Hear ye, hear ye: Announcing the 2023 SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship Contest Winner!

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Cara J. Stevens, contests, Jeff Creely, Mentorship Award, picture book, SCBWI community

by Cara J. Stevens

Note: In January, we invited picture book authors to apply for a six-month mentorship with one of our Published and Listed members. This year’s mentor, Cara J. Stevens, joins us to announce the winner and share some of the submission highlights.

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I was blown away by the submissions I received for this year’s mentorship contest. Each story showed promise, and each author’s interview responses showed just how ready they all are to take their picture book writing to the next level.

Attention Picture Book Writers: SCBWI-L.A.’s Mentorship Contest Is Now Open!

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contests, illustrators, Joseph Taylor, mentorship, picture book, Sarah Gottlieb, SCBWI members, writer

by Sarah Gottlieb

About this time last year, I was drowning in “champagne rejections.” I had a wonderful but complicated idea and had spent a lot of time working on a manuscript and query letter. What was causing agents to write complimentary emails but not take the plunge? Or worse, to say, “Call me if someone makes you an offer!” I knew I had a great idea—the agents said as much—but I didn’t know why they wouldn’t bite. 

I thought of all of the writers I’d met and wondered if a mentor could help. I checked SCBWI-L.A. to see if they had any information on mentorships and, to my delight, this very mentorship contest was open for submission. AND the mentor was Joseph Taylor, the editor of MUSE, the children’s science magazine. I couldn’t believe my luck. 

Just Do It! Enter the 2022 SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day Contest

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Christine Van Zandt, contests, Erica Rich, middle grade, Nicholas Ponticello, nonfiction, picture books, poetry, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Toni Gallagher, Writers Day 2022, young adult

by Brenda Scott Royce

Why do we enter writing contests? Prizes are awfully nice, and hearing your name announced as the winner is a definite thrill. But perhaps even more motivating is the validation that comes with recognition of your work. There’s nothing like learning that the speck of an idea you plucked from thin air and coaxed into shape over weeks, months, or maybe even years, actually has wings and can fly. 

Attention Non-fiction Writers: SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship Contest Opens April 19!

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contests, Edward Underhill, Joseph Taylor, mentorship, narrative nonfiction, Nicole Maggi, nonfiction, writing

by Edward Underhill

Editor’s update (6/1/21): The deadline for the SCBWI-L.A. 2021 Mentorship Contest has been extended to June 18, 2021! Get your entries in ASAP!

In March 2020, my partner had just moved her work home for the foreseeable future, my day job was suddenly paused while everyone scrambled to set up remote work, and Los Angeles was entering lockdown. With the roads suddenly quiet outside and more time on my hands, I decided to take a risk and submit my newly finished YA novel for the SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship Contest with mentor Nicole Maggi.

Let Twitter Be Part of Your Writing Life

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#KTChat, branding, contests, promotions, social media, Twitter

by Jean Lizotte Grabow, SCBWI-L.A. Social Media Manager  

Social Media is an opportunity for us as writers and artists to become part of the larger publishing community, create a brand for ourselves, and promote our work. 

Today we are focusing on Twitter as a tool for all book creators, particularly writers, to support our careers. The platform has an amazing publishing community and many opportunities to participate, including our very own SCBWI-L.A. Kite Tales #KTChat contest (more on this below).  

Here are some tips for maximizing your time on Twitter to enhance your writing life.  

The 2020 Sue Alexander Grant Winner Has Been Selected!

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contest winners, contests, SAG, Sue Alexander Grant, writing contest

By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

Though the SCBWI-Los Angeles isn’t able to schedule any in-person events for the remainder of 2020 due to the pandemic, the Sue Alexander Grant competition is a constant we felt was important to keep in place. 

#KT250 On Hiatus, But You Can Still Engage With Us!

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contests, SCBWI members

Hey SCBWI members! We LOVE celebrating your work with our Kite Tales exclusive #KT250 contest, but due to circumstances beyond our control, which we know you are all feeling right now, we need to put this one on hiatus for a bit. Look for updates on Facebook and Twitter for when the contest is running again.

In the meantime, please check out the SCBWI-L.A. region contest page for any current contests, grants, etc. You can also connect with us, and each other, on our Facebook and Twitter accounts, so join and follow. And many of our LitMingles are still meeting online.

It’s 100% okay if you aren’t up to writing right now. But if you are, don’t forget, SCBWI is offering virtual, FREE writing workshops! Keep an eye out for registration info as they go live and the recordings will be available online to all members for one month after each workshop. Regional webinars are also still ongoing.

And as always, Kite Tales posts and archives are available for your perusal!

If you have other ideas for/know of other ways to connect with the SCBWI writing community, please share them on social media or here in the comments.

Thank you for your understanding and stay safe out there, friends!

For more fantastic content, community, events, and other professional development opportunities, become an SCBWI member today! Not sure if there is a chapter in your area? Check here.

#KT250 original photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash.

#KT250 Winning Entries, 1st Quarter 2020

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agents, contest winners, contests, drama, literary fiction, publishers, SCBWI members, seeking publisher, seeking representation, The Last Bookstore, unpublished, YA, young adult

#KT250 is a Kite Tales quarterly community contest! We’re proud to announce this quarter’s winners and share the first 250 words of their unpublished manuscripts. We encourage agents, publishers, and mentors to reach out to any they find intriguing!

To find out how YOU can enter for next quarter, check out contest info here. Entries are now being accepted for next quarter!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

Why Enter the 2020 Writers Day Contest? Why Not?!

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awards, contests, middle grade, picture books, published, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, young adult

by Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator 

2019 Picture Book category winner Sue Schmitt. (Photo by India Schmitt)

The SCBWI-L.A. annual Writers Day will be held March 28, 2020 and, as usual, there will be a manuscript contest open to all who register for the event. Whether you’ll be attending the event for the first time or you’ve been to so many Writers Days you’ve lost count, entering the contest is a fun and valuable part of the experience.

Submissions will be accepted in four categories—Picture Book, Middle Grade novel, Young Adult novel and Other (which includes non-fiction and poetry). Instructions for entering will be included on the 2020 Writers Day event information page. The contest opens as soon as registration goes live, which will be sometime in December. Winners receive a free written critique from one of the Writers Day faculty members PLUS free tuition to Writers Day 2021 (or equivalent). 

In recent years, the Writers Day contest has been particularly prescient when it comes to recognizing promising work.

#KT250 Winning Entries, 3rd Quarter 2019

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agents, contest winners, contests, fantasy, middle grade, nonfiction, picture book, publishers, SCBWI members, seeking publisher, seeking representation, The Last Bookstore, unpublished, YA, young adult

#KT250 is a Kite Tales quarterly community contest! We’re proud to announce this quarter’s winners and share the first 250 words of their unpublished manuscripts. We encourage agents, publishers, and mentors to reach out to any they find intriguing!

To find out how YOU can enter for next quarter, check out contest info here. Entries are now being accepted for next quarter!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: