The Panel Begins! "The Outlook for Children's Publishing in 2023"

 

Moderated by Martha Brockenbrough (standing at left), the panelists are (left to right): Regina Brooks (Agent at Serendipity Literary Agency); Linda Camacho (Agent, Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency); Patricia Ocampo (Senior Editor, Kids Can Press); Kate Egan (Executive Editor, Pixel + Ink Books); and Arthur A. Levine (Founder and Publisher, Levine Querido).

The Debut Author Panel Begins!

Moderated by Martha Brockenbrough, the "Debut Author Panel: An Honest Talk About the Path to Publication" has four debut author panelists:

Clockwise from Martha at top left, the panelists are:

Pamela Harris, whose debut YA mystery is "When You Look Like Us"

Winsome Bingham, whose debut Picture book is "Soul Food Sunday"

Colleen Paeff, whose debut Picture book is "The Great Stink"

Dustin Thao, whose debut YA novel is "You've Reached Sam"

also pictured, in the 9 o'clock spot, is ASL interpreter Keturah.

Look for individual blog posts for each debut author!

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!

Thank you for sharing these moments of the 2017 SCBWI Winter Conference with us!

Left to Right, your SCBWI Team Blog: Jolie Stekly, Martha Brockenbrough, Lee Wind, Jaime Temairik, and Don Tate


We hope you'll join us for the 2017 SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, July 7-10, 2017!

Illustrate and Write On!

The Children's Books and Social Media Panel Begins!

From left to right:  SCBWI Team Blogger and moderator Martha Brockenbrough, blogger/librarian Travis Jonker, author/blogger Cynthia Leitich Smith, and librarian/podcast host/blogger Matthew Winner.

Martha Brockenbrough Shares "The Introvert's Guide To Surviving A Conference"

It's from Martha, so of course it's brilliant, funny, and full of good advice. Including,

"Your best bet is to come with an open heart and ears, so you can learn everything you can. There WILL be a time when you and your work are ready, and you will know when that happens. Success isn't a result of a single moment. It's something that comes with work and perseverance."

Check out Martha's full blog post here.

And you can still register for the Winter Conference in New York - all the information is here.

Thank You, and We'll See You in New York February 10-12, 2017

hard at work

From all of us on SCBWI Team Blog, thanks for joining us for the 2016 SCBWI Summer Conference.

We hope to see you in New York City, February 10-12, 2017, for #NY17SCBWI. The 2017 SCBWI Winter Conference will include full-day intensives for both writers & illustrators, a juried portfolio showcase with a grand prize, workshops, keynotes, the opportunity to network with top editors, art directors, agents and publishers, and so much more!

From left to right, your SCBWI Team Blog: Don Tate, Jolie Stekly, Martha Brockenbrough, Jaime Temairik, and Lee Wind

Thanks to Kim Turrisi and Linda Sue Park for the pictures!

Thank You, and We'll See You In Los Angeles!

SCBWI Team Blog, left to right: Lee Wind, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Don Tate, and Martha Brockenbrough

What a conference!

We hope you'll join us for all the inspiration, craft, business, opportunity and community of the 45th Annual SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, July 29 - August 1, 2016.

SCBWI Team Blog
Lee, Jaime, Jolie, Martha and Don

Rainbow Rowell and Martha Brockenbrough: Creating Teen Characters

I'm so excited about this session! Rainbow Rowell is the New York Times bestselling author of the Young Adult novels Eleanor & Park and Fangirl and Carry On. She's even received a Printz Honor for Eleanor & Park!*

Martha Brockenbrough is our very own team blogger, author of the YA novels The Game of Love and Death and Devine Intervention.**

They're talking about Creating Teen Characters, and you'd think it would feel like this:

But it really felt like this:

Rainbow and Martha had great, in-depth discussion and we were right there. They spoke about the shift that happens for writing a teen's perspective, and the shift that happens for a teen reader (versus an adult.) Rainbow said,

"I don't think about audience... I can get stalled."

They both worked as journalists, and Rainbow spoke of the good training that was (like how it was great for dialog and made her not so precious about her writing) and the challenges that same background created (her voice got "slammed out.") Rainbow joked about her contemporary realistic novels,

"What I'm doing is journalism, but lying."

Martha played the song "Hast Thou Considered The Tetrapod" by The Mountain Goats so we could all hear a bit of it. Rainbow then told us about how the song (and the whole album) inspired her novel Eleanor & Park, and "how it unlocked me." They spoke about different tools they use to get into the writing. Martha used period photos for The Game of Love and Death. Rainbow uses music as a "shortcut to get back to the emotion of that scene," describing a particular scene from Eleanor & Park and how it had a specific song.

They spoke about diversity of characters, aspirational characters versus real characters, and Rainbow's breakthrough in writing fantasy. It was a great story, about research and tropes (and playing with tropes) and how Rainbow ultimately realized that for fantasy, "I've read enough to find my own voice in it."

