Upcoming NESCBWI Events

Check out the events page at New England

Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators

on Facebook.

Check out the SCBWISummer Conference!

NESCBWI will be represented there.

*September 6, 7, & 8, 2019

SCBWI New England weekend retreat at

Squam Lake, New Hampshire Rockywold Deep Haven Resort

Holderness New Hampshire.Email

northernnera@nescbwi.org for more info.

News the society of children’s book writers illustrators&New England

May - June 2019

The NESCBWI Regional Conference May 3- 5, 2019

In just a few days, we will be Paving Your Road to Success on the Golden Brick Road. The team is beyond honored to present Patricia MacLachlan on Friday night for a fireside chat hosted by Heidi Stemple. Afterwards, we have made space for socializing and networking. On Saturday morning, Lynda Mullaly Hunt will start your day off with her keynote presentation titled The Long, Bumpy, Joyous, and Often Painful Path - and Why it’s All Worth it. Tissues will probably be required. Saturday night, after a full day of workshops geared toward your success, we can gather again to learn about critique groups, speak at open mic and view the amazing contributions to the Illustrators showcase. And finally, Sunday morning will begin with an inspirational keynote presentation by Ekua Holmes’s, titled Success Has Many Parents. Be prepared to be awed and amazed.

In between all of this we will have award presentations, much needed coffee, panels full of opportunity and learning and plenty of time to celebrate the work we do all year round. Pack your bags soon, but remember, all you really need to bring is your curiosity, passion and joy for all things related to art for children.2019 NESCBWI Regional Spring Conference CoordinatorsLoretta Kapinos, Casey Robinson, Regional Advisor Kristine Asseli

For more info, like us on Facebook: NESCBWI Spring Conference Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter: @nescbwi.

What’s Inside!

The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators New England Who’s Who page 2 Meet & Greets! page 3 The RA’s Desk page 6Whispering Pines Report page 7Squam Lake Retreat page 9Member News page 9 Critique Group NEWS page 13Market Report page 15

The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators New England Your Regional Team

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nescbwi

The NEWS is available to all SCBWI members through www.newengland.scbwi.orgTheNew England Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators is a chapter of the international Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, 8271 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048. See www.scbwi.org for more information. Articles and events listed in the NEWS are for your information only and, except for SCBWI sponsored events, should not be considered an endorsement.

The New England region is an all-volunteer organization. To volunteer, please email your Regional Advisor.

Original artwork, photos, and articles are property of their creators and may be reproduced only with their written permission.

Regional AdvisorsDenise Ortakales northernnera@nescbwi.orgKristine Asselin centralNERA@nescbwi.orgStacy Mozer southernnera@nescbwi.org

Assistant Regional AdvisorsShawn Anderson northARA@nescbwi.orgPam Vaughan centralARA@nescbwi.orgChristy Yaros southARA@nescbwi.org

Illustrator CoordinatorsMilanka Reardon centralIC@nescbwi.orgRuss Cox northIC@nescbwi.orgJeanette Bradley southIC@nescbwi.org

Critique Group Coordinatorsnecritiquegroups@gmail.com.Southern - Cindy Rodriguez Northern - Sally WilkinsCentral - Rajani Larocca

Conference DirectorsNESCBWI19@gmail.comLorettajo Kapinos 2018-19Casey Watts Robinson 2019-20Kristine Asselin RA

Email List Administrator Sally Riley RAE writes4kids@cox.net

NEWS StaffEditor-in-ChiefMargo Lemieux RAE news@nescbwi.org

Market News EditorJ. L. Bell JnoLBell@earthlink.net

Member News EditorCarol Munroe membernews@nescbwi.org

What’s Going On

Please check out the NESCBWI Facebook Events Page. You will find an up-to-date listing of events

there. https://www.facebook.com/nescbwi/events?key=events

 

How to Successfully Host (and Attend) a NESCBWI Meet & Greet

Shawn Thomas Anderson

Assistant Regional Advisor

Fresh buds on tree branches, long drives on muddy dirt roads, and look—the first blooms have pushed through the soil! It finally feels like spring up here in Northern Vermont. It’s time to throw open the windows, and it’s an ideal time to plan an SCBWI Meet & Greet or two, since it’s easier for folks to travel.

It’s been a year since Marilyn McDowell approached me to help her plan a Meet & Greet in our neck of the woods, a far-flung corner of Northern Vermont nestled up against New Hampshire, not far from the Canadian border. We were pleasantly surprised by the attendance of a dozen published and pre-published writers and illustrators.

