Kid Lit Drinks: Friday November 13!

Weekend on the Water! 

Open-door Kid Lit Drink Night for anyone who wants to join! 

What's not to love?

Hope to see you all there, where you, too, can schmooze our amazing faculty and join your fellow SCBWI folk for a laugh, a toast, and even a nugget of advice...or two!

Sara on a Sunday!

You're never too far away from SCBWI-WWA!

While on vacation back East, imagine the thrill I just experienced as I opened the New York Times Book Review this morning over breakfast, where the name SARA NICKERSON fairly leapt off the page in the Children's Book section (apologies for the blur––I blame my hands, which were shaking with excitement and purpose):

Sara Nickerson gets noticed!

Her just-out latest middle-grade novel, THE SECRETS OF BLUEBERRIES, BROTHERS, MOOSE & ME, received a lovely review. What a nice way to launch! Congratulations to Sara, and for what sounds like a really great read. So well deserved!

NOTE: Sara will be at Ravenna's THIRD PLACE BOOKS on Thursday, July 23 at 7pm.  Come help her celebrate!

Highlights from the Nonfiction Intensive

On Friday, Andrew Karre from Lerner/Carolrhoda gifted a group of our region’s nonfiction writers with over five hours of his undivided attention. And, wow, was it an afternoon to remember! He brainstormed with the group and helped us hone our ideas into something marketable. He gave feedback on our short proposals and/or first pages. And he gave insight into Lerner, the broader industry, and what makes for great nonfiction for kids. For a summary of my notes, please see my blog post about the nonfiction intensive. 


Cheers,
Laurie Thompson, SCBWI-WWA Nonfiction Coordinator

Lucy Ruth Cummins: Now/New/Next

Lucy Ruth Cummins is an art director at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. She gave us a look at what she is seeing a lot of in terms of illustrated books and what she sees as trending. This was an opportunity to see books she admires and has worked on, in many styles, from picture books to MG and YA.

Short books--500 words or less seem to be selling. There is a place for picture books without words. Publishers are looking for books that reluctant boy readers will pick up and there is a career to be had working in non-fiction for young people.

More books are being illustrated in the middle grade and even young adult market. Books with characters in peril, where the stakes are high have been successful, so there seems to be a little bit more of an edge coming into the younger market.

Lucy talked about Pinterest and Tumblr as workspace and inspiration for developing ideas and collecting images. She was generous with her Q&A, encouraging illustrators to send her post cards.

Notes by Tina Hoggatt

Matt de la Peña: Hey, Author Person, Get Out Of My Way

Matt de la Peña followed up his Friday Fiction Intensive, focusing on dialogue, and his Saturday Keynote address with a terrific breakout session on the use of the narrator in fiction--getting out of the way of your characters and clearing the stage for them to do the work.

Matt spoke to the importance of the author being patient, of stepping back in the writing so as not to show off to the reader--allowing the character, setting and action to reveal the story and create more space for the reader to participate in the narrative.

Some nuggets I took away from his session:

• Start a scene (or the book) as late as possible and end it as early as possible: get in, get your beats and get out
• The reader wants to be thrust directly into the story; they want to watch and discover. Are you starting your book too soon?
• The idea of the writer and the reader being in collaboration – stepping back from the work allows for a wider interpretation on the part of the reader, and that’s a good thing.
• In dialogue, what’s inside the quotation marks is the character. What follows (the tag: she said for example) is the writer. Make that tag, and the author’s presence, as spare as possible.

Notes by Tina Hoggatt

Keynote Speaker Rachel Vail: Building Character- Creating Believable Kids

Our final keynote for the conference was Author Rachel Vail. Rachel shared insights and stories from her children and childhood to show us how to make believable characters and stories. She talked about how books show us other layers, perspectives, experiences and a mirror to ourselves as writers and readers.

She also talked about how memories can be powerful tools in creating honest and true characters and work. She shared how she wrote her book PIGGY BUNNY (which I'm going to get as soon as possible).

