Interview with NY Times Bestselling Author, Jay Asher

Jay Asher’s debut novel Thirteen Reasons Why is one of my favorite YA novels. I had the honor of meeting Jay at the 2008 Los Angeles SCBWI conference and heard his talk “No Bookmarks Allowed: How to Inject Suspense into Any Novel.” 

Published by Razorbill (Penguin’s teen imprint) in 2007, Thirteen Reasons Why is a New York Times Bestseller and listed as a Best Book for Young Adults (YALSA), Book Sense Pick Winner and a slew of other awards.

Razorbill’s Synopsis of Thirteen Reasons Why:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 13 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

"Thirteen Reasons Why is a mystery, eulogy, and ceremony. I know, in the years to come, I will often return to this book."

--Sherman Alexie, author of the National Book Award Winner, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"A brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a talented new author."

--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Breakneck pace and dizzying emotion."

--School Library Journal

"Readers won't be able to pull themselves away . . . "

--Publishers Weekly

"Eerie, beautiful, and devastating."

--The Chicago Tribune

Jay Asher has been featured on many media outlets, and I encourage you to read his other interviews that dive into the more serious issues addressed in the book (such as teen suicide). 

For this interview, I focused on writing-specific questions. 
  
 

 

1. Where did you write most of Thirteen Reasons Why?

I wrote huge chunks of it at a coffee shop called Linnaea’s, the inspiration for Monet’s Garden Café in the book.  The table where Clay sat while listening to one of the tapes is my favorite place to write.  In fact, here’s a newspaper photo taken at that coffee shop.  Who’s that in the background?  Me!  And I’m sitting at Clay’s table.  And I just happen to be doing the final edits of Thirteen Reasons Why.

2. What is your writing process like? Do you follow a specific writing regime (Like you must complete 500 word a day or else….) or is it more organic?

I try to keep it as organic as possible, which is why I try not to outline too heavily.  I usually have an idea where the story is heading, and a few things I want to see happen along the way, but I never force the story in those directions if the characters don’t naturally take it there.

3. The unerring voice of Hannah Baker is a true success story. Hannah comes across as easy to relate to, accurate to a teen’s speech, and easy to identify in a story that changes point of view so frequently. Did you do any “YA Voice” research? (Or watch certain movies, listen to a targeted rock band, read specific books?)

What a compliment!  But her voice was the easiest to capture of any character I’ve ever written.  The moment the idea for the novel came to me, Hannah’s full personality was right there.  I wish every character were that easy to figure out.

4. Did you write any of your personality or teen experiences into Thirteen Reasons Why?

In high school, I was a lot like Clay.  And a few of the scenes were inspired by things that I experienced…but only loosely inspired.  It was more the emotions behind certain situations that I wanted to capture.  I’d write scenes about those feelings rather than about specific events.  But the paper bag scene, with Hannah’s anonymous note, is almost identical to something that happened in one of my classes.

 5. One of Hannah’s teachers receives partial blame for her suicide. What was your reasoning for incorporating an authority figure into the tapes? One of the main things we see Hannah lose throughout the book is hope.  Eventually, she even begins to turn away the hope that is offered to her.  Whether people feel that particular authority figure deserved to be on the tapes or not…to Hannah, he did.  Sometimes people pin too much hope on those we feel should automatically know all the right things to say in any situation.  When that doesn’t happen, it can seem more crushing than a non-authority figure doing the same thing.  Plus, I needed to find thirteen stories to tell, and making one an adult helped add a little twist.

6. Originally, you wanted to write humorous middle-grade. How did you end up trying your hand at YA novels?

It does sound odd to go from writing humorous manuscripts for younger children to a very serious novel for teens.  But I simply wrote the most intriguing story ideas as they came to me.  For many years, those were funny stories.  When the idea for Thirteen Reasons Why came, that was the most intriguing story…so I went with it!

7. Many writers get bogged down with word count and/or revisions of their manuscript. How many revisions did Thirteen Reasons Why go through? How aware were you of your word count/page numbers as you wrote?

