Posts Tagged making history engaging

Editor Spotlight: Georgia McBride, Georgia McBride Media Group

By on November 29, 2019   /   Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight  

Georgia McBride is founder and editor of Georgia McBride Media Group, which is home to Month9Books, Swoon Romance, and Tantrum Books. She has used her experience launching brands in the music business, licensing music to film and TV, launching new technology products, and marketing and product development to build the Georgia McBride Media Group brand. Georgia is one of Publishers Marketplace’s most prolific editors. She’s completed over 225 publishing, audiobook, and film/TV deals on behalf of three imprints since 2012. Georgia founded the #YAlitchat hashtag and weekly chat on Twitter in 2009.

Hi Georgia, thanks for chatting with us!
You’re publishing two of my 2019 middle grade debut-mates: Malayna Evans and Kristin Thorsness. Can you talk about what originally sparked your interest and made you want to acquire their debut novels?

Thanks for having me, and congratulations on your debut! Malayna’s Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh has everything a kids’ action adventure fantasy should have but most of all, it has heart. Sure it’s a time travel adventure that takes Jagger and his little sister back to the Ancient Egyptian court, but it’s also funny and full of historical references and gags. So, while readers go on this harrowing adventure, they learn about Ancient Egypt and laugh the entire time. Additionally, the characters in this series are biracial, like my own kids, so I definitely was intrigued when it crossed my inbox. Representation is so important, especially at this age.

On the other hand, Kristin’s The Wicked Tree, which went through a title change after acquisition is spooky, atmospheric, and creepy. When I read it for the first time, it reminded me of a spooky tree outside my bedroom window when I was about the same age as the main character, Tav. I remember seeing a figure in the tree one night and screaming at the top of my lungs. None of the adults believed me, of course. The Wicked Tree captured all those creepy feelings I had back then, and I knew it would have a similar effect on readers. It’s also got a pretty cool mystery. So readers can put on their detective caps while getting spooked out.

With both of these stories, and especially for middle grade, I’m looking for something that makes the story and its characters unique. In both examples, I made a personal connection to the characters in both stories, so that helped.

Both these novels, The Wicked Tree, and Jagger Jones & The Mummy’s Ankh are in some sense quest/mystery novels. And Jagger is set in a very remote historical period. Are there any particular challenges in editing these genres?

I’m a lucky editor in that the author of Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh, Malayna Evans, has Ph. D. in Ancient Egyptology. That said, we did try our best to fact-check. We still asked questions, challenged assertions, and focused a lot on consistency during the edits.

For Kristin’s The Wicked Tree, we looked at the logic and reasoning behind the mystery and why characters did and said what they did – or why not. Mysteries can always be solved, and therefore, they have to follow basic and consistent logic, even with twists and even if it isn’t something a reader would personally do, think, or say.

Can you talk about your experience in the music business? What aspects do the music and book industry share?

As you can imagine, working in the music business is a lot of fun. It is also a lot of hard work. The music business and publishing business are very much alike in that my roles have remained basically the same. When I worked in music I did so mostly in marketing, talent acquisition, and packaging. Whether it is discovering, marketing, packaging, producing, editing, etc., the process and prospects are almost identical.

I miss the music business though. I no longer get free music now that I’m out. And, as of this year, I have had to pay to attend concerts. That is definitely new for me. I love what I do as a publisher, though. The similarities in my roles prepared me to hit the ground running in 2011. And now, I get free books and invites to all manner of spectacular bookish things.

What’s the number one thing authors can do, pre- or post-publication, to help boost sales of their books?

Be available. Be personable. Engage your audience in an authentic way. That may include in-person events, online, on social media, etc. I encourage those who write children’s literature to go where the kids are.

On average, middle schoolers spend 6-8 hours of their days in school. They receive book recommendations from teachers, librarians or media specialists, book fairs, etc. Engage that audience frequently, and you will soon start to build your own. Don’t give up or be discouraged if you don’t hit it out of the park on book 1. Stay focused, determined, and undeterred.

What’s an under-represented middle-grade genre or topic that you’d like to see more of?

This fall we published BERTIE’S BOOK OF SPOOKY WONDERS about a little girl who has difficulty making good choices. Her mother’s impending wedding to a widower with two kids compounds her difficulties. Of course, being TantrumBooks/Month9Books there’s magic and some spooky goings on in this story also, thus the wolves and raven on the cover!

As parents, we tend to focus on perfect behavior and good decision making for our kids, and sometimes fail to realize that our kids may struggle with impulse control and or feelings of anxiety. We expect our kids to manage their emotions and feelings well most of the time. Some kids are going through so much at home, and it can sometimes manifest as acting out. I love that BERTIE’S BOOK OF SPOOKY WONDERS tackles these issues. In her new blended family, Bertie’s parents are very much around, and are trying to help her cope. I would like to see more stories about coping with life in general and all the pressure twelve-year-olds are under to adapt in these modern times.

Do you have other forthcoming middle-grade novels you’d like to introduce us to?

