These are notes from a webinar I attend hosted by writeforkids. Any misinformation is the fault of the notetaker.

Industry updates:
– Writeforkids.org website relays links on the blog.
– Nathan> has a great blog Nathan Bransford April 1st
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/blog-directory
– Anything that can be relevant in your book to science or school, point it out.
– If you have a teacher’s guide on your website mention that.
– Put a link below your video of where to buy your book.

To submit or not:
– Keep submitting
– Agents are focusing on projects that stand out in some way. Publishers may trim down for next two years due to staff layoffs and fewer books will be published.
– Need to have strong appeal
– Need to have a strong hook that fulfills a notch that is underserved.
– We need to fit a publisher’s focus very precisely.
– Some agents focusing work from authors who have already published and holding off on new authors. They will wait until things get back to normal.
– Some agents say they’re open to new authors because they won’t be asking for as much of a high advance.
– Spend time working on your project so it is as strong and unique as you can make it. If it does not have a strong hook you might want to rethink it. You submission need to have something that stands out.
– Teresa Funke: finding inspirations in your everyday life.
– We might have a special notebook that is used for our creative efforts.
– When you get inspiration to keep a pad and paper nearby and write them down.
– Sometimes we will just need to ride the wave.
– One author puts crayons by the showers to take notes on the wall.
– Do whatever you need to do for yourself.
– How to focus on authors working under a deadline. It helps to remember that those stories matter. Someone felt the story was important to purchase it. Now is the time for that story to be shared.
– Take advantage when inspiration hits. The rules are out of the window.
– Creativity is imagination plus observation. Sometimes all you need to do is shift your perspective by a few inches. Try to see the things we have seen every day of our life from a new perspective.
– Most children’s magazines accept poetry, check their writers’ guidelines. Google magazines for children.
– Q: How come up with new ideas for a blog after six years? There were not any hard and fast rules or no themes or intentions for this bog. I will write about what I feel about it. One week might be feeling lonely. Another week might be about the joy of being observant. She does sticks to a word range of 500-700 words.
– Q: How to handle a timeline for historical fiction? Keep a timeline in a word document as a list. Some authors might have a diagram.
– Some authors will combine various words to make a story. Another will collect a noun, place, verb and pull from each. Some authors will have their kids provide word prompts.
– Q: thought on developing voice? She started writing short stories and articles that helped her define her voice and she went back to writing her book.
– Reading a play is a good way to see a different dialog.
– Q: How do you build and sustain your blog audience? How do we rise above the noise? It takes about 2 years to develop an audience. You need to have your blog on a concept that excites you. Then you have the energy to remain devoted to the blog. Some authors will use their blog to transfer into a book.
– Q: writinblueprints.com gives writing advice.
– Q: Told self-publishers should not publish picture books? They are expensive.You need to hire illustrators and layout. Cost for color printing Need to hire professional illustrators and still hired an editor to make a professional product. And you will need to market it yourself. You need to be willing to put in the work.
– Q: Do you have any regrets about your books and how have you grown as a writer? No regrets. Even though we grow and change our early works are still special.
– Self-published blueprint
– Get free trial edition of Teresa’s self-publishing blueprint: > bit.ly/selfpub-try
– writeforkids.org/ultimate-cheatsheet. To get the cheat sheet.