Email Marketing

Avoid being considered spam by following these suggestions for marketing via email.

http://annerallen.com/email-marketing-5-things-authors-should-never-do/

Breakout Picture Books

What are the elements that will turn your picture book into a breakout title?

https://mrsbung.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/ten-essential-picture-book-elements/

Bookscan

Bookscan gives you valuable information about your book's sales, but excludes many sellers, so the numbers don't reflect your true number of sales.

https://www.ibpa-online.org/article/getting-the-best-from-bookscan/

Self-Editing Checklist

Use the items on this checklist when revising your manuscript, including the important first one: "Develop a thick skin."

http://www.jerryjenkins.com/self-editing/

Social Media No-Nos

If done well, social media can help your book marketing efforts.

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2016/10-things-authors-need-stop-social-media-immediately/

Animal Characters

Tips for writing well-developed animal characters include paying attention to scale.

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2016/10/05/guest-post-how-to-write-animal-characters/

Humor

There are many ways to bring humor to your picture book.

http://literallylynnemarie.blogspot.com/2016/10/5-ways-to-bring-humor-to-your-picture.html

Picture Book Agents

Not all agents represent picture book writers, but these do (including my agent: Liza Fleissig of Liza Royce Agency).

http://www.pbpitch.com/picture-book-agents.html

First Line

Your opening line needs to encourage readers to continue on with your story.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2016/09/nail-that-first-line-2/

Free Verse

Successful novels in verse often follow these general guidelines.

http://diannematich.com/2016/09/five-free-verse-guidelines/

Series Book Beginnings

How do you bring new readers up to date without boring those who are familiar with your series?

http://kidlit.com/2016/09/19/series-beginnings/

Press Kit

Make it easier for reporters by creating a press kit about you and your books.

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-create-a-professional-press-kit-in-8-easy-steps

Picture Book Dos and Don'ts

Here are 20 tips about writing picture books from Mem Fox.  

http://memfox.com/for-writers-hints/for-writers-20-dos-and-20-donts/

Titles

Although it's like your title will be changed before publication, you still want to choose a good one to help attract the attention of an agent or editor.

https://querytracker.blogspot.com/2016/10/titles-titles-titles.html

After the Call

What are the next steps after you get the call offering representation?

http://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/got-agent-now/

Five Big Publishers

There are five big publishers, but they have many divisions and imprints.

http://almossawi.com/big-five-publishers/

Amazon Reviews

Amazon has specific rules governing how they decide if a review is legit.

http://annerallen.com/amazons-new-review-rules-should-authors-worry/

Story Arcs

Here are three types of story arcs: change, failed, and static.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2016/10/solving-fiction-problems-three-kinds-of.html#.WAuJGeArJlY

Goodreads Giveaways

How to plan your Goodreads giveaway to get the most bang for your buck.

http://mariaeandreu.com/2014/01/15/what-i-learned-from-my-first-goodreads-giveaway-for-my-ya-novel/

Query Dos and Don'ts

Remember a query is your first introduction to a prospective agent or editor.

http://blog.lauraheffernan.com/2014/10/query-contest-observations.html

Young Adult Publishers

Here's a list of 21 publishers who accept young adult manuscripts.

http://www.authorspublish.com/21-publishers-accepting-young-adult-manuscripts/

Memorable Characters

The secret to creating characters you're readers won't forget is in the details.

http://annerallen.com/create-memorable-characters-details/

When to Say, "No"

As exciting as it is to receive an offer of publication, sometimes the best decision is to refuse it.

http://writerunboxed.com/2016/09/26/knowing-when-to-walk-away-from-a-publishing-deal/

Critique Notes

After you receive a critique or an editorial letter, put it aside for a cooling off period before you get to work.

https://querytracker.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-cooling-off-period-handling.html

School Visit Advice

A wealth of advice of things to consider when planning and doing a school visit.

http://greetings-from-nowhere.blogspot.com/2008/01/advice-from-trenches-part-1.html
http://greetings-from-nowhere.blogspot.com/2008/01/advice-from-trenches-part-2_31.html
http://greetings-from-nowhere.blogspot.com/2008/02/advice-from-trenches-part-3.html
http://greetings-from-nowhere.blogspot.com/2008/02/advice-from-trenches-part-4.html

Reasons for Rejection

There are reasons your manuscript may be rejected that are unrelated to its quality.

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2016/10/9-reasons-i-did-not-request-more-pages.html

Dynamic Characters

You want your characters to resonate with your readers.

https://taralazar.com/2016/09/26/crafting-seasonal-stories-that-sell/

Seasonal Stories

If your story has a strong season or holiday tie-in, it needs to be unique to make up for the shorter selling window.

https://taralazar.com/2016/09/26/crafting-seasonal-stories-that-sell/ 

Query Letter Extras

There's more to a query letter than the pitch, such as personalization and your bio.

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2014/04/4-levels-of-editing-explained-which-service-does-your-book-need/

Levels of Editing

Your manuscript needs different levels of editing for different revisions.

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2014/04/4-levels-of-editing-explained-which-service-does-your-book-need/