It's our responsibility to do everything we can for the next generation, to leave this world a better place than when we found it, and I hope my books will have a small part in that process.
I don't especially like the words always and never. In a book I'm just finishing called Dark Waters; there is an exchange about this. Luke and Trent are cousins. Trent is a braggart. His family lives in Southern California. He looks down on his cousin Luke who lives in Michigan.
"Where I come from it isn't cloudy like this," Trent said. "The sun shines all the time in California."
Luke looked at his cousin with a slight grin. "All the time?"
Trent folded his arms, raised his nose into the air, and nodded.
"Even at night?"
Later his cousin says,
"Where I come from the water is always warm."
"Better be careful with those always and nevers. They're never always right," Luke said with a smile.
For the foreseeable future I don't see myself writing anything other than books for readers 8 - 13. I have done a considerable amount of work on a project with my father for a humor book of over 400 pages. That's because I love humor, and readers will find it used liberally in all of my books.
Then I recently had the opportunity to sign books at a large bookseller's convention. Several people asked if I had plans to write for adults. Like I said, be careful with words like always and never. I just don't know at this point.
3.SR: What are your honest views of the children's publishing industry today?
MEA: I tried for a long time to find a publisher. My rejection folder is bulging. The story of how my publisher and I came together is unusual and unique. We had similar interests, concerns, and goals. But in the traditional sense, publishing as a whole has become extremely difficult.
Recently I read a statistic that, in America, 170,000 new books are released every year. Think about that. A second startling statistic reports that only 10% to 20% of books ever make a profit. Thirty percent pay back their advances.
There are people who will tell you that it's easy to write for children. But no matter how easy or difficult the writing may be, writing is the easiest part. Finding a publisher is nearly impossible as many have cut back on submissions. Beyond that, the author needs to know that it is his or her responsibility to become directly involved in the promotional and marketing aspects of the process. I made it a point to go after reviewers very early on. I personally send out thousands of emails per year to magazines, ministries, denominations, and other groups, announcing a new title and so on. This is a tough business just like any other.
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