The Ins and Outs of Author Publishing - A Self-Publishing Panel: Lee Wind

 The Ins and Outs of Author Publishing - A Self-Publishing Panel: Lee Wind

Lee is an award-winning author, who is an incredibly powerful advocate for inclusive storytelling, championing young people, and people who write and illustrate.

He also ran the official SCBWI blog and the Conference blog for many years, and recently passed the baton on to me, Justin Campbell and I am so glad to be covering him in this post!

 Lee serves as Chief Content Officer at Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), which is one of SCBWI's valued partner organizations.

"I think that the term self-publishing tricks people into thinking that they can just "download the software to their computer", and design the cover of their own book. If you want to publish something that you created, you're now the publisher. You have to hire a team of professionals to help you make your book indistinguishable in quality."

So that's why, at IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, they've begun to use the language of author publishers. "I think it's a really good mental model shift. That's why it's called the Ins and Outs of Author Publishing."

Lee currently has seven books out; his first book being crowdfunded and author-published and the other six being published by independent publishers. 

His most recent is Like That Eleanor, from Cardinal Rule Press, about a little girl who is named after Eleanor Roosevelt by her two dads. Eleanor sees some unfair things happening in her school, and when she talks to her dads about it, they tell her about the real-life Eleanor Roosevelt, her namesake, who inspires young Eleanor to stand up and be an ally to make her corner of the world a little more fair.

His picture book that came out last year, Love of the Half-Eaten Peach, illustrated by Jieting Chen was just named a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Picture Books. Congratulations, Lee! 

"The decision about whether to publish a book yourself, or to have it traditionally published is about a particular project, it is not about you as a creator."

That decision has a lot to do with your journey and what you want out of your journey.

Check out the panel posts by Jolie Stekly and Jaime Temairik for the in depth Q&A session. Panel recordings available through September 14th, 2025! 

Lee Wind writes the books that would have changed his life as a young Gay Jewish kid. His latest nonfiction book for readers 11 and up is “The Gender Binary is a Big Lie.” Kirkus’s starred review cheered it as “an accessible, thorough, curiosity-provoking introduction to gender.” Lee is also the author of YA novels including his gay teen homage and critique of James Bond movies, "A Different Kind of Brave," that Foreword Reviews' starred review called “A gem for young adults.” His picture books include "Red and Green and Blue and White"(art by Paul O. Zelinsky) that the New York Times celebrated as “beautiful.” His June 2025 "Like THAT Eleanor" (art by Kelly Mangan) received a starred Kirkus review that praised it as “An ideal guide for readers of any age to learn how to be an ally.”

www.leewind.org/

And the SCBWI Winter 2025 In-Person Conference is getting started!

As the saying goes, let's get this party started!

from left to right, your SCBWI Team bloggers for the SCBWI Winter 2025 In-Person Conference: Lee Wind, Jolie Stekly, and Justin Campbell.

Jolie, Justin and I are delighted to be your hosts for this SCBWI Team Blog adventure... thanks for coming along, and here's to a great conference ahead!

Thank You for Joining Us for The SCBWI Summer 2024 Virtual Conference

 

Your Summer 2024 SCBWI Team Blog, clockwise from top left: Jaime Temairik, Don Tate, Jolie Stekly, Lee Wind, Justin Campbell, and Debbie Ridpath Ohi

On behalf of (alphabetical by first name order) Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Don Tate, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Justin Campbell, and myself (Lee Wind),

Thank You!

Thank you for being part of this year's SCBWI Summer Conference—and yes, you are part of it even if you've just been checking out the posts here on the Official SCBWI Conference Blog!

We hope it's been informative and inspirational, and that you're fired up creatively to dive into your works in progress!

Save the date: The 2025 SCBWI In-Person Winter Conference will take place January 31-February 2, 2025. This Conference is an opportunity to meet IN PERSON with industry professionals and fellow children’s book creators! Traditionally held in New York City, this event features deep-dive creative labs, keynote addresses from kidlit icons, industry panels, one-on-one manuscript and portfolio consultations, and an in-person Portfolio Showcase. Registration will open in the fall of 2025. Hope to see you there!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Team Blog Intros: Meet Lee Wind

 

Scenes from the recent American Library Association Conference, from top left: me and publisher Cynthia Sherry in the IPG booth just before my signing copies of my YA novel A Different Kind of Brave (Duet Books/Interlude Press/Chicago Review Press); me posing in the Reycraft Booth with a promotional peach and a copy of my newest picture book Love of the Half-Eaten Peach, illustrated by Jieting Chen and due out Sep 3, 2024; and me in the Lerner booth, marveling at the giant image of my newest nonfiction for readers 11 and up, The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie, due out Aug 6, 2024; and me speaking to a crowd of 45 or so librarians on the diversity stage about how the gender binary really is a big lie!

Hi SCBWI community!

I'm really excited to once again be the organizer—and proud member—of SCBWI Team Blog for this Summer 2024 virtual conference.

Allow me to briefly introduce myself:

As an author, I write books for kids and teens (picture books, nonfiction for ages 11 and up, and YA novels), the kind of books that if I'd had them as a Gay Jewish kid would have changed my life. And because publishing is unpredictable, I have three books out in 2024 (see caption and photo above.)

Some of my books have been challenged/banned, but I didn't write them for the haters. I write them for the young people who need to know Queer history, feel Queer hope, and access Queer joy.

To that end, right now I'm running the BRAVE kickstarter to raise funds to empower hundreds of LGBTQIA2+ and Allied teens with their own copy of my gay teen action adventure romance A Different Kind of Brave -- as I explain in the campaign notes, "My book is saying that we queer people can be our authentic selves, find love, live an adventure, save the day, be surrounded by an awesome group of diverse friends, and have our happily ever afters, too.” The campaign runs through Saturday July 20, 2024 at 6:50am Pacific, and you can learn more here: bit.ly/BRAVEkickstarter

I'm also the host and founder of Queer KidLit Creators, a community group of Queer-identified authors, translators, and illustrators of books for children, tweens, and teens. 

With that same community-organizing hat, I'll be hosting the LGBTQ+ and Allies social at this conference Saturday Aug 3 at 4pm Pacific. I hope to see you there!

Outside of the KidLit world, I have a great day-job for the nonprofit Independent Book Publishers Association, my husband and I have been together more than 27 years, we have a grown daughter, and I live in Los Angeles.

You can learn more about me and my books at my website, and I invite you to connect on socials: Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Here's to a wonderful conference ahead!
Lee

P.S. - If you're interested in crowdfunding (even if you're traditionally published), I did a free podcast about that, with 12 tips. You can listen here, or on YouTube.

We're Getting Excited! Have You Registered for #SCBWIsummer24 Yet?

 

Inspiring Keynotes!

Fascinating Panels!

Practical Craft and Business Breakout Sessions!

Helpful Peer Critiques!

Community-connecting Socials!

... And so much more! Check out the full conference schedule, and faculty, and offerings.

The online conference starts August 1, but you can still register!

Hope to see you online--* 

We have amazing team of bloggers (even if you're attending, you can't be everywhere at once, so keeping up with this conference blog, as well as team blog's social media posts (like on Bluesky) will offer you an even more expansive, informative and inspiring experience. 

Your SCBWI Team Blog for this Summer 2024 Virtual Conference is:

Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Don Tate

Jaime Temairik

Jolie Stekly

Justin Campbell

and me, Lee Wind

Each of the bloggers will be introducing themselves here before the conference, so stay tuned!**

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

*I would have put an exclamation point there, but seven, I think, should be the limit with a post this brief.
**Ack - that made eight.

Creative Lab - Don't Call it "Self" Publishing: How to Successfully Publish Your Own MG and YA Books

Andrea Fleck-Nisbet getting into detail about a P&L

Two highlights from the session I co-taught with Andrea Fleck-Nisbet:

1) "Self publisher" is a problematic term, because it tricks people into thinking they can do it all themself. But if you're going to publish a book you wrote (and/or illustrated and/or translated), you're the publisher. That means you have to hire a team of professionals to help you put out a book that is professionally published. 