I heavily revise and polish as I go, so there’s only one true draft when I’m done.  It helps that I do a lot of brainstorming throughout the writing process with my friends, which keeps me from wandering too far away from my original story idea.  And while I don’t generally worry about word count, because Hannah’s portion of the story is told on audiotapes, I kept track of how long her “monologues” were to make sure one tape wasn’t too much longer than another.  But I didn’t keep track of Clay’s portion of the story.

8. You’ve been an active member of SCBWI for a long time. What are some reasons that keep you attending conferences?

One, they’re a lot of fun.  It’s great to catch up with other writers who I sometimes see just once a year.  But they can also be great opportunities to schmooze, allowing face-time with editors and agents who might one day be important in your career.

9. Many writers looking to get published weigh the decision between finding an agent and approaching an editor directly. What’s your advice? Plenty of people sell books without agents, but the right agent can really help on the business end of things.  Thirteen Reasons Why was getting interest from editors before I had an agent because of awards it had won, but I wanted someone to help me find the perfect editor.  And when the book ended up selling in a three-house auction, I was definitely glad I had an agent to help me through that.

10. How has having a critique group helped (or hurt) you as a writer?

It’s done nothing but help me.  I used to be in a large critique group, which I got into shortly after I began writing children’s books.  Everyone in that group was unpublished, but we all went to conferences and read how-to-write books along with plenty of novels, and we shared everything we learned about this creative pursuit of ours.  The writing quality improved so quickly for all of us because we were brutally honest with each other.  By the time I left the group (because I moved away), whenever I sat down to write, I would literally hear Cynthia or Roz point out things I was doing wrong in my writing as I was writing it.  Now I’m in a smaller group, and we mostly just brainstorm together until a full manuscript is done.  Then we critique the entire manuscript.

11.What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received and why?

This question totally has me stumped.  Most of the advice I’ve received consists of little nuggets which, when accumulated, add up to a massive amount of great advice.  Unfortunately, I can’t pick one that’s The Best.  Now, I do know The Worst piece of advice I’ve ever been given.  It was absolutely horrible advice.  Horrible.  Horrible.  Horrible!  Every writer should run away from advice like this.  But that wasn’t the question you asked, so…moving on. [Jodi’s note-- Nope, he’s not gonna share!]

12. You can have lunch with any author you want (dead or alive). Who would you invite?

Stephen King.  I think he’s an amazing storyteller, and I really admire the way he thinks about writing.  Plus, I’m addicted to his column in Entertainment Weekly called The Pop of King.  The guy’s a genius…and hysterical!

13. So, you’ve got a successful, best-selling book. What’s next on the agenda?

Next year, we’ll be releasing a Thirteen Reasons Why pop-up book, which I’m very excited about.  But other than that, I just plan to keep writing books for teens.  I’ve been absolutely honored and amazed that my first novel connected with so many teens on such a deep level.  And if I don’t write anything as successful as that again…fine.  But I won’t stop trying!

Visit Jay's blog.
Buy Thirteen Reasons Why.

Join SCBWI.

Check out some international covers of the book:

 

* © passport in my pocket *

SCBWI Conference Day Three: Keynotes & Panels

 I watched the sunrise on the train this morning.

Today was the third (and final) day of the SCBWI winter conference in New York City. I arrived early to grab a coffee and snag a front-row seat in the auditorium. It was a long day of keynotes and panels, but incredibly educational and inspirational. Have I mentioned how much I love SCBWI?

 

The morning started with a review of What's Selling, What's Not? presented by Susan Raab (Founder of Raab Associates, the first agency to specialize in marketing and promoting children's books – clients have included most major publishers in the USA).  

Tips:

* Middle reader books are selling very well. Examples include Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
* Changes in where/how to get books/what the pricing should be are questions in the current marketplace.
* Impacted publishers are being cautious in what they publish.
* Traditional (paperback) books are dominating the market (inexpensive), versus pop-up/dye-cut books that are pricey for publishers to produce.
* Fantasy genre obviously going strong but the sense that paranormal/mysteries will have a more dominant presence soon. "Dystopian" is currently huge (Hunger Games).
* Girls books – like the Gossip Girl books or "cliques" books – are popular, but series flip quickly as new, hot ones come into the marketplace. Series sell well but this kind tend to have a short lifespan.
* Publishers are sticking close to publishing "classic" picture books, instead of new authors (like Library Lion and the Eric Carlyle books). They want to spend their money on picture books that have a timeless quality.
* Book clubs influence the market (Scholastic magazines to schools, for example). Interpret how they think... selling space in these magazines are small, these books tend to have "value" in their pricing, they consider representing all age groups in these magazines, and this can influence sales.

