Querying Alternative: Author Lindsay Leslie & Editor Charlotte Wenger on Twitter-Pitching Manuscripts

Learn more about Lindsay Leslie

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Submitting queries can sometimes feel like tossing a bottled message into the ocean: you're not sure when or if you'll get a reply.

Through social media authors now have additional avenues for connecting with publishing gatekeepers.

I recently interviewed upcoming debut Lindsay Leslie about how #PitMad figured into her success, and editor Charlotte Wenger shares her perspective on using social media to connect with creators.

While the annual Pitch Wars competition is limited to novels, #PitMad is open to picture books as well and if you're vying to be noticed in this extremely competitive genre, you'll want to read Lindsay Leslie's inspiring story. 

Lindsay, tell us about how you connected with your editor.

Lindsay: When I was in the query trenches, I was a big fan of all the various contests and pitch events on Twitter that seek to connect writers and illustrators with agents and editors. I felt it was a great way to get immediate feedback on my queries and concepts.

Back in March 2017, I decided to participate in #PitMad on Twitter, which is a huge pitch event covering all genres--everything and anything. I had participated in #PitMad a couple of times before and received no requests. I’ve always wondered whether picture books get lost in the scrolling madness of YA and adult novels. I’m glad I didn’t give up.

I pitched four of my picture book manuscripts, and I only got one “favorite” that day. But, it was the only one I needed. That favorite came from Kristen Nobles, children’s publisher with Page Street Kids.

I reviewed my query letter and manuscript, and then sent it on with a fist bump and fingers crossed. And, I forgot about it. I seriously did. I was healing from a pretty serious illness at the time and am shocked I even had the wherewithal to participate in #PitMad.

So, when I received an email from Page Street associate editor Charlotte Wenger a month and some change later with a request to revise and resubmit, I was floored. Absolutely gobsmacked. I think my mouth just hung open for about two hours.

I worked with Charlotte back and forth for the next month and a half to see if I could shape This Book Is Spineless into a picture book Page Street Kids would want to publish. And it worked! I received an offer directly from Page Street.

Was this your first pitch event? 

Lindsay: No, I had been participating in pitch events and contests starting in 2016. One of my first was #PBParty created by Michelle Hauck. I entered my chapter book and was selected as a finalist.

How long had you been querying at that point? (and was your first sale the book you'd been querying, or something new?) 

Lindsay: I began querying around summer of 2016, so for about a year.

Funny enough, my first sale was not the book I had been pushing from the get-go. The first book I started pitching was the first of a chapter book series I had written. I have since shelved the series. I began pitching This Book Is Spineless in December 2016.

What came next after Page Street wanted to publish your book?

Lindsay: With an offer in hand, at first I was a bit unsure of what to do. I reached out to various friends and mentors in the Austin writing community and with SCBWI.

The first bit of advice was to reach out to the agents who currently had my queries in their in-boxes. I also received the contact information for a lawyer who is well-versed in literary contracts, just in case I was unable to secure representation. I received passes from all of the agents for various reasons and thought that I might be in this on my own. So, I contacted the lawyer who is also an author.

While speaking with her, she offered to refer me to her agency, Red Fox Literary. First, I spoke with Karen Grencik, co-owner/agent of Red Fox Literary. She liked my writing and my ability to convey important learning material with a sense of humor, but she had a full slate of picture book authors.

She suggested I might be a great fit for her colleague Stephanie Fretwell-Hill, because of my interest in an editorial agent. I really needed to pinch myself at that moment.

Not only did I get a referral to Red Fox Literary, but then a referral from the co-owner to Stephanie, who I had on my wish list of agents.

I hadn’t queried Stephanie before, because she doesn't accept unsolicited manuscripts. Now I had a solid in! I connected with Stephanie a few days later.

I was at a local barbecue joint having just finished a critique session with a group of my writer friends. We talked for an hour, and she offered representation at the end of our chat. After that, I wanted to shout, “The next round of brisket is on me!”

This Book is Spineless, illustrated by Alice Brereton,
Page Street Kids, February 2019

Since the initial deal, I've seen announcements of more picture book sales, haven't I? 

Lindsay: Yes! I’ve since sold two more picture books to Page Street Kids. Nova The Star Eater, which will be illustrated by John Taesoo Kim, comes out Spring 2019, and Wanted: Dusk Raiders, which will be illustrated by Ellen Rooney, was recently announced and comes out Spring 2020.

What tips do you have for writers thinking about Twitter pitches?

Oh, they are many.

• One is to do Twitter events only when you have sparkling submission-ready material. You never know who is watching and whose imagination you might grab. You want to put your best work forward, be ready for that favorite, and act quickly. 
• Which leads me to, research those agents and editors who favorite your pitch. You do not have to submit your work to them unless you feel it’s a good fit. 
• Something I’ve thought about since Twitter upped its character count is try to keep your pitch brief. Maybe even try to stay within the original 120-character limit. I would think the pitch would stand out. 
• Do not go into details of your manuscript. For example, leave out titles and character names unless it is key to the hook and will entice the agent or editor to request. 
• If you have compelling comps that are unusual combos, consider using those as one of your pitches. 
• Also, create more than one pitch for each manuscript to show the layers of your manuscript. 
• Follow the instructions for the pitch event. Each event’s rules and hashtags may be different, so do your homework. 
• Use Tweetdeck to schedule your pitches. You will need to make sure your pitches are different from each other. This could be as simple as moving a hashtag from the beginning of your pitch to the end. Tweetdeck is quite the timesaver. 
• Support your fellow hash-tag event participants with a retweet or comment, if you enjoy their pitch. It takes a village to raise a book, so sing the praises of those pitches you adore. But don’t favorite their pitches. Leave that to the agents and editors.

Lindsay's critique group: Lori Keckler, Lindsay, Elizabeth McBride,
Kari Lavelle, and Kit Rosewater at Epoch Coffee.

For added perspective, I contacted Charlotte Wenger, an editor with Page Street Kids. 

