They spent the day making books. First they wrote really good stories, and then editors helped them make them even better. They signed contracts with Ballantine that paid them a quarter for each book. Then they made copies of their stories to give to the Copy-editing department, which checked the stories for grammar and spelling, and the Copy-writing department, which wrote the descriptions that go on the backs of the books.
After that it was time for Sales Conference, where everyone ate pizza and then the girls' parents presented the books, explaining what they were about and why they were good.
Then there was a break while the books were typeset on the computer and the copy-editing changes were added in. Some girls went outside with their parents, and some stayed in their parents' or their aunt's offices for a while.
At 2:00 everyone got together again to look at the print-outs of their books and pick the colors for their covers and draw cover art (a picture to go on the cover). Then they gave the color choices and the cover art to the Art department, which worked very hard to make beautiful, unique covers for each of the five books. The Copy-writing department had written really good descriptions to go on the back covers of the books, so the designers in the Art department put the girls' drawings on the front and the descriptions on the back.
While they waited for the cover art to be finished, the girls learned a little bit about book production and got to see a book before the pages are cut apart. They helped some editors decide whether the cover of a historical novel should be yellow or green, and then they visited the Publicity department, where they picked up the press release that announced the publication of their books. Each girl got a copy of the press release and a "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" button, too.
When the covers were done, the adults helped the girls put their printed pages inside the covers and staple them together. The books were finished! And they were great. Everyone had a good time.
Use the links below to find out more about the girls who wrote the books and the way the book-publishing workshop went. You can also read the stories and the press release, too.
Special thanks to:
Editors Phebe Kirkham, Andrea Schulz, and Elisa Wares
Nora Reichard and the Copy-editing department
Nancy Sheppard and the Copy department
Sales conference coordinator and typesetter Christine Levis
Alex Klapwald in the Production department
Ruth Ross and the Art department cover designers
Patrick Price and Carolyn Coleburn in the Publicity department