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n the YA literature world, anthologies are having
a moment. We’ve seen a solid array of topics, both
fi ction and nonfi ction, hit the shelves in the last
few years, with even more exciting titles coming. As an
anthologist and editor, it’s refreshing to see such interest
and enthusiasm from readers, as well as from fellow writ-
ers who are interested in trying their hands at creating a
collection. But where do you start?
Aft er editing two highly acclaimed and successful
anthologies, with a third forthcoming in 2020, here’s
what I’ve learned and discovered about the process of
developing an outline which will become the proposal
for the collection.Research and Get Clear on
Your Topic
Before anything else, do your research. With a big topic
in mind, it’s necessary to see what else already exists on
the market. Th is not only gives comparative titles, but it
also gives powerful insight into where holes and oppor-
tunities exist for your collection. It’s worthwhile to at
least read the introductions of each comp title as well as
skim through the collections as a whole in order to get a
sense of the work that another editor put into its creation.
Not all comps will be anthologies, and that’s OK. Th ese
will be useful in your own outlining and thinking as well
as for the resources included in the back matter of your
own collection.
Th is part of the process can take a few weeks, and
it’s one that can’t be skipped. In order to develop your
best outline and collection, it’s necessary to know what’s
already out there and where your vision does or doesn’t
align with current titles.
Aft er the research step, you likely have more insight
into how you want to defi ne and refi ne what it is your col-
lection will do. Th e biggest topics can be the most diffi cult
to create a clear, comprehensive outline and direction for,
so it’s vital to begin by brainstorming from the big idea
into something smaller and more precise. Begin with the
big idea—say, for example, feminism—and consider who
the collection is geared toward and what the overarching
feel of that collection will be. Where does it align with
what’s out there? Does it fi ll a hole that you’ve discovered
in your research?
In developing Here We Are: Feminism for the Real
Wo r l d, I wanted to reach teen readers (who it would be
geared toward) and make it clear that feminism was a
giant party that everyone would want to be invited to
attend (the overarching feel of the collection). Th ere had
not been a similar collection on the market for teens,
and nonfi ction anthologies of thoughtful, diverse essays
were rare in YA.
Once those two pieces were in place, the next step
was to write the elevator pitch for the collection, which
would serve as not only the springboard for the outline
of the book, but also as the tool to share what the book
was about during and aft er publication.
Use the two pieces that defi ne the collection to
develop a one- to two-sentence elevator pitch which
encapsulates the anthology. Th is serves as a simple defi -
nition of your why and your how, as well as your audi-
ence. Th e short pitch will begin the outline process.Begin Outlining the Collection
Starting with the short elevator pitch, it’s valuable to then
expand that vision outward into a few paragraphs of
description that explain the why and the how. Th is is the
place to begin thinking about things like word counts,
the timeline for putting the anthology together, the num-
ber of contributors who you envision taking part, and
what the bigger goals of the anthology are. Th is is also
where including comparable titles is useful, and it’s also
a place to explain why this collection is one that the mar-
ket will support right now. Is there a big cultural interest
or discussion in whatever the topic is? Does the collec-
tion explore something that will be relevant in a year or
two and thus capture an eager audience? How and where
does the collection speak to or in opposition of the titles
on the market right now? Each anthology may look dif-
ferent at this stage, and sometimes it might be helpful
to set this aside and instead write what you think wouldWritersDigest.com I 39