Tell us about Page Street and what appeals to you about Twitter pitching and/or manuscript contests? 

Charlotte: At Page Street Kids, we do things a little differently. In addition to considering agented and unsolicited submissions, we also proactively seek out (and are always on the lookout for) creators whose work piques our interest and has a distinct story to tell.

We’re happy to work with debut and unagented talent. We approach artists/illustrators whose work has narrative appeal and inquire as to their interest in author-illustrating, which has led to us developing stories with them that we then acquire and publish.

So, in a similar way, we see Twitter pitch events as a way to connect with writers and reach out via a tweet “like” when we see an idea that interests us. (I’m not a fan of calling them “contests” because I don’t think writers should see them as a competition for who might get the most “likes.”)

We find that Twitter pitch events and social media hashtags are a great way to discover, encourage, and collaborate with up-and-coming talent.

Has Page Street signed many authors and illustrators after making initial contact through social media manuscript contests? 

Charlotte: As of right now, we’ve acquired or are close to acquiring four projects through various Twitter pitch events—#PitMad, #PBpitch, and #Pit2Pub.

In terms of some sort of ratio, each editor probably “likes”/requests anywhere from 2 to 12 pitches during each event we participate in, and not everyone submits to us after a request.

(This is totally fine, and people should always do their research before submitting to a Twitter request from an agent or editor.)

Lindsay Leslie’s This Book Is Spineless was the first title we acquired from a Twitter pitch. So far, we’ve only signed authors (not author-illustrators or illustrators) from Twitter pitches, but that’s most likely because that’s who’s participating more in those events.

Artists/illustrators tend to be more on Instagram because it’s visually driven, whereas Twitter has more writers, which makes sense. Outside of pitch events, we’re often browsing social media for work that catches our eye and have reached out to people we’ve found via social media posts.

Are there particular story elements you consider essential for a successful pitch? 

Charlotte: When the pitch gives me a sense of the story’s narrative voice, that’s fantastic. (That’s one of the aspects that Lindsay nailed in her Spineless pitch.)

I’m more drawn to character-driven stories than message-driven ones, so it’s great when a pitch can give me a glimpse into the main character; if it’s all about the story’s message, I’m less inclined to be interested because that’s typically not something that makes a story distinct.

A successful pitch will also effectively communicate the story’s tone—be it funny, clever, or poignant. Overall, you want to highlight what makes your story unique and a standout from the flood of pitches we read during each event.

What would you most love to see in your inbox this fall?

Charlotte: Creators can always check out my Manuscript Wish List to get a sense of what piques my interest. I’d say I’m particularly interested in more humorous stories right now, since several of my recent acquisitions have been more serious (for lack of a better word).

I’m also looking for seasonal/holiday stories. I really enjoy fictional stories with facts/elements of nonfiction worked in, and I’m drawn to stories with endings that have a clever, unexpected twist or pack an emotional punch.

Cynsational Notes

The next #PBPitch will take place on Oct. 25 from 8 a.m to 8 p.m., EST. Check out the rules and hashtag abbreviations here.

#PitMad is set for Dec. 6.

A diary keeper, a journal writer, a journalism major, a public relations executive—Lindsay Leslie has always operated in a world of written words.

When she became a mom and began to tell her kids bedtime stories, Lindsay connected the dots to children’s literature.

She likes to bring her unique outlook on life, quirky humor, and play with words to the page in picture books.

Survivors: Jennifer Ziegler on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's-YA Author

Learn more about Jennifer Ziegler.
Image by Sam Bond Photography. 

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

In children’s-YA writing, maintaining an active publishing career is arguably an even bigger challenge than breaking into the field.

Reflecting on your personal journey (creatively, career-wise, and your writer’s heart), what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success? 

I feel as if I have two “breaking in” stories. I began in publishing as a work-for-hire writer, penning mass market YAs for series such as Sweet Valley High Senior Year (1999-2003), Fearless (1999-2004), and Love Stories, as well as some TV tie-ins. I did this IP work (short for “intellectual property”) for years, publishing close to 20 novels.

Usually I wasn’t given a byline, but if I was offered one, I would use a pen name since I didn’t feel complete ownership of the material and was still hoping to one day publish my own characters and stories.

So, in one way, my first book came out in 1997, but my first trade novel (bearing my real name) came out in 2006.

The experience of writing IP/mass market books really helped me navigate the built-in pressures of this career and the bumps and surprises that would come my way. This was true for both craft and business.

On the creative side, I was able to find and fine-tune my process. Due to the tight deadlines, I figured out how to best allocate my time and acquired several good tricks to overcoming writer’s block.

Because I had to defer to the mass market editors and follow the series “bibles” – so that the books could maintain a consistent voice – I learned how to get over myself and could better handle editorial feedback with my trade books.

I had to view each IP book as a for-hire (and fast-paced) job as opposed to an indulgent artistic endeavor. This mindset taught me to not be too precious with my writing and armed me with the weaponry needed to kill proverbial darlings. And because I couldn’t be choosy about projects, I often had to break out of my writer comfort zone. Now I’m not as scared to try new genres, markets, formats, or narrative styles.

Similarly, mass market writing prepared me for pitfalls that might arise on the business side of things.

By the time my first trade book came out, I had already been through the stress of having books canceled, deadlines moved, checks arrive late, story pitches rejected, and editors leave in the middle of a project.

I didn’t have an agent at the time, so I had to adapt to these glitches and heartbreaks on my own. It made me realize that I could handle the life of a writer – that it was worth it.

In the literary world, work-for-hire writing isn’t valued the same way as trade writing, but I’m proud of my mass market experience. I like to think of that time as my publishing “boot camp.” It helped me conquer fears and showed me what I was capable of.

If you had it to do all over again, what—if anything—would you do differently and why?

I probably wouldn’t have used the last name “Ziegler" on my trade novels. "Ziegler" was the name from my first marriage, but I had always planned to publish as Jennifer Ford – my maiden name. I come from a family of storytellers and wanted to honor them in this way. Plus, I felt this name was attached to the writer part of myself -- the young girl who loved to make up stories.

