Presenting a Writing Opportunity Only for SCBWI Members
by Lin Oliver
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Do you know or love a scary story, one middle grade kids would be thrilled to read? If so, then we have a major opportunity for you. The SCBWI has been offered a book contract for a new and prestigious children’s trade book of scary stories, and the writers of this book will be you!
Godwin Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, is putting together a collection of fifty-one short stories, one for each of the fifty U.S. states plus Puerto Rico. Nationally known or relatively unheard of, based in fact or based entirely in local lore, these stories should capture the spooky side of the U.S. The stories will be written exclusively by members of the SCBWI, including authors from underrepresented communities, with the goal of having a diversity of creators and a diversity of tellings from both first-time and more established authors.
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SCBWI Announces the 2020 Don Freeman Grant Recipients |
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The SCBWI is proud to announce the winners of the 2020 Don Freeman Work-in-Progress Grant, which was created to assist illustrators in the completion of a book dummy or portfolio. The Don Freeman grant has two categories, Pre-Published and Published, with each winner receiving $1000 to help them in the completion of an illustration project. Kari Percival is the winner in the Pre-Published category, and Sally Walker is the winner in the Published category.
This year's judges were Christy Ewers from the Cat Agency and Corinna Luyken, author/illustrator and past winner of the Don Freeman Grant. Ewers and Luyken released the following statement about their choices:
It was important to us to find and recognize authors and illustrators who have cultivated a unique voice; one that is authentic to them as a creator. We felt that the two winners of the grant successfully and beautifully honed in on their written and visual voices - which made them both standouts in a pool of immense talent.
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Congratulations to the Winners of the 2020 Tomie dePaola Professional Development Award |
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The past month been an exciting time for illustration awards here at SCBWI! On September 15, we announced the winners of the inaugural Tomie dePaola Professional Development Award, Daniel Gray-Barnett and Lynnor Bontigao. The award was created in honor of Tomie dePaola, the legendary children’s book author and illustrator and long-time member of the SCBWI Board of Advisors. The award is for SCBWI members who are early in their illustration careers (limited to those who have published at least one but no more than three books.)
We awarded two emerging artists a cash prize of $2,500, which can be used to advance their professional growth, and can include items such as supplies, equipment, research, learning experiences, travel, creative sabbaticals, child care, or any legitimate expenses that allow the winners to develop or improve their art. The judges were John Parra, Cecilia Yung, and Laurent Linn, whose statements on the judging of the award can be found here, along with art samples from the winners.
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2020 BookStop Launches This Month |
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BookStop is shaping up to be a treasure trove of wonderful books for readers and buyers. The promotion has smashed last year’s page creation record by more than 15%. With over 835 pages even before BookStop launches, this year looks to be a winner for all readers. The promotion is open to all books published traditionally and independently/self-published from 2018 through the end of 2020.
The promotion opens to the public on October 6 and runs through November 30. The cost for a page is $25. Click here for more into on how to create your page. Those of you that are page creators have the option of including the link of favorite independent bookseller as a choice of for book buyers for purchases in addition to Amazon or Barnes & Noble. BookStop supports our independent booksellers all over the world.
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Nonfiction Rocks--Even During COVID!
by Jennifer Swanson
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We can all agree that these are very interesting times, particularly for the publishing industry. The real question that most nonfiction kidlit authors want to know, is what does this mean for nonfiction? It is selling? Are publishers still buying? To get some answers to these questions, I turned to four editors for their thoughts:
Kathy Landwehr,
Vice President and Associate Publisher of Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.
Daniel Nayeri,
Publisher, Odd Dot
Alyssa Pusey,
Senior Editor, Charlesbridge
Emily Feinberg,
Editor, Roaring Brook Press
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Spaces Still Available in the Virtual SCBWI/Smithsonian Institution Nonfiction Workshop |
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This one-of-a-kind collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution features keynotes from Kevin Noble Maillard, Carole Boston Weatherford, Elizabeth Partridge, and expert Smithsonian researchers and curators. The workshop, which takes place on November 6 through 7, also features panels discussing the market for nonfiction children's books, creative approaches to writing nonfiction, aligning your subject matter to curriculum, nonfiction writing as a personal journey, nonfiction query letters, and expanded breakout sessions focusing on special topics in research. All attendees will be able to query the six editors on the workshop faculty.
If you can’t attend the live conference, video recordings of all the sessions will be available to registered attendees through November 22, 2020. For more information click HERE.
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The SCBWI Winter Conference Will Be Digital!
Registration opens Wednesday, October 28 at 10am PDT/1pm ET
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NY20 Conference artwork by Annie Bowler |
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The SCBWI Winter Conference will take place in the digital realm on February 20-21, 2021. The conference will provide attendees with a virtual trip to the Big Apple with behind-the-scenes tours of publishing houses, mock acquisition meetings, and an inside look at the book production process.
