Helena Ku Rhee: Debut Author’s Perspective

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agents, authors, Bill Contardi, Colleen Kong-Savage, contracts, Helena Ku Rhee, illustrators, picture books, publishers, publishing, The Turtle Ship

Jessica Echeverria (editor, Lee & Low), Helena, and Colleen Kong-Savage (illustrator)

Helena Ku Rhee is the author of The Turtle Ship, a forthcoming picture book by Lee & Low (Fall 2018). Helena, trained as a lawyer, followed an uncommon path by negotiating her own book deal. She tells Kite Tales about her debut and navigating publishing without an agent.

Toot Your Horn!

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authors, illustrators, published, publishing, SCBWI members

SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting ad digital hi-fives welcome in the comments!

How the Stars came To Be, written and illustrated by Michael Bayouth, Self-Published, ages 6-10, Picture Book, ISBN: 978-0692711224, released 12/01/16. (Stars Photo)

 

 

SCBWI and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Signing Booth

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Andrea J. Loney, Ashlyn Anstee, authors, Bethany Barton, Chris Robertson, illustrators, Jake Gerdhardt, LATFoB, Laurenne Sala, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, PAL, Robert Mellette, SCBWI members, Summer

By Jacob Gerhardt

SCBWI members have a legendary reputation for being friendly and supportive. Working the SCBWI LA Times Festival of Books booth with fellow authors proved, as always, that this characterization is well deserved.

I would estimate about half the festivalgoers who stopped by our booth were interested in purchasing our books and the other half curious to learn more about the world of children’s books. We were happy to accommodate on both ends.

How to Prep for a Summer Con

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authors, conferences, Cons, illustrators, networking, Summer, tips, Wonder Con, WonderCon, writers

I went to Wonder Con this year and it was the messy, funny, crowd-filled, creative mish-mosh that it always is. I also realized that as I get a little older, enjoying a convention, or “con,” requires a bit more preparation. But cons are great places to network with other authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers, not to mention the kid lit audience, so they’re worth it. Since there are several more cons and festivals coming up this year in our area, I thought a little “How to Prep for a Summer Con” guide might be in order. The more you know about what you’re getting into, the less intimidating it will be and the less you’ll feel like a grumpy-gus shaking your fist at those darn kids to get off your con-lawn.

Sue Alexander Grant Contest Opens! Where Are Past Winners Now?

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Amanda Hollander, authors, contest winners, contests, grants, Karen Lyn Jameson, Kes Trester, Melody Mansfield, Penelope Merrell, published, SCBWI events, SCBWI members

By Marcelle Greene

The 2017 Sue Alexander Grant contest opens today, offering one SCBWI-L.A. writer free tuition to the Working Writers Retreat. We asked five previous recipients of this prestigious award how winning impacted their writing careers.

Pam Gruber: Editor’s Perspective, Writers & Illustrators Day Faculty

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authors, Cecilia Vinesse, Claudia Gray, Emily Lloyd-Jones, Jen Calonita, Josh Sundquist, Pam Gruber, publishers, publishing, YA, young adult

Pam Gruber is a Senior Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers where she has worked on everything from novelty and picture books to novels. She primarily acquires middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She loves alternate histories, off-beat teen romances, witty voices that can make her laugh and cry simultaneously, and stories of characters being asked to see their world in a different way. She is also on the faculty for this year’s Los Angeles SCBWI Writers and Illustrators Day (Feb. 25^th) where she will deliver a keynote and lead a breakout session on immersive world-building. For a great preview and insights from an editor-extraordinaire (and cute cat photos!), read on:

SARAH PARKER-LEE: Your list includes a hybrid graphic-novel series, VIP by Jen Calonita, Claudia Gray’s new space opera, Defy the Stars, and YouTuber Josh Sundquist’s debut novel, Love and First Sight. You certainly don’t dwell in traditional spaces for content or creator! What makes you want to take a risk on non-traditional projects? What’s the difference between non-traditional and straight-up gimmicky?