Unfortunately, I was confused when Random House told me my novel Alpha Dog (Delacorte, 2006) would be a “trade paperback” and not a hard cover.

At the time, I didn’t know the difference between mass market paperback and trade paperback and assumed this meant it wouldn’t be reviewed and wouldn’t be part of the school and library market – but it would be chance to prove myself with my own story ideas.

So, I decided to use Jennifer Ziegler and save Ford for when I got a “real” book deal.

But Alpha Dog did receive good reviews and some educators did take notice. Later, when I got the contract for How Not to Be Popular (Delacorte, 2008) and was told it would print first as a hardcover, I asked to publish it under the name "Jennifer Ford." Random House strongly advised me to keep the same byline as my first book, to build on the good press and recognition.

After lots of pondering, I agreed. Only now, I’m no longer in that marriage, nor do I feel I’m the same person (or writer) who went by that name.

In the broad scheme of things, it’s a minor issue. I did start publishing under that name, and it’s the name I share with two of my children, but I do think I’d have chosen differently had I understood the business better.

The field and body of literature are always evolving. For you, what have been the stand-out changes in the world of children’s-YA writing, literature and publishing? What do you think of them and why?

When I was writing my earliest books, the publishing process itself was different – especially regarding tech. If I wanted to talk to my editor, I had to call. I would submit a draft via FedEx. They’d send back a hardcopy editorial letter and a marked-up manuscript with so many post-it notes, it looked feathered.

But to me, the biggest change is the expansion of the industry -- the sheer number of kidlit books, authors, writing programs, and events. And I feel this growth has led to an increase in the amount of respect children’s literature gets.

The number of times I get asked “When are you going to write a real book?” has dropped significantly over the years.

I see more adults openly and unabashedly reading children’s literature, and this appears to be happening in other mediums, as well.

Movies like "Ladybird" (2017) and "Eighth Grade" (2018) aren’t just marketed to teens. TV and graphic novels that center on young people are gaining wider audiences.

I think people are realizing that the age of the protagonist doesn’t matter. Themes are universal, and just because a writer chooses to tell a story through the eyes of a young person, that doesn’t mean it won’t resonate with people much older. A good story is a good story.

What advice would you give to your beginner self, if that version of you was a debut author this year?

Number one: Find your community! I wish I’d done this sooner.

All those years I wrote at home, alone, while my young children were sleeping or in school, I often felt stressed and overwhelmed. It would have helped immensely if I’d discovered SCBWI – or another supportive writers’ group – at that point.

Number two: Learn about the industry. Don’t know the difference between trade and mass market? Look it up. Learn the terminology. Familiarize yourself with key players and events. In addition to reading new, great books in kidlit, read up on the industry, too. Read Cynsations!

And don’t be afraid to ask questions of agents and editors. They are there for you, as partners and mentors, and have different, invaluable perspectives.

What do you wish for children’s-YA writers (and readers), looking to the future?

I want for us, both industry and society, to continue to have those awkward and difficult conversations about representation and imbalances of power.

I hope we can challenge outdated beliefs that children’s books should have a maximum reader age, that once a marginalized person’s story is told, no more need to be told or read, and that books that center on girls are just for girls, but books that center on boys are for everyone. And I want us to be more inclusive of nonbinary characters/readers and consider the needs of those kids, too.

If we want readers to value everyone’s stories, it has to start at the industry level.

Authors, publishers, and gatekeepers should be vigilant about recognizing and changing inherent biases – and we all have them. I don’t just think it would be nice if such change happens, I think it must happen.

As a writer, what do you wish for yourself in the future?

Authors Chris Barton and Jennifer Ziegler

I hope to continue to learn and grow creatively as I learn and grow as a person. I want to write until I literally can’t anymore, so I hope I’m blessed with enough time to set down all the stories simmering inside me.

And I wish the same for my husband and favorite author, Chris Barton. May he write all of his wonderful stories and keep on being my brilliant beta reader.

I also have hopes for my books – that they may find readers who recognize themselves in them, learn from them, and come away inspired to share their own stories.

(Also, if some scientist could make coffee nutritionally complete, that would really help around deadline.)

Cynsational Notes 

The Survivors Interview Series offers in-depth reflections and earned wisdom from children's-YA book authors who have successfully built long-term, actively-publishing careers.

Profiles of Persistence: Lisa Bierman, Meredith Davis, and Jill Donaldson on Committing Long-Term to Children's Writing

By Carol Coven Grannick
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Part One: The Writer’s Heart

Many hard-working, committed, persistent, and resilient writers forge ahead with their writing journeys in spite of obstacles, disappointments, “almost-there" moments and plenty of what I call “Beautiful, buts.”

This two-part interview explores the experience of being a long-time, determined writer who has not yet had a book published.

Writers Lisa Bierman, Meredith Davis, and Jill Donaldson hail from different parts of the United States, and have different personalities, habits, writing choices, and ways of shoring up resilience. But one thing they have in common is this: nothing will deter them from continuing to write and submit their stories.

Our writing journeys vary in results, but all of us, whether published or not-yet-published, know that the joy is in the journey.

As you reflect on your writer’s journey, what are the major “bumps” or obstacles you’ve encountered (internal as well as external), and how have you managed to handle them while still remaining committed? 

Meredith: The biggest, most persistent bump is what I’ve perceived as failure – failure to achieve goals, find an agent, get published by the time I was forty.

The fallacy in this thinking was that I based those goals on others’ achievements. Once I recognized what I was doing, I readjusted my success barometer.

As Teddy Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

I began to trust that I was on a path designed just for me, and all those things I wanted – the agent and the publishing contract and the awards will come at the right time.

I can’t force it, and don’t want to force it. I continue moving forward, writing and editing and submitting. I count the bumps and hurdles of rejections as part of the journey that will make an even better story to tell in the end.

What’s a story without some tension? I remind myself that the journey is just as important as the destination.

