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Recently Read

Ways to Make Friends, written by Jairo Buitrago and illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson

Vicky: I stumbled across this one at a recent event at KinderBooks in Vancouver (which is an adorable bookstore with wonderful people!) The cover art pulled me in, and I was delighted by the story. With cute and charming illustrations, the book gives tons of ideas to make friends (as promised) in a way that makes it clear that there are lots of paths to friendship—as well as it being perfectly okay to spend time with yourself. Plus, it’s from a Vancouver-based publisher, which was new to me!

Nunu and the Sea, by Isabella Kung

Isabella and I are both part of the Soaring20’sPB group, so I always get a peek at her books, but this one is particularly stunning. Her story about a young girl’s journey through overwhelming emotions is illustrated with gorgeous artwork and fantastic imagery of origami.

The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime by Eija Sumner and Nici Gregory

Christine: this one came out a little while ago but my friend Laura recently showed it to be and it is hilarious! I love this little ferocious mermaid who doesn’t want to go to bed. You can read more about this book as well as Eija’s thoughts on the current events in kidlit here.

Axolotl-Ella: A Sort-of Cinderella Story by Kate Messner and Lian Cho

And one more: sticking to the underwater theme is an upcoming release that comes out on June 2. I just read the ARC via NetGalley. ’s illustrations are brilliant! I am a sucker for fractured fairytales and retellings and Kate Messner’s writing is hilarious. Plus she sprinkles in lots of axolotl facts throughout the story.

In Our TBRs

Wish I Was a Baller, written by Amar Shah and illustrated by Rashad Doucet

Vicky: I met Amar at a conference (maybe NCTE) before he was published, and I’ve been excited to see his books showing up all over the place ever since! This graphic novel has been on my TBR list for a while because I love coming-of-age stories and this one sounds fascinating, sharing Amar’s real-life story of his experiences as a 14-year-old sports journalist. I’m sure I’m in for a great read.

Christine: I have a ridiculous number of books on my TBR! Let me pick one…

I’m on a novel in verse reading kick and I’m about to start reading Renée Watson’s All the Blues in the Sky. It’s about a 13 year old who loses her best friend and how she navigates that loss and all the shades of grief.

Upcoming Releases

Jia Has a Dog Problem, written by Stephanie Ellen Sy and illustrated by Isabella Kung

Vicky: I’ve already established that I’m a fan of Isabella Kung, but I also love Stephanie Ellen Sy (You Can’t Tame a Tiger, A Roof!)—so I can’t wait for their upcoming book together. This one also resonates with me because my younger son is afraid of dogs. When Stephanie told me about this story about a girl who is afraid of dogs, I realized so many books are about kids loving and wanting dogs, but not about being scared of them—which many kids are! I think it’s a great premise for a picture book and Isabella’s illustrations look fantastic. It releases on Tuesday, so go find a copy!

Christine: Vicky stole my pick! Great kidlit minds think alike!

Instagrams to Follow

Ainissa Ramirez (@ainissaramirez)

Vicky: I had the pleasure of meeting Ainissa before she was published as a children’s book author when I was teaching at the Science and Nature Writing retreat at Highlights. Since then, her debut picture book, Spark: Jim West’s Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone, has come out and she has several more books coming. Ainissa is instantly impressive and and her books highlight Black innovators in STEM. What I appreciate about her posts is that she’ll talk about her books (she has more coming soon) but also mix in additional facts about Black innovators. I mostly follow her on LinkedIn, but I see that she cross-posts to Instagram as well!

Maddie Frost (@maddiefrost)

Vicky: I’ve often wondered why Maddie Frost doesn’t have more followers because she is hilarious, but it’s been growing and I bet it’s going to explode with her next book, Really Rubie. I particularly love her comics about her daughter, who she represents as a bird.

Christine: I’m excited for Maddie’s book! And thank you for the intro to Ainissa‘s work.

Substacks

Reading Middle Grade

The 2026 Reading Middle Grade Summer Reading Guide

I started making the Summer Reading Guide in 2021 after years of using and loving a couple of Summer Reading Guides for adults. I wanted something like that for the kids in our lives; a real guide, made with care by someone who understands middle grade literature—something that a parent or educator could trust…

Read more

2 days ago · 8 likes · 2 comments · Afoma Umesi, Evelyn, and Katie Wickliff

Christine: One of the good things to come out of this week is that I was introduced to Afoma Umesi’s work. I’m always looking for new books for my reluctant middle grade reader and ’s substack is full of great ideas. I just upgraded to paid so I can download and use her Summer Reading Guide.

Over to you

So many books to rave about, but that’s just a peek for now! Any books or other kidlit things you’re excited about at the moment? We’d love to hear.

Talk to other writers

This is my go-to solution, and the obvious one. Christine is always great at helping me get unstuck—whether I need encouragement, or tough love, or permission to stop banging my head against the wall. It’s always helpful to have somebody who knows the process and its challenges to help you get going. Even just commiserating and talking things through with other writers will help me find a new path forward. I’m grateful to have found new writer friends in North Vancouver to talk shop with!

If you need advice on finding critique partners or kidlit friends, check out Christine’s post on Finding Community.

Talk to your agent

I probably ask my agent for directional advice every 4-6 months. This is usually because I have several early seeds of ideas and I can’t decide which to pursue. I’ll ask her if one stands out over the others. My agent’s input can be particularly helpful because she knows my strengths, my goals, and how the market is feeling about different categories and genres. Of course, I can’t (and shouldn’t) write to the market, but it can be helpful to get some signal if there’s a particular area that’s overcrowded/sought after if I’m debating different ideas.

Find a writing group

I recently joined a local writing group. We meet once a week and write for three hours, followed by a half hour of conversing. Unfortunately, I’m only making it there once every three weeks because adulting is so annoying, but when I’m there, the energy is so helpful to writing. It’s time that is set aside, with the explicit expectation that you are writing, along with everybody else in the room.

If you don’t know where to find a local writing group, check out “Shut Up and Write,” as there’s probably one meeting near you! There are also online meetings, but I find those don’t work as well for me.

Set a deadline

This could be a major deadline or it could just be daily accountability. Sometimes, Christine and I will just text each other with what we’re intending to accomplish for the day so that we commit to doing it. For longer projects, I’ve also been using TrackBear as a lightweight way to track progress and give me motivation toward daily goals.

Find a mentor text—or inspiration from other art forms

Sometimes, when I’ve lost steam, I need to re-find the energy that first got me excited about the story. I’ll refer back to my “kernel of truth” (see my post on Staying Squishy) but I’ll also look for new mentor texts or inspiration from other books, movies, comedy, or any kind of art. For example, Christine and I were filled with writing energy after seeing Ali Wong perform.

There is, of course, a fine line between getting re-inspired and getting completely distracted… but do what you need to do!

Go to a writing retreat or conference

Of course, we can’t always pick up and go on a retreat, but it can be nice to do one if you can find the time and can afford it. Boyds Mills is always a great pick. Kindling Words is a wonderful one for published authors and illustrators. Sometimes, Christine, Faith and I will create our own retreat, which is much more cost effective.

