Big Apple Recap

My recent trip to New York was great (despite my Amtrak train nightmare, which will go unmentioned).

I was meeting up with my agent, Barbara Markowitz, for the first time ever!! We've worked together for 18 years.

Yes, I said 18 years.

Never met.

How did that happen?

But.....we finally did it.

I literally ran from Penn Station to The Algonquin Hotel.

What a perfect spot for a writer to stay! The home of the Round Table, a group of amazing writers who met there for lunch every day to exchange ideas (including, ultimately, founding the New Yorker Magazine). I hope I absorbed some writerly vibes.

The Round Table of writers

Then it was off to the Flatiron Building to meet my great Macmillan/FSG team.

Flatiron Building

Barbara Markowitz (left) and me

(l to r) Susan Dobinick, Barbara Markowitz, Margaret Ferguson, Harvey Markowitz

(l to r) Me, Barbara Markowitz, Janine O'Malley (front) Margaret Ferguson

 That night, Barbara, Harvey and I had a lovely dinner and toasted ourselves.

(l to r) Barbara Markowitz, Harvey Markowitz, me

Babs Sr. and Babs Jr

We even had cotton candy for dessert!

By the end of day two, Harvey and I were tired.

A grand old time!!

FSG is moving

Effective Monday, new address for Farrar, Straus & Giroux:

175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010

Texas Library Association

I'll be in Texas this week for the Texas Library Association annual conference.

On Thursday, April 17, I'm presenting on a panel entitled 'Tweens in the Twilight: Literature for Life's Challenges - along with authors Gennifer Choldeko and Betty Birney. 8 a.m. to 9:50 a.m; Room C 141/143/149.

I'll be signing the same day at Farrar, Straus & Giroux booth #1531 from 10 to 11.

If you're at the conference, come by and see me!

If you're not at the conference, I'll try to post while I'm there or shortly thereafter.

New FSG address

As of March 3, Farrar, Straus & Giroux will be located at

18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

Same general phone number (212.741.6900)

Moved out of that wonderful, funky building at Union Square. Sniff...

FSG Notes

FSG Notes Special Award Edition

FSG November/December Newsletter

Check out the November/December issue of FSG Notes from Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

FSG September/October Newsletter

Farrar, Straus & Giroux: September/October Newsletter

FSG August Newsletter

Farrar, Straus & Giroux Books for Young Readers: August 2007 Newsletter

FSG's brilliant book designers

It takes a village to make a book.

In addition to having brilliant editors and brilliant copyeditors, FSG has brilliant book designers.

I was thrilled with the design of How to Steal a Dog. Thank you, Barbara Grzeslo. (Love those little paw prints inside. And the cover? I mean, come on! You're da bomb, Barbara!)

I'm just as thrilled with the design of Greetings from Nowhere. I'll share the jacket art later. It's by John Hendrix, who just did the cover for Polly Horvath's newest novel.

But I thought I'd share the inside design, which I just love. It's by Irene Metaxatos. One important element of the story is a postcard from the Great Smoky Mountains, so Irene used that theme in her design. It's a multiple viewpoint story (four characters), so each character's chapter gets its own design.

Cool, huh? (The scans aren't too great, but....)

New newsletter from Farrar, Straus & Giroux

FSG Notes

The devil is in the details

Speaking of copyediting (see post below), it's an interesting, sometimes frustrating, always important part of the process. The big picture stuff is done - the story is finally in place - and now it's time to pass the baton from editor to copyeditor - to put the final polish on the manuscript.

It never ceases to amaze me how I can read a manuscript 284 times and still miss things that seem so obvious when pointed out.

page 86: Willow looked down at Aggie's canvas sneakers. They were wet and muddy. One of them had a frayed hole in the side and Aggie's little toe poked out.

page 189: Then she put on her canvas sneakers with the holes in the side....

Copyeditor: So, which is it? One hole or more than one hole?

My thoughts: #@*%&

My words: Gee, good catch. Let me go back and fix that.

page 7: Then she moved on to pondering how she was going to fix that clogged drain in Room 4.

page 119: When Loretta's father finished fixing the clogged sink in Room 4...

Copyeditor: So, do you want to use "drain" or "sink"? They should probably be consistent.

My thoughts: #@*%&

My words: Gee, good catch. Let me go back and fix that.

How does she DO that? She is a genius.

It's those little, little details that put the final polish on. Lucky, lucky me to have such a fine polisher.

The devil is in the details.