Toot Your Horn!

Tags

board book, Graphic Novels, middle grade, nonfiction, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult

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 and digital high fives welcome in the comments!

Here’s a Secret About Diverse Books

Tags

#WNDB, Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, authors, diversity, Judy Blume, Little Divas, middle grade, Philana Marie Boles, publishing, We Need Diverse Books

by Philana Marie Boles

Philana Marie Boles

Since its inception in 2014, I have applauded the refreshing “We Need Diverse Books” initiative. Yet internally, as a multi-published author, I’ve also whimpered a weary cry whenever I see those words. I’ve wanted to remind anyone who will listen, “But we’re here. We’ve always been here. Diverse books just need to be seen and supported.”

Plant a Seed of an Idea and Watch it Blossom into Your Next Book

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authors, Fina Mendoza Mysteries, Kitty Felde, MG, middle grade, novels, publishing, writing, writing tips

by Kitty Felde

Kitty Felde at Literary Hill BookFest on Capitol Hill 2022

There is nothing more scary than a blank screen. Starting a new novel from scratch is more terrifying than any roller coaster in any amusement park anywhere in the world.

That’s why I avoid an empty page.

Instead, I’m a great believer in germination. Instead of starting from bare earth, I plant the tiniest of ideas, giving them time to take root and put up shoots. I never know which seeds will fully blossom, but I’m willing to be surprised.

Toot Your Horn!

Tags

board book, middle grade, nonfiction, nonfiction anthology, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult

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 and digital hi-fives welcome in the comments!

Toot Your Horn!

Tags

biography, middle grade, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult

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 and digital hi-fives welcome in the comments!

Ask an Editor: All About NaNoWriMo

Tags

authors, Chris Baty, MG, middle grade, NaNoWriMo, nonfiction, novels, writing tips

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Hi Christine—This time of year it seems so many writers are participating in NaNoWriMo. What exactly is that and is it worthwhile for kid’s book writers? I’m writing a middle-grade novel.—Jo, Encino

SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day Contest: And the Winners Are…

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authors, Laurie L. Young, middle grade, Nicholas Ponticello, Patricia Toht, picture book, Ronna Mandel, SCBWI events, Vincent X. Kirsch, young adult

by Brenda Scott Royce, Contest Coordinator

A highlight of Writers Day every year is the announcement of the winners of the writing contest. It’s not only exciting for the lucky ones called to the stage—hearing what the judges had to say about the stand-out manuscripts can also be instructive and inspiring for the rest of us. While cheering on our fellow writers, we just may hear something that sparks an idea for a revision or a whole new story.

Please join us in celebrating the 2022 Writers Day Contest runners-up and winners, who were announced at the SCBWI-L.A./CenCal Writers Day event on Saturday, October 23. Excerpts from the judges’ comments are included in the list of honorees below. If you’d like to contact any of the winners to request their manuscript or discuss publication, please let us know!

3rd Annual #KTIllustrates Contest: Call for Entries

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book covers, contest, illustrators, interior art, KTIllustrates, middle grade, picture book, SCBWI members, spot illustration, young adult

Calling all Illustrators! Kite Tales invites you, our illustrator members, to participate in our annual #KTIllustrates Contest: we give you a prompt and you show us your best take. The illustration can be in any medium, for any age range, and any genre. It can be conceptual or literal, spot or spread, as long as it keeps the idea of the prompt as it would apply to children’s books. (If you’re inspired to create a cover illustration instead, go for it!) All are welcome, as long as the final entry follows the guidelines posted on the entry page.

Crossing Borders and Letting Go with Mitali Perkins

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authors, editing tips, Hope In The Valley, intercultural, middle grade, Mitali Perkins, nonfiction, picture books, plotting, SCBWI events, Writers Day 2022, writing tips, young adult

Joining us as keynote speaker for Writers Day 2022 is Mitali Perkins! An explorer of boundaries both physical and literary, she has written books for all ages of young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for a National Book Award) and Rickshaw Girl (adapted into a film by Sleeperwave Productions) and the upcoming picture book, The Story of Us (Beaming Books, 2022). She seeks to make readers laugh and cry, all while opening their hearts to understanding the mysteries of the wider world.

Jessica Chrysler: Welcome Mitali, and thank you for taking the time to interview with Kite Tales! As an author of picture books, YA and nonfiction for adults, your work crosses categories as fluidly as you explore the theme of crossing borders. What inspires you in your work? And what gives you that spark to take on the next project?

The ‘Reality’ of Writing: How Reality TV Can Improve Your Books – Episode 3

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authors, editing, middle grade, publishing, reality TV, TV writing, Twist My Charm, writing tips

by Toni Gallagher

Toni with the Fiji crew – field producing Under One Roof

Welcome back to our third and final “episode”! In my earlier articles, I shared how the wild and wonderful world of reality TV can help authors improve their stories, but now it’s time to face two of the toughest challenges of all: editing, and accepting notes.