Posts Tagged Agent/Editor Spotlight

Editor Spotlight: Tara Weikum

Tara Weikum has worked in publishing for decades.  Starting as editorial assistant with ALA Booklist Magazine in 1996, she then spent three years  as an associate editor with Disney Publishing. In 2000, she moved to HarperCollins where she’s been ever since. Beginning as an editor, she became editorial director in 2009, and vice president, editorial director in 2013. In 2024, she was promoted to vice president, publisher of HarperCollins’ new Storytide imprint. From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors borrowed Tara for a quick chat to learn more about her career, influences, and Storytide in general.

headshot of Tara Weikum, vice president and publisher, HarperCollins' Storytide imprint

 

MUF: Thanks for agreeing to speak with us, Tara. Congratulations on launching this new endeavor. First off, what can you tell us about the Storytide imprint? What’s its focus or specialty?

TW: The Storytide imprint publishes powerful and distinctive stories with commercial, bestselling potential as well as literary merit, across all genres. Our focus is on middle-grade and teen fiction.

MUF: What has your career path been like so far? How did you get into publishing in general, and editing in specific? What was your educational background?

TW: Like many in publishing, I was an English major. I grew up in the Midwest and after college I attended the Rice University Publishing Program, which is no longer around. That immersive experience was what convinced me to take the leap and move to New York, after a year of working at the American Library Association in Chicago, to look for opportunities in publishing.

MUF: What sort of duties and responsibilities do you fulfill in your current position?

TW: Editors wear many different hats. I currently oversee the Storytide imprint and team of editors. We are focused on shaping the imprint identity with the books and authors we publish.  I manage budgets, acquire new projects, edit manuscripts, write copy, review design and marketing materials—the list goes on!

MUF: Did you always know you wanted to work with this aspect of the field?  Did you ever dream of being an author?

TW: I’ve always dreamed of working with books in some capacity. I never aspired to be a writer myself but I devoured everything I could get my hands on when I was growing up, and I was always the person that friends asked for advice about their English assignments and personal writing. I grew up on a farm in a rural area so bookstores and even libraries were hard to come by. My childhood reading appetites were fed with a wide-ranging variety of books I could scrounge up from friends and relatives by authors such as VC Andrews, Shel Silverstein, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Danielle Steel; series like Harlequin Romance; and classics like the Trixie Belden and Bobbsey Twins books, supplemented by books that were assigned at school and birthday gifts. The adage of “reading widely” was true for me by necessity and I believe it helped inform my ability to love all kinds of books across genres.

MUF: What books have inspired you along the way, whether growing up or as an adult? What books do you wholeheartedly recommend at any given opportunity?

TW: Books by authors such as Jandy Nelson, Franny Billingsley, Jacqueline Woodson, Alison Bechdel, and Casey McQuiston are some favorites over the years. Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life and Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow are two adult novels that were wonderfully devastating. And of course from my own list of middle-grade I’ll hand any of Katherine Applegate’s incredible novels to any child or adult, as well as Thanhha Lai’s award-winning verse novel Inside Out & Back Again.

MUF: What do you look for in books and submissions? What catches your attention and calls to you?

TW: If a premise feels fresh and offers a unique twist on an idea, and the writing is engaging and compelling, I’m often open to considering manuscripts. Since I’m drawn to a variety of genres I like to consider a range of subjects.

MUF: Do you have a favorite age range or genre to work with?

TW: I’m drawn to contemporary realistic novels; romance; magical realism; and light fantasy across middle-grade and teen.

MUF: What sort of tips, tricks, and advice do you have for aspiring writers, editors, or even agents?

TW: Reading widely in the area in which you’d like to write or work is definitely the top piece of advice. As a writer, what will help you see how and where your future books might sit alongside current books, or how they can be set apart in an intriguing way. And as an editor or an agent it’s important to be knowledgeable about the market. And for aspiring writers in search of an agent, research who represents your favorite writers as a first step to finding a good fit for your own work. For future editors and agents, internships will provide incomparable insight into the ways in which all manner of publishing works, and can help guide you to find out where you’d like to work.

MUF: Do you have any interesting hobbies or interests? How do you unwind and relax?

TW: I work remotely and live in Hawaii, so everything water-related is a favorite of mine, from snorkeling to swimming to stand-up paddleboard. I also volunteer regularly at the local humane society and take shelter dogs on hikes and to the beach.

MUF: Do you have any upcoming Storytide releases you’d like to plug? Any juicy announcements?

