The deadline is approaching for the 2021–2022 SCBWI WWA Mentorship Program! Get to know our inspiring mentors in these interviews on our Pen & Story blog. Learn how to apply here. Don’t miss this opportunity. Deadline: July 30!
Katherine Pryor is the author of three picture books and one board book. Her first book, Sylvia’s Spinach, sold over 50,000 copies and is widely used by school garden educators and anti-hunger organizations. Her second book, Zora’s Zucchini, won the 2016 Growing Good Kids Book Award. Her third book, Bea’s Bees*, was called “a necessary addition to elementary library shelves” by School Library Journal. Her first board book, Hello, Garden!, releases in May 2021. She works primarily with school, library, government, and nonprofit markets. She is represented by Adria Goetz of Martin Literary Management. Visit Katherine’s website at KatherinePryor.com, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
*Bea’s Bees was illustrated by fellow SCBWI WWA mentor Ellie Peterson!
I like to mentor because . . .
Watching a story take shape where there wasn’t one before is one of the great thrills of my life, and I hope I can help others chip away at their drafts until they are beautiful polished masterpieces ready to be adored by the right publisher. I also like to save others the time and headaches of learning from the same sorts of mistakes I’ve made. (A willingness to make mistakes is certainly an important part of the creative process, but I hope you’ll make all-new, more interesting mistakes!)
What can a mentee expect from your mentorship?
As a mentor, my first step will be to ask how I can be most helpful, and tailor the experience from there. I can offer editorial feedback, business advice, and serve as a sounding board for revision ideas. I’ve taught classes in book marketing, and love to help emerging authors find new audiences. I plan to be open and honest about my own professional experiences, especially regarding submission, pay scales, and the benefits of working with publishers of varying size. I’m looking for a mentee who is open to suggestions, and who views creative writing as one of their life’s passions.
Besides writing, what’s something you’re good at?
I went to grad school to study sustainable food and farming, and worked as a community organizer and program director for over a decade. I love negotiating, building connections, and finding creative ways to achieve a goal. If you ever want to geek out about giving gardens, biodiversity, or institutional food purchasing, please sit next to me!
What are the best parts about being an author?
I love that blank-page feeling, when you first have a spark of an idea but don’t know how it will shape up yet. Writing a story from scratch is a little like holding a bunch of puzzle pieces in your hand without knowing how they fit together, or even if you pulled them out of the right box. I always feel a little breathless when I finish a first draft. I know the real work—revision!—is still to come, but the magic of creating a brand-new story never gets old.
What does being a successful published professional look like to you?
My definition of success has changed the longer I’ve been in this business. When I first started, I thought one measured success by the size of a royalty check and felt like a bit of a failure. I left a job I loved to write full-time after my second book came out, then had a really hard time getting my third picture book (or anything else) published. I was ready to abandon the field completely when I had an epiphany: I am a writer no matter who reads my words, or how much money I make. I will be a writer for the rest of my life. I made a commitment to value the craft and pleasure of writing over the business of writing, and it transformed my work. I built up my consulting business to take the financial pressure off my writing, and weirdly, my writing career started flowing again. I love a royalty check as much as the next writer, but my new definition of success is how many lives I’m touching. When parents write to me that their child started eating vegetables because of my books, that feels like a huge win! When teachers send in pictures of the flowers their classes plant to help save bees, I swoon. When organizations like WIC or SNAP-Ed purchase my books to give away to kids struggling with food insecurity, I feel like my words have taken on a life of their own, which may be the greatest definition of success a writer ever knows.
What roles do diversity, equity, and inclusion play in your writing?
I’m passionate about representation because I want my readers to see and feel themselves in my books. As a cisgender, straight, White woman, I know a lot of stories aren’t mine to tell, but I love reading them from writers better suited. I tell stories that try to capture the universal childhood wonder at the magic of gardens and living things, and want all young readers to feel included. To that end, whenever I sign a contract for a new book, I make the simple request of the publisher and illustrator that my protagonist not be White. My hope is that this allows the illustrator creative autonomy while also helping more readers see themselves in books. When I do a school visit and the kids in the class look like the characters in my books, it feels like we are a tiny step closer to the goal of books serving as mirrors, windows, and doors for all children.
What’s the writing advice you give most often?
Be persistent. This is a cool job, and a lot of people want it, so be prepared to advocate for yourself and your work. I’m always sad when I hear someone stops sending a project out after a rejection or two. I landed a contract for Bea’s Bees with the 55th query letter I sent! Work hard to create the best project you can, and don’t be afraid to knock on doors until you find the right home for it.
When did you start writing?
My second-grade teacher, Ms. Lamb, gave me my first creative-writing lesson. She turned off the lights in our classroom, and told us to close our eyes and put our heads on our desks. She played a record of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” and told us to use our imaginations. When the music ended, she turned the lights on and told us to write down what we’d seen. I had watched an epic story unfold in my mind and rushed to get it on paper, frustrated at my inability to transcribe all the details. I became a writer that day. I’ve often wished I could thank her, but I don’t even know her first name. So I try to thank all teachers, because you never know what lesson on what day may be altering the course of a someone’s life.
Brought to you by Suma Subramaniam and Jenny Tynes, SCBWI WWA Mentorship Program, and Dolores Andral, Pen & Story