Editor Sally Morgridge, New Awards, BookStop Redesign, and MORE in the AUGUST INSIGHT

August 1, 2019

Unveiling the New SCBWI BookStop Templates

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the popular program, SCBWI BookStop is getting a dramatic makeover. Starting on August 26 , SCBWI members will be able to choose from a new line of pre-designed templates to create a customizable webpage for their 2019 new releases. On October 8 , the BookStop pages will be collected in an online gallery that SCBWI will promote across the reading community. This promotion will last through Thanksgiving weekend in order to make the most of the holiday shopping period.

Last year’s BookStop program included a gallery of nearly 800 member titles. Thanks to targeted advertisement and promotional features like the Thursday Crawl, the 2018 collection garnered over 55,000 unique pageviews—a 60% increase from the previous year. We have good reason to hope that the 2019 gallery will draw in even more readers and shoppers.

CLICK HERE to see the 2019 collection.

SCBWI Podcast Goes Public

In a bold expansion to new platforms, SCBWI has made the first season of its popular podcast, SCBWI Conversations , available to the public. Our library of in-depth, insightful episodes feature the best of editors, agents, authors, and illustrators in the children’s book industry. As of today, we have over nine thousand listeners on six continents who have joined us since our public launch in May. The most current season will remain exclusive content for SCBWI members only. It is available for streaming from our website here .

In addition to the website, you can now find season 1 of SCBWI Conversations on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Pocket Casts on both Android and Apple iOS platforms, making it easier than ever to listen on the go. This wider access will also help build awareness of our organization among listeners who are eager to find out more about the creative processes of our members and colleagues, as well as help those potential new members to see what they have to look forward to as part of our community. By sharing the podcast, we’re sharing some of our knowledge about the industry through the most accomplished creators within it. Season 2 of the podcast will be available on these platforms starting in 2020.

Happy Book Birthday Special Fall Promotion

As back-to-school season approaches, so does the most popular time of year for book publishing. To celebrate the cascade of SCBWI new releases in September and October, one winner from each month will be chosen to give an interview about their upcoming book, which will be shared in the following month’s edition of Insight.

Each winner will also have the chance to create a one-minute video promoting their new book--this is in addition to the standard Book Birthday prize. Every month, t en copies of the winning book are purchased by SCBWI and donated to a worthy organization promoting children’s literature. (August's winner was Kirsten McDonald .)

Submissions for books published in September began on July 15 and will continue until August 20 ; submissions for books published in October will run from August 15 until September 20 . For details about how to submit to Happy Book Birthday and participate in this amazing opportunity, see our submission page here .

Books For Readers Donations Heading to Kids in Wisconsin and Virginia

A big thank you to all who donated to this year’s Books For Readers book drive. Our donation period has ended and we’re up to our eyeballs in books that were generously donated by SCBWI members. The Madison Reading Project in Wisconsin and Virginia-based REACH, Inc. are overwhelmed with the care your donations have demonstrated. Both organizations are dedicated to providing reading material for kids in low-income homes, and in having a wide enough selection that each child can choose a book that matters to them.

The Madison Reading Project event will take place on Thursday, October 10, and we are in the middle of planning a fun event for the kids and their families. Plans for the REACH, Inc. event in Virginia are in development, but we will share the information as it becomes available.

SCBWI Announces A. Orr Fantasy Grant

Image from In the Ice King's Palace

SCBWI is pleased to announce the A. Orr Grant , a new award for young adult and middle grade fantasy/science fiction authors. Sponsor Michele Orr , through her foundation Voice Garden, has been a member of SCBWI for several years and when her sister Alice Orr Sprague passed last year from a short struggle with cancer, Michele wanted to honor her memory. Alice, under the name A. Orr , wrote two fantasy novels, The World in Amber and In the Ice King's Palace , published by Bluejay Books in 1986 and 1987. It is Michele's honor and joy to create this award in remembrance of her sister.

The winner of the A. Orr Grant will receive tuition to the Los Angeles Summer Conference (beginning in 2020), a manuscript consultation at the Conference, and $300 cash. Submissions will be accepted February 17, 2020 through March 31, 2020 .