Writing/illustration conferences can also be energizing, often with speakers and sessions to inspire you. SCBWI has the big annual conferences, but I’ve never been to one. I do enjoy their local events, which are much smaller. Christine and I have had great experiences at the Asilomar and Central Coast SCBWI conferences in California.

Take a Break

Sometimes I need to just take a breather. Go sit outside and doodle. Sit at the café without a laptop. Go on a hike. Play a board games. Sometimes, I need to do this for a while. It’s a balance to know when to push and when to give yourself a grace.

Take a Class or Listen to a Podcast

Recently, I picked up some new illustration classes over at Domestika to re-boost my energy. If you browse their catalog and search by keyword, a ton of courses will pop up. A few I’ve enjoyed are with Lucy Fleming, Rachel Katsaller, and Ben Newman. I’ve also enjoyed classes with SVS Learn. I find that classes give me enough structure to actually work on something (as opposed to YouTube videos.)

For writing classes, I haven’t taken as many, though I loved Renee LaTuLippe’s Lyrical Language Lab and Boyds Mills, of course. I’ve heard good things The Writing Barn.

And then, I also enjoy listening to podcasts. A few of my favorites are Book Friends Forever, 3-Point Perspective, and the new 12x12 podcast.

Follow the sparks!

This is the part where I kind of blow up everything I’ve just said, because I did all of the above things and then… I didn’t finish my middle grade. 😂

BUT, something happened instead.

My brain got distracted on a ridiculous idea that turned into a quirky story and then sidetracked onto another story idea, probably all in procrastination on that middle grade that I was supposed to be working on. The end result is that I now have one manuscript that’s on sub and a draft of another that I’m revising. Even though I didn’t end up where I originally intended, and it wasn’t all roses along the way, I ended up somewhere. Maybe I’ll never finish that middle grade, but your inspiration takes you where it takes you! Maybe it’s all just mind games to get your brain to do something. And all of these things that went into getting myself to write DID actually get me to write, just not in the way that I planned.

So give yourself the space, follow the sparks, and get to work!

A definition

I think I first heard the phrase “be a good literary citizen” on the podcast, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing although it was something I was already doing without giving it a name.

Simply put, a good literary citizen is someone who shows up for other writers as well as the wider book community such as independent bookstores and libraries.

How to be a good literary citizen

Here are some of the ways to show up for your writerly community. I’d love to hear in the comments your ideas for being a good literary citizen too.

1. Build community - I arrange a monthly local kidlit hangout to keep in touch with other authors and illustrators, to commiserate, and to encourage each other. Sometimes it’s just a small group of us but other times we get a crowd, and that’s especially fun when we have a book launch to celebrate!

   

2. Book launches - speaking of launches, I love attending book events and story times at my local indie bookstore. Not only does it support the book creator, it supports the store too. A double win!

   

3. Buy books - while I’m at the independent bookstore you know I need a new book or two! Again, it’s a double win! If you don’t have a local indie you can also buy books on bookshop.org or audiobooks via libro.fm. Both of these options support local bookstores.

   

4. Leave reviews - review the books you read on Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, and, yes, Amazon too (but don’t buy the books there!) I admit, I’m behind on reviewing books; I need to put this on my to do list and do some catching up. You can sometimes get early copies of books from Edelweiss and NetGalley so you can have your reviews ready to go when the book is released.

5. Talk about books - the best book marketing tool is one that it’s hard for authors to achieve on their own: word of mouth. If you loved a book, tell five people and/or post about it online. Check out how The Correspondent became a word of mouth success story.

6. Donate books - share the love of reading and donate books to your local library (my library takes donations to sell at the Friends of the Library store), your local little free library, or to local schools (ask first).

   

7. Link to your indie - when you talk about your book on your website, in your newsletter, and on your social media be sure to mention your local store where people can buy it. You can arrange with them to sign copies and even have a preorder campaign like Stacey Lee did (see the instagram post below). She sews piles of book sleeves for her book launches, available only if you preorder from Linden Tree. If you don’t have a local indie, make bookshop.org your first link as sales there support local stores.

8. Support new writers - look for opportunities to mentor newer writers through organizations such as We Need Diverse Books.

9. Support libraries and librarians - visit local libraries, send postcards of support to librarians facing book banning in their communities, and tell everyone to use their local library!

10. Volunteer - can you spare some time to help out a local bookish nonprofit (see ’s instagram post below), your local SCBWI region, or Authors Against Book Bans?

11. And finally, share your favorite authors’ news, books, social media posts, and newsletters with your own communities.
    

    Share

Being an author or illustrator goes way beyond creating a book. For me, being part of the wider community is a huge part of why I love it so much. Each of the things on the list help bring me a stronger sense of community and connection to my peers, readers, bookstores, and beyond.

Which of these do you do? Any you’re keen to try? I’d love to hear any other ideas on how to be a good literary citizen.

Leave a comment

I’m going to share a bit about Boyds Mills, what it’s like to visit or teach there, and how to get a faculty role. Of course, this is only my personal experience, so I’m sure others will have thoughts to share!

What is Boyds Mills?

Boyds Mills came from the same roots as the Highlights magazine, but is a separate nonprofit focused on children’s storytellers. They run workshops and retreats for children’s book creators at their retreat center in Milanville, PA. (You can read more about the name change here.)

Visiting Boyds Mills means staying on a rustic campus surrounded be nature where you have nothing to think about other than writing. It’s amazing how much your brain frees up when you don’t have to plan for your meals at all. You can socialize or not socialize as much as you want. But if you sit down at any table, you will always have things to talk about with the other people there, because everybody is obsessed with writing and illustrating books for kids.

My First Experience

My very first experience at Boyds Mills (Highlights at the time) was for Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple’s Picture Book Bootcamp in 2019. Legendary, I know! (Sadly, Heidi and Jane don’t run this retreat any more.) I was pre-published and pretty intimidated, but I soaked up all of the wisdom and comradery over the weekend and discovered the magic of the place. I still have friendships with the people I met that weekend. I stayed in one of the lovely cabins, and found such peace and inspiration from being removed from my day-to-day, from eating delicious food, and from being surrounded by so many kind and wonderful authors. Attending a workshop also means that you’re getting inspiration, knowledge, and advice from the faculty (in this case, Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple!)

Joining on a Personal Retreat

In 2022, Laura Gehl invited me and several others to a personal retreat. This time Christine came too! You can book a personal retreat solo or with a group of kidlit creators, which means you’re visiting the campus without attending a specific workshop. Personal retreats are a lovely way to get some focused time on a project.

Pursuing a Faculty Opportunity

Right after my visit in 2022, I got an email from Highlights inviting me to join a workshop as guest faculty. How did they find me? I don’t know! (I realize this is not particularly helpful to you, but don’t worry, there’s more info to come.) I assume that they became aware of me because I had visited the campus a couple of times. I joined as guest faculty for the Science and Nature Workshop with Miranda Paul, Heather Montgomery, and fellow guest, editor Carol Hinz. All three of these women are so phenomenal at what they do and the workshop was amazing. I learned so much from sitting in on the sessions, and I dumped as much as I could into my presentation! (I probably could have done with some editing, but lesson learned.) One my favorite moments of the weekend was going on a nature hike with Heather Montgomery and spotting all kinds of plants and creatures along the way.