Lisa Bierman

Lisa: I have had many time periods when I did very little writing, and [these periods] could last months.

The biggest internal barrier for me has always been the lack of an imposed deadline. 

External events – a lot of family health issues – have intervened over the years as well. Having fellow writers I adore motivates me to keep returning to manuscripts.

Nothing beats the fun of having a character you begin to love or a string of rhyming stanzas that are really coming together.

Another factor that has helped me is that I often have new story ideas, and I enjoy brainstorming, but I’ve also learned that pursuing ideas that don’t have enough unique qualities can turn into unproductive time.

Jill: I started learning the craft of writing for children and teens in 1999 when I joined SCBWI. I found my writing soulmates and joined a critique group.

A few years in, one of my picture book manuscripts caught the eye of an editor at Random House and we went through several revisions. At that time, Random House merged with several other companies and my editor lost her job. The new editor did not do picture books, so my heart was broken. [A part of me felt like giving up, but instead] I began focusing on magazines and novels.

Not long after, my first article appeared in AppleSeeds.

Many of my other “bumps” have been external. Around that time, my family and I moved to Missouri for my husband’s job. Over the next six years, we moved three times, I continued to raise two active sons, complete my bachelor’s degree, and work full-time.

In 2011, we settled back home in Oklahoma, and I reconnected with old friends and my critique group and started taking my writing career seriously again. In 2015, a tornado damaged our house, and we were homeless for nine months.

In 2016, I faced a big emotional obstacle – the fear of losing my oldest son, who had joined the military and was deployed to war zones.

But I continued to volunteer for SCBWI throughout all of this time.

Oklahoma SCBWI Regional Team Jill Donaldson (regional advisor), Jerry Bennett (illustrator coordinator), Anna Myers (regional advisor emeritus), SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver and Helen Newton (former regional advisor).

I learned to channel frustration, fear, happiness, and peace into my stories, and that has given me the strength to persist in my passion of writing. I am so happy that I have never given up or quit writing because I recently signed with Stephanie Hansen at Metamorphosis Literary Agency.

What are your top three pieces of advice for developing and maintaining the resilience necessary to persist in a difficult business? 

Lisa:

1. Remember how many fine writers have a fat rejection file. Probably all of them.
2. We are told that the publishing industry is highly competitive, and it is. But make peace with the fact that some published books will seem unworthy to you, and you might puzzle endlessly about why certain books “made the cut." I suggest you focus on the books you are jealous of, that make you swoon. What can you learn from those lovely books? Probably a lot.
3. Only write things that you really enjoy thinking about.

Jill:

1. Connect and develop relationships with other kid lit writers and illustrators.
2. Work at maintaining a balanced lifestyle, so your creativity is at its max when you sit down to write or illustrate.
3. Keep your mind and heart open to learn and create in new ways. It is soul-satisfying when you have a breakthrough in your writing or illustrating.

Meredith:

1. Keep reading. Great books continue to remind me why I’m writing and pursuing publication. I want to share stories and move others with my words the same way I’m moved by great writing.
2. Keep learning. It’s part of the fun of being a writer. It’s exciting to try a new plotting technique or go to graduate school or attend a conference. I’m not just a writer so that I can have a published book. I’m a writer because I actually enjoy writing, and when I learn new things my writing improves. It’s like a woodworker using a new saw or a computer programmer learning a new language. Learning gives me tools to explore new ways of writing and keeps my process fresh.
3. Keep nurturing relationships with other writers. The relationships I’ve made with other writers are life-giving. They encourage me and they inspire me. Other writers edit my work and they help me navigate the ups and downs of the writing life. They understand how hard it can be, so they can celebrate or commiserate authentically.

E.B. White writes of Charlotte,

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.”

These relationships are precious.

How do you handle questions about “what is out on submission” (from writing colleagues) or “what have you published?” (from non-writer acquaintances) 

Meredith's writing community: Anne Bustard (seated),
Meredith, Betty X. Davis, Kathi Appelt and Jane Peddicord.

Meredith: For a long time I didn’t tell people outside my writing circle that I wrote children’s books, but it was hard to stay incognito. I wrote Christmas letters and blog posts and long emails.

People told me they liked my writing, and so I got brave. I began to admit that I wrote children’s books, too, and then came the inevitable question.

Sometimes it was the double whammy: “Where can I buy them?” They assumed not only that I was published, but that I was published many times. As if that is no big deal!

Sometimes I try to explain about publishing, how it’s hard, editors move, the market is fickle, and I’m an unknown. But when I see eyes begin to glaze, I realize a quick “I’m not published yet, but I’m working on it,” works just fine.

Usually whomever I’m talking to has already moved on to new topics of conversation. Non-writers don’t realize they’ve exposed our insecurities, but other writers understand how hard it is and don’t judge.

The children’s writers I’ve met are kind and generous and they’re often rooting for me. We are a friendly bunch, so I try not to be intimidated and keep Dorie’s mantra from "Finding Nemo" playing on repeat in my head: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

I move on, and, “Just keep writing, just keep writing.”

Lisa: I give very brief answers. I'm honest. I'll say that I've been beating my head against the wall.

Jill: When I’m asked about submissions, I try to make it an opportunity to pitch my current work. Their reactions or lack thereof is helpful in knowing how I can be better.

When I’m asked about what I have published, I let them know what success I have had and then tell them that I don’t have any books published yet.

Part Two: Writing Craft

What are your favorite resources for improving your writing skills? 

Lisa's favorite craft books.

Lisa: Reading books in my genre – that’s the most fun way to improve my own work. When I see a picture book that is clever and delights me, it can also help me think, “I have concepts that are as good as these…My voice is similar…,” and those are the times I get excited again and want to keep the fire going.

Jill: I try to attend as many kid lit related critique meetings, writing workshops, and webinars as possible.

Meredith: I love a good conference or workshop, when I am surrounded by creative people and inspired by either a lecture or a writing exercise, but perhaps the most helpful tool for me is a story well told. It can be a book, a movie, a podcast, even a grandma at the dinner table.

