Notable Books for Children 2009

Smithsonian magazine's list of the most fascinating cihldren's books of 2009
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Smithsonian-Notable-Books-for-Children-2009.html

New Agency

Liza Pulitzer Voges has opened the literary agency Eden Street, representing children's authors and illustrators.
http://www.edenstreetlit.com/

Children's Writer eNews

Free newsletter about writing for children from the Institute for Children's Literature.
http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/email_updates.shtml

Children's Book Biz News

Author Anastasia Suen blogs about the business side of writing books for children.
http://asuen.wordpress.com/

Top 10 Children's Books - 2009

Time Magazine picks their top ten.
http://ow.ly/KBpz

Children's Writing Links

Author Rachelle Burk has a list of must-visit sites for children's writers.
http://www.resourcesforchildrenswriters.blogspot.com/

Book Readings

Tips for a successful author reading.
http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2009/11/19/9-tips-for-successful-author-readings/

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

This year's contest includes a young adult category. Submissions window: January 25, 2010 through February 7, 2010.
http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Novel-Award-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=332264011

Fellowships and Prizes

From The Horn Book, fellowships and prizes available to children's book writers.
http://www.hbook.com/resources/authorsartists/fellowships.asp

Holiday Book Reviews

ParentNJ reviews Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa children's books.
http://www.parenthoodnj.com/winter-holiday-books.html

Multicultural Books

The Papertigers website includes interviews, reviews, resources, and more about English-language multicultural books, especially those about/from the Pacific Rim.
http://www.papertigers.org/

Historical Words

Want to know whether the word you're thinking of was in use at the time of your historical novel/book?
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php

Selling Books to Bookstores

How to bookstores decide how many copies of a book to order?
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/12/novel-pimpin-aint-easy-part-1-of-2.html
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/12/novel-pimpin-aint-easy-part-2-of-2.html

More Twitter Tips

A compilation of tips from students in Alice Pope and Jane Friedman's online class on social networking.
http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2009/12/03/TwitterTipsForWriters.aspx

Responding to Critiques

Agent Nathan Bransford gives suggestions for handling critiques and editorial letters.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/11/how-to-respond-to-manuscript.html

Writing Dialogue

A detailed look at making your dialogue interesting and realistic by Donna Ippolito.
http://www.expert-editor.com/id11.html

Blogging Tips

Suggestions for creating the best possible blog.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2009/09/ten-commandments-of-blogging.html

What Does an Agent Do?

What should you expect from your agent?
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-can-i-expect-of-my-agent.html

Publishing Costs

Agent Rachelle Gardner explains the finances of publishing a book.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-your-book-worth-it.html

Writers Digest Subscription Discount

SCBWI members can get a 10% discount until 12/31/09.
http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Current-News?Writer-s-Digest-Discount-for-SCBWI-Members

Agency Closing

The Rappaport Agency is closing at the end of the year, due to economic reasons.
http://litsoup.blogspot.com/2009/12/closing-agency.html

Boys' Books

Blog highlighting books of especial interest to boys.
http://guyslitwire.blogspot.com/

Writing Stories in Rhythm and Rhyme

Instructions and tips from Dori Chaconas.
http://www.dorichaconas.com/Icing%20the%20Cake%20page.htm

Starting a Blog

How to make a blog, from choosing a domain to building your platform.
http://editorunleashed.com/2009/05/28/the-editor-unleashed-guide-to-good-blogging/

Picture Book Challenges

Agent Michael Stearns discusses the challenges of writing and selling picture books.
http://upstartcrowliterary.com/blog/?p=921

Nonfiction Book Proposals

From Bookends, LLC, a description of what to include in a book proposal.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-is-book-proposal-for-nonfiction.html

Tiny URLs

Make your url small enough to tweet and to not break over two lines in an email.
http://www.tinyurl.com/

Attributes of a Good Children's Book

List from Little, Brown of what makes a good children's book.
http://upstartcrowliterary.com/blog/?p=811

Novel Beginnings

Author Anita Nolan series of blog posts about how to start out a novel.
http://anitanolan.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/beginnings-roundup/

Character Stereotypes

List of stock character types to avoid.
http://risusiverse.wetpaint.com/page/Stock+Character+Cliches

New MG/YA Agent

Susan Hawk has joined the Jenny Bent agency and will represent middle grade and young adult authors.
http://jennybent.blogspot.com/2009/12/announcement-for-ya-and-middle-grade.html

Nielsen Bookscan

This report of your previous book sales, based on register data from many retailers, may affect your ability to sell your next title.
http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2009/05/14/author-alert-what-you-don’t-know-about-bookscan-can-hurt-you/

