WotC hiring Associate Editor for teen series

[stacer]

Thanks. I don't know if I want it, yet. I think it's too early to tell. I like having it as an option, though.

[stacer]

So I have this phone interview with them on Friday. Any suggestions/tips? I always get nervous before an interview, and don't really know what to say or ask sometimes, even though I know my field well. I'm worried, for some reason, that I might not be enough of a gamer for them, even though it's the book side. I've read a few of their books, and will be checking out the new Mirrorstone books off the shelves at work tomorrow. I met one of their authors at LTUE (Dan Willis, I think was the guy) and have been meaning to read at least parts of his book, so I'll have to do that before Friday--show that I know their work at least a little.

Thing is, I can't help but feel a little worried that it's not the kind of thing I really want to do--it's series fiction. Yet it's a start in the right direction, and I might be able to bring something to it and help it improve. Then there's the philosophical question we've been discussing in the books forum--can a fantasy book be dependent on another creator's world and still be good? Yet there's something to be said for series fiction helping create readers. I mean heck, I loved Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew when I was growing up.

Anybody have any thoughts on this, particularly on how to approach the interview?

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

oh and Seattle rocks, its the Boston of the West Coast, with frendlier people. I lived in its shadow in the early 90's
Expensive and hard to get around outside of town but really cool.

[Skar]

Think Big!  For heaven's sake, this place is, essentially starting out in the book market but they have the money to have a real go at it.  You could encourage what is good about series fiction and bring something HUGE to the world of YA lit.

You could imprint yourself on the entire new genre they're creating.  Come up with some grand, and I mean grand, goals and work towards them.  You want to be an editor of YA fiction?  What an incredibly great place to start.  Once you're into the company you could have a huge effect on things.

Good Luck!

[42]

Skar has a point, I'm sure they are looking for someone who they feel has the potential to be famous in the industry. Cause, they want to become famous and well-known for YA someday. So you'll have to sell yourself to them that way.

Basically, ooze confidence. Works in most any interview where you'll have a position that will determine the profit margin of the company.

[stacer]

Think Big!  For heaven's sake, this place is, essentially starting out in the book market but they have the money to have a real go at it.  You could encourage what is good about series fiction and bring something HUGE to the world of YA lit.

You could imprint yourself on the entire new genre they're creating.  Come up with some grand, and I mean grand, goals and work towards them.  You want to be an editor of YA fiction?  What an incredibly great place to start.  Once you're into the company you could have a huge effect on things.

Good Luck!

Thanks--I think you have a very good point. And someone pointed out to me in another place that perhaps they don't want a gamer, because gamers might be attached to their particular vision of the world. So I'm thinking one of the questions I might ask when asked if I have any questions for them would be something like, "How do you see the line expanding in the future?" or "Are you open to acquiring original fantasy not related to worlds already in games WotC produces--or at least expanding beyond the Dragonlance world?" or something like that. I've been browsing the site, and mostly what Mirrorstone produces is Dragonlance books with teen characters.

I was talking to Dan Willis at LTUE and he was saying that what the teen line is trying to do is do fantasy that's not as gory as the so-called adult lines, which I welcome. That's one thing that turned me off with a couple of the books I reviewed last year. But then, a lot of their older stuff is pretty good, and I'd like to see them recapture that quality.

[stacer]

Well, here's something interesting. In their press release discussing the opening of the Mirrorstone imprint, they say that they're starting out with fantasy, but that they intend to branch out into other YA genres:

Two new series will launch the imprint: Dragonlance: The New Adventures, meant for readers aged ten and up, and Knights of the Silver Dragon, targeted at readers aged eight and up. Although both series fall within the fantasy genre, Mirrorstone titles will not exclusively focus on fantasy literature. In the coming years, the editors plan to publish within a variety of genres for young readers.

Also, I really need to check out the Knights of the Silver Dragon series. I've seen it on the shelves at work. The author says this about other roleplaying series, and I agree: "With some game-related fiction, you can almost hear the dice rattling in the background as the plot moves along." He also says:

Having written and designed games for over fourteen years, Matt Forbeck, author of Secret of the Spiritkeeper, had a unique vantage point in writing the story. "Knowing the D&D rules thoroughly meant I could be true to the game's roots without being hampered by them. With some game-related fiction, you can almost hear the dice rattling in the background as the plot moves along. Mostly this happens when an author tries to mimic the way the rules of the game work without truly understanding their function. You won't see any of that in Secret of the Spiritkeeper."

I'd like to see whether he lives up to it. The whole release is here.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Mention the D&D books you've read: Weasel's Luck was a Dragonlance book. And mention that you occasionally write reviews for a site that's oriented around gaming.

But yeah, talk about the future you think they have, how you think you can help with that, and how excited you are to be a part of it. They like that. It shows you want to WORK for them, get things done, make them big.

[42]

Since you'd be working with gamers, you may want to brush up on the history of D&D. Gamespy has a good several articles. http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/538/538848p1.html?fromint=1

And looking over the history of WotC wouldn't be bad either. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=company/whatis/story

Actually it's always good to show that you are a little familiar with a company's history when you interview. Show that you are really interested and also helps out the interviewer.

[stacer]

Thanks for the links. I've actually been browsing the Wizards site quite a bit, so I came across that history before. I think it'll be a good interview.

[EUOL]

I'd like to give my encouragement, Stacer, but I don't really have any advice.  The thing is, I don't really know the WotC market any more.  I might have had advice when I was fourteen....

Anyway, I do think it could be a really nice position, especially because WoTC is trying to launch a mainstream fantasy line.  If you could get in on that, and become an editor without having to live in New York, I think you would be in a very enviable place.  

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Good luck today, Stacer!

[stacer]

Whew! First interview over! Sounds like a really fun company to work for. They'll be calling people next week about second interviews, so it sounds like they're moving pretty fast. I think it went pretty well, but I'm not sure. You never can tell, especially without being able to see their faces. Plus, I got a little nervous and even though I had notes, they'd answered a number of the questions I'd wanted to ask, so I only asked a couple, but hopefully those were good questions that showed I'd been thinking about it.

Here's something really cool: they have a gym right there in the building. That'd be really, really nice. And they do a lot of team-building kinds of things.

/me breathes deeply

It's over, and all I can do now is wait to hear back.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

urg.... "team building"
i've never enjoyed those.

[stacer]

Well, when those "team-building" things mean ski trips, movie nights, game day once a year, etc., that's kinda fun.

News: I made the first cut, at least! She just emailed me an editing test.