I love trying to figure out what makes a story work, and then trying it out in my own work. What builds tension? How to best set up a scene? How to paint a character so she seems real? My favorite books are all marked up and highlighted with notes for what works and what doesn’t.

What strategies (internal and external) do you use for improving your craft?

Meredith: My best “honing” happens during revision. One of the most important things I can do to revise well is to leave my manuscript alone for a while.

When it’s time for a big revision, I need some space to gain perspective and let go of some of the details I can’t seem to pry my fingers off of when it’s still close and present and on my mind daily.

Internally, this means filling up with someone else’s words, reading a book that’s so good it distracts me from my work.

Externally, it means going out and engaging in the real world for a while, meeting a friend for coffee or lunch. This makes no sense. How can I be working on my craft by ignoring it? It works because when I come back to it, I see it through new eyes.

Sometimes I’ll try laying a construct on it, like Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting That You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder (Michael Wiese, 2005) or the “snowflake method” or the “sticky-note method” or whatever fun plotting game has come across my radar.

I look at my story as a puzzle instead of precious words I’ve woven together. Honing implies detail work, and getting to the root of what makes a scene and an entire story work. This can only be done with an objective eye, and I’m most objective when my affections are no longer entirely focused on my manuscript.

Jill: I study recently published kid lit books, create an organized comfortable working space, and play wordless music.

Lisa: Getting feedback as often as I can afford to, money-wise and time-wise.

What craft advice would you give to beginning writers?

Lisa: It takes a very long time for most of us to develop to a truly professional level. You must enjoy the actual writing, not just the idea of having a book to sell. Don't stay wedded to an idea too long, especially if an editor tells you in a critique that they see a lot of similar stories. If you're going to do a common book theme, like a bedtime book, ya gotta shoot for being better than Jane Yolen! 

Meredith: Light a candle. You can get really caught up with word count and how many pages you’ve written in a day, but the most important thing is making progress.

Meredith's writing space with lit candle.

We kid ourselves if progress only means meeting a designated and arbitrary word count. Sometimes progress looks like staring out the window or scribbling ideas on notecards or even deleting a bunch of pages that no longer work but were necessary to write to figure out your story.

This is all progress, though it may feel unsatisfying without physical proof of a hard day’s work. My advice is to put a candle on a plate and light it when you start paying attention to your manuscript.

Measure your progress by the puddle of wax that accumulates instead of word count. You’ll have a physical manifestation of the time you’ve spent with your work in progress.

When someone asks how your writing went that day, you can proudly (and cryptically) reply, “about the size of a salad plate.”

Jill: First, learn about the different kid-lit industry standards.

Second, learn about yourself. What are your writing strengths and weaknesses? Focus on improving your weakness. For example, if you don’t have a good grasp of grammar rules, then teach yourself with workbooks, online classes, and tutorials.

Third, train yourself to take and give constructive critique about your manuscript. Even the master writer, Jane Yolen said, “It’s never perfect when I write it down the first time, or the second time, or the fifth time. But it always gets better as I go over it and over it.”

Thanks to Lisa, Jill, and Meredith for sharing so much about your inner journeys and your thoughts about commitment to your craft! 

As short or as long as our journeys are, it's so important to call ourselves by our name - Writer - and to stay focused on the work, challenge, and joy of telling the stories we hold in our hearts and minds as beautifully as we can.

Cynsational Breaking News & Notes

Meredith Davis has sold what will become her debut book, Chance Comes Once, co-authored by Rebeka Uwitonze, to Scholastic.

Meredith founded the Austin chapter of SCBWI in 1995, the same year her daughter was born. She birthed an additional two children in subsequent years, worked in an independent children’s bookstore, and earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She writes middle grade and picture books, fiction and narrative nonfiction, and looks forward to announcing her first book contract, a product of many puddles of wax. In the featured photo, she is shown with Betty X. Davis, Anne Bustard, Kathi Appelt, and Jane Peddicord.

Lisa Bierman spent 17 years as a marketing research analyst. Then she had two sons who, thankfully, did not want to hear the same picture books over and over.

Lisa was hooked on the beauty and possibilities in the world of kids' books. She has written (and not published) many picture book and chapter book manuscripts. Her poetry has appeared in kids' magazines.

Meanwhile, she has done freelance business writing, volunteered extensively for SCBWI-Illinois, for local public schools and for AYSO soccer.

Jillene Donaldson (Jill) creates stories for children and teens and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Oklahoma Writers' Federation Inc.

She grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with three siblings, several dogs, and a cat that climbed walls. She's had run-ins with a mean bull, an electric fence, monster dogs, toe-eating mice, and bullies who once double-dog dared her to eat a white grub, which she did.

Jill graduated as valedictorian; completed an AA in English Literature for which she won the Geraldine Burns Award for Excellence in English; and then earned a BA all while working full time and raising two awesome boys with her husband.

She loves putting frozen fruit in drinks and most anything with cheese or chocolate. She lives with her husband in Oklahoma City.

Carol Coven Grannick writes picture books, poetry and middle grade fiction. Her work has appeared in Cricket, Ladybug, Highlights and Hunger Mountain.

Her middle grade novel-in-verse manuscript, "Reeni's Turn," addresses body image-issues for the younger audience, and won an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Sydney Taylor Manuscript competition. It also was a finalist for the Katherine Paterson Award from Hunger Mountain.

Carol chronicles the writer’s inner journey with a focus on resilience for Cynsations and the Illinois SCBWI Prairie Wind.

See her previous posts: Let's Make a Plan: Reminders from Early Childhood Education; Life, Writing & A Word In Praise of Emotional Safety; Into the Scary for the Sake of Joy; and Does Expecting the Worst Make You a Pessimist? Confessions of a Learned Optimist.

Author Interview: Samantha M. Clark on Being a SCBWI Regional Advisor & the Austin Chapter

Learn more about Samantha M. Clark,
photo by Sam Bond.

