We are thrilled to welcome Taylor Norman to the Editor/Agent Spotlight on The Mixed-up Files of Middle Grade Authors today.
Taylor Norman
Taylor Norman is Editorial Director of Neal Porter Books. NPB has recently ventured into publishing middle grade novels with the release of Scattergood by H.M.Bouwman. NPB picture books, edited by Taylor Norman, include Tumblebaby by Adam Rex/ illustrated by Audrey Helen Weber, and The Table by Winsome Bingham & Wiley Bevins /illustrated by Jason Griffin.
Prior to joining Neal Porter Books, Taylor spent 11 years at Chronicle Books, where her projects included Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins/illustrated by Emily Hughes, Nina LaCour’s 2023 Lambda Award-winning The Apartment House on Poppy Hill, and Shawn Harris’s 2022 Caldecott Honor book, Have You Ever Seen a Flower?
We are excited to hear all about her newest publishing path, editing and acquiring middle grade at Neal Porter Books. But first. . .
The Backstory
According to your website, thirteen-year-old Taylor had already decided she wanted to work in children’s publishing. Now that you’re living that dream job, in what ways does having grown up around booksellers (shoutout to Copperfield’s) continue to inform or influence your perspective as a children’s book editor? Also, what would you tell other thirteen-year-olds who might want to follow in your footsteps?
Oh, absolutely! Not only did I spend my high school years as a bookseller at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, California, my mom, Patty Norman, is the children’s events director there still. Her stories about any given day at the bookstore are my best contemporary research into what’s resonating with what kids (and parents and teachers). And I keep at the forefront of my mind my own experiences as a children’s bookseller. So much of the bookseller’s job is intuiting what a kid both wants and needs, and what book will unlock that feeling.
Most of us, whether kids or adults, aren’t very articulate about what we need or feel, so as a bookseller, or an editor, or a fellow person, you have to get good at reading between the lines, so to speak. The flood of success that came over me when I knew I’d found the just-right book for that extra-challenging kid—either someone who’d read everything or someone who was determined not to read anything—is the feeling I seek to give booksellers and parents with every book I publish: knowledge that buying this book for — or handing this book to — a kid will unlock something in its reader. Of course, I hope that the books I work on reach tons of kids, each in their own way—but I am anxious especially to publish books that might be the only book to reach a particular kid. To find those books I really channel everything I learned and remember from being a bookseller.
To other young people who want to be editors. . .
The biggest thing to consider is not just your ability to be a good reader—you know you are that—or why a book is successful—you will get good at articulating your reactions to a text. The biggest thing to know about this job is that it is all about helping a book become its best self. I feel more like a translator than anything else—it’s my job to figure out what an author is envisioning in their head, help that vision arrive on the page as close to its ideal version as possible, and then make sure the idea translates to another reader. It’s a funny act of intimacy between you and the author, and a simultaneous awareness of (and hope for) tens of thousands of future readers.
I don’t remember learning or thinking about the importance of the author relationship when I was a teenager planning to do this job, though it wouldn’t have turned me away—I love the collaborative partnership of editing as much as the work itself. But you have to have patience and a knack for figuring a person out, and while that aspect of the job is the biggest part of my every single day, it’s not immediately apparent in the abstract.
The Move to Middle Grade
What precipitated the decision to venture into middle grade novels at Neal Porter Books, and do you have a specific vision or criteria for this new list for middle grade readers? Historical fiction only? Character-driven stories? Will there be a specific number of MG books per year? (Asking for a LOT of “Mixed-Up” MG author friends here—haha.)
I always wanted to be a fiction editor and can’t conceive of a role I’d ever have in publishing that wouldn’t involve working on novels. Exactly what unites all the novels I work on is a bit harder to define. I don’t look for trends or types of books; I’m as susceptible to historical fiction as I am speculative fiction. It’s all dependent on the success of the writing.
I am extremely focused on high-quality writing and originality of voice, and the second I read a line in a book that sounds like something I’ve read before, my interest starts to wane. That said, writing “voicey” for the sake of standing out doesn’t work for me either—you can feel the effort behind it. Authenticity—which is to say, an authentically unique mind and way of both seeing the world and representing that world— is, then, what I’m after.
Searching for manuscripts by this requirement, I have to say, cuts out a lot of submissions. So there will be between 3-5 books for older readers every year; a mix of prose and graphic, and a mix of early readers, chapter books, and middle grade.
More about Scattergood
Congratulations on the publication of Scattergood by H.M. Bouwman, which released January 21st. How did you initially discover Bouwman’s manuscript, what made you want to acquire it, and were there many revisions from acquisitions to final draft?
