REVISION TIPS WITH POET RENÉE LATULIPPE
Enjoy your holidays with a rebroadcast of our popular episode with Renée LaTulippe sharing how to use poetic techniques in your revision for a manuscript that truly sings.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
FAILURE IS PROOF OF EFFORT
As the end of the year creeps ever closer, it can be a good time to take stock of how your writing life is going, as long as you do that examination wisely. Having a successful writing life can seem impossible sometimes, especially if we look predominantly at the times we've tried something without success. Virtually every writer has stories that didn't work, books that didn't sell, and efforts that didn't bear fruit. Let's look at those efforts in a different way today.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your writing skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
5 TIPS TO REV UP YOUR OPENING
When a reader picks up your book, you don't want them to put it down. Here are five tips for energizing your opening sequence and pulling in your reader.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
BROWBEATEN INTO SUBMISSION
Sometimes, the most well-meaning folks can do the greatest harm to an aspiring writer. For a writer, there can be a lot of pressure to get published or prove you can get published. Our friend and frequent blogger, Rita Reali shares some of her story with us today.
Get a one-on-one mentor to help you write publishable work that agents and publishers are looking for! Get started here!
BREAK INTO PUBLISHING
Writing is a noble proposition, in and of itself. Published writing is something else entirely. And paid published writing—whoa, Nellie, that’s just glorious!
In order to get published though, you need to put yourself “out there” in the world, and get your writing in front of people who are in charge of accepting items for publication … preferably in places that will pay you for your work. Inspired by an article from Rita Reali, let’s look at different ways to break into publishing today.
Get a one-on-one mentor to help you write publishable work that agents and publishers are looking for! Get started here!
6 STEPS TO SUBMISSION SUCCESS
These days a vast majority of publishers and agents accept submissions online, whether through email or a website form. There are a few holdouts, but these days it sounds strange to hear anyone say they don't take digital submissions. This means we all need to learn how to put our best foot forward in online submissions. Adapted from an article by Jan Fields, here are six steps to submission success.
Get a one-on-one mentor to help you write publishable work that agents and publishers are looking for! Get started here!
ASSEMBLING YOUR SUBMISSION PACKAGE
When it comes to becoming a published writer, queries are quintessential. They represent the bridge from your creative endeavors to becoming a professional. Sure, some submissions require cover letters or website forms, but every writer must conquer the query above all. And the query is a key part of a writer’s platform. This episode will look at queries, cover letters, and the other elements that make up submission packages.
Get the ICL Submission Prep Package FREE! Get our weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
INTERVIEW WITH EMMA WALTON HAMILTON
Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling children’s book author, editor, and writing coach. With her mother, actress/author Julie Andrews, Emma has co-authored over thirty children’s books, nine of which have been on the NY Times Bestseller list, including The Very Fairy Princess series. She is Director of the Children’s Lit Fellows program at Stony Brook University. She served as the Editorial Director for the Julie Andrews Collection imprint at Harper Collins for six years. So, she's seen submissions from both sides of the desk.
We talk about:
• What are common mistakes new writers make when submitting?
• How do you find the right place to submit to?
• Do all writers need an agent?
• How do you get an agent?
• Do any houses accept unsolicited at this point?
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
BORROWING THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED
Whether you write what you know or delve into subjects that intrigue but are new to you, editors want primary sources. For some subject areas, such as history, this means locating, letters, journals, maps, and other contemporary documents. For science and other academic topics, writers can turn to research studies and professional journals.
For almost any topic, expert sources are among the strongest of all. Experts can expand on material located in journals, settle controversies, and give you access to the latest information in their field.
Despite this, many writers avoid contacting experts. Let's get you past that fear today.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
EVALUATING YOUR SOURCES
Today’s episode comes from the IFW book Searching: A Research Guide for Writers, now available in our bookstore. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, research is an important piece of having an authentic article or manuscript that connects with editors and readers. In this episode, we’re talking about how to evaluate the information you find in your research for credibility and reliability.
Questions to Ask
Never accept a web page at face value; always evaluate the information. Here’s a checklist of basic things to consider:
• Who is the author? What credentials does this person or organization have?
• What is the purpose of the website or publication? Is it intended to inform, inspire, entertain, or persuade? What is the historical context of the information?
• How comprehensive is the coverage? Is it an overview or does it delve deeply into your topic?
• Is the source impartial or does it emphasize paid links?
For more questions to ask about your source, listen to the full episode.
Grab your copy of Searching: A Research Guide for Writers in the ICL Bookstore!
FINDING MARKETS FOR YOUR WRITING
Businesses and industries consider market research a wise investment. They don’t waste time and money trying to sell air conditioners in Alaska, fur coats in the tropics, or prime beef to vegetarians. Successful writers, too, must learn to be market-wise about their creative products.
You wouldn’t have to do much market research to see that an article on retirement living would be a poor choice for Humpty Dumpty Magazine or Highlights for Children. But other market choices are not that obvious. Suppose you’ve written a great sports story for readers in the 8-12 age bracket. Which of those two magazines would be an appropriate market for it? A professional writer would know instantly. In this episode, we talk about how to find the best markets for your work.