Almost a year later, and we’re still meeting at the same rustic pub in Danville, Vermont, a town of white buildings arranged around an old village green that’s known for its rolling farmlands and scenic vistas. Though the snow, sleet, and ice made travel a little more unpredictable in late winter and early spring, we had 14 people attend our last gathering. Writers and illustrators traveled from as far as Burlington (on the other side of the state) to gather for food, drink, and good company.

Through helping to coordinate Meet & Greets—not only in Vermont, but all over New England—I’ve collected these tips help you make the most of these gatherings: (continued on the next page)

Daffodils & Danville Vermont sunset photos courtesy of Shawn

VT Group Photo: Cynthia (C.A.) Morgan, Sharon Darrow, Lesley Nase, Tanya Sousa, Beth Kanell, Alec Hastings, Lynda Barber, Marilyn McDowell, and Jerry Johnson

1 | First of all, don’t focus on the numbers. There are no attendance goals! Meet & Greets should be easy, casual, and social. They are opportunities to connect with SCBWI members and other local writers and illustrators. Even if there are only three people at your next Meet & Greet, it’s still a chance to connect with others and expand your creative community. I think a Meet & Greet is a tremendous success if I reconnect with a friend that I haven’t seen in a while and/or I meet one new person. It’s that simple.

2 | Next, set up a regular meeting spot.

Finding the right location is key, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. Scout out places that are centrally located with plenty of parking, seating, and easily accessibility. It shouldn’t cost you a thing, but it’s nice for attendees to be able to purchase a drink and something to eat. Giving the venue a heads up and reserving and appropriate spot, and you are ready to go. Sometimes cafes and taverns can get pretty loud, and it’s always nice to ask bookshops and libraries if attendees can bring refreshments in. It might take a little trial and error to find the right place.

3| Have a conversation starter in your back pocket.

I encourage people to bring their published work, promotional material, a cover reveal, a pitch…something that they would like to share. Sometimes we pick a topic to get the conversation rolling, but so far, we have never had to use them. From publishing stories to recent workshop experiences and good news, people always seem to have plenty to share.

4| Collect contact info and send a follow-up email.

Passing around a sheet of paper to collect names, emails, and the towns that people are coming from is a nice way to grow your gatherings and community. It’s nice to follow up a Meet & Greet with a note, and you

can use the list when planning the next gathering. When I collect emails, I always ask if it’s okay to share contact information with the group. Attendees often contact me to help them stay in touch with the people that they met.

5 | Get creative with the guest list.

Remember, you don’t need to be a SCBWI member to attend a Meet & Greet. They are open events, so feel free to invite other writers who want to learn more about the organization or people who are just getting started in illustrating or writing for children and teens. It’s also nice to invite others from your local book community: librarians, booksellers, a local author that you haven’t seen at a SCBWI event. The more the merrier!

6 | Take a photo and note the people in the shot.

I must confess, I often get so caught up in the socializing that I forget to take a picture. It’s a great way to capture the moment and it’s helpful when planning the next Meet & Greet. Ask a barista or server to take the photo, so you are in the group. Take a moment after the shot is taken to jot down everyone’s names, making it easy to connect names with faces.

7 | Have fun!

We have successfully grown the frequency and numbers of attendees at our Meet & Greets across New England, but I still get inquiries and requests from areas where people are looking to connect with others. If you would be interested in starting a Meet & Greet in your area or one of the areas below please contact me at northara@nescbwi.org.

Here are some areas that people frequently ask about:

• The Mid-Coast of Maine,

• The North Shore of Massachusetts,

• Keene, New Hampshire / Brattleboro, Vermont area

• Northampton, Massachusetts area Alec Hastings and Christy Mihaly

• Danbury, Connecticut area

Cynthia (C.A.) Morgan and Sharon Darrow

Whispering Pines Writers’ RetreatsPam Vaughan

Assistant Regional Advisor

Have you ever attended a Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat?

It’s a magical event where you spend two nights and three days in an idyllic setting (at the W. Alton Jones campus in Rhode Island) immersed in workshops, mentor meetings, amazing meals, inspiring activities, and social time with your peers as well and five industry professionals (agents, editors, and authors). It’s an exclusive weekend with a limited number of attendees. It’s become so popular, we now offer two sessions.

Typically, these retreats are held in March and April. However, the University of Rhode Island has decided that this campus will no longer be open those months.

But don’t worry – the Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreats, with their regular programming, will still continue!

Save the dates for October 2020

WPWR-1: Oct. 2-4 and WPWR-2: Oct. 22-24

Can’t wait that long? Neither can we! To keep our momentum going from our two fabulous 2019 retreats, we are holding a BONUS retreat - the Whispering Pines Working Retreat - this October 25-27, 2019.

