Letters and Lines Coming this Fall

This beautiful illustration is by SCBWI member Brooke Boynton Hughes

SOCIETY OF CHILDRENS BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Attention Plucky Few:  Letters and Lines Conference Coming this Fall

September 28^th and 29^th The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is excited to announce the annual Letters and Lines Conference will take place at a new location, the Denver Marriott West in Golden, Colorado. Letters and Lines will be an intimate conference where participants can mingle with a panel of publishing super stars. The faculty includes three editors, two agents, a Newbery winning author, a distinguished and award winning author/illustrator, several local celebrity illustrators and authors, and a queen (okay, maybe not an official queen, but a PR Maven) .

Many dream of writing or illustrating a children’s book, but few have the courage to pursue the goal. If your interest is piqued, then count yourself as one of the plucky few. Maybe you’ve written several manuscripts, or maybe you have ideas bursting in your head, ready to be committed to paper. Since you’re spirited enough to be on this path, why not help your dream come to fruition? Attending a conference is the quickest way to fast track your goals. Conferences are an opportunity to make connections, get useful feedback, and learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry. 

If you’re still reading this post, then maybe you’re at the point when you’re wondering what the heck happens at a conference. Letters and Lines will be packed with various sessions—some structured as lectures; others structured in an interactive format with instant advice.

Visit here for the registration page,

 or take a brief glimpse of what’s on the menu:

Execute your fantasy novel

Examine the nature of a character driven Picture Book

Hear agents and editors read and give feedback to participants’ first pages

The secret to picture book writing

How to create a storybook App (w/app genius Julie Hedlund)

The eBook

Spotlight on an illustrators career

Taking your novel from concept to completion

First impressions: illustrator participants get immediate feedback

How to weave character with plot and setting

The nitty gritty of framing a story

And much much more! In addition to the great classroom and interactive session, participants can also preregister for a one-on-one personal consultation with a publishing professional. This experience alone makes the entire conference worth the effort. Writers get the first ten pages of their manuscript read and critiqued by either an agent, editor, or published author. Illustrators can also sign up to receive a professional one-on-one critique.

Register Now! Click Here for full Brochure

Still want to know more…like who will be there?

·                      Newbery Award winner Linda Sue Park

·                     Arianne Lewin, executive editor, G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Young Readers Group)

·                     Kelly Barrales-Saylor, editorial director, Albert Whitman & Company

·                     Wendy Loggia, executive editor, Delacorte/Random House

·                     Brianne Johnson, agent, Writers House

·                     Sara Megibow, agent, Nelson Literary Agency

·                     Bitsy Kemper, author and PR Queen!

·                     Award winning Illustrator/Author Michael Garland

·                     A full list of local authors and illustrators (see brochure for details)

DESTINY REWRITTEN a book review

Destiny Rewritten by KathrynFitzmaurice (Harper Collins Katherine Tegen Books) is a charming and absorbing tale. This book will capture the imagination of your eight to thirteen-year-old readers. It’s chock-full of fun quests and unique characters.  But let’s start at the beginning, where the epigraph sets the tone:

          In this short Life

          That only lasts an hour

          How much—how little—is

          Within our power

          –Emily Dickinson

How much do our decisions influence our future, or is everything up to destiny? It’s a fun premise to consider, and that’s what I love—a book full of possibilities.

 

JACKET FLAP: Eleven-year-old Emily Elizabeth Davis has been told for her entire life that her destiny is to become a poet, just like her famous namesake, Emily Dickinson. But Emily doesn't even really like poetry, and she has a secret career ambition that she suspects her English-professor mother will frown on. Then, just after discovering that it contains an important family secret, she loses the special volume of Emily Dickinson's poetry that was given to her at birth. As Emily and her friends search for the lost book in used bookstores and thrift shops all across town, Emily's understanding of destiny begins to unravel and then rewrite itself in a marvelous new way.

Twelve-year-old Emily approaches her quest with a spirit of pluck, creativity, and contagious mania. And in her hometown of Berkley, California, there’s a whole pack of interesting characters to meet—her spy-obsessed younger cousin Mortie (who may or may not be on some sort of reconnaissance mission), her friends at school, thrift shop owners and the local tree huggers.