For more information on Rachel, and her work, you can visit her website.

Caroline Sun: How to Work with Your Publicist

Caroline Sun, the Senior Publicity Manager at HarperCollins Children's Books, gave us a much-appreciated glimpse behind the publicity curtain. Here are a few of the highlights:

Your editor will typically introduce you to your publicist 4-5 months before the publication date to share plans, timelines, and initial ideas. He or she will want to know about the author's personal media contacts (if any), the backstory, interesting anecdotes, and realistic pitch angles.

Publicity is the stuff that's open to the PUBLIC: the unpaid appearances, interviews, reviews, etc. Marketing is advertising, store displays, and other paid placements.

Publicists work hard. They send EVERY single galley to all of the trade publications... but the publications then decide what to review--or not. Media coverage of children's book is shrinking, and national radio and TV spots are rare. In other words, if your book doesn't get reviewed and/or you don't appear on the TODAY Show, it doesn't mean your publicist sucks! Publicity is unpredictable. You never know what will hit when.

So, what else is there?

• bloggers and social media
• conferences and networking opportunities
• author communities
• local book festivals
• local author events
• author-planned group tours

Local Success Panel: Stasia Kehoe, Kiki Hamilton, Ben Clanton, Deb Lund #scbwiwwa

This is what success looks like! (Only in real life, it has better lighting)

This year we featured four local talents who make us proud:

• Stasia Kehoe, author of the novel in verse AUDITION; 
• Kiki Hamilton, author of the fantasy THE FAERIE RING; 
• Ben Clanton, author and illustrator of VOTE FOR ME; and 
• Deb Lund, author of the Dino series, MONSTERS ON MACHINE, and more wonderful picture books.

On their first successes:

Deb Lund's TELL ME MY STORY, MAMA was her first book. She submitted directly to the editor in chief and got a call from an editor while she was in the bathtub.

Ben Clanton: He was featured on the blog 7 Impossible Things before Breakfast, and from there attracted the notice of an art director. He had a picture book called DON'T EAT ME about a turkey with plans of his own, which morphed into a book about sparring donkeys and elephants (Ben finds turkeys to remind him of politicians, for some reason). 

Kiki Hamilton: She started writing five years ago and met an agent at the conference. The agent didn't love the first submission, but asked for revisions--plus a submission of another book Kiki had been working on. Susan Chang at Tor Teen (on our faculty this year) bought it, and afterward, was able to visit London, where her book is set.

Stasia Ward Kehoe: Success is a five-letter word for her ... SCBWI. "I wanted to be a writer but I didn't know how," she said. This is her tenth conference in a row (she even came the year she had a baby). After hearing Ellen Hopkins speak about novels in verse at a conference here, Stasia had a breakthrough on how that might work with her story idea, which began as a monologue. 

On the most enjoyable part of the writing/illustrating process: 

Stasia loves to sit at her desk almost every day and work. "Doing the work is the most fun part," she says. "When you feel like you've finally captured that character and you ask, 'And then what happens' and you know is a total high."

Kiki loves writing first drafts.

Ben likes the first moment of inspiration, when the idea comes "and it's perfect and brilliant and you know you're awesome."

Deb has a couple of favorite parts: where you're oblivious to anything else that's going on because you're so into it. "The other part I really love is part of the revision process where I'm collaborating with an editor. Then you have a partner in this process."

How long did it take to get published? 

Deb submitted something when she was 25. It got rejected--and it took her another 15 years to try again. She started taking it seriously when she was 40 and pregnant and knew she wouldn't have time.

Ben started writing 4 1/2 years ago. He was a college sophomore. He was really into social justice and wanted to pass along important messages to kids. He got to know the market better and started drawing, and has been doing as much as possible since. "As much as posisble, I'm trying to create."