TW: Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is a raucously funny and romantic teen novel publishing in early June; The Haunting of Bellington Cottage by Laura Parnum is a gently spooky middle-grade novel coming in July; No Sam! And the Meow of Deception, Drew Daywalt’s sequel to the NYT bestseller They Call Me No Sam, is coming in September; and Thorn Season by debut author Kiera Azar is a sharp and sexy romantasy also publishing in September, in both hardcover and a gorgeously spec’d out deluxe limited edition.

Cover of Inside Out & Back Again Cover for No Sam and the Meow of Deception Cover for The Haunting of Bellington Cottage

EDITOR SPOTLIGHT: Meet Kristin Gilson, Editorial Director at Aladdin

Photo of ediorial Director Kristin Gilson

We are thrilled to welcome Kristin Gilson to the Editor/Agent Spotlight on The Mixed-up Files of Middle Grade Authors today.

Photo of ediorial Director Kristin Gilson Kristin Gilson is the Editorial Director of Aladdin, an imprint dedicated to quality commercial fiction and non-fiction for ages 12 and under.

Gilson began her long career in children’s publishing at Knopf and spent many years at HarperCollins and Penguin Random House before joining Aladdin. She is primarily looking for fiction and is drawn to stories with honesty and heart; books that make her laugh, cry, think, and feel; and quirky characters who are looking to find, figure out, or create their place in the world. She loves smart protagonists, sibling or found family stories, snarky humor, and books that speak to the growing young LGBTQ and GNC community.

A lifelong lover of books and reading, Kristin still has her very first library card!

Welcome to the blog, Kristin. We’re excited to learn about your editorial journey. Can you share any highlights or insights learned along the way from your early days at Knopf to your role at Aladdin?  

“Never underestimate the power of the paperback.”

Before I came to Aladdin all of my editorial positions had been focused primarily on paperbacks, though they encompassed the full range of paperback publishing—straight reprint conversions, traditional acquisitions, original titles developed in-house and with packagers, and licensed/tie-in publishing.

Publishing Opportunities

Publishing a title in paperback can create opportunities to reach different and often much broader audience and build a long tail that can sustain a title or author for years to come. Even in the case of a straight reprint conversion from hardcover, a strategic paperback publication—one that may involve a new cover or added bonus materials—can change the trajectory of a book and land it on a bestseller list!

Are there any updates you would add to your Wish List?

Given the impact that various recent events have had on young readers, I would add shorter/easier reads that still have relatable content for middle-graders and emphasize my desire for humorous and lighthearted stories. We are also publishing very little non-fiction at this time.

Building on Success

Congratulations on the release of your latest projects, including two NYT Bestsellers: Megan E. Freeman’s Away, the companion book to Alone; and Edgar Award winner James Ponti’s City Spies: London Calling.

How did you initially discover these authors?

I wish I had a triumphant story about how I saw a spark in a slush manuscript or hand-picked them after a presentation at a writer’s conference. But the truth is that I inherited them both from my predecessor at Aladdin. And boy am I glad I did.

What made you want to acquire their manuscripts?

From a business perspective, it was the fact that their previous books had done well and I wanted to build on that success. From a creative perspective, it’s because the authors had created such wonderful characters and scenarios and I wanted to see what they could create next and share that with readers. The fact that both authors are absolutely wonderful to work with was a plus as well.

Revisions

Typically, are there many revisions from acquisitions to final draft?

Sometimes, sometimes not—there are so many different things that factor into it. An author who prefers a more collaborative approach might submit something in a rougher or looser form so they can use my feedback to guide them as they work on the next version; others might prefer to get input from peers and sensitivity readers and do a lot of revising and polishing before I even see it; and still others will reach out to me to discuss things during the writing process so that when the manuscript comes to me we’ve already resolved things that might have needed revising. The important thing to know is that it doesn’t really matter how many revisions it takes as long as the author, the editor, and most importantly the readers, are excited about how it turned out.

Companion Books

Speaking of Freeman’s Away, what are the challenges and joys in editing a companion book? Can you share what this process was like?

Book cover of Away plus New York Times Bestseller The biggest joy is being able to return to characters and a world that you are already familiar with and get to know them a bit better or a bit differently. Those same things can also be challenges, because you can’t change their characteristics to fit the new story, the new story has to fit with what has already been established.

In the case of Away—which runs parallel to Alone—fitting the timeline was a pretty major challenge. This led to a fair amount of discussion and margin comments to make sure things were unfolding in a way that made sense, and that characters were developing accordingly. Fortunately, the use of different narrative forms allowed the story to take some leaps in time that would not have been easy to accomplish in a straight prose novel.

