Sally Morgridge, a children's literature editorial director, met with students at BYU-Idaho to share insights on breaking into the children’s publishing industry.

Morgridge spoke with students Feb. 18 and 19, offering guidance from her 15 years in the publishing industry. Morgridge has worked at Holiday House, a children’s book publishing company based in New York City, for 15 years. After serving as an editorial assistant and assistant editor, Morgridge has been editorial director since July 2025.

According to Morgridge, working as an editor had not always been her plan until she realized she would rather edit than write.

“I always loved books and reading and considered briefly the idea of writing my own work, but when I took this short story workshop, I realized how much more I enjoyed critiquing other people’s work, or working with them to make it stronger," said Morgridge. "[I] just realized that that could be a career path, that I could work with books all the time without having to write them myself.”

New York to Rexburg

Morgridge's connection to BYUI comes from English professor Josh Allen. Allen has published three horror books for kids: "Out to Get You: 13 Tales of Weirdness and Woe," "Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom" and "Once They See You: 13 Stories to Shiver and Shock" since 2019. Morgridge served as his editor for all three books.

Morgridge said that Allen had been suggesting for years that she visit BYUI, but she had been unable to until now.

“At the time, I had younger children, I felt like I had less control over my job. I also don’t drive, I’m a New Yorker," Morgridge said. "I was sort of like, ‘I’m sorry Josh, it’s not going to happen.’ Then we saw each other in November at a conference, and Josh was like, ‘I would really love for you to come speak to my students.’ I just thought, ‘That does sound kind of fun.’”

Morgridge said that back then, she didn't feel quite as ready to talk about her path as she is now.

“Now the dust has settled a bit more," Morgridge said. "I don’t think I’m leaving this job anytime soon, and I thought I had maybe more to offer than I maybe would have back then, or at least a clearer-eyed view of it."

Despite just a short trip to BYUI campus, Morgridge expressed praise for Allen and his colleagues in the English Department to pull off this trip.

“The department was just really gracious with how they’ve made it happen, and Josh has seemed to me to just be able to work miracles to bring me out here," Morgridge said.

On writing and editing

Morgridge was met with a packed house during her guest speaker sessions both days in the Thomas E. Ricks Building.

She expressed gratitude for BYUI students showing up to her presentations and showing interest in the art of writing.

“A lot of people I went to college with went to graduate school," Morgridge said. "I think people just were not as serious as students that I’ve encountered here, so I’m really impressed by how focused everyone is."

Senior and communication major Shion Cook said she loved the presentation Morgridge gave on Feb. 18.

“The presentation was absolutely amazing,” Cook said. “I love creative writing so I’ve always wanted to be an author, but it’s really fun to learn things from the publisher’s perspective. I just learned that there’s even more to the publishing industry than just being a publisher.”

A literary conversation

In her presentation, Morgridge discussed her own path to publishing and shared how students can improve their writing. One piece of advice she shared was to read more books, especially new books. Allen agreed.

“So many students want to enter a literary conversation, I feel like literature has always been about an ongoing conversation we’re having," Allen said. "F. Scott Fitzgerald says you don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say. If you want to join a literary conversation, you need to know what’s going on in that conversation.”

Morgridge said that aspiring writers should follow the status of this "literary conversation."

“Thoughtful publication makes for better books, and thoughtfully thinking about, ‘Okay, what kind of books do I want to add to this conversation?’” Morgridge said. “Not necessarily saying ‘What’s missing?’ or ‘What do I have that others don’t?’ but ‘How can I be a part of it in a synergistic way?’”

Allen emphasized the fact that writers need to pay attention to what authors are doing currently.

“On the first day of creative writing every semester I say, ‘Can you tell me your 10 favorite living authors right now?’ If you can’t, you have a lot of work to do,” Allen said.

Another important fact for aspiring writers to consider is not only what to write, but whom to write for.

Allen said that when writing, the author should keep the audience in mind

"Serving people is more noble than serving art. The best art, I believe, is an act of love between artist and audience,” Allen said. “I know a lot of academics who will say things like, ‘I don’t care about audience,’ or they believe that to consider audience is to tarnish the purity of your art, and I disagree completely.”

Writing is important

Since Allen writes books for a middle-grade audience and Morgridge edits those books, they both agreed that children's literature is especially vital. Morgridge said that "children need stories."

"Art and books can be a form of resistance, can be strengthening for children during difficult times, can help them figure out who they are," Morgridge said. "All children deserve that."

Morgridge pointed out that writing is all about imagination. Authors need to use imagination to write, and readers expand on that imagination when they read. That's what makes the art of writing so important.

“No one can stop you from imagining something,” Morgridge said. “Through reading and writing, through exercising your imagination, you can aspire to be more than what you’ve come from, to go places you’ve never been. Writing is important because it is some of the deepest ways of imagining the world and yourself."