Kiki started in 2005, when HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE was coming out. She bought the first book when she was on a family vacation, and she wouldn't get out of the car until she finished. That reminded her how much she loved to read. "Harry Potter took me back to how wonderful it was to get lost in the pages of a book." So she set out to write a story for her daughter, then 10. Then she started taking classes and joined a critique group, got an agent in 2008, and saw her book on the shelves in 2011.

Stasia had a job at Random House and used to read all the books she could find. Though she grew up thinking her sister was the writer in the family, it occurred to her that's what she'd like to do. Life was busy--she had four kids and not a lot of time, and got lots of rejections, but persisted.

Melissa Sweet Keynote: Play at Work

Melissa Sweet telling us how she works.

Melissa Sweet, the amazing illustrator of more than 100 books for kids (!), has won all sorts of recognition for her work from outfits you might have heard of, including the New York Times and NCTE. And then there's her Caldecott Honor for A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams.

She talked to us about her working process, showing us images of her studio full of treasures--basically a giant version of the hatbox from Flora McFlimsey.

Some early inspirations for her were things like Spirograph, Colorforms and Etch-a-Sketch, along with maps.

Her studio has a big wall where she puts up her entire book and studies it as a whole.

She gives herself assignments. One year she did a daily 15-minute watercolor. "That was incredibly useful for my nonfiction work. It really made me look at the world more acutely."

Another time, she focused on whether, recording the color of the sky and the barometric pressure. Taking a bit of time away from work for a few minutes every day is a great thing for her.

For A River of Words, she cannibalized beautiful books she found at her library's sale, taking book jackets and painting over them.

Her research process for Balloons Over Broadway was fascinating, from studying stories about Tony Sarg to watching a video clip, making puppets, and taking an important book her dog chewed up and making collage material.

"I was so determined that the whole world know about this guy is that I tried to become him," she said. "This is what I do all day long: scribble, make collages, and try to figure out what the story is about."

Melissa had this to say about persistence, which is turning out to be one of the themes of the conference: "You just have to keep plowing through and you will get to the end. You just don't know where it's going to take you."

Helen Landalf – Keeping it Real: Bringing Authenticity to Fiction

Helen Landalf (Flyaway, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) identified three elements of authenticity in fiction and illustrated each with examples from regional author’s published books.

“Most of us can just feel when a story is authentic – it’s like a punch in the gut.”
“If a story feels authentic the reader has the reader firmly in the dream of the story.”



Elements of authenticity
• Factual accuracy – dates, locations, technical details
• Sensory Realism – specific sensory details that evoke experience for readers.
• Emotional Truth – enables readers to feel story’s emotions on a gut level.

Helen walked us through methods of factual research, as well as approaches to accessing emotional truths from our own lives and using them in the creation of our characters. She walked us through several writing exercises that allowed us to think about and process authenticity in our own. She closed by asking the question: How authentic is authentic enough?

Her answers:
• This is fiction, remember?
• Don’t show off your research.
• Let authenticity serve your story – don’t sacrifice your story to serve the truth.
“If we ground our stories in accurate facts and emotional experiences we can create stories that will be authentic and connect to the reader.”

The session was thoughtful and generous in spirit, reminded of the importance of getting both the facts and emotional details right, and gave the participants some takeaway tools of inquiry for use in their own writing.

(Notes by Tina Hoggatt)

Keynote Speaker Matt de la Peña: Working Class Writer

"You are what you do when nobody is watching you"
Keynote speaker Matt de la Peña gave us a brief history of his journey from reluctant reader to published author (and avid reader).

Matt's books share stories of identity, class, code-switching and being bi-racial. He empathized that our profession is all about patience and encouraged us to "embrace the possibility."

For more information on Matt, and his work, you can visit his website.

Tricia Lawrence: Agency Revision and Resubmit (R&R) Requests

Agency R&R Requests: The Answer Key

with Tricia Lawrence, agent, Erin Murphy Literary Agency

Agents are busier than ever and working hard. The industry is watching a lot of watershed moments now. Things are changing faster than ever.

