Category Archives: Writers Days

SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day 2019: What’s Next?

22 Friday Nov 2019

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by Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

Kari Sutherland, Charlotte Wenger, agents, Rachael Stein, editor (1)

After numerous wildfires and road closure scares, we had a lovely, informative, and inspiring Writers’ Day on Saturday, October 12. Faculty included Kari Sutherland from the Bradford Literary Agency, Charlotte Wenger with Prospect Agency, and Rachael Stein, editor at Sterling Children’s Books. We also heard emotion-filled, inspiring speeches from three spotlight speakers: Nikki Barthelmess, Karen Jameson, and Karol Ruth Silverstein. After speeches, first page panels, and a writing contest, what’s the next step or steps a conference attendee might pursue? Continue reading →

Editor Joanna Cárdenas on the Importance of Community for Creators

14 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by in Editor's Perspective, Writers Days

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wwr2019_JoannaCardenasKokila Editor Joanna Cárdenas is on faculty for this year’s SCBWI-L.A. Working Writers Retreat (WWR). She has worked on critically-acclaimed award-winning books such as The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez and The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya. Prior to joining Kokila at the launch of the Penguin Random House imprint last year, she was an editor at Viking Children’s Books.

Joanna is also on the steering committee for Latinx in Publishing, a nonprofit organization that promotes literature by, for, and about Latino/a/x people, and is a co-founder of the Representation Matters Mentor Program for aspiring editors of color. She’s here today to share her advice for authors, talk about Kokila, and tell us about what she’d like to see in her inbox.

Farrha Khan: We’re excited to have you at this year’s Working Writer’s Retreat! As an editor, what are you hoping to accomplish at these kinds of events? And what are you excited to see or learn?  Continue reading →

Interview with Amanda Isabel Ramirez, Assistant Editor and 2019 SCBWI CenCal Writer’s Day Faculty Member

12 Friday Jul 2019

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By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

AmandaAmanda Isabel Ramirez, Assistant Editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, is on the faculty of the SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day, Saturday, October 12, 2019. She has worked with award-winning authors, including Neal Shusterman, Andrew Smith, Katherine Rundell, and Tim Federle. She has also written numerous articles for such publications as The Celebrity Café and Puckermob. We are very excited she is joining us in October.

ANN ROUSSEAU SMITH: Welcome to the Kite Tales blog! Our theme for Writers’ Day is “The Creative Life for Me.” As a writer and editor, what can you share about living the creative life?  Continue reading →

Writers Day 2019: Tenacity, Writing with Respect, and Other Takeaways

12 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Writers Days

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By Charlotte Offsay

On March 9, writers swarmed the Skirball Cultural Center for SCBWI’s annual L.A. Writers Day conference. The day was packed with wisdom, tips, and motivation. Here are some of my favorite takeaways from the event.

The publishing industry is subjective, do your research and don’t give up!

Doubleday Books Editor Frances Gilbert cited being bored, an overly complicated plot, or an over-published topic among her reasons for rejecting manuscripts. She shared her own journey as an author and highlighted the subjective nature of this business – one of her manuscripts was called too specific by one publisher and too vague by another. She encouraged authors to do their research before submitting to find the right home and champion for their manuscript.

Continue reading →

Los Angeles SCBWI Writers Day 2019 Manuscript Contest: And The Winners Are…

13 Wednesday Mar 2019

Posted by in Contests & Grants, Writers Days

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By Karol Ruth Silverstein, Contest Coordinator

It was another year of very strong entries in the SCBWI L.A. Writers Day Contest. As usual, manuscripts were submitted in four categories: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Picture Book, and Other (which includes poetry and non-fiction). First place winners in each category receive free tuition to next year’s Writer’s Day, as well as a manuscript critique from one of this year’s faculty members. If you’d like to contact any of the winners to request their manuscript or discuss publication, please let us know!

Our much-appreciated anonymous judges selected the following 10 honorees: Continue reading →

Interview with Frances Gilbert, Editor-in-Chief of Doubleday Books for Young Readers

27 Wednesday Feb 2019

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FRANCES GILBERT started her career with books in high school when she worked in the children’s department of her town library. After graduating from university with an M.A. in English, her first job in publishing was as a Book Club Editor at Scholastic Canada in Toronto. She moved to New York in 2000 to set up a children’s editorial division at Sterling Publishing. In 2012, Gilbert moved to Random House Children’s Books where she is Editor-in-Chief of Doubleday Books for Young Readers. She is also a successful author of several children’s books.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! We’re excited to have you as a Keynote Speaker at SCBWI LA’s 2019 Writers Day event. You’ve been in the industry since a teen and, as an author yourself, understand publishing from both sides. As an editor, please share with us some reasons that picture book manuscripts are rejected. Continue reading →

Author Tamora Pierce on Writers Day, Connecting with Fans, and Diversity in Fiction

06 Wednesday Feb 2019

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Tamora Pierce is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of more than 28 fantasy novels for teenagers. She’s the winner of the 2013 Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement in Young Adult Literature, the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award, and the 2005 Skylark Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction.