So, what really sells? 

* Preschool age = concept books

* K-1 = holidays, seasons, emotional growth books

* 2-3 = series start to get more popular

* 4-6 = at this point, kids start to identify with a certain author and buy every one of their books.

* Tween/Teen = trendy readers, do what their friends are doing, so therefore books on vampires and zombies are hot right now.

Writers should also consider how you want to shape your career in children's books. If you want to have long life in the industry, think carefully how you want to break into the market, what type of writer you want to become.  

The next morning speaker, Sheldon Fogelman, spoke to creating a gameplan as a writer. He founded of the Sheldon Fogelman Agency, and has represented big-name authors (like Jerry Pickney, the current Newbery Award winner of The Lion & the Mouse).

 Sheldon's Steps for Success:

1) Enter into this career with financial stability. Use your money wisely & think about how you will invest your income towards a successful writing career. Eliminate all of your debt so that you can WRITE WELL, not just write to try to bring in the big bucks. It's a fickle industry.

2) Then, think what can I do with myself? Learn everything you can, look for the pulse of the market.

3) Discover your area of interest. Write well. Find an agent. Work with a critique group. Expand and explore. Don't just write for one age group and in one specific genre. Allow your work to breathe.

4) Have a plan to proceed. Make a road map. Where are you going, and how are you going to get there?

5) Be open for editorial input. Other people can have great ideas – don't ignore them.

7) Self-promote. How much should you do? Take this seriously, but don't let it take away from your writing time.

8) Get ideas and always work to improve your writing.

Sheldon's Query Letter Tips:

1) Don't promote your work in the letter – let it speak for itself.
2) Only share relevant background as it relates to PUBLISHING. Do not mention that your children love the piece. Communicate any writing awards you may have won.
3) Keep it short.
4) Terrific letters will result in a careful reader.
5) If they don't like your work, don't take it too personally. IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY DON'T LIKE YOU.

"There are no first drafts at the library."

An Agent Panel – George Nicholson (Sterling and Lord Literistic), Rosemary Stimola (Stimola Literary Studio) and Tina Wexler (Director @ International Creative Management) – analzyed the current market.

GW: Have faith in your own judgments & interest. Always read adult fiction and this will help make you a better children's book writer. If the agent isn't passionate about your work, they won't sign you. We don't really do picture books, not really working with new talent. Non-fiction is a tough sell, but it is also under-served in the marketplace.

RS: Looking build careers – is here for the long term. Agent is on your team, so you can be free to write and be your creative self. Everything is changing, so we work to protect you and your work in the PRESENT TIME but also in the FUTURE. It's a challenging but exciting climate. Write a kick-ass story and leave it to the agent professionals to navigate the market. (FYI, she represents HUNGER GAMES so she knows what she's talking about). She is accepting eQueries, but she is carefully selective. She receives about 25-50 eQueries a day. Do not submit attached documents or anything besides the query in the body of the email – she will contact you quickly if she is interested. Wants the unforgettable – what will stand out. They are a "boutique agency."

"I like to set the trends."

~ Rosemary Stimola

TW: Don't follow trends, they are a hard sell. Writers that have other interests, like a hobby, generally have writing that is more "rich with detail." She likes beekeeping themes. 75% of her clients were unpublished when she signed them. She is looking for clients, eQueries are best. Only send first five pages of the manuscript in the body of the email. Absolutely no attachments.

The magnificent Jane Yolan signed off the conference with her talk on "I Still Love Books." She is the author of almost 300 books, including Owl Moon and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Her books have won multiple awards, including the Caldecott, Golden Kite Award and two Nebulas.

"The business of storytelling never gets old."

~Jane Yolan

Her Writing Rules:

1) Make it exciting.

2) Go easy on adverbs.

