Children’s Book Editors on Working with their Heroes
From Candlewick president and publisher Karen Lot to Scholastic Press assistant Kait Feldmann, even professional editors are apt to become starstruck when working with legendary authors such as Judy Blume, Norton Juster, and R.L. Stine. But the strongest editorial relationships are built upon mutual respect and trust.
During our first phone conversation I started fan-girling, and Judy [Blume] immediately put a stop to that. She said—and rightly so—that we wouldn’t be able to work together effectively if we weren’t on equal footing. It was just what I needed to hear, and things went swimmingly after that, with the normal editorial give-and-take. — Stephanie Owens Lurie, editor-at-large, Disney-Hyperion (Publishers Weekly)
