27 Wednesday Nov 2024
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
chapter book, early reader, fantasy, Historical Reference, horror, MG, middle grade, mystery, nonfiction, nonfiction picture book, picture book, poetry, published, publishing, SCBWI community
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 high fives welcome in the comments!
13 Wednesday Nov 2024
Posted in Author's Perspective
by Kelly Pellico
I’ve spent 148,628* hours reading, studying, and writing picture book manuscripts. I’ve scoured library shelves and listened to an endless stream of craft advice through podcasts, webinars, classes, and conferences. And . . .
(Insert suspenseful page turn)
Continue reading30 Wednesday Oct 2024
Posted in Ask an Editor, Tips and Tools
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered quarterly as part of our Kite Tales blog.
Hi Christine – Should I post all or part of my manuscript on my website? I’m pre-published and seeking an agent.
—Stan, Los Angeles
Hello Stan – I realize it seems simpler to have your work on your website and have others come there to view it, but that goes against the expectations of our industry and increases your chances that your ideas or content may be used in ways that do not benefit you.
Continue reading23 Wednesday Oct 2024
Posted in Editor's Perspective
by Philana Marie Boles
Joy Peskin’s personality is so unassuming that it can seem at odds with the magnitude of the rank and importance of her current role as Executive Editorial Director for Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers.
She graduated from Vassar College and earned a certificate from Columbia University’s Radcliffe Publishing Course before starting off her career as an assistant for a small education publishing company called Course Crafters in Massachusetts. Next, she worked for powerhouses such as Puffin Books, Scholastic, and Viking Children’s Books before settling into her current role at FSG in 2012.
Over the years, she has guided such acclaimed authors as Dashka Slater, Mariama J. Lockington, Christina Wyman, Tameka Fryer Brown, and Hope Larson through the editorial trenches.
The remarkable and refreshing contrast in Joy’s career, however, is her balance of extraordinary editorial credentials with a tender approach with writers.
Continue reading16 Wednesday Oct 2024
Tags
agents, art directors, authors, awards, Carlene Griffith, contest winners, contests, Deborah Warren, editors, Fall Harvest, Gail Buschman, Grace Tancre, Haana Yoo, illustrators, Jaime Zollars, Jenny Lopez, Jesper Widén, Jim Averbeck, Jodi Rizzotto, Judy Torres, Lori Anaya, Marie Chan, Mary C. Moore, Melanie Figueroa, MG, Nancy Brashear, Paulina Hill, picture book, portfolios, publishing, Ricardo Aguilar, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Su Moon, Toni Guy, Trish Heully, working writers retreat, Writers & Illustrators Day, YA
by Judy Y Faulkner, Ann Rousseau Smith
Whether connecting creative dots, harvesting winning marketing techniques, or bringing home new accolades to put into query letters, Tri-Regions members have been crafting a fall season to remember. And we’re only three weeks in! Here are some highlights so far:
Continue reading04 Wednesday Sep 2024
Tags
authors, banned books week, Book Festivals, Book Fests, CenCal Writer's Day, Events, Fall Harvest, grants, illustrators, Los Angeles Kids Book Festival, mentorship, OC Children's Book Festival, publishing, Rare Books LA, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund, SCBWI members, We Need Diverse Books, Working Writer's Retreat, Writers & Illustrators Day
OPEN NOW
Registration for the popular SCBWI Los Angeles Working Writers Retreat is now open! Join fellow writers from September 27–29, 2024, at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino “for a weekend of immersive writing, critique, revision and camaraderie.” This annual retreat will have plenty of quiet work spaces, social evenings, and even group critique sessions led by four publishing industry professionals! Spots are filling up very quickly!
28 Wednesday Aug 2024
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
biography, contemporary fantasy, early reader, educational writing, Fantasy Adventure, fiction, Graphic Novels, historical fiction, MG, Middle Grade Fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, nonfiction picture book, picture book, picture book biography, poetry, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, verse, YA, YA Fantasy, YA Mystery Thriller
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 high fives welcome in the comments!
07 Wednesday Aug 2024
Posted in Ask an Editor, Tips and Tools
Tags
#AskanEditor, 12x12, author-illustrators, authors, business, children's book insider, Christine Van Zandt, craft, editor, illustrators, publishing, Storystorm, The Lyrical Language Lab, The Writers' Loft
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered quarterly as part of our Kite Tales blog.
Hi Christine – What’s the best way to research nonfiction picture book topics?
—Bria, Los Angeles
Hello Bria – While everyone has their own styles and preferences, I’ll share some techniques I’ve used for the nonfiction picture books I’ve had published.
Continue reading31 Wednesday Jul 2024
Tags
authors, Book Festivals, Book Fests, CenCal Writer's Day, Events, Fall Harvest, grants, illustrators, Los Angeles Kids Book Festival, OC Children's Book Festival, publishing, Rare Books LA, SCBWI Annual Summer Conference, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund, SCBWI members, Working Writer's Retreat, Writers & Illustrators Day
OPEN NOW
Registration is open! Learn about craft and book publishing, connect with professionals in the industry, and mingle with creative people at the SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day! This full-day conference will take place in-person at the California State University Fullerton Titan Student Union OR online, on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and will include agents, an art director, local authors, and an illustrator. There will be critiques, portfolio reviews, pitches, and contests. Click here to register!
OPEN NOW
Join SCBWI in celebrating World Kid Lit Month in September by submitting your book recommendations now! The Official SCBWI Blog is hosting a month-long celebration of “children’s and YA literature from around the world,” and your short book reviews are invited. There will be four blog posts, each focusing on a different continent: the Americas, Africa, Asia & Oceania, and Europe. For more information, click the link here. All submissions should be emailed to World Kit Lit (worldkidlit@gmail.com).
ONGOING
Submit your book now for the SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund (ILF) Russell Freedman Award or apply for a grant from The ILF Encouragement Fund! No SCBWI membership is required. However, you must be traditionally published. Submissions will close on September 15, 2024.
ONGOING
Sign up for the SCBWI CenCal’s 2024 Writers and Illustrators Day! Regular pricing registration for SCBWI members is $137 and will remain open until all seats are filled. The event will be held in-person at the Camarillo Community Center on Saturday, September 21, 2024. There will be an additional “optional online Pitchfest via Zoom” on Sunday, September 22, 2024.
03 Wednesday Jul 2024
Tags
authors, Book Festivals, Book Fests, CenCal Writer's Day, Events, Fall Harvest, grants, illustrators, Los Angeles Kids Book Festival, OC Book Fair, OC Children's Book Festival, publishing, SCBWI Annual Summer Conference, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, We Need Diverse Books, Writers & Illustrators Day
ONGOING
There are lots of opportunities for PAL and self-published SCBWI members in the coming months! Snag one of the few remaining slots at the SCBWI’s Orange County Book Fair booth. The event takes place in Old Town Tustin on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Register here.
The Los Angeles Kids Book Festival has limited seats available for published SCBWI members and will take place in West Hollywood Park on Sunday, September 8, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about registering, click here.
Additionally, if you are a published SoCal member and would like to be put on the waitlist for the SoCal booth at September’s Orange County Children’s Book Festival, email Bev Plass at: SoCal-RA@scbwi.org.
ONGOING
Registration for the Virtual Summer Conference is still open! The online event will take place from August 1–August 4. Registration is $195 for premium members and $295 for non-members. There will be 50 jam-packed sessions to choose from on the topic of craft and the business of children’s book creation. Every attendee will have access to all content sessions for up to one month after the conference.
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