After that workshop, I wasn’t available the following year, and then I guess I kind of fell off the radar. I proposed a couple class ideas here and there but nothing ever came from it. Then, last year, I got more serious about it. I reached out again. And this is when they pointed me to the faculty interest form! Ahhh! A few months later, I was invited to join as guest faculty for a School Visit online workshop and then I was invited to co-teach an in-person workshop this fall. How exciting!

Of course, I only know the steps that I took to getting a faculty position. Other faculty have surely had different paths. One, I assume I was on their radar because I had visited the campus. Two, I assume that attendees had a positive experience with me as guest faculty, opening up the possibility of a faculty role. And finally, I assume that my expressed interest put me back on their radar for consideration.

So that’s my story with Highlights, and I know many of our readers will also have rave reviews to share!

Scholarships

If you’re looking for ways to help fund a visit to Boyds Mills, they do offer scholarships. This year’s scholarships have already been awarded, so mark your calendar for January of next year. You can learn more about the scholarships here.

Join Me

If you want to join me on campus in October, please do! Even thinking about the presentations for the workshop have inspired some new stories for me, so I’m feeling confident that it’s going to be a great weekend.

Plus, a fun fact! You can find my book, Ava Lin, Best Friend! on the wall of the Asian American Voices cabin (#8).

In case you missed it, here’s a summary:

• Dial Books for Young Readers was shuttered

• And so was Roaring Brook (although there’s going to be a new imprint)

• Previously, Algonquin closed and Astra closed Kane Press which I was personally affected by. There have been lots of other layoffs across the industry too.
  

Harold Underdown has a great essay talking about all of the above and more and it’s definitely worth the read. And this substack from Vicky Weber is also great.

Plus there’s book banning, AI, a decline in kids’ reading, middle grade is dead, fewer diverse books being acquired (this article was particularly upsetting to read), and fewer school visits.

All of these things are very clearly and deeply connected.

What can we do?

Some of these ideas below may seem frivolous. Hobbies! We don’t have time to knit while all this is going down! But you know the old saying, put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. Taking a break and making something is a valuable use of your time. Then you can get back to work not only on your own career and out in the wider author community.

1. Get a hobby - remember when writing was your hobby? Now that it’s your job, you need a new hobby. I’ve been enjoying watercoloring in this book. And check out for more hobby ideas and why they’re so important.

2. Try something new - this could be a great time to dive in to a new category or genre. Experiment. Play. Have fun.

3. Look at what is selling - the answer is graphic novels. I just signed up for this class with Marcie Colleen to learn more about writing them. That’s not to say you should write to trends, but I don’t think graphic novels are going anywhere. Also see this excellent substack article about opportunities in the current middle grade market.

4. Community - meet up with other authors and creators. Join groups like Authors Against Book Bans and participate in local events and national campaigns. Review books by other authors and illustrators—especially those facing censorship. Go to book events. Be a good literary citizen and lift up your fellow creators. And buy books if you can! (or ask your library to order them).

5. Get involved - As well as AABB (see above), there are many other organizations you can volunteer with (in the Bay Area I love Access Books Bay Area and The Children’s Book Project).

6. Go to events - go to industry events like SCBWI conferences. I just spent a lovely Saturday at my region’s conference catching up with friends, learning from agents and editors, and refiling my creative well. The overarching theme of the conference was “Finding Courage: Creating Through Resistance”. The perfect subject for this moment. A message we heard multiple times was: keep going, kids need your stories.
   Plus I got to see wonderful Dear Mr. G editor Esther Hernandez in person.

   

7. Remember your why - why do you write for kids? Who is the child you are writing for? What is the heart of your stories? Return to this when doubt sets in.

8. Kids - if you have kids or know kids, read with them. Let them catch you reading. Visit bookstores and libraries together. Watch shows like Reading Rainbow that get kids excited about books (it’s just been renewed for 24 episodes!)

9. Delete social media - I regret to inform you that I deleted all the apps this week and felt immediately better. It’s not forever and I can still access the sites through my laptop but the instant access from my phone is gone for now.

10. Take a break - if your heart is not in writing right now it’s okay to take a break. We’ll be here when you get back.
    

    Leave a comment

Is there any good news?

• See above re: graphic novels! Kids devour them (I have seen that in my own home and in my kids’ old elementary school library). Reading graphic novels = reading. Sales jumped a whopping 28.5% in Q1. Yes, 28.5%!!

• The overall numbers are still good! In 2025 children’s books were up 1.6% and (ignoring the headline on this article) children’s fiction and nonfiction are both up in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025

• Plenty of deals are still getting announced. Sign up for Children’s Bookshelf from Publisher’s Weekly to see them in your inbox twice a week. It’s also a great way to keep an eye on what’s selling.

• New imprints are launching and small publishers seem to be weathering the storm.

• And finally, I found this January article from The Bookseller helpful (you’ll need to sign up for a free account to read it). A quote: “As we look ahead to 2026, we find the world in a state of instability. Yet within that uncertainty there is comfort in how we have adapted to finding a way forward, no matter what lies ahead.” (I’m also curious about the National Year of Reading campaign in the UK)

I hope this all gives you hope, things to think about, and actions to take. If nothing else, know that you are not alone! If you have other thoughts about how to keep going, please comment!

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Some other Kidlit Survival Guide articles you might find helpful…

What is a JLG Gold Standard Selection?

Even once I got the news, I still wasn’t entirely sure what being a JLG Gold Standard Selection meant. So, I dug in.

Here are a few of the resources that I learned from:

• The JLG About Us page

• This post from Jarrett Lerner

• This post from Diana Urban

Here’s what I learned!

The JLG Gold Standard Selection is a curated list of books, selected on merit by trusted editors. This happens pre-launch, even before any trade reviews, so it’s a strong early indicator to vouch for a book’s quality.

On the How JLG Works page, it says “95% of JLG Gold Standards Selections go on to earn awards, starred reviews, and industry accolades.”

Being selected also means that a book will be included in JLG shipments to libraries close to the launch date. This is great for getting more books into the hands of readers and generating buzz around a new title!

Another Nice Perk

A fellow author also pointed out to me that being a JLG Gold Standard Selection guarantees a trade review prior to publication. Given how difficult it is to get timely trade reviews these days, this is another nice perk from being selected.

From the JLG Publishers page: “JLG Gold Standard Selection titles will also be professionally reviewed by one of our journals (SLJ, LJ, or The Horn Book) before the publication date.”

How Do You Get Selected?

In general, your publishers should be submitting for the JLG process automatically. (Please let me know if you know something otherwise!) I have never requested submission, and I was thrilled to get the news from my editor for One Mad Cat. So, just write the best book you can and keep your fingers crossed!

(For further details from JLG, you can read more about the selection process.)

I’m So Excited!

With every book I write, I push myself to do better—and One Mad Cat is no exception. I’m so thrilled and honored that this graphic reader is a JLG Gold Standard selection. It is even helping to calm the pre-launch jitters a little bit! I hope it means that my anxious, big-hearted cat finds her way to more readers.

But at the end of the day, there’s no way to make sure your book gets on a list. All we can do is continue to write the best books we can, from our hearts, and hope for the best as we send them out into the world.

