Roles in Publishing: Hachette's Naomi Cartwright, Senior Rights Executive

Naomi Cartwright has always loved stories (although she’s often tempted to read endings first). It was no surprise to her family that she did an English Studies degree at the University of Nottingham before moving to London to work in Children’s Publishing. Naomi is now a Senior Rights Executive at Hachette Children’s Books and has previously worked at Puffin and Orion. She also writes short stories, blogs at www.bigcitybumpkin.blogspot.com and is working on a debut YA novel. Naomi loves travelling and among her other adventures once spent a month living with Navajo Indians in America.

What exactly does a Rights person do?

Well, in between tea breaks, we work towards licensing the subsidiary Rights we have for all our picture books, fiction and non-fiction. The exact subsidiary Rights we have vary from book to book but they can include everything from Audio to Film.

Which matters because…

Subsidiary Rights deals raise an author’s profile and help make their book profitable. Any income the author earns from a Rights deal goes against their advance. This either helps earn it out quicker, meaning the author receives royalties faster, or if that’s already happened it goes straight into their pocket (minus their agent’s commission of course).

On a daily basis

I really do drink a lot of tea. I also work closely with pretty much everyone else in the company; Design, Marketing, Production, Finance and Contracts. No day is ever the same and that’s one of the things I love about my job. I could be planning a sales trip abroad, submitting titles to international publishers, negotiating deals or speaking to an Editor about a book they want to acquire. 

A large part of my role is working on Translation Rights and it’s really important to have an idea of what different customers and markets want. For example if an Editor proposes a new fiction title we’ll consider the word length - translators often charge per word so a very long book will obviously increase an International Publisher’s own costs and make it less desirable. 

We’ll also think about where a book might sell abroad. So we’ll feedback to the Editor that a rhyming alphabet picture book, (the ones that go; A is for apple, B is for banana…) isn’t likely to sell anywhere other than America. Why? Well even if an international publisher had exactly the same alphabet as us, there’s no guarantee their word for apple would also begin with the letter A. Verse is also notoriously difficult to translate. Art style is really important for picture books too, for example whilst the French prefer quirky, distinctive illustration, the Spanish favour more commercial artwork. As the old saying goes, you can’t please everyone all of the time, so instead we always think realistically about where a book is likely to sell before we acquire it.

Who knew?

That they don’t have jelly in Denmark? I’ve always loved to travel and I really enjoy working closely with international publishers, not just because of all the weird and wonderful things that I’ve learnt along the way. Good working relationships with international publishers is key and allows us to ensure we’re able to match the right books with the right Publishing House so that they will market, grow and build our authors. 

I am in daily email contact with most of the foreign publishers I work with, but nothing compares with meeting people face to face. It’s also nice to finally meet someone you’ve been in regular virtual contact with, even if on occasion I’ve been surprised at their gender: who knew ‘Erle’ would be female?! 

In addition to the three main trade books fairs a year (Bologna, London, Frankfurt) that my department attends, we also go on a couple of sales trips a year to visit customers in their own countries. Trips are a fantastic opportunity to have longer meetings with publishers, pitching titles to them and learning more about what books they want and why. Of course, trips are also an amazing chance to visit a country you’ve never been to before. They do have a down side though and for me it’s not the early morning flights, it’s trying to conquer my appalling sense of direction in a new city when I don’t want to be late for my meetings!

So what really happens at Book Fairs?

Bologna book fair is mere days away: March 19-22

Meetings. Lots of them. And in the case of Bologna at the end of March, the occasional glass of prosecco. Primarily these trade fairs are an opportunity to meet all the International Editors we work with. We’ll pitch a selection of our newest and most exciting titles, show mocked up picture books that we’ll publish in 18 months time, discuss industry news and find out how the books we’ve already sold have done in their markets. If it sounds like a lot to cram into a half hour meeting, that’s because it is and we don’t just have one or two meetings. Most Fairs are 3-4 days long and it’s fairly common to have a full schedule and to meet a different publisher every half hour from 9am to 6pm, maybe with one break to grab some lunch if you’re lucky. I really enjoy these meetings though; after all, I’m effectively being paid to talk about children’s books all day, which I love! It’s not just Rights teams and foreign Publishers who go to Book Fairs; Art Directors, Agents and Editors all attend which makes Book Fairs an amazing opportunity to showcase new talent, in turn creating a real buzz if there ends up being a title ‘everyone is talking about’.