Of course we have the sequels to Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh and The Wicked Tree releasing in 2020. We also have The Prince and the Goblin, a heavily illustrated adventure fantasy told from the point of view of a goblin who wants more from his life. Then there’s Kids from G.H.O.S.T, a graphic novel about kid ghost detectives, and The Fate of Freddy Mitchell, which is the new one from Andrew Buckley, author of Hair in all the Wrong Places.

Thanks so much for your time, Georgia!

Thank you!

Follow Georgia on Twitter: @georgia_mcbride
On Instagram @iamgeorgiamcbride, @month9books
Or visit her website at https://www.georgiamcbride.com/

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A Non-fiction book birthday for our own Laurie Edwards

By on December 9, 2015   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, MUF Contributor Books, Nonfiction, Writing  

laurie photo Laurie Edwards is a Mixed Up Files member with a very busy month. Three of her non-fiction titles come out this month. They are all from the educational publisher Cengage and they are: Ancient Egypt, Imperial China, and West African Kingdoms. She graciously stole a few moments away from her time with a brand new grandbaby to answer my questions. Thank you and quadruple congratulations!

1) All three of your books are about the ancient world. Do you have a long standing interest in history?

Egypt coverI’ve always been fascinated by life long ago. I especially like finding out how people lived, so I enjoyed doing the research for these books. Sometimes we think that ancient people weren’t very advanced, but that isn’t true. All three of these civilizations invented items that are still used in our times, and scientists and historians are still trying to figure out how they created certain things. For example, no one knows for sure how the Egyptians built the pyramids.

 

My love of history also extends to fiction. I’m writing a young adult novel set in ancient China and two middle grade novels, one set in Russia during the pogroms and one set in Eastern Europe in 1050 CE. Capstone is publishing my young adult series set in the Wild West that I’m writing as Erin Johnson. The first two books, Grace and the Guiltless and Her Cold Revenge are out now, with two more to follow. I spent a lot of time doing research for all of these books.

I took a quick look at these titles and I think they’re going to be terrific for teens with a thirst for western writing which is not all that common in YA.

2)Your publisher works within the education market. How did you come to work with them? Do they assign a topic with an overall road map to the structure of the finished project or do you come up with the topic and structure yourself?

I’ve worked for Cengage, the publisher of these books, many times doing writing and editing. I started by writing short articles for them, and then later they asked me to write books. The first books I wrote for them were a biography of Rihanna, the Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, and Pirates through the Ages (yes, another history title!).

West African coverBecause these 3 new books are part of a 10-volume set, the publisher wanted them to be consistent, so they gave me topics for the chapters (e.g., Geography, Art, Transportation and Communication) and a general layout for each chapter. The chapters needed to include a brief introduction, 2-3 sidebars, a glossary, 2-3 activities, and a set of questions. I chose what material to include in each chapter.

 

3) What was your favorite juicy tidbit from researching these books? Did you have a particularly useful source or an unexpected one?

I like finding primary sources, which are actual documents or pictures from people who lived during that time. The Chinese and Egyptians both kept good records of events, so I read translations of many ancient documents. We also included some as sidebars in the books. The West Africans didn’t have a written language for much of the period the book covered, which meant that their primary sources were the griots, or storytellers, who memorized all their history.

China coverOne of my favorite documents was a list of rules from an ancient Chinese boarding school. Instead of bells, they used clappers. The first time the clappers sounded, students woke and washed. By the second round of clappers, they needed to be dressed in their robes. After that, they bowed to their teachers. They then followed a whole list of rules, many of which sound like classroom rules today, such as sitting properly, writing neatly, keeping desks tidy, and not eavesdropping. Students took turns washing the floor at the end of each day. Some different rules included never taking off their caps, socks, or shoes even in their rooms, and never going to bed before their elders.

Other fun sources were a list of rules from a Chinese pirate ship run by a woman and descriptions of Egyptian mummification. I also discovered ancient recipes, poems, stories, plays, jokes, and paintings showing daily life. Many of these can be found in the sidebars.

I love this! The combination of familiar rules–like write neatly–with completely wacky rules–like don’t go to bed until all the grownups are asleep and never take off your shoes! You’re a natural at making history engaging.

4) Do you do something special with the MG audience in mind?

Because MG readers are curious, I try to find unusual and interesting facts that will surprise them. But I also like to show that children from long ago have are like modern children in many ways. Knowing that ancient children disobeyed their parents, disliked school, or skipped their chores makes them more real and relatable.

5) I’ve only done a little bit of writing for educational publishers and it has been a while. If a person was interested in writing for the educational market what advice would you give them?

Educational writing is strongly tied to the core curriculum, so having some experience as a teacher or some knowledge of the expectations for the various grade levels is important. Rather than coming up with your own topics, you need to be willing to write books on the subjects that the publishers need or want. To get work in this field, check what publishers are looking for freelance writers and follow their guidelines. Many request a resume and a sample chapter. If they think your writing is suitable for their imprints, they may assign you a book or even a series.

6) Do you have a favorite MG non-fiction title or two you’d like to share?

Two nonfiction authors whose books I love are Candace Fleming and Susan Bartoletti. All of their books are well worth reading.

Here are the two most recent titles by these two authors.18691014

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Thanks again for sharing Laurie. Happy book birthday and happy  birthday to your new grandchild!

 

 

 

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