Ben Schrank
On the first morning of the SCBWI 2010 Winter Conference, I attended Ben Schrank’s session entitled “Writing for Teens”. Schrank is the President and Publisher of Razorbill. He shared the following words of advice and caution to authors.
Writing for teens:
- There is a kind of publishing dream that can come true, and authors should shoot for it; dream big
- Your book has to be special, has to generate excitement
- He doesn’t chase the market, he makes the market
- If you’re not writing a book in order to make an impact on a kid somewhere, do something else
- Your voice and concept need to work
- Write the book where you can’t pull the voice and concept apart
- Word of mouth among teens is key for promoting your book, but it can’t be forced
How to avoid common mistakes:
- Don’t write for the market, but be aware of the market
- If your heart isn’t about what is in the market, it will show in what you write
- Don’t try to talk like a teen
- Create language to influence kids or make an impression
- Don’t use direct introductions (e.g., “I’m Trixie. I like to dance.”)
- Don’t windmill (i.e., use lots of empty words)
- Begin en media res
- If your story has been told before, tell it in a new and unique way
- If your story doesn’t work in the school cafeteria, it won’t relate to teens, or anyone
- Be nice, confident as a writer
- Be honest, trust the team working on your book
- The moment you finish your book, if you’re mean with anyone about it, you’re screwed
- Don’t overuse social media, telling the publishing process of your book; let there be some mystery and magic in the release
- Promote online, but don’t ruin the msytery
- Don’t try to write edgy, just write relevant