Leah Thaxton on the Editor’s Role in winning the Branford Boase Award
The winners of the Branford Boase Award for 2023 were announced on the 13th of July in a ceremony hosted at the CLPE Library in London. The winners of this prestigious prize were Christine Pillainayagam and her editor Leah Thaxton of Faber & Faber for Ellie Pillai is Brown. We were delighted when Leah took some time to explain her role as editor.
‘Confidante, cheerleader, and book doctor’ Branford Boase Award winner Leah Thaxton on the editor’s role.
There’s one prize that champions editors and the hidden work they do. The Branford Boase Award is the only prize that editors know that they can aspire to winning. So winning it for my work on Ellie Pillai Is Brown felt completely extraordinary and an absolute honour.
Editors like working away behind closed doors much of the time, but actually it was a joy to stand on that podium and receive this gorgeous prize with Christine Pillainayagam. I adore Ellie Pillai is Brown and fell in love with it from the moment I started reading it. So this award felt like the culmination of months cherishing and polishing something already beautiful.
That night I was surrounded by so many people who care deeply about children’s books – including Sarah Hughes who was my first editorial mentor, followed by Miriam Hodgson and Cally Poplak – and it really brought home what an incredible profession we work in. Children’s publishing is vocational – the responsibility that comes with the job is enormous and that’s what keeps you on your toes!
Publishing, like any other business, is about staying profitable, but what makes an editor tick – what we look for day in and day out – is ‘voice’ and that’s the holy grail for us. Every now and then, an editor will sift through the virtual pile of manuscripts and wonder if they’ve lost their eye, if they’re tired, jaded, hungry, overworked – because nothing chimes … and then a manuscript like Christine’s arrives and you say, Oh this is Voice. (And phew.)
When someone as talented as Christine tells a story, everyone listens – and the day job is not a day job but a rollercoaster, because the excitement builds and builds. Publishing is a word of mouth business, and everyone but everyone loves a good story. So when a novel like Christine’s lands on your desk, every meeting – from Acquisitions to sales conference to bookfair – comes alive. You don’t need to sell the book to anyone – you just share the love.
Christine wrote this book for the children who never get to see themselves in books. We can see how the industry is shifting and diversifying. Books like Christine’s which cover a rich seam of issues with such nuance and sensitivity are the game changers, centring conversations that tend to sit on the margins or not feature at all in books. (I couldn’t feel more proud to publish it.) Ellie Pillai Is Brown is a mainstream read that sits front of store – a summer holiday read for every reader.
I think it’s an incredibly exciting time to be publishing for children. We are at the forefront of so many cultural shifts that already impact on classrooms, teaching, social interactions, society at large, and for generations to come. And I feel and hope we are moving towards a more gracious world in which we honour greater diversity, including all these precious LGBTQ+ young readers who we have neglected for too long.
I can see it’s a mysterious industry from the outside – from the inside it is in fact all very simple and straightforward: spotting the best and most interesting books and bringing them to market in the most exciting way we possibly can so that people have a great reading experience and tell their friends…. But yes, we need to continue to demystify the process in order to ensure that we enjoy the rich diversity of story that our readers see themselves all around them. Publishing needs to be relevant and reflective of the world in which we live.
All debut authors need a sounding board, a cheerleader and an aide who is 100% onside all of the time – info about the publishing process is all well and good, but I think knowing that someone has your back, and will tell you exactly what they think and why is key. I see myself as a confidante, cheerleader, and book doctor! I believe in being always honest but kind.
All publishers look for different things. What I’m looking for is an author who has a voice I’ve not heard before and a story to tell, but with a light touch and spring in their step. We need to offer children hope and reassurance – so stories that warm the heart and linger.
Leah Thaxton is Publisher at Faber & Faber Children’s Books and co-founder of the FAB prize, which foregrounds unrepresented authors and illustrators of colour.
Founded in 2000, the Branford Boase Award was set up in memory of award-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase of Walker Books, who both died in 1999, and is unique in honouring editor as well as author.