The quotable L'Editrice

Yours truly was quoted in GalleyCat yesterday.

Though I definitely thought the assumption that a book being "orphaned" might be reason for its poor sales was a big one (in my experience, publishers and editors make every effort for the entire list to succeed, no matter who acquired a book and where he or she might be now, so definitely take heed of Liz Scheier's closing words), the question of how to overcome a weak freshman try is an interesting one.

(Note that I would have worded the introduction to my second quotation differently, so that it was clear that a publisher might request the psuedonym, not the genre change.)

- L'Editrice

Parallels in creativity

At play rehearsal the other day (insert shameless plug here), it struck me that a director's job is a lot like an editor's. After we rehearsed Act I, our director was going over his notes with us, telling the actors what came across when they did X or said Y in this way, what the audience would interpret it as.

Just as a director stands in for the audience, an editor stands in for the reader, and helps an author get her story across, helps the characters be fuller and more relatable. And then a finished book is like the final production. (Though once a book is published, an author doesn't get the chance to improve during the course of the show's run. That's what sequels are for. : P)

The show must go on . . .

- L'Editrice

Overused words that annoy me

Has anyone else noticed how the word "hot" has replaced every other description of attractiveness? And sometimes it's just not appropriate. You should not call your mom "hot" if you're trying to compliment her on her makeover, a child should not look "hot" (nor should she be made to look like a 25-year-old sorority girl at age 8), etc. I mean, I understand that words' meanings often change, but the origin of the word "hot" is definitely sexual, and I think the connotation is still there.

Similarly, can we please finally retire the word "co-ed"? It comes from back in the day when it was a big deal for all-male schools to let women in. And even then, technically all the students were "co-eds" since both sexes attended a co-educational school. I'm so sick of the word being used as a synonym for female students, especially when people want them to sound all sexy and scandalous.

That's all!
- L'Editrice

You and many

I just learned of a brand-new house, focused on multicultural sci-fi and fantasy for young readers: Tu Publishing.

I love their mission statement. Here's an excerpt from it:
"Books can be both a mirror and a window to other worlds for readers. Tu Publishing hopes that by publishing books that feature multicultural characters and settings and books with worlds inspired by all the many non-Western cultures in the world, we might shine a mirror on you and open a window to many."

How great that Tu is adding more color to the world of young people's literature.

- L'Editrice