We welcome the return of the Great Big Holiday Gift Guide, 2019 edition! I interview three independent booksellers from various parts of the country, and we give you our best recommendations for ALL the young folks on your shopping list – and some of the grownups, too. Joining me are Abby Rauscher, from Books are Magic in Brooklyn New York – Cecilia Cackley, from East City Books on Capitol Hilll in Washington DC, and Stephanie Heinz, from Print: A Bookstore, in Portland Maine. Get a pen and pape...
Dec 02, 2019•55 min
My guest Kandace Coston is an editor at Lee & Low, the largest multicultural publisher in the U.S. She is a nonfiction picture book expert, and we'll discuss how to choose a topic, what to include in the backmatter, and how to tackle potentially problematic content in a nonfiction book for young readers. Also, I explore an app that makes me feel EXTREMELY old. Join us, won't you?
Nov 24, 2019•26 min
Welcome to an all-new feature on the Literaticast: BEHIND THE BOOK, in which we take a deep dive into the backstory behind the making of one fascinating book. Up for discussion today is ROAR LIKE A DANDELION by Ruth Krauss, Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier, published by HarperCollins. Ruth Krauss was one of the foremost children's authors of the 20th century, and ROAR is a long-lost manuscript that has just been published for the first time. I speak to HarperCollins editor Nancy Inteli, who redisco...
Oct 17, 2019•50 min
I'm joined by author Stephanie Lucianovic, whose debut picture book THE END OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL drops on September 10. She's dropping some hot knowledge on us about what it is like to navigate the pre-debut time, how to find and utilize mentor texts, winning social media strategies, how to work well with illustrators, and so much more. Plus you'll hear me moan about... cars? Listen, I can't talk about TV Shows on a Book Podcast EVERY time. ;-) Shownotes: JenniferLaughran.com/Literaticast...
Sep 06, 2019•37 min
My guest is Executive Editor of the Abrams Appleseed imprint, Meredith Mundy. We chat about all things "little-kid" book related -- including the different types of board and novelty books, and the joys and challenges of writing and publishing them.
Aug 19, 2019•31 min
It's a Summertime Bonus Episode! ABLA Senior Agent Jen Rofé joins me to answer burning listener questions about queries, submission strategies, working with your agent, and so much more. Plus we talk about glass-blowing and Russian spies. (Obviously!)
Jul 26, 2019•47 min
First I talk a bit about the etiquette of leaving your agent and getting a new one -- it's not as scary or weird as you might worry it will be! Then, the fabulous Dahlia Adler joins me to talk about her books, blogging, promoting authors, self-promoting, cutting through the internet noise, avoiding burnout, and being a professional Big Mouth. We also talk about her site LGBTQ Reads, and Dahlia gives us a taste of her favorite queer reads. Get your pen and paper ready so you can jot down these te...
Jul 05, 2019•44 min
I sit down with powerhouse editor Namrata Tripathi, the founder and publisher of Kokila Books, a new imprint of Penguin Random House. The first books from Kokila are coming this week, so we have a great discussion about what it is like to start an imprint from scratch, from deciding on the name and logo to choosing the first books to publish; also the importance of diversity in creators, topics, gatekeepers; and what conversation would be complete without mentioning nerdy vampires?
May 13, 2019•56 min
My guest is Laurent Linn, an Art Director from Simon and Schuster. He'll give us the inside scoop on such hot topics as: What the heck does an Art Director do?! How are book jackets made? What should an illustrator have in their portfolio? What is the "life cycle" of a picture book and why do they take soooo long to come out? And WHO PICKS THE FONTS?! Also we'll talk about vampires and theme parks, obviously.
Apr 27, 2019•48 min
This episode, I'm pleased to welcome newly minted Newbery Medalist Meg Medina. We chat about world building in realistic fiction, writing large casts of characters, balancing business vs art, tips for debut authors as well as those suffering from "sophomore slump." Oh... and though I promised her I would NOT ask her about "the call" from the Newbery committee.... at the end, she tells a bit of the story anyway! Yesss! Plus we gab about TV shows and Tamales.
