Kidlit Social #78: Writing Picture Books with Layers and Purpose with Carol Gordon Ekster
On this episode, Laura welcomes Laura welcomes picture book author Carol Gordon Ekster (Some Daddies, Before I Sleep I Say Thank You, You Know What?, Where Am I Sleeping Tonight?: Kids Coming to Terms with Divorce).
They discuss why picture books need layers of meaning today in order to earn the right to be published. Carol gives tips for developing ideas into publishing-worthy picture books, as well as revealing how she has turned over 2000 rejections into a learning opportunity. Join us for some inspiration and great advice!
Kidlit Social #77: Meet Sarah Baker, SCBWI’s New Executive Director
In this episode, Laura welcomes Sarah Baker, the new Executive Director of the Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI).
They talk about her ideas for making the Board of Directors more representative of members, updating SCBWI’s volunteer structures, making the whole organization more inclusive on a local and global scale and redesigning the SCBWI website. We also get Sarah’s best advice for aspiring and published authors and illustrators in the modern publishing industry.
Kidlit Social #76: April Cox on Self-Publishing the Right Way
On this episode, we welcome children’s book author and self-publishing coach April Cox.
April is the founder of Self-Publishing Made Simple, and Little Labradoodle Publishing. We dig into topics including how to know if self-publishing is right for you, common self-publishing mistakes, and the best places to spend your self-publishing marketing dollars.
Interview: Harold Underdown, Executive Editor for Kane Press
A Chat With Renowned Children’s Author Laura Numeroff
Kidlit Social #75: 2nd Anniversary Edition – Laura Answers Your Writing Questions!
On this episode, we celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the Kidlit Social with an “Ask Laura Anything” special! Laura answers a wide range of questions about writing, editing and submitting your work.
Kidlit Social #74: Author J.F. Fox on What Everyone Can Do to Save School Libraries
Meet author, school book committee chairperson, mother and library advocate J.F. (Jenny) Fox. Jenny’s on a quest to save school libraries from drastic funding cuts, and she has some easy to follow steps everyone can take right now that will make a big difference.
Michael Sampson, NYT Best-Selling Author & Collaborator with Bill Martin Jr.
Kidlit Social #73: Wildlife Author Laurel Neme on Building a Writing Career Around Your Passions
Meet wildlife author and journalist Laurel Neme, author of ANIMAL INVESTIGATORS: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species, which has been featured on ABC News Nightline and NPR’s Science Friday.
She was just nominated (by National Geographic) for a Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting, together with her colleague, Jeff Barbee, for their series of articles on oil drilling in the Okavango. Laura and Laurel chat about how to use your passions to establish yourself as a specialist/expert in magazine and book publications (and build a career around those passions) and Laurel’s research techniques.
Kidlit Social #72: How Lesléa Newman Changed the World – And What Comes Next
Meet Lesléa Newman, author of dozens of children’s books that have made a major impact on our culture. In 1989, Lesléa published her first picture book, Heather Has Two Mommies. It’s a work that has deeply inspired parents and children, LGBTQ and otherwise, and has been a lightning rod for censorship and book bannings. Since then, Lesléa has built an award-winning career filled with beautifully written and meaningful books that give life to her motto: Changing the World One Book at a Time.
