PeterCarver

Welcome, Peter. Thanks so much for joining me here today.

1. What is Red Deer Press's publishing focus these days?

Generally, Red Deer's program for young readers covers a wide range of genres - from picture
books, through fiction for junior, juvenile and teen readers, to non-fiction. This continues to be the
case today, but I would say that our teen fiction list is perhaps the most innovative and exciting part
of our publishing program.

2. Which of their upcoming books are you most excited about?

It's probably unwise to select one title from the ten to twelve we are releasing in 2007, but when
pressed, I'd probably choose two of our fall books: the first of three teen mysteries by Norah
McClintock, an award-winning writer of many juvenile mystery novels; and the latest teen novel by
Kristyn Dunnion, author of the breakthrough teen title, Mosh Pit, published by Red Deer in 2004.

3. What would you like to see more of in the line of submissions? What do you get far too much of?

We get far too many picture book manuscripts. We usually publish three picture book titles a year,
but we receive hundreds each year, and most of them are not well-written and reveal very little
understanding of the kinds of projects we do. Often they arrive as series proposals -- which is never
viable for a small publisher like Red Deer -- which are short on quality of writing and long on
presumption. Too many talking animal stories. Too many stories rendered in awkward verse. Writing
a great picture book text is an enormous challenge, which most starting writers aren't aware of. On
the other hand, there's a scarcity of really high quality teen fiction.

4. What makes a manuscript stand out?

The quality of the writing, without any doubt. And the quality of the idea. Of course there are no
absolutely new ideas, but the voice of a manuscript, the originality of approach, the thoughtful
development of character - these are what distinguish an excellent manuscript from the
run-of-the-mill.

5. What's your biggest pet peeve in submissions?

Probably what I've already said about picture books. There are so many submissions, which isn't the
fault of the submitting writers, but is one of the worst aspects of being in my position. We get
hundreds annually, and I don't feel I do justice to them, in terms of responding quickly and efficiently
to the aspiring writers who contact me. More and more of our published titles are by people we've
already worked with, or are projects we've solicited from published authors. So there's less room for
emerging writers.

6. Once you find a story you LOVE what's the process from there at Red Deer before you can offer
an author a contract?

I will tell the publisher, Dennis Johnson, and sometimes he will read part or all of the manuscript.
When we've agreed to include the title on our list, Dennis will organize the contractual end of things.
Unfortunately, because we are now owned by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, this will frequently take too
much time, so writers have learned they have to be patient.

7. What's your idea of an ideal author to work with?

It's an author who has thought through her project very carefully and has polished the writing and has
covered all the plot points competently prior to submitting the manuscript. Then, when she receives
editorial comments, she responds imaginatively and sorts out remaining problems ingeniously.

8. What books do you wish you edited?

I don't think about this much. I'd love to have worked with my friend, Brian Doyle, one of Canada's
most admired, most beloved writers for children. But I'm delighted to have been part of the team that
produced books by authors such as Martine Leavitt, Teresa Toten, Kevin Major, Anne Carter, and
many more.

9. Do you have any advice to offer an aspiring writer?

In fact I codify that advice in classes I've been teaching for George Brown College for the past 20
years and more. Essentially, writing is a lifelong skill which doesn't necessarily lead to publication,
but is a process that should please you. I think writers should spend their time on the stories that are
most important to them, rather than trying to write for the market - because the demands of the
market change constantly. Philip Pullman, for example, was not writing for the market when he
conceived of his extraordinary trilogy, His Dark Materials. None of the classics were written with an
eye on sales curves and promotability. Enjoy the process, seek out the material that matters most to
you, and you may just end up as a successful published author.