An Occasionally Challenging Journey With a Happy Outcome: How Cliff Burke Landed an Agent, Book Deals & Accolades for His Middle Grade Novels

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An Occasionally Challenging Journey With a Happy Outcome: How Cliff Burke Landed an Agent, Book Deals & Accolades for His Middle Grade Novels

I’m delighted to share my interview with author Cliff Burke. Cliff and I worked together on a partial manuscript critique of his middle grade novel An Occasionally Happy Family back in 2018. Since then he landed an agent, two book deals with Clarion Books (now a division of HarperCollins), and he has several more projects in the pipeline.

What’s inspiring about Cliff’s story is that he “did not have any connections or real understanding of how the agenting process worked,” as he explained. So he took a methodical approach when sending out query letters, and it worked! Learn about Cliff's publishing journey here.

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Magical Allies: How Debbie Black Found the Perfect Small Press for Her Middle Grade Series SARA AND THE GHOST CLOTHES

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Magical Allies: How Debbie Black Found the Perfect Small Press for Her Middle Grade Series SARA AND THE GHOST CLOTHES

For my most recent author Q&A, I interviewed author Debbie Black. Debbie and I worked together on a full manuscript critique last year, and this past January, Coalesce Publishing released her middle grade novel DEETJEN’S CLOSET, the first in the SARA AND THE GHOST CLOTHES series. I’m delighted to be working with Debbie again this fall on McMENAMIN’S CLOSET, the next book in the series, which will also be published by Coalesce. Learn about the magic in Debbie’s novel—and that of her writing community—below.

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Middle Grade, Young Adult, and the Space in Between

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Middle Grade, Young Adult, and the Space in Between

While the MG category has its own gray areas, the YA category is especially tricky to define. It was only a decade ago, following the publication of series such as Twilight and Hunger Games, that YA became a publishing phenomenon and was given a stand-alone bestseller list by the New York Times. It was just two decades ago that the Harry Potter books, widely considered middle grade, began dominating the book market. What makes a book middle grade or young adult today? The answer depends on several factors, as agents and publishers explain.

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At the Heart of It All: How J.C. Cervantes Honored Her Writing Spirit and Became a Bestselling Author

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At the Heart of It All: How J.C. Cervantes Honored Her Writing Spirit and Became a Bestselling Author

J.C. Cervantes and I first crossed paths 10 years ago, when she had already published a middle grade novel but was looking to move her writing career forward. We worked together on a few different partial manuscripts that didn’t quite find a home—but then, in 2017, she landed a book deal with Rick Riordan Presents. Today, Jen is the New York Times bestselling author of several middle grade and YA books. Learn about her amazing journey here.

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That Thing About Author & Illustrator Supriya Kelkar: Persistence!

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That Thing About Author & Illustrator Supriya Kelkar: Persistence!

For my latest author Q&A, I interviewed Supriya Kelkar. I worked with Supriya on her middle grade novel AHIMSA back in 2015, when she had yet to land an agent or publish, but Supriya is now the author of nine children's books, with three more forthcoming! Learn about her inspiring road to publication here.

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