by SCBWI Western Washington
Justin Chanda, publisher at Simon & Schuster, loves picture books. He talked about how he takes a good manuscript and makes it great. Picture books have an economy of language––less is more! If you are writing in rhyme, be careful because rhyming must be done so precisely. All picture books, however, must have rhythm. (Read... Continue Reading →
In a lively hour, S&S publisher Justin Chanda offered up these insights: Ebook sales are leveling off and have not sucked the life out of publishing. Apps are not books! Picture books are chugging back to life with strong, identifiable characters and shorter text. Funny books are working well. About diversity: Authors are given a... Continue Reading →
Holly McGhee, agent and president of Pippin Properties, presented a list of 10 (of the possible hundreds of picture books) that stand the test of time. Check out the books we discussed. Why do you think they are evergreen? THE CARROT SEED by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCIS by Russel... Continue Reading →
In a Saturday master class, agent Alexandra Penfold of Upstart Crow Literary shared her gold on picture book pacing. As a former editor at Simon & Schuster's Paula Wiseman Books, she had plenty to share. She began her talk by saying, “Effective pacing is the heart of a picture book.” She discussed in depth the... Continue Reading →
As usual, conference faculty nearly came to blows over the judging of our annual portfolio show, as the quality of the entered portfolios was terrific and the selection of standouts was difficult. Nonetheless, they came to agreement, and conference attendees cheered at this year's winners: Second runner-up: Corrina Luyken First runner-up: Jessixa Bagley Grand Prize... Continue Reading →
"Fear is one of the most powerful tools writers have." With this idea, Franny kicked off the talk that closed out our 2014 conference and sent off attending writers and illustrators. She addressed the intersection of character and plot (and of inner and outer story arcs), invoking Robert McKee's concept of a mind worm. She... Continue Reading →
National Book Award nominee Franny Billingsley (2011's Chime) urges writers to put the characters (and therefore your readers) into as concrete a world as possible. Put your reader somewhere they want to be, she says. Into your book, which is akin to a pleasant dream-state. How to keep your readers there? Deploy concrete, sensory details.... Continue Reading →
Plenty of voice. Apparent stakes. Some conflict (or the promise of action) -- but keeping it in balance with other elements and not starting it too soon. A logical unfolding of events. Succinct sentences. A sense of intrigue. These are just some of the elements that (might) go into the tasty soup of an excellent... Continue Reading →
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Katherine Tegen Books executive editor Claudia Gabel put "character" and "plot" in a cage fight in her breakout session about actions that speak as loudly as words. And the winner? Well — it's a draw. They need to be equals. She went on to stress the importance of... Continue Reading →
The spirit of the Local Success Panel continued as local success Kim Baker accepted the crystal trophy awarded her middle-grade laugh-fest, Pickle. After her standing ovation, Kim saved our lives (possibly) with her keynote address called "This Speech Could Save Your Life!" Facing down AV issues with humor and aplomb, Kim Among the lifesavers she... Continue Reading →
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