An Interview with Katie Carringer Baker

Many aspiring authors hope to write a successful series, but our author interviewee for this month is living the experience. Katie Carringer Baker talked with me about the differences between writing her second book and her first, as well as what makes a compelling middle grade story.

Katie Baker is the author of The Keeper and the Compass, the first story in the Keeper Chronicles series. You can find out more about her and her work on Instagram at thekeeperandthecompass or on Facebook at katiebakerwrites.

KM: The Keeper and The Compass was your debut, and it looks like you are planning for the next two books in the series to land this fall. Was the experience of writing and publishing your first book very much like the experience you had with the second? Tell us about any similarities or differences you discovered along your journey.

KCB: Yes, The Keeper and The Compass was self-published in November and was my first foray in publishing anything ever. I worked on the book for almost two years with two editors, a cover artist, and a proofreader. It was a long and arduous process and quite the education. Actually finishing a book is SO HARD, and I didn’t have much in the way of a writing process. Learning HOW to write a full-length novel did not come easy for me, but it has paid off in dividends with this second and third book.

The second book, The Keeper and The Castle, was a much quicker process. I had learned how to outline a book, grow characters, create individual voices for them, and create, complete, and link story arcs. My main characters were already developed from book one, and their world was already “built.” They already had their voices, and I was more confident in mine as a writer. I enjoyed seeing how the characters grew, how they changed, and was sometimes surprised at where the story went as I wrote despite my plans and outlines.

As far as similarities between my experiences writing the first and second book–I think the biggest thing is how much I enjoyed the process of creating characters I loved and a world I wanted to be part of. Fantasy writing for any age involves taking the reader somewhere new and different, and I think for younger readers, it has to be a place they want to visit. They can either want to visit it because it is amazing (Hogwarts), because it promises adventure (Story Thieves) or because there is the opportunity for it to be redeemed (The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe). Creating a place, a world, where readers WANT to visit and WISHED was a real place was such a joy.

KM: Sometimes writers sit down to write “childrens’” books thinking they will write a board book or an easy reader but end up with a middle grade story. Other times writers have a middle grade audience in mind from the outset. What was your experience?

KCB: I actually had a different experience than either of these. I wrote what I thought was a YA book, but it has been such a hit with MG that I think it falls more appropriately into a MG/YA genre. I write clean books about teenagers who are coming of age. This seems to resonate with middle grade readers. I write characters who are in the midst of relationship crises, parental crises, seeking adventure, experiencing their first crushes, diving into familiar fairy tales that most middle grade readers would be familiar with. My themes resonate with readers of all ages, which makes this a book parents can enjoy too and hopefully talk to their tweens and teens about as a family. I love that middle grade readers have surprised me with how much they have loved this book, and it has spurred me on to writing more books they can enjoy and be inspired by.

KM: Marketing for a middle grade book can sometimes involve multiple efforts – trying to reach the ‘gatekeepers’ and the readers alike. How did you approach marketing your books?

KCB: I am far from an expert in marketing to MG readers, but I’ve some success with it and am happy to share my ideas. One, I have the privilege of knowing a lot of parents. I’m a mom, and I know a lot of other moms. I’m also a homeschooling parent with a large homeschooling network that is full of parents who want their kids to read solid, clean, uplifting books. I’ve marketed to them through social media and word of mouth, and the response was quite positive.

I have also reached out to teacher friends who have invited me to speak at their schools to their classes about writing and the book. I’m planning a “school tour” of at least 5 middle school and high schools in the fall before the release of book three. It’s been recommended to hit up homeschooling conferences as a vendor, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull it off this summer.

I am building my instagram account and using that to market my writing a little more than facebook since IG has a younger demographic. I wish I had more to offer in this area…I’m still learning too!

KM: Is there any advice, encouragement, or suggestion you might have for new writers who want to write for middle grade readers?

KCB: The advice I would love to share to those writing to middle grade is this: Don’t dumb it down. Middle grade readers want and NEED characters they can look up to and love and cheer for. They want settings they can picture and desire and WISH were real. They want stories with depth and tension and suspense and action. And, they can handle more than 60,000 words. The Keeper and The Compass is 110,000 words, and more than a few middle grade readers finished it in a day (so did their parents, which I think is just like, basically the coolest thing ever).

If you want to write to MG, write a clean story to teenagers, and MG readers will eat it up. Why? Because they have their eye on being teens, so give them teens they want to be. Not perfect characters, but characters that are different, who wrestle with hard questions and doubt and fear, who face their trials with courage rather than complaints. Give them characters who inspire them and can be examples to them. Use the power of the written word to challenge and encourage middle grade readers to things bigger than their cell phones, school social hierarchy, and making the team. What greater gift can you, as a writer, give them?

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.