An example: If no one is going to pay me to design the cover of their book, I have no business designing the cover of my book.

That's why we suggest the term "Author publisher" instead.

2) Readers generally don't care who published a book, as long as it is great. Part of what makes a book great is that it is professionally published. There's a lot of "tells" that reveal if a book has been professionally published--or not.

There's a nonprofit called IBPA (The Independent Book Publishers Association, that Andrea is the CEO of and that I work at as well as their Chief Content Officer) that offers a lot of resources for author publishers and indie publishers. Among those resources is the free-for-everyone Industry Standards Checklist. 

It's two pages long, and well-worth checking out with a book next to you -- there are some surprising things that go into a professionally published book...

Pop Quiz: Do you know what a colophon is?

(Hint, it's on the spine of pretty much every professionally published book.)

You can find out more about IBPA here.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On!
Lee

We're a week away from the SCBWI 2024 Winter Conference!

 

Jolie Stekly, Justin Campbell, and I will be blogging live from the conference floor... Between the keynotes, panels, portfolio showcase, socials, and creative labs there's going to be so much KidLit creation goodness! See the full schedule.

And we hope you'll follow along here...

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On!
Lee

Thank you for joining us for the In-Person SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference #scbwiNY23

#scbwiNY23 Team Blog, from right to left:
Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Justin Campbell, and Lee Wind
(Thanks for the photo, Laurent Linn!)

Thank you!

On behalf of Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Justin Campbell, and myself, Lee Wind, thank you for visiting the official SCBWI Conference Blog for this taste of the in-person experience. 

If you want to jump on the virtual experience, you can still sign up and learn more here.

The LGBTQIA2+ Social, hosted by Lee Wind

For a little over an hour, a group of 30 or so children's literature creators gathered in a safe space on zoom to talk about their book projects, and meet others who identify as Queer or Allies and who want to include Queer characters and themes in their work.

After introductions all around, there was a Q and A where we discussed agents, critique groups, writing outside your own experience, and more. We ended with Queer Kid Lit book recommendations from the group, that are represented in the graphics below!

Book recommendations 1 of 2 shown: I am Not Okay with This, Bye Bye, Binary, My Seventh Grade Life in Tights, This Poison Heart, Be Dazzled, Alan Cole is Not a Coward, The Gender Wheel, Gender Queer, Loveless, Heartstopper.

Book recommendations 2 of 2 shown: Melissa, Zenobia July, The Marrow Thieves, Too Bright to See, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, Alice Austen Lived Here, Adventures with My Daddies, Maiden and Princess, Bunny Bear.

#scbwiWinter22 - The 2022 SCBWI Winter Conference - Starts This Week!

Socials start Tuesday February 8, 2022... (LGBTQIA2+, Peer Critiques, Spanish Language, Translators, GenNext)

The opening keynote from Brian Selznick is Friday Feb 11.

Saturday Feb 12 is a full day of keynotes (Stephanie Garber, Kelly Yang, Paula Yoo, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton) and panels (agents! editors! art directors!)

Sunday Feb 13 is your chance to get "Up Close with Publishing Professionals" - or attend the illustrator sessions, and then attend the conference wrap-up for the awards announcements!

It's going to be an amazing conference, and while it's all online, it will still be packed with inspiration, craft, business, opportunity, and community.

And as part of that community, we have a team of amazing bloggers who will be reporting live from the conference:

Learn more about author and illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi

and author and illustrator Don Tate

and illustrator Jaime Temairik

and author Jolie Stekly

and me, author Lee Wind

We hope you enjoy the conference coverage here at the Official SCBWI Conference Blog! (http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/)

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Thank You, and Save The Dates For The SCBWI Summer 2021 Conference: July 30, 31 and August 1 (New Dates as of March 15, 2021)

On behalf of all the team bloggers for this conference, Debbie Ohi, Lakita Wilson, Don Tate, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, and myself, Lee Wind, thanks for following along!

awesome graphic by Debbie Ohi - thanks, Debbie!