Katherine Tegen Books, February 2013
Realistic Fiction
352 pages

ISBN-10: 0061625019
ISBN-13: 9780061625015 
Recommended for grades 4-6

Landing the Elusive Publishing Contract

Getting to Yes!

©

By Kim Tomsic

Do you have a goal to publish a book through a traditional publishing house rather than self-publishing? If yes, here is my OVERLY simplified flowchart for getting from point A to Z. Enjoy!

1. Write an incredible story!

Check out these RESOURCES to help you write that book:

STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron

WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass
WRITING PICTURE BOOKS by Ann Whitford Paul

Check your beats, plotting, and pacing by reading SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder

Follow Deborah Halverson on the blog:
DEAR EDITOR

Join the SCBWI, take a webinar, attend a conference, network and learn the business side of publishing, too.

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2. Ask your critiquing group for input 

If you are not part of a critiquing group, JOIN ONE! It will fast-track you to better writing. I promise!

3. Edit

More resources:  SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Renni Browne and Dave King

Consider hiring a reputable professional editor or editing service such as: 

Deborah Halverson,  DEAR EDITOR
Harold Underdown at https://www.underdown.org/
Emma Dryden at Dryden Books

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4. Repeat 

Repeat steps two and three over and over and over again until your story is polished, your characters are compelling, your plot is paced perfectly, your ending is unexpected yet inevitable, and you are ready to submit!

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5. Learn the business!

Learn the business side of publishing, including how to write a compelling query letter, logline, jacket flap, and synopsis. Learn about word count and how to talk about genres. Figure out where your manuscript fits.

Receive input from your critiquing group

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Edit. Edit. Edit.

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6. Ask beta readers to give you input on your manuscript

Edit. Edit. Edit.

7. Research Agents:Most publishing houses only accept manuscript submissions through agents, so step seven is to RESEARCH agents. This is a lengthy process, but worth the effort. Research by reading their clients' books, reading interviews with the agent, and even reading the agents' social media posts. You'll know an agent is a good fit after you've thoroughly researched, because you'll be able to determined that they not only represent the  type of books you write, but you'll also come closer to knowing if they are someone with whom you'd want to have a long-term professional relationship.

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8. Query your top five agents

By now, you should have been learning about the publishing business. 

Here's a brief article on how to write a query letter:  LINK

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If your query is not receiving any kind of traction or personal responses, either your query letter needs work, or your querying the wrong type of agents, or your manuscript still needs some work. Take your query letter to your critiquing group and to beta readers. Repeat some edit steps before you move on.

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Query five more agents (whom you have researched and matched as before)

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9.  Hooray!! You've landed an agent!!!

celebrate!

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10.  Work with your agent to get your manuscript submission ready! Agent is probably an editorial agent (in this market, most good ones are). Therefore work with your agent to Edit. Edit. Edit. Polish, Polish, Polish.

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11.  Agent will take your query paragraph, logline, jacketflap work, and synopsis to compose a “for sale” letter to an editor at a publishing house. Why do most publishing houses have an agent-only submission policy…because the editor knows that all the above steps were taken, the project is polished, and an agent probably submitted based on an editor’s personal taste (i.e. maybe your agent knows an editor who is specifically looking for a dystopian mystery with a paranormal twist and a Jane Eyre-ish main character)

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Big moment!!! Editor loves your project…what’s next?

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12.  Editor writes a memo in preparation for next acquisitions meeting (and you better believe it will be an easy memo to write if your agent wrote a compelling "for sale" letter based on the amazing query/synopsis/jacket flap and logline you wrote). 

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Editor presents project to acquisitions committee for a vote

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If vote goes well, editor writes an editorial memo to the Sales/Marketing/Design team and puts a Profits and Loss statement together on how they project will play out. Editorial memo will include author bio, selling points of manuscript, similar titles in the market, P&L statement, the manuscript, synopsis.

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Editor makes pitch

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The Sales/Marketing/Design team vote. Maybe other votes take place.