Freelance Writing

Online community, including job listings, for freelance writers.
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/

Children's Book Awards

Harold Underdown lists the winners of all the major book awards.
http://www.underdown.org/childrens-book-awards.htm

Financial Tips for Published Writers

Money management suggestions from agent Kristin Nelson.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/08/writing-as-business-part-2.html

Blog Feeds

Automatically have your blog posts fed to twitter and facebook.
http://twitterfeed.com/

Creating Characters

Kathy Temean has three blog posts on creating fully realized characters.
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/flushing-out-your-characters-character/

Ebook Myths

Agent Nathan Bransford dispels common myths about ebook readers.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/11/top-10-myths-about-e-books.html

Essentials of Plot

Editor Cheryl Klein provides a detailed outline of her talk about plots.
http://www.cherylklein.com/id18.html

Who's Moving Where

Harold Underdown keeps track of where agents/editors/publishers are working.
http://www.underdown.org/chchange.htm

Agenting 101

Agent Kristin Nelson's series of posts about agenting (look at menu on the right of her blog).
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2006/06/agenting-101-part-one.html

Publishing Terms Parody

What all those publishing terms "really" mean--NOT.
http://www.rightreading.com/publishing/publishing-glossary.htm

Writing Tips

Author Anita Nolan gives detailed writing tips as well as children's writing info on her informative blog.
http://anitanolan.wordpress.com/

How to Write a Great Query Letter

Agent Noah Lukeman offers a free ebook on query letters.
http://www.lukeman.com/def2.htm

Poetry Speaks

Sourcebooks has created an online community where poetry can be read, discussed, and sold.
https://www.poetryspeaks.com/

What Do Kids Like?

Author Tara Lazar lists over 300 things that kids like.
http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/199-things-that-kids-like/

Out of Print

Everything you need to know about the out of print clause in your book contract.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/11/sales-thresholds-in-oop-clauses.html

New Agent

Gwendolyn Heasley has joined the Artists and Artisans Inc. agency and is looking for young adult novels.
http://www.artistsandartisans.com/gh%20biopage.htm

What Was That Book

Looking for a book, but can't remember the title? This livejournal community can help.
http://community.livejournal.com/whatwasthatbook/

YA Novel Discovery Contest

Serendipity Literary Agency, in collaboration with Sourcebooks and Gotham Writers' Workshop, offers a contest of the first 250 words of a young adult novel. (entry deadline Nov 1-30, 2009)
http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php

Google Partners

Depending upon your publisher, readers may be able to see a preview of your book on Google.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/11/little-tutorial-on-google-partners.html

Agent Move

Josh Getzler has moved to Russell and Volkening, Inc. and is looking for mg/ya mysteries and thrillers.
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jgetzler/

Ten Best Children's Lit Blogs

As chosen by Elizabeth Bird, creator of the blog Fuse #8 Productions.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6703692.html

New YA Publisher

St Martin's Press is looking for YA/Adult crossover books.
http://georgiamcbridebooks.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/st-martins-press-has-new-publisher-and-good-news-for-ya-writers/

Work for Hire Opportunity

Stone Arch/Picture Window Books is looking for writers to create manuscripts based on their specs.
http://stonearchbooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/power-of-internet.html

Publishers Weekly Top Kids' Books - 2009

PW's choice of books that stand out for their remarkable writing, indelible characters, and arresting artwork.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6704596.html?nid=2788&rid=1959776788&source=link

YA Contest

Anna Webman of Curtis Brown Ltd will judge a contest for complete YA novels. Contest opens on November 10, 2009 and will be limited to 70 entries.
http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2009/11/agent-judged-contest-announced.html

Editors A to Z

Each week, author Ellen Jackson posts information about another editor.
http://www.ellenjackson.net/editors_a_to_c_89771.htm

Query Letter Tips

Agent Janet Reid gives 20 tips for writing query letters.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/20+Tips+On+Query+Letters+As+Told+By+Agent+Janet+Reid.aspx

Reprinting Out-of-Print Titles

Authors Guild offers a service to self-publish your out-of-print titles that were previously traditionally published.
http://www.authorsguild.org/services/back_in_print.html

Young Authors and Artists Group

A place for children who write and/or illustrate to learn their craft and meet others with the same interests.
www.yaagroup.org

Daily Writing Tips

Everything from the order of adjectives to commonly misused words.
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/

SCBWI - NY Conference - Jan 29-31/2009

Register early to avoid disappointment. The optional intensives fill up early.
http://www.scbwi.org/Conference.aspx?Con=5