The Whispering Pines Working Retreat (WPWR-3) has no frills, no faculty, but plenty of outstanding food and time to focus on getting quality work done in a quiet and quaint setting.

Come alone, or bring your critique group, and have real-time writing and revising. Sketch, paint, draft, or draw by the picturesque lake surrounded by the October foliage. Clear your head or work through plot holes with a walk or run along scenic trails. Enjoy the charming accommodations and the scrumptious meals prepared for you. Join your peers for brainstorming and problem solving discussions by the fireplace or bonfire. The limited number of participants adds to the ambiance.

Is a working retreat for me you ask? A great question. Are you a writer or illustrator? Then this retreat is for you! Are you outlining a new novel? Then this retreat is for you! Are you drafting a new book? Then this retreat is for you! Are you revising a picture book, a novel, a dummy? Then this retreat is for you! Do you want to have a place to meet with your critique group face to face? Then this retreat is for you!

Do you need some time away to focus on your project? Then this retreat is for you! Do you want to spend time with other like-minded writers and illustrators? Then this retreat is for you!

Take some time for yourself to tackle that project or to relax and rejuvenate for the next project.

Either way, it’s going to be a spectacular time of year and an outstanding group of fellow writers and illustrators. Again, there will be no mentors (agents or editors) at this working retreat.

We can’t be more excited about this bonus opportunity, and would love for you to join us!

Check out our website for more information about our WPWR-1 and WPWR-2 retreats, and registration for WPWR-3 which will be happening very soon. www.whisperingpinesretreat.org

The Pines Whisper, The Writers Do Not

A Report on the 2019 Whispering Pines Writing Retreat – 2

Kelly Carey

It is wonderfully ironic that a place called Whispering Pines can make your writing heart roar. But that is exactly what happens every time writers convene at the Annual Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat in West Greenwich, RI. The trees whisper over the pond dotted grounds, but the writers who rumble in are loud with kidlit energy.

Over the first weekend in April, forty writers along with five expert mentors met to connect, learn, and improve their writing. Under the careful planning and enthusiastic guidance of retreat coordinators Pam Vaughan and Julia Boyce, the weekend is equal parts casual and serious. That combination allows participants to improve their craft through workshops and one-on-one critiques, and to forge meaningful writing friendships over camp games, fantastic meals and crackling fires.

Linda Crotta Brennan, founder of Whispering Pines, sketching the lake. Photo by Julia Boyce.

WPWR-2 MENTORS:Megan Abbate (editor), Jenna Pocius (agent), Elizabeth Bennett (agent), Stephanie Pitts (editor), Padma Venkatraman (author).

This year’s event, themed Illuminate, featured mentors Megan Abbate, Assistant Editor, Roaring Brook Press; Jenna Pocius, Agent, Red Fox Literary; Stephanie Pitts, Editor, G.P. Putnam’s Sons; Elizabeth Bennett, Agent, Transatlantic Agency; and Padma Venkatraman, author of The Bridge Home. Megan kicked off the workshops with a master class on diversity and power dynamics as she encouraged writers to examine where their characters live on an axis of privilege graph. Jenna continued the morning with a behind the scenes peek at the role and responsibilities of a

good literary agent. Then Stephanie used actual correspondence between an author and editor to help writer’s decode editor speak and revise smartly. The afternoon was reserved for mentor meetings and a lively revolving chat by author Kristin Russo on pacing. Pam and Julia brought us all together in the evening for team building games and motivational exercises designed to fire up our writing momentum and give us a chance to gather and visit.

Saturday kicked off with a fireside chat from former retreat director and a favorite NESCBWI author, Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Lynda shared candid insights into the motivation behind her writing and the fulfilling experiences she has found connecting with readers. Eager to write after Lynda’s encouragement, Elizabeth Bennett offered chapter books as a possible format in her workshop that explored the market and books of this genre. Then the lively Padma stepped forward and decided it was time to write. She challenged the group to mine memories and feelings in a perfect cascade of writing prompts that allowed us to flex our newly improved and illuminated writing muscles.

We concluded our retreat with a panel discussion that touched on diversity, tips on revision, queries and the children’s publishing market. With our notebooks bursting with new ideas and helpful guidance, business cards and I-phone photos of new friends and old, books purchased and autographed by retreat attendees, we departed feeling refreshed, grateful and illuminated. The whispering pines that towered over our retreat space created a cocoon where authors, agents, and editors mixed and mingled, and freely shared knowledge, ideas, cocktails, popcorn and boisterous laughter.

