Kensington Publishing Editor-In-Chief John Scognamiglio
John Scognamiglio is a graduate of New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He started his career as a file clerk in the Contracts Department at Pocket Books in 1986 while still a college sophomore before becoming a contracts assistant. After that, he worked for the assistant managing editor before landing where he always wanted to be: editorial. From 1989 to 1992 he worked as an assistant editor in Pocket Editorial. In February 1992, he joined Kensington Publishing as an editor and was promoted to Senior Editor in 1993. In 1998 he was promoted to Editorial Director of Fiction and in 2005 was promoted to Editor-in-Chief. In February 2017, it was announced that Kensington would be launching his own imprint, John Scognamiglio Books, in 2018. Among his authors are New York Times bestsellers Lisa Jackson, Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier and Kevin O’Brien.
In all of book publishing, you are one of the biggest buyers of fiction and debut fiction by volume. How do you find the time to read and what are the commonalities in your rather eclectic list of books?
I wish I could say I read all my submissions myself, but I don’t. My assistant reads for me and I also have an outside reader. Usually when a project comes in, I’ll give it to one of them (unless it’s something I decide to read. If I could, I would read every submission that comes in myself, but then nothing would get done!). I’ll usually give them a date I’d like the manuscript to be read by; it’s usually a month. When their reader’s report comes back to me, there’s a plot summary, as well as their opinion on the manuscript: good, bad or otherwise. Obviously, if they like something, I’m going to take a look at it. If it’s something they’re on the fence on, I’ll also take a look. If it’s something they feel is a pass, I’ll go by their report unless I feel they may be off the mark. But they know my list and my tastes and I trust them.
I seem to gravitate to debut authors. One reason is probably because the author has a clean slate and there isn’t any sort of bad sales history that might be problematic for our sales reps. I also like the idea of starting out with an author at square one and hopefully helping them to build a career as we go from book to book.
Being an editor is a job you can do 24/7 if you’re not careful. I do a lot of my reading when I’m commuting and on the weekends. For me, when I’m reading a submission, it comes down to the author’s voice. I have to be sucked into the story as soon as I start reading. I can usually tell by the third chapter if I want to keep reading or not.
What was it like when you were working at Simon & Schuster and how did you get your start in major trade book publishing?
I was an English major at NYU. One day, during my sophomore year, one of my professors was out sick and our class was dismissed. There was a student employment office on campus and I walked over to see what sort of jobs might be available. Listed that day was a job as a file clerk at Simon & Schuster in their contracts department. I went for an interview and was hired. I used to work part-time when I had classes and full-time during the summers. I began as a file clerk and then became a contracts assistant, drafting contracts from the deal memos that the editors sent down. Of course, I always wanted to work in Editorial. After I graduated I stayed in the contracts department and I worked my way up to the managing editor’s office. The managing editor’s office is sort of the nucleus of a publishing house, where you work with many departments: art, production, contracts, editorial. So, I got an overview of everything. Eventually, an assistant position opened up in the Editorial department at Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster’s mass-market imprint, and I was hired.
When I started working in publishing in the mid-1980s, mass-market was still very big. Hardcover was the other preferred format. Publishers did very little trade paperback. Now, it’s the reverse. Mass-market seems to be fading away while trade paperback is the preferred format for many readers, as well as accounts.
Working at Simon & Schuster was a challenge. There was definitely a star system in place when I worked there. By that I mean if you were an editor who had a roster of bestselling authors, then anything you brought in was given the red carpet treatment. If you were lower down on the ladder, well, good luck! It became very discouraging if you were trying to build a list of your own.
Kensington Publishing is one of the largest of the independent book publishers. What experience do you feel independent book publishing offers authors that a big five publisher cannot?
One of the joys of working at Kensington is that everybody here works together as a team and everyone’s books are important. Our authors interact with many people from many different departments, all with the same goal of making that author’s book a success.
Can you tell us about the elements you look for in a good story and is there a particular kind of book you are currently seeking?
As I mentioned earlier, it comes down to the voice. I have to be pulled into the story as soon as I start reading it. I’m a big fiction reader. 99.9% of my reading is fiction. If I read any sort of non-fiction, it’s usually a memoir or biography. I have a fondness for suspense thrillers, as well as historical fiction. Horror, too! I was a huge Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul and V.C. Andrew reader when I was a teen.
There are various book publishing imprints at Kensington, such as Lyrical Press, Pinnacle, Citadel, etc. What did you set out to do in creating your eponymous imprint, John Scognamiglio Books?
With my imprint, we wanted to shine a spotlight on new authors and new voices. So far, most of the novels have been coming of age stories, although I did also acquire two novels of historical fiction from you!
You worked with Alan Hlad on his novel The Long Flight Home, the story of two people brought together and driven apart by World War II—later rekindled when the skeleton of a messenger pigeon, carrying a coded message, is discovered in a chimney. What was it like working with Hlad on this profoundly unique novel?
Working with Alan was great. When I buy a book, the material has to be there. I’m not looking to rewrite/rework an author’s vision of their story. All I’m trying to do is fine-tune it and make it the best that it can be.
You also worked with Diane McPhail on The Abolitionist's Daughter, a personal narrative dealing with the struggles of imperfect souls to do right in a time of bitter conflict—a view of Southern Abolitionism, a deadly civilian clash, and the emerging role of women in a world depleted by the bloody conflict of men. What was it like working with her on this incredible historical novel?
It was the same experience as working with Alan. A pleasure. When I send an editorial letter, the goal is to work with my author. I don’t “tell” an author want to do. I make suggestions in my editorial letters, not demands.
What are you reading for pleasure right now?
The only time I get to read for pleasure is when I’m on vacation. While I’ll read a lot of magazines and newspapers when I’m working – because the articles are short and don’t take up a lot of time -- I have to give the manuscripts I’m working on my full attention. I don’t like starting a novel and then not being able to get back to it asap. I’ll be going away vacation at the end of next month so my reading pile is growing! I’ll be gone for a week and there will be travel time, so I hope to read at least four or five novels. Right now on the “coming with me” pile are: GHOSTED, by Rosie Walsh, AN UNWANTED GUEST, by Shari Lapena, NUMBER ONE CHINESE RESTAURANT, by Lillian Li, THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, by Liv Constantine and THE SILENT PATIENT, by Alex Michaelides.
Do you have any advice you could share for hopeful writers eager to become published authors?
The hardest part of writing is getting that first draft done. Once it’s done, you have something to work with and revise. Many of my authors have told me that they find the revision process to be the most enjoyable.
Can you finish this sentence? I love reading because...
It reminds me of when I was a little boy and my mom took me to a library for the very time and introduced me to the wonderful world of books. Reading is a form of escape that you can do anywhere at any time. There’s nothing I love more than walking into a bookstore and discovering a new story to read.