Mar 13, 2019•57 min
I sit down with Lisa Cron, the author of STORY GENIUS and WIRED FOR STORY - she is chock full of advice to make your next novel truly unputdownable. Also, I get a couple of words in edgewise, and talk about my obsession: RUSSIAN DOLL!
Feb 23, 2019•47 min
I'm getting ready to head to Seattle for ALA Midwinter. So what even IS that? In this episode, I speak to Jenny Choy, the Associate Director for School-Library Marketing for Abrams Books for Young Readers. Jenny tells us the difference between publicity, marketing, and school-library marketing, and gives us the lowdown about what happens behind the booth curtains at a big librarian conference like ALA. What books are on display, and why? Which authors get invited, and why? What does she wish tha...
Jan 20, 2019•37 min
I chat with four awesome booksellers about their top children's and YA book picks for holiday gift giving (and my own picks, too!) -- some you've probably heard of, but others likely be new to you, and all are well worth checking out. Of course, there's no way that we could get ALL our faves in one little podcast.... but hey, it's a start. :-)
Nov 30, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Martha Brockenbrough returns to discuss her latest book of YA Nonfiction, UNPRESIDENTED, a biography/documentary about the life and times of Donald Trump. We also talk about how you can decide when a story is YOURS to tell, how to deal with bad reviews, how teen readers are the BEST readers, and how to write about current events without having a brain meltdown. Martha gives writerly advice about a variety of craft issues, and we do a switcheroo, where Martha asks ME about Holiday Books! Plus, as...
Nov 22, 2018•39 min
Editorial consultant Emma D. Dryden has a storied career in children's publishing. She sat down with me to talk about revision, as well as the difference between working for a publisher and editing under her own shingle. I asked her a LOT of questions, including, what should an author expect from a Freelance Editor? How do you know if or when the time is right to hire one? What are the most common problems she sees in manuscripts? What is a "Quiet Book"? What's the difference between YA and MG, ...
Oct 18, 2018•49 min
Guest agent Kelly Sonnack joins me to talk about best practices, agent-wise... and WTH are some bad agents even DOING? Also we answer listener questions, talk about query management, vent on the topic of submission do's and don'ts, and we go in deep about our favorite yearly event, the Big Sur Children's Writers Workshop. Oh and obviously we also talk about the Black Death and how it affects caterpillars, among other scintillating topics. Join us, won't you?
Sep 13, 2018•52 min
Guest author Lesa Cline-Ransome gets into it about writing nonfiction (particularly biographical) picture books. Like, how does she choose subjects? How does she decide HOW to tell the story, do research, and get a new angle on a topic we might think we already know? Plus, what is it like to have a partner who is also the illustrator for your picture books? Annnnd, we discuss Lesa's brand-new debut Middle Grade novel, FINDING LANGSTON.
Aug 16, 2018•38 min
Author Debbi Michiko Florence joins us to chat about her winding path to publication, and her awesome chapter book series, JASMINE TOGUCHI, the fourth book of which has just been released. I talk about how to query chapter books, Debbi gives insight into the writing of them, and we both dole out wisdom (??) for listener questions. Plus we talk about ducks, snacks, and cooking shows.
Jul 22, 2018•35 min
Award-winning author-illustrator Dan Santat joins me to discuss time management, illustrating vs authoring, portfolio-making, the World Cup, killers for hire (again! it's a theme!), and so much more.
Jun 17, 2018•51 min
I give some recommendations for my favorite books for writers. Then my guest, middle grade novelist and English professor Erin Dionne, chats with me about revision tips and tricks, plotting vs pantsing, story structure, and more. Spoiler alert: There is no one way to be a writer! Oh also we talk a bit about contract killers and trivia addiction. Obviously.
May 24, 2018•41 min
I'm joined by Suzanna Hermans, from Oblong Books & Music in New York's Hudson Valley. She talks about how she curates the selection at Oblong -- what prompts an "auto-buy" from her -- and when books get returned. We also touch on some hot topics: Does a scandal from an author prompt exclusion from the bookstore shelves? And just how terrible IS Henry Higgins from MY FAIR LADY? (#theworst). Plus, great book recommendations, and current obsessions!