Debut Author Publishers

Alice Pope lists publishers who have recently acquired books from unpublished writers.
http://cwim.blogspot.com/2009/10/first-books-lowdown-my-unscientific.html

How Not to Blog

The seven deadly sins of blogging.
http://www.copyblogger.com/blogging-sins/

Track That Word

PBS offers a database of the origins and evolution of hundreds of words and expressions.
http://www.pbs.org/speak/words/trackthatword/

Multicultural Science Fiction and Fantasy

Small press startup, Tu Publishng, hopes to begin accepting submissions for multicultural science fiction and fantasy is January 2010.
http://www.tupublishing.com/submission-guidelines/

PiBoWriMo

And for you picture book writers, November is the time to generate 30 new picture book ideas.
http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/piboidmo-is-here/

NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month starts November 1st.
http://www.nanowrimo.org/

An Editor's Day

Editor Alvina Ling takes us through a typical day.
http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2009/08/day-in-life-of-editor.html

Victorian/Edwardian Era Historical Research

Archive of articles from Victorian and Edwardian periodicals.
http://www.writing-world.com/index.shtml

Twitter Tips

How to best use twitter suggestions for authors and illustrators.
http://cwim.blogspot.com/2009/10/twitter-tips-from-my-tweeps.html

Publication Date

A look at what happens in the two weeks leading up to your pub date.
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2009/10/your-pub-date-minus-two-weeks.html

Writing Advice from an Expert

Author Gail Carson Levine shares writing tips in her blog.
http://gailcarsonlevine.blogspot.com/

Read Kiddo Read

Author James Patterson's site to encourage kids to be readers for life.
http://www.readkiddoread.com/home

Rejection Letters

Editor Alvina Ling describes her six types of rejection letters.
http://ow.ly/u2HE

Conference Etiquette

Author Anita Nolan explains appropriate conference behavior.
http://anitanolan.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/conference-etiquette/#comments

Royalty Statements

Agent Kristin Nelson shows what to expect on your royalty statement.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/10/nuts-bolts-royalty-statements-look-at.html

Highlights Wishlist

Highlights for Kids periodically lists the types of story/articles they need.
http://www.highlights.com/current-needs

First Paragraph Contest

Agent Nathan Bransford will read all the first paragraphs submitted to award a choice of a partial critique, query critique, or phone consultation. (deadline 10/15/09, 4:00pm PST)
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/10/3rd-sort-of-annual-stupendously.html

Dialogue

Author Ellen Jackson discusses dialogue and gives ten tips.
http://www.ellenjackson.net/dialogue_61473.htm

How Long Do Copyrights Last?

It depends.
http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm

What Do Literary Agents Do?

Nathan Bransford of Curtis, Brown tells us.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/09/what-do-literary-agents-do.html

Punctuation Resources

Links to books and websites about proper punctuation use.
http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/resources.html

Children's Books on Smartphones

Frog Media sells picture books that can be read/heard on the iPhone.
http://www.istorytimeapp.com/

Critiques and Honesty

Writer Shelli Cornelison gives suggestions on how to give negative information in a critique.
http://shellisays-shelliwrites.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-much-honesty-in-critique-is-too.html

Paying an Editor

Agent Nathan Bransford discusses whether or not you should you pay to have someone edit your manuscript.
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/10/should-you-pay-someone-to-edit-your.html

Writing Tips

An extensive collection of writing tips from faculty members of the annual Highlights Foundation Chautauqua workshop.
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/resources_top.html

Manuscript Posting Sites

Do they work or should you stay away?
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2008/09/victoria-strauss-authonomy-slushkiller.html

New YA Imprint

Sourebooks Fire will launch a young adult imprint in Spring 2010.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6699678.html?nid=2788&source=link&rid=350446227

28 Days Later

The Brown Bookshelf is now accepting submissions for their 3rd Annual Black History Month's celebration of children's books, 28 Days Later (Nominations accepted from September 28th to November 1st).
http://thebrownbookshelf.com/28-days-later/

New YA Agency

Elaine English Literary Agency will now be representing young adult.
http://elainepenglish.blogspot.com/2009/09/now-also-representing-young-adult.html

Subscription Based Children's Ebooks

Disney Digital Books launches with about 500 electronic children's books for ages 3 to 13.
http://disneydigitalbooks.go.com/

Highlights Fiction Contest 2010

Fiction based on a true story from your family. (postmarked between January 1 and January 31, 2010)
http://www.highlights.com/highlights-fiction-contest

