Children’s Book Editor Tells All: WordHustler Interviews Ben Barnhart, Man In the Know

Hey all you children’s and YA authors out there! Yes, we’re talking to you. Sure, you’ve got a great idea for a kids’ book. Maybe you’ve even written it. But how does your story go from your desk to the Best-Seller shelf at Barnes & Noble? Enter Ben Barnhart: children’s book editor and all-around publishing maven.

Barnhart is the Young Readers Editor at Milkweed Editions, a reputable and innovative children’s book publisher that is “one of the nation’s leading independent, nonprofit literary publishers.” Impressive, no? But let’s get to the part you really want to know: how does a writer become a published Milkweed author? And what does it take to succeed in children’s books?

Sit back and prepare to profit from this nonprofit editor’s fantastic information. You will soon be informed. Very, very informed.

WordHustler: First of all Ben, let’s get some background on you. How long have you been at Milkweed? And what got you into publishing?

Ben Barnhart: I got my start as an intern at Milkweed Editions during the summer of 2000, and stayed on as an editorial assistant. I’m coming up on nine years at the press, though I’ve been acquiring and editing the books for young readers only for the past five years. Coming out of college (I got my B.A. in philosophy from Cedarville College), I knew I liked writing and working with authors from my time as editor of the school’s literary journal. The internship confirmed my interest, and also gave me a sense that I might actually be good at this kind of work.

WH: Why does Milkweed focus on middle grade books? What is it about that age group that really sparks to reading?

BB: Our founding editor and publisher, Emilie Buchwald, started publishing books for middle-grade readers in 1993 after she identified a dearth of serious, literary books for young readers (eight to thirteen years old). Feeling that this was an age where many young readers cement their lifelong love of reading, Milkweed Editions has continued to focus on this age range with an array of titles from historical to contemporary novels. Of course, several years after we started publishing books for these readers, a young boy named Harry Potter changed the literary landscape and made young readers a much more attractive market for many publishers. So we find ourselves with a lot of competition these days.

WH: How many Young Reader books do you publish a year?

BB: We publish between four and six new books each year.

WH: Does Milkweed ever get Young Reader books put on school curriculums? Does a book have to hit a certain level of popularity before it is approved to be read in schools?

BB: Many of our titles are read in the schools, but as far as I know none have been selected as curriculum. Because most of our titles are fiction, they’re often used in conjunction with a specific segment, like Laura E. Williams’ Behind the Bedroom Wall while classes are studying World War II.

WH: Knowing that you obviously love each of the books you publish, what is your favorite Milkweed Young Reader book from 2008 and why? (If you need to be diplomatic, what are your TWO favorite books?)

BB: I do love each of the books I’ve worked on (not unlike children, actually), but my favorite from 2008 is a debut novel: Julie Crabtree’s Discovering Pig Magic. It’s a novel about three young teen girls in California, each struggling with a problem beyond her control. The characters come amazingly alive, with hilarious, spot-on dialogue. It manages to be light-hearted and serious at the same time.

WH: I’ll have to check that out. Now I must ask about what all of our readers want to know: manuscript submissions. How many unsolicited submissions would you say Milkweed Young Readers gets a month? What’s your turnaround time like?

BB: We get about three hundred manuscripts a year, so close to thirty a month. We advertise a maximum turnaround of six months, though I’m uncomfortable having manuscripts around for more than three months. In other words, we do our best to respond to submissions soon, but it will likely take us at least a few months.

WH: As editor, are you drawn to a specific kind or genre of book? Or are your tastes constantly changing?

BB: I wouldn’t say I’m drawn to a specific kind/genre of book, so much as I’m drawn to a book that manages to come alive for me as a reader. That can be almost any kind of book, in my mind: historical, fantasy, contemporary, urban, etc. I’m continually excited by books that push the envelope of young readers’ taste, recently I’ve been very impressed by Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.

WH: What are three things about a query letter or manuscript submission that make you want to read more?

BB: It’s almost impossible for me to develop an interest in a manuscript without actually having a sample of the writing. Having a strong premise and outline is always helpful, but I rarely ask for a manuscript if I don’t get at least a few pages to help me develop a taste for the author’s writing ability.

With the writing sample, I’m looking primarily for a strong character voice. That indicates, to me, the author’s ability to fully inhabit their characters, as well as confidence telling the story. Without those two elements, it’s highly unlikely that a novel will work for us.

WH: What common mistakes do you see aspiring children’s book writers making in their submissions? Any horror stories?

BB: I can’t claim too many horror stories yet, but one very common mistake I regularly see is the aspiring children’s book writer who believes that writing books for young readers must be easy because children aren’t as complicated as adults. It’s easy to discount the intelligence of young people, because they think about the world in ways that seem strange to an adult. But they’re incredibly perceptive and know immediately when someone is talking down to them.

Nine times out of ten I end up rejecting a children’s book manuscript because the tone is condescending or the story simply feels foolish. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for lighthearted books for young readers (if Captain Underpants has taught us nothing else…), but there’s a great divide between telling a funny story and one that’s been “simplified” for young readers.

WH: Are there any young reader trends that need to be given a rest? Are readers done with boy wizards or young vampires?

BB: The great thing about trends is that one book will break out of the pack (it’s not as if Harry Potter was the first book about boy wizards) by recasting the genre or bending some of its rules. In the case of Harry Potter, I think the books succeed because J.K. Rowling is a great writer and is willing to construct her heroes and villains with complete honesty.