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Today we take a peek behind the curtain at the planning and preparation required to organize a successful Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators chapter.

I chatted with Austin's Regional Advisor, Samantha M. Clark to get the inside scoop.

How long have you been the Austin RA and what prompted you to take the position? 

I’m now in my fifth year as the RA.

I really love doing it, but it was not something I could do before. I’ve volunteered for SCBWI for the past 10 years, first running a critique group for the Houston chapter and, when we moved to Austin, coordinating the critiques for the conference, among other tasks.

When the former RA left, author Bethany Hegedus, a good friend and generally wonderful person, said I would make a good RA, to which I responded that there was no way I could do the job.

Author-illustrator Shelley Ann Jackson ended up taking over from the former RA, but she asked me to be her assistant. I was a little nervous, but ultimately thought it would be an amazing challenge and experience. And I was right, I loved it.

A few months into the job, however, Shelley was finding a big squeeze on her time. She was doing her MFA (in Writing for Children and Young Adults) at Vermont College of Fine Arts at the time, so she called me up one day and said, “You should be the RA.” I told her no and that she was doing great, but at every meeting she kept saying the same thing.

So finally I said that if she was serious, I was open to it. Even though I never imagined that I’d head up an SCBWI chapter, I’ve found that it’s something I really enjoy.

Amy Farrier, Samantha and Shelley Ann Jackson, Austin SCBWI's leadership team in 2013.

How many members are in the Austin chapter? 

We have close to 330 members, which is double the number when I first took this job. I’m astounded at the growth we’ve had in the last few years and always excited to see so many first timers at our monthly meetings and conference. Come on, join us!

Tell me about the local conference. When do you start planning it? How do you choose speakers? 

I do love our local conference. When I took over as RA, I revamped the (now two-day) conference and gave it the name Austin SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Working Conference.

I had envisioned a blend of a retreat and a conference, and while we’ve never ended up with alone working time in the schedule, like at a regular retreat, we do try to offer sessions that go deep and get attendees working.

Our goal is the same every year—and we tell our faculty this when we send out invitations: For our attendees to go home able to lift their work to the next level. We try to have something for writers and illustrators at all levels, from beginners to advanced, and we try to cover both craft and career.

For our Saturday breakouts, we have tracks for writers (picture books, novels or both), illustration and professional development for the business side. We also have keynotes that are geared at being more inspirational as well as learning, a panel with our speakers from the publishing side to answer attendee questions about the industry, and, on Sunday, intensives for picture books, novels and illustration.

A few years ago we added a panel of local authors and illustrators to kick off the whole weekend. I especially like this because everyone on the panel was once in the audience and I want all the attendees to know that, with hard work and perseverance, they could be the ones on the stage soon. 

We start planning at least a year in advance—I’m working on 2019 now but also thinking about 2020—and after organizing five conference, I’m starting to feel like I’m getting a handle on it.

It begins with deciding who our out of town faculty will be. We bring in one author, one illustrator, two editors, two agents and one art director. We aim to be as diverse as we can, with ethnicity as well as what they create. So, if we have an author who writes fantasy one year, we’ll try to get someone who writes a different genre the following year. Same with illustrators and their styles and mediums.

With agents and editors, we try to bring in people from different publishing houses/agencies, big and small, from year to year, as well as match agents and editors so that collectively, they represent as many age groups and genres as possible.

It takes a lot of planning, and we have to invite people early because speakers’ schedules fill up fast. We often have to do multiple invitations because people are busy, so to create the best faculty possible, it takes a lot of research and time.

While we’re looking for the out of town faculty, we also open up for proposals from our local faculty. We use a proposal system because we have so many amazing authors and illustrators in our local area and they have much better ideas about sessions than we do.

We do try to share the spots from year to year, so we can showcase as many of our local creatives as possible. But ultimately, we look at all the proposals along with the sessions from our out of town faculty and choose ones that combined will make a balanced conference that covers many different topics. It’s a lot of planning, but my hope is that through it, we’ve got a conference that is living up to its mission to help attendees lift their work to the next level.

There are several scholarships connected to the conference. Can you tell me about those? 

Yes! I’m very proud of our scholarships and awards. Through our Betty X Davis Young Writers of Merit Award, named after our oldest member, who’s now 102 and a huge inspiration, we honor three young writers every year, giving a $500 scholarship to the high school student when they start college. We hear these writers read their work at the conference and I’m always so impressed.

Betty X. Davis with the 2017 Young Writers winners and Lindsey Lane,
SCBWI volunteer. Photo by Sam Bond.

Our Creators of Diverse Characters Scholarship offers one full scholarship and one half scholarship to a picture book writer, novel writer and an illustrator to go to our annual conference. This is designed to encourage the creation of diverse worlds, in race, sexuality, religion, etc. We’re also working on a program that will award scholarships to writers and illustrators in marginalized groups and hope to begin that next year.

We also have two-year-long mentorships, one for writers and one for illustrators. Our newest is the Emerging Voice Illustrator Mentorship. The winner is chosen from the Portfolio Showcase at our conference. We rotate the mentors, and this year, it’s Don Tate, who’s a wonderful author-illustrator.

For illustrators at the conference, we also have a Portfolio Showcase Contest, which awards two honors with gift certificates and a winner with gift certificates and a free year’s membership to SCBWI.

On the writers’ side, we have the Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award, named after Cynsations’ own Cynthia Leitich Smith to honor how generous she is to those starting out. The mentorship is modeled after the Houston SCBWI chapter’s Joan Lowery Nixon Memorial Award.

I won the mentorship years ago with the manuscript that will be published by Simon & Schuster next month, The Boy, The Boat, And The Beast (June 26, 2018), so it was really important to me that Austin have a similar program to help other writers.

Cynthia was our first mentor for the award, and since then, other local authors have been the mentors on a rotating basis.

Our 2018 mentor is Jennifer Ziegler, who is choosing her mentee from manuscripts nominated by our conference faculty from their critiques.

