Shadra Strickland might be the most delightful writing workshop presenter on the planet. In this episode, the author/illustrator (and agent!) reveals how to get at the heart of your story by sharing some of her best writing exercises to get your creative juices flowing from your brain to the page.
This is a fun one! Enjoy!
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What do t-shirt design and writing and illustrating picture books have in common?
Quite a bit actually! They have to be eye-catching. They have to be something the wearer or reader wants to go back to again and again. And just like a picture book, a good design tells a story.
Eric and Terry Fan take us on a journey in To Imagination and Beyond. The Fan Brothers share how your next story might be waiting for you where you least expect it. And, they should know. A t-shirt design ultimately became the award-winning picture book The Night Gardener and a 30-year-old doodle grew into Lizzy and the Cloud.
We adore The Fan Brothers and after this episode we think you will too!
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Today’s episode features a practically perfect pair of presenters.
You’ve seen presentations about great picture book beginnings. You’ve seen them about effective endings. But a truly great picture book relies on the connection between the two.
Today, Emma Walton Hamilton & Julie Hedlund are here to show how to launch topflight stories and navigate them to stellar endings.
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One of the best ways to navigate your course as a writer is through critiques.
In this episode of the podcast, we share a snippet of Founder Katie Davis’ presentation Houston, Your Manuscript Has a Problem. Katie discusses why critiques are important and things to consider as you seek feedback from critique groups and freelance editors.
Get ready to take your work to a whole new stratosphere!
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A few years ago, we had the privilege of hosting former National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature and bestselling author Kate DiCamillo as one of our Superstar Speakers. Her presentation was nothing short of magical. She shares how she went from wanting to write and thinking about writing to actually writing. We hope this snippet of her talk inspires you to get started (or restarted) too.
Savor this episode.
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Attending a writing conference can be a transformational experience, filled with opportunities to hone your craft, connect with your peers, and move closer to your publishing dreams. Online writing conferences offer unique opportunities compared to their in-person counterparts.
Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, and Kelli Panique provide nine tips for getting the most out of your next online writing conference.
Click here to download the handout from today’s episode.
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Who better to help you choose a writing conference that’s right for you than three people who have been putting on writing conferences for a decade?
Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, and Kelli Panique offer you five questions to ask yourself when deciding if an online or in-person writing conference is worth your time and investment.
(Spoiler alert: Many conferences are worth their weight in gold. The key is to find ones that are the best fit for where you are currently in your writing career and your ultimate publishing goals. We’re here to help you do just that!)
Click here to download the handout from today’s episode.
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We hear over and over again that agent and editors want humorous picture book stories. So, why does it seem like it’s so hard to get funny manuscripts picked up when submitting to agents and publishing houses? We’re here to dig into it in today’s episode of PBSummit Roundtable.
Julie Hedlund shares her personal experience and overall observations about what is going on in the industry with silly stories and how YOU can break through!
Books talked about in today’s episode:
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Today we bring you a super fun episode of the PBSummit Roundtable episode as we talk about fresh takes in picture books. Our Roundtable discussions are where we discuss news and topics affecting picture book writers and illustrators today.
Agents and publishers are always saying they’re looking for stories that are “fresh and unique”, but what does that mean? Our Roundtable discussion centers around fresh angles in picture books.
Listen in as we take a look at some truly unique stories which perfectly exemplify what fresh takes on classic picture book topics can look like, and the common thread between them.
Books talked about in today’s episode:
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The Picture Book Summit Podcast is BACK! We kick off our newest podcast with a new PBSummit Roundtable episode. Our Roundtable discussions are where our PBSummit team sits down and talks about the topics affecting picture book creators today.
In this episode, we ask the question: Why is Everything So Slow? The pandemic is (basically) over, so why are things not back to normal? Will things ever go back to the way they were or is this slowness the new normal in publishing?
Emma Walton Hamilton leads our discussions. She reached out to her agent and two of her editors for their insights on trend in children’s publishing. We hope you find this discussion fascinating and maybe a little uplifting. Ultimately, there’s some good news related to this pace.
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