If you’d like to take part in the next Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat, stay tuned for news on a date switch to October 2019 for a working retreat for authors and illustrators and the regular Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat curriculum in October 2020.

Kelly Carey’s debut picture book, How Long is Forever?, will be released by Charlesbridge in April 2020. Her award winning magazine fiction stories have been published for over a decade in Clubhouse Jr., Highlights for Children, and Girls’ World. Kelly is the co-founder of the blog 24 Carrot Writing (www.24carrotwriting.com) and she lives in Upton, MA. Learn more about Kelly at her website www.kcareywrites.com.

Above: Eileen Washburn, Krista Surprenant, Lynda Mulally Hunt, Sylvia Liu. Right: Julia Boyce, Margo Lemieux, Megan Abbate, Linda Norman-Lyman, Bethany Jensen, Warren Ross. Photo credit: Pam Vaughan

Save the Date!

September 6, 7, and 8, 2019

SCBWI New England is sponsoring a weekend retreat at Squam Lake, New Hampshire at the Rockywold Deep Haven Resort in Holderness New Hampshire.

The Retreat is limited to 30 attendees and will include presentations by three mentors, individual critiques, peer critiques, writing and revising time, and more. Canoe and kayak rentals are available for rest and relaxation.

The price of the retreat will include food, lodging and a personal critique by one of our mentors.

Julie Bliven of Charlesbridge Publishing is joining us as one mentor and Emily Mitchell, agent with Werner and Pratt is another mentor. Additional information will be announced soon.

So mark your calendars and join us for this weekend retreat

Member News

Carol Munro

Tell us what you’ve been up to in your writing life. Jot this down — membernews@nescbwi.org — and send me your news whenever you have it (or by June 21 for the next issue). This is a place for us to get to know each other. This is your piece of the newsletter. So please, use it when you’ve got some news. Thanks! — Carol Munro

Award Winners

Rebekah Lowell’s own-voices, middle grade novel in verse, THE ROAD TO AFTER, has received the Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award.

Each year the Children’s Book Committee honors emerging writers and writer/illustrators with the Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Awards. Editors at major publishing houses will read the winning manuscripts.

Rebekah will present her work, along with the other two recipients of the award, Krista Surprenant and Anthony Lathrop, at this year’s Discovery Evening on May 19, 2019 held at Simmons College in Boston.

The Road to After follows the journey of an eleven-year-old girl, who is suddenly free after being held captive by her father her entire life, along with her mother and sister. The story sheds light on recovery after domestic abuse—healing is never a straight path, but there is hope in starting over.

About getting it done, Rebekah says: This project began as a picture book four years ago, but the story demanded more space on the page, so during February 2016, I committed to writing one thousand words a day and completed the first draft of over thirty thousand words that month. Over the years, I’ve cut poems, added poems, restructured plot, lost complete sections, and merged others, so now the book stands at twenty thousand words, leaving room for my pencil and graphite dust illustrations. While this story was born from personal experience, it’s been important for me to fictionalize the work so I can step back and accept revision in effort to make it the best book it can be—and I know revision isn’t over yet.

When I read the email announcing that my manuscript had been selected as one of the recipients of the Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award, I lost the ability to breathe for a few seconds! It was an amazing, unexpected moment. Even though I’m thrilled personally, it feels so validating for middle grade books with tough topics. Children of all ages experience real struggles every day, and we need more books to reflect this so they can feel seen too.

www.rebekahlowell.com

Parma Venkatraman is thrilled to share that her latest novel, THE BRIDGE HOME, which was released in February to five starred reviews (Kirkus, PW, Booklist, SLJ, SLC) received an Earphone Award for the audio—which she herself read for the recording. Padma says, “I am very excited about the starred reviews, because I figure if people come of age at 17 in the magical world, I’ve now come of age if you count in starred reviews—17 so far, for my novels, altogether!”

www.padmavenkatraman.com

Book Birthdays

February 1 MATZAH BELOWSTAIRS

By Susan L. Meyer, Illustrated by Mette Engell (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Miriam Mouse’s family always celebrates Passover Belowstairs, while the human Winklers celebrate Abovestairs. But this year Miriam cannot bring home any bits of matzah for the Mouse family Passover because the Winklers have stored their matzah in a tin. All seems lost for the Mouse family Seder until Miriam Mouse comes upon the Winkler family’s afikomen—just before Eli Winkler does!

www.susanlynnmeyer.com

March 5 FLOWER TALK: HOW PLANTS USE COLOR TO COMMUNICATE

By Sara Levine, Illustrated by Masha D’yans (Lerner/Millbrook)

A cantankerous talking cactus as a narrator explains the significance of different colors of flowers in terms

of which pollinators (bees, bats, birds, etc.) different colors “talk” to. A fun nonfiction presentation of science info that may be new to many kids—and adults!

