The Weekly 411 (1/9/15)

Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, Issue #2

The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to this site each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our updates. If you have news or links to share, please email them to KidLit411@KidLit411.com.

KIDLIT 411 BIRTHDAY BASH

Did you miss our birthday bash posts? Stop by all of them and enter the giveaways, which end on January 15, 2015:

Friday, Jan. 2: Author-Illustrator Spotlight on Nick Bruel

Monday, Jan. 5: All about Picture Books giveaways (signed books by Jane Yolen, Drew Daywalt, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Nick Bruel, and Tomie dePaola plus PB critiques)

Tuesday, Jan. 6: All about Craft giveaways (discounts to writing courses; free illustration course; phone critiques)

Wednesday, Jan. 7: Agent Spotlight on Lori Kilkelly of Rodeen Literary with a giveaway for a submission opportunity

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR SPOTLIGHT

We welcome Kat Yeh in the Author Spotlight (with a giveaway), and Angela Padrón in the Illustrator Spotlight.

Writing Contests & Awards

Jan. 31 Slush Pile Challenge 2015

What: Submit the opening or a scene from an MG novel showing your characters doing something new
Who: UK or European residents writing for ages 8-12
Prize: 30 minute phone call with agent Gemma Cooper of the Bent Agency

For Illustrators

Postcards and the 10% (Giuseppe Castellano)

The 10 Rules Every Artist Should Live By

Challenges for Illustrators

Create One a Day - create something new every day and share it on your website or blog

Writing Challenges

2015 Diversity Reading Challenge Read 12 books that meet the 12 diverse requirements of the challenge

Marketing & Creating a Platform

5 Marketing Mistakes Beginning Fiction Writers Make

Revisions

4 Levels of Editing Explained: Which Level Does Your Book Need?

Blogs to Follow

A Fuse 8 Production - the blog of well-known librarian blogger Betsy Bird

Diversity in Kidlit

Reviewing Race

Social Media

Top 7 Ways Authors are Using Instagram

Magazine Submissions

Writing a Mystery for the Highlights 2015 Fiction Contest by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Conferences, Workshops & Retreats

July 13-17, 2015 Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop, Oceanside, Oregon. A week long conference with a faculty of five authors, two editors, and an agent, with a lot of one-on-one contact.

Oct. 17, 2015 Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature's One-on-One Conference, New Brunswick, NJ. One on one mentoring and interaction with authors, illustrators, editors, and agents.

Inspirational Things