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Congratulations…you’ve got a Yes!!!

Two 2013 Scholarships Available: One for Children's Book Writer and One for Children's Book Illustrator

Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Can Receive a Free Opportunity:

Attention children’s book writers and illustrators—would you like a free chance to attend a conference and meet agents, editors and Newbery Award winning authors? Only two weeks remain to apply for the VICKIE FERGUSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP. Scholarship recipients will receive fully paid tuition to the 2013 RMC SCBWI Letters and Lines Fall Conference, plus a manuscript or portfolio review (as indicated on the free application). The scholarship will be awarded to one writer as well as one illustrator—please apply if you’re actively committed to your craft.  Application deadline is June 22, 2013. 

To apply, please click link for application: [2013VF_ScholarshipApplication.pdf]

More about the conference: The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is excited to host the annual Letters and Lines Conference at a new location; this year we will be at the Denver Marriott West in Golden, Colorado on September 28 and September 29. This weekend conference will include two unforgettable days packed with valuable learning and networking opportunities.  Attendees will find many opportunities to connect on a personal level with our speakers during break-out sessions, intensives, individual critiques, pitch sessions, query workshops, first page readings, and more. If some of these terms are foreign to you, it’s all the more reason to attend. You’ll not only learn how to elevate your work, but you’ll also learn the business side of your craft.  This year’s lists of distinguished speakers include:

Linda Sue Park

• Newbery Award winner Linda Sue Park
• Arianne Lewin, executive editor, G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Young Readers Group)
• Kelly Barrales-Saylor, editorial director, Albert Whitman & Company
• Wendy Loggia, executive editor, Delacorte/Random House
• Brianne Johnson, agent, Writers House
• Terrie Wolf, agent, AKA Literary Management
• Bitsy Kemper, author and PR Queen!
• Illustrator Michael Garland

Take a look at last year’s scholarship recipient: click here

You must be a member of the SCBWI in order to apply for the scholarship. Members get a gazillion benefits (a.k.a. a bunch). JOIN NOW.

Thank you Vickie Ferguson. The Vickie Ferguson Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of Vickie Ferguson, long-time member of RMC-SCBWI, who passed away in May 2005. Vickie was dedicated to her writing. This scholarship seeks to support those writers and illustrators who are committed to their craft and are actively writing and/or illustrating.

A Fresh Perspective on How to Write a Query Letter

I’ve seen a lot of “Query Letter” posts, but none like the one Chuck from Writer's Digest features on his blog at Writers Unboxed. His article focuses specifically on writing that last paragraph—the bio section—of the query letter, and he gives a fresh perspective on the “do’s and don’ts”. It’s definitely worth a read:

See link: http://writerunboxed.com/2013/05/27/may-2013/comment-page-3/#comment-396428

HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT THE COMPOSITION OF A QUERY:

There are many many many…many blog posts on how to write a query (I’ve listed several links at the bottom of this post) But if you’re craving a quick rundown, here we go:

I.                    Firstly, personalize your letter—Dear, Jen. NOT Dear, Agent.

II.                 Secondly, limit your query to one page. Have white space so it looks reader-friendly; and break it down to three simple paragraphs—the hook, the book, and the cook.

A.     Paragraph One (the hook):

Your first line can tell the agent why you queried them: Thank you for speaking at Big Sur in the Rockies. I blah blah blah w/you. Or: I enjoyed your interview on such-and-such blog and …

The next line is where you include your hook, title, genre and the word count of your book.  Please consider my 70,000 word count YA novel THE UNACCOUNTED. It's teenage Jason Bourne meets The Prisoner of Zenda.

(In addition to saying if your book is YA or Middle Grade, include if it is fantasy, magical realism, paranormal, science fiction etc. as relevant).

B.     Paragraph Two (the book):

Write a paragraph about your manuscript that reads like jacket flap copy (present an exciting glimpse of the story without giving up the ending). A jacket flap describes the story in such a gripping way that book store browsers slap down some cash to buy the book. Agents may use this copy to help present your book to a publishing house, so create a compelling and tight paragraph.

