Bridget Smith: Agent’s Perspective

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photo-BridgetSmith-leavesBridget Smith is more than an agent at Dunham Literary, Inc. She also studied anthropology and archaeology, worked as a radio DJ, fenced on the varsity team at Brown University, and helped design an experiment that she later performed in microgravity at NASA. So, she’s kind of awesome and you want her to represent your books.

Read on for Bridget’s insights into the kid lit community, how to include diversity in your books, and what happens after you get a full manuscript request.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Chester Perryess

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cspWe love our volunteers at SCBWI and couldn’t exist without them! “Volunteer Spotlight” is a great way to get to know them for yourself and learn more about what they do – and how you can volunteer. Now meet Chester Perryess, Central/Coastal CA regional Schlepper and Minion:

 

 

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narratingI’m an introvert. I’m happiest at home making those characters come to life, or sequestered in my “shedio” narrating audiobooks, or researching etymologies for Wordmonger, my blog about words. Still, I volunteer out in the Big Scary World and encourage my fellow introverts to consider doing the same.

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Ask an Editor: Why Are Picture Books 32 pages?

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Welcome to our newest feature, “Ask an Editor,” where our wonderful SCBWI members send in questions which may be answered in an upcoming Kite Tales blog. You can remain anonymous if you wish.

Have a question to submit? Log in to your SCBWI account, then either click on the “Ask an Editor” image at the left or follow this link  http://losangeles.scbwi.org/ask-an-editor/ and fill out the form. It’s easy!

Dear Editor – I write picture books. Why picture books are almost always 32 pages? Is this something I even need to care about while I’m writing? It’s all about writing the best story and staying within the word count, right?

—Notta Paige Counter

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LitMingle Minute: Westside Writer’s Mingle

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“There is nothing permanent except change.” -Heraclitus

“There is nothing permanent except change.”
-Heraclitus

The Westside Writer’s Mingle kicked off last fall with a bunch o’newness. SCBWI’s oldest local Mingle (since 1990) got a new name, a new location, and new coordinators.

Last June, beloved co-coordinators Karol Ruth Silverstein and Charlie Cohen stepped down after a successful 4-year run to make way for new coordinators, and unexpectedly, a new venue. After more than a decade at the Fairview branch of the Santa Monica Library, the Mingle moved 1.5 miles and roughly 5 minutes west, to the Ocean Park Branch of the Santa Monica Library.

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Kite Tales at Book Con 2016

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2016-05-13 08.13.52Did you know there is an entire convention dedicated to books? Book Con is the public part of Book Expo of America, or BEA. Professional authors, publishers, book sellers, book buyers, etc. come together to share must-read books, delve into upcoming market trends, and build relationships with other literary professionals. There are panels with authors from all genres and a showroom full of major, indie, and niche publishers who sell or give away their books. (FREE BOOKS!) I went for the first time this year and came home with some amazing advice and insights from bestselling authors, including Naomi Novik, Pierce Brown, and Sarah J. Maas. And I’ll share them with you below! (My paraphrased versions unless specifically quoted.)

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John Nez: Illustrator Perspective

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books_4_children77Prolific illustrator John Nez shares with us about the tools he uses, why life as a working illustrator really is work, how to be your own best advocate, and how to keep that “little mouse of creative happiness” alive and thriving through it all. Read on for some great insight, tips, and illustrative goodness!

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Toot Your Horn!

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ElevenEleven and Holding, by Mary Penney Hershey, HarperCollins, ages 8-12, Middle grade fiction, ISBN: 978-006-240-5740, released 6/07/2016.

 

 

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Great News!

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GreatNewsSCBWI 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!

 

 

NINELIVESCylin Busby’s new MG novel, The Nine Lives of Jacob TIbbs, has received two starred reviews so far (from SLJ and Booklist) and was just picked as an Amazon “Best Book of the Month.” Thank you to all the wonderful supportive SCBWI members!

 

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SCBWI Community Corner with Annie Ruygt

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307418_602235109791062_487416659_nThe Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is a dynamic community of professionals and aspirings. Read on for a member’s story about how SCBWI has influenced their work and connected them to publishing professionals, life-long friends, and the tools they need to share their stories with children of all ages.

I’ve been hearing the term “tribe” quite a bit these days. At a music festival I attended last year, everyone referred to their small communities as tribes. The festival even built a small village of Teepees and wooden shelters for people to hang out in. Then I noticed the term surfacing in magazines, online, and among the social groups I attended in San Francisco. “Find your tribe!” they said. What is this phenomenon, I thought? Have I been blind to it all along, or is it actually trending?

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Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award 2016

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And the winner is . . . Beth Navarro!

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Beth Navarro, Sally Jones Rogan, and Sarah Laurenson

At this year’s Writer’s Day, Sally Jones Rogan, LA’s Regional Advisor, presented the 2016 Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award. Here are her words:

“The Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award is presented to a regional volunteer who has shown exceptional dedication to SCBWI Los Angeles.

The Region is completely volunteer run, from the LitMingle coordinators to the website guru, to the Regional coordinators, and everyone in between who makes up our successful organization of more than 1,300 members. Continue reading