So what is the next big thing?

Oh Crystal Ball, please tell us!

Good question. Rights people, Agents, Editors, we all keep our eyes peeled. It might be a debut author or a genre that suddenly explodes, but it’s something everyone, including all our international partners, is looking for. 

There are trends of course, patterns in the books Publishers buy or reject. Following the success of Twilight, the YA genre expanded and there was a huge rise in the popularity of paranormal romance, which is now waning. At Frankfurt last year I was repeatedly asked for strong middle grade fiction for 8-10 year olds and real life, girl fiction that wasn’t chick lit. But of course the real trick is being ahead of the curve, which for us means having books to sell that will be bang on trend in 18 months time…

A Right good job

I’ve always loved stories, especially children’s books and knew that I wanted to work in Children’s Publishing when I left University but I’ll confess that a career in Rights was initially more luck that judgment. Now though I can’t imagine being in any other department. I love working so closely with people from all over the world, I love the opportunities I have to travel and that I’m constantly learning new things but most of all I love that no day is ever the same.

Finding your voice - a SCBWI masterclass with Beverley Birch

By Addy Farmer

The lovely Beverley Birch!

How do you make Beverley Birch sit up straight? How do make a senior commissioning editor for Hachette Children's books, three times nominated Brandford Boase editor listen? You sing. You find your voice and you sing to her. Simple, right? Pick your tune, put the notes in the right order and belt it out. Well, of course not. Finding your voice and the voice of the novel and your characters is the difference between the x-factor and the fat lady. One may have modicum of unworked talent while the other has full on grafted, crafted worked.

It takes guts to work at something and Beverley understands the pain and passion involved in honing stories.

Beverley is a passionate defender of the writer. She is a writer herself. 'Rift' came out in 2006 and you know you are in the hands of a storyteller when you read the first page.

Leaving aside the many established authors Beverley edits, she has launched some 15 authors on their publishing careers and through writing conferences and continuing mentoring and editorial discussion, encourages several hundreds towards, hopefully, their first publishing deal.

Marcus Sedgewick reviewed Rift in The Guardian and said of it,
"Rift is that delightful thing, a book which holds you from the first page."

Why books are rejected

Beverley wants writers to develop their voice, this is, 'the difficult bit'. Good stories are rejected all the time, she says, not because of the story but because the voice isn't working. You could build a dazzling fantasy world with every last detail worked out but unless the reader engages with the characters inside the world, responds to their voices, believes their voices then the story won't really suck them in.

Beverley finds herself sending out the same comments many times:

There's a good story in here, with potential. But I do feel you need to focus your telling a lot more. My overwhelming sense is that you are still narrating from a very external viewpoint - not allowing the reader to discover the story through the characters, their viewpoint, experiences, how they knock against other characters, the situation, the predicament they find themselves in. It's still all too narrator based - a young reader really needs to feel sucked into the story, imagining themselves part of it. Essentially, I think, you need to find the 'voice' of the telling.

Part of this problem is that it leads to a great deal of setting up and scene-setting before any action  or character perspectives, which means readers will drift away before they get there.  You need to ask yourself the question 'why would a reader be interested in this when they are not yet engrossed in the characters?' When you look at it from that point of view, it helps to distinguish between what you, the writer, want to put there because at some point it will be important, but not yet, and what the reader needs to know NOW. Hold information for when the reader needs it and don't pad out the story with it before.

Jump us in to the narrative at a high point, and then gallop us through, threading information as part of the action, not outside it.

So where do I find my Voice?

Ask yourself - why do I write for children? We came up with a few reasons for Beverley - adventure, escapism, to articulate inarticulate feelings. Of course what writers do for children is, in Beverley's words, "help them to try on other lives" and doing so in such a way that their readers can recognise the truth of what is portrayed.

You're tapping into a special time of change and uncertainty when readers want stories that reflect what they are going through. A writer articulates a reader's experiences or possible experiences. Obvious in theory but slippery in execution.

What is voice?

A clear Voice sings out when the writer has a profound sense of who they are writing for. The writer is not writing a book about childhood but a book with the child at its beating heart. The reader will be drawn into the telling and identify with what is happening.

The world inside the story becomes the reader's world. How?

• be clear who your narrator(s) is and their world view.
• watch that the authorial voice doesn't hijack the story and mask the character perspective
• maintain truthfulness/authenticity of the character's point of view

The narrator and their world view.