Inevitably, publishers will pile on the bandwagon (though I’d like to think Milkweed is exempt here) and quickly exhaust the trend. So, yes, I think it’s time to give vampire novels a rest, but I’m confident that a budding young writer is working right now on a “vampire” novel that will refresh the genre a few years down the road. And, consequently, begin another trend.

WH: Are there any type of Young Readers books you’d like to see more of?

BB: I’d like to see books for young readers that don’t assume the need for a moral. Publishing for young people is a relatively young genre (writing and publishing expressly for young readers), and we still seem caught in the conviction that every book for young readers must deliver a moral or valuable historical message. We don’t hold novels for adults to the same standard, and I’d like to see books for young readers opened up in this way.

WH: Milkweed focuses on books with an inspirational bent. Do you think true stories make the best inspirational tales?

BB: We live in a culture which values “real” over “fiction,” though I don’t think that’s a helpful distinction. It does make us pay more attention to stories that we believe actually occurred, though as in the case of the recently withdrawn Angel Girl, it calls into question why we value true stories over made-up stories. Is Angel Girl any less valuable a story now that we know it’s not based on actual events?

I think stories are powerful for reasons that lie deeper than “true” or “made-up.” Good stories give us liberty to see ourselves or our world in a different way. At Milkweed, I’m interested in finding stories that inspire young readers, though I don’t necessarily think those stories need to be based on actual events.

WH: What percentage of Young Readers books are geared towards girls, towards boys, or both?

BB: Girls make up, by a wide margin, the larger audience of readers, and there’s a lot of debate about whether boys simply don’t read or whether they don’t read because publishers are only publishing books for girls. There’s also a rule of thumb that says girls will read books about both boy and girl protagonists, whereas boys will only read books about boy protagonists. Books like Holes and, more recently, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, do lend credibility to the notion that boys will read if the book has a boy as its protagonist.

I like to think of the situation pragmatically. If boys simply don’t read as much as girls do, I really can’t do anything about that. But if the second criticism is true (and publishers need to begin publishing more books targeted for boys), well, that is something I can affect. So, we’re consciously looking for books that we think hold a specific appeal for boys.

WH: What’s your take on the overall nature of publishing today? Is it indeed perilous times as the media likes to trumpet, or has the proliferation of digital reading and mega-sellers like Twilight and Harry Potter helped encourage extra-curricular reading among children and young adults?

BB: There’s no doubt that publishing is enduring one of its most difficult periods. Synonymous with other industries, large publishers have operated foolishly for decades, and the retail downturn has caught a lot of them off-guard. This is where I get to gloat a little (a very little), because Milkweed was founded thirty years ago to run counter to these trends. Where large publishers were throwing money at anything they thought would sell, Milkweed took a more thoughtful approach and invested its money in the books and authors we were committed to supporting over their careers. That strategy will never result in a flood of income, but it guarantees the long-term viability of our publishing program.

Where many publishers are laying off staff and reducing their forthcoming lists, Milkweed has had its best sales years (2008) and is looking forward to another strong year in 2009. I think when the dust settles in a year or two, we’ll see smaller, more focused publishing houses. And the publishers like Milkweed (and Graywolf, Coffee House, Lerner, etc.) will continue to play leadership roles in independent publishing.

I’m a little skeptical of those who predict declining reading rates among young people (the previous NEA reports especially). I think young people will still find their way to books, whether old-fashioned print copies or e-books on their iPhones or Kindles. Publishing will change drastically, but I don’t foresee that resulting in a shortage of good books for young readers. If we publish 100,000 books this year (instead of 180,000, as estimated in 2008), I doubt readers will see much of a change. Publishers and booksellers certainly will, but I think that will be largely invisible to readers.

WH: Do you think a service like WordHustler can help children’s book (and all genres) of writers get their work out to the world? Would you be more apt to receive manuscripts from WordHustler because you know they’d be professional, thorough, and organized?

BB: I think WordHustler can provide a valuable service in helping authors understand what they’re trying to do when they say, “I want to publish my book.” I’m thinking especially in terms of preparing an author’s manuscript, helping them understand which publishers they should submit to, whether or not an agent is helpful, etc. Publishing your book is a difficult process, and one (frankly) that will be unsuccessful or unsatisfying for a majority of authors. I don’t mean to be overly negative about this, but I think services like WordHustler can help demystify the process and help authors come to a realistic understanding of their skills and challenges.

From my own perspective, I’d be happy to consider the work of authors coming through WordHustler. As an editor, I’m always looking for recommendations, and if a service like WordHustler has helped the author through the early stages of manuscript preparation, that’s all the better.

And there you have it, Hustlers. Straight from the lips of editors and into your creative, resourceful, storytelling brains. Now you know what you need to do, so let’s get to it!

If you need help making your cover letters shine, look HERE.

If you know what you want to write, but haven’t composed it with WordHustler’s Cover Letter composer yet, look HERE.

If you’re ready to send your children’s book out, but haven’t decided who to send it to, look HERE. Psst! We recommend using our Advanced Markets Wizard for the quickest and simplest way to narrow down the 4,000+ markets to the ones that are right for you.

You’re excited, you’re equipped, you’re ready to go! And WordHustler is ready to help you get those words out to young readers everywhere!