The Three Stages of Editing a Novel

questions and editing

By Amy Fitzgerald, Associate Editorial Director, Carolrhoda Novels

There’s no one right way to edit a book, but when I tackle a middle-grade or YA novel, I usually divide my editorial process into three stages. Each stage calls for a different skillset, a different way of looking at the story. Here are some of the questions I ask myself at each stage. Read More

Meet the Authors: Christy Mihaly and Sue Heavenrich

By Domenica Di Piazza, Editorial Director of Twenty-First Century Books

It’s not every day that you meet someone who says, “How about publishing this manuscript about eating bugs?” That’s exactly what happened when I met Christy Mihaly at a writers’ conference in New York a couple of years ago. She and her writing partner Sue Heavenrich had a fantastic idea for a book on just that subject. Together we expanded the scope of the book to include invasive species, weeds, wild plants, and feral species. Complete with recipes and interviews with chefs and ordinary people who love getting creative with unusual sources of food. It turns out that much of the rest of the world is way ahead of the United States! Read More

Roundup: Our Favorite YA Titles for Teen Read Week

YA Read Week

By Kate Schefer, Digital Products Coordinator

Every year, YALSA promotes teen literacy and engagement with a week celebrating books for teens. This year, as you may know, the theme is “It’s Written in the Stars: READ,” which puts the focus on sci-fi, fantasy, and other extraordinary books. As a formerly voracious teen reader, I especially love this theme, because there’s so much great genre fiction for teens that isn’t just about budding romances or coming-of-age tales (though the best books will include a little bit of everything). In recent years, fantasy and sci-fi content has seen a revival, especially among younger audiences, which is great! But this also means there are a ton of new books on the market that weren’t there before, and readers who are new to these genres may feel overwhelmed. Below, I’ve rounded up some of my evergreen favorites from sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian genres. Read More