Keynote speakers include Adam Silvera, Becky Albertalli, Christian Robinson, Matt de la Pena, and Jerry Craft as well as panels of agents, editors, and art directors. The conference will feature The Golden Kite Awards Gala, the career-launching portfolio showcase, and a full-day Intensive for illustrators on Friday, February 19.
Registration opens Wednesday, October 28 at 10am PDT/1pm EDT
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SCBWI Connects for the Holidays |
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The best season of the year is finally upon us and you know what that means? Yes, the return of pumpkin spice lattes, but this is also typically the season for vacations and large family gatherings. With the state of our world under Covid, this holiday season unfortunately has other plans for us. But more strongly and collectively than ever, we yearn to connect as creators, readers, and human beings.
This holiday season, we want to celebrate those connections and continue forging new ones. On December 1, we’re launching the holiday-themed edition of SCBWI Connects. Similar to Camp SCBWI, this holiday edition will feature resources that highlight the diversity of our members and their readers. If you are a PAL member and have a holiday-centric resource to share, stay tuned for an email with guidelines and the submission form. If you’re a PAL member and would like to create a resource, the deadline to do so is November 10 (with some leeway of a couple of days).
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Understanding Bookstagram
by Avery Silverberg
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Instagram post by @litbylilli |
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We’re all on Instagram. But are any of us on Bookstagram? If you aren’t, you definitely should be.
Bookstagram isn’t a separate app or website; it’s a corner of the Instagram sphere where book lovers unite in posting photos, book reviews, “tbr” (to-be-read) stacks, new releases, beautiful photos, and most of all form connections–all based on one commonality we all share: an utter obsession with books.
Building connections with readers
Pre-published authors: Why wait to build your brand and establish a readership until the day your book is sold? Start now by posting about books that are in the same market as the one you are currently writing. Young Adult novels currently dominate the Bookstagram scene, and many of the bookish influencers on that platform are in fact teenage readers. You can also connect with parent-bloggers who feature photos and reviews of themselves reading picture books to their children. Comment and engage with these people.
Instagram engagement is the number one way to gain a following. Followers aren’t just going to magically fall into your app; you have to make real, genuine connections. Social media is one of the primary forms of book marketing; a viral book on Bookstagram is bound to sell thousands of more copies in comparison to books lacking in social media presence. What are just followers now can turn into readers later on–-a social media presence is important, no matter what stage of your career path you are currently on.
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On SCBWI YouTube, the Gatekeepers Tell All |
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Editors and agents have seen it all, and read it all. For every book that soars, they've read hundreds that miss the mark. For every illustration that illuminates the mind, they've stared at thousands that don't quite spark the imagination. They've seen books and careers rise, fall, under-perform, and exceed all expectations. And that's why it is so important to learn from their experience and expertise.
We're digging back into our video archive in a big way, and in the coming weeks we're going to focus on clips from some of our favorite and most influential editors and agents, including a rare clip from Judy Blume's legendary and brilliant editor, Richard Jackson.
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The Pricing of Virtual Events |
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Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the switch to virtual events rippled throughout the publishing industry. The good news is that there’s been a wealth of wonderful content that’s available to keep us all learning more about our writing or illustration. There has been, however, discussion around the cost of these events. The illusion of talking heads on a Zoom call is just that – an illusion. There’s a lot of planning and budgeting that goes into creating all this great content.
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SCBWI Exclusive With...
Chelsea Eberly
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Chelsea Eberly is a literary agent with the Greenhouse Literary Agency, where she represents authors of middle grade, young adult, and women’s fiction, as well as illustrators who write picture books and graphic novelists. As a former Senior Editor at Penguin Random House, she edited award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling books, working with authors such as Tamora Pierce, Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas, Matt de la Peña, Jessica Cluess, Kim Johnson, Tae Keller, and Mark Siegel to name only a few. She has a deep understanding of how publishers think and is an expert advocate for her clients. Chelsea is also a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree, which recognizes “the rising stars of the US publishing industry.” A Midwesterner turned New Yorker, she regularly presents at writing conferences across the country and enjoys teaching craft. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseberly and discover more about her taste at greenhouseliterary.com.
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Draw This! is our monthly prompt word for illustrators. Artists can post their DrawThis! entries on Twitter and Instagram.
There is no longer a gallery for DrawThis! View the September entries by searching the tag #SCBWIDrawThis.
Congratulations to the September winners! The prompt word was "Ancestors"
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The October prompt word is: "VOTE"
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Want to appear in the next issue of INSIGHT? Post a picture to social media and tag it #FacesofSCBWI |
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SCBWI Hong Kong presents Kathy Evans - plotting and structure workshop. Photo credit: Rachel Ip
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Deborah Abela ARA, Susanne Gervay RA and author Oliver Phommavanh catching up for a SCBWI zoom event |
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SCBWI author Nadia Salomon anticipates debut picture book Goodnight Ganesha (Philomel 2021)
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SCBWI Hong Kong Diversity Roundtable. Photo credit: Mio Debnam |
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