2023 Reveal Giveaway

Our countdown to registration begins today! We’ve been sitting on this line-up for MONTHS and can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned as we announce this year’s line-up over the next 10 days. Early Bird sales begin May 19, 2023.

Today we start off BIG with our first Superstar Speaker announcement. For our first reveal, you get not just one, but two Superstar Speakers. Please welcome the Caldecott-Medal-winning duo Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead!

READ MORE

10
5
Katie Davis - procrastination and your first 1000 readers

Podcast – 4 Big Reasons Manuscripts Get Rejected Part 3

Katie Davis - procrastination and your first 1000 readers

It’s time for the third biggest reason manuscripts get declined by agents and editors and this is a BIG one. Manuscripts are turned down every day for the simple reason that they are just not ready. So, how do you know when your manuscript is ready for publication, therefore ready for an agent’s or editor’s eyes?

Listen now as Katie Davis gives a brief breakdown of all the things to look for in your manuscript to be sure it’s actually ready to be sent out into the world of publishing.

Have you listened to the first two episodes of 4 Biggest Reasons Manuscripts Get Rejected?

Catch up here:

046 – 4 Biggest Reasons Manuscript Get Rejected Part 1 – Unoriginal Ideas

047 – 4 Biggest Reasons Manuscript Get Rejected Part 2 – Lack of Emotional Resonance

Stay tuned! We wrap up this series with Part 4 in two weeks!

 

Listen here:

READ MORE

0
7

PBSummit Roundtable – Artificial Intelligence

It’s our last episode for this round of the Picture Book Summit Roundtable. We plan to bring you more episodes on topics that affect picture book creators in the future. Thank you for your feedback and we hope we get you thinking!

You can see the first two Roundtable episodes here:

Today, it feels like we’re traveling to the future as we discuss Artificial Intelligence, more commonly referred to as AI. What does AI mean for creatives? It has huge implications for writers and illustrators alike and this is the first of what is sure to be a series of discussions we have on the subject as it grows and develops in the coming months and years.


READ MORE

1
4

PBSummit Roundtable – Anything Goes

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!

READ MORE

3
5
BOOK BANS

PBSummit Roundtable – Book Bans

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!

READ MORE

1
5
Picture-Book-Summit-Podcast_feature_image_Julie-Hedlund

Podcast – 4 Big Reasons Manuscripts Get Rejected Part 2

Picture-Book-Summit-Podcast_feature_image_Julie-Hedlund

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

  • The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer & Ekua Holmes
  • Bikes for Sale by Carter Higgins & Zachariah Ohora
  • Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born by Miranda Paul & Jason Chin
  • Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome & James E. Ransome
  • When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree by Jamie L.B. Deenihan & Lorraine Rocha
  • Ogilvy by Deborah Underwood & T.L. McBeth

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!

 

Listen here:

READ MORE

0
6
Laura Backes - Picture Book Summit Podcast

Podcast – 4 Big Reasons Manuscripts Get Rejected Part 1

Laura Backes - Picture Book Summit Podcast

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!

 

Listen here:

READ MORE

0
6
Lesa-Cline-Ransome

Podcast – Lesa Cline-Ransome: Finding Voice in Picture Book Biographies

Lesa-Cline-Ransome

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.

 

Listen here:

READ MORE

1
6
Peter Reynolds on the Picture Book Summit Podcast

Podcast – Peter H. Reynolds – The World Needs YOUR Voice

Peter Reynolds on the Picture Book Summit Podcast

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

 

Listen here:

READ MORE

0
6
Jon Klassen on the Picture Book Summit Podcast

Podcast – Jon Klassen – Use Your Fear

Jon Klassen on the Picture Book Summit Podcast

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. 

 

Listen here:

READ MORE

0
6