Oh goodness! Heather and I have been on such a journey together. I first read Scattergood in 2013, I believe. I was an editorial assistant or assistant editor at the time. I absolutely fell in love with the book—it was the epitome of the novels I wanted to publish—but I wasn’t allowed to work on novels at the time, being so junior. I reluctantly let the agent know I was passing, but the book never left my mind. I found myself flashing on thoughts about it every few months, for the next ten years!
When I came to Neal Porter Books and was looking for the first novels for our list, back again came Scattergood into my head—the one that got away. But when I googled it, nothing came up. I wrote the agent, Tricia Lawrence, and she let me know she’d never sold the book! I reread it and was thrilled to see that the book was even better than I’d remembered. Coincidentally, as I was rereading it, I happened to run literally into the author, Heather, at NCTE—she was leaning on a table as I was walking by, which was a very odd experience—I had literally been reading the book on the plane to the conference and then there she was, its author. It was all very akin to one of us conjuring the other.
Anyway, as you can predict by now, I bought the book and Heather and I worked very closely on it, which were more acts of tightening and strengthening than any tectonic edits. Heather is an exceptional, transporting, emotionally deft writer, and I am as struck now, on my 30th read of the book, as I was over a decade ago.
Scattergood still epitomizes the novels I love most, the novels I think are most meaningful for kids: It’s a book that understands how hard it is to be young and a person figuring out how to be alive in the world; it’s a book that does not shy from showing its characters make tragic, awful, yet understandable mistakes—and have to contend with the ramifications thereof. It is a book that reminds us of the humanity and fallibility of all people, no matter who or when. And, it’s at once very exciting and propulsive, and wrenchingly authentic. That is, it doesn’t sacrifice plot for quality. The New York Times called the book “brave, beautiful,” “wise and heartbreaking” and also “shocking” and “blindsid[ing]” which I think confirms this unusual combination of traits. I am obviously biased, but I think Heather’s book is an absolute masterpiece. I am so excited for everyone to read it.
On Characters and Covers
What makes you want to root for a character from the beginning? If possible, can you give us an example from Scattergood?
I don’t need much to root for a character—just a grounding in their reality. I love plenty of books where I don’t like the character but root for them anyway, or root against the character while finding them lovable. There are a lot of different ways to make a main character compelling, and that’s more important to me than whether or how I root for them.
Can you tell us about the cover of Scattergood, minus any spoilers?
It’s extremely important to me that each book we publish looks as specific as its story is. The reality is that we all judge books by their covers, and the more trends a cover abides by, the less it catches a reader’s eye. Each novel on our list stands out not just from other middle grade novels, but from books for all ages. So there was no question in my mind, when we started thinking about the cover of Scattergood, that Angie Kang was the right artist. I knew Angie from our shared time at Chronicle Books, and the books we’d worked on together as editor/designer were among the most fulfilling novels I’ve ever watched come to life.
Subsequently, I’d read (and, devastatingly, lost!) Angie’s debut picture book, a work of absolute genius that comes out in March from Kokila, Our Lake. I was so impressed by Angie’s art, of course, but also the subtlety and power of her storytelling, the immense respect she had for her young reader, and her understanding and memory of what it felt like to be a kid. As soon as I read that book, I became determined to work with her in whatever capacity I could.
She thankfully said yes to the Scattergood project and proceeded to deliver about a dozen equally incredible options. Readers of the book will notice the many symbolic touches to the cover design, but young kids walking by without any idea of the book’s contents will be struck immediately by its beauty, intrigue, and specificity. We are very grateful to Angie for putting her unparalleled skill to work on behalf of Peggy and Scattergood.
BONUS: Editor Speed Dating
- Query/Pitch pet peeve: I really don’t like when agents reduce a book to its trendy genre (SEL, for example)—and like even less when the book is described via its trope—friends-to-lovers, chosen-one, etc. There are plenty of viable houses for books that adhere to a set of rigid expectations, but if a book can be described easily and familiarly, it is likely not one I’m going to respond to. If agents are sending artists to consider, please include images of the art in the email rather than (or in addition to) links. If all I see are agent pitch + links, I am unlikely to click through to see visuals.
- Please don’t send me anything spooky. I just don’t fall for that kind of thing.
- PB you could recite by heart: Jamberry by Bruce Degen, A Very Special House by Ruth Krauss, Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown, Parade by Donald Crews
- Affirmation for 2025: One of my current favorite fictional characters is Doctor DeSoto’s wife, Mrs. DeSoto, in William Steig’s genius picture book. Mrs. DeSoto, who readers of the book will agree is the story’s actual hero, chooses a crucial moment in the plot to decide: “Let’s risk it.” I’m gonna go with that.
Endless thanks for joining on the Mixed-up blog today, Taylor.
Let’s ALL risk it, shall we?
Congratulations to Taylor Norman on her promotion to Editorial Director of Neal Porter Books!
To learn more about Taylor Norman and her work, follow her socials and check out her website:
