One of the most common—and detrimental—query mistakes I see these days is loss of voice. I’m not referring to laryngitis. I’m talking about narrative voice: the style, spirit and tone of your manuscript. This is an easy mistake to make. After all, a query is a business...
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Recently, a former student and colleague of mine asked for advice on how to convert her picture-book-in-verse to prose. An editor had...
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We’re celebrating Women’s History month with 31 days of posts focused on improving the climate for social and gender equality in...
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Not every children's book with illustrations qualifies as a picture book. Picture book is a unique format, distinct from chapter books or illustrated novels. Picture...
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If you're a working or aspiring picture book writer, this post is for YOU. The single best resource that I know of for...
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Authors interested in doing school visits often wonder when they should contact schools to cultivate bookings. The answer is: as far in advance as...
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I'm putting the final touches on School Visit Wizard, a step-by-step, customizable kit to help authors book, plan and deliver A+ author...
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Happy New Year! As a children's author, editor and writing coach, I spend a lot of  time talking about writing and/or publishing books...
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I'm thrilled to announce that  my good friend and colleague, author and 12X12 Picture Book Challenge Founder Julie Hedlund, and I have officially launched...
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Backstory can be essential to understanding a character and his/her journey. It can deepen conflict, reveal motivation and elicit sympathy for a...
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