READ MORE to learn how to apply.

The Kate Dopirak Craft and Community Award

by Meg Fleming

Kate Dopirak

SCBWI is pleased to announce The Kate Dopirak Craft and Community Award. The KDCC Award provides tuition to the SCBWI Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles to the author of a promising manuscript who is dedicated to honing their craft and expanding their writing community but is experiencing a financial barrier to attending the Conference. Additionally, the winner will receive phone critiques with literary agent Tracey Adams of Adams Literary, and children’s editor Andrea Welch of Beach Lane Books/S&S.

This award is offered in celebration of Kate Dopirak, a picture book author and beloved SCBWI member who lived her life lighting the way for others.

Tell Us About Kate!

Kate Dopirak was a brilliant picture book author, a teacher, and an SCBWI ARA. She adored her family, she loved words and stories, and she had a deep affection for children. Her sunny spirit and fierce commitment to kids fueled her writing, her SCBWI leadership, and her support of other writers.

Kate’s engaging picture books celebrate family, friendship, and unconditional love. Her books include Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car, illustrated by Mary Peterson; Snuggle Bunny , illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld; You’re My Boo , illustrated by Lesley Breen Withrow; and coming in 2020 from Beach Lane Books, her much-anticipated picture book Hurry Up!: A Book About Slowing Down , illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal.

Why Craft? Why Community?

Kate was a firm believer in studying the craft of writing. She polished her manuscripts until they were clear, concise and beautiful…and dove headfirst into the writing community where she supported others and found inspiration. Craft and community go hand-in-hand, and we at SCBWI believe that this pairing is a recipe for success!

Who is Eligible?

Any member of SCBWI who is experiencing a financial barrier to attending the Conference, wants to improve their craft, and desires to expand their community is welcome to submit their picture book manuscript for the 2020 KDCC Award.

When and Where Do I Apply?

Visit www.katedopirakaward.com for complete submission instructions.

Submissions will be accepted September 1 through October 31, 2019 .

We look forward to sharing this award and continuing to spread Kate’s light.

Three Cheers for Ishta Mercurio!

Ishta Mercurio’s picture book debut, Small World , is illustrated by Jen Corace and came out on July 2, 2019, from ABRAMS Books for Young Readers. She has also co-authored a nonfiction title, Bite Into Bloodsuckers , with Kari-Lynn Winters. In her own words, Ishta describes her "slow burn" journey with SCBWI:

I joined SCBWI in 2009 and went to my first-ever writers conference—a regional conference organized by the Canada East chapter. An editor critiqued my manuscript, and it was clear from her feedback that it wasn’t very good. But she asked what inspired me to write that particular story, and she encouraged me to keep writing. I came away from that conference feeling not discouraged, but energized.

Over the years of attending conferences, in addition to honing my craft, I learned how the publishing industry works. And when an agent who had my full manuscript learned that I was attending an SCBWI conference the following week in NYC, she read it right away. We spoke the night before the conference started, and she offered me representation. You might call the timing serendipitous, but attributing it to persistence and professionalism are more apt. I learned those things from SCBWI.

Three Cheers is an Insight feature in which we periodically select SCBWI members who have a phenomenal success story to share. If you have realized a dream through your involvement with SCBWI, please send your story to threecheers@scbwi.org .

SCBWI Exclusive With...

Sally Morgridge, Editor, Holiday House

Sally Morgridge loves working with authors on chapter books, middle grade, and YA. Recent highlights include YA fantasy debut Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West ( Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year) and middle grade mystery Ra the Mighty: Cat Detective (Edgar Award Nominee). A new project that she’s excited about is Middle School Bites , a middle grade series by SpongeBob SquarePants writer Steven Banks. The best submissions to send her way will have distinct, memorable voices and fully realized characters. She’s also a big fan of sneaky mysteries, heart-stopping plots, funny writing, and beautiful imagery, and she is forever looking for properly shocking twists in literary novels. Sally lives in New York City with her husband and daughter, where she likes to eat, enjoy public parks, and watch too much TV.

READ THE INTERVIEW