New Slate of FREE Digital Workshops Launching October 21 |
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Debbi Michiko Florence, Joe Cepeda, Bruce Hale, Tiffany D. Jackson, LeUyen Pham and Laura Taylor Namey
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SCBWI’s free digital workshops are back! This latest series is titled:
Come Create With…
Six Interactive Sessions with Expert Authors and Artists
Each one-hour webinar will feature instruction from an expert author or illustrator. Participants will create along with the experts, so bring pen, paper, and sketchpad. Prompts and interactive exercises will set you on a path to improving your work.
Each webinar will take place at 1:00pm Pacific Time / 4:00pm Eastern Time every Thursday, beginning October 21. The entire series is free to current SCBWI members. Attend live or watch the video recording of each session.
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Introducing #SCBWIArtober |
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Join the SCBWI Illustration Community in October for 31 days of illustration prompts under the hashtag #ScbwiArtober!
Each day will feature a prompt to inspire your daily practice. You can choose to use any art materials during the month. We encourage you to experiment with different media. Play with media you have never tried before. Post the art when you can or post it daily with the #ScbwiArtober hashtag. The main goal is to develop a daily practice of creating new art.
Here are the Rules:
– This is not about perfection. The goal is to develop a daily practice.
– We encourage you to try new media.
– Share you work on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #ScbwiArtober.
– Go to the hashtag to see inspiration and cheer on other SCBWI Illustrators.
– Play and have fun each day!
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Apply for the Out of the Margins Award, Beginning October 15 |
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The SCBWI has created an unprecedented opportunity for marginalized creators called the Out of The Margins Award: A Marketing Award for Underrepresented Creators of Children’s Literature. The OMA Award is open to BIPOC/BAME, LGBTQIA+, and disabled creators who need an extra financial boost to effectively market their books released in the coming year. We will select eight winners who will each receive an award of $5,000 towards their marketing budget, as well as guidance from industry experts. These eight winners will become part of a cohort that will receive mentoring and instruction on various aspects of book marketing: media training, marketing to schools and libraries, social media platforms, indie booksellers, building a website, and working with a publicist. The cohort will also be given an opportunity to speak at an international conference to report on their book launches and will be highlighted by the SCBWI Bookshop and social media.
Authors and illustrators, both traditionally and independently published, are welcome to apply for the OMA Award, though all applicants must provide a detailed marketing plan for the $5,000 and proof of professional means of distribution for their books.
The leadership at SCBWI commented, “The SCBWI is proud to commit significant resources to this new award program, in the effort to support children’s book creators from underrepresented communities to showcase their new work and bring it forward into the marketplace with attention and power.”
Submissions will open on October 15 through the OMA Award page, and the portal will remain open until November 15. The winners will be announced in March 2022. CLICK HERE for more details about how to apply.
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A Closer Look at Novels in Verse
by Colby Cedar Smith
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When you think of novels in verse, you may have flashbacks to sludging through the dense text of The Iliad in high school. But fear not, most verse novels are fast paced, accessible for reluctant readers, and filled with gorgeous language that packs an emotional punch. Often containing themes such as identity, body image, gender roles, violence, racism, isolation, and grief, novels in verse distill individual and societal woes into precise, visceral lines. This use of lyrical language and creative syntax often enhances the close, personal narrative. For these reasons, librarians, teachers, and students are reaching for more novels in verse, like recent best-sellers by Kwame Alexander and Elizabeth Acevedo.
What really is a novel in verse?
Novels in verse are a hybrid genre. A marriage between the brevity of a singular poem; and the narrative arc of a novel.
A poem can encapsulate a vast concept, a scene, or a feeling in a few crafted words. Line breaks produce pauses, rhythm, and music. Carefully crafted language and line structure create a scene filled with images and meaning.
A novel takes time to develop plot, setting, and the character’s desires, their backstories, their communities, their failures, their ghosts.
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How to Write a Book in One Month: Prepping for NanoWriMo
by Avery Silverberg
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It’s that time of the year again… NanoWriMo is upon us!
NanoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month— every November, hundreds of thousands of writers around the world challenge themselves to complete a brand new novel (or at least 50,000 words). Here are some tips and tricks to help you come out a Nano winner at the end of November!
Get Involved
The best part about Nano is the community! When you surround yourself with a squad of other writers cheering you on, the writing process becomes a lot more fun. Use the hashtag, #NanoWriMo2021 on any social platform to find writers competing this year. Make your own posts, announcing that you are participating (and don’t forget that hashtag)! Add other writers as friends on the NanoWriMo website to see your friends progress— talk about #motivation! Many writers are eager to form accountability group chats — this is a place to check in each day and tell your friends how much you accomplished for the day.
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Dates Set for the 2022 Winter Conference:
February 11-13
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Clear your calendars! The Winter Conference will be virtual again next year, beginning February 11, 2022. We're very excited to premiere a program that will feature more editors and agents than ever on our faculty. Members have expressed a strong desire to have access to the people who can say “Yes”, and we are listening.
There will be deep dives into craft (intensives) and many opportunities to showcase your work for both writers and illustrators. Registration will be limited. Stay tuned--more details to follow.
