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 July 31, 2003 |
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Janet Burnham is happy to exhibit some books from her new company, My Little Jessie Press. (Herald / Chris Costanzo) Bethel Woman Launches New Children’s Book Company Bethel’s Janet Burnham has launched a new enterprise, My Little Jessie Press, which will publish children’s books of all types. "Jessie" is a name that was borne by Burnham’s mother and grandmother, and now also by her grandchildren. My Little Jessie Press is for a younger readership. The first book, aimed at kids in the 8-12 age group, is hot off the presses. "Jeremy the Puny" is about a city boy (Burnham describes him as a "sidewalk kid") whose father has died. His mother, who grew up in the country, takes him back to Vermont, where he encounters many strange adventures, which he shares with a likeable local girl, an urchin named Fiona. The book comes very well recommended because of Burnham’s innovative practice of "kid testing" her work before publishing it. "Most book publishers don’t usually solicit opinions of their young readers when they print and market books for parents to buy," says Burnham, "but we’ve developed a different method, and we listen to what kids say about our manuscripts." My Little Jessie Press sends its draft manuscript to elementary schools in a number of states (California, Connecticut, Georgia, and Vermont) where elementary school students read them and respond with constructive feedback. Everyone benefits. The Press can fine-tune its manuscripts in terms of youngsters’ reactions, and the kids get exercise in literary criticism. Over 100 were involved in reviewing "Jeremy the Puny." Burnham is dead serious in ensuring that My Little Jessie Press resonates with her young market. "If a manuscript doesn’t pass muster with the kids, we don’t publish it. It’s as simple as that," she says. Burnham, who studied creative writing and art at Columbia University, is not new at the writing game. She is a long time author who first began to see her work in print in 1970 in Vermont Life magazine. Since then, she has published countless articles as well as a number of books for young adults, which she characterizes as "sweet romances" set in rural areas. Among these is "Love in the Mountains," about a young woman who buys a house in Vermont and falls in love with a writer, and "Love Takes a Country Road," about a young widow with two children who moves to a house she inherits in Vermont, and ends up falling in love and marrying a game warden. Both books were published in Great Britain and subsequently translated into Norwegian and Swedish for sale in Scandinavia. As an author, Burnham often uses pseudonyms, such as Cathryn Hathaway and Jesse Mina Scott, although her books printed through the My Little Jessie Press will carry her true name, Janet Hayward Burnham. A trained artist, Burnham illustrates her own work. Although "Jeremy the Puny" only carries a few of her black and white line drawings, the My Little Jessie Press’ next publication will be a picture book full of Burnham’s richly colored and minutely detailed artwork. That book, "The Dragoness Mess," is for an even younger audience (pre-kindergarten to six years old). Burnham functions as volunteer adviser and literary agent for the "Mud Season Writers," a group of aspiring authors who have been meeting in Bethel every couple of weeks for the past few years. My Little Jessie Press will begin accepting submissions of manuscripts on the Green Mountains or other themes, before the year is out. By Chris Costanzo |
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With thanks to Kristen McCarthy and the Burlington Free Press THE
VERMONT STANDARD Bethel Author Kid-Tests Her Work By HEIDI JOHNSON BETHEL - Janet Hayward Burnham of Bethel has been spending much of her time lately marketing her newest book Jeremy the Puny. Normally, this would be made easier with the help of the marketing department of her publishing company, but Janet has chosen an alternate route not to be taken by the weak-minded. She has chosen to create her own press, through which she will publish her own work and the work of other authors. Burnham is no stranger to the world of publishing. To date, she has written for Grit (a "good news" publication out of Topeka, KA) and Cricket magazine (a magazine for children). She has done freelance photojournalism for Vermont Life, Yankee, The Boston Globe, and The New York Daily News and has published two romance novels. Why would someone with such connections in the publishing world choose to go the route of self-publication? At first, Burnham didn't. She sent the book to different publishers and found that they were more interested in developing their bottom line than in creating a palatable book for children. "None of the big publishers bother to ask the kids what they like," she claims, promising that her press will be different. Burnham vows that. every book published through My Little Jessie Press has been, and will be, kid-tested before it is published. When her manuscripts go to a school to be read to students, Burnham stays home. "It just goes to the teacher" she says, "because I don't want the children to think `I don't want to hurt her feelings because she's the author."' She wants them to be honest and say what they feel. "I stress that in the questionnaire," she says. Burnham claims that it is this field testing that helps her "tweak" the novel and create a story more suited to the needs of children. She refers to The Dragoness Mess, a picture book that has already "passed muster" with the kids. The book mentioned moats without providing a picture to explain what one was. Burnham asked the children if they had ever seen a moat or could explain what one was and though most of the children claimed to know what a moat was, one six year old was unfamiliar with the idea. Burnham promptly added a castle and moat to clarify the concept. Burnham uses present-day jargon in Jeremy the Puny to connect to young readers, an effort that has proven effective. The book was read to a class of seven black boys from Savannah, Ga. "Street-savvy kids, called the `school sucks' crowd" she explains. These kids, with little prior interest in school, liked the book so much that they asked their teacher if they could make a play out of it. They made their own costumes and scenery and produced a year-end play that impressed everyone. Burnham feels strongly that her books should be printed in America and, ideally, in Vermont. "I really feel it's important to keep your friends and neighbors in jobs. We're a small state and, as much as possible, I want to keep things in the state. It costs a little more," she says, but "that's okay." She prints her books at Daamen Inc. in West Rutland and looks forward to a continued relationship with them. Should you purchase the book? I found that Burnham has a flair for adventure. Her characters are interesting and memorable and the present day jargon mixed with a somewhat medieval background adds an interesting touch.. There is no lack of imagination in this adventure-packed book and, though my childhood days are far behind me, I found it to be a page-turner. The adventure begins on the first page and carries you through to the last without pause. You can find Jeremy the Puny at Shiretown Books in Woodstock, Cover to Cover in Randolph, Royal Towne Gifts and The Sugar House in Royalton. With thanks to Heidi Johnson and The Vermont Standard-Woodstock |
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