Since she did such a great job on Earth Day, and because she is an experienced blogger AND because she is instrumental in keeping the tomes in print - Jen will be guest blogging again today!I Have Handed in My Herbarium
I have finally transmitted Heaven to Betsy through Betsy's Wedding to production for their Fall reissues!! And honestly, I think it was worse than making herbariums. It didn't seem like it would be that difficult: slap two books together, add the new foreword, combine the back sections and call it a day. As if. There was searching for photos -- endlessly -- THANK YOU JULIE at the BTS for being such a godsend in that department. Then there was combining the who's who character lists in the back to avoid repetition. Then looking for photos some more. Then there was the going through each book and indicating where to combine, insert, retouch, etc. Then being visited (like an angel) by Andrea Shaw, executor of Maud's estate and poring over the photo albums. OK, that part rocked, no complaining here. Many disks that I couldn't read or access later, the images and books and forewords and updated copyright pages, etc. have been sent down to our managing editor, I have a newfound respect for editors everywhere, and I need a drink.
In the meantime, if you're interested in the sales-y side of publishing, I've been making special Betsy-Tacy pitches to our reps who sell to children's bookstores, to reps who sell to stores in the midwest and to those who sell to christian bookstores (in addition of course to everyone else in our sales department). Everyone is so excited about these reissues! To end, I share with you a few of the great photos of Maud, and Maud and Bick, that we scanned this week. They need some retouching, but you get the idea. All are from the Estate of Merian Kirchner.
Off in search of nearest wine bottle, like the perfectly awful girl that I am.
Can't wait for the new reissues! I've become a Betsy-Tacy glutton -- gotta have each new reissue, despite not liking all the new cover art (you know how it is; you grow up with the illustrations and you don't understand why they can't just be kept).
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of Maud on board ship -- what a hat! And the endearing gap-toothed smile.
The one with Bick and Maud is charming; I think it might be in the Betsy-Tacy Companion. I wonder if that one can be restored to more of its original state.
Boy, what I wouldn't give to spend about a week or two looking at Merian Lovelace's collection of photos, letters, etc.!
Congrats on getting the books to production! Whoo hoo! Dusting off the Naughty Chair again . . .
Betsy is my best friend. I grew up, loving her life & friends. Have read and reread her books more times than I know. Maud Hart Lovelace was - I don't even know what to say. One of my biggest regrets in my life is never letting her - or her family, know what her books meant to me. I read her books over 50 years ago, but they still reverberate in my life. For an author to have that impact, it is incredible! My grandaughter is almost 2 - and I cannot wait to intoriduce her to my friends, Betsy, Tacy and Tib and the whole Ray family
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ReplyDeleteI grew up next door to the Lovelaces in Garden City. Merian was 16 years older than I and went off to college when I was still a very little girl. Mrs. Lovelace used to give me copies of the Betsy-Tacy books which she always inscribed to me (Delos/ "Joe" wrote in them too!)This morning during my meditation I was inspired to look at these books, which inspired me to google Merian and see where she was. I was sorry to see that she had died. I didn't know Betsy, Tacy and Tib still had such a following. How lovely!
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