And save the dates for the SCBWI Summer 2021 conference. It's going to be virtual. And it's going to be an incredible celebration of 50 years of SCBWI!

Until then, stay safe, and Illustrate, Translate, and Write On!
Lee

#NY21SCBWI Conference Attendees! Join me and some special faculty guests at Tuesday Feb 16th's LGBTQ+ and Allies Social!

It's the first official conference event, and even though the SCBWI Winter Conference is an all-virtual event this 2021, there's still going to be an LGBTQ+ and Allies Social!

Are you writing, illustrating, or translating works for kids, tweens, or teens with LGBTQAI2+ characters or themes? Or are you thinking of doing so? Then this is the social for you!

I'm hosting, and you can join in. 

Day: Tuesday February 16, 2021

Time: 4pm Pacific - 5pm Pacific

We'll be gathering in a safe space zoom room, and our special faculty guests will include Jane Yolen (multi award-winning author of 386 books for kids and adults)

The "How Do Dinosaurs..." series may be better known, but this is the most recent of Jane's titles.

Heidi Stemple (author of, most recently, with Jane, I Am The Storm)

Laurent Linn (author/illustrator of the YA novel Draw the Line and art director at Simon & Schuster

along with SCBWI staff moderators April Powers, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at SCBWI

Julian Petri,

Executive Director Lin Oliver,

Associate Executive Director Sarah Baker,

Director of Special Projects Kim Turrisi,

As well as Claudia Pearson and Debra Schmidt.

 

Conference registrants will receive a PDF schedule with event links. On clicking to join, you'll have to register for this zoom social with your name and email, and then you'll be welcomed in.

We hope to see you there. Stay safe,
Lee

***UPDATE Feb 16, 2021 at 11:30am Pacific: If you're registered for the conference, look for a special email that should have been sent to you with this event link. Thanks!***

Thank You, and Save The Dates For The Virtual New York Themed Mid-Winter Conference February 21-22, 2021

On behalf of myself, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Don Tate, Leah Henderson, Mike Jung, Susie Ghahremani, Gaby Rodriguez, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, and Winsome Bingham,

Thank you for joining us for this #SCBWISummerSpec journey!

Remember that the full recordings of the panels and keynote conversations (as well as the portfolio showcase and the conference bookstore!) will be available to everyone registered for the conference for the entire month of August.

And save the dates:

Virtual New York SCBWI Winter Conference
February 21-22, 2021

SCBWI's annual winter extravaganza will take place online in 2021. Faculty, program, and a full schedule will be available in late October 2020.

This beautiful image, and the creation animation above, are by Susie Ghahremani

3 Things About Me (Lee Wind). Well, YOU. Okay, Us. And the 2020 SCBWI Online Summer Spectacular #SCBWISummerSpec

I don't have a photo of you, but here's one of me from this week.

1. I love this community, of children's book creators. Writers, Illustrators. And the industry folks, editors, agents, art directors, marketing and PR peeps, librarians, booksellers, really, everyone who is passionate about books for children and teens. I love the community because I'm part of the community. And I became part of the community, really, the first time I attended an SCBWI event. I'm a writer by dint of my writing. And I'm a member of this community by dint of claiming a spot in the community. You can claim a spot, too. Just be being here, reading this blog. Attending virtual SCBWI events, like this SCBWI Online Summer Spectacular. And working at your own craft. We've saved a space for you.

