John Rudolph

Phone: 973-387-0121

E-mail: sudipta@sudipta.com

John Rudolph is Senior Editor at the G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group. He edits picture books (including nonfiction) and middle-grade and YA novels. Among his authors and illustrators are Pete Seeger, Brenda Woods (winner of the 2005 IRA Young Adult Award for Emako Blue), Grace Dent, Mark Kurlansky, D.L. Garfinkle, John Holyfield and Zachary Pullen. Recent honors include a Boston Globe-Horn Book honor for Revenge of the Whale by Nathaniel Philbrick and a New York Times bestseller with The Charles Addams Mother Goose.  

I met John when he spoke at the 2005 NJ SCBWI conference.  He was willing get up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday and trudge out to Jersey -- and unlike many of the other speakers that day, NOT ONCE did he complain that he didn't have enough time to properly do his hair.

(Scroll to the bottom of the interview for Putnam's submissions guidelines.)
 

How would you describe Putnam’s publishing focus these days?

We’re very lucky at Putnam: We have a core group of “house” authors and illustrators like Jan Brett, Tomie dePaola, and Jacqueline Woodson who publish at least one book a year with us. Most of them end up as bestsellers. So our focus tends to be fairly consistent, regardless of trends or changes in the business—namely, publishing strong trade fiction and picture books that also have institutional and awards appeal. However, these house authors and illustrators also allow us to take some chances, whether it’s a big fantasy novel like G.P. Taylor’s SHADOWMANCER or a bizarre picture book like Ricky Gervais’ FLANIMALS.

How do you feel the children's book market as a whole is doing?

Well, the Sales team tells us it’s pretty bleak out there right now, especially for picture books. But fantasy keeps going strong, and we’re seeing signs of life across the board in 2006. And there’s speculation that picture books could come back in a big way in 2007—one book like OLIVIA could make a huge difference.

What kinds of books do you love working on?

Nothing gets me excited like a story that shows me a world I haven’t seen before. For example, we just published a novel called DUSK by Susan Gates that’s about a girl whose DNA is crossed with hawk genes, and what happens when she’s set free in the world. I really love “what if” scenarios like that, and that’s not just for fantasy or sci-fi—MIXED UP FILES is the ultimate “what if.” I also love anything truly funny—we did a book called GRUMBLEBUNNY by Bob Hartman, and David Clark’s illustrations still make me laugh every time I see them.

Which of Putnam’s upcoming books are you most excited about?

We just came out with a new version of the stone soup story by Pete Seeger, the legendary folksinger, called SOME FRIENDS TO FEED. At 85 years old he’s got more energy than anyone I’ve met—not only did he write a great version of the story, he wrote a song and recorded a CD to go along with it. And next month, we’ve got a novel called TRAITOR by Andy McNab and Robert Rigby. It’s an amazing spy adventure about a boy and his grandfather trying to clear the family name. What sets it apart is that Andy used to be a spy in the British army, so there’s real authenticity to the story. In fact, Andy isn’t even his real name—his true identity is still classified.

What would you like to see more of in submissions? What would you like to see less of?

More stories, less concept books. I can’t tell you how many alphabet books or counting books I get, and I have yet to sign any of them up.

What is your biggest pet peeve about submissions?

Those acknowledgment postcards saying I’ve received your MS really bug me. Frankly, they’re pushy: They’re not part of our submission guidelines, and it feels like right off the bat the author is trying to put me on a schedule. Not a good way to start a relationship--most of the time, I just chuck them.

Concerning the slush: what helps a manuscript rise above the general slush and stand out?

For me, a well-written query letter helps. I know editors all have different takes on queries—my view is that if you can write a good story, you should be able to write a decent letter. Also, I love a good pitch. If you can capture the essence of your project in a sentence or two and make it sound exciting, you’ll definitely get me interested. We have to do that when we talk to Sales or award committee members, so it’s great to hear it from the authors themselves. After that, a good opening really helps.

What is a trend/gimmick gaining popularity? What is a trend/gimmick you wish would just go away forever?

To answer both questions: e-mail submissions. Don’t do it!

What is your favorite book (in each genre would be helpful) published in the last few years?

Besides the ones I’ve worked on? David Klass’s YOU DON’T KNOW ME is still probably my all-time favorite YA, though I thought THE CANNING SEASON by Polly Horvath was brilliant and a riot to boot. AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS is a more recent fave. As for picture books, David Wiesner’s THREE PIGS and Mo Willem’s KNUFFLE BUNNY both blew me away. And everyone should own at least one book by Margie Palatini.

What advice would you offer an aspiring picture book author? An aspiring novelist?

Push yourself. For both, ask the “what if” questions and show us the world we haven’t seen before. While I usually try and say something concrete in my rejection letters about character or plot, most of the time I turn things down because they’re just the same-old stuff I’ve seen a zillion times before. It’s not really a matter of subject or genre—of the books I mentioned, AL CAPONE is historical fiction, GRUMBLEBUNNY is a fairy tale, and what could be more standard than THE THREE PIGS? But in each book, I think we see something we’ve never seen before. And more than anything, that’s the way to an editor’s heart (and pub list).

 

Guidelines For Manuscript Submissions G. P. Putnam's Sons, A division of Penguin Young Readers Group

 

Submissions must include a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) for our reply. If you wish to have your materials returned, the SASE must have the correct postage. Do Not Send Original Material - only copies, please. We cannot be held responsible for any lost material.

 

Picture Books (both nonfiction & fiction)

We accept full picture book manuscripts for review.   Art should not be sent unless specifically requested.

 Fiction (middle-grade, chapter books, young adult)

Please send a query letter before submitting fiction, including a synopsis and three sample chapters.  Your query letter and sample chapters will be circulated among the editors and the entire work will be requested upon interest.

We prefer to consider individual novels only. 

Strong voice, humor or poignancy (or both!), strong sense of place and time are all desired, as well as an irresistible hook and deeply-developed characters.  Unusual plotlines or settings are welcome.

Nonfiction

Please send a query letter before submitting nonfiction.  Please include a synopsis and two sample chapters, as well as a table of contents. 

Your query letter and sample chapters will be circulated among the editors and the entire work will be requested upon interest. 

Please note: we are publishing very little older nonfiction at this time.

 

Direct all submissions to:                  G. P. Putnam's Sons

                                                                    Manuscript Editor, 14th floor

                                                                    345 Hudson St.

                                                                    New York, NY  10014 

Please note: each imprint at Penguin has different guidelines

To contact me: