23 Wednesday Mar 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, PAL
by R.S. Mellette
January 17th was my 60th birthday. All I wanted as a gift was a cover for my book.
I didn’t get it.
But I did get the reviews from Kirkus and Foreword.
Continue reading16 Wednesday Mar 2022
Posted in Illustrator's Perspective, Illustrators Day
Tags
digital illustration, digital tools, illustrator tips, illustrators, Laura-Susan Thomas, SCBWI events, SCBWI members
SCBWI-L.A. Illustrator’s Day is coming around the corner and we have a wonderful presenter lined up, ready to dive deep into the craft of digital art making with you!
Please welcome Laura-Susan Thomas, a digital artist extraordinaire with experience creating art on a grand scale as a Walt Disney Imagineer where she was able to embrace her inner 10-year-old every day, working on designs for Paris, Orlando, and Tokyo theme parks. She has had her work featured in the LA Times Kids’ Reading Room and Babybug Magazine. A professor of Fine Arts at the Allan Hancock College, she is also the Gallery Director at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery and the Illustrator Coordinator for the SCBWI-CenCal region.
For Illustrator Day, Thomas will share with us different strategies for working creatively with technology. The workshop will delve into two of the main applications artists use for creating on the computer and will have a little “sandbox” time for participants to begin experimenting in the medium as well. If you haven’t signed up yet, please visit the regional events page to register.
Continue reading09 Wednesday Mar 2022
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
by Brenda Scott Royce
SCBWI-L.A. is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2022 Nonfiction Mentorship Contest!
The competition was steep and the submissions enticingly diverse, making the decision a difficult one for mentor Joseph Taylor.
Continue reading02 Wednesday Mar 2022
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
biography, middle grade, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult
SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting and digital hi-fives welcome in the comments!
23 Wednesday Feb 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective
Tags
authors, Forward Reviews, Hasty Book LIst, Kirkus Reviews, marketing, Merritt Hicks, publicist, publicity, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, Teen Ink
by R.S. Mellette
When last we left, I had set aside $20,000 to spend on the promotion of my next book, Kiya And The Morian Treasure, which hits streets April 26th, 2022. So, let’s look at the heat I’m getting from the money I’ve set on fire.
Summer 2021: After a COVID delay of a year-and-a-half, my publisher, Elephant’s Bookshelf Press, was eager to get the ball rolling again, but our original cover artist gracefully bowed out to concentrate on her picture book/lower MG work. Matt at EBP found a new artist who promised to deliver in November. As that was the only big thing holding up publication, I reached out again to Books Forward saying, “We were a go in 2019. How about 2021?” They honored their 2019 bid. Contracts were signed in August for a November start to a six-month campaign ending with a launch sometime in the Spring of 2022. I was also sent an Author’s Questionnaire to complete before November.
Continue reading16 Wednesday Feb 2022
Posted in Great News!
SCBWI loves celebrating our members’ successes and noteworthy news, and there are many! Read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. Digital high-fives welcome in the comments!
Continue reading09 Wednesday Feb 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective
Tags
authors, Cheryl Klein, editing, kidlit, revision, Rieko Mendez, Sandy Asher, SCBWI members, Writers Day
by Rieko Mendez
Editor’s Note: This is the third and final installment on What to Take on Your Writer’s Journey.
Now that you are prioritizing feedback with your community of writers and hopefully scratching the surface on — if not digging to the core of — answering the question “why must you write this book?” from my earlier articles, let’s talk about the most important step in being a writer: revisions, many revisions.
Continue reading02 Wednesday Feb 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, Central Coast
Tags
author, CenCal Writer's Day contest, June Moon, Lynn Becker, Monsters in the Briny, picture book, picture books
By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison
Lynn Becker is the author of Monsters in the Briny, illustrated by Scott Brundage (Sleeping Bear Press, April 2022). What do you do with a grumpy kraken, a sickly sea serpent, and a tearful gigantic tortoise? You sing them a tune! The verse in this debut picture book follows the sea shanty rhyme of “What Do You Do With . . . ,” as the ship’s crew face each creature’s demand for comfort or attention.
Lynn Becker, former resident and volunteer member of the SCBWI Central-California Region, now lives and writes in Colorado. She took a moment to answer some questions for Kite Tales.
ANN ROUSSEAU SMITH: Congratulations on your debut picture book Monsters in the Briny, illustrated by Scott Brundage (Sleeping Bear Press, April 2022). What was the inspiration for writing about sea creatures?
Continue reading28 Friday Jan 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective
Tags
authors, Elephant Bookshelf Press, JKS Communications, marketing, publicist, publicity, publishing, Robert Mellette
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.
Continue reading26 Wednesday Jan 2022
Posted in #KTIllustrates, Illustrator's Gallery
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.
Continue reading
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