Thank you for the great response to our first Picture Book Summit Roundtable! We love that you enjoy these thoughtful conversations as much as we do!
Today, we bring you the second installment of PBSummit Roundtable series. You can catch our first Roundtable episode here:
This discussion centers around how Anything Goes in Picture Books these days!
This week, we are thrilled to bring you a brand new feature: The Picture Book Summit Roundtable!
In our weekly Summit planning meetings, we find ourselves talking about current events in publishing and how they affect picture books. We’ve decided to let you be a fly on the wall in this new series as we bring the conversation to YOU!
It’s time for the second biggest reason manuscripts get tossed out by agents and editors. Have you ever heard: “Your story didn’t resonate with me”? Julie Hedlund shares how this type of response maybe indicate a lack of emotional resonance in your story.
Listen in as Julie defines emotional resonance and how to ensure your picture book has it. You’re one more step closer to picture book success with these tips.
Which picture books really resonate? How can you study up on emotional resonance?
Check out the books below!
Dash’s Picture Books Picks for Emotional Resonance
Did you catch Part 1 of the 4 Biggest Reasons Manuscripts Get Rejected? Listen here.
Be on the lookout for Part 3 in the next two weeks!
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With 25 years of experience in the publishing industry as an editor, agent, and teacher Laura Backes covers the first big reason why manuscripts get rejected by agents and editors, and what you can do to avoid it!
Find out how you can stop getting editor feedback that says “This story feels familiar” or “It’s too similar to what’s been done already.” You’ll be one step closer to getting a “yes” after listening to today’s advice.
This is Part 1 in a four-part series. Tune in for our next episode for the second biggest reason manuscripts get rejected!
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A good writer tells a story, a great writer brings the reader into the story. That’s what Lesa Cline-Ransome does and in our book, she’s a picture book biography rockstar!
One of the best ways to render that sense of immersion is capturing the authentic voice of your characters—especially when writing picture book biographies. Award-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of Before She was Harriet and many other iconic titles, shares exactly how to do that with her own method of asking questions of yourself and your characters.
Lesa’s books have received numerous honors and awards including NAACP Awards, Kirkus Best Books, ALA Notable, CBC Choice Awards, two Top 10 Sports Books for Youth, and an Orbis Pictus Recommended Book. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband, and frequent collaborator, James Ransome and their family. Visit her at www.lesaclineransome.com.
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Peter H. Reynolds is on a mission to encourage you to share your authentic voice with the world. Listen in as he helps us see the blank page as an invitation to play. His energy is infectious and we’re confident he’ll inspire you to get creative today and gives you four North Star Questions to get you on your way!
Creativity champion, Peter H. Reynolds, is a NY Times best-selling author & illustrator published in over 25 languages, Peter’s books The Dot, Ish, The Word Collector, and Say Something!, among many others, inspire children and “grown up children” with his messages about authentic learning, creativity, bravery, empathy, and courageous self-expression.
Peter also illustrated the bestselling I am Yoga, I am Peace, I am Human, and The Water Princess with Susan Verde, as well as, the Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald. Peter lives in the Boston area where he founded The Blue Bunny, a family-owned and operated children’s book, toy, & creativity store.
Peter and his twin brother Paul, launched the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity (TLC). The center is a not-for-profit organization that encourages creativity and innovation in teaching and learning. More info at: www.reynoldstlc.com
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Do you have creative fears that intimidate you when you’re trying to write or illustrate? Jon Klassen shares how to use those fears to your advantage when developing stories. You may just find that those fears are the exact things that make you (and your work) uniquely you.
Jon Klassen is the author-illustrator of This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal, the first book to receive both honors; and its companion books, I Want My Hat Back, and We Found a Hat, and The Rock from the Sky. He also illustrated two Caldecott Honor Books, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn, as well as Triangle, Square, Circle, and The Wolf, the Duck, & the Mouse, all written by Mac Barnett. There are over 2.7 million copies of his books in print.
Klassen’s work has received many awards and accolades. The New York Times Book Review says, “no one does perturbed animals better,” and The Los Angeles Times remarks “The hallmark of Klassen’s work is what is not shown but rather left to the imagination.” Klassen’s work has appeared in Kung Fu Panda, Coraline, and The New Yorker.
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Layers are good in cakes and excellent in picture books!
Wouldn’t it be grand if there was a fool-proof formula for creating good picture books? That’s exactly what Julie Hedlund has spent years researching and studying, and she’s come up with 10 essential ingredients or “layers” for picture books that you can follow like a checklist.
You may not need all of these layers, but a dash of one and a sprinkle of another might just be what your manuscript needs to go from so-so to sold!
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It’s time for the third episode in our three-part series: How to Get Out of the Slush Pile!
Our very own query whisperer Emma Walton Hamilton demystifies what makes a compelling hook and how you can achieve this in your query letters. Learn how to convey an agent or editor your understanding of your story as well as how the industry works.
It’s a lot of heavy lifting for a sentence or two. Let us help you make the most of it.
Catch the first two episodes in this series:
How to Get of the Slush Pile: Part 1 with Laura Backes
How to Get Out of the Slush Pile: Part 2 with Julie Hedlund
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It’s time for the second episode in our three-part series: How to Get Out of the Slush Pile!
Author and rhymer extraordinaire Julie Hedlund discusses one of the best ways to signal to industry professionals that you’re not ready to be published: writing bad rhyme.
Writing poetry is one thing, but writing a rhyming picture book is a whole other kind of animal and if you’re not doing it right, you’ll never get out of the slush pile and on to a book contract. Julie spells out best practices for writing good rhyme for picture books. Hint: you’re probably doing it backwards!
Tune in to the next episode for the final installment of How to Get Out of the Slush Pile!
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