The Weekly 411 (2/23/18)

Feb. 23, 2018, vol. 8

The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to Kidlit411 each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our email updates. Are you on Facebook? Join our Kidlit411 group for conversations & camaraderie, the Kidlit411 Manuscript Swap to find critique partners, and the Kidlit411 Portfolio Swap for art critiques.

KIDLIT NEWS

Kwame Alexander's new imprint, Versify, is accepting unsolicited and un-agented submissions.

We picked the winners for our Kidlit411 Illustration Contest! The winning website banner design was by Hui Li, whose banner will be displayed the month of March 2018. She also won cash and will be featured in an Illustrator Spotlight. Check out our post to see the other winners and entries. Thank you to all who entered!

Refer a friend to our FB group: We are running a promotion. If you are a member of our Facebook group and/or refer a friend to the group, you can enter to win a batch of kid lit books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHTS

Today we have the pleasure of featuring picture book author Laura Perdew and her new book, EXTINCTION: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DINOSAURS, MASTODONS, AND DODO BIRDS?, illustrated by Tom Casteel (Nomad Press, 2017). Enter to win a copy.

Our February YA Joint Author Spotlight features four debut authors:

Tanaz Bhathena, author of A GIRL LIKE THAT (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Feb. 27, 2018)
Brenda Rufener, author of WHERE I LIVE (Harper Teen, Feb. 27, 2018)
Deborah Schaumberg, THE TOMBS (HarperTeen Feb. 20, 2018)
Sarah Nicole Smetana, THE MIDNIGHTS (HarperTeen, Mar. 6, 2018)

Enter to win their books.

Conferences, Workshops & Retreats

April 6-7 2018 The Color of Children's Literature Conference A writing and illustrating conference for creators of color. Intensive workshops in one of our tracks: Publishing, Novel, Illustrated Books & Nonfiction, and Intensives. (Manhattan, NY)

July 11-15 Stonybrook Southampton 2018 Children's Lit Conference Attend workshops, lectures, and presentations with renowned authors, illustrators and editors. Limited workshop size, graduate credits available (Long Island, NY)

Writing Courses

Storyteller Academy is founded by Arree Chung, a picture book author/illustrator who publishes with MacMillan, Harper Collins, Bloomsbury and Abrams. His NINJA! series has earned starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Arree shares his experience, insights, and creative process to help you grow as a storyteller. You'll receive practical advice on mindset, overcoming imposter syndrome, and how to grow your creativity. Arree also walks you through the creative process of making a picture book dummy from scratch. The course emphasizes developing your story. With bi-weekly critique groups, and a Storyteller Workshop, you'll have creative community to support you.

Writing Barn Online Courses - Intensive six-week online courses on picture book writing and other writing courses.

Picture Books

How Long Should a Picture Book Be?

Picture Book Basics- Layout

Turn that Picture Book Page

Character Driven Books in 3 Easy Steps *previously featured*

Marketing and Creating a Platform

71 Ways to Market and Promote Your Book

Tricks and Tips for a Successful Book Launch Party

10 Ideas for a Successful Book Launch

Query Letters

How To Write the Best Query Letter *previously featured*

Basics of a Solid Three Paragraph Query Letter

How To Write a Good Query Letter: Query Letter Basics