So, all that to say. I am still writing my middle grade novel. In fact, I’ve just completed the latest draft of said novel and a certain critique partner of mine has challenged me to send it to her by May 15. A deadline! A challenge! You know I love a challenge.

I am experienced in revising chapter books and picture books but whole novels is a very different prospect and it is the main thing that put me off writing such a beast for so long. But diligently working on the last revision for at least 15 minutes each day has paid off and I’m ready to get stuck in and hit that Vicky-imposed deadline.

So here’s my plan.

Step 1 Print the manuscript

I have discovered that I edit better when I read the manuscript on real paper. So the very first step for me in this process is to compile the book in Scrivener (do not ask me for Scrivener tips, I am definitely not using it to anywhere near its full potential but I do prefer it to an unwieldy Google doc) and then print it. I have a laser printer at home and I just stole one of my kid’s old school binders (that they decided they didn’t like anymore and therefore I needed to buy them a new one in August). You could also get it printed and spiral bound at Office Depot.

Revel in the printed version of your manuscript! Look at all those words!

Step 2: What is the story about?

Rachael Herron recommends several steps before revising (h/t to Anne-Marie Strohman for sharing this with me; also, I wouldn’t even have a finished draft without Anne-Marie’s novel writing class):

1. Acceptance…

2. Triage: assessing what needs the most work…
Find your theme…

3. Write your one-sentence elevator pitch.

4. Write your one-paragraph book jacket blurb.

I had all this from one of my early drafts but it turned out it had all changed a lot since then so I rewrote my elevator pitch and one-paragraph. I also figured out what the theme of the book is which had previously eluded me.

Step 3: Read the manuscript

I haven’t done this yet but it’s my next step.

Rachael Herron recommends writing everything you note that needs attention on mini post-it notes as you go and re-reading them before each writing session when you revise.

She also suggests that for every scene, you write a summary sentence. Whew that feels hard for me! But I’m willing to give it a try. Will I give up after three chapters? There’s a good chance. I’ll report back.

By the way, this is the 6th draft of this book since 2023 (some of those drafts were abandoned early on). It’s changed a lot since my original idea and I think I have a pretty good handle on the story but I know I have things I need to change. My antagonist is hardly in it for a start which is a big problem! Does my main character change? Are her goals clear? Does the story make readers want to turn the page? I also want to look at the interiority of my main character as I revise.

Step 3.5: Eat Easter chocolate and despair at how much work I have to do

Step 4: Revise!

Oh cool, the easy part. I plan to do this in 15 minute+ sprints again as that seemed to work well. But this time around I’ll have my theme, sentence, and summary as well as the post-it notes to refer back to as I write.

Can I do it? Will Vicky get my finished middle grade novel in her inbox by mid-May?

Stay tuned.

And share any of your own tips for revising in the comments. I need them!

Leave a comment

Resources

• Rachael Herron: How to Revise Your Novel and an interview about revision with Rachael Herron

• KidLit Craft Courses

• Screenwriting Tricks for Authors

• Books: Refuse to be Done by Matt Bell and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

Okay, so once upon a time, I was very ambitious and I had press kits for each book. Now, I just have an author press kit on my website. By peeking at Josh’s press kit and digging into some more examples, I’ve updated my press kit with some new shiny sections. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Why Do You Need a Press Kit?

I mean, I don’t know, is anyone even looking at my press kit?? But here’s my reasoning on having one: It’s useful for me to have a concise place to find or point people to my headshots and bio. I figure IF somebody is looking for one, it’s better to have the information readily available for them so I don’t miss opportunities by being hard to find. I do think kids sometimes look at them when they are doing research on authors. Plus, it’s not a heavy lift to add to your website, so why not?

What Should Be In Your Press Kit?

Headshots

This is a no-brainer, you should definitely have your headshots available in your press kit. You will want to link to a high res version of the photo in case somebody needs it for print purposes.

Bio (Long and Short)

Usually, my short bio is what gets used. But, it’s helpful to have a longer bio for people who want more detail or may be doing more research. (Josh adds his sense of humor to his bio with increasingly shorter bios, ending in a bio written by his cat.)

Book Covers

I didn’t have these up before I looked at Josh’s press kit. I don’t know why! I think because I originally made press kits for each book and then lost track of that. Also, I figured covers are easy to find. But I suppose the point is to make it all even easier to find, all in one spot and hi-res! So, I added these now, again as thumbnails that link out to high res files.

Awards and Recognition

I also didn’t have awards or recognition listed, partially because it seemed like a big pain to gather them all. BUT there are two ways I finally put this list together. One, I looked through my Instagram for any posts about awards or recognition. Two, Josh told me about teachingbooks.net, where you can look up your profile and see awards listed. You can also click into each book to see any lists the book has been added to. I found some I didn’t even know about! I have a list of stuff now, but I also love how Colleen Paeff has hers highlighted in a visual way.

Interviews

I used to have a section for this and then I got tired of updating it. But Colleen also has a section linking out to some key interviews, which is a nice way to approach it.

Name Pronunciation

Many authors have an pronunciation guide for their name. I also saw this on Rajani LaRocca’s press kit, with a link out to teachingbooks.net again, where you can upload a pronunciation recording.

Social Media Handles

I haven’t added these, but I just noticed that Josh has them on his, so I might. I figured all my social profiles are linked to in the footer of my website, but it might be helpful to just have the handles listed so somebody can grab them without having to click into your profile and copy it out from there.

Contact

Making things as easy as possible, it makes sense to indicate that you are open to interviews from your press kit page and a link to contact.

Learn From Others

It’s always helpful to look at others’ sites for examples! Here are the ones I’ve mentioned in this post:

• Josh Funk’s Press Kit

• Rajani LaRocca’s Press Kit

• Colleen Paeff’s Press Kit

• My Press Kit

That’s it! Please comment if you have other ideas to add or your own press kit to share!

How I Found Out

I can’t even completely confirm which of my books are out of print, but one way I have found out is on Edelweiss. There, I can see some of my books have this status on them:

STATUS: Out of Stock Indefinitely

or

STATUS: Out of Print

“Out of Stock Indefinitely” feels a little softer, like they COULD bring it back if they wanted to, but practically, it feels like the same thing to me. (If you know the details on the difference, let me know!)

That’s usually how I’ve found out that a book is no longer available. One editor did reach out to me to tell me the hardcover version of a book was going out of print, and sent me a box of copies as a courtesy, which was very appreciated! But that seems to be an anomaly rather than the norm.

What Went Out of Print / Out of Stock Indefinitely

The second book in my I Can Code series appears to be “out of stock indefinitely” and it’s pretty much impossible to get now. All of my other books are still in print, but some of the hardcover (library binding) versions are no longer being printed—only the paperback versions.

How It Feels

Honestly, the first time I noticed a book (or a version of a book) going out of print/out of stock indefinitely, it stung. A lot. But now that I’ve been through it, it stings less. I still love each of these books and it never occurred to me that going out of print might happen so quickly. But I understand that publishing is a business, and so I have to move on.