About getting it done, Sara says: The idea for Flower Talk came from a paragraph in a textbook I’d inherited for a college course on introductory biology. It detailed how specific colors of flowers attract specific pollinators—information that was new and fascinating to me, and, later, equally fascinating to my college students. I thought it would make a great picture book, so I wrote it up. My brilliant editor, Carol Hinz, liked the idea but thought the first draft lacked the humor and playfulness of my other books, and she suggested making the narrator a plant. This opened up creative possibilities for me, and the cranky, but loving cactus came to be.

www.saralevinebooks.com

April 2 LIBERTY FRYE AND THE EMPEROR’S TOMB, LIBERTY FRYE SERIES (Book Three)

By J.L. McCreedy (Independent publisher, Penelope Pipp Publishing)

The third installment in the middle grade adventure-fantasy series finds Liberty (Libby), a witch-in-training with a proclivity for mishaps, and her marooned gang on the shores of ancient China … where they must seek the aid of an invisible wizard hiding somewhere on a mountaintop … who may or may not hold the secrets to time travel. Easy, right? What to expect: “[E]xcellent writing, thinking and adventuring all rolled into one.” The Children’s Book Review

About getting it done, Jesse says: As with books one and two, Liberty Frye’s adventures take place in locations where I’ve lived, be it Germany, the Kingdom of Tonga or China. I love to weave historical, literary and cultural elements into the storyline, and seeing my characters experience these things in real time is nothing short of magic for me. But as fulfilling as blending my wanderlusting ways with these imaginary worlds can be, it becomes real when shared with others. Since returning to the USA and settling into a small mountain town in New Hampshire, I’ve found the libraries, book shops—and even the local newspapers—tremendously supportive (especially considering that I’m an indie author), and engaging with them has renewed my excitement and devotion to storytelling.

www.jlmccreedy.com

Book Deals

Carrie Finison’s picture book DON’T HUG DOUG, about a boy who doesn’t like hugs, will be illustrated by Daniel Wiseman and published by Putnam in 2021. The book aims to spark discussions about bodily autonomy and empower all children, whether they like hugs or not, to decide when and whom they hug.

About getting it done, Carrie says: I started this book in 2015, shared many versions with critique partners, and got several conference critiques with editors as well. But I always seemed to get stuck on it. I knew this was a common problem for children—my own kids have gone through phases where they have been more or less comfortable with hugging, and some kids never like it. But I could never solve the puzzle of how to end the story. How could Doug overcome the problem of people wanting to hug him when he didn’t want to be hugged? I put it aside for a while to work on other things. Then the #metoo movement took off, and my thoughts began swirling again. I finally realized—the problem of the book was not just Doug’s problem to solve. It’s ALL of our problem. I revised drastically, changing the POV and the tense of the story, and threw out most of the characters, and suddenly—it worked! I don’t know that I could have done that deep revision without waiting several years. Sometimes a long journey is the one that is needed.

www.carriefinison.com

Conference/Event Activities

Four of the seven panelists in a cross-curricula session at the National Science Teacher’s Association (NSTA) annual conference in St. Louis were NESCBWI members. Introducing their award-winning books were Mary Morton Cowan (2nd from left), Heidi E. Y. Stemple (center), Cheryl Bardoe (speaking), and Melissa Stewart (2nd from right).

www.marymortoncowan.com, www.heidieystemple.com, www.cherylbardoe.com, www.melissa-stewart.com

Critique Group News

Cindy L. Rodriguez

South Critique Group Coordinator

Every year, when the New England weather shifts from winter to spring, I am filled with hope and possibility. Flowers start to bloom, I am a few weeks away from summer vacation—prime writing time for teachers—and the NESCBWI conference is on the horizon. I know I will head home after this year’s conference charged with creative energy because that is the effect it has on me every year. Spring, therefore, is the perfect time to recommit myself to the things I want and need to do. Number one on that list is write more and share my work with my critique group.

I admit, I am not always the best critique group member. I don’t attend every meeting. I don’t always have something to share. Life gets in the way sometimes. When that happens, my creative self is put on the back burner while my roles as mom, wife, dog owner, daughter, sister, friend, and teacher take precedence. I’m thankful that my critique group friends are patient, understanding, and supportive. This is exactly what a critique group should be!

