Author Archives: Jessica Chrysler

Publicity & Marketing: A Case Study — Part 1

28 Friday Jan 2022

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by R.S. Mellette

Many of us have said, “When I get my book published, I’m going to spend the advance on my own publicist.” Advances have become the subject of myth, but the debate rages on about how much, if anything, an author should spend on publicity, marketing, giveaways, etc. My book, Kiya And The Morian Treasure, will be out April 26th and I happen to have some money to spend, so follow along over the next few months to see how much, how, and where it’s spent. And if it’s worth it. 

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Interview with #KTIllustrates Contest Winner: Andrea Yomtob

26 Wednesday Jan 2022

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A native to Southern California, Andrea Yomtob worked for twenty years as a Computer Animator/FX Artist at Nickelodeon and Film Roman, until she found her love for writing and illustrating picture books. She has created the winning piece for our 2nd Annual #KTIllustrates Contest, announced last month.

Andrea enjoys combining mediums like watercolor and collage with her digital animation skills. Today we find out more about her passion for illustrating for kids.

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What to Take on Your Writer’s Journey #2: Ask Why Must You Write This Book?

05 Wednesday Jan 2022

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by Rieko Mendez

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Editor’s Note: This is the second of three installments on What to Take on Your Writer’s Journey. Look for the third installment next month that will explore deeper revision.

I’ve been writing YA fiction seriously for the last five years. Like many of you, I’ve immersed myself in books on the writing craft and consumed every minute of workshops I could afford. Early in the pandemic, I lived for those free SCBWI digital workshops. In these blog posts, I want to share something different — the less obvious, yet crucial insights that upped the game in my writing journey.

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10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2021

29 Wednesday Dec 2021

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Photo by Tairon Fernandez on Pexels.com

Another year has flown by, and while we have borne the loss of some great creators and publishing influencers, we still have a tremendous community of children’s book writers, illustrators, and translators to look towards for inspiration. We have had many words of wisdom shared on Kite Tales this past year and it is a great pleasure to share them again with you now.

Writing for children requires grit and self-reflection; a sense of play and an openness to the changing world. As creators, we can find inspiration in change and embrace our own strengths and weaknesses to make something greater than we thought possible. Take heart and have patience, we are all on this journey together.

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Mentorship Contest Now Open!

15 Wednesday Dec 2021

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by Brenda Scott Royce

Writers: Do you have a great idea for a nonfiction project noodling in your brain? A work-in-progress that needs a little nurturing before being sent out into the world? If so, I implore you to consider applying for SCBWI-L.A.’s Nonfiction Mentorship Contest. This amazing opportunity pairs you with a dedicated, experienced mentor for a six-month period that can be absolutely career changing! Past SCBWI-L.A. mentees have landed agents and publishing deals.

The deadline for submissions is January 26 — so you can channel your New Year’s Resolution energy into preparing your submission.

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#KTIllustrates 2nd Annual Contest: Announcing the Winner and Runners Up!

10 Friday Dec 2021

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This year we had a tremendous amount of participation in our #KTIllustrates Contest, with entries inspired by the prompt: “Here you will find the dragon’s secret.” The contest was open to any form (spot, spread or cover design) and in any medium, so long as it kept the interpretation of the prompt as it would apply to children’s books.

The winner is set to receive a gift certificate to ArtSupply Warehouse and will have a feature interview article for Kite Tales coming soon. So let’s give a hand to our winner and two runners up!

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What to Take on Your Writer’s Journey: #1 Find Your Communities of Writers

08 Wednesday Dec 2021

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by Rieko Mendez

Editor’s Note: This is the first of three installments on What to Take on Your Writer’s Journey. Look for the next article next month, that explores the question of “Why Must You Write This Book?” 

I write YA fiction and started writing seriously in the last five years. As a writer, there are craft books, workshops and conferences to hone your writing and I recommend using them. Here though, I want to share what I found crucial in my writing journey—what upped the game so to speak. 

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SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day 2021: The Winners Are…!

24 Wednesday Nov 2021

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By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

This year’s SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day Creating with Hope! was a hybrid event. Saturday, October 30, was an in-person event with several author speakers. Day two, Sunday, November 7, was a webinar featuring Megan Ilnitzki, editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, and an illustrator’s gallery. Our fabulous writing contest winners were announced at Sunday’s event.

Congratulations to all our contest participants, including our winners!

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The Power of a Listicle

06 Wednesday Oct 2021

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by Sherry Shahan

Simply put, a ‘listicle’ is a catchall phrase for a short article arranged as a list. Each numbered item expands on the topic in simple, succinct sentences. Rarely is an individual item given more than a paragraph. 

Young readers are drawn to listicles because they offer information in easily digestible chunks—as opposed to trying to absorb concepts plopped on a page in an inky mass. 

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#KTChat with Anne Bollman: From Awkward to Confident — Breaking Through Barriers in Illustration

22 Wednesday Sep 2021

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by Anne Bollman

Editor’s Note: Author and illustrator Anne Bollman will be available to chat with you on Twitter on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, from 12 pm to 1pm (PDT) for a live #KTChat.

It was 2018 and I had a dream of becoming a children’s book author and illustrator. I had almost a decade of experience illustrating for products, from greeting cards to dinnerware and even obscure things like doggy-poo bags. I had written a book about a dog (my favorite thing to illustrate), created a dummy, completed rough sketches of the entire book and illustrated a few spreads. I met an agent at a trade show, showed her my pitch and within a month I had signed with a publisher. My dream was coming true! 

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