055 - Rob Sanders: Mind MappingYour Way to Authentic Stories
Release Date: 08/29/2023
Picture Book Summit Podcast
Author/Illustrator and Agent Shadra Strickland reveals how to get at the heart of your story by sharing ideas and exercises to get your creativity flowing—in your brain and on the page. This is a fun one. Happy listening!
info_outline 068 - The Fan Brothers: To Imagination and BeyondPicture Book Summit Podcast
In this episode, Eric and Terry Fan, also known as writing-illustrating duo The Fan Brothers, are taking us to new worlds in To Imagination and Beyond. They reveal their unique path into picture books after originally pursuing other careers and talk about some of the unconventional sources for their story ideas. They are proof that stories can hop from one place to another: from a t-shirt design that eventually became The Night Gardener, or a careless doodle from thirty years ago that grew into Lizzy and the Cloud. Eric and Terry reveal how your next story may be waiting in the...
info_outline 067 The Cosmic Connection Between Beginnings and EndingsPicture Book Summit Podcast
Today’s episode features a practically perfect pair of presenters. You’ve seen presentations about great picture book beginnings. You’ve seen them about effective endings. But a truly great picture book relies on the connection between the two. Today, Emma Walton Hamilton & Julie Hedlund are here to show how to launch topflight stories and navigate them to stellar endings.
info_outline 066 Houston, Your Manuscript has a ProblemPicture Book Summit Podcast
One of the best ways to navigate your course as a writer is through critiques. In this episode of the podcast, we share a snippet of Founder Katie Davis’ presentation Houston, Your Manuscript Has a Problem. Katie discusses why critiques are important and things to consider as you seek feedback from critique groups and freelance editors. Get ready to take your work to a whole new stratosphere!
info_outline 065 - Kate DiCamillo: Commit to Your Dreams of WritingPicture Book Summit Podcast
A few years ago, we had the privilege of hosting former National Ambassador of Young People's Literature and bestselling author Kate DiCamillo as one of our Superstar Speakers. Her presentation was nothing short of magical. She shares how she went from wanting to write and thinking about writing to actually writing. We hope this snippet of her talk inspires you to get started (or restarted) too. Savor this episode. Be part of the magic of Picture Book Summit LIVE! join us at this year's online event on October 5th - Perfect 10: Going for Picture Book Gold. Join us for Perfect...
info_outline 064 - How to Maximize Your Online Writing Conference ExperiencePicture Book Summit Podcast
Attending a writing conference can be a transformational experience, filled with opportunities to hone your craft, connect with your peers, and move closer to your publishing dreams. Online writing conferences offer unique opportunities compared to their in-person counterparts. In addition to saving money on travel and accommodations, you can maximize your learning by engaging from the safety, comfort, and familiarity of home. Whether you're attending your first conference or your fiftieth, here are nine tailored tips on how to get the most out of an online writing conference. We invite YOU...
info_outline 063 - How to Evaluate an Online Writing ConferencePicture Book Summit Podcast
You’ve just received another email for an online writers' conference. How do you know if it’s right for you? Will it really advance your writing career? Is there such a thing as a free conference? We’re celebrating 10 years of hosting the Picture Book Summit online writing conference. So much has grown and changed in the online conference space in that time. So, today, we pull the curtain back and give you some insight into what goes into putting on a conference so you can pick the best online writing conferences for you and your writing goals. Listen up! We have 5 questions to...
info_outline 062 - Picture Book Summit Roundtable: Humor in Picture BooksPicture Book Summit Podcast
Publishers and agents alike say they want humorous, quirky, or funny books, but it seems more and more difficult to get a response on those humorous, quirky, or funny submissions. We're here to dig into it in today's episode of PBSummit Roundtable. Julie Hedlund shares her personal experience and overall observations about what is going on in the industry with silly stories and how YOU can break through! Books talked about in today's episode: by Jon Klassen by Kari Lavelle by Corey R. Tabor by Corey R. Tabor by Margaret Chiu Greanias and Melissa Iwai by Katelyn Aronson and Steph Laberis...
info_outline 061 - Picture Book Summit Roundtable: Fresh TakesPicture Book Summit Podcast
Agents and publishers are always saying they're looking for stories that are "fresh and unique", but what does that mean? In this episode, the PBSummit Roundtable takes a look at some stories which perfectly exemplify what fresh takes on classic picture book topics can look like, and the common thread between them. Books talked about in today's episode: Having a fresh take is a great way to get the attention of an agent or editor! How else can you avoid being rejected? Grab our free download with questions to ask yourself to avoid the 3 Biggest Reasons Manuscripts Get Rejected. ...
info_outline 060 - Picture Book Summit Roundtable: Why is Everything So Slow?Picture Book Summit Podcast
You've written and refined your manuscript, you've sent the query to your agent or to a publisher....and now to wait for months and months. During the pandemic, everything slowed to a halt. But now that it's over and the picture book industry is back up and running, what's the hold up? The answers are in this episode, and it's actually good news! One way to avoid getting rejections (or no responses at all) is to ensure your manuscript and query letter are 100% submission-ready. Grab our free download with the 3 Biggest Reasons Your Manuscripts today!
info_outlineGrab a big piece of paper and some brightly colored markers because today we are mind-mapping our way to great picture book ideas!
Listen to excerpts from our Picture Book Summit workshop with author and educator Rob Sanders. Rob is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in the arena of LGBTQ+ literary nonfiction picture books. Rob’s books include Two Grooms on A Cake: The Story of America’s First Gay Wedding (Little Bee Books) and Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg (Henry Holt & Co).
Rob shows how mapping your experiences and personal favorites can bring you one step closer to creating stories that uniquely you.
Get ready for the ideas to flow!