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The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast · Full episode

What Children’s Book Editors Look For with Catherine Laudone

What makes a children’s manuscript stand out? Catherine Laudone of Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, discusses voice, hooks, stakes, and the editorial process.

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Inside this conversation

Catherine takes us behind the scenes of children’s publishing, from considering a submission to working with authors and finding an illustrator for a picture book.

  • Why a strong narrative voice can pull an editor into a story.
  • How a clear hook and meaningful stakes help a manuscript stand out.
  • What happens as an editor develops a book with its creator.
  • How an editor considers the visual side of a picture book.

Two moments to explore

12:59 — Editing and choosing an illustrator
18:07 — What catches an editor’s attention

Meet Catherine Laudone

Catherine Laudone is a senior editor at Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She primarily acquires and edits picture books and middle grade titles (both fiction and nonfiction) with a special interest in underrepresented voices and stories featuring neurodivergent and disabled main characters. She’s also open to select young adult novels and MG/YA graphic novels with a strong hook and narrative voice. Catherine has her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a published children’s book author. Her co-authored picture book debut She Kept Dancing: The True Story of a Professional Dancer with a Limb Difference is an NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book Award winner, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and a WLA Towner Award nominee. Catherine currently serves as an editor advisor for The Writing Barn’s Verge program and an advanced workshop leader for Inked Voices. When not editing or writing, she enjoys baking, traveling, and playing with her cat Biscotti. Learn more at catherinelaudone.com.

Catherine Laudone, guest on The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast

Keep exploring children’s publishing

Browse more author and publishing interviews with The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast, hosted by Jackie Garcia-Morales and Theresa Maria Villarreal.

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