Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee | Filed under Los Angeles
Happy Holidays from SCBWI-Los Angeles!
26 Wednesday Dec 2018
Happy Holidays from SCBWI Cen-Cal!
21 Friday Dec 2018
Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee | Filed under Central Coast
Ask an Editor: Rhyming Picture Book, featuring Renee LaTulippe
19 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted in Ask an Editor
Tags
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog. This month, we feature a guest host, Renée M. LaTulippe, children’s poet, freelance editor, and founder/teacher of The Lyrical Language Lab. 
Dear Editor – I’ve written a rhyming picture book, but now that I’m starting to search for an agent it seems a lot of them don’t want rhyming picture books. What should I do?
—Sam, Los Angeles
Dear Sam:
This is a question that gets a lot of airtime in kidlit writer circles, and for good reason. After all, we can all see how many rhyming picture books come into the world each year, so someone is writing and selling and publishing them, right? Seeing so many agents and publishers put up “No Rhyme Allowed” signs on their clubhouse doors is frustrating indeed. Continue reading
Calling All SCBWI-L.A. PAL Illustrators: Be a Mentor In 2019!
12 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
Andrea J. Loney, Catherine Linka, Kathy Kottaras, mentoring, mentors, mentorship, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Wade Bradford
By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
For the past four years, SCBWI-L.A. has been offering mentorships to pre-published members, switching between writers and illustrators. It will be illustrators’ turn again in 2019, and that’s where out PAL illustrators come in!
As past mentors can tell you, the experience is incredibly rewarding. We asked some of them to share about why they decided to throw their hats in the ring and how they’ve benefitted themselves from being mentors.
Here’s what they had to say: Continue reading
SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day 2018 Tips, Take-Aways, and Winners!
07 Friday Dec 2018
Posted in Central Coast, Contests & Grants, Writers Days
Tags
Allison Moore, Andrea Loney, Carol Heyer, Hannah Mann, Happy LaShelle, Lorin Oberweger, Mary Ann Fraser, Paula Wiseman, Sarah Jane Abbott, Terry Pierce
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
Author Mary Jo Hazard: How to Find, and Write For, a Niche Market
05 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted in Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools
By Mary Jo Hazard
Peacocks have lived on the Palos Verdes Peninsula since 1924, but no one ever wrote a book about them until I did in 2010. Since then, The Peacocks of Palos Verdes has sold over 4,000 copies — identify a niche market and you can do it too! Read on for my road map on how it worked for me.
Toot Your Horn!
28 Wednesday Nov 2018
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
HAPPY HANNUKAH! There is a lot to celebrate this season, including SCBWI members’ publishing news! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world:
Hanukkah Hamster, by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Andre Colin, Sleeping Bear, ages 5 – 7, Picture Book, ISBN: 978-1-58536-399-5, released 09/15/2018.
Enter the 2019 Writers Day Contest! Past Winners Scored Agents and Publishing Deals!
23 Friday Nov 2018
Posted in Contests & Grants, Writers Days
Tags
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
Great News!
21 Wednesday Nov 2018
Posted in Great News!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! SCBWI members have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, including this GREAT NEWS! We love celebrating our members’ successes and noteworthy news, so read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. Digital high-fives welcome in the comments!
Hatching Chicks in Room 6 by Caroline Arnold is the winner of the 2018 Cybils Award for Elementary Non-fiction.
10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2018
14 Wednesday Nov 2018
Tags
Aaron Reynolds, Cassandra Federman, Dan Santat, Danielle Davis, Garret Weyr, illustrator tips, inspiration, Kayla Cagan, Kent Culotta, Melody Mansfield, Victoria Wells Arms, writing tips
I’m always grateful for the community and connection that comes from being a member of SCBWI. There’s no shortage of people willing to share advice, tips, and knowledge. And lucky for us, so many in the kid lit community have shared their stories and wisdom on the Kite Tales blog.
Whenever I need a creative boost, I like to reread Kite Tales posts for nuggets of inspiration.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from Kite Tales stories this year. Hopefully they’ll inspire you too as you set your 2019 writing goals. Read on and click the links to see the full posts. Continue reading
Kite Tales 