CWIM 2011

Call for authors to be featured in the 2011 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market. (Deadline October 8, 2009)
http://cwim.blogspot.com/2009/09/official-call-for-debut-authors-for.html#links

New Agent

Teresa Kietlinski joins Prospect Agency.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/New+Agent+Alert+Teresa+Kietlinski+Of+Prospect+Agency.aspx

Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award 2009

$1,000 award for manuscript by an unpublished author with Jewish content for readers aged 8 to 11 years (deadline December 15, 2009).
http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/awards/st_ms.htm

ShelfTalker

A Children's Bookseller's Blog.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/660000266.html#360020036

Podcasts

The Just One More Book website contains podcasts about children's books plus weekly interviews with authors, illustrators and children's literature experts http://www.justonemorebook.com/

2010 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Writer Fellowship

$5,000 awarded to a middle grade or young adult writer. Nominations must be received between September 1, 2009 and January 14, 2010.
www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/281

Author Central

If your book is listed on Amazon, you can personalize an author page with picture, bio, and blog posts.
https://authorcentral.amazon.com/

Marketing Advice from an Editor

Molly ONeill, assistant editor, Katherine Tegen Books, gives specifc tips for marketing yourself and your book.
http://faeriality.blogspot.com/2009/08/marvelous-marketer-molly-oneill.html

New Voices Award

Publisher Lee and Low's contest for a children’s picture book story by a writer of color. (deadline September 30, 2009)
http://ow.ly/nXy1

Picture Book Planet

Picture book writer Ame Dyckman gives reviews and recommendations.
http://pbplanet.blogspot.com/

E-Publishing

Children's Book Council held a forum on e-publishing in the Digital Age.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6697464.html?nid=2788&source=title&rid=350446227

Kids' Titles for Fall 2009

Publishers Weekly lists titles, by publisher, of kids' books coming out in the fall
http://ow.ly/p2XR

Teen Slang

Create authentic dialog for your teenage characters.
http://www.thesource4ym.com/teenlingo/index.asp

New Agent

Another new agent, Beth Fleisher, joins Barry Goldblatt Literary.
http://ow.ly/nlI8

Children's Lit Bloggers

Extensive list of blogs about children's and YA literature that feature book reviews, interviews, and book news.
http://www.kidlitosphere.org/KidLitosphere_Central/Bloggers.html

Critiquing

Advice on how to give/take critiques by Newbery winner Linda Sue Park.
http://www.lindasuepark.com/writing/critique.html

2010 Debut Authors

Last call (deadline October 1, 2009) for the Class of 2k10 debut authors' group.
http://yaedge.blogspot.com/2009/08/last-call-for-2k10-members.html

Writing in Rhyme

Author Dori Chaconas discusses rhythm and rhyme.
http://www.dorichaconas.com/Icing%20the%20Cake%20page.htm

Auctions

Agent Kristin Nelson explains how book auctions work.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-agents-talk-about-when-we-talk.html

2011 Debut Authors

Livejournal community for mg/ya authors with a debut novel being published in 2011.
http://community.livejournal.com/2011debuts/

New Agent

Joe Monti joins Barry Goldblatt literary.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/Agent+Advice+Joe+Monti+Of+Barry+Goldblatt+Literary+Part+I.aspx

Virtual Author Visits

A way for K-12 teachers and librarians to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits.
http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/

Kidlitchat on Twitter

Kidlitchat happens every Tuesday night at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific on Twitter.
http://www.thehappyaccident.net/kidlitchat-transcripts/

KidLitosphere Conference - Oct 17, 2009

The Society of Bloggers in Children’s and Young Adult Literature provides an opportunity to learn about social media and network with other bloggers and authors.
http://kidlitosphere.org/KidLitosphere_Central/KidLitosphere_Conference/KidLitosphere_Conference.html

Writing Contests

information about creative writing contests, literary magazines theme issues, writing residencies, etc.
http://writingcontests.wordpress.com/

Publishing Connections

Do you need an "in" to get published. Here's a poll conducted by Megan Crewe.
http://megancrewe.livejournal.com/251212.html

Money for Publicity

Agent Kristin Nelson gives tips for getting book promotion funds from your publisher.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-get-money-out-of-publisher.html

Children's Book Reviews

Handpicked reviews of children's books divided into categories.
http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/category/Childrens_Books/17?fromhome=1

Color, Textures and Shapes Thesaurus

Synonyms plus real world and human-made examples of colors textures and shapes.
http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/2009/06/cts-entry-black.html

Author Visits

Children's Literature Author and Illustrator Booking Service handles (for a fee) all aspects of author visits.
http://childrenslit.com/bookingservice/bs-home.html

