bonnie_doerr

Many MG and YA authors, as well as readers, have shown an interest in the new YA publishing company, Leap Books (www.Leapbks.com). Because Leap Books is the publisher for three members of the class of 2k10, Bonnie J. Doerr, one of those lucky authors (along with Judith Graves and Kitty Keswick), was able to snag an interview with a representative of the house. Not an easy thing to do when everyone on staff is stretched so thin. We really appreciate Cathleen Cartwright, Public Relations Assistant, carving some time out to answer a few questions for our readers.

 Bonnie: In a down economy, when so many large houses are cutting back on staff and new releases, can you tell us why Leap Books was willing to open a new publishing house?

 Cathleen: It may seem risky, but in January 2010, Leap Books took a leap of faith. We opened during the economic downturn because we believe in the authors we’ve contracted. Some of the most vibrant publishing houses today began during the depression, and, as they discovered, there’s only one way to go and that’s up.

 Bonnie: How does Leap Books plan to respond to the changing face of publishing? For a small publisher, is it easier or more difficult to respond to a changing market?

 Cathleen: In many ways it’s easier for us to change directions. Larger houses have a bureaucracy and large staffs, so making major changes can be formidable. With a smaller staff and fewer department heads, we can make decisions quickly and set about implementing them almost immediately. We try to stay abreast of publishing changes and plan accordingly for the future.

  Bonnie: What differentiates Leap Books selection process from other publishers?

 Cathleen: Our selection process is rather unusual. We have two panels who read and approve each submission. The adult panel consists of booksellers, teachers, and librarians, who all must agree that the book is marketable. But our most important panel is composed of teens. Unless a book gets a unanimous thumbs-up from everyone on the teen panel, it doesn't get contracted.

 Bonnie: How would readers recognize Leap Book's list from other houses?

 Cathleen: One of Leap’s signatures is the interior art. We think YA titles should be visually exciting as well as fun to read, so we’ve selected some great artists to enhance each title. Check out the gothic artwork of Val Cox (www.valcox.ca/), who has done several of our paranormal titles, and the award-winning art of Mary Kelly (http://marykellystudio.homestead.com/portfolio.html), who is illustrating our next release, For the Love of Strangers, by Jacqueline Horsfall. We hope don’t just want teens to read a Leap Book, we want them to have an adventure in one.

 Bonnie: Why did Leap Books open its doors with only YA titles? And why divide its releases into two imprints?

 Cathleen: Leap is only publishing YA at this time. We’re committed to the teen market and believe teens literature is some of the best work being published these days. As for the imprints, we think teen readers are naturally divided into two main age groups: Frolic is for tweens (ages 10-14) and Surge for teens (ages 14-19). And, yes, we do consider preteens part of our audience. Most readers prefer to read about protagonists a few years older than themselves, so tweens will be reading our younger YA, and we keep that in mind when we decide what imprint will take on the books.

 Bonnie: What advantages (and disadvantages if you're brave enough to identify any) are there for authors to be published with a small publisher?

  Cathleen: The advantages of publishing of a small press often offset the difficulties (although I may be prejudiced). Small presses are able to allow more input during the production process, so writers may end up with a book that closely matches their dreams—cover and layout suggestions as well as marketing opportunities and ideas from the author are all seriously considered at Leap Books. In larger houses most authors have no say on their cover, and marketing funds are often diverted to big name authors.

At a smaller publishing house, authors are not one of a huge crowd, so they are taken seriously. The house considers each author’s career to be more important than the book, so they take time to develop their authors and help them grow. Smaller houses may also take a chance on books that larger houses decline. In addition at smaller houses books do not go onto the backlist immediately, and they stay in print much longer. Many authors at big houses are surprised at how quickly their books end up out of print. That said, smaller houses do not always have the name recognition and ease of distribution that big houses have, so they have to work harder to establish themselves and to gain openings in unique and niche markets.

 Bonnie: What is Leap Book's submission policy?

 Cathleen: We only take manuscripts from agents or from authors one of our editors has met at a conference. If you’re interested in submitting to Leap Books, our Editor in Chief, Kat O’Shea, is doing a workshop at Savvy Authors (http://www.savvyauthors.com/event.cfm?EventID=478) in October 2010. She’ll also be appearing at the Muse Conference in October. If you attend either event, you’ll have the opportunity to submit a manuscript to her afterward.

 We appreciate Cathleen sharing her insights on this exciting new publisher with us. Did you notice her response to the YA question? They're only publishing YA at this time. Hmmm. I think there's reason to stay tuned!