Agents are human beings (a.k.a. they can be fickle). They have to be completely passionate about what they represent. It is a subjective business.

A revision request is a GOOD thing. It means you’ve done something worth pursuing. It is not a rejection, not a closed door, but an open door, an invitation.

Agents don’t want to crush writers. That’s not what they’re there for.

It’s about more than just the book, it IS about you as a writer, YOUR passion, what’s YOUR story. Tricia’s 4-step author test:

1.       What’s YOUR story, your axiom, your lens? How do you see the world? It will come out every time you write.

2.       Do you know (specifically) where your work belongs? (Hint: “It’s for kids” isn’t good enough.)

3.       How do you interact with kids today?

4.       What do you watch, read, follow, etc. to keep in touch with your audience?

When you put the time into an R&R, it shows the agent that you are serious about this business AND that you’ll be able to eventually stand up to the revision letter from an editor.

Follow your truest passion. Robin LaFevers said it perfectly in this post on WriterUnboxed:

“The thing is, once we have reached a certain mastery of craft, craft is no longer the issue. In order to take our writing to the next level we must embrace our strange, unique, and often embarrassing selves and write about the things that really matter to us. We need to be willing to peel our own layers back until we reach that tender, raw, voiceless place—the place where our crunchiest stories come from. We need to get some skin in the game. It should cost us something emotionally to tell our stories. But many of us who come to writing do so because they were voiceless at some point in their lives, so doing that can be the most terrifying risk of all.

Just as we must dance as if no one is watching, we must write as if no one is reading.” 

What Tricia wants:

Tricia loves troubled characters, wounded narrators, kids who pretend everything is cool when they're actually dealing with really big issues, and the kinds of kids who tend to fall through the cracks. She's crazy about ghost stories and would love to see a middle-grade thriller. She's also interested in high-concept picture books.

First pages: Rubin Pfeffer and Andrea Welch

First pages sessions are a special kind of excitement for participants. Will my page be read? Will I survive with my ego intact? Eek!

East West Literary Agent Rubin Pfeffer and Beach Lane Books Senior Editor Andrea Welch listened to a slew of picture book first pages and gave quick and thoughtful feedback:

• Whether the voice rang true; 
• Whether the story was short enough to fit the format; 
• Whether the details worked. For example, don't try to hook a reader with gross details. Hook them with story and character.

"I like the idea of eating unicorns," Andrea Welch said about one entry.

Some useful tips:

• Go light on description to leave room for illustrators.
• Get to the story quickly. You have to know where it's going on the first page. 
• Don't overwrite. Keep it short, snappy, and narrative (because long bits of dialogue are hard to read aloud). 
• If you're writing in rhyme, don't repeat words. 
• Choose an original topic (lots of books about wanting a pet, for example).
• Introduce controversy on the first page. 
• Target it appropriately for the age of the reader. 

Keynote Speaker Bruce Hale: Writer's Mind, Warrier's Mind: Toughing It Out & Getting Published

He sings! He dances! He makes
bad jokes! We love Bruce Hale!

Bruce Hale (our first Keynote Speaker) is an author, illustrator, story-teller, actor, singer and group sing-along leader who shared his experience, advice and enthusiasm with our members this morning.

His talk received a standing ovation, and here are three of Bruce's super-helpful Six Principles for Toughing It Out & Getting Published:


1) Start a Good Habit Habit

• Plan tomorrow's work the night before
• Pick 3 things that move to your goal
• Do 1 of those things before you do everything else (and open your e-mail)
• Limit e-mail web to twice/three times per day
• Set page/word goals for each day.