What Changes Now

Not much changes except that it shifts the way I approach promo of the books…

For I Can Code: And/Or, which is practically impossible to get, I obviously don’t need to promote the book, but it remains a part of my body of work. For now, I’ve left it on my website but I may remove it or archive it at some point.

For the books that are now paperback only, I continue to promote them, but I’m not pursuing/pitching new titles in those series. For now, I am focusing on my newer series and creating the next book.

So what?

I guess the point is, it happens! Nobody really talks about it because it’s no fun to talk about, but it’s a reality of the business and something that I hadn’t thought about when I started this journey. It’s something to be aware of.

Now, I guess it’s just another part of publishing for me. Oh, publishing. But for all of its frustrations, creating books is still one of the most fulfilling creative processes I’ve found. There’s nothing like meeting that kid who just adores your book, wants to give you a hug, sends you a sweet letter, or falls in love a little bit more with reading because of one of your books.

So, onward!

But how did it get on the list? What does it mean to be on a state list? And how did I find out?

How do I find out if my book is on a list?

One of my friends (Margaret Greanias) also had a book on the South Carolina list and she let me know about it. Later, the organizer of the school visits reached out and invited me to speak to the schools. It was a very happy surprise!

Dear Mr. G was also a finalist in the CALIBA Golden Poppy Awards (which isn’t a state list as such, it’s organized by California book sellers).

I have had other books on other lists over the years including Snow Day in May on the Grand Canyon Reader Awards list and Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist was nominated in Washington for the Towner Award. But this was the first time I was invited to do any school visits in connection with it.

If you don’t have them already, set up google alerts for your book title. I’ve heard from other authors that they found out about awards because of an alert.

You can also search for your book on TeachingBooks.Net and any state awards and lists for your book are listed there.

How do books get selected for state lists?

That’s an excellent question! In some states there are open nomination forms where anyone, including authors and publishers, can nominate books. In other states, teachers, librarians, and students are invited to submit nominations. Then, there is typically an award committee who decides which titles will be on the nomination list. Finally there’s a voting period where people, often students at schools in the state, select their choice for their favorite book on the list.

Note: there is often a publishing date window for the awards and for some it can within the past several years so even if you don’t have a new book, it’s worth checking the criteria to see if your book can be nominated. For example, Dear Mr. G came out in 2023 and Snow Day in May was released in 2021, but they’re both on lists for 2025.

Where can I find all these state lists?

Cynthia Leitich Smith has a list on her website. You can also google State name + “children’s book awards” and see what comes up. For example, the search for Texas gave these results:

If anyone knows of any other resources for finding these lists, let me know in the comments.

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Why should I care about state award lists?

I think these are some benefits to being on state award lists:

1. You might get invited to a state library conference

2. Or asked to take part in school visits

3. Libraries and schools in that state buy extra copies of your book.

However, if your book doesn’t land on state lists that is zero reflection on you or your book. It seems to be more a case of luck!

But you can increase your odds but researching the lists, seeing how books get nominated, and by speaking to your publisher about opportunities. Keep a list of awards you think your book could be entered for—state or otherwise—and share it when you have a publicity conversation. For example, for the CALIBA Golden Poppy award I asked my publisher to submit Dear Mr. G.

It might also help if you’ve spent time in a state doing visits (virtual counts). I think that might be how Snow Day in May was nominated for the Arizona list as I have done several virtual visits there.

Finally, I’m so so grateful to the teachers and librarians who champion our books!

That wraps up everything I know about state lists and it’s stuff I wish I’d known when my first book came out. I’d love to hear your experiences and any other resources you know of that I can add to this post.

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Types of Ideas

Of course, for a story to work, you’ll need all the pieces to work. But where does a story start? Here are some types of ideas that have kickstarted my books—or have layered together.

Concepts/Heart

Often, there’s a topic I think would be great for a children’s book and that’s how a story gets started. This core or heart of the story is critical to your story, so it’s an obvious place to start. For example, I wanted to showcase the design and invention process in Layla and the Bots.

But while any story I write is tied to some topic that is deeply important to me, it’s not always where the seed begins.

Titles

This seems silly, but sometimes an idea will start from a title.

“Lots and Lots of Ocelots” was a phrase that my son said in the car, and we both decided it should be a book. It took me a couple years to actually some up with the concept and book to fit it—a skip counting book with animal facts—coming this August.

Christine tells the story of how the idea for the Wish Library series came from a text message misunderstanding—where she texted “Wish library were open” and her friend responded “What’s a wish library?”

Lines/Images

Sometimes, a line of text will weasel it’s way into my brain and I write it down even though I don’t know what to do with it.

That’s what happened with The Boo Crew Needs You! These lines sat in my idea file for years:

“There’s a glitch! There’s a hitch!
Something’s screwy with this switch!”

Eventually, I found a story to build around these lines. (The original inspiration lines never made it into the final book, but the rhyme and meter did!)

Characters/Traits

This is a more common way for my stories to start these days. I like creating strong characters and then giving them stories that dig into some concept or heart that is true to me. This is how the Ava Lin books were created, inspired by my kid’s unstoppable optimism.

Story Mechanics

I’ve never had a story start from a story mechanic, but maybe I will someday! All I know is that I have some story mechanic ideas on my list… wouldn’t it be cool if there were a book that did … ??? Christine’s book, Dear Mr. G, started from wanting to write an epistolary book and then layered in all of the richness that made for this beautiful picture book about intergenerational friendship and grief.

Layering

It’s often not just one idea that starts me off on a story though. I end up layering multiple snippets from my list of ideas together, sparking a new direction. I might take a character and layer it with a concept. Or I’ll take a title and layer it with a character. Or I’ll layer two concepts together. Etc, etc. I also consider format and category as a key factor while I’m developing an idea. I like the constraints and possibilities that each category provides. (See Writing Across Multiple Kidlit Categories.)

Some Layering Examples

My debut picture book, Invent-a-Pet, came from combining a few snippets in my idea document: the title/concept “Louisa’s magnificent machine” and the concept of “mixed up animals,” layered with the topic of “coding.”

Layla and the Bots was inspired by design thinking at the heart, but came to life when I layered with another snippet “the adventures of beep, boop, and bop” and the idea of writing a chapter book. Ava Lin’s character and stories came from various snippets like “mad meeps” and “I don’t want burnt toast.” (If you’ve read the Ava Lin books, that will make sense to you!)

From Layers to Story

Once I have something that feel rich enough to build off of, I’ll continue brainstorming from there, to complete the other aspects. I’ll round out the heart of the story, jot down key lines, percolate and collect more ideas. I try to wait as long as possible in this percolation state before I start on a draft, because if I don’t have enough richness to start with, my story will feel too thin and the ideas start to calcify. (Hence my post about Staying Squishy.)

Ideas may not fit cleanly into categories. An idea could be a title OR a line OR a concept. As always, creating a story is like putting together a puzzle where the pieces are constantly changing shape. It’s up to you to find creative ways to layer your ideas together.

Anyhow, that’s how I layer ideas to create my stories. Over to you! What strategies do you have to turn a seed of an idea into a full and rich story?

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My debut trade book, Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist, released in 2019 and I already had Emily’s Idea and The Wish Library series under contract. Things felt amazing! People commented on my posts “you’re on fire!” and I felt like I was. My dreams were coming true.

