Bio:

    Anne Heltzel has been with Razorbill, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, for one year. Her authors include Tricia Mills, Suzanne Young, Yxta Maya Murray, and Kirsten Miller. Prior to her time at Penguin, she worked as an agent assistant in the children’s division of Curtis Brown Ltd. Anne graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Program of Liberal Studies and later obtained an M.F.A. in Writing for Children from The New School in New York City.  

As an editor, what types of stories are you looking for at this time?

 I’m interested in quirky, funny, and heartfelt middle grade for girls as well as high-concept, literary YA. I have a special fondness for dark humor and unsentimental prose. I’m open to paranormal and magical realism, but I tend to stay away from true sci-fi, historical fiction, and faeries.

What have you seen too much of lately, if anything?

 I’ve been seeing a lot of “issue” novels and coming-of-age tales. It’s hard to address themes of abuse, addiction, etc. in a fresh and different way.

What is your favorite part of being an editor? Least favorite?

 I love the creative aspects of being an editor, including brainstorming scenes and pitches with my authors, writing flap copy, and contributing to cover development. Like most editors, I have an analytical personality, so I very much enjoy identifying ways to help make a good story great. I also love the writing, editing, and agenting community. As a native Midwesterner, the children’s book community has made a huge, positive impact on my transition to life in New York.

Describe your dream author? And of course....the author from Hades?

 I am lucky to work with some talented and hard-working writers who are true professionals. I appreciate an author who revises thoughtfully, taking my editorial suggestions to heart. I love authors who are mindful of deadlines as well as authors who have a sense of professional boundaries (and who appreciate nurturing but don’t necessarily require coddling). Authors who can write across genres are a dream, but I also love authors whom I can help grow in a particular market. I want to know that an author is willing to put in the work required of her, and that she’s capable of doing so. Self-reliance, self-possession, dedication, work ethic, and professionalism are five qualities I admire in an author.

As for less-than-stellar qualities…I imagine there’d be nothing worse than getting back a revision that appears wholly unrevised, although this hasn’t actually happened to me yet. Being late on a deadline can really affect the production schedule and, in some cases, our ability to publish in a planned season. Being reliant on an editor for reassurance and personal motivation is (in my opinion) frustrating and inappropriate – although we editors do often form friendly relationships with our authors, it’s important to keep in mind that (while creative and supportive) this is first and foremost a business. Feelings and sensitivity often come into play in creative industries, but keeping an open-minded perspective is important. Bottom line, we all want the same thing: the success of the book and the author.

What do you read for pleasure? Name three of your all time favorite books or
authors.

 I love literary fiction, memoir, biography, and humor. The last book I read outside of work was A POCKET HISTORY OF SEX IN THE 20^th CENTURY by Jane Vandenburgh. It’s way too hard to name all-time favorites (so many!), but these three are up there:

 This Side of Paradise – F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Year of Endless Sorrows – Adam Rapp

The B.F.G. – Roald Dahl

Tell us about a few titles you have coming out you are excited about.

 I’m very excited about a new series I’m editing by Suzanne Young, called THE NAUGHTY LIST. It’s about a group of cheerleaders who double as secret, nighttime sleuths…but the purpose of their missions is to nab cheating boyfriends! It’s truly infectious: heartwarming, hilarious, bubbly. I also can’t wait for the release of THE GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO GETTING KIDNAPPED by Yxta Maya Murray. Yxta tells the story of her protagonist, Michelle Pena, with incredible wit and strength. Michelle is a former gang-princess who’s broken from the gang and created a new (Ivy-League bound) life for herself. When The Snakes and her former childhood sweetheart re-enter her life, kidnapping her and her best friend, Michelle’s forced to face up to her two identities (gang princess/liar/seductress versus star athlete/straight-A-student/foster daughter).  

How does one submit to you and do you accept equeries?

 I prefer to receive queries via email. It usually takes me about 4-6 weeks to respond. Please don’t attach your manuscript – if I think it’s right for me, I’ll request fifty pages.

Are you attending any upcoming conferences?

 Yes, I will be attending an SCBWI conference in Bethlehem, PA on June 2^nd.

and our new question section- an absolute take off of inside the actors
studio-adapted for books (how's that for a switch)
INSIDE THE EDITORS STUDIO

Tell us your favorite movie

 American History X – love it! I don’t know if I hold onto it as a favorite out of stubbornness, but I’ve managed to convince myself that nothing else compares!

Tell us your favorite protagonist-hero or heroine, your choice.

In kids’ books, it has always been Betsy Ray from the BETSY-TACY series by Maud Hart Lovelace. She is unremarkable, but her ongoings are a point of fascination. Everything sounds so idyllic: Sunday suppers with the Crowd, skating parties, dances, caroling. I really envy her.

What is your favorite word or phrase?

a posse ad esse – from possibility to being

Least favorite word or phrase?

“Pie,” as in pizza, as in, “I’ll take one sausage pie.”

If you weren’t an editor, you would be a __________.

Chef. I love food as much as I love literary pursuits; I just lack the talent.  

Also...editors talk of voice. What kind of voice hooks your attention? One
that makes you laugh, cry--in your own words.

Well, both! One that feels authentic and alive. I love crying (when I read, not in life); but I really love strong emotions that are provoked by a voice that’s (as I mentioned above) unsentimental, organic, and subtle in its emotional strength.