S1E6 - Pictures & Pages - Part 2 Q&A with Laura Harris on Mentorship

Welcome to Pictures & Pages with Amy Freund, a Kelly's Writerly Q&A Podcast spin-off series that takes you behind the scenes of the Australian publishing industry!

Listen to Amy Freund's 6th episode - Part 2 of her chat with publisher, editor and publishing strategist Laura Harris. 

This episode is all about: 

• Mentorship programs and how being part of the broader writing community is worthwhile

Formerly Publishing Director at Penguin Random House Australia, Laura has worked with some of Australia’s most celebrated authors and illustrators including Mem Fox, Aaron Blabey, Morris Gleitzman and Sonya Hartnett. Laura has also served on the boards of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and WestWords, and in 2023 received the George Robertson Award for distinguished service to Australian publishing before launching Laura Harris Publishing in 2024.

Thank you for listening!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Pictures and Pages, a podcast that takes the behind the scenes of the Australian publishing industry. I'm your host, Amy Freund, author, freelance editor, and to lover. Each month I interview a different publishing professional, from designers and editors to illustrators, marketeers and agents, shining a light on what it really takes to make books a reality. This episode

This episode is about

SPEAKER_00 0:28

is all about mentorship and building your writing community, and

Welcome back Laura Harris

SPEAKER_00 0:32

part two of my chat with Laura Harris, publisher, editor, and publishing strategist with more than 35 years' experience in the Australian book industry. Formerly publishing director at Penguin Random House Australia, Laura has worked with some of Australia's most celebrated authors and illustrators, including Mem Fox, Aaron Blakey, Maurice Glatzman, and Sonia Hartnett. Laura has also served on the boards of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and Westworks. And in 2023 received the George Robertson Award for Distinguished Service to Australian Publishing before launching Laura Harris Publishing in 2024.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Hey Laura, can you

On mentorship

SPEAKER_02 1:12

tell us more about your mentorship programs and also what you think a mentorship can do for an emerging creative?

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Absolutely happy to talk about that. So we've been on writing for a couple of years, but we've had these sort of two strains of mentoring, and we with one of them, which is a mentorship that you apply for, and we need to see examples of writing. That mentorship actually pairs you up with a very well-known industry person. So we've been really I've been really fortunate and people I work with. So we've had mentorships in adult writers with Melania Market, and for middle fiction, we've offered mentorships with Anna Feinberg, and for picture books we had partnerships, mentorships with Gus Gordon. So if people who've been doing it for a long time who are not afraid to answer any dumb questions, writers, writers, if that makes sense, like writing those areas, I think, really respond to those people's talent. And that's part of when people apply for those mentorships, you know, but emails going, I love Gus Gordon's work, I'd love to work with him, and that's one-on-one time with that person, and the mentee can choose when to speak with that person. The mentor reads material, gives editorial feedback in the form of online, usually so because people can be anywhere, and then they work towards what needs to be done for the next meeting. Sometimes it can be, you know, it can be a lot of talk about overall story arc, you know, there might be a couple of chapters, and the person hasn't written that, and there's a lot of discussion about where to take it. Sometimes in the case of a picture book, there might be complete storyboard of text and some illustration ideas. Working with an illustrator, you can talk about artwork, techniques, laying out of things. So we get a real industry information. And what we do, and I think this is important, is that rather than just like I said, you just add over money and off you go, we do have an application process for that. And I will build the applications obviously, but the final choice of to go with comes from the mentor because they need to feel I can add value here, or I think I get where this person is going. So weighing that up is a really important thing. The other thing with that mentorship program is we leave the mentor and the mentee to work out the kind of time frame. Ideally, we feel that people can you know get distracted by life really easily. I can probably get it. So it's good to kind of try and focus in a six-month period with catch-ups and everything. It's serious, but it's also at the pace that you kind of want to work at. And it's really about taking a kernel, like this usually a few chapters and something, and revising revision, yeah, and just really working on the story and how how those people go about refining things, I think, is really great insight that you get as well. Different insight to we also offer a more intense short-mane story program, which is done with May, and that's usually a two-month mentorship. We mostly do that for young fiction, because shortcut and picture books, and that's literally we made every two weeks. And I give people homework and stuff to do, and some people that we can expensive. Um, it's less expensive um because obviously it's me and it is for someone it's quite you know what, I really need some focus time because I love doing my writing, but there's like many distractions, and and for some people that that really works. So that's a sort of sort of worse a mentorship program as a specialty intensive program. Um, they're all on my website, it tells that they are, but yes, I love doing that, and again, I mean I talk with everyone, uh it has to be something where I think we can prove. In fact, we do have a disclaimer on our website that basically says that we don't take on clients, or we don't feel we can assist in the right way. I think that's a big thing because lots of people might put that money and think they can get lots of work. But if I feel uh something's right, or it's not kind of worth it yet, we do give people uh the prices to go if they want something a little bit more direct, or they want you know editorial line by line. A mentorship is about the big picture, and that's why we kind of already feel when we take on the mentorship programs, both the ones with well and also with main, but we can see the talent in the material that's already they are. So we're working with a really strong baseline, and then hopefully we go from here and we finish with something that hopefully is ready for them to go out the world.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