If you are not a member of a critique group, I highly recommend it. Check out this link for open groups in your area: https://nescbwicritiques.blogspot.com/

If you are going to the NESCBWI conference, find out more about critique groups. The regional coordinators will be there, and we will be doing a critique group demonstration on Saturday night, which will be followed by critique sessions.

And if you are a member of a critique group, but you haven’t attended for a while or had something to share, as I said, now is a great time to recommit yourself. Your ideas are percolating just as quickly as the grass is growing. You know those ideas are not going to go away, so get them down on paper and share them at your next critique group meeting.

In Connecticut, we have one group that is looking for members, another that has been revived, and a third that has been meeting regularly for years. These aren’t the only groups out there, but a sample of what’s going on and a glimpse into the reality of forming and maintaining groups. They take work, time, effort, and commitment.

Kathryn Merrifield is trying to start a group for young adult writers in Greenwich, CT. Her listing states that the group will be staying productive and asking the right questions while providing meaningful feedback about a fellow writer’s work. Kathryn also states that YA writers who also write other genres, such as picture books and middle grade, are also welcome. If this sounds like the right match for you, contact Kathryn at kjmbny@gmail.com.

Another Connecticut group has successfully been revived, thanks to Jennifer Edwards.

“The best news for us is we are just beginning a new group with fresh enthusiasm and excited picture book writers. I’d say that is pretty impressive!”

Jennifer posted a listing to revive a picture book critique group that began at her house more than ten years ago and then moved to another member’s house, but fizzled when that person moved to California. Jennifer encouraged people in her post to dust off their manuscripts and breathe life back into their great stories. That’s exactly what happened, and now this group is actively meeting in New Canaan.

A third group, the Page Turners, have met monthly in Glastonbury for more than six years. They are the patient, understanding, supportive friends I mentioned earlier. We are led by Connie Salmon and Cherish Ann Lisee.

“I think our group works well because we use the sandwich method, where we say something that we like first about the story and then discuss things that maybe we think could be improved, while always remaining helpful instead of hurtful,” said Cherish.

Here are some are some of our group’s high notes:

Karen Mae Adams was a Tassy Walden Award finalist for her picture books, Winter Birds and Davie & Duck.

Kimberly Mach was the 2018 Tassy Walden Award Winner for her middle grade novel, Present, Still Missing, and was a finalist the same year for another MG manuscript, Ekimmu.

Cherish Ann Lisee has been a Tassy Award finalist for her picture books, The New Tap Shoes and The Royal Pie Contest and for her young adult novel, A Stranger’s Heart.

Connie Salmon has had several non-fiction articles published, her latest will be in Skipping Stones, a multicultural literary magazine.

Joan Chaput will have poems published in Haiku Journal.

Eileen Packard has written and illustrated five self-published children’s books and two activity books. https://eileenpackard.weebly.com/

My young adult novel, When Reason Breaks, was published by Bloomsbury in 2015 and was a Crystal Kite Finalist. My essay, “I’m a Survivor” was published by Simon Pulse in 2018 in the anthology Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles.

Other highlights have included Kimberly making us cry when she read a folktale about acceptance, Eileen making us laugh with her jokes, and the group exchanging small gifts at Christmas time. You see, critique groups don’t always have to be all-business. One of the priceless benefits of joining a great critique group is that you not only get comments on your work, but you also get a new circle of friends.

Fun at Whispering Pines. Kristen Wixted, Lynda M. Hunt, Jenny Bagdigian, Heather Kelly, Sandy Budiansky, Brook Gideon. photo by

Pam Vaughan

Market NewsJ. L. Bell

The children’s book market is changing, so a round-up of market news has to change as well.

When I took over this column more than ten years ago, information about children’s-book editors was still hard to come by. Almost all of them preferred to stay behind the scenes. The acknowledgments in an adult book might name the author’s editor and agent, but children’s books rarely contained that section.

Social media changed that. The internet was already making industry information easier to come by. Michael Cader’s Publishers Marketplace website had begun to report acquisitions and job moves, and the venerable Publishers Weekly followed suit. Bulletin boards let aspiring authors share information about publishing houses large and small. Perhaps most striking, in the last ten years editors themselves ventured out from behind their stacks of manuscripts to become a presence on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms. Most still promote their authors rather than themselves, but they’re no longer hard to identify.

Knowing who edited which books from major companies had become less important, however. The big publishers became even bigger with ongoing acquisitions and mergers, and more of them closed their transoms to unsolicited manuscripts. Some divisions are still open to queries, to be sure, but these days being represented by a literary agent is almost a prerequisite for finding a home at a big press with major clout and marketing.