How has SCBWI helped you in your path to publication?

I could write a whole blog post on this question alone!

SCBWI has helped me enormously, with learning at conferences, meeting people, making friends… But I can give you a specific example with the journey of my debut book, The Boy, The Boat, And The Beast.

Laurent Linn

I started writing the manuscript when I was volunteering for the Houston SCBWI critique group. They helped me hone the opening pages. The manuscript won the Houston chapter’s Joan Lowry Nixon Award, which was a year’s mentorship with the fantastic Newbery Honor author Kathi Appelt.

I was recommended to my agent, Rachel Orr of Prospect Agency, by agent Liza Pulitzer Voges, who had met me at the first Austin SCBWI conference I organized. Liza loved my work, but said she wouldn’t be the right agent for it. She recommended me to Rachel, and after being in the query trenches more than two years, the manuscript finally found its agent home.

Coincidentally, the art director we had brought in for that same conference, Laurent Linn with Simon & Schuster, is now the art director for my book. I had told him about the book at the conference.

Four years later, when he heard my editor talking about it in a production meeting, he remembered the story and asked to work on it. I couldn’t be more grateful for the work he has done to make it beautiful.

All of these things I can directly point to SCBWI, but as I said, over the years, I have learned so much at SCBWI conferences, webinars, books, podcasts, articles…

And, perhaps, most important are the friends I’ve made through SCBWI. The organization promotes support and encouragement, and its members follow suit. I’ve made friends in the chapters where I’ve been a member and, as an RA, I’ve made friends with chapter volunteers from around the world. SCBWI has been and continues to be my teacher, my guide, my cushion. I wouldn’t have a career without it.

Samantha with other RAs at the 2016 SCBWI LA Conference

Are there other Austin events beyond the monthly meeting and the annual conference?

Oh, yes! We stay busy. We have webinars at various times throughout the year, but we also organize workshops, networking events, and new since last year, retreats.

Last year, we held our first Novel Writing Retreat, with workshops, roundtables and lots of writing and social time. This year, we’re working on our first Picture Book Retreat, Sept. 14-16.

We also have Online Book Clubs for PB, MG and YA, where members can discuss and analyze books to help their own work. We have critique groups all over the Austin area and more being organized all the time. And from time to time, we try to arrange a lunch with an author or illustrator so people can ask questions.

What's the best part of being an RA?

This is a fun question because there are so many best parts of being an SCBWI RA:

• Working with our fantastic Assistant Regional Advisor P.J. Hoover and Illustrator Coordinator C.S. Jennings, as well as our other wonderful volunteers.
•  Meeting new writers and illustrators—I feel like I gained a huge friendly family when I took on the job.
•  When one of our members says they learned something or made a positive connection through one of our events.
•  Getting thank you emails from members after I’ve helped them in some way. Everyone is seriously so nice!
•  When one of our members signs with an agent or gets a book deal that came out of a connection or advice received at one of our events… I could go on.

Being an RA is a lot of work, but the rewards are endless.

C.S., Sam and P.J. planning Austin SCBWI events.

Are there any downsides? 

Well... the job is a lot of work.

Outside of what our members see, the events require a lot of organization and brainstorming, much of which is time consuming. Plus, the RA has to submit a number of reports to the SCBWI HQ, keep up with what’s going on with international SCBWI programs as well as other chapters, and respond to emails from members, prospective members and people seeking information about kidlit.

A lot of emails…

Being an RA is a voluntary position and I have a lot of commitments outside of that—especially right now, with next month’s release of The Boy, The Boat, And The Beast—so I have to fit in all the SCBWI work when I can.

But I try to get as many volunteers involved as possible, which I think is key for two reasons:

1. If I have less to do, I can do more for the chapter with the little time I have. And, perhaps more importantly, 
2. It’s important for our members to feel like it’s their chapter and they’re contributing as part of the greater family. 

We give lots of perks to our volunteers to thank them for their time, but people sign up to volunteer because they want to get involved and meet other members. Volunteering is the best way to do that, so to me, having lots of people involved is the best all around.

Cynsational Notes

Samantha M Clark has always loved stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. After all, if four ordinary brothers and sisters can find a magical world at the back of a wardrobe, why can't she? While she looks for her real-life Narnia, she writes about other ordinary children and teens who've stumbled into a wardrobe of their own.

In a past life, Samantha was a photojournalist and managing editor for newspapers and magazines. She lives with her husband and two kooky dogs in Austin, Texas.

Samantha is the Regional Advisor for the Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, and explores wardrobes every chance she gets. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

New Voice: Cate Berry on Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don't Do Bedtime!

By Traci Sorell
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I’m so pleasured to feature my interview with Cate Berry, debut picture book author of Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Balzer + Bray, 2018).

Publishers Weekly described it as “...a buoyantly subversive antibedtime tale,” and I couldn’t agree more.

The witty repartee between Penguin and Tiny Shrimp, coupled with the digital artwork of Charles Santoso make this 2018 Junior Library Guild selection a fun and engaging read for little ones.

My visit with Cate yielded lots of helpful takeaways for those new to the field and some salient thoughts on when to ask for help.

Kate, what advice would you share with beginning children’s-YA writers? 

Personally, I urge my new students to read at least three hundred picture books before even beginning a manuscript (or at least while you begin drafting).

Picture books are like learning a new language. There is a rhythm, a vibe, and implicit rules are attached to the form. Taking a class or reading a craft book is great, but reading a heap of picture books is even better.

Cate's students at The Writing Barn discuss picture books.

So reading more than you are writing is my advice, especially with picture books. You want the form to wash over you; the economy of words, the give-and-take with the illustrator, the brilliant idea, the strong beginning, the twist endings.

After you read a jillion of them, their residue is left behind and it’s easier to get out of the way and write something uniquely fresh and your own. I think every kid (and editor!) is looking for this in your next picture book.

Cate with VCFA faculty member A.S. King

I’d also say it’s very important to pay it forward. There are writers who have been so generous with their time and talent towards me over the years and continue to be so. I will never forget it.