May 09, 2018•41 min
It's a jam-packed double episode featuring two authors whose YA books are polar opposites... except for the fact that they are both TERRIFIC... and they both have the same release date! Amy Spalding is on hand to discuss her new rom-com THE SUMMER OF JORDI PEREZ (AND THE BEST BURGER IN LOS ANGELES), and also to do a deep dive into the hamburger-based culinary traditions of L.A. Justina Ireland joins me to talk about her blood-spattered alt-historical novel DREAD NATION, Mark Twain, and how to ki...
Mar 27, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Every year in Spring, children's agents descend on a small city in Italy for the largest international children's-only book fair in the world. But it's not all gelato-nomming and prosecco-swilling! I give a crash course in what translation rights even are, and then superagent Kathleen Ortiz from New Leaf Literary joins me to talk about what exactly goes on at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. (Though, off the record, if you want to talk to me about gelato, I do also have a lot of opinions on tha...
Mar 11, 2018•34 min
YA author Saundra Mitchell joins me to chat about her new anthology, ALL OUT: THE NO-LONGER SECRET STORIES OF QUEER TEENS THROUGHOUT THE AGES. ALL OUT is stuffed chock-full of genre-spanning queer historical stories, and Saundra talks about not only the making of this book, but also different ways to approach anthologies. Also: we talk about how YA publishing has changed in the past ten years, what's up with writing under pseudonyms, what the deal is with #ownvoices, how to know if you are writi...
Feb 26, 2018•47 min
Brilliant and opinionated Lisa von Drasek joins me to talk about Kerlan Collection, the Caldecott and Newbery Awards, and much more. Lisa tries not to get roped into my shenanigans of wildly speculating about award outcomes, and only partially succeeds. And, we share a passion for a certain upcoming book about zombies. PS: I almost definitely said the date of the ALA Youth Media Awards announcements incorrectly on the podcast, or forgot to say it at all. If you want to attend the press conferenc...
Jan 26, 2018•55 min
Superagent Molly Ker Hawn , head of the U.K. office of The Bent Agency, joins me for a proper chinwag about the U.K. vs U.S. book market. Along the way, we answer some listener questions, including: What does one look for in a newer agent? How does one work with an editor? What if one wants to write in multiple categories/genres? Plus, we talk about upcoming new books, complain about the monarchy, gab about ghosts, and more!...
Jan 13, 2018•43 min
I spoke to four amazing children's booksellers across the country and got their top picks for holiday giving. Obviously this is for AFTER you've already bought all my client's books ;-) I hope you find some new favorites on this list, and I hope all my listeners have a wonderful holiday season full of warmth and light... and BOOKS!
Dec 16, 2017•1 hr 5 min
I sit down with editor Kendra Levin, who is also a life-coach for writers, to talk NaNoWriMo, among other things. She uses the Hero's Journey as not just a craft tool, but a process tool, and gives us a big dose of inspiration for the writer's life. (NaNoInspo that should be useful all the year round!) Along the way, I tell my secret NaNoWriMo confession. Kendra also helps me answer some listener publishing questions, and we talk about Fancy French People and the Librarian of Congress.
Nov 10, 2017•39 min•Ep. 11
I chat with Scholastic/Graphix editor Cassandra Pelham Fulton about how graphic novels are created from the editorial POV... and then with creator Nilah Magruder about her road to comics success. It's a double episode - and DOUBLE the fun!
Oct 27, 2017•44 min
This week's show is jammed full of goodies. I explore the topic of Authenticity, then talk with guest author and self-marketing guru Jess Keating about Platform Development (what even IS that?!?), social media best practices, how to buddy up to librarians and booksellers, how to add value for educators, and so much more. Then Jess regales us with some wild animal facts (both the animals AND the facts are wild!), and we get into talking about Jess's new book SHARK LADY, as well as a handful of No...
Sep 17, 2017•45 min