Her latest work includes Tortall: A Spy’s Guide (2017) and 2018’s Tempests and Slaughter, the first in a three-book Tortall series.

She answered some questions about her work and the upcoming Writers Day, where she will be a keynote speaker and faculty.

ERLINA VASCONCELLOS:  You’re on several social media sites and have a robust website with the most thorough author bio I’ve ever seen. What motivates you to be so visible and open with the public? Do you have personal guidelines or a philosophy for social media?

Continue reading →

Authors Lee Wind and Alexis O’Neill on Meeting Your Readers and Writing the Hard Stuff

23 Wednesday Jan 2019

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Alexis at a school visit.

This year’s SCBWI-L.A. WritersDay boasts some fantastic faculty members, all dedicated to helping attendees get to know the kids, editors, and others who make up their target audience. Two of those faculty members are former SCBWI Regional Advisors and current authors, Alexis O’Neill and Lee Wind. Alexis is a veteran teacher, author, and popular school visit presenter. Her books include The Recess Queen, Loud Emily, The Kite That Bridged Two Nations, and more. Lee is the author of the young adult novel, Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill, named a BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, one of Publishers Weekly’s Top Five Independently Published Middle Grade and Young Adult Books of 2018, and is the founding blogger and publisher of I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?, an award-winning website about books, culture, and empowerment for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Questioning and Queer youth, and their Allies. And it’s our lucky day because both of them agreed let us pick their beautiful brains leading up to Writers Day!

SARAH PARKER-LEE: We’re so excited to have you both as faculty this year! Alexis, whose column for the SCBWI Bulletin, “The Truth About School Visits,” has been helping members since 2006,is doing a breakout session about new research on school visits. Interacting with readers is a universal experience for kid lit authors. Can you both tell us about one of your most meaningful ones? Or one of your early blunders, so we can learn from your mistakes?  Continue reading →

SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day 2018 Tips, Take-Aways, and Winners!

07 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by in Central Coast, Contests & Grants, Writers Days

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By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News

Hannah Mann, Allison Moore, Sarah Jane Abbott

Numerous new attendees mingled with a sold-out crowd at SCBWI CenCal’s 2018 Writers’ Day on Saturday, October 13. Although the Central-Coastal California region hosts this event every year, ALL SCBWI members, as well as non-members, are welcome to attend, so keep an eye out for next year’s info on our website.

Two editors and two agents imparted their craft and industry knowledge to an eager audience. Sarah Jane Abbott, Associate Editor at Paula Wiseman Books and Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster), shared her insights on picture books with heart. Editor Allison Moore from Bloomsbury Children’s Books presented resource lists for crafting and submitting our manuscripts. Agent Hannah Mann from Writers’ House spoke of using personality flaws to create real characters. Continue reading →

Enter the 2019 Writers Day Contest! Past Winners Scored Agents and Publishing Deals!

23 Friday Nov 2018

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By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

As your humble SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator, I can tell you that entering Writers Day contests is not only fun and exciting — it can also be helpful in getting your manuscripts polished and noticed. I love deadlines and have always used Writers Day contest deadlines to force myself to work on my various projects. As a result, my work has placed a few times and won twice: a picture book in 2011 (LA region) and a YA novel in 2010 (Central-Costal CA region). My winning picture book attracted my agent, Jen Linnan, who subsequently sold my winning YA. (Look for my YA debut Cursed from Charlesbridge Teen on June 25, 2019!)

Still not convinced? Here’s a little more evidence of the value of entering Writers Day contests from one of last year’s honorees, Colleen Paeff:

“There’s nothing like winning a writing contest to confirm that you’re heading in the right direction. When I won my first Writers Day contest in 2014, I’d been dabbling in writing picture books for a decade. The award was exactly what I needed to convince myself it was time to get serious. If I gave it my all, I thought, I just might end up a published author. Two years, more manuscripts, lots of workshops, a couple conferences, tons of reading, and several revisions later, the same story caught the interest of an agent who eventually took me on as a client. Continue reading →