Why You MUST Write That Children’s Book

I was recently interviewed for the esteemed blog “Cynsations,” run by the very talented YA author Cynthia Leitich Smith.  It was a real honor – Cynthia’s site is among the most respected, and followed, in the Kid Lit blogosphere – but it also gave me an opportunity to reflect on a core value of mine, [...]

Conferences, Festivals, Bookfairs and Other Opportunities for Writers to Eat

Our MFA in Writing and Literature team spent the week in Denver at the annual AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference. This got me thinking about the value of conferences to writers, and – a blog post is born!
There are essentially two different types of conferences that children’s book authors should be aware [...]

The Why’s and How’s of Choosing an Editor

Writing for young people is deceptively difficult. But getting published these days can be a harder task than the writing process.  The marketplace has changed dramatically over the past ten years, and the pressure on publishing houses to cater to their bottom lines means fewer acquisitions and higher hoops for authors to jump through in [...]

Marketing Mondays #10 – Social Networking 101 for Children’s Book Authors

This topic is WAAAYYY too big for one little blog post (which is why it’s a 101 as opposed to a 500).  That said, for those of you who are wondering if social networking applies to children’s book authors, the answer is a resounding YES.  These days, if you’re not leveraging the power of social [...]

Marketing Mondays #9: Re-Purposing

Question: How can you turn one book into multiple sources of income, and continue to promote the original book at the same time?
Answer: Re-purpose it!
Re-purposing means converting the content from your book(s) into as many other formats as you can. Could your book make an audio book? An E-book? A web game?  Is there [...]

Marketing Mondays #8: Agents and Publishers

Two of the most frequently asked questions I hear from aspiring authors are: “Do I really need an agent?” and “How do I get one?”
The answer to the first question is: Ideally, yes. Agents handle everything from submitting your manuscripts to publishers, to negotiating contracts  and overseeing royalty statements, in exchange for which they take [...]

Marketing Mondays #5: Gotta Getta Website!

You knew this was coming (and hopefully most of you have already done this): You must have your own website.
Even better is to have a website for yourself as an author, and one for each of your book projects. The URL (web address) for your own site should ideally be your name with “.com” after [...]