New Agent

Stephanie Maclean was promoted to literary agent at Trident Media Group. She's interested in young adult.
http://www.tridentmediagroup.com/stephanie_maclean.html

Kid Lit! Fellowship 2010

Two-week fellowship for a free residency at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (application deadline: January 10, 2010)
http://www.writerscolony.org/fellowships/ (scroll down)

Cybils 2009

If you blog about kids' books, here's your opportunity to contribute to the judging of the Cybils (Children's and Young Adults Bloggers Literary Award).
http://ow.ly/ltFb

Critiques

Website to exchange your manuscripts with other writers for critique.
http://critiquecircle.com/

Class of 2K10

The class of 2K10 is a group of first-time middle grade and young adult authors with a book coming out in 2010. They have a group website, blog, newsletter, author chats, and much more to promote their books. For more information, contact Janet Fox at Janet Fox jfoxtx@aol.com.

Young Adult Writers

Livejournal community for writers of young adult books.
http://community.livejournal.com/yauthors/

NJ SCBWI RA's Blog

Kathy Temean offers news, interviews, tips, event notices, etc. of interest to all children's book writers, not just those in New Jersey
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/

Agent-Author Conference Scholarship

Win free admission to the Backspace Agent-Author Seminar. Postmark deadline is September 4, 2009.
http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2009/08/win-scholarship-to-backspace-agent.html

Book Trailers

Here's a place to see trailers for children's books and to post your own.
http://kidlitbooktrailers.ning.com/

New Agent

Mary Kole has joined Andrea Brown Literary as a new associate agent. If your work has previously been rejected by another agent there, do not resubmit it.
http://www.andreabrownlit.com/agents.php

Write News

News, features and resources for media and publishing professionals.
http://writenews.com/

Picture Book Dummies

If you're also an illustrator, you should learn to make a dummy.
http://www.yellapalooza.com/tutorials/dummies.html

Holiday List

Looking for an unusual holiday to celebrate in your story?
http://www.brownielocks.com/

Writer's Digest

Information, resources, and community from the magazine of the same name.
http://writersdigest.com/

Book Publishing Glossary

Agent Nathan Bransford defines many of the common terms used in the publishing world
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/08/book-publishing-glossary.html

Children's Book Awards

Comprehensive list of English-language children's book awards.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dKbrown/awards.html

Resources for Children's Writers

Links to many internet sites of interest to children's book writiers.
http://resourcesforchildrenswriters.blogspot.com/

Setting Description Thesaurus

Listing of sensory words to describe a setting plus helpful hints and examples.
http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/2008/08/introducing-sensory-saturdaymeet-our.html

Reference Books Online

Search reference books such as Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, Gray's Anatomy, and Oxford Shakespeare.
http://bartleby.com/

Acronyms

List of commonly used acronyms in the children's writing world.
http://www.scottrayrandall.com/childrens_writing_acronyms.html

Children's Book Reviews

Handpicked children's book reviews listed by categories.
http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/category/Childrens_Books/17?fromhome=1

Marketing Platform

Ten steps to increase your visibility.
http://writersdigest.com/article/how-to-build-a-marketing-platform/

Writing Exercises

Over 160 detailed writing prompts to exercise your creative talents.
http://meredithsuewillis.com/writingexercises.html

Revising

Anita Nolan's talk on revising your manuscript - "The End" is Only the Beginning.
http://www.anitanolan.com/theend.html

New Agent

Adriana Dominguez has joined Full Circle Literary, representing picture books, middle grade novels, and literary YA novels, as well as representing literary fiction, women's fiction, historical fiction, women's interest, multicultural, pop culture, and how-to books.
http://www.fullcircleliterary.com/

Agents' Organization

Association of Authors' Representatives - professional organization for agents.
http://www.aaronline.org/

English Usage

Online source for grammar, punctuation, and capitalization rules.
http://grammarbook.com/

Copyrights

More than you ever wanted to know about copyrights.
http://copyright.gov/

Writing Prompts

A writer writes. Here are some prompts to get your creative juices flowing.
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/

New Agent

Emily Keyes of L. Perkins Agency is "avidly" looking for mg and ya writers.
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/PermaLink,guid,c8da93b9-0605-46e9-ba38-703741bc1e57.aspx

Marketing Tips

Nancy Sanders blogs a series of writing tips. (Note: Click the link at the bottom right of each entry to get to the next tip.)
http://nancyisanders.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/marketing-take-a-peek/

New Agent

Brenda Bowen is joining Sanford J. Greenburger as an agent. She represents children's books for all ages (preschool through young adult).
http://ow.ly/ifbh