A.     Paragraph Three (the cook):

This is your biography, and nobody explains the “how’s” better than Chuck, so please visit his blog.

III.              Thirdly, be professional, know the business, be courteous, and close with your name and contact information. 

Good Luck!!! 

Bonus info:

The above “hook” was an actual pitch by David Lipsky and Darin Strauss's for THE UNACCOUNTED and this title will be available in bookstores winter 2013. 
More on "high concept" hooks, please visit my link about high concept hooks and pitches. 

 More discussion on queries can be found:

http://kimscritiquingcorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/dispelling-rumors-and-myths-about.html

How to write a query links:

Nathan Bransford

Query Shark (this is a great blog where writers can receive feedback)

Agent Query

Jill Corcoran

Mary Kole

The Long Awaited Pulitzer Winner in Fiction

Pulitzer Prize Winners 2013

The act of not naming a Pulitzer winner in the fiction category caused a bit a drama last year. There's nothing like discussing the great Pulitzer novel to get book buzz flowing and cash registers ringing, but 2012 saw none of that glory. Book sellers were upset, independent bookstore owners were disappointed, and authors were...hmmm, disheartened. But the woes of 2012 are finally behind us, because 2013 has a winner, and his name was announced today:

FICTION – winner is Adam Johnson for THE ORPHAN MASTER’SSON

NONFICTION – by Gilbert King -DEVIL IN THE GROVE:  Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America

HISTORY-winner Fredrik Logevall for EMBERS OF WAR

BIOGRAPHY – Tom Reiss wins for  BLACK COUNT

POETRY – Sharon Olds wins for STAG’S LEAP

It Takes a Village to Create a Great Book

It Takes a Village to Create a Great Book

Boulder, Colorado—On May 3-5, 2013, Literary Agent and Executive Director of the Big Sur Writing Workshops Andrea Brown and the RMC-SCBWI will bring a writing clinic to the Chautauqua conference center in Boulder, Colorado. Registration deadline is April 3, 2013.

The workshop is designed for children’s book writers who have a finished or partially finished manuscript (picture book, chapter book, middle grade novel, young adult novel, or nonfiction). It takes a village to create a great book. At Big Sur in the Rockies writers will receive critiques, industry tips, editorial help, and guidance in a personalized setting.

Big Sur in the Rockies offers an intimate workshop experience. The faculty to participant ratio is a maximum of 6:1. For that reason registration is limited to a small number of participants. For more information or to register by the April 3^rd registration deadline please visit the EVENTS page at the Rocky Mountain Chapter SCBWI website, or follow this hyperlink for the registration materials.

Faculty members include Lisa Yoskowitz, editor at Disney-Hyperion, Sarah Shumway, senior editor at Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins Children’s Books) and three representatives from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, including the President of the agency, Andrea Brown, agent Jennifer Rofé, and associate agent Lara Perkins. Furthermore the faculty includes an amazing cast of award-winning authors: Laura Backes, Terri Clark, Julie Danneberg, Dian Curtis Regan, Jean Reidy, Denise Vega, and Linda Arms White. For more information about the faculty visit the faculty biography page.

Big Sur in the Rockies gives writers tools to help prepare their work for publication in a highly competitive industry. Daniel Nayeri, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Digital Editorial Director, says there are 180,880,000 unique books in the world. When the average American reads 17 books a year, it’s important for writers to make every effort to perfect their craft.

The Black Rabbit Easter Debut

If you love creating unique Easter baskets for your kids, then you should definitely top this year's basket with THE BLACK RABBIT by Philippa Leathers, illustrations by Dan Yaccarino (Candlewick, January 2013).

When White Rabbit leaves his home he is stalked by a giant Black Rabbit. Readers are in on the joke, as we know it's just his shadow following him.  But White Rabbit runs in fear, with Black Rabbit on his tail, and he lands in the dark forest. Read on to discover how White Rabbit overcomes the trouble ahead.  

This isn't an Easter story, but I'm in love with the rabbit (s). The text is cute, clever, and fun and the the illustrations make me smile (of course they do, it's Dan Yaccarino!).

