Posts Tagged editor

Five Questions with Kortney Nash, Assistant Editor at Godwin Books

By on March 12, 2025   /   WNDMG  
Kortney Nash

Kortney Nash, an assistant editor at Godwin Books/Henry Holt, pops in at From the Mixed-Up Files Of Middle-Grade Authors to share books and advice. She has an inextinguishable love for sci-fi. She was part of the editorial team for the middle-grade graphic novel, Oasis, published February 18, 2025, which has received seven-star reviews so far, as well as a shout-out in the New York Times. As an author, her picture book, Tell Me About Juneteenth, will be released in May 2025.

As a newish editor, tell us about your publishing journey. What types of books did you like to read while growing up and how does that impact the type of list you would like to build?
Growing up, I read all types of books! I think the first books I fell in love with while learning to read independently were the Junie B. Jones series. I remember there being a lot of humor in those, and they really drove home to me that reading can be fun––those books may be the reason I ended up in the publishing industry! That series turned me into an avid reader, and before you knew it I was devouring The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and pretty much all of the popular titles that dominated the pop culture landscape during my childhood and teenage years.

When I’m at work, I’m always thinking about these titles that nurtured my love of reading and what made them special for me. I found a lot of excitement in the high-octane fast paced series that I previously mentioned, but was also profoundly touched by books like The House On Mango Street and Walk Two Moons––stories that struck a deep chord within me emotionally. When I’m looking for titles to acquire, this is the balance I’m thinking about. I want a bit of everything, something for every reader out there.

Can you talk about what books you’re currently editing and what attracted you to those projects?
I can’t give too many details at this stage, but I most often find myself drawn to projects that center marginalized voices in multifaceted ways. I love stories with BIPOC and/or queer leads where the main characters are having fun or dealing with the paranormal or stepping into fantasy worlds. When I was growing up, most of the books that had Black main characters dealt with racism as a main focal point of the plot––and left a void for Black readers looking for stories that didn’t just focus on the struggles of Black life, but Black joy as well. I like books that achieve this in different ways, they heal my inner child!

What type of book would you love to acquire but haven’t read yet?
This is incredibly specific, but I’ll throw it into the void anyway: I want a sci-fi boarding school murder mystery! I’ve been putting this request out into the universe for a hot minute now, so I think the energy will (hopefully) come back to me soon. There are so many magic school books, but I haven’t seen a ton of sci-fi that drifts into that zone, which hurts my heart as a devoted Star Trek fan. I think there’s a lot of potential to do some fun stuff in that space, and I’ll be ready to acquire it as soon as it hits my inbox.

For those looking to build up their library of diverse reads, what middle-grade books would you recommend?
Oasis by GuojingI love this question! Middle grade is such a unique space in books, and I think that we can all benefit from reading middle-grade novels no matter how old we are. I seriously can’t recommend Oasis enough. The art is beyond stunning, and the story is just so incredibly moving. It’s one of those books that you wish would never end! I was very fortunate to get to watch things come together behind the scenes for that book, so there is some extra special sentimental value for me there, but even from an objective perspective, I think there’s no denying that it’s a really compelling read that brings something fresh to the sci-fi space. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you’re looking for something dystopian-leaning with themes about family and hope, then this book is for you! If you’re not looking for those things, this book is still for you. In short, read the book no matter who you are, you won’t regret it.

Otherwise, I’m also always recommending Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams whenever I can because I read it and just really adored it! I found the voice so compelling and appreciated the way the author tackled important issues like colorism and class head-on. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t throw Remy Lai into the mix––I loved the humor and heart in Pie in the Sky and have had Ghost Book on my TBR for a hot minute now! Remy’s art is so fantastic, and she really has a gift for drawing readers in on the very first page.