Children's Book Stores

List compiled by Kathleen Duey:
http://www.kathleenduey.com/content/blogcategory/19/18/

Book Publishing

Consulting editor Alan Rinzler gives an insider's view of writing and publishing.
http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/

Book Editor Interviews

Monster list of children's book editor interviews compiled by Cynthea Liu:
http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/2006/06/29/107/monster-list-of-childrens-book-editor-interviews-blogs-and-more/

New Agency

Michael Stearns, Chris Richman, and Danielle Chiotti are starting a new children's book agency. Their website will be:
http://www.upstartcrowliterary.com/

Book Review Blogs

List of blogs that review children's books:
http://ow.ly/hBso

Publisher Sales Department

What happens after your novel is acquired? A blog from an employee of a publisher's sales department.
http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/

Why Agents Reject

There are many reasons, not related to the quality of your manuscript, that an agent might turn you down.
http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-do-good-agents-turn-down-good-books.html

E-Book Release Dates

Should e-books be released simultaneously with the hardcover version?
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/07/e-book-pricing-and-publication-debate.html

Fall 2009 Children's Books

Publisher's Weekly list of children's books coming out in Fall 2009 (courtesy of agent Jill Corcoran's blog).
http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/2009/07/whats-hitting-childrens-book-shelves.html

Best Kids' Books Ever

New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof makes hisoriginal list:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/opinion/05kristof.html
and hundreds of readers add their suggestions:
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/the-best-kids-books-ever/

National Bookselling Day - November 9, 2009

A day to celebrate bookstores, increase store traffic, and sell more books.
http://ow.ly/bp66

Publicity

A blog from someone who works in the publicity department at a large publishing house
http://yodiwan.wordpress.com/

Anti-Plagiarism Day

Definition and examples of plagiarism.
http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.com/2009/07/anti-plagiarism-day.html

Google Book Search Settlement

Take this survey and let them know what you think. You don't need to have standing to give your opinion.
www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229EB66ZEQ5

Agent Viewpoint

Blog written by the Guide to Literary Agents editor.
http://guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

Artwork inspired by Where the Wild Things Are

Many illustrators pay tribute to the Maurice Sendak classic.
http://www.terribleyelloweyes.com/

Story Emotions

Four techniquesfrom editor Cheryl Klein to reach the emotional heart of your story.
http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2009/07/four-techniques-to-get-at-emotional.html

Character Chart

Detailed sample chart to keep track of your characters' traits.
http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html

Jane Addams Children's Book Award

Yearly award for a children's book published in the previous year that promotes peace, justice, and equality. (deadline December 31)
http://home.igc.org/~japa/jacba/index_jacba.html

New Picture Book Line - Hammond

With a six titles in its first list, Hammond will debut a new book line this fall.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6669625.html?nid=2788&source=title&rid=350446227

First Page Critique

Submit the first page of your manuscripts and get critiqued by a children's book editor.
http://pitchclinic.blogspot.com/

Podcasting

Tips on how to choose a podcast host.
http://getknownbeforethebookdeal.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/06/selecting-a-host-provider.html

Picture Book Advances

If you have a published picture book, fill out a survey and receive information for negotiating future contracts.
http://barbarakanninen.com/picture_book_author_advance_survey
And here are the results:
http://www.barbarakanninen.com/pb_author_advance_surey_results

CWIM Blog

A must read blog by the editor of the Children's Writers and Illustrators Market.
http://cwim.blogspot.com/

Rhyme Zone

Online rhyming dictionary that gives rhymes by number of syllables and indicates the more common rhymes.
http://www.rhymezone.com/

Quit Your Day Job?

Ten questions to consider before doing so.
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/10-questions-writers-must-ask-before-quitting-their-day-job/

Publishing Industry Twitter Directories

Lists of twitters for publishers, agents, editors, bookstores, etc.
http://shrinkingvioletpromotions.blogspot.com/2009/06/twitter-dee-dee.html
http://www.highspotinc.com/blog/2008/12/a-directory-of-book-trade-people-on-twitter/

Albert Whitman Looking for Novels

Send query letters or complete manuscript via snail mail to Kathleen Tucker, Editor-in-Chief for novels with protagonists up to age 12. Simultaneous submission okay, but mention it in your letter.
http://www.albertwhitman.com/

The Recession

Impact of the current economic climate on children's book business.
http://www.underdown.org/the-economy.htm

Publishers Marketplace

Fee based site and database for publishing professionals to follow the writing market.
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/

Character Chart

Detailed sample chart to keep track of your characters' traits.
http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

