LA18 Summer Conference Revisited
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The 2018 SCBWI Los Angeles Summer Conference, which wrapped on August 6, was one of our biggest events yet with over 1,200 members and industry pros in attendance. Creators from 48 US states and 18 countries joined together to discuss their craft and the state of the industry at large. Over the course of four days, eight keynote speeches, and 72 breakout sessions, the JW Marriott at LA Live became the hub of the children's book community.
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Lynda Mullaly Hunt Inspires at LA18
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One of the many bright spots of the 2018 Los Angeles Summer Conference was
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
‘s stirring keynote speech on Saturday morning.
Hunt, who is the author of middle grade novels One for the Murphys and the New York Times best-selling Fish in a Tree, delved into her road to publication, the special connection between reader and character, and why what we do matters to young people.
She was kind enough to let us publish some highlights of that speech for our
Insight
readers.
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Special Promotion for September Happy Book Birthdays
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SCBWI celebrated the flurry of fall leaves and book sales by offering a special Happy Book Birthday promotion. This month two winners were chosen for our Happy Book Birthday drawing, and the winners were interviewed about their upcoming books and had the opportunity to create short videos, which will be shared on SCBWI’s social media.
This month’s winners were both debut picture books:
John Sullivan
’s
The Kitten and the Night Watchman
and author/illustrator
Amanda Moeckel
’s
Khalida and the Most Beautiful Song.
To learn more about their upcoming books, read Sullivan's interview
here
, and Moeckel's interview
here.
Over 160 authors and illustrators celebrated the release of their September books with us. This special promotion will continue into October--for your chance to win one-of-a-kind marketing opportunity for your upcoming book. Click
HERE
for submission instructions.
Please note that the deadline to submit this month is
September 20
, no exceptions. Only books released in
October 2018
will be accepted during this submission period, but Happy Book Birthday runs every month. If you have an upcoming book, submit your information by the
20th
of the
month before your book’s release date
in order to be entered into the monthly drawing. We look forward to celebrating with you!
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Showcase Your 2018 Titles with BookStop
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One of SCBWI’s most popular member promotional opportunities is back again. SCBWI BookStop will be online and available to book lovers and buyers everywhere. Here’s how it works. Members can purchase a BookStop page template for $25 and insert information about your book including a cover image, a synopsis of the book, a book trailer if you have one or other video and links to your social media. Last year nearly 800 members purchased a page and reached over 47,000 total visitors.
The templates will be available starting Wednesday, September 5. The pages will be viewable by the public on Tuesday, October 23 and will remain so through Friday, December 7. This ensures that your book can be seen during the key holiday shopping days of Black Friday (November 23) and Cyber Monday (November 27). For more information about BookStop, please click here (INSERT FAQ PAGE LINK). There will be incentives for members who buy pages to encourage them to market the books to browsers and buyers. Look for that information in an email coming soon. We hope you partake in BookStop this year!
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The Book
Update: Agent Tips
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We will be adding a feature in
THE BOOK: Essential Guide to Publishing for Children
about red flags when looking for or signing with an agent. It will be an in depth feature about what you should expect from your agent as we evaluate best business practices. Stay tuned for more information about this new addition.
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Restoration of Membership Categories
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In a previous
Insight
we announced the SCBWI would be altering its membership levels. Instead of three membership categories:
Associate
,
Full
, and
PAL
we would be switching to just two levels:
General
and
PAL
.
Not everyone was pleased. Many of you expressed disappointment that the
Full
designation, originally established to recognize books published either independently or for adults, had been dropped.
We are happy to now report that that the three original categories have been restored, and rightfully so.
In recent years the publishing industry, as we all know, has undergone a revolution, witnessed by the rise of print on demand, e-publishing, and quality independent presses.
We believe the SCBWI has been a positive force in recognizing these new publishing models by instituting targeted programs, publications as well as our Spark Awards.
Now with the restoration of the Full Member category we once again can properly acknowledge the publishing successes of our valued members.