Clelia Gore: Agent’s Perspective, 2017 Writers & Illustrators Day Faculty

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Adria Regordosa, authors, Bistra Masseva, Brian Russo, Cheryl Lawton Malone, Dustrats, Ignite Your Spark: Discovering Who You Are from the Inside Out, illustrator tips, Patricia Wooster, picture books, writing tips, Yoga Bunny

Clelia Gore is a lawyer-turned-literary-agent who heads Martin Literary Management’s kid lit division. She represents authors and illustrators in both fiction and nonfiction, from board books to young adult.

As faculty for SCBWI’s upcoming Writers & Illustrator’s Day, she will lead a session titled “The Interplay Between Art and Text in Picture Books.” She also will critique manuscripts and will be an illustration contest judge.

Erlina Vasconcellos: What do you want participants to take away from your breakout session at Writers & Illustrators Day?

Clelia Gore: I get two kinds of picture book queries: author/illustrators and authors only. For people who are authors only, they sometimes need a little help seeing how the art and writing can work together to tell the story. A lot of picture book writers who are early in their careers don’t understand how the two forms of art interplay in telling the story.

For authors who are illustrators, it’s honing in on things to think about when crafting their story…Hopefully people will leave inspired and it will lead to thoughtfully crafted books.

EV: What question are you asked often?

Great News!

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authors, awards, illustrators, news, published, SCBWI members

SCBWI loves celebrating our members’ successes and noteworthy news, and there are many! Read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. Digital high-fives welcome in the comments!

 

 

Living Fossils: Clues to the Past by Caroline Arnold, is a 2016 CRA Silver Eureka Award winner and on the NYPL Recommends: New Nonfiction for Kids List, Bibliofile July 15, 2016.

Melissa Manlove: Editor’s Perspective, 2017 Writers and Illustrators Day Faculty

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authors, illustrators, Illustrators Day, Melissa Manlove, picture books, publishers, publishing, writers, Writers Day

Melissa Manlove is an editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. Her acquisitions tend to be all ages in nonfiction; ages 0-8 for fiction. She’s also a keynote speaker, a breakout session speaker, manuscript critique faculty, and an illustration contest judge for the Los Angeles SCBWI Writers & Illustrators Day, coming on February 25^th, 2017. When acquiring, Melissa looks for fresh takes on familiar topics as well as the new and unusual. An effective approach and strong, graceful writing are important to her. She also has 17 years of children’s bookselling experience and is currently on staff at Book Passage.

Sarah Parker-Lee: Your workshop intensive for the SCBWI Los Angeles Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day event, “What We Say Without Saying: Developing Voice in the Text and Art of Picture Books,” is for authors and illustrators. “Voice” is so often associated with text. What does it mean for illustrations? Do authors and illustrators find one voice together, or a way to intertwine their individual voices?

Melissa Manlove: Voice is a lot of things at once, but style and point of view are a couple of the biggest parts, whether you’re talking about text or art. Artists can make a lot of decisions that will make an impact on readers without them being very aware of it—choices that are ‘show not tell’ in the art, like palette, texture, composition—and decisions that ought to be deliberately calculated to communicate what’s most important about the book they’re illustrating; to evoke emotion, to tell a story.

Authors and artists always have separate voices, but when they are both working towards the same (or complimentary) narrative goals, they achieve a harmony that makes them feel like two halves of the same whole.

Former Mentor Contest Winners Share Experience and Advice

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authors, illustrators, mentorship, SCBWI members, writer

By Marcelle Greene, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

Having a published mentor who helps you improve your work could be the greatest gift you receive on your path to publication. Through its Mentor Program, SCBWI-L.A. has offered this gift to three members in the past two years, and is now running a contest for a 2017 illustration mentorship. (Entry deadline is 2-14-17.)

Winning the 2015 mentorship changed illustrator Matthew Rivera’s goals. “Writing my own stories to illustrate wasn’t something I considered before the mentorship,” Rivera says. But mentor Deborah Norse Lattimore encouraged him to do both. “I’m becoming a better writer and I’ve seen improvements in my artwork thanks to Deborah’s advice,” Rivera says. For example: “She suggested adding more movement to my scenes and to make the motion from left to right, so as to drive a page turn.”