Ginee Seo joined Ten Speed Young Readers as vice president and editorial director in 2023; Kelly Barrales-Saylor joined Ten Speed Young Readers in 2024 as executive editor. Here, they discuss some of the titles they're most excited to publish, how they came together to work on Ten Speed Young Readers, and how their styles complement one another
What has excited you most about creating Ten Speed Young Readers? Does it feel different from other imprints you've worked with?
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| Ginee Seo | |
Ginee Seo: Absolutely! It's the most creative place I've worked, in way too many years of doing this. I love the close relationships we have in the Crown Publishing Group, and the ideas we've come up with together.
Kelly Barrales-Saylor: And aside from the collaborative work relationships, the love Ten Speed Press has for the beauty of books and every detail that goes into creating them is unlike anything I've experienced before. Being a start-up imprint and creating an entire program from scratch is thrilling.
How did you come to work together on this imprint?
Seo: Aaron Wehner, the publisher, and Molly Birnbaum, the EIC, told me Kelly was someone I should get to know. So, I called her up and I knew from the first minute I talked to her that we were soul sisters. The rest, as they say...
Barrales-Saylor: ...was meant to be!
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| Kelly Barrales-Saylor | |
You have different tastes in publishing. How do those perspectives complement each other?
Seo: We actually have pretty similar taste when it comes to what we think is publishable, smart, and funny. But I probably do lean towards more thoughtful books, and I'm a sucker for books that make you cry. Kelly has a wonderful knack with very young books especially—I remember thinking the Baby University series she published was just genius.
Barrales-Saylor: Ginee's and my taste overlap in a lot of places. In fact, some of my favorite modern children's books are ones that Ginee published (elsewhere). But what I love is that as editors, we gravitate toward different kinds of projects. I love subversive humor or books that push the boundaries of age and category. Ginee is incredible at heartfelt, important books and can make people weep during presentations.
Are there certain types of books or creators you're hoping to champion?
Seo: I always love working with new voices, whether that's in writing or illustration. Diverse talent is more important than ever, I think. And of course, people who are genuinely trying to make something unique and different.
Barrales-Saylor: I hope to publish books that are beloved by adults as much as children and that feature unique voices and diverse creators. Most importantly, I want to create books that readers want to read again and again.
How do you start to envision audience readership when you acquire a new book?
Seo: This is where Kelly and I are complementary. I'm an intuitive reader and thinker, so it starts with the spark of a manuscript or idea catching my interest. And then it's very much about seeing how that spark aligns with what is out there in the market—books, trends, television, games, media. I think I've been doing this for so long that it's always there in the back of my brain: Could this be a book? And when something comes along that seems to confirm it, I'll research and pursue it.
Barrales-Saylor: I am a research nerd. I love casting a wide net to gather information about a book's audience. I often create informal profiles of readers—what else they read, where they might shop, what they buy beyond books, what media they're into, etc. Most important is the competitive book data, but I love developing a well-rounded persona in my head to help guide my decisions. It's not about what I like or dislike. It's about what is needed for the reader (or gatekeeper) to pick up the book and take it home.
What projects do you have in the works that you would like to share?
Seo: I really love every book we have on the list, so this is a tough question! But I'll go with Andromeda Diaz and the Reasonable Doubt, which is a debut middle-grade mystery by Emily Galvin Almanza. Emily came to us via the Crown list, where she's written an adult nonfiction book called The Price of Mercy. As well as being a former public defender, Emily is a gifted writer and a mom, and in between edits on her adult book, she decided to try writing a middle-grade mystery for her daughter. It's ridiculous how good it is—she has no right being so talented!
Barrales-Saylor: The Little Polka Dot by author/illustrator Cassandra Berger. It's a sweet story about a polka dot that doesn't quite fit into the pattern, so he sits and thinks about who he really is and transforms into a surprising new shape—inspiring the other polka dots to do the same! It's one of those simple tales that convey a wealth of emotion and Cass's art is so bright and cheerful. It makes me smile just thinking about it!