The scenic cottage, full of cats, as all good bookstores should be, also had three rooms full of children's books published between the 1830s and the early 1960s:
Including this beautifully illustrated early 1900s edition of Aesop's Fables, which I coveted mightily...
Even the (very low ceiling-ed) doorways were punderful.
Then, as if my weekend wasn't already cool enough, I got to spend Tuesday at the Society of Childen's Book Writers and Illustrator's Eastern PA Meet the Editors day. Razorbill's Anne Heltzel, Little, Brown's Connie Hsu, and Roaring Brook's Nancy Mercado read aloud the first pages of several manuscripts (ranging from picture books to middle grade to YA novels) and discussed why or why not they would want to continue reading. It was a great opportunity to glean insights about first pages from editors themselves. As a writer, you want that first page to really capture your reader's attention (especially if that reader is someone who could potentially want to publish your book). A paraphrase of some of their advice: specific details make the characters realistic and clear even in just one page; don't include too much backstory right away - just add enough so that the reader can grasp what is happening, and save the rest for later; make sure the reader knows the character and is already invested in them before you present "the sticky mess;" and try to give a sense of where the story is going right from the bat (is it a mystery? A romance? An adventure story? The first page should hint at this).
My gosh. :| I took a detour to the website and I am in awe. I love those kind of places and I'd sit there for hours on end, just to take in the smell of old books. :| :| :|
ReplyDeleteHow much was the Aesop's Fables? <.<
$40, I think. Which isn't bad - it was in pretty good condition. I just didn't have that much in my wallet *sigh*
ReplyDelete