Picture Book Summit Podcast

Grab a big piece of paper and some brightly colored markers because today we are mind-mapping our way to great picture book ideas!   Listen to excerpts from our Picture Book Summit workshop with author and educator Rob Sanders. Rob is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in the arena of LGBTQ+ literary nonfiction picture books...

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by picture book author and illustrator Yuyi Morales. Yuyi has created many books for children, including the  New York Times  bestseller  Dreamers . She is also a six-time winner of the Pura Belpre Medal for an outstanding work of literature for children that best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience. In 2015, she received t...

In this episode, children's authors Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund give an overview of the four essential components of a query (introduction, pitch, bio and market info, and conclusion) and then dig deep into crafting a pitch that captures the story and spirit of your book and piques an agent or editor's interest. If you're in the querying trenches, this one's for you!

It's our last episode for this initial round of the Picture Book Summit Roundtable series. We plan to bring you more episodes on topics that affect picture book creators in the future. Thank you for your feedback and we hope we get you thinking! You can catch the first two Roundtable episodes here: PBSummit Roundtable – Book Bans PBSummit Roundtable – Anything Goes in Picture Books These Days Toda...

Today, we bring you the next episode of our Picture Book Summit Roundtable series. We'll record and share PBSummit Roundtable at various times throughout the year, so we can continue to share current events that affect publishing and you. You can catch our first Roundtable episode here: PBSummit Roundtable – Book Bans This week's discussion centers around how Anything Goes in Picture Books these d...

This week, we are thrilled to bring new feature to the podcast: The Picture Book Summit Roundtable! In our weekly Summit planning meetings, we often discuss current events in publishing, how they affect picture books, and how they affected picture book creators like you. We decided to record our conversation and invite you to listen in!  Our Picture Book Summit Roundtable includes Julie Hedlund, K...

It's our final installment of the 4 Big Reasons Your Manuscripts Get Rejected.  Following agent submission guidelines is a rather obvious part of the querying process....right?   "Query-whisperer" Emma Walton Hamilton gives us an inside look as to why following submission guidelines are crucial—and how over half of all new authors get it wrong.  Have you listened to the other parts of 4 Biggest Re...

It's time for the third biggest reason manuscripts get declined by agents and editors and this is a BIG one. Manuscripts are turned down every day for the simple reason that they are just not ready. So, how do you know when your manuscript is ready to for publication, therefore ready for an agent's or editor's eyes? Katie Davis outlines the why and how of familiarizing yourself with the workings o...

It's time for the second biggest reason manuscripts get tossed out by agents and editors. Have you ever heard: "Your story didn't resonate with me"? Julie Hedlund shares how this type of response maybe indicate a lack of emotional resonance in your story. Listen in as Julie defines emotional resonance and how to ensure your picture book has it.  Get one more step closer to picture book success wit...

With 25 years of experience in the publishing industry as an editor, agent, and teacher Laura Backes covers the first big reason why manuscripts get rejected, and what you can do to avoid it! Find out how you can avoid getting editor feedback that says "This story feels familiar" or "It's too similar to what's been done already." You'll be one step closer to getting a "yes" after listening to toda...

A good writer tells a story, a great writer brings the reader into the story. One of the best ways to render that sense of immersion is capturing the authentic voice of your characters—especially when writing picture book biographies. Award-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of  Before She was Harriet and many other iconic titles, shares exactly how to do that with her own method of asking...

Ah, the age old question: How do you write a compelling picture book? It may be simpler than you think!  Peter H. Reynolds shares how to harness the answers to these following questions for great story-writing: 1. Where have you been? 2. Where are you now? 3. Where are you going? 4. Where would you like to be going?  

Do you have fears that intimidate your writing or illustration? Jon Klassen shares how his fears (and desire to have a job!) inform his creative process and shares how to use your fears to your advantage when developing your own stories. You may just find that those fears are the exact things that make you (and your work) uniquely you.    

Wouldn't it be grand if there was a fool-proof formula for creating good picture books? That's exactly what Julie Hedlund has spent years researching and studying, and she's come up with 10 essential ingredients or "layers" for picture books that you can follow like a checklist. 

In Part 3 of How to Get Out of the Slush Pile, Emma Walton Hamilton reveals about actionable ways to polish your manuscript's hook to get agents and editors excited about reading your story!

It's time for the second episode in our three-part series: How to Get Out of the Slush Pile! Author and rhymer extraordinaire Julie Hedlund discusses one of the best ways to signal to industry professionals that you're not ready to be published: writing bad rhyme.  Writing poetry is one thing, but writing a rhyming picture book is a whole other kind of animal and if you're not doing it right, you'...

It's the first of our three-part series: How to Get Out of the Slush Pile! Nothing turns an agent or editor more than a poorly written main characters. It's a common mistake for new authors and one big reason a manuscript never makes it out of the slush pile. To help you avoid this mistake, Picture Book Summit Co-Founder Laura Backes shares important questions to ask when evaluating your work-in-p...

"Don't be too preachy in your writing!" You may have heard it many times before, but how? Try leveling up with sophistication.  Julie Hedlund discusses the sparkle of sophisticated humor in picture books, where to find great examples of it, and how to incorporate it in your own writing. 

Author Katie Davis spells out why pacing is important for good picture book manuscripts in today's market, analyzes examples of pacing in some of her favorite picture books, and reveals various methods for achieving excellent pacing in shorter texts. 

They say that if you want to get published, don't write rhyming picture book manuscripts! But is that really a rule to live by? Spoiler: Of course not! Julie Hedlund, author of three rhyming picture books and Co-Founder of the Picture Book Summit, shares how to write rhyming manuscripts that will actually sell. 

Emma Walton Hamilton unearths a brief history of picture books including how Randolph Caldecott started the genre by creating illustrations that helped to tell the story instead of the pictures simply reflecting what's in the text. Emma shares how picture books evolved from morality tales to books for "naughty children" and books that break the rules and meet children where they are. It's the best...

What makes a great read-aloud? Join author and librarian Betsy Bird for an entertaining look examination of what separates the good picture book read-alouds from the great picture book read-alouds. Librarians have always known that picture books can often break down into two groups: one-on-one titles and read-aloud titles. One-on-ones are great for getting snuggly at bedtime, but if you want to en...

Listen in as Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund share their submission expertise and give you the key components of a killer query letter and plus top tips for improving your own query letter. You'll leave this episode with actionable items you can apply immediately to your own queries. Get ready to polish those queries until they shine brighter than you thought possible.

In Part 3 of Where the Ideas Are, let's talk about how to develop your picture book ideas into a strong manuscripts. At the core of every good picture book is a central dramatic question. What is that, anyway? Picture Book Summit co-founder Emma Walton Hamilton discusses the importance and function of the central dramatic question and how to find it.  Be sure to catch Parts 1 and 2 of Where the Id...

In Part 2 of Where the Ideas Are, PBSummit co-founder Laura Backes shares how to assess if your idea is one worth pursuing including... Finding out if there's room in the market for your idea Deciding if your has kid-appeal Determining if your idea is the right size for a picture book Catch part 1 of Where the Ideas Are in episode 030 Generating Ideas with Katie Davis.