Fortunately, many more people have entered the field of representing children’s authors and illustrators. Technology allows literary agents to work in many parts of the country, not just the publishing centers, and this century’s boom in children’s and then YA books meant there’s enough money to sustain more people in that arena. Furthermore, the nature of the business means new and rising agents have to stay visible to authors, open about their tastes and wish lists, and open to queries.

In addition, the growth of electronic publishing, print-on-demand machines, and online marketing provide opportunities for dedicated book-lovers to found small presses. Some of those small presses will become bigger and solidly established in their niches. Aspiring authors can thus look beyond the big publishing corporations, especially for their early work.

Technology is changing our markets in other ways as well. With the right 280-character pitch at the designated time, an author can get an invitation from an agent to send more. The market for short stories used to be confined to a handful of magazines and a few hundred words. Now digital publishing has made longer stories economically viable again.

To reflect the changing market, I’m changing the format of this column. I expect to put more emphasis on agents, small presses open to submissions, and the querying process, and will spend less time tracking personnel changes in the big houses. The format will be more loosely structured, at least until we figure out what seems to be working.

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In an interview at Cynsations (https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/2019/04/author-agent-interview-ann-rose-of-prospect-agency/), Ann Rose of the Prospect Agency said: “I’m looking to represent MG, YA and select adult genres. I’m not the right fit for Horror.” Also, “If the book starts with a character waking up, I’m really not interested—This is because I see this opening at least two times in every 10 submissions.” Submissions: https://www.prospectagency.com/submit.html/.

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Agent Sara Megibow (@SaraMegibow) of KT Literary wrote on Twitter about one nightmare scenario for an author: “Two-book deal and Book #2 is rejected by the publisher.” Looking over her clients, she found that happening about 30% of the time. So if you face that sort of rejection, know you’re not alone. And you do still have a publishing contract with an editor waiting. What to do? “Usually,” Megibow said, “we write a new book.” Depending on the situation, she can also shop the rejected manuscript elsewhere.

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New small presses are often labors of love for their founders, and that means they reflect those founders’ tastes in genres.

Owl Hollow Press says its mission is “to publish world-altering stories.” But it’s clear the editors like genre fiction, specifically “romantic fantasy, mind-bending science fiction, dark urban paranormal, and horror.” They welcome “other worldly adventures for any age group” and are also interested in contemporary stories for “teens and tweens.” Owl Hollow is not interested in picture books or poetry now. (One of the company’s niche lines is anthologies of short stories by teen-aged authors on designated themes.)

The press emphasizes digital production, digital books, and digital marketing, although it does publish its titles as hard copies. Owl Hollow promises a relatively quick response on queries and submissions, and local members tell me that’s true. (Hopefully, we won’t overwhelm the system.) For more, see: https://owlhollowpress.com/submissions/.

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Dallas Middaugh’s Publishers Weekly report “What We Know About 2018 Graphic Novel Sales” (https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/79818-what-we-know-about-2018-graphic-novel-sales.html) shared some striking numbers about that growing sector of publishing.

To start with, sales of adult graphic novels actually shrank 7% last year while the overall publishing industry grew slightly. But that decline was offset by a whopping 56% jump in the sales of graphic novels for kids and teens.

Such growth explains why agents and editors are looking for more projects in comics form for young readers, especially middle graders. Penguin Random House launched a new imprint in the field last year, and when the largest publishing conglomerate in the world gets interested, there’s definitely money to be made.

Juvenile graphic-novel sales weren’t distributed widely, however. The top six sellers in the category were all books in Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series—the second time (after Captain Underpants) that he’s seized lightning. The next three best-selling titles were by the previously dominant creator, Raina Telgemeier, and she has a new title coming out this year that’s bound to sell well. Both Pilkey and Telgemeier are published by Scholastic’s Graphix division.

There are still plenty of sales for other kids’ comics, fortunately. In fact, Middaugh stated, “In the top 50 list by units sold, there are only four titles aimed at adults.” Pow! Comics really are for kids—at least the type of comics with spines.

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On Twitter, editor and cartoonist Wendy Xu (@AngrygirLcomics) stated: “I’m seeing a trend in middle grade comics where the author/illustrators are setting it in their childhood time (’70s/’80s) & trying to make it relatable & relevant while educating kids about life ‘back then’ & it’s not working, y’all.”

Why would there be such a trend? One factor might be how independent comics have long valued autobiographical stories, so author-illustrators might be looking to their childhoods for material. But I suspect the main reason is that technology has made childhood today very different from how we grew up, and our storytelling imaginations have a hard time adjusting. How many times have you thought up a plot and realized that that cell phones and the internet simply wouldn’t let that situation arise? Setting your story back before our world got wired may seem like an easy solution.

