards of the Coast, which is our imprint for adults, is to go into a bookstore’s teen section and see what’s on the shelf. If your book would fit in better in the teen section than the fantasy section of the bookstore, then you know you’re targeting Mirrorstone. If you’d rather see it in the fantasy section for adults, then the WotC imprint is
probably a better fit.
That said, you have to be aware that the WotC imprint is only open for submissions from Sept. to Dec. every year, and is looking for very specific kinds of books. Follow the guidelines with exactness, and don’t submit anything unless the website says that they’re open for submissions. Do not submit to both imprints at once. It’s much less confusing that way.
Now, if you’re still not sure whether your book should be for teens or adults, the next thing to do is to get together with a critique group or other group of people familiar with children’s literature, YA specifically. Contact your local chapter of SCBWI to find a critique group, or take a class in children’s literature, or go to a writing conference. If you want to write for a market, you need to be informed within the market, so however you learn, do your research before pitching your manuscript.
If you don’t know where your manuscript fits, it’ll be that much harder for me to know if it’s right for us. The manuscripts that stand out, in addition to the number one criteria of being well-crafted, are written by authors who know the children’s book market and how it differs from the adult market.
Good luck!

Sorry, been rather busy lately and haven’t updated much. Hope all your Thanksgivings were wonderful. Mine was nicely relaxing, and I didn’t do a stitch of work the whole weekend. And now it’s been a crazy week this week. If you’ve seen the news about the snowstorm in Seattle, that’s one thing that’s been going on. I went home early on Tuesday and it was touch and go yesterday on whether it would snow again and people might not be able to get home.
I’m trying to finish off a number of projects quickly because I’m heading out early for Christmas this year. I got a free ticket back in July, but didn’t know you should book those so early (I didn’t even know when I’d want to travel over the holidays until Sept. or Oct., and they said I should have booked it in July)–so I had to take what I could get on travel days. So I’m out of town, heading back home to Illinois, on Dec. 13th and coming back on Christmas Day. At least the flight doesn’t leave Chicago till 5-ish, which allows me Christmas morning at Grandma’s, then a 3-hour drive to Chicago with my mom and other grandma.
Then I have the whole week off between Christmas and New Year’s because the office is closed–though honestly, I’ll probably be working at least some of that time, because I’m going to be bored. There’s the temptation to drive down to Utah to spend New Year’s with friends again, like I have the last few years, but funds are tight this year and I have an invite to play games with friends here, so I might do that.
At any rate, you’re hearing less from me because there’s not much to tell. Lots going on in my personal life, because the holidays are like that, but books-wise, just lots of editing and talking to authors and stuff going on behind the scenes.
But keep an eye out for ALA Midwinter. I’m sure I’ll have lots to say come January.

I just got back from watching the new Will Ferrell movie Stranger Than Fiction with a friend. What a GREAT show! I like Will Ferrell about half the time–he’s a good comedian, but I don’t go for over-the-top humor. I liked Bewitched and Elf, though, and with the premise of the story being what it was, and on the recommendation of a friend, I went, and it was worth it.
The idea, if you didn’t know, is that Harold Crick wakes up one morning to hear Emma Thompson’s voice narrating his life. He’s an IRS agent, and his life is extremely boring–lives alone, no friends, counts his brushstrokes when brushing his teeth, etc. A few days after he starts hearing the narrator, she says, “Little did he know, [something something about an event] would lead to his imminent death.”
There is so much meta-fictional stuff here that my Victorian children’s lit teacher in grad school would have had a heyday with. Then again, it would be interesting to compare this movie to Veronica Mars’s narration, as well. What an interesting twist on the break
ing of the narrator-reader wall. “Slippage” was my Victorian teacher’s favorite term, and what slippage was here! But it wasn’t the usual kind, the kind that breaks the wall between the reality of the book and the reality of the reader, which was so prevalent in Victorian children’s lit. Instead, it broke the boundaries between the narrator and the character, in a very obvious way (a way another friend terms “pretentious,” saying that the movie was too self-aware, yet I think was that way on purpose).
Anyway, great movie. Funny and original. Highly recommend it for the lit geek and non-lit geek alike.

From Tiffany Trent’s LJ (): “Fellow 2k7er and Bold YA Reading Adventurer, has posted a review of In the Serpent’s Coils on her blog. Check it.
Do I get to wear a T-shirt now that says Queen of Creepy?”
Here’s part of what Sarah Beth said:

If you’re looking for gothic spooky, this novel is for you. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to snuggle up on the couch with a cat and some hot chocolate. Tiffany does a fabulous job creating an eerie atmosphere. Seriously, you look up from the novel and expect to see fog around your ankles and a taloned hand reaching for your neck…

Thanks, Sarah Beth! I’m so excited others are loving Hallowmere as much as I did when I first read it–probably on my own couch with Mogget (my cat) and a hot chocolate. 🙂 The rest of you, keep an eye out–if you’re headed to BEA or ALA Midwinter or Annual this year, you too could devour an ARC of In the Serpent’s Coils.

So I’m working from home today, and now I’m taking a little lunch break and pondering my ballot (which I really need to fill out and send off), and for some reason I got to looking at ‘s journal, and it brought back some fun memories from this summer.
Mostly, it was this entry that made me laugh. That was a good lunch. I love how the alter-ego is always inserted into the pictures. 🙂
And go read The Wayward Wizard, if you haven’t yet! And then the Practical Guide to Dragons!

That’s all. Just go away.
Oh, give me three feet of snow and the knowledge that it’s truly winter (and thus, all the mold is DEAD! ha!) over this ocean dumping on my head any day. At least with snow you’re not as likely to be soaked through while still outside. Sure, it’ll melt on you inside the door, but then you can change into something cozy and warm.

Pictures!
Well, this is part 1 of 2, but part 2 may come anytime between now and Christmas, depending on when I get the film developed.

Me, as Eowyn. Note my “short sword” (okay, a dagger) on the wrong side, of course, ready to slay a Nazgul.
I love my job. We have such fun.

Halloween could be said to be the most anticipated day of the year for employees here. Many people dress up, and there’s a company party. Today R.A. Salvatore dropped in and signed some books. But the highlight of the day, I think, was that three guys dressed up as Vanilla Ice and the V.I.P. Posse. Not only did they dress up, but they scheduled a “CD release party,” and danced to “Ice Ice Baby”–very well, too. A little breaking, all the standard early 90s dance moves. Hilarious. I only wish I had pictures.
Pictures of me as Eowyn to come. (Galadriel didn’t work out, but a lovely coworker had a medieval dress that looked very Eowynish. Besides, I didn’t have elf ears.)

For those going to this, keep an eye out for Tiffany Trent (), the author of In the Serpent’s Coils, the first volume of Hallowmere. She’ll be reading from Serpents Coils and will be joined by a couple other YA authors. More info at her LJ.
It’ll be Saturday, 11/4, and she’ll be joined by fellow 2k7er Sarah Beth Durst and Jo Whittemore, among others.

Just for fun, I thought I’d share. Me, as Princess Leia:

Yes, that dress is made of my roommate’s curtains, why do you ask? Oh, and I photoshopped in the blaster from another picture from the same night. Someone showed up at the same dance–my long-lost brother!


Notice the Skywalkers are going blonde.