Among the first things award-winning author and founding member of the The Brown Bookshelf Kelly Starling Lyons did when she knew she wanted to write children’s books was study the craft, especially after realizing her seasoned background in print journalism was a different style of writing compared to children’s literature. “Though I was trained as a feature writer, and, though I had written poetry for fun and other kinds of … Read the rest
Interview With “My Rainy Day Rocket Ship” Author Markette Sheppard!
Children’s books will always be relevant. They provide various benefits for kids including literacy, opportunities to bond with family, friends, teachers, etc., knowledge, entertainment, imagination, and creativity, to name a few. A few years ago, Emmy award-winning television host, bestselling children’s book author, marketing executive, and entrepreneur, Markette Sheppard, wrote My Rainy Day Rocket Ship (May 5, 2020; Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), which … Read the rest
Interview With “Be That Unicorn” Author Jenny Block!
Imagine being a child who loved writing so much that you wrote books recreationally. You consider the written word to be your only talent. Unsurprisingly, you gravitate towards journalism and decide to make it your major in college. You submit your first assignment for your introduction class; when you get it back, you a see a F written in red along with a note to speak with your professor after … Read the rest
Interview With Senior Literary Editor Kate Napolitano!
When you have the pleasure of chatting with Kate Napolitano, two things become abundantly clear about the senior book editor: she is as passionate about books and loves hyping them up as she says she does; and two, she is a go-getter. Originally, the editor of You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson, wanted to be a teacher, but … Read the rest
Interview With Publishers Weekly’s (now News) Editor John Maher!
John Maher, award winning journalist and the associate editor at Publishers Weekly recently talked to So Booking Cool about overseeing the web and print version, and social media of the trade company, his trajectory from pursuing music to poetry, writing, and seeking publishing jobs to becoming a reporter, and the book launch for the infamous alt-right English political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos.
For those of you unfamiliar, Simon and Schuster (S&S) … Read the rest
Interview With Author Kellye Garrett on Her New Hollywood Detective Series!
Debut author and #PitchWars mentor Kellye Garrett chatted with us about her new critically-acclaimed comedic, mystery novel, Hollywood Homicide, the first in her Detective by Day series. The title was a Library Journal Debut of the Month and Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and lauded it as a winning first novel and series launch. The book was published by Midnight Ink, which specializes in mystery and … Read the rest
Interview With Publishers Weekly Children’s & YA Assistant Editor, Matia Burnett!
This past Wednesday, the Assistant Editor in the Children’s and Young Adult Department at Publishers Weekly (PW) Matia Burnett, chatted with us about her career, including its successes and challenges. Burnett is a Columbia University alumni and former educator (she also worked at Columbia as a researcher) before working at PW, a Trade publication in print and web that is basically to book publishing what Vogue is to fashion.
When … Read the rest