SCBWI spring conference

Angelle Pilkington, an editor with the Penguin imprint Puffin Speak, spoke about the reasons 90 percent of "slush pile" manuscripts are rejected outright.

Top 5 Reasons:

1. It doesn’t fit the list. For example, it’s too institutional for paperback or too similar to what’s already on the list. That’s why it’s so important for writers to do their research first. Check Publishers Marketplace online on a regular basis because that gives clues to what an editor wants.
2. There’s too much like what you’ve written already out in the market.
   
3. There’s no hook—no commercial appeal. It must have marketing/promotional potential. You should be able to sum your book up in a sentence that’s going to grab people, especially in paperback. It needs broad appeal.
4. Characterization doesn’t have enough depth. Characters must grow, and must have appeal. They must be age appropriate and have natural dialogue.
5. The writing just isn’t there. Don’t have time to mentor and guide a writer even if the story itself has potential.

Nothing she said was startling, but I still thought this was a helpful list.

I cleared my whole day (well, practically the whole day) for writing. I finished writing the first draft of a fact-based nature picture book that's been in the making for a year. I conducted interviews last April, so it feels wonderful to have finally used that information. I plan to do a separate, and very different, version for a Highlights non-fiction article.