Technology has certainly made the world a smaller place. And with the monthly featured guest interview here at Stories for Children Magazine, it is our hope to make the world slightly smaller. Come along for this astounding interview with children’s author, Dan Gutman. He has an incredible 86 books to his credit, even though he has his own share of rejections. How is it possible to have so many books after receiving rejections? Read on to find out how.
Astounding! You have 86 books to your credit. In your experience what has changed the most in the publishing industry since publishing your first children’s book in 1993?
I don’t really follow the industry very closely. But I have heard that since 9/11 it is even harder to get published than it was before. Some publishers won’t even open envelopes from strangers anymore. On the other hand, it is easier to self-publish. If I was starting out now, I would self-publish my first book. It’s affordable, you have complete control of the product, and you are in charge of your own destiny.
Your first books were written for adults. What made you switch to writing for children?
Two things. First, my adult books were all bombs. None of them sold. They might even have sold NEGATIVE COPIES, if I recall. But the more important reason was that my son, Sam was born in 1990. I started reading a lot of children’s books for the first time since I was a kid, and I decided to give it a try. And as soon as I started writing for kids, I felt that THIS is what I was good at. THIS is what I was born to do. So I stopped writing for adults and started writing for kid’s full time.
Please share with us your creative process. Do you work from an outline or is it a stream of writing?
An outline. I’m a big planner. I’m in awe of anyone who can look at a blank page or computer screen and just start writing. I use file cards, jotting down any idea that comes to mind as I brainstorm and research. Once I have 100-200 file cards, I’ll start shuffling them around and trying to weave them into a story that makes sense from start to finish. That may take a month. Then I’ll take the first card off the pile and start writing.
You are quite open on your website about the rejection letters you have received. Why do you feel it is important to share these experiences?
I want kids to understand that you can encounter obstacles in your life and overcome them. I think a lot of kids assume that success comes without struggle. But Dr. Seuss got rejected something like 27 times before he published his first book. Harry Potter got rejected. I was banging my head against a wall for 15 years before I started having any success. If kids realize this, I hope it will make them work harder when they encounter obstacles in their lives.
What piece of advice would you offer to writers when they receive a rejection letter?
Do not assume your manuscript is no good. Editors don’t know everything. They are inundated with manuscripts and they’re looking for reasons to reject them. Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe they don’t know what they’re talking about. Maybe they’re just having a bad day. And maybe they’re right. But look at their criticism and decide for yourself whether or not it makes sense. For all you know, they read the first paragraph and stopped right there.
Honus & Me was the starting point for many more books. Please share with us your ‘ah-ha’ moment when you felt this concept was going somewhere.
From the moment I thought of the idea of a boy who had the power to travel through time with baseball cards, I knew it was a good idea. But over the next two years and ten rejections, I was very discouraged. For a time, I thought of self publishing the book. But I never lost faith in the story. I knew it was a good book and that kids would love it, even if all those publishers didn’t see it.
Your latest book, Ray & Me is based on Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians. How much research do you do to keep the actual events accurate?
Ray Chapman was the only player in baseball history to get hit by a pitched ball and die. It happened in 1920, before they had batting helmets. So I sent my kid back to 1920 to save Chapman’s life. Unlike more well known players like Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, there wasn’t a lot written about Ray Chapman. There’s no biography to read. But there’s a great book about the incident called The Pitch That Killed, by Mike Sowell, which was really helpful. I got additional material from other baseball history books and newspaper articles that the Baseball Hall of Fame sent me. For my author photo, my son and I drove out to Cleveland and he took a picture of me at Chapman’s grave site.
What has been the most inspiring event in your writing career?
Just about every day, I receive an email from a parent, teacher, or librarian talking about a kid they have who hated to read until he discovered my books, and now all he wants to do is read my books. I didn’t get into this field to save the world or anything, but I can see what a positive impact I can make on a kid’s life simply by writing stories that get kids excited about reading. That is very inspiring to me.
Did you enjoy sports growing up? If yes, which sport did you enjoy the most?
Yes. The only sport I played on a team was Little League baseball. But my friends and I played touch football, basketball on the hoop over my garage, ping pong down my basement, bowling, Frisbee, and so on.
As a child did you dream of becoming a writer some day?
No, not at all. I wanted to be a photographer. I never took any writing classes in school. I didn’t start writing until I was about 25.
Where you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?
No, I hated reading. I thought it was boring. To this day I have a short attention span, and if the author doesn’t grab me in the first few paragraphs, I quit on the book. I guess that’s why I relate well to reluctant readers.
What has been the funniest or most unexpected event?
It’s not funny, but probably the most unexpected and significant event that took place in my life was when I was 12. My dad drove me to my Little League game and I didn’t see him again for ten years. He abandoned my family. I will never know how I would have turned out differently if I had a father during my teenage years, but I’m pretty sure it made me a stronger person in the long run. But I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
Please share with us your latest project and where we can learn more about your exciting career.
The next baseball card adventure, Roberto & Me, comes out in February 2010. Before that comes The Return of The Homework Machine and more My Weird School books. The book I’m most proud of just came out: Recycle This Book (Random House). I contacted 100 children’s book authors and asked them to write a few pages about something they do to use less energy, reduce waste, or help the environment in some way. We all worked for free and I donated my advance to environmental organizations. I have been concerned about the environment for a long time, and I finally DID something about it. We can change all the light-bulbs we want, but if we want to change the world, we have to change people’s MINDS.
If you would like to find out about me or any of my books, please visit my web site: www.dangutman.com.