I write a new mission statement for my writing each year and I always end it with “give back as much as I receive.” I hope I can encourage beginning writers to remember this unspoken tradition in our community and pay it forward as they move along in writing and publishing.

How are you approaching the transition from writer to author in terms of your self-image, marketing and promotion, and moving forward with your literary art? 

I love this question. You’ve made me think about it a lot. There is a lot of change right now. There are school visits, conferences, panels, social media and blog posts where there was once just writing time. I’m not someone who believes in balance, which isn’t very on trend right now.

I don’t do yoga. I meditate until I have to stop and jot down “a very important note.” I like moving at full speed, falling into a project and not coming up for air until it’s done. I also like saying "yes" to everything. But all this isn’t very realistic.

So, I’ve incorporated two things into my life during this transition from writer to author. The first is asking for help from amazing women, in all fields, who are a step or two ahead of me.

I’ve watched successful men, including my dad, ask for assistance when they need it. Why shouldn’t I? A friend of mine in women’s marketing offered to be my project manager. She’s brilliant, helping me organize my new book/author commitments and not get overwhelmed with the process.

One of my students is helping me with the extra social media that comes along with launching a new book. And I’ve enlisted the help of another writer who is much farther along in publishing than myself to critique new manuscripts for me each month so my writing remains on the front burner.

And speaking of burners, I don’t want to burn out. That leads me to my second life change: making downtime a priority.

It was suggested I do this everyday and my first thought was, That’s nuts. There’s too much to do! I can’t stop until it’s done (see above paragraph)!

But, I want to be writing for many years. It’s a slow burn not a hot mess— this business of long-time book making. Taking twenty minutes a day to curl up with my cat isn’t going to slow me down at all.

In fact, I’m finding I’m more productive with less time on the days I keep this commitment of regular downtime.

As an MFA in Writing graduate, how did that experience impact your literary journey?

A week after I was accepted into the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults program, I signed with my agent.

Some writing friends were scratching their heads at my decision to attend because, yes, MFAs are expensive and demanding. And hey, you just got an agent. Do you need to do this? I also knew it would be hard on my family.

But my mentor at the time gave me great advice: getting an MFA will put you on a fast track with your writing and ultimately your career. At the time I thought, Great! I will gain a degree along with accruing a lot of publishable work.

Turns out, I misunderstood her completely. To be clear, I don’t believe you must gain an MFA to write or publish, many writers I admire don’t have one. But for me, it allowed me to claim my space as a writer.

Is it Hogwarts or Narnia or Wonderland or Brigadoon?

Vermont College of Fine Arts is a low residency MFA and comes with a grueling schedule of critical writing, creative writing and an enormous amount of reading every month. We all know life gets in the way when you try and write. Going to VCFA took away any excuse for not putting writing at the top of my To Do list. And now I feel that commitment is embedded in my DNA.

I think that’s what my mentor really meant. It was a fast track, for me, in that it cemented my writing process. One thing that surprised me is that working towards an MFA at VCFA was not linear.

Looking back, it’s strange how much I learned without academic scaffolding holding everything in place (ex. detailed curriculum uniformly followed by all students). I had four completely different advisors throughout my two years in the program, and I gleaned four different skill sets under their wings.

One semester was spent entirely on picture books. I had experience writing in this genre so I was able to dive deep, annotating hundreds of picture books and writing three to five drafts each month as well as revising and working intimately with my advisor and five other students through an online forum.

I received a certificate at the end of that semester which felt a little like "The Wizard of Oz" ending. Ultimately, it’s just a piece of paper, and yet, it gives me strength and confidence when I glance at it (which I do often!) knowing the effort behind it.

I will admit I was intimidated and frustrated by all the critical writing at first. But after some guidance, I grew to love it. My critical thesis and lecture were based around humorous picture books. I made time to delve into humor theory and research, applying it to currently published picture books, which now informs my daily writing. More importantly, it sharpened my analytical skills.

Why is this important for creative writing? Well, how can you write a great novel or picture book without being able to pull apart the mechanics of the story and embed your heart into it at the same time?

In the end, the greatest gift from my master’s program was understanding and valuing the long game. Faculty member Cynthia Leitich Smith’s inspired series on longevity and publishing in children’s writing also highlights these sentiments.

Sometimes life happens no matter how much you plan for an uninterrupted writing day.

This past week my son had the flu—pfft —I lost four days. But you can always keep your finger in the creative pie.

Even on the crazy days, I’ll jot down a poem or a new picture book title. My advisors, whom (lucky me) are now some of my writing pals, taught me about attending my work with care and dedication because we are writers for life, not sprinters in a writing contest.

Cynsational Notes

Kirkus Reviews said of Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don't Do Bedtime!:

"Ironic counterpoint abounds in this humorous picture book, which sees the eponymous characters rejecting typical bedtime-book activities and accouterments through speech-balloon text, as all the while humorous, expressive, digital illustrations doggedly present them.... A definite do for bedtime."

Cate Berry is a faculty member with the Writing Barn in Austin, Texas and an active member in the SCBWI and Writers’ League of Texas.

She also speaks at schools, libraries and conferences year round on such topics as “Gender Stereotyping and Poetic Devices” and “From Stand Up to Sit Down: Funneling Surprise and Stand-Up Comedy into Humorous Picture Books.”

Traci Sorell covers picture books as well as children's-YA writing, illustration, publishing and other book news from Indigenous authors and illustrators for Cynsations. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Her first nonfiction picture book, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga illustrated by Frané Lessac, will be published by Charlesbridge on Sept. 4, 2018. The story features a panorama of modern-day Cherokee cultural practices and experiences, presented through the four seasons. It conveys a universal spirit of gratitude common in many cultures.

In fall 2019, her first fiction picture book, At the Mountain’s Base, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre will be published by Penguin Random House’s new imprint, Kokila.

Traci is represented by Emily Mitchell of Wernick & Pratt Literary Agency.