From The Blog
Tips for Creating Child Appeal in Your Picture Books
When I wrote Chicken Wants a Nap, I was exhausted myself. I was going to grad school full time and working part-time, and the thing I wanted to do most was sleep! So for that day’s assignment, I wrote the story of a chicken who desperately wanted a nap, but was...
read moreJoin us for a #ChickenPBChat today at 6pm EST!
Today's the day! Excited to answer your questions about writing, illustrating or publishing picture books with author-illustrator Jannie Ho tonight at 6pm EST. And, while I have very limited knowledge of chickens, I'm happy to answer those questions too. (Caveat: I...
read moreGuest post: What happens after you publish your first picture book? by Tara Lazar
Today I'm thrilled to host Tara Lazar for a guest post about what it's like to publish your fifth picture book versus your first. Tara's latest book, Way Past Bedtime, published this past Tuesday and she's got two more forthcoming. Take it away, Tara! Once a big...
read moreSave the date for a #ChickenPBChat!
Save the date for a special Twitter chat event! Author-illustrator Jannie Ho (Bear and Chicken, Running Press Kids) and I will be hosting a #ChickenPBChat on Twitter on May 4th (International Respect a Chicken Day - who knew?) at 6pm EST. We'll be answering questions...
read moreTips For Writing Characters That Connect with Readers
Over at the First Five Frenzy post from last month, I talked about how to help a reader connect to your manuscript in the first five pages. I thought I'd quickly break down some of the previous advice that pertains to character, and then share a few more tips! Don't...
read moreWho chooses the illustrator for picture books?
Sometimes in my agent submissions, I'll see query letters that state that the author doesn't have an illustrator for their book. This is okay. In fact, it's expected! If an author is not an author-illustrator shopping a book dummy, then the manuscript would be pitched...
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