Interview With Rhonda Penders, Editor-In-Chief, The Wild Rose Press

I was fortunate enough to have Rhonda Penders, Editor-In-Chief of The Wild Rose Press, answer some questions about their Young Adult line, Climbing Roses. Here’s what she had to say:

Q: How long has The Wild Rose Press been publishing novels, and how long have you been Editor-in-Chief?

We have been in business since May 1, 2006 and we have been publishing novels since shortly after that time. I have been Editor-in-Chief since we opened.

Q: When did the Climbing Roses line begin, and how many YA novels are there to date?

Climbing Roses was opened in May 2007 and to date there are 25 published products (this includes short stories and full length novels)

Q: What do you look for in a submission to Climbing Roses? What makes you say yes?

For us the story has to appeal to the audience. Our target audience are 13 to 17 year old females. We have a department of volunteer teen readers who read every submission and answer an extensive survey on the story. We base a lot of our decisions on these reader reactions.

Q: Is there something that makes you reject a submission automatically?

The story has to be basically “clean”. We don’t allow any sexual relations, nothing more than a kiss, in our YA line. We also try to keep it relatively wholesome – no profanity, drug or alcohol use. We want these stories to be something a parent is comfortable to let their teen read.

Q: Are Climbing Rose books electronic, print, or both?

Anything over 65,000 words in available both electronically and in print. Up to 65K it is available electronically only.

Q: What is the typical turn around time for queries and submissions?

We have a solid 30 day turnaround for queries. Once you have been requested to send a full length novel or short story we have a 90 day window to either approve or reject the submission.

Q: The Wild Rose Press does not use form rejections, but personalizes individual correspondences. (I can hear authors singing your praises as they read this.) What led to the decision to personalize letters and how much time do your editors devote to this process?

The decision to personalize our rejections came from a belief that a writer can’t grow if she/he doesn’t know what is wrong with what they are writing. In order to learn you must be gently instructed as to what isn’t working. Our editors sometimes spend a big chunk of time on a rejection letter, especially if they feel the writer either has a lot to learn or if the editor thinks the writer shows real potential and wants to really help them along.

Q: Finally, what Young Adult projects are coming soon that we should be keeping our eyes out for?

When Mike Kissed Emma – by Christine Marciniak

March Misfits by Barbara Stremikis

The Stillburrow Crush by Linda Kage

Submission guidelines can be found for Climbing Roses on The Wild Rose Press website, http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Original entry published on Old People Writing For Teens. To view the original entry and reader comments, please click here.