Grab the most recent Market Guides for Children's Writers in the ICL Bookstore!
INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN CAMPBELL BARTOLETTI
Susan Campbell Bartoletti is the author of picture books, novels, and nonfiction for children, including the Newbery Honor book Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow, the Sibert Medal-winning Black Potatoes, and Dear America: A Coal Miner's Bride. Her work has received dozens of awards and honors, including the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Nonfiction, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction, and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.
We discuss:
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
RESHAPING YOUR STORY PART 2
Last week, we started talking about how to assess your story’s structure, specifically its beginning. You can find that episode at writingforchildren.com/167. Today, we’re focusing on managing the middle of your story and getting to the tidy, yet satisfying, ending.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
RESHAPING YOUR STORY PART 1
You’ve finished a draft (or several drafts) of a story you’re excited about. You set it aside to cool for several days, then reread it. While you’re still pleased with the story, you have to admit it needs more work—not just polishing, but re-engineering for better pace, suspense, and focus.
If you’re like most writers, you may also find it’s run considerably over the word length you were aiming for, an important consideration if you’re planning to submit the story to editors.
Today we talk about where to begin reshaping your story.
Be sure to catch Reshaping Your Story Part 2 here!
DON'T REVISE BY YOURSELF
When you’re about to begin revising a piece of writing, it can seem so daunting you may be tempted to bury the darn thing at the bottom of your sweater drawer, then go hide somewhere (say, at the beach) for a few weeks.
But, you’re listening to this podcast, so you’re in luck! Author and IFW Guest Blogger Rita Reali is also a freelance editor and today we bring you her advice on why you should get fresh eyes on your manuscript once you’re ready to revise.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
INTERVIEW WITH RENEE LATULIPPE
Renée M. LaTulippe has poems published in many anthologies including School People (ed. Lee Bennett Hopkins), and National Geographic's The Poetry of US and Book of Nature Poetry (both ed. J. Patrick Lewis) to name a few. Renée developed and teaches the online course The Lyrical Language Lab: Punching Up Prose with Poetry and blogs on children’s poetry at NoWaterRiver.com.
We talk about:
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
GUEST EXPERT PASCALE DUGUAY
Pascale Duguay is a freelance writer, French/English translator, and high school librarian. Her freelance writing includes articles on books, writing, personal essays, children's short stories, games, activities, and more. We talk about:
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING TO GO TO A WRITING CONFERENCE PART 2
In last week's episode, we talked about how to choose the conference you want to go to. This week, we'll touch on what to expect when you get there, what to wear, what to take, and what not to do.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A WRITING CONFERENCE PART 1
Many people sign up for writing conferences hoping they’ll send a manuscript home with an editor, or even better, be offered a contract right there at the conference. Has that ever happened at a conference? Probably. But you’re much more likely to come home with a cold than a contract. Does this mean writing conferences aren’t worth your time and money? Not at all. It does mean that you need to know what you can expect to gain from a conference so you can prepare for all it has to offer.
Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/setting-conference-expectations-part-2
PROTECTING YOUR REPUTATION
Whether we like it or not, social media is a part of our current culture. Just like most things in life, social media can have amazing benefits for writers. There are authors whose books were first pitched on Twitter and liked by an editor which led to a book deal. Who knows how many critique groups have formed in writing groups on Facebook. And, of course, let’s not leave out the ability to market your book yourself through your social media channels. The world has opened up for writers in a big way over the last 10-15 years. Today we're going to talk about the downside and how to protect yourself and your reputation.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
GUEST EXPERT DAVID KATZ
The producer of the Kauai Writers Conference gives tips for attending conferences and the benefits writers get by involved in face-to-face sessions with authors, agents, and editors.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
34 THINGS YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEBSITE PART 2
In last week's episode, we talked about the first 17 things you need for your author websites. Part 2 brings us the next 17 things including social media, your about page, SEO, and more!
Listen to Part 1 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/34-things-your-website-needs-part-1/
34 THINGS YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEBSITE PART 1
Author websites are important in 21st century publishing. Consider your website your business card to the world. So, what should be on your website? Listen to the podcast to get started.
Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/34-things-your-website-needs-part-2/
CREATE YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM
What IS a platform? It’s your visibility. The wider your reach, the more books you can sell. What you do with your platform is try to reach (in an authentic way) your target audience.
It’s all about connecting—with people on a real level and because of your reach, you are able to sell books. It’s not about being in people’s faces and hollering about buying your book.
So, who needs a platform and where do you begin? Let's talk about it in this episode.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
INTERVIEW WITH JOSH FUNK
Josh Funk writes silly stories and somehow tricks people into publishing them as books—such as the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series and How to Code a Sandcastle. Josh is also known for his expertise in social media, building an author platform before he was published, and connecting with the writing (and reading) community.
We discuss:
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news