Four Reasons Why Cons Are Not Cons

04 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by Farrha Khan in Industry Conferences, PAL

Tags

authors, conferences, illustrator tips, illustrators, LA Comic Con, local, networking, PAL, published, publishing, SCBWI members, writing tips

by R. S. Mellette

LA Comic Con 2018 -6 As we prepare for the Los Angeles Comic Con on October 11-13, I’m hearing from some PAL members, “But I don’t write science fiction…”

So?

Last year for the first time, I organized the SCBWI PAL booth at the Los Angeles Comic Con. I had no idea what to expect. The adventure started with a mass of people RUNNING through the aisles. They were not going to see a film star. They were not going to be the first to watch a new Marvel movie trailer. They were going to buy clothes – Hot Topic was having a doorbuster sale. That’s when I realized, this weekend wasn’t going to be what I expected. Continue reading →

Toot Your Horn!

21 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by Erlina Vasconcellos in Toot Your Horn!

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middle grade, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult

TOOT HORN 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!

Continue reading →

Five Tips for Event Promotion from SCBWI-L.A. PAL Makers Mixer

14 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by Farrha Khan in PAL, Tips and Tools

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

networking, PAL events, promotions, published, SCBWI events, tips

by E. L. Tenenbaum

makers-mixer-e-l-tenenbaum1 Last month, SCBWI-L.A. held its first Makers Mixer, which gave SCBWI PAL members — agented or not — a chance to pitch intellectual property to film and TV representatives. However, a major highlight of the evening came in-between pitches, when writers and illustrators chatted with fellow authors, sharing ideas, experiences, and encouragement. Here are five takeaways from the night to help promote you and your work at events.

Be Display Ready

Of course, your book is coming with you to events, but can you make it stand out in the limited space you have? Continue reading →

Toot Your Horn!

17 Friday May 2019

Posted by Erlina Vasconcellos in Toot Your Horn!

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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!

Continue reading →

Seven Things I Learned After Publishing My First Book

08 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Helena Ku Rhee, picture books, published, publishing, SCBWI members

by Helena Ku Rhee, Author

Helena with her muse Sherwin

EDITOR’S NOTE: Helena Ku Rhee grew up in Los Angeles, but has also lived in various parts of the U.S., Asia and Europe. Currently, Helena works at a movie studio by day and as a writer by night and weekends. Her debut picture book, The Turtle Ship (Lee and Low), is available now! Today, she shares seven things she learned after publishing her book and you’re going to want to learn them, too!

I’ve always loved learning about a writer’s journey — especially about the path of a debut author, with his or her very first book out in the world. Now that almost a year has gone by since the release of my debut picture book, I wanted to share seven learnings to help writers who are journeying towards their own exhilarating debut.

Your dream will keep expanding and evolving.

During what I refer to as the “Rejection Years,” I used to think I’d be so happy to get just one book published. Continue reading →

Sue Alexander Grant is Open for Submissions! Here’s Why You Should Apply!

17 Wednesday Apr 2019

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Contests & Grants, SAG, Writers' Retreat

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agents, critiques, critiquing, Julia Edwards, published, publishing, SAG, SCBWI community, SCBWI events

By Julia Edwards

If you are thinking about applying to SCBWI-LA’s Sue Alexander Grant, JUST DO IT! It was the best thing I could have done for my middle grade manuscript — twice! In 2017, I applied with a very early draft of Anno Catti: In the Year of Our Catand was lucky to be the first runner-up. Then, in 2018, after major rewrites, I applied again and received top honors and a free ride (!) to the coveted Working Writers Retreat weekend.

For those who have never been to WWR, here’s the deal: Continue reading →

Toot Your Horn!

28 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Toot Your Horn!

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picture book, published, SCBWI community, SCBWI members

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.

Continue reading →

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

23 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Contests & Grants, Writers Days

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

agents, awards, contests, published, SCBWI events

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 →

The Last Bookstore’s Manager, Katie Orphan, on Getting Your In-Store Event Right

07 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Tips and Tools

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Author Tips, illustrator tips, in-store events, Katie Orphan, marketing, promotions, published, The Last Bookstore

By Katie Orphan, manager of the Last Bookstore

One of the best aspects of working in a bookstore is making author events happen. We want them to be great for the author as well as the audience, and I’ve got some tips to help.

Before the event happens, there’s a lot to do. If you’re an illustrator, partnering with your author for the event, or vice versa, can help a lot. You each bring a special part of the creative process to the table, and being able to use your individual talents during the event makes it extra special. If you’re flying solo, don’t despair, there’s still plenty more you can do. Continue reading →