 

Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi FarmerThere’s also Kwame Crashes the Underworld, a middle-grade fantasy steeped in Ghanaian culture that just won the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award. And to round out my recommendation, I’m going to shout out The Haunted States of America, a middle-grade anthology I edited that features 52 different authors––one from every state in the US as well as DC and Puerto Rico. I could recommend books all day, but I’ll stop there for now!

 

 

Ghost Book by Remy Lai   Haunted Staes of America (Anthology)   Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

 

 

 

 

 

What advice would you give to others looking for a career in publishing?
For those looking for a career in publishing, I’d recommend reading widely first and foremost! Besides that, pay attention to who published the books you’re reading––if you notice you’re reading a lot of books produced by the same imprint, try seeing if you can have an informational interview with someone who works there to learn more about their approach to book publishing. You only live once, so I would overall say don’t be afraid to reach out to folks (in a respectful way) to ask questions about what the day-to-day looks like in different departments. Everyone I’ve met has entered the industry from a different angle, so I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all method for beginning a career in publishing. However, persistence and patience go a long way!

Bonus Question:

If you could swap lives with any character from a novel, who would you choose?
I would swap lives with Mark from Andy Weir’s The Martian. I need some time to chill out on a different planet, even if it means getting stranded:) I would eventually work hard to get back to Earth though! Eventually!

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Interview with Editor Jonah Heller – Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.

By on November 12, 2019   /   Book Lists, Common Core & NGSS, Diversity, Editor / Agent Spotlight, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, Publishing & Promotion, STEM, Teacher Tips  

We are delighted to have with us, Jonah Heller, associate editor at Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.

Welcome to Mixed-Up Files, Jonah!

Hey, thanks for having me!

 

Could you share your editorial journey at Peachtree with us?

My editorial journey with Peachtree started shortly after I graduated with my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from VCFA. I was fortunate enough to have a network of peers connected to Peachtree who helped advocate my intern application, and I did my internship with Peachtree in the summer of 2016. Through hard work, careful attention to detail, and routinely showering everyone with baked goods, I left enough of a positive impression that I was hired on as a publisher’s assistant on January 1, 2017.

From there, I was entering orders for sales, organizing mailings, proofing our catalog, and doing just about anything that needed an extra pair of hands while also training into editorial assistant work. As my supervisor left for other horizons—I eventually did take on more editorial work and started dipping into acquisitions by examining imports from Frankfurt and Bologna. It was great exposure to literature abroad and an excellent opportunity to develop my own taste and direction. Of course, the reward for work done well is—more work! So lots of paperbacks and reprints and editorial outreach as an assistant editor. And now I’ve been upgraded to an associate editor, so I’ve been set loose into the wilderness to go find exciting things and build my list. Woo!

 

What are some books you’ve worked on?

Peachtree is very well established in the picture book arena, so plenty of those!

In terms of middle grade: Peachtree is a smaller house, so that means it’s an all-hands-on-deck environment and everyone’s got their hand in the cookie jar at some point. I’ve helped proof various stages of our Charlie Bumpers and Nina Soni series. I’ve also overseen the paperback adaptation process for quite a number of our middle grade titles, which can involve anything from a new cover and revised back matter to substantial text edits and updates with the author.

                                               

Working on imports as an assistant, I adapted The Bookshop Girl from Scholastic UK and oversaw the illustration process from sketches to final art and cover. It’s a fun mystery about a girl who can’t read and has to save her family’s recently acquired bookstore from a shady con man. A good choice if you love whimsy and the idea of a mechanical wonder bookstore with rooms dedicated to rocket ships or pirate treasure aquariums.

What are some subjects you’d like to see authors tackle in middle grade?

Ultimately, I’d like to see them tackle whatever interests them. That’s the best place to start. But as far as my wish list for this group…

Themes: adventure, animal points of view, comedy, coming of age, contemporary, magical realism, mystery, wilderness survival,

Craft: character driven; compelling voice; page-turning digestible plot; 3-dimensional protagonist & antagonist

It’s one of those things, where I’ll know it when I see it and get into the first ten pages. So I try to keep a wide net cast. I would, however, especially LOVE ownvoices LGBTQ+ stories.