The problem, of course, is that if our target readers don’t relate to the lifestyle you’re portraying, they won’t enjoy the book. Of course, there’s always some interest in historical fiction and in worlds or adventures beyond today’s technology, but those approaches require more world-building. If we write a story that starts in the world today’s kids know, then kids have to recognize that world.

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At iWriterly, novelist Meg LaTorre begins, “book publishing industry professionals and readers alike have openly expressed their dislike of prologues.” Prologues may be a storytelling tool, but they’re a manuscript-marketing liability. LaTorre analyzes the problems with prologues, but also the ways they can serve a story. But because of the widespread suspicion that kids won’t read them, a prologue has to be exceptionally good. What’s wrong with just renaming it as chapter 1? (https://iwriterly.com/2019/02/21/writers-digest-the-great-debate-to-prologue-or-not-to-prologue/)

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Thriller writer Mark Tilbury assembled a list of “Top 10 Resources for Self-Publishing Authors” (http://marktilbury.com/the-top-10-resources-for-self-publishing-authors/). Those resources are blogs and websites from other writers and professionals who specialize in book design, social media, and equally important topics. When you’re publishing yourself, you have to learn a lot of different jobs or find someone who can do those jobs for you. Check out these self-publishing resources before you consider that path, or if you’re already traveling on it and needing help over a particular bump.

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In Tablet Magazine, Marjorie Ingall shared her “Confessions of a Sensitivity Reader” (https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/281546/confessions-of-a-sensitivity-reader). Actually, she says, a better term for that function is “expert reader” or “authenticity reader.” Just as wise authors might run a manuscript by an expert in a technical field or historical period, they can benefit from a sensitivity reading by someone with experience in the life of a particular marginalized group. In Ingall’s case, she has “read non-Jewish and non-

Jewishly-observant friends’ book manuscripts,” saving them from mistakes (and she gnashes her teeth at errors, large and small, in published books that no one with her expertise checked in time).

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Kathy Temean interviewed editor Rachael Stein of Sterling Children’s Books, still part of Barnes & Noble (https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2019/05/01/middle-grade-novels-versus-chapter-book-humor-with-hillary-homzie-2/). Stein had some things to say about plotting that hint at the sort of books she likes: “I love how middle grade novelists get to go really deep in exploring their characters. How there can be subplots for multiple characters that all converge into one thematic story and how magic it is to weave these threads piecing them together like a jigsaw puzzle to make something much bigger than the sum of each part. And while it might sound overwhelming, with wonderful technologies like Scrivener or even a spreadsheet, or old school index cards, and a map of what could go where, they can be united together bit-by-bit, or even dictated from speech to text, to form this magical whole.”

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Jennifer Laughran (@literaticat), Senior Agent at Andrea Brown, warned authors on Twitter about a benefit of the website the agency uses to take in and organize queries: “In Querymanager, I can see quite plainly if/when you have queried more than one agent at my agency and what the response was, if you changed the title (or your own name!) to make it seem like a new work, etc.” The site keeps track of submissions through computers’ IP addresses.

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The Cricket Magazine group announced upcoming themes and query deadlines for Muse (http://cricketmedia.com/muse-submission-guidelines/) and Ask (http://cricketmedia.com/ask-submission-guidelines/).

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After 23 years at Scholastic, during which he launched his own imprint with the fortune-filled acquisition of U.S. rights to the Harry Potter series, editor Arthur A. Levine departed to start his own publishing company. Levine Querido is a partnership with a well known Dutch publisher, Querido. Nick Thomas, a Senior Editor at Scholastic, joined the new company.

Levine told Publishers Weekly that he will build the firm’s list around “diversity, ideally with a mix of 75% minority creators, including people of color, Indigenous people, and LGBTQ individuals.” The company will also publish several translations each year under an imprint called Em Querido. Levine hopes to issue the first twenty or so titles in fall 2020.

At this time the company’s website (https://www.levinequerido.com) has little more than the press release announcing its founding. If a submissions window opens, we’ll let you know.

J. L. Bell is a freelance editor, author, and historian (boston1775.net). His books range from Soap Science: A Science Book Bubbling with 36 Experiments (Kids Can Press, 1994) to The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War (Westholme, 2015). His story “Relief: A Tale of the Jitney” appears in the latest volume of the Young Explorers’ Adventure Guide (Dreaming Robot Press). One of his manuscripts has a prologue under another name—don’t tell.