Mekisha Telfer

I have something in my inbox that I have high hope for as we speak! But Yes, the majority of my acquisitions come from agent submissions #okscbwichat

Spinning Silver by @naominovik!! It was amazing and I highly recommend ❤️ #okscbwichat

Ohh, good question. I love a good coming-of-age story in a graphic novel. Being young is so much harder than it looks and any story that is sympathetic to that experience is one I’ll love.

But I also love monsters and witches and hijinks 😜 #okscbwichat

Not at all! One project I fell in love with immediately was LATE TO THE PARTY by @kellyquindlen 💖💖💖. The pitch her agent sent said it was a “read it in one sitting” kind of book and she was right! #okscbwichat

Definitely! I’ve seen a lot of high fantasy lately, but not as much grounded fantasy or magical realism as I would like. #okscbwichat

About 7-10 projects a year. And while I do everything across the board, my sweet spot is MG and YA. And I’m really on the hunt for more grounded fantasy and contemporary in both formats #okscbwichat

Read, read, read! Be constantly learning about the industry/your craft through the books that at being published right now.

Also, find your people. A writing group that you trust and that challenges you is super important, at any stage of your career. #okscbwichat

Hmm I’m not sure I’d think of it in those terms. I think every author has the potential to write a book outside of their experience that really shines. But it takes work! #okscbwichat

Definitely! If there’s something in a project that I really love, I’m always willing to work with an author. That said, I have to have a pretty strong vision for it otherwise I’d be leading us in circles! #okscbwichat

And as an editor who is often looking for stories about underprepresented characaters, anything that comes across as insensitive or that doesn’t sound authentic is a red flag for me #okscbwichat

A voice that I just don’t connect with will make me put down an ms after a few pages. Voice is one of the hardest things to edit for and an editor usually knows pretty quickly when something isn’t right for them. #okscbwichat

Voice and a good hook! When a project hits my inbox with a good hook, I am always excited to dive right in. And the voice is what keeps me reading #okscbwichat

Sure! I’ll be talking a little about writing characters outside of your own experiences and about voice in middle grade and YA. I hope to see some of you there! #okscbwichat

Haha beyond the obvious of getting to work on books that I love, I really love telling other people about the. My job as an editor involves giving A LOT of presentations and overtime I’ve found them to be a lot of fun! #okscbwichat

Publishing didn’t occur to me at all until my last year of college. I was reading Nimona by @Gingerhazing (when it was still a webcomic) just as she announced it would be published as a book. And a lightbulb went off! 💡#okscbwichat

Of course! I’m an associate editor at Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of MacKids) working on everything including picture books, middle grade, YA, and graphic novels. Fiction and nonfiction! #okscbwichat