Workshops

Everything You Need to Know About Children’s Book Publishing: A Crash Course 2019 | March 21 – March 24, 2019

A workshop for serious beginners: learn all you need to know about the business of publishing children’s books!

Overview:
This intensive weekend is designed to give you a comprehensive look at how the children’s book publishing industry works. You will gain understanding of all processes associated with submitting, selling, developing, and marketing a trade book or magazine article. You will also learn from and make connections with children’s publishing insiders. Our goal is to answer ALL your questions!

What You’ll Learn:

• How to select a publisher
• Trade book and magazine markets and genres
• Getting help before you submit
• The mechanics of submitting your work
• Contracts and royalties
• Writing a query letter
• The editorial process
• Art department: layout, design, and illustration
• Marketing and promotion
• Opportunities in e-book and self-publishing

Who Should Take This Course:

• Anyone who has an idea for a children’s book but doesn’t know how to get it published.
• Writers who want to learn how a children’s book manuscript should be submitted–and what will happen after a publisher signs it up.
• Illustrators who would like to break into the children’s book industry as an illustrator or author/illustrator.
• Anyone who would like to learn more about editors, agents, contracts, royalties and other elements of the business of children’s publishing.
• Anyone who is considering self-publishing.

Blog posts of interest:
Faculty Interview: Leah Henderson
Harold Underdown: 7 Quick Tips for Beginning Writers
Behind the Scenes With a Bookseller: Dave Richardson
Harold Underdown:How to Start Revising That First Draft
Harold Underdown: Getting Out of the Slush Pile
Questions to ask BEFORE you submit your story or art

Sample Schedule:
Thursday
Afternoon
Optional tour of Highlights for Children and Boyds Mills Press.

Evening
Hors d’Oeuvres and Dinner
Introductions and favorite book sharing

Friday
Morning
Breakfast
Show and Tell Overview
Genres of books, types of publishers, types of markets, including magazines; fiction vs. nonfiction, flat fee vs. royalties, school & libraries.

Getting started, Part 1
Getting help before you submit: books, conferences, critique groups, beta readers, children.

Afternoon
Lunch
Getting to Know Your Character Inside and Out

Optional Peer-to-peer critiques

Getting started, Part 2
Mistakes to avoid; submissions rules and practices.

Evening
Hors d’Oeuvres and Dinner

Saturday
Morning
Breakfast
After the contract is signed
Editorial development process, copyediting, production, finished book.

Leaving Room for Your Illustrator
How an illustrator is chosen, the illustrator’s role in the process, putting it all together.

Afternoon
Lunch
Behind the Scenes with a Bookseller
Advance reading copies; price point; discover how to approach a bookseller and what works for getting a buyer’s attention; create a proposal for an in-store event.

Submitting to magazines
Markets; submissions; contracts; selling to magazines.

Evening
Hors d’Oeuvres and Dinner
After dinner: Getting Started as a Professional

Sunday
Morning
Breakfast
Overview of self-publishing
Opportunities and mistakes to avoid with self-publishing.

Writing a Query Letter

One-on-one consultations with faculty

Final faculty Q&A

Afternoon
Lunch and farewell.

Faculty & Special Guests

Harold Underdown

Leah Henderson

"The varying perspectives of author, editor, bookseller gave us a round view of what it's like to publish and sell a book."

All the faculty were professional and courteous. They were open to speak with us the entire weekend and willing to answer any questions we had. I learned all the basics of publishing I could've hoped to in such a short amount of time, and feel it is time well invested."

"The value of this course stands out to me the most. For the cost – nowhere could I get the information from leaders in the field, one-on-one feedback, accommodations, high end meals and the take-away resources. This is the smartest money I have spent on this journey to publishing."