Those of you signed up for the conference who are PAL members and registered to participate in the Published Attendee Showcase -- in which we celebrate your awesome books, and who knows, maybe encourage a sale or two -- have just a day or so left to email the cover photo of the book you're choosing to feature, your headshot, and no more than 50 words of info about the book or your brilliant career.
Don't miss out by missing the deadline of March 12! That is this Wednesday, kids. (Really, it was March 10, but we'll give you a wee bit of grace... since a whole bunch of you are in severe danger of missing it.) See your conference registration confirmation emails for details, but in short -- get on it. Email the required materials to Joni at joni@jonisensel.com. Soon!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Saturday, March 8, 2014
WWU Conference recap
The 11th annual Western Washington University
Children’s Literature Conference was held last weekend in Bellingham. For those
who haven’t attended, this conference is generally aimed primarily at the
teacher/librarian crowd and the speaker line-up is packed with big-name authors
and illustrators. This year’s speakers shared
fascinating stories about their process, their research, and their books. A couple of fun tidbits from each presenter:
From Jennifer Holm: The biggest stumbling block she sees for young authors is that the first time they do something, they want it to be perfect. Helping kids get over that hump, helping them learn that writing becomes good through revision, is the best way to help them with writing. True for writers who are grown too, no?
From Laura Vaccaro Seeger: She broke all the rules to break into publishing. She called the president of the publishing company she wished to work for, out of the blue, at his home, at 6:30 a.m. his time, to ask if he wanted to see her work. Really! And it worked! It’s probably not a strategy to repeat, though...
From Nic Bishop: He takes all the photography for his non-fiction nature books himself often using custom-built cameras with laser-sensitive triggers to catch animals at just the right action-filled moments. He does much of his research by working directly with the animals as he takes photos. He’s a great author to learn more about if you are interested in field research for nonfiction.
From Steve Sheinkin: As a textbook writer, Steve gathered lots of interesting facts his editors never let him use because nothing in a textbook can be controversial. Now Steve uses this sort of fact in his narrative nonfiction to make history come alive for readers. Steve also sometimes gets ideas by surfing the Smithsonian’s website, which is full of interesting, inspirational tidbits.
Save the date for next year's WWU Children’s literature conference on Feb. 28, 2015. Speakers will include Yuyi Morales, Matt de la Peña, Peter Brown, and Joyce Sidman.
From Jennifer Holm: The biggest stumbling block she sees for young authors is that the first time they do something, they want it to be perfect. Helping kids get over that hump, helping them learn that writing becomes good through revision, is the best way to help them with writing. True for writers who are grown too, no?
From Laura Vaccaro Seeger: She broke all the rules to break into publishing. She called the president of the publishing company she wished to work for, out of the blue, at his home, at 6:30 a.m. his time, to ask if he wanted to see her work. Really! And it worked! It’s probably not a strategy to repeat, though...
From Nic Bishop: He takes all the photography for his non-fiction nature books himself often using custom-built cameras with laser-sensitive triggers to catch animals at just the right action-filled moments. He does much of his research by working directly with the animals as he takes photos. He’s a great author to learn more about if you are interested in field research for nonfiction.
From Steve Sheinkin: As a textbook writer, Steve gathered lots of interesting facts his editors never let him use because nothing in a textbook can be controversial. Now Steve uses this sort of fact in his narrative nonfiction to make history come alive for readers. Steve also sometimes gets ideas by surfing the Smithsonian’s website, which is full of interesting, inspirational tidbits.
Save the date for next year's WWU Children’s literature conference on Feb. 28, 2015. Speakers will include Yuyi Morales, Matt de la Peña, Peter Brown, and Joyce Sidman.
Friday, March 7, 2014
In the ha-ha-ha zone
Author and cartoonist Lincoln Peirce reads from his new book BIG NATE: IN THE ZONE at Seattle's Secret Garden Bookshop on Sunday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. The illustrated novel, the sixth in the series by this New York Times bestselling author, was called "funny, big-time" by Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and boasts more than 500 black-and-white illustrations.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Conference faculty profile: Nina Hess
Nina
Hess, editor in chief for local publisher Wizards ofthe Coast, will join the roundtable critique faculty* for SCBWI
Western Washington’s 23rd Annual Writing and Illustration for
Children Conference, which will be held April 12-13, 2014, at the Marriott Redmond Town Center. (Get registration info.)
In addition to being an editor, Nina is also an author
herself. She has lots of great tips for writing and submissions on her personal
website and blog.You can also get a sense of how Nina thinks in this interview.
*Note that faculty members for the roundtables are not required to accept post-conference submissions, but may at their option. Registered roundtable participants can find out Tricia's submission policies at the event.