There was so much more, and Rainbow also answered questions from the rapt audience.

Two final bits of wisdom:

Speaking about today's teens versus the teens of the 1980s, Martha Brockenbrough said,

"We've been this age, we know what we need to know." 

Telling us of a particular character she found challenging to write, (Agatha in Carry On), Rainbow said,

"As an author, you need to find your way in."

And then she explained how she found her way into Agatha... So fascinating!

Useful. Inspiring. Very special.

What a breakout session!




*Check out all of Rainbow's titles here.

**Check out all of Martha's titles here.

Welcome, from SCBWI Team Blog

We're so glad you're here -- in person and/or following along on this blog.

SCBWI Team Blog, from Left to Right: Jolie Stekly, Martha Brockenbrough (standing), Lee Wind, Don Tate and Jaime Temairik

Welcome to #NY16SCBWI, the 17th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference!

Pre-#NY16SCBWI Interview: Award-Winning Author Kate Messner Speaks with Team Blog's Martha Brockenbrough

Kate. Martha.

It's a powerful combination.

Check out this interview, where Kate shares some things she wishes she knew when she was starting out, tells us about bullet journaling, and there's even an under 6 minute animated video of Kate giving a TED Ed talk on "Building Fictional Worlds!"

Kate Messner will be giving a keynote speech at the New York SCBWI conference in February with fellow middle-grade author Linda Urban, "Music, Mountains, and Mocha Lattes: Sustaining a Creative Life" that promises to be amazing! We hope you can join us. Here's where you can get all the info on the conference and registration.

Pre-#NY16SCBWI Interview: Agent Sarah Davies Talks to Team Blog's Martha Brockenbrough

And the first of our pre-conference faculty interviews is in (and it's awesome!)

Agent Sarah Davies talks with Martha Brockenbrough about middle grade fiction, what makes books "saleable," and when a writer can know their book is ready to submit.

Their interview is packed with great advice and suggestions, like,

"focus on developing the two big ‘C’ words — Concept and Craft." 

and

"Don’t be frightened to be radical — rewriting can be far more powerful than tweaking, as it allows you to pull in fresh thinking in the strongest possible way so the new draft feels fully coherent."

Check it out at Martha's blog here.

Sarah Davies will be on faculty at the #NY16SCBWI conference, giving a breakout workshop Saturday morning and afternoon, "Saleable and Memorable Middle Grade Fiction," and participating in the Sunday main stage panel, "Acquisitions Today: Opportunities and Challenges."

You can see Sarah in person and learn from all the amazing faculty (and fellow writer and illustrator attendees) by joining us at the 17th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in New York. Registration and details here.

Thank You And We'll See You In New York For #NY16SCBWI

From left to right: Lee Wind, Martha Brockenbrough, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik and Don Tate

From all of us at SCBWI Team Blog, thanks for following along!

We hope you'll join us for the 17th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City, February 12-14, 2016.

Featuring:

Full-day intensives for both writers and illustrators,
The juried portfolio showcase with Grand Prize,
The opportunity to network with top editors, agents and publishers
Workshops,
Keynotes
and much more!

Craft. Business. Inspiration. Opportunity. Community.
We're your SCBWI.

Martha Brockenbrough: Jumpstart Your Social Media... Ten Best Tips

@mbrockenbrough is Martha's
Twitter handle. Magnum Blackbeard
is her CB radio handle.

Author Martha Brockenbrough shares some fantastic and salient social media marketing gems. Spoiler alert: It's all about relationships!

Your strategy for social media, says Martha, is not to be on there to sell books, it's to build relationships. It is not about the technology/particular media platform, either, that is totally secondary to the connections you make on whatever platform you are comfortable being in or on.

You wouldn't start an in-real-life friendship by telling someone to buy your book, that's not how you should approach social media either. It's fine to make people aware that you write or illustrate, but Martha's hope is that you instead focus your efforts on being friendly, interacting online, and adding something to the conversations.

Give them reasons to interact with you: you can show snippets of your life, your family, vacations, things that inspire you.

Who are you building these social media relationships with? Five-year-olds don't tweet, but booksellers, librarians, teachers and parents do! All of these people are potential gatekeepers to your intended audience of your published book.

If you aren't published? Well, your fellow industry professionals, fellow authors and illustrators and agents and editors are on social media, and you can start building these relationships now and support authors and illustrators you are fans of and herald their work.

Martha's Core Principles for Online Social Media (and Martha can do an 8-minute plank, so she knows about core strength)

1. Be Positive
2. Focus on the long term
3. Build an authentic community (Martha admits it is difficult to be careful and professional while also being authentic, but hold both of these things in mind when you do broadcast yourself/opinions online)

Martha provides some platform-tailored tips and hints for how to interact on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and more, for both your personal and professional pages.

