Journal Journal on the Wall – Who’s the Fairest of them all- A conversation with book review editors from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal

A discussion on how book review journals find reviewers and choose books to review

Speakers:
Librarians: Barbara Hoffert and Kathy Mikas
Reviews Editor from Publisher’s Weekly: Jonathan Segura,
Senior Editor Library Journal: Nancy Aberman

The session was introduced using a wonderful visual, a review journal with multiple post-it notes sticking out of every page. This was a great example of working journal that librarians use to decide how to spend our meager budgets.

The editors see up to 100 books a week. They receive galleys from publishers and are expected to have the book read and reviewed within a week or two. They must quickly move the books from their offices into a reviewers hands and then into print (either electronic or paper)

The audience for these review journals is primarily libraries. The journals review across the spectrum of genres: from nonfiction to chick-lit. An editor must assign the “right” book with the “right” reviewer. Most reviewers at Library Journal are librarians.
The audience used to be the book trade and book stores. This has changed. Now it is mostly libraries and librarians. However, their reviews make it to all of the online bookstores: Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc. so the audience can be virtually anyone. This makes the writing of the reviews more difficult. Speaking to librarians entails in-depth descriptions of the story. For the general public, the reviewers cannot give up plot and story.

How they choose reviewers:
Recommendation from present reviewers
Publish a call for reviewers on their website
Some people actually contact the review journals
These are paid position – but it doesn't pay too well- so don't quit your library job!
If the person has a specialty- such as a nonfiction subject - this makes it easier for the editors
Fiction must be broken down in to sub-genres and reviewers are sought for their abilities in that area.
The editors did stress that they are always looking for reviewers!!!

Some shocking numbers:
Publishers Weekly - 1600 reviews last year between 8 reviewers
Approximately 300,000 books are published a year

A review is an educated opinion. The reviewer must answer: What is this book trying to accomplish? Why is the author important? Whether the book is recommended or not? All in 200 words or less!

Talk with YA and Children’s Authors

Janet Ruth Young – The Opposite of Music

Why she chose to write a book and how…some advice to potential writers

• Woke up one day in May 2001 and she did not want to go to work…
• She felt that she had not lived up to her original dreams of becoming an author
• She had a story running through her head because her family had a history of mental illness.
• She had a little voice telling her to revisit this idea.
• She made a plan to quit her job and work on her novel
• She created a small manuscript and submitted for evaluation –
• She won the Penn NE Award for new writers
• She worked in “micro-chapters” and assigned herself one of these a day
• The titles began as "The Scientists" and ended up as "The Opposite of Music"
• She submitted her book as an independent writer but used many books to help her along the way.
• She polled the publishers to get a feel for her ideas
• While the publisher was interested, she need to work on revisions
• The tone had to be tweaked and the voice must be true to her characters
• She had tried to not preach but the publisher believed that half the book was missing
• She made revisions…and then time went by…and she was eventually rejected
• She made a new plan…to submit to more editors and more publishing companies
• But this time she placed time constraints on the publishers
• Finally she received an offer and negotiated for the best possible contract
• But more revisions were asked for…more than she was willing to concede
• Ultimately, she learned that she had to compromise…but her book was published!

Susan Lubner – Noises at Night & Ruthie Bon Bair: Do not go to bed with wringing wet hair

• She writes children’s picture books
• She loves to write in rhyme
• She published 2 short stories in college
• But got a “real job” after school
• She took a course or workshop on writing children’s stories
• Sold her first short story to a magazine
• She showed the manuscript of her first book, only 350 words on 2 pieces of paper
• Then she held up the large stack of papers involved in the revisions
• Words are kept to a minimum in writing picture books
• The only descriptions are one necessary for the storyline
• Her first book was sent out 30-40 times
• Ideas- everyday occurrences, watching nature, her reading or watching of the news, visuals, personal experiences with embellishment,
• Even though these stories are short…sometimes they take years to write…
• Suggest being part of a writers group to help develop their stories

Then the group was treated to a reading of Ms. Lubner’s book Ruthie Bon Bair… complete with her Ruthie “head of hair” on her head. It was enjoyable to hear her wonderful rhymes out loud.