But then the pandemic happened. No more events. Sales were not great. Things did not feel quite so amazing anymore.

But before long I had another book deal! Yay! I would still be publishing a new book every year. But then the Wish Library series was canceled. And then the submission spreadsheets filled up with rejections. But then I sold another series! But then that one got canceled too after the imprint closed.

I felt pretty terrible.

Did I even want to be a writer anymore?

Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? If so, you might have heard Alysa Liu’s story. She retired from ice skating at age 16. She went out and had fun, lived her life, and eventually found joy back on the ice. And then she won Olympic gold! She did it on her terms, skating joyfully, and deciding she would only compete while it felt good to do it. I love this quote:

“I love exploring other hobbies, doing side-quests and what not. It keeps me curious and I’m protecting that.” Alysa Liu via The Guardian

I love this story because it shows that when you refocus on joy and what you love, you worry less about the outcomes. It doesn’t mean Alysa doesn’t care about winning the gold but it means it isn’t the focus for her. She is going out there and enjoying the skating.

I can’t control the outcomes of my writing. All I can do is find joy in the process. Try new genres and categories (my next two books are in new categories: middle grade nonfiction and board book). Go on side quests and try new things. Stay curious. Enjoy hobbies.

Follow joy.

So if you’re reading this wondering if you’ll ever get a book deal/ever have another deal/ever have a bestseller, know that you’re not alone.

And maybe channel a little bit of Alysa Liu and find joy in your writing instead of worrying about what the outcome will be.

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P.S. If you liked this you might also like my 2026 action plan post and Vicky’s post about what success looks like.

Do you write to fit your brand?

I do not write books to fit my brand in that I don’t feel restricted to any topics, but I will sometimes think about what my strengths are (a la Finding Your Hook.) Much like I approach writing in general, I find the ideas that are true to me first and then I’ll think about which one feels like a nice next move in my portfolio. (Sometimes my brain refuses and picks its own path though!)

I would argue that you don’t need to write to fit a brand within the realm of kidlit. Especially in this day and age, where the brand is basically YOU, you should feel free to write whatever resonates with you.

However! I would suggest that you use a different pen name if you’re writing something that might fall so far out of the realm of kids that it’s a totally different audience, like erotic fiction or adult horror or something. It’s probably better to keep that separate, but you do you.

So, go ahead, publish broadly! Maybe you naturally fall into a clear brand, like Jennifer Swanson with loads of STEM books. Or maybe you don’t, like Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic, who writes books that range in topics from shooter drills to swings to zombie pals.

What is your brand then?

Really, you don’t have to have one. YOU are the connective tissue between your books. But it can be a helpful exercise so that you can articulate what you write to those who may not be familiar with your work. Even if you don’t use an actual brand sentence on your website, it may be helpful in even identifying how you want your website to feel. To figure out your “brand”, you will need to dig deep to figure out what drives you to write.

Consider: Why are the stories you write about important for you to write?

Examples

When I first started writing, I wanted to empower kids in STEM. I was working at Google and seeing the gap, especially with girls and kids of color, when it came to coding and engineering. My brand was easy! STEM all the way. But then, as I started writing about social-emotional topics and navigating life, I needed to have another think about what my brand is. I realized that my books are really about inspiring creative problem solvers, in all aspects of life—whether that be with friends or in school or in the world around them. Which brought me to…

My current “brand”

“I am a children’s book author and illustrator who writes books to inspire kids to be creative problem solvers.”

It doesn’t appear at the top of my website, because I lead with my new book releases, but it’s on the home page and in my bio. I confess, I re-wrote that brand line probably five times during the course of writing this post with tiny tweaks as I re-thought it. Another important theme for me is helping kids to fall in love with reading, but is that already implied because I write children’s books? It’s hard to distill it all down to what’s most important! Taking a peek at other authors’ websites, some have brand sentences and some don’t. Here are a few that I did find (so many good ones), pulled from friends’ websites:

Sometimes they’re like mission statements

Stephanie Ellen Sy: “I write picture books that explore and celebrate the vibrant, in-between spaces of my multicultural identity.”

Valerie Bolling: “I write because I want children to feel at home in a book. I want them to smile, laugh, think, and question. Most of all, I want them to celebrate the diverse world in which we live.”

Christine Evans: “I’m Christine Evans, a children’s book author who writes books to inspire curious and creative kids.”

Sometimes they’re like taglines

Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic: “Writing the stories children already know in their hearts.”

Margaret Greanias: “Writing stories to delight children.”

Lindsay H. Metcalf: “Books for the young and curious.”

Carrie Finison: “Children’s books with humor and heart"

Sometime they address multiple roles an author might have

JaNay Brown-Wood, PhD: “Speaker. Award-Winning Author & Educator. Content Creator. Advocate.”

Kirsten W. Larson: “Award-Winning Author, Writing Coach, Public Speaker, and Podcaster”

Jennifer Swanson: “Keynote Speaker. Award-winning Author. STEM & STEAM Enthusiast. Interactive Science Programs. Non-Fiction Writing Workshops.”

A Branding Exercise

Here’s one approach to help you define your brand:

1. Write down everything you want readers to take from your books (or from you.) Don’t be precious about it, just write down everything that comes to mind.

2. Group those items into themes. Title those groups. What do you come up with?

3. Prioritize those themes. What is most important to you?

4. Pick the top one or two themes and construct a brand statement from those themes. Keep it high level so that you have enough room to play, but specific enough that it actually SAYS something.

Brand or Don’t Brand, It’s All Okay!

Many authors don’t include any kind of brand statement on their sites and just let their books stand for themselves. That works too! In any case, I hope this post gives you some ideas on how to create or refine your own brand, whether just for yourself or for sharing publicly.

If you have a brand or mission statement you’d like to share, I’m sure others would love to hear!

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1. I wrote 29 new stories! I somehow completely forgot to write anything on day 30. So that brings me to my first lesson: set a calendar reminder or an alarm!

2. I posted on Threads, Substack, and I told friends that I was doing this challenge. So lesson 2 is: Accountability. If you’re embarking on any kind of challenge, tell people about it either publicly or privately.

3. Process vs Product. From all 29 drafts, I probably only have a handful that have potential to be developed further but the process of showing up every day and writing felt even more important than the end product.

4. The ideas I think are worth developing are the ones that I have been thinking about and pondering without even re-reading my notebook. Which ideas are sticky and won’t let go? They’re the ones worth pursuing (at least for now).

5. But I will also review all of those drafts and ideas.

6. And from all of those ideas, can I combine two or more of them into something else?

7. It felt right to use a notebook for this challenge rather than my laptop. I even carried my trusty little notebook with me while skiing! Keeping what I needed to complete the challenge accessible was really helpful. When your challenge only needs a couple of small tools like a pen and a notebook it reduces the friction.

   

8. Remove distractions. As I have posted before, many times, I struggle with my phone use. But I discovered a way to brick my phone for free! I was so close to buying one of those devices I’d seen advertised on Instagram for $50+ but then I read this post. Amazing!

9. Writing every day, bricking my phone, and finding other things to do like puzzling and baking has really reduced my screen time this month (as per my goals!).