If you collect information on your website from children under 13 (name, email, etc.), you need to comply with COPPA.
http://www.coppa.org/

Promotional Emails

A bookseller's view on the correct way to use email to promote your book.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/660000266/post/1380044738.html?nid=2788&rid=350446227

Librarians' Internet Index

An organized listing of internet websites you can trust.
http://www.lii.org/

Booklist Online

Children's book reviews from the American Library Assocation.
http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=booksforyouth

Google documents

Save your manuscript online so you can work on it when you're away from your computer. http://docs.google.com/

Chicago Manual Of Style Online

Everything you ever wanted to know about grammar, syntax, and punctuation.
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/contents.html

Jewish Children's Book Award

Sugarman Award for children's books published with a Judaic theme between October 1, 2008-October 1, 2009.
http://washingtondcjcc.org/center-for-arts/literary/sugarman-award.html

Last names

Frequency of U.S. surnames from the 1990 census.
http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names/dist.all.last

Websites for Writers

Writers Digest list of 101 best websites for writers.
http://writersdigest.com/article/101-websites-2009?p_PageAlias=101BestSites&m_sCategory=AgentBlogs&m_nYear=2008

Delacorte Press MG and YA Contests

First middle-grade novel (postmark deadline June 30, 2009)
First young-adult novel (postmark deadline between October 1 and December 31, 2009)
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/writingcontests/

Megablog

Search over 900 children's books blogs.
http://www.jacketflap.com/megablog/index.asp

Blue Board

The most active message board for children's book writers.
http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php

Finding an Agent

Large, searchable database of literary agents.
http://www.agentquery.com/

Queries

Get your query critiqued. Read critiques of other people's queries.
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/

Publishing Terms Dictionary

Understandthe terms that editors, agents, and publishers use in the book business.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/06/publishing-dictionary-expanded.html

Fuse #8 -- School Library Journal Blog

A blog of all things kidlit, by the world's largest reviewer of books for children and teens.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379.html

Ask a Librarian

Online reference service from the Library of Congress.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/

American Library Association 2009 Conference

Chicago, IL July 9- July 15, 2009. Over 300 educational programs, over 2000 committee meetings and events, exhibits, general sessions, and more.
http://www.ala.org/ala/conferencesevents/upcoming/annual/

Magazine Themes

Many children's magazines are themed. Find out what they're looking for.
http://www.lianamahoney.com/resources/theme+list.doc

Google to sell e-books

Google announced at BEA that it would sell e-books by the end of 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/technology/internet/01google.html

Writing for Children and Teens

Crash course on getting your book published by author Cynthea Liu
http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/for-writers/

Strategies for Success

Free download-- The Career Novelist: A Literary Agent Offers Strategies for Success by Donald Maass.
http://www.2morrow.bc.ca/documents/career_novelist_DonaldMaass.pdf

Book Trailers

Step-by-step instructions on how to make a video promotion for your book.
http://summerfriend.blogspot.com/2009/06/courtney-summers-tells-us-how-to-make.html

First Book

Help provide books to children in need.
http://www.firstbook.org/

Purple Crayon

Information about writing, illustrating, and publishing children's books from editor Harold Underdown.
http://www.underdown.org/

Magazines

Links to websites and submission guidelines of magazines that accept work for the children's market.
http://www.kidmagwriters.com/

Educational Publishers

An up-to-date list for writers interested in the school/library market.
http://echristensen.atspace.com/markets.html

YAMGWriMo

June is YAMGWriMo--like NaNoWriMo, but for writers of young adult and middle grade novels. http://thefiverandoms.livejournal.com/

Pitch Your Manuscript

Hints on pitching your manuscript to editors or agents.
http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/to-pitch-or-not-to-pitch/

Children's Bookshelf

Free E-newsletter is about children's books & the world of children's book publishing.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/subscribe.asp?screen=pi8

Brenda Bowen to Become Agent

Brenda Bowen, formerly of HarperCollins, will join the Greenburger Agency, representing authors and illustrators of children's books for all ages.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6660730.html?nid=2788
http://www.greenburger.com/

Children's Book Council

The members' listings for this children’s trade book publishers association include: a website link, contact information, number of titles published annually, and whether the publisher is open to unsolicited queries.
http://www.cbcbooks.org/about/ourmembers.aspx

Writing Mistakes

Ten common writing mistakes that are often overlooked but are easy to fix.
http://www.holtuncensored.com/hu/the-ten-mistakes/

Indie Booksellers "Next" List

Independent Booksellers recommend kids' books. "Great reads from booksellers you trust."
http://www.indiebound.org/kids-indie-next-list?edition=200905k