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SCBWI Announces Social Media Mentorship Winners
by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
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Congratulations to
Rahele Jomepour Bell
and
Taia Morley
, winners of the 2018 SCBWI Social Media Mentorship Award for Illustrators! Laurent Linn and I were delighted to present the award for the first time at this year’s Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles. I’ve been a fan of online communities and social media before either term became popular, and over the years have seen what kinds of book promotion will and won’t work in social media, and how important it is to consider individual context. I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with other illustrators and illustrator/writers!
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#KidlitWomen Confer at LA18
by Karen Blumenthal
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The
#KidlitWomen
* conversation, which began on Facebook earlier this year, continued with a brainstorming session at SCBWI’s LA conference focused on solutions to women’s and gender inequality issues.
Kidlitwomen* was started to address these issues, including lower pay, fewer marketing opportunities, all-white-male panels, and persistent categorizing of “boy” and “girl” books.
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Submit Now for PJ Library Jewish Stories Award
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Submissions for the PJ Library
®
Jewish Stories Award are currently being accepted through
September 30, 2018
. $2,500 will be awarded to the author of the manuscript deemed most promising for publication and for distribution by PJ Library. PJ Library will make every effort to partner with a publisher to have the manuscript published and to carry the book in the PJ Library program. The winner will be announced at the 2019 SCBWI Annual Winter Conference in New York City. The author will also receive tuition to the conference, as well as a transportation and accommodations stipend of up to $500.
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The Reason for Rhyme: How to Master the Rhyming Picture Book
by Sarah Diamond
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Last month, we discussed the novel-in-verse and its recent boom in the young adult market. This month we will dive into the enduring popularity of its younger sibling, the poetic picture book–specifically, the rhyming picture book. Ever since Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss made their respective marks on the cultural landscape, people have associated picture books with rhyming verse. However, writing in verse requires a cautionary approach. Picture Book writers are often warned to avoid doing this because 1.) unless you are a master of poetic form, the rhyme and meter can appear sloppy and unprofessional; and 2.) rhyme is sometimes perceived as being overly precious. For the purpose of this article, we spoke with several successful poetic picture book writers to get their perspective on the age-old question:
To rhyme or not to rhyme?
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SCBWI Exclusive with...
Stephanie Von Borstel
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Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel
has more than 20 years of experience in children’s book publishing and is co-founder of Full Circle Literary, a literary agency proudly representing authors, illustrators, and #ownvoices books since 2005. She represents picture books
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos
by Monica Brown, illustrated by John Parra and
Alma and How She Got Her Name
by Juana-Martinez Neal; and middle grade novels such as
The First Rule of Punk
by Celia C. Pérez. A proud Tejana from San Antonio, Stefanie is now based in San Diego.
www.fullcircleliterary.com
@fullcirclelit
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Draw This! is our monthly prompt word for illustrators.
Congratulations to the August winners! The August prompt word was
"First Day of School"
Click
HERE
to view the August Gallery
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September's prompt word is:
"I'm Scared!"
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Want to see your face in
Insight
? Send your photos to
faces@scbwi.org
or post on twitter using the tag
#facesofscbwi
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Cecilia Yung, Kirsten Hall, Pat Cummings, Paul O. Zelinksy, Peter Brown, and Laurent Linn at LA18
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Mike Jung, Arthur A. Levine, and Paula Yoo at LA18
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Nonfiction dinner at LA18 conference
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Dow Phumiruk at LA18 Writers & Artists Ball
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Sarah Diamond (Charlotte Bronte), Lin Oliver (cubist Picasso), and Laurie Miller (Dorothy Parker) at LA18 Writers & Artists Ball
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Lisa Yee and Phil Bildner at the LA18 faculty party
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Newbery winner Erin Entrada Kelly takes a selfie with Marie Cruz
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Hazel Edwards (holding book) promotes
Like Me
at Yarra Plenty libraries in Melbourne, Australia
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