 

“Freeman delivers an engaging tale in which young crusaders strive to overcome both parental passivity

and corrupt authorities to discover and expose a dastardly scheme. . . . Scary and satisfying.”

Kirkus Reviews

Series Proposals or Stand-Alones?

Michael Vey book cover

Did Ponti’s City Spies series and Richard Paul Evans’ Michael Vey series begin as stand-alone novels or were they series proposals?

They were both series proposals, though the extent of both series has gone beyond what was initially acquired. (As an editor, my favorite kinds of series are those that allow you to build on them if the initial titles are successful, but at the same time are not reliant on additional books to complete a story or character arc. We don’t like to leave readers hanging.)

About that first library card…

We love that you still have your very first library card. What books or genres caught card-carrying young Kristin’s attention?

I’ve always been drawn to realistic fiction, stories with strong girl protagonists, and books that pack an emotional punch. I also loved (and still love) books about big families and secret clubs. To that point, some of my most cherished books from childhood are

  • The Saturdays, by Elizabeth Enright,
  • The Secret Language, by Ursula Nordstrom,
  • Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars,
  • Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth
  • William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth, by E. L. Konigsberg,
  • Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume, and
  • The Cat Ate my Gymsuit, by Paula Danziger.

(Young Kristin would be absolutely floored by the fact that not-young Kristin has had the good fortune of meeting some of these favorite authors!)

Kristin Gilson's actual, very first library card from 1971

Submissions

How and when can authors submit to you?

Their agents can submit to me via email at any time.

Are there any upcoming titles/current projects you are excited about?

I’m really looking forward to the publication of Hurricane Heist, the second book in James Ponti’s new series The Sherlock Society, this fall.

book cover of Hurricane Heist with four teens and their biclcles and inclement weather in the distance

BONUS Editor Lightning Round:

  1. Query/Pitch pet peeve: _I wrote this story for my grandchildren.”
  2. Please don’t send me: _picture books______
  3. Title on your TBR pile: _The Bletchley Riddle_by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin 
  4. PB you could probably recite by heart: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. (It’s a classic for a reason.)
  5. Favorite line from a mg or YA novel: From Gayle Forman’s novel, I Was Here: ”Some messes can wait.”

Agent/Author Spotlight: Eric Smith

Philadelphia-based Eric Smith has worked as an author, an anthology editor, and an agent, and as such has a deep love for children’s literature and an impressive range of experience.  His most recent novel, a YA romcom about two teens whose families own rival cheesesteak trucks, With or Without You, was released in 2023. From The Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors had the privilege of speaking with Eric about his career, especially his role as an agent for P.S. Literary.

 

Eric Smith, looking dapper in a jean jacket

How did you get into agenting? Was that before or after you established yourself as an author?

It was just a smidge after my author life had kicked off. My first book, The Geek’s Guide to Dating, was published with Quirk at the very end of 2013, and I started agenting with P.S. in 2014. My first YA novel, Inked, came out in 2015. So, I was still a bit of a baby author back then.

I had been working at Quirk Books for about five years when I made the leap. I’d been looking for roles in editorial, actually, when the agenting position caught my eye. I’d been lucky enough to work with some of the team at P.S. Literary on books they’d had at Quirk, by my friend (and agency client) Sam Maggs. I reached out and well, here we are a decade later. I feel very lucky.

What can you tell us about P.S. Literary?

It’s an agency based out of Canada, with a bundle of absolutely wonderful agents.  Everyone’s tastes there are so wildly different, that we end up being an agency which works on a wide array of projects. I’d tell anyone reading who loves kid-lit, to check out the work of my colleagues Maria Vicente and Curtis Russell.

What do you look for in a query or manuscript? What themes and topics really call to you? Are you seeking anything in particular right now?

Oooh that’s a tough one! The unhelpful answer is “a good story!” but really, that’s what it usually comes down to.

The thing about a good query, is that it gives me everything I need to know if it’s something I want to request. The basics are there so I know it’s in good shape (good word count, solid comparative titles, the right genre and category for the description of the story), and then the details of the story ground me in the book.

Like, when you look at the jacket copy of any book on your bookshelf, we get a sense of the characters, stakes, and why they can’t just walk away, right? Give those books a look right now! See? We need to get a sense of that in the pitch too.

Once I’ve got all those bits in a query, and as long as the writing is good (again another unhelpful bit), I’ll request away!

As for what I’m specifically looking for… hm. I really want more horror, high-concept romantic comedies, and accessible genre-blending fiction.

Following up on that, what would you like to see more of in middle grade fiction?

