What The NY Book Editor Didn't Say

After the "Snow'' comment the NY Book Editor went on to say she thought it was a nice story, had a nice character, maybe was a little too long, blah, blah, blah.

As a long-time editor and observer of life I know there are three Grand Canyons between a professional saying they really like something and everything else. Professional editors so rarely get exactly what they want they'll gush at anything close. So watching this editor thumb through the pages it was obvious "Birthday Snow'' was just another routine manuscript to her and she would forget it as soon as she walked out the door.

Up on the podium book editors like to say that every editor is different and while one might hate a manuscript the next editor up the street may love it. So you should keep sending out your manuscript in hopes of a miracle. I don't buy that. Of course, it happens. But in 2007 you're more likely to become a professional basketball player than get your children's book published by a medium-to-big publishing house. The book publishing industry has in its little way become the Hollywood Movie industry. And "Birthday Snow,'' admittedly was not a blockbuster.

So what are you going to do now Mr. Children's Book Author?

First an update. As I write this, a pallet of "Birthday Snow'' books sits in a container ship making its way across the Pacific. My little publishing company printed them. I think it's a fine book that will appeal to children and parents. The big issue is marketing and distribution. Believe it or not that's much harder than publishing and will determine how many people get to read it. I think it's been more than two years since I sat across the table from that book editor. That 10-minute discussion was actually a lot of help. But as you can see it took a long time to get those books on a container ship. There was a lot more work to be done.

So what had I learned?

"Birthday Snow'' would not be bought by a big publishing company. The book wasn't good enough yet. I wasn't sure it would ever be good enough. That marketing departments ran the publishing houses. That the book editing business wasn't about words and editing. And that I needed to be convinced that I should move forward.

Michael LaLumiere