Back to My Roots
Hi, readers!
Many years ago, just out of college and with one year of teaching experience, I landed my dream job in New York City as an editorial assistant for the children’s paperback division of a large publishing company. One of my first jobs was to write cover copy, which is a summary of the plot that goes on the back cover of a paperback. I was thrilled to work on children’s books, and over the next few years, at three different companies, I took on many tasks and assignments.
Eventually, I became a senior editor. I enjoyed everything about being an editor: working with authors, coming up with new ideas, reading manuscripts, and editing a book from start to finish.Early in my publishing career, I decided that I wanted to write children’s books myself. I began working on Bummer Summer, which became my first published work. Over the next few years, I finished two more books,Early in my publishing career, I decided that I wanted to write children’s books myself. I began working on Bummer Summer, which became my first published work. Over the next few years, I finished two more books, writing before I went to work and on the weekends. Finally I decided to leave my editorial job and become a free-lance writer. Working alone at home was very different from being in an office with my colleagues, but I knew it was the right choice for me. Long-time readers may know that it was at this time that Scholastic’s editorial director asked me to write a four-book series about a group of girls who baby-sat, and The Baby-sitters Club was born!
Many years and many books later, I was delighted when Doll People co-author Laura Godwin asked me if I would be interested in editing a collection of dog stories. Because Laura loves classic dog stories, she thought children would enjoy reading a contemporary collection from a diverse group of authors. I happily said yes. After so many years of writing, I thought it would be fun to work once again with other authors and their stories. An added bonus, of course, is that I love dogs!
My first task was to invite authors to contribute to the collection. Laura and I ended up with a wonderfully diverse and talented group: fellow Scholastic authors Pam Munoz Ryan, Mark Teague and Jon J Muth, along with authors Wendy Orr, Thacher Hurd, Valerie Hobbs, Margarita Engle, and Matt de la Pena. It was fun to work with all of these people; I’ve known Pam, Mark, and Jon for years, and it was great to get to know some of the others whose work I was familiar with but whom I had never met. The only instruction to the authors was to write a story about a dog. We didn’t give them any other direction; we wanted to see what the authors would come up with on their own.
My dog, Sadie, got involved with the project and wrote a forward for the book, in which she says, “Between the covers of this book, you’ll read about a boy who turns into a dog, a dog who brings a family together, a dog who lived a long time ago and was a companion to a very great artist in Paris, and about funny dogs, adventurous dogs, brave dogs, smart dogs, and dogs who perform rescues.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!
I was also writing a story for the collection, and after some thought, I recalled a day when Sadie wandered off and went missing for several hours. It was a scary time, although it ended well and she never ran off again. I decided to tell a similar story through the eyes of twelve-year-old Delilah, who is left in charge of her dog Picasso for the first time in her life.
In the end, I tried not to do too much editing of the other authors’ manuscripts. I made suggestions, but felt it was important that the authors tell their own stories in their own voices. I think this is what makes the collection, Because of Shoe (the title of Pam Munoz Ryan’s story), such an adventure for the reader!
As for me, taking a break from my writing to return to my editorial roots was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it’s a challenge I look forward to taking on again.
Happy reading!
Love,
Ann
Thank you for joining us at Best Dog Books, Ann Martin! To find other books by Ann, click here.
For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.
For published authors who’ve written a dog book, check out our Best Dog Book Medal.