More horror please! And I’d love to see an even bigger resurgence in middle grade sci-fi. It’s been such a thrill watching Scott Reintgen’s The Last Dragon on Mars absolutely everywhere. Kids want their science fiction! Let’s make it happen!

What are some of your favorite middle grade authors and/or books? Those can be classic, recent, ones which influenced you growing up, or ones which stand out in today’s market…

I feel like I’m always chasing the thrill of reading an Alex London novel. His Middle Grades, from Battle Dragons to the Princess Protection Program, are just so spectacularly imaginative, accessible, and inclusive. They are the kind of books I cannot wait to give to my kiddo when he’s old enough to read them.

I feel like Olivia A. Cole reinvents themself with every single Middle Grade they write. Where the Lockwood Grows was a masterpiece and then we get hit with The Empty Place, and both books feel so spectacularly different while still so distinctly Olivia. Their books are a literary miracle.

I’ve also loved Sarvenaz Tash and Misa Sugiura’s ventures into Middle Grade after several astonishing YA novels. Definitely pick up the Momo Arashima series and Tash’s debut in MG, The Queen of Ocean Parkway.

As an agent, you’ve represented non-fiction, adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction. Do you have a particular favorite category? What’s it like covering such a wide spectrum of material?

Oooh that’s like asking me to pick my favorite child!

I think my favorite place to work in is always going to be Young Adult books, just because I also write them, which means I get this extra thrill really digging into projects with my YA clients. I like to think I’m really good at those. I hope my clients agree!

What advice would you give an author seeking representation for the first time?

Take your time, do the research. There are a lot of agents out there, but there’s a good chance after you’ve scoured through and made your lists of the ones who will best represent your work, you might only have a couple dozen that feel right. And it’s better to have a good fit.

That said, try not to be nervous? Or intimidated? While there’s an adage floating around about how agents are always looking for a reason to say no, I’d argue that we are always looking for a reason to say YES. We’re people who love books and the folks who write them, and we don’t have a job without creatives.

So yes, take your time. Do the homework. But then take a deep breath. You’re preparing to engage with a bunch of wild fans.

I also keep a bundle of query resources on my website, so if you’re looking to read some sample query letters, give it a look! It’s all free.

What are some of the reasons why you might pass on a query or manuscript? What pitfalls should authors try and avoid?

I mean, it’s never something nefarious. It’s usually a sign that the book just isn’t ready, or they haven’t had anyone else look at it. A word count that is far too low or way too high, a voice that doesn’t fit the category or genre, a fundamentally wrong narrative decision for the project, things like that.

You avoid those pitfalls by being familiar with the space you’re looking to be in. Reading books in the genre or category. I can usually tell right away if a writer isn’t versed in what they’re writing. So do that work.

After all, if you want to write MG novels, you should be a fan of them, right?

How do you balance your author and agent workloads?

Hah! I wish I had some secret hack answer here, but the reality is, I do it the way anyone who has a day job does it. I squeeze in a little time here and there. I wake up early before my kid goes to school, and I write at 6AM until he comes into my office demanding juice. If I’ve had a day that isn’t too exhausting, sometimes I’ll write at night. And I have long standing writing dates with friends that I set up.

It means my books sometimes take a while, and it means sometimes I won’t touch a draft for weeks. But family and work always comes first.

What are you working on now? What projects, both yours and your clients, would you like to hype?

Oh you! My first Middle Grade novel comes out in 2026 with Crown and is called The Adoptee’s Guide to Surviving Seventh Grade. It’s co-written with Jazz Taylor and K.A. Reynolds, and is about a club of adoptees who do not want to talk about their feelings… until they have to, of course.

And there may be another MG announcement on the horizon for me.

As for my clients, there’s a really beautiful MG non-fiction book coming out next year with Bloomsbury by Margeaux Weston called Everything But Typical that I’m very proud of, all about neurodiverse people who have made history, and the latest in Robin Stevenson’s MG non-fiction Kid Legends series, Kid Olympians: Winter, is set to publish with Quirk.

Finally, because I know you’re a proud Philadelphian: Wit’ or witout?  Whiz or American?  And what’s your favorite cheesesteak place?

Hahah, I am a provolone boy, and when it’s available, Cooper Sharp, the best of cheeses. My favorite cheesesteak places are perhaps a bit controversial, as I love the oxtail cheesesteak (you heard me) at Revolution House in Old City, and the curry chicken cheesesteak at Cedar Point in Fishtown. Though most of my Philadelphia friends will tell you, the best cheesesteak is wherever you can get one.