Strong Out of the Gate: Editors Critique First Pages

As editors trek through their slush piles, what makes them stop and take notice? We’re going to find out at this year’s Picture Book Summit!

We’ve invited editors from three major picture book publishers to critique first pages from picture book writers like you in…

Strong Out of the Gate: Editors Critique First Pages

If your first 100 words don’t pull your reader in, it won’t matter what happens in the rest of the story. In this training session, Feather Flores of Atheneum Books, Maria Camila Correa of Random House Books for Young Readers, and Sydnee Monday of Kokila/Penguin Young Readers assess the strengths and weaknesses of first pages from picture book manuscripts in progress. This one-hour pre-recorded panel is hosted by Katie Davis.

Let’s get to know this year’s editors:

Get to know Feather Flores:

Feather Flores joined Simon & Schuster / Atheneum Books for Young Readers in 2022 after four years at Chronicle Books. She works on smart, joyful picture books; middle grade romps with coming-of-age themes; distinctive, atmospheric graphic novels; and bold, open-hearted YA that explores everything our identities, and our world, can be.

Her list encompasses fiction and nonfiction, with an emphasis on stories by, about, and for people from marginalized communities. She was named a PW Star Watch Honoree in 2023 and an inaugural recipient of the We Need Diverse Books Internship Grant in 2015. Feather edits from the San Francisco Bay Area. You can explore more books she loves at featherflores.com.

Get to know Maria Camilla Correa:

Maria Camila Correa is an Associate Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers. She is actively building a list of original and imaginative picture books and is the editor of the interactive Who’s In Your Book? series by Tom Fletcher and the bestselling Books of Kindness board book series. Previously, she worked on the Random House brands team, where she edited the New York Times bestselling How the Grinch Lost Christmas! and the sound book adaptations of classic Dr. Seuss books.

Born in Medellín, Colombia, Maria is also a translator. Before joining Random House in 2020, she worked at Little Tiger Press in London and is a graduate of the University of Glasgow’s MEd program in Children’s Literature and Literacies.

Get to know Sydnee Monday:

Associate Editor Sydnee Monday joined Kokila/Penguin Young Readers in May of 2018. Their growing list features children’s lit debuts from Kiera Wright-Ruiz, Gwendolyn Wallace, Rinny Perkins, Walela Nehanda and more.

Prior to Kokila, she worked at NPR, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, and Sankofa Bookstore in Washington, D.C. They’re a graduate of Howard University, and you can connect with her @sydneemonday.

Plus, each of these Featured Editors are part of this year’s pitch submission opportunities with the Summit + Submissions ticket!

Attendees who purchase the Summit + Submissions ticket will have the opportunity to pitch a manuscript to each Featured Agent and Featured Editor. They will each have their own submission form. That means you will be able to tailor your pitch to each individual agent or editor according to what they are seeking in submissions.

For example, you could submit the same pitch to every agent and editor, a different pitch for a different manuscript to each agent and editor, or anything in between. No matter what, you’ll have six opportunities to pitch YOUR project(s) to these industry professionals.

At this time, none of these editors accept unsolicited submissions from unagented writers, so this is an excellent opportunity to get your pitch in front of these three powerhouse editors!

Mark your calendar and make plans to join us for:

Picture Book Summit 2024

Perfect 10: Going for Picture Gold!

October 5, 2024

Early Bird Registration opens soon!

Find out how you can win a FREE ticket to our 10 Anniversary event! Click here!