One Facebook hint: Images are often more popular than text-only posts for views and shares, consider making a quote from your book or a new, glowing review you want to share as word art or an image. Or consider using pictures to promote your event, like one of Martha's most popular booktour event info posts was this one:

See some great social media in action by using Martha as a case study:

Martha's website

Martha's blog

Martha's Twitter

Martha's Facebook

Martha's Instagram

Martha can also help you help your online self!

Martha Brockenbrough & Stacey Lee: Success Story Panel

Martha Brockenbrough is the author of YA novels THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH and DEVINE INTERVENTION, and THE DINOSAUR TOOTH FAIRY,  a picture book with much more to come.


Martha wanted to write books her whole life. She had a couple transformative moments: 1) The decision to attend this conference in 2008. 2) A class she took with Linda Sue Park that turned on a lightbulb for her (on revising scenes).

The "if I could just" thought can be dangerous (If I could just get an agent... If I could just get published...). "What's really satisfying is building meaningful relationships."

Martha thinks resistance makes you strong. It means it takes effort. We all have to get stronger in order to progress.

Martha reminds us the first draft of a novel is not going to great. There can be great moments in it, but you can't let those moments become your enemy. As Martha struggled with her only draft, Anne Ursu advised: Just finish the draft. Martha, tell us, don't stop as you go.

Martha reminds us all: The work is the reward. The work is the joy.

Stacey Lee is the author of UNDER A PAINTED SKY, her debut young adult novel.



For Stacey it was writing for many years and then taking a risk. Stacey attended a local SCBWI conference that she nearly talked herself out of attending because of fear. There, her work was recognized as the most promising manuscript and things started rolling from there for her.

Stacey wrote 5 books before breaking in with UNDER A PAINTED SKY. You have to cut your teeth working on other projects to grow as a writer.

Stacey remind us that conflict makes us keep turning pages. We need to give our characters pain to make the payoff better.

Stacey shares, success is not what defines you.

Mike Curato Interviewed by Martha Brockenbrough: The #LA15SCBWI Pre-Conference Interview

Click on over to read this chat between SCBWI Team Blog's Martha Brockenbrough and debut author/illustrator Mike Curato.

They talk day jobs and publishing dreams, polka dot elephants and shows at cupcake stores. Martha even gets Mike's time-traveling advice to himself years ago, which includes this gem:

"Make things that make you smile inside."

Mike's publishing journey is one of our "SCBWI Success Stories" featured at the upcoming 2015 SCBWI Summer Conference on a Friday afternoon panel (that I'll be moderating, and that will also feature Martha herself!)

Mike will also be co-leading a Saturday Breakout session with agent Brenda Bowen on "The Artist Agent Relationship!"

We hope you can join us for #LA15SCBWI – and perhaps it will be the path to your own SCBWI Success Story! Detailed conference information and registration here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Shannon Hale interviewed by Martha Brockenbrough: The #LA15SCBWI Pre-Conference Interview

Check out this great discussion between SCBWI Team Blog's Martha Brockenbrough and best-selling and award-winning author Shannon Hale.

Shannon shares from the heart why she's taken a stand against gender bias in our culture and especially our books. Here's just a taste:

"If I make one change in the world, I hope it's getting more people to question why boys are shamed for/kept away from reading books about girls. The more we question the idea that it's normal and natural and fine, the more we'll realize it's not and things will slowly start to change."
–Shannon Hale

Shannon will be giving a Sunday keynote address "Opening Up The Clubhouse: Boys, Girls, and Genderless Books." She will also be leading a Sunday afternoon workshop, "Writing With Kids: The Marvelous High Wire Act of Writer Parents" and a half-day intensive workshop on Monday, "Building Worlds From The Dust."

Here's the description of that intensive:

E. Shannon Hale – Building Worlds from the Dust

There's nothing like creating a whole new world inside your fantasy or science fiction novel. We'll examine other fictional worlds and discuss tricks and tips to building your own. Assignment: Come with a page or two describing the fictional world of your work-in-progress and be prepared to discuss some of your favorite world-built novels.

Many of the intensives have already sold out, but there's still space as of this writing in others, including Shannon's.

You can find out all the conference details and register here.

See You In L.A.!

And as we say in Los Angeles, "That's a wrap!"

Thank you for joining us here on the Official SCBWI Conference blog!

Lee Wind (top), and left to right: Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Martha Brockenbrough and Don Tate!

We hope you'll join Team Blog from July 31-Aug 3, 2015 in Los Angeles for all the craft, business, inspiration, opportunity and community the SCBWI Summer Conference offers. The 2015 Summer Conference Faculty will include Mike Curato, Paul Fleischman, Mem Fox, Jane O'Connor, Meg Wolitzer, and Dan Santat - who just won the Caldecott Medal!