10. Challenges help me stretch and try new things.
    What challenge should I do next?

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Let me know what creative challenges you’ve tried or are trying right now! I’m looking for inspiration!

Also: The Boyd Mills scholarship deadline is today!

Just a heads up that TODAY is the deadline to apply for a Boyd Mills (formerly Highlights) scholarship. The scholarship portal closes at 11:59 PM Eastern on Monday, February 9, 2026. For more information: https://boydsmills.org/scholarships/.

This is a great opportunity to apply for funding to attend a retreat—at one of our favorite spots to keep learning. Plus, one of the in-person workshops this year is an early reader and chapter book retreat with , Anne Appert, and our own .

(A quick note on this photo of me with Christine Evans, Jenna Waldman, and Faith Kazmi, meeting for the first time at the SCBWI conference in Asilomar in 2017: We were all unpublished at the time and we are all published now! ❤️)

How it started

When I started writing, I certainly felt like I had something to prove. I had left a prestigious job and I wanted to prove that it was “real” and not an overblown hobby. I wanted to show my family that I could make actual money to make up for the job I had left. (Not nearly the same amount, but money nonetheless.) I wanted to show myself that I could do it. I was definitely in the aspiring “bestseller” category of success dreams.

I wrote with a vengeance. Having heard that book deals depend on past sales track record, I wrote to get deals ahead of those sales. With the help of my agent, I expanded to different categories, growing my opportunities and the ability to go on simultaneous sub. I was also so hungry to create, create, create—projects that I was passionate about and could self-start. I had a million ideas and I craved more time to write.

In 2022, I hit a creative lull and I considered going back to product design. I went through the interview process and got an offer. With that offer in hand, I realized… I would really rather write another book. I finally closed the door on my past career and fully committed to writing.

How it’s going

Now, nine years later with 20+ books under my belt, things are shifting for me. I do feel successful (even though I haven’t had a bestseller yet 😉)! I don’t feel like I have anything to prove any more. I have a more realistic understanding of what’s in my control and what is not. I’m more acutely aware of the marathon versus the sprint.

Now, I want to create things I love on my own terms. I still want them to be commercially viable and successful. I would still love to become a bestseller! But now, success to me looks more like a lifestyle than an end goal. I want to ensure that I can continue making things indefinitely.

My creative energy is also shifting a little bit. I want to get weirder and explore more. I want to grow my craft and challenge myself in new ways. I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet! But I’m figuring it out as I go.

Pictures of success

I recently joined a writers’ group in my new home town. It is a lovely mix of people who come together to write silently for a couple hours and then have a conversation afterward. The leader of the group had thoughtful and helpful comments for people that met them where they are in their journey. And I found myself having to check my own assumptions to listen more fully.

One man shared his 100-page children’s book. When the group leader asked him more about it to guide her feedback, he shrugged and said he had no intention of trying to get it published, or even getting anyone to read it. He simply wanted to create it and wanted it to exist.

I know this is an extreme opposite, and perhaps jarring given that this Substack talks a lot about getting published. But I found it refreshing. Success doesn’t have to look like what others expect it to look like.

So maybe check in with yourself to ask—what does success look like for you?

Am I Doing This Right?

Let's Help Out Minnesota

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4 months ago · 17 likes · 3 comments · Lian Cho

There are tons of amazing items going up—too many to list here, but you can browse some sneak peeks on their IG page.

Christine and I are each offering a picture book or chapter book critique (up to 1000 words) with 20-minute AMA, so keep an eye out for our items:

• Vicky’s critique & AMA

• Christine’s critique & AMA

Bidding opens at 12:00am ET on Thursday, January 29 and closes at 11:45pm ET on Friday, January 30. Thank you for any bids you are able to make. ❤️

View Auction

In this post I’m going to (attempt to) break down each of my goals and come up with some concrete actions I can take. I’m also looking for ways my word of the year (nurturing) can be applied to them. Wow sounds so easy, let’s go!

Goal 1: Finish my novel

Whew this is a big one to break down. First, what does it mean to me to ‘finish my novel’? I want to have a final draft to send to my agent. For me to do that these are the steps I need to take:

1. Write a new outline. I recently attended a SCBWI webinar about The Sticky Note Plot and it made a lot of sense to me (as a pant-ser) so my first action is to use that method to write a new outline for my revision

2. Write a new draft. For a period I hit 1000 words every week day on the last revision of this novel. Now that I work outside the home at least two days a week this may be a little trickier but I think aiming for 15 minutes a day is doable. An important part of this process will be nurturing my creativity and my time to ensure I’m not getting sucked into social media doom-scrolls (more on that in a bit)

3. Send to critique partners for their thoughts

4. Revise accordingly

5. Send to my agent! Easy peasy. Hahahahaha.

This goal is so daunting but I have completed a full draft once and I can do it again!

Goal 2: Combine my two worlds

This one is a bit trickier to define and break down. I want to find opportunities to do writing work for the museum but also to have my work at the museum inspire my own projects. More to think about here for sure!

1. Speak to my manager about writing opportunities within the museum

2. Nurture ideas that could be made into book projects.

Goal 3: Keep experimenting

My intention with this goal is to spend less time scrolling and more time nurturing my creativity. So far this year I’ve been writing a story draft a day (Storystorm turned to the max!).

1. Write a (very) rough draft every day in January

2. Experiment with the way I write: use paper and pen more (all my January drafts are long hand in my notebook)

3. Analyze my January drafts and revise those that have the most promise

4. Read widely (more below) and think about other genres and categories to write (pssst… the project I hinted about in my goals post is now announced and it’s a board book series!!)

Goal 5: Read with intention

I’m a big reader but I tend to read before I fall asleep and forget half of what I read. I also don’t really analyze books for craft like I did when I was a beginner picture book writer.

1. Find a mentor text for my novel and read with an eye for the craft (annotate as I go)

2. Choose a book instead of scrolling on my phone. I’ve gone back reading in the evenings with my kids (all with our own books) which is much better for all of us! You could say it’s very nurturing

3. Read more widely—pick up books in categories and genres I don’t usually read.

4. Pick up recent picture books from the library using lists like Betsy Bird’s for inspiration.

Bonus actions

These are a couple more things that I’m planing to do this year that go beyond those main goals and are more related to my word of the year.

1. Do more analog things to cut down my screen time. I’m following along with The Analog Project by and it’s definitely inspiring me to do more offline things. For example, I bought a new cookbook so I’m baking more (I can’t use my phone while baking!)

   Little Truths

   The Analog Life Project

   We Start January 1, 2026 here on Substack…

   Read more

   5 months ago · 2576 likes · 291 comments · Lori Roberts

2. Another analog thing I’m doing is puzzles. I bought the Murdle book ages ago and abandoned it. It’s been fun to pick it up again

3. Craft! Again, keeping those hands busy so they don’t end up scroll scroll scrolling. I used to craft all the time so I want to pick up a crafting hobby this year. I just bought an embroidery kit so we’ll see if that sticks.

I hope this helps you think about your own goals and how to actually make them happen this year. Let me know some of the actions you’re going to take this year to make the start-of-2026-you proud.