Spend time living with your hero. Character creation is not just what they look like; the inner self is as alive as the outer self. Dig deep and mine these people for everything they've got because it will make the telling so much more exciting. Your characters will make decisions based on who they are; their upbringing, experiences and outlook. Know them and you'll know your story.

Beverley told us of hearing Terry Pratchett describe his thrilling vision whenever he begins a new story. He compares it to standing on the rim of a misty valley and knowing that his character must journey to the other side. That he will walk his characters down into the unknown of the mists and he doesn't know how they will react until they're confronted with whatever dangers and adventures and characters are hidden there. It's an exploration alongside the characters - the outcome defined by the characters with all their faults and foibles

The misty valley - an open book

The authorial voice

A manuscipt may fail because the hero's voice is inconsistent and lacks authenticity. Beware the external authorial narrator unless there is a strong, purposeful role for them e.g. Lemony Snickett or Bartimeaus otherwise keep the external this voice firmly under control and allow your characters room to tell the story through action - their experiences, how they knock against each other or their environment, their dialogue and relationships.

The demon was close behind. Joshua barged through the doors of a Gothic church. Inside the pews were arranged in neat rows and pink and white roses were arranged around the altar.


Can you spot the problem? Course you can. No out-of-their-wits-scared-demon-chased child is going to stop and notice that the church is in the Gothic style, or even know this fact - let alone stop to smell the roses. There is, as Beverley said, no need for the guided tour. What would that child, in that moment with a demon on his tail, notice? I don't know because I don't know the boy; it's not my story.

Don't think I'd pause to notice much if this guy was after me...

Exploring point of view

Well, it's not all about point of view although that is part of it. It's not telling your story in the first person that gives it a voice. 

• You can achieve a sense of the first person marrative even with a third person voice.
• A badly done first person voice can be very dull - to make it work, be sure it is delivering the pov that feels authentic and is creating that sense of conversational connection with the reader that is one of the main strengths of the first person narrative angle

For a third person narrative angle it is important to keep the pov as close to the character as possible and that, as Beverley said, can be a 'technical battle'.

Think filmically. Put a camera up to your eye and decide on how you'll film. Will you be the only eyes or will you sit on your character's shoulder and tell us what's happening to them and others around them? Will your camera view whisk up to give a birds-eye or distant view. Will it swoop back in to the characters again? It will need to keep us with the characters' perspectives.

What's the story here?

The first person is more immediate but can be limited in terms of telling the whole story.  How to overcome this?

Older readers will enjoy some contemplative moments when more can be revealed. Retrospective memories can also be employed. The character can have a 'chat' with the reader. Or try introducing an older, experienced character who can provide essential plot nudges e.g teacher, grandparent and perspectives that a young narrator would not themselves have.

The writer MUST keep control of the voice because a breach will be obvious!

 The third person allows greater range over story-telling angles but can walk a dangerous line where the author can take over the telling. So be careful about the authenticity of your vocabulary and the characters' viewpoint/interaction with others. Don't invest them with your grownupness.

You might have to work harder to get the action to deliver the conclusions the author has about the situation - but that's far more effective story-telling than great wadges of authorial comment. Think about delivering direct thought to the reader e.g 'What was he thinking, she wondered,' becomes, 'what was he thinking?' -  a straight to camera technique that can give a first person feel to third person narration.

Ask yourself if you could help your story with supplementary pov.

Beverley offered us her experience when writing.


Siri tells the story of an English girl in the third person going to Africa and in the first person, a Portuguese historical character dying of the plague. As Beverley wrote she found that the girl's voice became odd, out of character. Why? Because it was the voice of another character - an African boy forcing its way through. Siri ended up being told by two characters in the third person and one in the first person! Then the technical battle is to differentiate them well.

THE RIGHT VOICE brings life to your story

It makes it stand out. It marks it as considered and worth considering. Don't feel you have to rush. Don't be spooked by the market and how difficult it is to get a book noticed. Do be true to your characters and make their story special.

Then you can make someone like Beverley sit up and listen.

Want to read some great examples of voice? Beverley advises to check out awards short lists. Here's the 2011 Brandford Boase which includes the fab 'I am the Blade' edited by the fab Beverley. Then there's the Carnegie shortlist and what about the Booktrust/Blue Peter Book awards? 

Write long and prosper.


You might also want to read:

Meg Rosoff on Finding Your Voice (The Guardian, 18 October 2011)