—Contributed by Kjersten Anna Hayes
Paired up..and liking it
The best-selling Unlikely Friendships, by Jennifer S. Holland, paired seemingly incompatible couples from the animal kingdom in eye-catching photographs. Now Holland has produced Unlikely Friendships for Kids: The Monkey and the Dove, The Dog and the Piglet, and the Leopard and the Cow.
The chapter-book format is now a series, reader-and-viewer friendly for ages 7 and up. Holland will be at Secret Garden Books in Ballard on Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm.
 |
| Author Jennifer S. Holland and friend. |
The chapter-book format is now a series, reader-and-viewer friendly for ages 7 and up. Holland will be at Secret Garden Books in Ballard on Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm.
The whole pointe
Debut YA author Paddy Eger reads from 84 Ribbons, the coming-of-age story told through a teen's pursuit of a professional ballet career.
Eger will appear at Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, on Saturday, March 15 at 6:30pm.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Daddy dearest
This Saturday, March 8 at 11am, Bellingham picture book author Derek
Munson appears at Mockingbird Books (7220 Woodlawn Ave NE, in Greenlake) in honor of his first book in nearly a decade. Following his 2000 debut, Enemy Pie, Derek's Bad Dad tells the tale of a father who manages to find himself in trouble a lot of the time. but he also knows lots of jokes, and banishes Brussels sprouts from the
house forever.
Dana's dog digs story time
Please join in the fun on Saturday, March 8 at University Book Store in Bellevue for a special Story Time featuring our own Dana Sullivan, author/illustrator of Ozzie and the Art Contest. And we might be barking up the wrong tree here (arf!), but we think Ozzie himself may make an appearance.
WHEN: 11am
WHERE: University Book Store, Bellevue (990 102nd Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004)
Woof!
WHEN: 11am
WHERE: University Book Store, Bellevue (990 102nd Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004)
Woof!
Golden Kite Award winners
In case anyone missed it, the Golden Kite Awards were given this week! Without further ado, here are the fabulous and fortunate folks. Click here for a list and information on all of the winners.
Congratulations to all!
Congratulations to all!
The most helpful post in the world!
Ever stop to consider that, in your heated enthusiasm for finishing that draft/query letter/synopsis, that there were a few things to think about before whizzing your manuscript into the agent- and publisher-filled ether?
By which I mean: rejection.
Before you send out your shiny words, make sure you understand the flip side. Rejection happens more often than not, as multitudes of published authors will attest, but it's up to you to process that there are certain reasons why. Some of these you can change, and others...don't even think about it.
So along comes this incredibly succinct and helpful post by blogger Jessica P. Morrell, and what she writes makes as much sense as anything else I've read on the subject. And so now, it's in your hands. Go forth and get acceptances!
By which I mean: rejection.
Before you send out your shiny words, make sure you understand the flip side. Rejection happens more often than not, as multitudes of published authors will attest, but it's up to you to process that there are certain reasons why. Some of these you can change, and others...don't even think about it.
So along comes this incredibly succinct and helpful post by blogger Jessica P. Morrell, and what she writes makes as much sense as anything else I've read on the subject. And so now, it's in your hands. Go forth and get acceptances!
A likely event to attend!
Author Jennifer S. Holland will read from her books UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS FOR KIDS (Workman Publishing) at Seattle's Secret Garden Bookshop on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m.
The version of UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS for adults has been a New York Times bestseller; now it's been rewritten for younger readers as a series of hardcover chapter books for children, ages seven and up. Jennifer will read that evening from three collections with the original book's clearest, most interesting stories, such as the monkey and the dove or the leopard and the cow. Attend to see how these heartwarming animal stories explore the unusual ways animals help each other and discover the love of new friends.
The version of UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS for adults has been a New York Times bestseller; now it's been rewritten for younger readers as a series of hardcover chapter books for children, ages seven and up. Jennifer will read that evening from three collections with the original book's clearest, most interesting stories, such as the monkey and the dove or the leopard and the cow. Attend to see how these heartwarming animal stories explore the unusual ways animals help each other and discover the love of new friends.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Conference faculty profile: Holly McGhee
Holly represents many well-known
authors and illustrators including Kate
DiCamillo, Kathi Appelt, Doreen Cronin, David Small, Peter H. Reynolds,
Katherine Applegate, Alison McGhee, Jon Agee, and Renata Liwska, to name a few. Holly worked in various aspects
of the publishing industry, including time as an executive editor at
HarperCollins, prior to opening the doors at Pippin in 1998. Learn more about Holly
and her agency by looking over Pippin’s website,
browsing Pippin’s blog,
or reading some of her clients’
books. There are also several nice interviews with Holly online, including this
one from last fall.
—Contributed by Kjersten Anna Hayes
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