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• NCTE

• Bay Area Book Festival

• Bigfoot Kids’ Book Festival

• Children’s Fairyland Children’s Book Festival

• Litapalooza

• TLA

And others! Some of these are more local and some are more national. So here goes…

Getting Invited

There are three ways that I’ve been invited to a conference or festival.

1. My publisher pitches me

2. The event reaches out to me

3. I pitch myself

Having the publisher pitch me is the way I most prefer to go to events, because I think publishers have a good sense of what events make the most impact (and, of course, they’ll pay for it!) Also, this all just magically happens without me doing anything, which is amazing.

Sometimes, usually for smaller local events, the event coordinators will reach out to me. This is lovely and often a nice way to also connect with other local creators!

And finally, I sometimes pitch myself. For example, I think I submitted my info to the Bay Area Book Festival and they set me up on this great panel. (Or maybe somebody pitched the panel? I don’t remember!)

Often, other, more proactive kidlit creators put together a panel and invite me to join. Particularly for NCTE, proposals require some careful thought and input from educators, so I especially appreciate when this happens.

NCTE is its own special beast (you can read about my experience in the first and second years I attended)… It has become a notorious event for these pitch proposals, which I have mixed feelings about. The event is so much fun, but it’s becoming more and more popular with authors, which means your presence is diluted (read: poor panel attendance) AND they require you to pay for a ticket to present. WHAT!? Which brings me to the next point…

Who Pays?

If my publisher has pitched me, they generally pay for my travel and expenses. (I say “generally” because they always have, but I never assume it and always confirm with them.)

For NCTE specifically, if I am accepted to a panel that was pitched, I will then reach out to my publishers and ask if any of them will sponsor my attendance. I am fortunate to have had multiple books per year with multiple publishers, which means I had more possibilities for funding. I was fully funded my first year, I had my attendance but not my travel covered my second year, and I was fully funded my third year. The second year, when I did not have travel covered, I paid my own travel because the event was in my home town. I know that sometimes educator friends get funding from their schools or grants to attend. I know that some people also end up covering their own costs, because it seems like publisher coverage is getting harder to get. I have heard of a couple people offsetting the travel cost by doing school visits while they are in town. (I did actually do this in my home town, but I found it a bit stressful because I scheduled it too tightly.)

After I paid my travel for that one year, I decided I wouldn’t pay my way again, since I felt that if the publishers didn’t feel it was worth it to cover, it probably wasn’t worth it to go. HOWEVER, I’m already having FOMO for 2026, because friends are inviting me onto panels and I just want to go and hang out with everybody socially! So, we will see what I decide to do if I do get a panel accepted and if I get sponsorship or not.

What About Book Tours?

Just a quick note on this because I think it’s worth mentioning that nobody has ever paid for me to go on a book tour! (Yet!) When you see me jetting around at bookstore events all over the country, it’s generally because I already have plans to be in that part of the country. I will, however, sometimes ask my publicist to help me set these up. (See Marketing Everywhere All at Once.)

My Thoughts on Events

I’m at the point now where I feel like it’s not worth the time or money to attend an event unless the publisher is paying for it, because if the event were going to make enough of an impact, they would pay for it. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean I think it is never worth paying your own way for an event—maybe you want the experience, or the personal connections, or the energy boost. And yes, the FOMO is real, but that’s also just how social media works, so balance your own goals when deciding whether or not to self-fund. You never know what the reality is. Some people are probably paying their own way. Some people are probably getting a full ride. You can only do what feels worth it to you.

Finally, I do love the thrill of signing books and meeting up with other kidlit creators and connecting with my publishers. So, I’m grateful for the events that I DO get to attend. I’m grateful for the support of my editors and publishers and for the kindness of the community. And while I don’t know what the next event will be, I look forward to seeing some of you there!

What is a ‘word of the year’?

Your word is a guiding principle for your year ahead. It’s less about resolutions and more about how you want your year to look and feel. It is your North Star, a compass, for the new year.

How to pick one word

How do you want 2026 to look? More creativity? Are you craving simplicity? Maybe you want more community? Pick a word that feels meaningful to you and your goals for your career, life, and writing.

There are online generators such as this one from Morgan Harper Nichols that can give you some ideas.

Write a shortlist. Think about how each word could represent different parts of your life. For example, if you’re considering simplicity, how does that look in your career? Fewer meetings (that would be nice!)? At home does it mean a big decluttering project? An art project with limited materials? There’s no rush to decide your word. Make it something meaningful.

Once you have it, write it in your journal, in your notes app, or you could even make it your lock screen on your phone. Check back in with it regularly throughout the year.

Our words of the year

So what did we pick and why?

Christine: I’ve chosen words of the year in previous years and then promptly forgotten all about them so I’m glad we’re immortalizing them here so we can check back in and see how we’re doing!

My word of the year is: NURTURING.

I like all the different ways I can apply this word and its meaning to my life. Nurturing my creative projects, slowly, and with my full attention. Nurturing myself by cooking delicious meals, walking, and working out. Nurturing my family with my attention and focus. It means less time consumed by doomscrolling and more time writing longhand in notebooks. Nurturing my longer projects like my novel without stressing about the time it’s taken me already. Slowing down with other creative projects I love like baking and collaging. Nurturing my community by keeping up with my regular kidlit get togethers, attending launches, and making new connections with kidlit people.

Vicky: Ohh, that’s a good one! The word that keeps kicking around in my brain is: TRANSFORM. I know it should probably be “transformation” but I think it’s going to be an active process for me this year, so I’m picking the verb form.

Since I’ve uprooted my life and am restarting in Vancouver, this is a little bit necessary for me. I need to make new connections, find a new routine, and settle into a new balance with my family members who are doing the same. I do love our new setting, but I haven’t yet figured out how to navigate it. I must decide what to rebuild and what to let fall away.

Over to you.

Have you picked a word of the year? We’d love to hear what you picked!

Leave a comment

It’s been a great year for Kidlit Survival Guide! First up, we hit 100+ posts AND 1000+ subscribers this year! 🎉

This Year’s Greatest Hits

Most Viewed:

Most Liked:

Most Commented:

Top Paid Posts

Our archive of paid posts that also continues to gain views! (You can browse our full archive here.) Our top three paid posts:

Thank you!

Thank you to everybody that reads and supports! We love sharing our author lives with you and hearing about yours as well. Thank you to our paid subscribers for your continued support—we know that some of you subscribe for the paid archive, while others just support to keep this Substack going. In all cases, we appreciate you! ❤️

What’s Up Next!

We’ll keep on going with craft, business, and author life posts! Christine will be working on her upcoming nonfiction middle grade and her next secret project. Vicky will be launching her early graphic novel series One Mad Cat and her STEM picture book, Lots and Lots of Ocelots. We’ll keep on sharing how we get inspired or level up our craft. And of course, we’re always navigating author life, with all of its ups and downs. Some potential topics off the top of our heads:

• Pitching your marketing team

• How to get into conferences and festivals

• When a book goes out of print

• Writing backmatter

• Creating great characters

• Making a plushie

Do you have any topics you’d like us to cover? Please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in our posts! With that, we’re signing off until the new year. Enjoy your holidays with your loved ones—and read some great books!

-Vicky and Christine