3) Don't let your characters float on the page – anchor them with an action.

4) Have fun, it's not all agony.

5) BIC. Butt-in-chair. HOP. Heart on page.

6) You may never be the best, but you can always get better.

7) P not F – passion not fashion.

8) Write what you love. Don't try to write what you don't like to read.

9) Fairy tales don't usually happen, so you don't always have to write happy endings.

10) Fall through the words into the story. Create layers to your tale with a weave of words. Use an "amuse bouche" or a small mouthful of something to wake up the palate while "preparing for a larger meal" of story.

11) Opening lines are incredibly important. She referenced "Call me Ishmael" in Moby Dick and all of the hidden meanings behind that one line.

12) Exercise your writing muscle or it's gonna get flabby. Write something every single day, even if its vacation or a holiday.

13) Every artist is either nutured or a nuturer but rarely both.

14) You need an editor. We are all too in love with our words.

15) Read the rejection letters and let them absorb the initial anger, but get over it.

16) Mantra: Money should always flow towards the author, not away from the author. You should never have to pay for an agent or have to pay for self-publication.

17) You are a native to the "place." Don't ignore the landscape in your story.

18) Read what you've written aloud.

19) Writer's block is all in your mind. Stand up, go for a walk, listen to music. But don't get lost into another novel or you'll lose you writer's voice. 

20) There are actually projects you will never complete and you just have to learn to walk away from it and start something new. This is a writer's reality. Change up your method, try something new, and maybe the other piece will work at another time.

Jane asked me what I wrote. When I told her I dabbled in everything – from picture books to middle grade to YA – she said that was an excellent trait. I said, "Really? I thought it made me unfocused." She replied, "The only reason I've had a career like I have is that when one thing fell through the bottom, I had another to turn to. Keep writing in every genre for every age, and success will find you." Thank you, Jane, for your kind and inspirational words!

Follow the official SCBWI blog for additional information here.

BUY BOOKS by Jane Yolan

 

* © passport in my pocket *

SCBWI Conference Day Two: Sessions & Keynotes

Today's SCBWI conference breakout sessions and keynote speakers were nothing short of amazing. 

Conference Statistics:

* This year was the largest NYC SCBWI conference

* There are now 22,000 SCBWI members

* 1,047 NYC conference attendees from 14 countries & 45 states

Once again, Lin Oliver MC'd the conference. Lin owns a production company and is the NY Times best-selling author of the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk? and Hank Zipzer series.

She is so friendly and absolutely hilarious. I pitched her my middle grade novel book about a boy with one ear, and she told me she thought it was a great idea and to keep in touch about its progression! She is too kind!

Quirky, fun-loving  author Libba Bray started off the morning with her talk on "Writing as an Extreme Sport" and "unleashing reckless abandon with our writing." Her newest book, Going Bovine, is a best-selling YA novel about a kid with mad cow disease – it just won the prestigious Printz Award. Libba gave excellent tips on how to create layered characters by allowing the "gritty bits" to seep through. 

"Make the work matter to yourselves. Experiment. Play. Put marrow on the page. Honor your worth with your honesty. Write like it matters, and it will," she told us. "This happens down in the trenches, through missteps and mistakes."

 

Libba said she coveted my jacket. When I told her it's from Anthropologie, she said, "Of course. I don't even allow myself in that store or I get into trouble." Girl, I feel your pain. Ahhhh, the old days when I had a discount....

Close the door and write 
with no one looking over your shoulder.

~Barbara Kingsolver

We each chose three sessions to attend. In the morning, I listened to Arianne Lewin (Senior Editor, Disney/Hyperion) talk on the different genres of fantasy. While most people consider "fantasy novels" as something along the lines of Lord of the Rings, there are actually many categories and types of fantasy books for children, including "High-Fantasy," "Steampunk," "Urban Fantasy," "Paranormal Romance" and "Dystopian."

Books she mentioned that were excellent sources of fantasy study are: Hunger Games, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, the Bluebloods series, The Demon King and His Dark Materials.

Word genius

Jacqueline Woodson read her poetic stories to us during a session called "Locking the Door Upon Ourselves." Her books have won numerous awards including the Newbery Honor Medal, Caldecott Honor, ALA Notable, National Book Award Finalist and Coretta Scott King Award.

