Writing is a Group Activity!
I recently went to an in-person retreat – one of the few I have gone to since COVID-19. I…
October 9, 2024I recently went to an in-person retreat – one of the few I have gone to since COVID-19. I…
October 9, 2024Once the dream book is finally contracted, the most important writing starts. Essentially what we write in preparation for…
September 8, 2024I heard comments/complaints in a writer’s group recently that “it is impossible to get your book into the library”…
August 8, 2024I have been working/pitching a series of four board books for the last few years on the seasonal changes…
July 9, 2024Last month we put together pitches – the 30-second “What is your book about?” Unless you happen to end up next…
June 8, 2024“So, tell me about your book.” What a great invitation – whether it is from family or friends or…
May 8, 2024Has this happened to you? You are introduced to someone new as a children’s author. Response: “I have an…
April 8, 2024Libraries buy quality books for all ages in the children’s department and hope to match the book with the…
February 8, 2024One a scale of 1-10, parts of the year 2023 were a minus 6. We saw family, we traveled,…
January 6, 2024The press, the marketers, and the bookstores all clamoring for autographs and first-day Amazon rankings! Then “NEW” is over.…
December 8, 2023As more books are published in a variety of ways (traditional, self-pub, hybrid, assisted), a whole crop of people…
November 9, 2023“I was born as a small child…and did stuff.” My bio in nine words, but who’s counting? One piece…
October 9, 2023One gazillion years ago when I started writing on stone tablets, I never needed an agent to get published.…
September 8, 2023As I wrote this article, I got an email from my publisher letting me know that the pre-order sales…
August 9, 2023There are some thrilling moments in book publication that make all the back work (sometimes YEARS of edits!) pale…
June 8, 2023People seem to be taking sides on AI and feeling strongly about it. Recently we had an AI adventure…
May 8, 2023My e-mail is suddenly full of opportunities! Live face-to-face conferences are happening all over the country, sponsored by different…
April 8, 2023Two Epic Proportion Floods are predicted in the publishing industry. Artificial Intelligence has discovered writing and illustrating. At the…
March 8, 2023That is my fear each time I search for comparative titles (comp titles) for a book proposal or query…
February 8, 2023Ever since the Grinch stole into our holidays in 1957, authors have been spinning the “How xxx Christmas” tales.…
December 8, 2022The birth of Jesus from Luke 2 is one story that never grows old. Generations of writers have explored…
November 8, 2022Back in 2021, I relayed the long, long trail to sell a 181-word board book manuscript for publication. And…
October 8, 2022First lines make a promise. From “Call me Ishmael” (Moby Dick, Herman Melville, 1851) to “Happy families are all alike; every…
September 8, 2022Things are getting more exciting for fall – real conferences in person with live editors taking pitches. But until…
August 16, 2022The clock begins the minute we hit “send.” We just launched a glorious new concept, never done before in…
July 8, 2022