2. I have a voice. It took me a long time to find it, in life, and in my art. (Words are my medium.) I started out writing picture books about frogs and princesses and manners. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it wasn't the story of my heart. (Thank you, Esther Hershenhorn!) And now I'm telling those heart-driven stories. My blog I'M HERE. I'M QUEER. WHAT THE HELL DO I READ? has been a great way to figure out what I want to say and how to best say it. I'm even doing video newsletters! My crowd-funded debut YA Novel, QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL, is about Wyatt, a closeted teen, who triggers a backlash when he outs Abraham Lincoln. (It was a Publishers Weekly Indie Success Story. And Foreword Reviews said it “Will change the way young readers look at history…”) My Middle Grade Nonfiction book is due out from Zest/Lerner in April 2021, and it's called NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? HIDDEN LIVES AND SECRET LOVES. And I have a picture book (not formally announced yet) coming out in the Fall of 2021 that's an empowering story for kids about social justice. Here's the thing: You have a voice, too. Take the time to develop it. And then share it with the world. We want to hear it. Kids and teens need to hear it.

3. I'm aiming for this long weekend conference to be spectacular. Yes, it's online, and meeting in person is so much more, well... personable. But this virtual incarnation is so much more accessible. Like having 10 team bloggers this time around, everyone doing a little bit so no one gets completely zoomed out. (Shout out here to Jaime, Jolie, Don, Leah, Mike, Susie, Bingham, Olugbemisola, and Gaby! Make sure to check out their introduction posts here at the scbwi conference blog, too.) I get to listen, and learn from some of the giants in our industry, having conversations with each other. LeUyen Pham and Dan Santat talking about visual storytelling? I'm there. A fantasy deep dive with Philip Pullman and Arthur Levine? Can't wait! And of course, the LGBTQIA and Allies Social, happening Monday August 3, 2020 at 5pm Pacific in a safe space zoom that I'll be hosting with special guests! Whether you're following along on twitter and elsewhere with the conference hashtag

#SCBWISummerSpec

or you're jumping into every big zoom conversation live (or watching the recordings later), whether you're grabbing time to be creative in between sessions, or enjoying some of the live virtual yoga "interludes" led by my friend Lori Snyder, you can make this conference experience just what YOU need it to be for you. And that sounds pretty spectacular, doesn't it?

Here's to a wonderful conference ahead, all!

Stay safe,
Lee

Are you ready to "get your gold on?" (The Golden Kite Awards, that Is!)

Leah Henderson and I are here to blog highlights of all the buzz and excitement of tonight's party, awards ceremony, and reception!

Follow along here and with #NY20SCBWI

The Official Welcome From Lin Oliver to the SCBWI 2019 Winter Conference

Welcome!

There are 788 of us at this sold-out conference, with many hundreds on the waiting list. 240 attendees with published books. From 14 countries and 44 U.S. states, all bringing our own backgrounds and experience to children's publishing.

**Note that with the new format of this conference, we've streamlined the blogging, which is being brought to you by Lee Wind and Adria Quiñones. The full SCBWI Team Blog will be back for the SCBWI 2019 Summer Conference, August 9-12, 2019 in Los Angeles!**

Adria Quiñones (left) and Lee Wind

Thank you from all of us on SCBWI Team Blog - #LA18SCBWI Edition! (Save the Dates for #NY19SCBWI and #LA18SCBWI)

Thanks for joining us on this virtual adventure—a highlights reel of the inspiration, craft, business, opportunity, and community that make up the SCBWI Summer Conference.

From left to right, your #LA18SCBWI Team Bloggers:
Lee Wind, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Martha Brockenbrough, Adria Quiñones, and Don Tate.

And we hope you'll save the dates for the upcoming:

SCBWI 20th Annual Winter Conference
New York City, Feb 8-10, 2019
Online conference registration posted in October at www.scbwi.org

and

SCBWI 48th Annual Summer Conference
Los Angeles, Aug 9-12, 2019
Online conference registration post in March at www.scbwi.org

Until then, keep writing and illustrating!

Gearing up for #LA18SCBWI

It's here! Tomorrow's the start of the 2018 SCBWI Summer Conference here in Los Angeles, and here's how to both contribute and follow along on social media.

The official hashtag:

#LA18SCBWI

The easiest way to tap into the stream of inspiration, business tips, craft insights, opportunity, and community is to search with the hashtag on your favorite social media platform and find the people posting/tweeting/snapping about #LA18SCBWI... and then follow them, and join in the conversation yourself!


Your #LA18SCBWI Team Bloggers Are:

Martha Brockenbrough

Martha Brockenbrough is the author of several books for young readers, including Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary (Feiwel & Friends); The Game of Love and Death; and Love, Santa (both Arthur A. Levine Books). She is a faculty member at Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children & Young Adults program. Forthcoming titles include Unpresidented, a biography of Donald Trump, and Cheerful Chick, a picture book about a resilient bird with a big dream. http://martha-brockenbrough.squarespace.com/

**

Adria Quiñones

Adria Quiñones is a wildly successful technical writer who began writing novels for kids in order to have the experience of writing something that someone actually wanted to read. She is a member of Metro-NYC SCBWI's steering committee, hosts the chapter's Upper West Side write/sketch night, and helped found DIALOGS, the chapter's meet-up for kidlit creators from marginalized communities. Adria is a regular contributor to the Metro-NYC SCBWI‘s blog and was a winner of the SCBWI 2014 Midwinter Conference’s prestigious joke contest. In January 2015, Adria was named one of the winners of SCBWI’s Emerging Voices Award for her middle-grade novel, The Disappeared. She is currently at work on a picture book. http://adriaq.com/

**

Jolie Stekly

Jolie Stekly is a writer, instructor, and coach. She’s a long-time member of SCBWI and was recognized as SCBWI’s member of the year in 2009. She is a former regional advisor of the SCBWI Western Washington region. Her writing is represented by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio. www.joliestekly.com/

**

Don Tate

Don Tate is an award-winning author and the illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children. He is also one of the founding hosts of the blog, The Brown Bookshelf – a blog designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers. Don’s books have won the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, The Christopher Award, a Texas Institute of Letters Literary Award, a Writers’ League of Texas Book Award, and the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. dontate.com

**

Jaime Temairik

Jaime Temairik is originally from Washington State and has recently moved to Philadelphia, PA, where she enjoys finding soft pretzels and colonial-era privy pits. Visit her online illustration portfolio at www.jaimetemairik.com to learn more about her books and work (but not her privy pits).

**

Lee Wind

Lee Wind, M.Ed., (and yes, the author of this blog post) is the official blogger for SCBWI (www.scbwi.blogspot.com) and is Captain of SCBWI’s Team Blog. His award-winning personal blog, I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read (www.leewind.org) has had over 2.5 million page loads and is a Children's Book Council "Great Diversity Blog." A writer of picture books through YA, his debut crowdfunded teen novel, "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill," publishes October 2, 2018.

**

Here's to an amazing #LA18SCBWI ahead!

See you at the 2018 SCBWI Summer Conference!

Save the Dates:

August 3 - 6, 2018

In Los Angeles, CA

And thanks for following along from us, the members of SCBWI Team Blog who blogged this #NY18SCBWI 2018 Winter Conference, (at the blogging table, from right to left): Jaime Temairik, Martha Brockenbrough, Jolie Stekly, and Lee Wind.

Thank You! (And Save The Dates For #NY18SCBWI and #LA18SCBWI

Thank you for following along for #LA17SCBWI with us!

Team Blog #LA17SCBWI: from left, Sona Charaipotra, Jaime Temairik, Lee Wind, Jolie Stekly, and Susie Ghahremani.

And here are the dates for the 19th Annual Winter Conference in New York City: February 2-4, 2018.

With full-day intensives for both writers and illustrators
Juried Portfolio Showcase with grand prize
Network with top editors, agents, and publishers
Be in the center of the children's publishing industry
Workshops, Keynotes, networking, and much more!

Online conference registration will be posted in October at scbwi.org

And for the 47th Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles: August 3-6, 2018.

With over 75 workshops and 15 keynote speakers
Monday post-conference intensives
Special hands-on workshops for illustrators, Craft intensives for published, self-published, and pre-published authors
Individual manuscript or portfolio critiques
Juried portfolio showcase with grand prize and mentorship opportunities

Online conference registration will be posted in March 2018 at scbwi.org