Read In Color
July 13, 2021 In Charity Partner

Read in Color – Our 2021 Charity Partner!

One of our favorite parts of each year’s Summit is partnering with a new charity partner each year. We make it a point to donate to charities that bring books to kids around the globe and around the corner.

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:

  • We Need Diverse Books
  • Two Title I Schools in Oregon and Connecticut
  • Reading Partners
  • San Juan Public Library in Puerto Rico
  • Project Night Night
  • Binc – The Book Industry Charitable Foundation

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.

Little Free Library Logo

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.

Read in Color boxLess 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.

Horizontal_Readers - Little Free Library

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.

We are excited to give a portion of this year’s Picture Book Summit proceeds to this worthy cause.
If you’d like to be a part of helping all kids see themselves in the books they read, we invite you to be part of Picture Book Summit 2021 on October 2nd.
Come be a part of something BIG!
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Katie Davis - procrastination and your first 1000 readers
July 6, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Positive Procrastination

Katie Davis - your first 1000 readers

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!

Listen here:

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Ruth Spiro
June 22, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Ruth Spiro

Ruth Spiro

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

Listen here:

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Picture-Book-Summit-Podcast_feature_image_Emma-Walton-Hamilton
June 15, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Is Your Manuscript Truly Submission Ready?

Picture-Book-Summit-Podcast_feature_image_Emma-Walton-Hamilton

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.

Listen here:

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June 1, 2021 In Giveaway, Speakers

2021 Early Bird Pricing Now Open!

We’ve been teasing you with our Superstar Speaker announcements (Yuyi Morales! Jon Klassen!), workshop descriptions, and agent and editor panel reveals. NOW, you get to do something about it.

2021 Early Bird Pricing is now available!

It’s time to get your ticket to the biggest day of picture book writing fun all year! Register NOW to save $100 with your 2021 Early Bird ticket to Picture Book Summit 2021: Discover the Story Only You Can Tell, coming to a computer near you on October 2, 2021!

This year, we have two options for you!

Summit + Submissions – $247
You’ll enjoy the full online Picture Book Summit program (7 hours of content, replay access until January 31, 2022, the private FB group, and an invite to the exclusive pre-Summit PJ Party), plus the opportunity to submit to our SIX featured agents and editors after the Summit.

The regular price of our Summit + Submissions Ticket is $347 but register during the Early Bird period to get your ticket for just $247. That’s $100 off!

Summit Only – $177
Choose the Summit Only option to get a full day’s worth of Picture Book Summit online presentations (7 hours!), replay access until January 31, 2022, the private FB group, and exclusive PJ Party. This is the perfect option if you already have an agent or you don’t need submission opportunities at this time.

The regular price of our Summit Only Ticket is $277 but register during the Early Bird period to get your ticket for just $177. That’s $100 off!

PLUS – Extend your Summit Experience with Founders’ Session workshops! Once you put one of the 2021 Summit Ticket options in your cart, you’ll have the choice to extend the Summit’s value by adding four online post-Summit workshop sessions with the PBSummit Founders.

These 1-hour sessions take place once a month in the four months after the Summit and are designed to help you keep your Summit buzz going long after the conference ends. The focus of these sessions is Connecting with Your Readers from Idea to Bookshelf. Once you have ideas for the stories only you can tell, how do you know if they will resonate with readers? Join the PBSummit Founders in four post-Summit sessions as they take you on the next step of your writing journey—connecting with your audience, whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction.

Choose the Founders’ Session Add-On for only $97 AFTER you add your Summit + Submissions or Summit Only ticket to your cart.

Don’t waste another minute (or dollar!)! Jump on the Early Bird offer now!

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May 27, 2021 In Giveaway, Speakers

Scholarship & Giveaway Winners

It’s always a fun day when we get to give stuff away! Today we get to announce the winners of our BIPOC Scholarships and our Superstar Speaker Reveal Ticket Giveaway. Thank you to everyone who entered and helped get the word out about this year’s Superstar Speakers and BIPOC Scholarship.

These winners get a Summit + Submissions Ticket to Picture Book Summit 2021: Discover the Story Only You Can Tell.

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Laura Backes - Picture Book Summit Podcast
May 18, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Creating Memorable Characters

Laura Backes - Picture Book Summit Podcast

In this episode, Picture Book Summit Co-Founder Laura Backes gives us insight into creating memorable characters for picture books by discussing the cognitive development of kids in the picture book audience. You’ll look at your main characters and how you develop them in a whole new way after this mind-opening episode.

Laura Backes publishes Children’s Book Insider, The Children’s Writing Monthly. Laura and her husband Jon Bard co-own WritingBlueprints.com. She has edited and critiqued thousands of picture book manuscripts. Her credits include Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read (Random House) and articles for Writer’s Digest, The Writer and Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market. She was also the technical editor of Writing Children’s Books for Dummies. Recently, you may have seen Laura on her weekly Kidlit Distancing Socials.

Check out this whole new perspective on creating memorable characters in ways kids can naturally understand.

Listen here:

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PBS 2021 BIPOC Scholarship
April 30, 2021 In Scholarship

BIPOC Scholarship 2021

Great news for you today! Announcing the Picture Book Summit BIPOC Scholarship!

Picture Book Summit is offering 5 scholarships to unagented BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) children’s authors and illustrators to this year’s Summit. Our 2021 Summit will be held on October 2, 2021. Don’t worry if you can’t attend live. The entire conference will be recorded, and scholarships include access to the replays through the end of January, 2022.

PBS 2021 BIPOC Scholarship

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Katie Davis - procrastination and your first 1000 readers
April 27, 2021 In Podcast

Podcast – Digging for Diamonds

Katie Davis - your first 1000 readers

In this fun episode, Picture Book Summit co-founder Katie Davis show us how to dig into research and make our writing sparkle! Did you know research is a integral component in writing fiction and nonfiction? Katie uses two fiction picture books, Renato and the Lion by Barbara DiLorenzo and Shark Nate-O by Becky Cattie and Tara Luebbe, to illustrate how research in fiction can bring a whole new layer to your manuscripts—and maybe a few surprises!

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.

In this episode, Katie uncovers the diamonds in picture book research.

Listen here:

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