Building Writerly Resources: Just the Right Word

Many years ago, I attended a writing class with the incomparable Melanie Crowder that completely changed the way I wrote. That class opened my eyes to an entire new world, and at the time it was so far over my head—and was so brilliant—that I knew I was getting graduate-level craft techniques when my writing … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: Just the Right Word

Building Writerly Resources: A Marketing Plan that Works for You

By Susan Wroble Marketing. It usually fall pretty low on the list of things that KidLit creators want to do. But in a series of webinars this spring for Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI, author Jessica Speer set out to change that mindset. Marketing, she noted, has evolved from an approach that focuses on market sales to … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: A Marketing Plan that Works for You

Building Writerly Resources: The Art of the Review

By Susan Wroble In the post-conference survey from last years’ Rocky Mountain Chapter SCBWI’s annual conference, there was one request that really stuck with me. The attendee wrote “I want to learn how more about reviews. How to write them. How to get them.” This resonated because I had struggled with reviews. While there are … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: The Art of the Review

Building Writerly Resources: KidLit Nonfiction Awards

By Susan Wroble This past summer, my planned presentation on award-winning nonfiction books took a tangent. I realized that instead of award-winning books, what I really wanted to learn about was the nonfiction awards themselves. I knew about the Sibert Awards from the American Library Association but had no idea if there were any other … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: KidLit Nonfiction Awards

Building Writerly Resources: Richard Reiman and Imagination Storybooks

By Susan Wroble, October 2023 "Reiman," Richard says, "and it rhymes with demon." But Richard Reiman, founder of Imagination Storybooks and a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI, is no demon. Instead, he's something of a wizard—his motto is "Be Part of the Magic!" In 2019, he created and developed an organization whose … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: Richard Reiman and Imagination Storybooks

Building Writerly Resources: Pro Tips from the PALS

By Susan Wroble, September 2020 (Note this this was first published on the "In The Writer's Web" blog) The themes that emerged from RMC-SCBWI’s PAL (Published and Listed) member Connect on Marketing Strategies on August 29th, were “build community” and “have fun!” But the PALs also had plenty of specific tips to share—hope you find … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: Pro Tips from the PALS

Building Writerly Resources: Putting Edelweiss to Work

By Susan Wroble (Note that a version of this post first appeared in RMC Kite Tales, Spring 2023) Have you ever noticed the disclaimers on some book reviews posted to book blogs or Goodreads? “I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss so I could provide an honest review. No compensation was given and all … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: Putting Edelweiss to Work

Building Writerly Resources: The Secret to Children’s Publishing? Persistence.

Psssst… Want to know the secret of children’s book publishing? At the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI’s panel at the CCIRA literacy conference in February, authors and illustrators shared some of the stories behind their stories. The answer? It’s simple and painful, both. Persistence. For some, persistence has meant staying focused over time. Author/Illustrator Kaz Windness is truly … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: The Secret to Children’s Publishing? Persistence.

Building Writerly Resources: The Secret Agent Files

“Why,” asked a woman near me, “is it so very hard now to find agents who want to represent picture books? I can find plenty of agents for Middle Grade and YA, even for graphic novels and author/illustrator books. But finding one to come to our conference that represent author-only picture books is getting really … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: The Secret Agent Files

Building Writerly Resources: Lessons from the Booksellers

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to attend three different events hosted by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI that focused on relationships with booksellers. First, RMC’s Perfect Partners webinar featured a panel of five local Indie booksellers: Juli Guyer of BookBar and The Bookies Lauren Casey of Second Star to the Right Jerilyn Patterson of The Wandering Jellyfish … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: Lessons from the Booksellers