And I think that's really important. But people that think about when they are looking at mentorship programs, what you're getting, but also what they're asking about you. You know, if they want a single website, if they want to give you a little bit advice and actually care about growing you, it's sometimes more important than just getting back here straight away just a couple of lines or make back a different way. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

I think the difference between them and which you are um a lot of my work is consultations which are all off, and in that case, we are a little bit more open because the manuscripts can be like the first draft, or you know, really is a person's idea, and that's where we can say, you know, really love this stuff, this idea, this thousands of books out there. So it's pragmatic and practical advice, and which I think of this way I'm very pain to be fine, because it's a bunch of projection thing, but it can be quite practical. And generally, we've had great success with that. I most people are really I'm glad you're really honest with me. I'm really just happy that you're straightforward.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

So that can be I think that's the first important thing at the ball, particularly honestly. You know, if some people might have 35 ideas that they also can't write to you if someone said, Well, perfect on the one page that's thinking about this one, that's interesting, that's not important. That's perfect because it gives you a bit more of that direction to go, okay. That's what I need to stop, and that's what I need to stop.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

It's really interesting that you said that I mean, I can't tell you how many people got often with this, but it's I'll just hope which one is good, and I will look at the well, the biggest going shopping stop. Let's get the other thing. Um, and usually you want to identify something, but sometimes it's you know there are also people who are really enjoying the process and want to get something better and share it with the family or something.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

That's also great questions for someone to ask themselves. Actually, isn't that writing processing or what are you writing with what or what's the gap is your market? All of these things are important. You have to ask these particular questions, but it's just great thinking to get actually I'm gonna be asked that something to recognize myself from the stuff and how I will actually answer those questions to my I think again.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

I mean, I think it's a really good point to reiterate how you describe that. Yeah, I think it's good to know why you're doing what you're doing, and some people you know these love writing and appointment children and want this to be part of my life. There's nothing wrong with that. But is that I think you know the idea of the bastard writers to you know go into a bookshop and see what else is being done. There's so much great stuff being done in the kids' book world, thinking that you what you're doing has never been done before. But you know, you know, it illustrates the secondary stories if it should be told, and it's all the telling. And I actually think that's true. I write believable that someone teaching their plot is not enough, but the writing and the approach always matters. So a sample of the writing make it the best it can be because it's synopsis where it's going, but people will engage with that opening chapter. That excitement or the tone, the voice, all those things are all read.

SPEAKER_02 5:37

Yeah, I love that. I mean, if it comes to point of my paper academy, and we had to do about 50 words, and every word mattered in the first fifty words, and how exactly am I trying to grab some of them? Because it sounds like a different reality. If someone reads my fifty words and then not perhaps they're not gonna read my amazing first chapter, they're gonna read the first fifty words. It really is that important, and it's definitely not entry. If an entry means I think any sample book, picture book, or why even little crap, I do feel that the first first pages, if you haven't set the same people of interest.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

It's really hard, you know, and it's like it's an economy of languages, every word that is all that kind of stuff. Absolutely. But I think it's something to you can do yourself and practice yourself, and it's yeah, it is, I think, good information to kind of make you think in. So that we have these in colours, and the thing it comes easily or you understand that that's what you're being asked about. But just really what's driving your thinking and your time, because providers spend a lot of time by themselves with their thoughts or at their computer, and it's a bit of ideas and thoughts, and really what you want in a mentoring position is the one to help you refine those by the spectrum that you have, not not a true formula, but just with your heads at and want to pull out so that you go, yeah, that's what I want to do. Look for that when you're matching up with people and you're talking to other publishing people and the editors or other kind of consultants. Look for that if they're helping you find with what you need to find. If you can have the device where you're going, they're asking those questions to get there with you. I think that's really important. I think those scripts are fantastic for community, and I think they can be really, really helpful sharing experiences about the industry, which is still a big mystery for a lot of people and quite daunting. So I think that's really good. And all the signoids that do that, it's really interesting. They group can have everything from a person who's been published ten times, and so much is that will publish, but they can't work with anyway. So I'm not really, but there's that combination of people,

