We listen to our Summiteers!
Today we are excited to announce we’re hosting a FREE online Mini Summit to showcase three debut authors and their recent success in publishing. On August 31st at 8pm ET/5pm PT, join the Picture Book Summit Team for:
In today’s episode, we’ll hear from Samantha Berger, a twice Emmy-nominated writer and award-winning author of over 80 books for young readers, including Crankenstein, Monster’s New Undies, Snail Mail, and Rock What You Got! Now, she’s revealing five things you need to know about being AND writing funny.
Samantha Berger may not be an otter with an attitude, a monstrously cranky boy, OR a Snail crossing America, but she has written about them all. Sam is a twice Emmy-nominated writer and award-winning author of over 80 books for young readers. Samantha LOVES picture books, and loves sharing them with people of all ages. She wrote for Nickelodeon for 12 years, and currently writes for Sesame Street in Communities, Sesame Street International, and various preschool shows. Sam likes to see as much of the world as she can, and do as much good as she can along the way. She is an official We Need Diverse Books Mentor, and looks forward to helping new voices and new stories shine.
Wondering what it takes to be funny in picture books? Listen in to Samantha Berger’s top 5 tips:
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In Submission Savvy, Emma Walton Hamilton talks about the three things you should do before you start submitting, submissions dos and don’ts, query etiquette, and the key components of your query letter, including how to craft your hook and what to include in your bio.
Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling children’s book author, editor, and writing coach. With her mother, actress/author Julie Andrews, Emma has co-authored over thirty children’s books, eight of which have been on the NY Times Bestseller list, including The Very Fairy Princess series. She is Director of the Children’s Lit Fellows program at Stony Brook University and co-host of the Julie’s Library Podcast.
Are you asking yourself what is it going to take to get from query to offer? Listen in as Emma reveals all!
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It’s time to announce our Book Bundle Giveaway Winners! Thank you to everyone who helped get the word out about the giveaway. Without further ado, here are our winners:
Congratulations, Marla, Lyn, and Jeanne! Email support (at) picturebooksummit.com with your mailing address so we can get you your new books!
If you didn’t win this time, head to your local library and check out these books to get to know our 2021 Superstar Speakers better! Be sure to join us October 2nd to hear the stories behind these books and to discover how to the tell the stories only YOU can tell! It’s going to be an awesome day of picture book writing fun! Don’t miss your chance to see Superstar Speakers Yuyi Morales and Jon Klassen and workshop presenter Rob Sanders LIVE ONLINE at Picture Book Summit 2021: Discover the Story Only You Can Tell.
Join us for the LIVE online conference October 2, 2020. For a limited time, you can register at the Early Bird price. (That’s $100 off this year’s regular price!)
Click this button to see the full program and register today!
Today’s episode showcases literary agent Jennie Dunham, founder of Dunham Literary Inc. Jennie shares insight on what agents do, what they don’t do, and how to prepare for working with an agent.
Jennie Dunham has been a literary agent since 1992 and founded Dunham Literary, Inc. in 2000. She represents literary fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Her clients’ books have appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers lists and have won numerous awards including: New York Times Best Illustrated Book, The Schneider Family Award, Boston Globe Horn Book Honor, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist.
Wondering what an agent really does and what they’re really looking for? Jennie Dunham’s here to give you The Agent’s Perspective.
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New book alert! It’s time for our annual Picture Book Summit Book Bundle Giveaway! This is your shot to win one of three fantastic book bundles with books from this year’s Superstar Speakers and one of our workshop presenters! Enter to win:
Here comes The Rock from the Sky, a hilarious meditation on the workings of friendship, fate, shared futuristic visions, and that funny feeling you get that there’s something off somewhere, but you just can’t put your finger on it. Merging broad visual suspense with wry wit, celebrated picture book creator Jon Klassen gives us a wholly original comedy for the ages.
Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It’s the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it’s a promise that you can make better tomorrows.
Long before marriage equality was the law of the land, two grooms stood on a wedding cake with their feet firmly planted in fluffy white frosting. That cake belonged to Jack Baker and Michael McConnell, who were wed on September 3, 1971, becoming the first same-sex couple in America to be legally married. This beautiful book celebrates the love story of two pioneers of marriage equality for all through the baking of their wedding cake!
So we give a portion of our proceeds to a reading-related charity each year. Over the last six years we’ve donated over $34,000 to:
You can find out more details about our previous charity partners on our Charity Partner page here.
This year we are pleased to announce we will be donating to Little Free Library’s Read in Color Program.
Read in Color is a new initiative bringing diverse books to Little Free Library book-sharing boxes around the world. Read in Color distributes books that provide perspectives on racism and social justice; celebrate BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized voices; and incorporate experiences from all identities for all readers.
Less than 25% of children’s books depict non-white characters. We believe everyone should be able to see themselves in the pages of a book. We also know that books can be a window into experiences that are different from our own.
By reading diverse books, we can increase understanding, empathy, and inclusion.
In 2021, Read in Color will expand nationwide! The program, which originated in Minneapolis, will launch in nine additional cities, including Tulsa, Boston, Washington DC, New York, Detroit, Atlanta, and more. You can read more about this amazing program on Little Free Library’s website here.
You vow again and again, “Today I will work on my book!” But something just keeps getting in the way. In this episode, Katie Davis shares insights and tips for avoiding procrastination and getting your “BIC” or Butt In Chair. Listen in for a few tricks that will give you the motivation needed to complete your next draft or revision.
Katie Davis is the author/illustrator of over a dozen traditionally published books for children (picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels). She edited and self-published How to Write a Children’s Book and How to Promote Your Children’s Book, both debuting at #1 on Amazon.
Katie is a co-founder of Picture Book Summit and is the former director of the Institute of Children’s Literature and its sister school, the Institute for Writers, where, as of this writing, over 470,027 people have taken college-level writing courses and learned to write for both children and adults.
If you’re ready to stop procrastinating and start writing, check out today’s podcast episode!
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Nonfiction picture books are one of the fastest-growing segments of the market today, but how do you make them accessible and fun, even for the youngest of audiences? In this episode, award-winning author Ruth Spiro explains how to introduce complex scientific topics in a way that makes them understandable and engaging for younger readers, and even babies. Listen in to sharpen your skills related to STEM-based writing for children.
Ruth Spiro is the author of the Baby Loves Science board book series, published by Charlesbridge. Titles include Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering, Baby Loves Coding and Baby Loves Green Energy. Ruth’s STEM-themed picture book series, Made by Maxine, is about an inspiring young Maker who knows that with enough effort, imagination, and recyclables, it’s possible to invent anything.
If you’ve been wanting to write STEM or STEAM picture books and/or board books, let Ruth introduce you to concepts that will help you connect with your young readers
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Is your manuscript submission ready? In this episode, Picture Book Summit Co-Founder Emma Walton Hamilton helps us figure out if our manuscripts are really ready to be sent to an agent or editor with specific things to be looking for in the craft of your story and in the details of your query letter and submission. What’s necessary and what’s not? Emma’s got your covered.
Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling children’s book author, editor and writing coach. With her mother, actress/author Julie Andrews, Emma has co-authored over thirty children’s books, eight of which have been on the NY Times Bestseller list, including The Very Fairy Princess series. She is Director of the Children’s Lit Fellows program at Stony Brook University and co-host of the Julie’s Library Podcast.
If you are questioning whether your story is ready to be out on submission, take a listen. If you’re sending out your manuscript and not getting a lot of response, do not miss this episode. You will find Emma’s tips to be invaluable on your submission journey.
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