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SCBWI Opens Submissions for Two Major Grants For Self-Published Books on October 1 |
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As part of our extensive, all-new slate of benefits for professional independently published authors, SCBWI is launching TWO new grants for members who have either recently self-published a high quality children’s book or plan to do so in the coming year. The submission period for both grants is October 1-November 15, 2021. Winners will be announced on January 15, 2022.
Grant #1
The Independently Published Book Launch Award provides authors and author/illustrators with $2,500 in funds to help with the promotion of their newly self-published work. Two grants are offered annually. One grant is reserved specifically for a book creator from an underrepresented community.
To be eligible for this grant, you must be a current SCBWI member when your work is submitted and when the award is announced. SCBWI members with a book self-published in 2021 are eligible to apply.
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8 Reasons to Put Your Book on SCBWI's Recommended Reading List |
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You need to know why putting your book on the SCBWI Reading List is essential to giving your work the promotion it deserves. Get ready for November's theme of Native/First Nations/Indigenous Heritage, and December's theme of Holidays. Your book will be in front of thousands of readers and buyers, our upcoming initiatives include plans to expand the reach of the Recommended Reading List to school systems and library systems. It’s a great time to take part.
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4 million reasons – In 2020, the SCBWI website had 4 million total page views, and in 2021 it’s already up to 2.8 million. Each month there’s about 233,000 page views and many of those are on our Reading List. That's a lot of eyes on your work.
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A PAL member benefit – The Reading List is a place for PAL members to put their book in a showcase just for them. That’s it...just traditionally published SCBWI members.
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It’s so nice, you can post it twice – Or more if your book(s) fits different themes.
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It’s free – A member benefit that’s included in your membership fee.
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Engaging Librarians! – We send an email each month to our list of public and school librarians.
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It’s an #OwnVoices opportunity – For those month that are identity-based themes, it’s a wonderful chance to share your story, your way.
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Start spreading the news...on your social media – A built in reason to post about your book using the hashtag #SCBWIReadingList
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The variety of it all – There’s a theme for practically every book throughout the year. No matter your subject, your book will fit one of the Lists.
Click HERE to see the current Reading List for the month of October.
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IDW Publishing is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, trade paperbacks, and tabletop games, and they are currently looking to expand their list of fresh and impactful graphic novels. Founded in 1999, IDWP is one of the top four publishers of comic books and graphic novels in the U.S with an award-winning library of world-renowned licensed content and original series. More than 80 IDWP titles have appeared on The New York Times Best Sellers list, and have won 48 Eisner Awards, the highest honor in comic book publishing, and 27 Harvey Awards.
Get to know the team from IDW and see what’s on their graphic novel wish lists!
Erika Turner is IDW’s Executive Editor, Originals. Before joining IDW, Turner served as the Senior Editor at Versify, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and prior to that, she held the Editorial Project Manager position within the same company where she focused on developing and acquiring kids and young adult titles across genres and formats.
Megan Brown is an IDW Editor, Originals. Prior to joining the Originals team—where her focus is on MG/YA—Megan spent two years working with IDW’s licensed comics, helming new story directions for properties like My Little Pony, Marvel Action: Captain Marvel, and Star Trek.
Mark Doyle is IDW’s Editorial Director, Originals. Before joining IDW Mark worked at DC Comics for 14 years at the imprint Vertigo, DC’s line of literary and genre comics and then moved on to oversee the Batman line of comics for four years before moving on to launch DC’s adult superhero line, DC Black Label.
Nachie Marsham brings nearly 25 years of industry experience to his role at IDW, where he is tasked with overseeing IDW Publishing’s business units, integrating cross-platform programs, establishing growth initiatives with partners, and expanding the company’s extensive IP portfolio. Before joining the IDW team, Marsham was the Executive Editor at Disney Publishing Worldwide. He oversaw editorial teams working with various creative divisions of The Walt Disney Company, working on books including original and extension content for a variety of franchises, and working on new IP development for best-selling series from Disney.
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BookStop Opens on October 18 – Are You In? |
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Do you have a book that has been released in the past two years? Would you like to have more exposure for that book? Would you like to have the potential to introduce that book to over 50,000 book buyers and readers? Then you need to participate in Bookstop, SCBWI’s yearly online platform for browsing and buying books created by our members.
Create a BookStop page to get your book in front of readers from the first day. All the details of how to purchase and create a page can be found in the FAQ. Traditionally and independently/self-published members are encouraged to create a page. Whether you’re a PAL author or illustrator, or you’re independently publishing your first book, BookStop is the place for you to reach book buyers. SCBWI reaches out to homeschoolers, librarians, independent booksellers, parents/caregivers – everyone we can think of who would benefit from the privilege of finding out about your book. We’ll be sending social media assets to BookStop page creators before the promotion commences so don’t delay. BookStop starts October 18.
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Draw This! is our monthly prompt word for illustrators. Artists can post their DrawThis! entries on Twitter and Instagram with the tag #SCBWIDrawThis
There is no longer a gallery for DrawThis! View all entries by searching the tag #SCBWIDrawThis.
The September prompt was SCREEN TIME
The September winners are...
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The October prompt is MASQUERADE
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