My yammering about how great this book is shouldn't be longer than than the sparse and perfect words Philippa Leathers presents, so just trust me, read it, and enjoy THE BLACK RABBIT for yourself.

• 
  
• The Black Rabbit ($14.00)
• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (January 22, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076365714X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763657147

Latest News in Children's Book Publishing

March 2013

Book Expo America (BEA) Announces 2013

BEA has announced the books to be featured on the convention's three "buzz" book panels for adult, young adult, and middle grade books. Convention will take place at the end of May 2013.  During the Children’s Book and Author Breakfast, Octavia Spencer will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Rick Riordan, Mary Pope Osborn, and Veronica Roth will also be at this event.

Children's Book & Author Breakfast

8:00 am - 9:30 am
Special Events Hall

Octavia Spencer Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 15, 2013)	Mary Pope Osborne Magic Tricks from the Tree House Random House Books for Young Readers (July 23, 2013) - - - - - - - - - Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! Random House Books for Young Readers (July 23, 2013)	Rick Riordan The Heroes of Olympus, Book Four: The House of Hades Disney-Hyperion (October 8, 2013)	Veronica Roth Divergent: Book III Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books (Fall 2013)

BUZZ BOOKS!!

Adult
All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior (Ecco, January 2014)
Knocking on Heavens Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death by Katy Butler (Scribner, September)
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink (Crown, August)
The Affairs of Others: A Novel by Amy Grace Loyd (Picador, August)
Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields by Wendy Lower (HMH, October)
The Facades by Eric Lundgren (Overlook, September)

Young Adult
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (St. Martin's Griffin, September)
Tandem by Anna Jarzab (Delacorte, October)
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (Hyperion, September)
Entangled by Amy Rose Capetta (HMH Children's, October)
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan (Algonquin Books for Young Readers, August)

Middle Grade
A Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline   Carlson (HarperCollins, September)
Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan (Dial, September)
The Fantastic Family Whipple by Matthew Ward (Razorbill, August)
Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith (Quirk, November)
The Time Fetch by Amy Herrick (Algonquin Books for Young Readers, August)

Awards

Finalists announced for the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.  The winner will be announced on March 19, and the 33rd Annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Ceremony & Dinner will be held on Saturday, May 4 at the Folger Shakespeare Library. The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens.^[1] The winner receives US $15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US $5000.The finalists are:

Amelia Gray, Threats (Farrar, Straus)
Laird Hunt, Kind One (Coffee House Press)
T. Geronimo Johnson, Hold it 'Til It Hurts (Coffee House Press)
Thomas Mallon, Watergate (Pantheon)
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Everything Begins & Ends at the Kentucky Club (Cinco Puntos Press)

Barnes & Noble also announced the winners of their annual Discover Awards:

Fiction: Amanda Coplin, The Orchardist (Harper)
Nonfiction: Cheryl Strayed, Wild (Knopf)

People

Simon and Schuster UK Children's has appointed Elv Moody as the new editorial director for children's fiction, starting in early June. She is currently editorial director at Puffin UK.

At HMH Children's, Mary Wilcox has been promoted to the newly-created position of vp, editor in chief.  In addition,  Adah Nuchi has been promoted to associate editor.

News from Writers House:

Writers House announced that Geri Thoma and Lisa DiMona have joined the agency. “Thoma, who joins on March 18, was previously partner at Markson Thoma, while DiMona, who will start on April 8, was founder and sole proprietor of Lark Productions, a literary agency and book development company established in 1998. "We are delighted that Geri and Lisa are joining our growing team of agents. Their expertise in nonfiction will complement our list and enlarge the scope of the agency," said Writers House chairman Amy Berkower in a statement. In addition, Stephen Barr was recently promoted to senior agent, while Brianne Johnson moves up to agent”.

Business:

The Wallstreet Journal reveals that Len Riggio plans to buy Barnes and Noble.  Per the Journal, Riggo, "notified the board...he plans to propose to purchase all of the assets of the retail business"--comprising the BN superstores, and the BN.com web site. "Riggio plans to make the proposal in order to facilitate the company's evaluation of its previously announced review of strategic options for the separation of its investment in Nook Media."