Buried in the Slushpile

Last week I attended TLA. It was a wonderful time to see fellow authors, visit with librarians, and to basically network my heart out. But one of the other great joys of trade shows like TLA and ALA is the opportunity to catch up on what the industry is currently...

That’s right. In less than a week, librarians will emerge from their stacks and squint there way out of dusty libraries into the sunlight of San Antonio. And they will swarm together in a noisy, riotous, fun-loving bunch. If you think librarians are quiet, meek, and...

Last week, I talked about the importance of community, especially in terms of activating you community when it comes to marketing. But community is so much more than what other people can do for you. Community is not just about receiving support, but also providing...

At some point in your authorial career you’re going to have to tackle the dreaded M-word. No, not magic, although that would be pretty cool if we all got wands and the ability to move objects from across the room at the flick of a wrist just because our book released....

There are so many facets to the publishing experience. There’s being a children’s book author or illustrator and the experience that comes from creating books for kids to consume. Then there is actually working for a publisher in some capacity whether that’s as an...

I know the temptation. That temptation to just change one more little word. To read through the manuscript one more time —  Just In Case. The temptation to tinker endlessly with a manuscript because it just doesn’t feel perfect. I get it. I do. I’ve had that...

If you type “how many pages does a picture book have” in a search engine, nearly every result will tell you that there are 32. So, are Picture Books 32 Pages? Yes, and also no. Wait, hear me out. Ok, technically, yes, picture books are 32 pages. Like almost all print...

We may have answered all of questions and set great goals, but the thing is we have to follow through. And that’s the hardest part, even harder than figuring out our goal in the first place. So, we’re going to have to Stay Motivated. First we’re going to keep the...

So far in our goal setting we’ve figured out what we want and how we’ll do it, but there’s one final question. Question 3: When will I do it? The truth is all the plans in the world won’t get you to your goal if you can’t find a time to implement them. You need to...