Could you share with us your ideas and goals when it comes to the representation of diversity in the books you publish?

Everyone should be able to reach out to literature and see themselves. That’s critical not only to a sense of belonging but also to establishing empathy for other walks of life outside of our own experience. I strive to be mindful and thoughtful in my acquisitions, because I don’t want a one-note list. I’d be very bored and disappointed with that and, ultimately, so would my publisher and our readers.

Putting that into practice: I don’t ever actively look to check off a box and then move on to something else. I don’t think that’s a good approach, nor a sincere one. My goal is to ultimately acquire talent from all walks of life, who can deliver an excellently crafted story while also offering authentic mirrors and varied experiences. I don’t want to just acquire you and your one book and then be done with it:  I want to build a long-lasting relationship with you and work on lots of cool things for years to come.

What are some common reasons for a manuscript to make it to acquisitions at Peachtree Publishing?

For middle grade fiction, it’s usually character- or voice-driven. You can really latch onto someone’s journey and empathize with their trials and triumphs if the writing lets you step close enough. It’s not really theme or topic that drives fiction for us; it’s a fully satisfying story and arc of growth. You walk away from the book, having had some sort of raw emotional experience that sticks to you and you carry around for a while.

Nonfiction: it’s not my area of expertise, admittedly. But this can be topic or theme driven at first and then develop into something that will ultimately be more for the institutional market. So, we’ll ask: how can this be used in the classroom? What makes it different and specialized from everything else already out there? How can we grow it further from this one book? Etc.

What advice do you have for writers who want to query you?

So if you’re unagented, I’m on snail mail at the moment. It’s not everyone’s favorite method, but it’s mine and it keeps me organized! You can find Peachtree’s address and submissions guidelines on our website, and if you were dutiful enough to read this then you’ll now discover that if you don’t put my name on the envelope, it won’t ever come to my desk.

My general wish list is above, but it’s always a good idea to check out a publisher’s catalog and see what kind of stuff they’ve done. That’s always step one. Ask yourself: does it feel like they’re a good fit for my work, or am I going to be an odd duck out here? Or, if they’ve done something similar: how is my work going to stand out?

As I’ve said, nonfiction isn’t generally my cup of tea. But maybe I’ll surprise myself one day.

I’m also probably not the right editor for a divorce or abuse story, unless it culminates in healing and/or some type of cathartic and triumphant resolution. Additionally, fantasy and science fiction haven’t been as prominent at Peachtree, so the pacing, world building, and character work has to be top-of-the-line.

Other tips:

  • Spelling the editor’s name right is cool
  • Showing up at their office in-person is not cool
  • Neither are frequent phone calls
  • Explore resources on writing query letters

What’s going on in Middle Grade at Peachtree right now?

I’ve been Americanizing an illustrated adventure from the UK, called Mr. Penguin. It’s Indiana Jones meets Sherlock, but with a penguin and a kung fu spider. So basically loads of fun.

                                         

 

Our Nina Soni series continues, and upcoming for 2020: we’ve bought the US text rights to Lavie Tidhar’s Candy from Scholastic UK. It’s an awesome film noir-like mystery following young detective Nelle Faulkner as she uncovers the shady underworld of candy smuggling in a town that’s outlawed sugar. We will be re-illustrating, so expect a fun story and a fresh American package!

Domestically, I’m on the verge of some exciting things I can’t share just yet. So stay tuned and be on the lookout for Peachtree’s middle grade!

 

Jonah Heller is an Associate Editor at Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. in Atlanta, GA. He graduated with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and earned his BFA in Dramatic Writing for Film and TV at the Savannah College of Art and Design. His editorial focus ranges from board book to young adult. Say hello on Twitter @jrheller87

 

 

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