On writing intention

SPEAKER_01 6:50

and sometimes people in those script aren't necessarily if they work developed to a point that it's publishable, but they love talking about what they do, they like hearing other stories, and you know, as I said about myself, I'm not making myself as a rider, but I do think I I am a good editor. So if you have people in that group, that maybe can realize that they make it inside, even if their writing is not particularly working for them suspendable as yours, and outside each of people you trust, because I think those groups where people are really communicating like each other, I think that's very common, is their laugh of vulnerability, you know, that laugh is to put something out there with other consequences that can be quite, you know, our right kind of things. You know, in other words, the publisher, you feel like you've got one shot, or you can't experiment, or everyone's called to be professional and smart and sassy when we only rob as an introverts of law. So yeah, it makes perfect sense. So that's safe place to talk about why you're riding something or why you're struggling with something. We need to get beyond this idea that struggling is a negative, you know, like that struggles in life every day. It's a normal thing, and it seems like it's something about you know um if struggling with the uh writing groups, but I think it's a really safe place, and people get robots blocked or people get all over with this story sometimes. I get they get really excited, and then halfway through they got another way to go. So that's fine too, you know, and a rather group in a community like that will say is it on here and they might remind you of something you've forgotten that you said. You know, they're great, it's a sounding voice.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

I'm gonna keep um sort of like if you're questioning, and that's about those trends that you might see in manuscripts that you have accepted. The things that you've seen sort of coming back in your time reading and doing so much temporal work.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

I I don't actually think we're as trend focused thematically as we would like to hope that we are because I think it makes it easier if we are, because then all you know stories about. Um, this is in but I actually I'm probably worried this about how you approach what I do think was a very popular thing was signing people who have an in-built audience so an influence that a sports person that everybody children really wanted to see, you know, I this was my humble beginning, and then I'm a Olympic bulb, you know. And in some places that's fine. I worked with Catherine Franklin on her books, and you know what? It's possible. But what she did, and um, you know, her picture book did very well, and I get that. But the difference is she was also very focused on working with children and motorbetting children and suspicious wing communities and indigenous children. So there was something more than that. I think the trend of the trend's been around for many years, many years ago. I was sorry, I didn't do it, but we published with the one, we published with another book. Uh, children's picture books. You don't get names that big anymore. The whole thing she was there, love it in Paris. We can keep the story with the whole thing. Look it up, people look up the switches, you can't focus the rich period have a book. But uh, I think every publisher they had an audience already because the marketing had given audience and they took a lot of books that were probably decent twice, but they were hit up by maybe another traditional writer, but someone who already had an audience that would be interested. And there's still a little bit of that going on. But I the thing I've noticed and been told by publishers is that they I guess it's the time of it, they want some reassuring, gentle, loving stories, especially for very young kids. Reassurance is a really big thing, not should be quite things in life, dealing with quite um real emotions. I mean, obviously, and what we saw, we've seen a real um up type of characters with neurodivergency, being neurodivergent, or characters that exhibit qualities in those areas that perhaps we haven't really looked at before. And much more stories. I think we've had so much comedy, a lot of fun. Right, not that I love fun, I love funny. Um, but yes, I think there is also a place for some more thoughtful discussion for this books completely.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

And I'll think I want to ask you one last question. Which is also what would be your one piece of advice for elementing or looking to sort of find their place in this industry, like what should they make about doing?

SPEAKER_01 9:37

I think going to bookshop to the bookshop, have a look at what's around, going to big W, which also sells a lot of books to a lot of people. So don't think about the phone, going to big W, see what's on the shelves, check the book or spot and see who's publishing it, and start to kind of find out for yourself, you know, what are you writing that matches with what you're saying on the shelves? You know, the sensibility go onto their websites, they will often have information about when or when they don't type manuscripts. They might open for once a month, just kind of get a feel for who feels like they're doing your kind of thing. So do your homework, see what else is out there. Yes, go to a community-based evenings book launches if you can. If you're inclined, that's quite a great resource in Australia. Go on to their websites, you don't have to turn up because there's a lot of stuff you can join video wise. Follow a lot of publishing folks' Instagram. I do put up a lot of open submission information on my Instagram site, which is where I was publishing. It's not just made of there's a number of other industry folks that could give you some help.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

That's fantastic. What a great moment to leave on, actually. Thank you so much, Laura, for all your amazing information and bias. I feel like I could listen to you for an hour. So thank you for thinking Jennings in sharing that with us today.

SPEAKER_03 10:24

Thank you, Amy. Really good to talk to you and greatly catch up with you again, and um, we'll speak later.

Advice to new and emerging author/illustrators

SPEAKER_00 19:52

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope you've enjoyed learning about the Australian publishing industry, and a big thank you to all of our fantastic guests this season. Chat soon!