"Write so you can be sane in the world."

  

Jacqueline and I bonded over Mary Oliver. She told me she thought the University of Arizona had a great MFA program! That made me feel good and validated as a writer. We chatted about stanzas, line breaks, rhythm. Breathing life into our work through words.

 

Allyn Johnston (Vice President & Publisher @ Beach Lane Books) lectured on picture book. She provided each attendee with useful book dummies to follow along for page-and-pacing lessons. She looks for simple stories that promote magical, loving moments between an adult reader and child listener. "Books that live in that space of a family," she says.

  

Books she referenced:

 

I also attended an afternoon workshop,"Writing for Teens," led by Ben Schrank (Publisher @ Razorbill), in which he discussed the various ways he has acquired best-selling books (such as Thirteen Reasons Why

).

The great Peter Sis closed the afternoon with an hour-long talk about his childhood growing up behind the Iron Curtain. He is one of my true heroes. I love everything about him. He spoke eloquently of his youth in Prague and the struggles he endured during his teenage and college years. As an artist, Peter was instructed what he could and could not create in a Communist regime.

After he immigrated to the United States, Peter blossomed as an illustrator and animator, creating one of Bob Dylan's record covers, painting eggs for the Clintons, illustrating this famous poster and the Newbery award-winning book The Whipping Boy.

Peter's newest creation, The Wall, is a picture book about growing up in a Communist country. With in-depth historical timelines, honest, complex illustrations and authentic journal excerpts, the reader is immediately drawn into this beautiful story. I honestly believe everyone should own this book (at the very least, gift it to readers ages 7-10 and open up a world of educational conversation). For Peter Sis, The Wall was the most difficult piece of work that he has ever created.

photo credit: scbwi

He created art for the New York City Transit system after 9/11. He calls his whale, "one of his favorite works."

It turns out that Peter's sister owns a tea shop in the heart of Prague. He gave me his business card & the tea shop address so that Bobby and I can check it out when we visit the Czech Republic summer. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with tea, so I'm really excited about this!!

Read more in-depth SCBWI conference news here.

BUY BOOKS!!!!

Libba Bray

Lin Oliver

Peter Sis

Jacqueline Woodson

* © passport in my pocket *

SCBWI Conference Day One: Writer's Intensive

The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) winter conference began in New York City today with the intensives. Attendees were assigned to groups of eight to ten people, each with an editor or agent as a critique lead, for two 2-hour sessions. My brain is a pile of intellectual mush right now.

Below, the writers @ workshop...

photo credit: SCBWI Blog

... and the artists hard at work.

photo credit: SCBWI Blog

My creative writing workshops were led by Farrin Jacobs (Executive Editor @ Harper Collins Childrens – edits a lot of commercial fiction like the Pretty Little Liars series; Also edited the award-winning Jellicoe Road) and Jennifer Rees (Editor @ Scholastic – think 11 Birthdays, Sunny Holiday and The Hunger Games). 

Overall, the critiques on my picture book were immensely helpful. I have a lot to process and think through over the next few days, but my revision objectives are now more focused. If you want to follow the news of SCBWI (or join the organization), check out the official blog for frequent conference updates.   

Other notes...  

The industry is buzzing about The Hunger Games. I haven't read it yet and I admit I have no idea what it's about – but I'm going to find out! Oh, and of course this book is an SCBWI favorite.

Paranormal is currently a hot trend (but an editor told me she was looking for a suspenseful teen mystery romance). No one wants to read about vampires.

Editors really want to acquire books targeting YA and middle grade boys. A successful example? Diary of a Wimpy Kid

 The Editorial Panel on Common Mistakes:

 photo credit: SCBWI Blog

One of the reasons I love attending SCBWI events is having the chance to network with committed writers. I had an inspiring lunch today @ Grand Central Station with a woman from Los Angeles. We workshopped each others' stories, discussed industry news and evaluated craft technique for an entire hour – a conversation that I have had rarely since graduate school.

I am really looking forward to the next two days of SCBWI conference lectures, panels and social events. 

* © passport in my pocket *