Borders to Increase Children's Books

Within 90 days, Borders will roll out larger children's book sections and will relocate young adult and teen books away from the younger titles.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6660128.html?nid=2286

Authors Now

A searchable database of books from debut children's authors.
http://www.authorsnow.com/

RUCCL One-on-One Plus 2009

Here's an opportunity to share your work with professionals. This event is sponsored by the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature and scholarships are available.
http://www.ruccl.org/One-on-One_Plus_Conference.html

Hans Christian Andersen Award

IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) announced nominees for the 2010 award. http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=962

Online Networking

Written for booksellers, but equally relevant for authors, this ebook explains the many different options available for networking on the internet
http://www.scibabooks.org/SocialMediaforBooksellers.pdf

Lee and Low New Voices Award

Open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children's picture book published. Deadline September 31, 2009.

http://www.leeandlow.com/p/new_voices_award.mhtml

Emotion Thesaurus

Show, don’t tell, your characters’ emotions.
http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/2008/01/introducing-thesaurus-thursdays.html

Work-in-Progress Grants

SCBWI offers grants to support your work-in-progress. The deadline for the next grant request is June 10, 2009
http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Introduction

SLJ's Day of Dialog – May 28, 2009

School Library Journal will present a free, day-long program during BEA where librarians, editors, authors, and vendors can meet to discuss the changing world of books, reading, and libraries.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/info/CA6645306.html

Katherine Paterson Prize

$1000.00 and publication in Hunger Mountain Online. PB, MG, and YA. Entry deadline: June 20, 2009. Entry fee: $20.
http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2009/04/hunger-mountain-presents-katherine.html

Twitter

Children's book writers tweet--
PICTURE BOOK:
http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/childrens-picture-book-authors-on-twitter/
MIDDLE GRADE:
http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/middle-grade-authors-on-twitter/
YOUNG ADULT:
http://www.mitaliblog.com/2009/03/ya-authors-on-twitter.html

Scam agents

Don't get scammed. Check out potential agents on the Preditors and Editors website.
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm

Book Expo America - May 29-31, 2009

With 1,500+ exhibitors and 500+ authors, BEA is the premier event for the North American publishing industry.
http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/

Write-a-thon - May 16, 2009

Spend a day writing in New York City. The fourth annual write-a-thon, sponsored by the New York Writing Coalition, is a fund-raiser to support programs for formerly voiceless members of society to be heard through the art of writing.
http://www.nywriterscoalition.org/2009/04/the-4th-annual-write-a-thon-is-right-around-the-corner/

Rejections

No one likes to receive a rejection letter, but it helps to know you're not alone.
http://www.rejectioncollection.com/

Children's Book Week - May 11-17, 2009

Since 1919, schools, libraries, bookstores, and families have celebrated children's books during Children's Book Week.
http://www.bookweekonline.com/

Publishers Weekly - Children's Bookshelf

Sign up for a weekly email newsletter from Publishers Weekly. Get an inside view into the children's publishing world with breaking news, interviews, featured reviews, bestseller lists, photos, and a cartoon--Tales From the Slush Pile.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/enewsletter/CA6655445/2788.html

Highlights Foundation Workshops

The Highlights Foundation offers workshops in many areas of writing for children, such as: historical fiction, editing for writers, non-fiction, writing from the heart, whole novel, poetry, biography, picture books, and more. A limited amount of grant money is available.
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/founders_top.html

SCBWI - L.A. Conference, August 7-10, 2009

Registration opened today for the 38th annual L.A. conference. One workshop has already sold out, so register early if you'd like to attend.
http://www.scbwi.org/Conference.aspx?Con=2

Word Counts

Find out the number of words in a book at Renaissance Learning:
http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp#quicksearch
Search for a title, click on the it, and get the word count.

Contest - Middle Grade Mysteries

The first Bloom Award, for unpublished writers, will be awarded for a middle grade mystery. Submissions window: May 18 - October 31, 2009. First prize: publishing contract with "Tire Swing," the children's paperback imprint of Blooming Tree Press.
http://apublisherslife.blogspot.com/

Choosing Character Names

The Behind the Name website lists the popularity of first names by year and shows common names for different nationalities. It also gives the etymology and history of the names.
http://www.behindthename.com/

NJ SCBWI Annual Conference - June 5/6, 2009

Two keynote speakers (Richard Peck, EB Lewis), 24 publishing professionals (publishers, editors, agents, art directors), and you, if you register by May 15, 2009.
http://www.newjerseyscbwi.com/events/090605.shtml