2) Write Like Your Hair was on Fire

• (i.e. Write/Create what you're passionate about)
• Do what you love, love what you do.
• How do you find passion?
• Do free writing about childhood
• Meditate/pray/tune in to hear quiet voice
• Start a Bradbury list

3) Think it Through, Take the Big View

• Thinking steps ahead, pursue concept to the end.
• Ask questions like a 3 year-old (why? why? why?)
• Give relentless focus and attention to find the deeper truth

Here's more about Bruce's books online, and don't forget to check out his great writing tips!

The SCBWI WWA conference is NOT American Idol

Are you signed up for a consultation at the conference this weekend? Hoping to catch your big break and get discovered, so you can launch your career as the next J.K.? Agent Mary Kole offers a word to the wise about what to expect, and what not to:

 ... "telling you that your writing still needs work is not personally mean. It’s most likely honest. All writers, even published ones, strive to improve their writing, so “needs work” is not a bad thing. Just because someone doesn’t heap praise on you or call you “the next J.K. Rowling” in critique doesn’t mean it’s a bad critique. No professional critique would say such a thing, so if that’s what you’re expecting, you’re in for disappointment."

Read the rest of her post here, and get yourself ready for a good critique!

Pre-Conference Kid Lit Drink Night!

Whether you're attending this weekend's annual conference or not, we'd like to invite you to help us kick off the weekend festivities at the pre-conference KID LIT DRINK NIGHT!

Anyone with an interest in children's literature is welcome to come and schmooze with children's book writers and illustrators (including some of the conference faculty!) in the Marriott’s Meritage Restaurant and Bar on Friday evening, April 20, starting at 7 p.m. We don’t know for sure who you’ll bump into (or what they’ll be doing!), but shake off any twinges of introversion (or bring along a friend of significant other for support if you like) and come out for what’s sure to be the perfect blend of mix and mingling.

This event will be held Friday night at the Marriott Redmond Town Center, conveniently located in the Redmond Town Center—Redmond's beautiful open air shopping center—just 14 miles from Seattle at 7401 164th Avenue NE, Redmond, Washington 98052. See you there!

Editor and Agent Panel Questions

Our team is busy finalizing all of the details for the SCBWI Western Washington conference THIS WEEKEND! We can't wait, and we hope that you're excited, too!

One of the first things we do to kick off the conference is a short Q&A panel to become acquainted with all of the editors, agents, and art directors and get a feel for their take on the state of the market. We have a couple of questions, but we know that you probably do, too. What do you want to know? Here's your chance!

Mail any questions you have for our editors and agents collectively, and we might have a chance to ask during the panel.
Send them to me at kim at scbwi-washington dot com.

Here's a peek at the schedule and you can find more details for the (sold out) conference and faculty here.

See you soon!

Need a conference roommate?

Are you looking to save a little money and/or be a little sociable at our upcoming annual conference? Leave a comment and find a match!

All of the hotel details and directions can be found here.

See you soon!

Matt de la Peña and Cultural Censorship

Upcoming conference keynoter Matt de la Peña visited Tucson last week.

The trip bears mention because the students raised the money themselves to bring Matt out to speak, and Matt spoke at one of the schools that had recently removed his novel MEXICAN WHITE BOY (and a lot of other books) for being too Latino.

You can read about Matt's experience here, and see the New York Times coverage here.

Help Bruce Hale with his Keynote!

Bruce Hale would like to customize his keynote speech at our upcoming annual conference (isn't he a peach?), and he needs your help. If you're planning to attend the conference and you have a few minutes, we'd appreciate it if you could shoot Bruce an email with a couple of quick responses to the questions below:

What do you feel is the major roadblock keeping you from being published (if you're unpublished) or reaching wider success (if published)?

What burning question (aside from "Will you publish my book/introduce me to your agent?") would you most like answered at the conference?

If it's different from the previous two answers, what is your biggest concern in your writing life today?

Please reply to Bruce Hale at <writerguy@brucehale.com>.

Thanks! And have you noticed that we have less than thirty seats left to this shindig?! If you've been procrastinating about registering... it's time to get it done! Details here.