11 episodes
Making a Middle Grade Claire Swinarski
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- Arts
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4.8 • 33 Ratings
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Making a Middle Grade walks you through how a children's book goes from an idea to a bookstore. We're following WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, my debut novel, as it goes through the traditional publishing process with HarperCollins. By talking to industry pros, fellow authors, school librarians, and more, we'll break down how children's books--specifically middle grade books--are made.
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TRAILER
Making a Middle Grade is a podcast about writing, selling, and marketing a middle grade novel through a traditional publisher. It follows my debut novel, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, from an idea in my head to a book in a store. We're interviewing everyone from publishing industry pros to my editor to children's librarians to find out what makes a middle grade book have serious staying power.
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1: Getting a Literary Agent
The first step to getting a middle grade book traditionally published? Write it.
The second step? Finding a literary agent.
On the first episode of MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE, we're breaking down how to get a literary agent. What's a query letter? How long does the process take? How many Twitter followers do you need to have to snag an agent? We're talking all this and more with two fellow authors, as well as my own agent, Alex Slater.
MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE is a podcast series that takes you through how a children’s book goes from a daydream to the hands of readers. I’m talking to publishing insiders, fellow authors, and all of the people who are making my book, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, happen.
Add What Happens Next on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43071372-what-happens-next
Follow me on Twitter @claireswinarski. -
2: Landing a Book Deal
The first book I signed with my agent for didn't sell. It felt totally, undeniably horrible. But I shook the dust from my feet and wrote another, which ended up selling at auction in a 2-book deal. In this episode, I'm interviewing my agent + editor to learn what the process was like from their POV! They answer questions like what happens at an acquisitions meeting, what an auction feels like on the editor's end, and what parts of a contract are the most important to focus on.
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3: Editing a Manuscript
What's a copyeditor? What's a sensitivity reader? What's a way to go through this process without losing your mind? 😂 These are the questions we answer in episode 3 of MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE. We go over what an editor does with a manuscript, what some of the key changes in WHAT HAPPENS NEXT were, and how copyeditors handle a text. We also talk about the sensitivity reader process + first pass pages. This episode is perfect for anyone who's wondering how a book goes from project to product.
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4: Creating a Book Cover
How much say do authors get in their book cover? As an aspiring author, I always dreamed about how the cover of my middle grade book would look. Illustrator Pascal Campion did amazing work. Here's a behind the scenes sneak peek into how a publisher, illustrator, and author work together to create an outstanding book cover.
Apologies that last month, an episode of the Catholic Feminist was uploaded into this feed! My bad. That's my other podcast/day job. I tried to delete it but if you're subscribed, it automatically downloaded. So, feel free to check out my other show, ha! -
5: Celebrating a Debut Year
How can we reframe "debut year" from something full of anxiety, stress, and broken hopes to something full of joy, gratitude, and fulfillment? I interview Janae Marks and share my own feelings on "debut year" as we step forward into 2020. Don't forget--WHAT HAPPENS NEXT is available for preorder right now wherever books are sold!
Customer Reviews
Hartfelt advice for middle grade authors!
A friend recently told me about this podcast. I am enjoying each episode. As an aspiring middle grade author, the advice and insights are so helpful and encouraging! I highly recommend this podcast.
So helpful and encouraging
This was such a helpful look inside the publishing experience. My husband is in the middle of this process right now with a middle grade novel and it’s nice to hear the scoop from someone going through it for the first time so we have at least an idea about what’s involved.
Excellent!
As a middle grade writer, I devoured this entire podcast in less than a week. It was perfect timing, informative, and exactly what I needed! I hope you add episodes to continue sharing your journey! Thank ylu!