SCBWI-FL MIDYEAR 2015 CONFERENCE

FRESH from the 2015 SCBWI-FL MIDYEAR HOOPLA
by Jan Godown Annino

These are impressions that I feel almost everyone

felt. The dedicated artists & writers shared laughs,

love of books & stories & lively discussions 

through the weekend.

Perhaps being in magic Florida, helped!

My poetry crit partner Christine & I sat rapt all

Saturday. I was also lucky to soak up picture book

lessons on Friday.
Worth. Every. Penny.

The thrills + wisdom shared offset motoring 9 hours round-trip.

(With thanks to my dear hubby who made the trip too & our

generous local hosts who just moved into a big new house,

Brad + Sandy. The neighborhood elementary school is

Spanish-speaking & Sandy is a volunteer reader/tutor with

school stories to share, a bonus for me.)

Still applauding conference volunteers – including

Linda Bernfeld, Gaby Triana, Linda Shute & Curtis Sponsler &

my longtime SCBWI pal, Gloria Rothstein. They conducted

two auctions – live & silent, matched critique givers to

the artists & writers, arranged meals, transportation for

faculty, meeting rooms, onsite bookstore & much more.

INSIDER, INSIDER, INSIDER NEWS

FORTHCOMING TITLES!

You-Heard-It-Here-Today/ Picture Books –

Lee Bennett Hopkin’s JUMPING OFF LIBRARY SHELVES (illus. Jane Manning)

Alexandra Penfold’s EAT, SLEEP, POOP (illus., Jane Massey)

Rob Sanders’ RUBY ROSE ON HER TOES (illus Debbi Ohi)

Tim Miller’s MOO IN A TUTU (he is illus)

Douglas Florian’s HOW TO TRAIN  YOUR DRAGON (he is illus)

Irene Latham’s FRESH DELICIOUS, Poems from the Farmer’s Market &

also her WHEN THE SUN SHINES ON ANARTICA

Mika Song’s TEA WITH OLIVER (he is illus)

Bonus – how about that last author-illustrator’s name?

MORE FORTHCOMING!

For a sneak peek at an Advance Reader Copy of a yet-to-be

released Middle Grade novel by the talented author of

Nory Ryan’s Song  & about 90 other books, I invite you HERE.

Thrilled to have a 1st look.

INFO bits on the detailed PROCESS to PUBLISHING

>An editor rejected books that another house published. When she

saw them between covers, she wished she discerned, in manuscript form

 what the other house perceived in manuscript form – the books turned

out quite  good & she wished she had pubbed them.

This is to help us understand how our manuscripts can be wonderful,

just not right at that moment for the editor/publisher we’ve sent it to.

>This same editor shared that when she was at a house where the sales

force wielded manuscript rejection power, one of her championed children’s

books was rejected. She eventually had it published by that house. How?

“There is a lot of turnover.”

She sent to back to the writer to keep working on it.  Later the editor

resubmitted it when the naysayer had moved on to another house.

>An editor said a picture book that she originally didn’t like, even

sort of derided to close associates, still had this kernel of emotion that

stuck to her.

She could never shake it from her mind. She went back. Looked at it.

Six years later she is publishing it, pleased with the results.

<Listening to an editor share how short  p.b. manuscripts can make her

heart beat fast – I feel I got it.  Revising. Short.

A successful YA author said her years of taking picture book classes

to learn to write 500 word manuscripts helped her write succinctly

(I will add successfully) in verse for the high school reader.

First lines that are direct & simple make all the difference in picture books.

Examples an editor shared that she loves -

“Hattie was a big black hen.”  Mem Fox

“The mice made a teeter-totter.” Ellen Stoll Walsh

Look up the SCBWI Edited By list to help find editors whose books you like.

MEET & GREET

Agents, editors, artists & writers! Even spouses, partners & children.

Too many to name, but here is one moment of many from the conference

that are treasures. He is poet, editor & poetry anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins, known
as The Pied Piper of Children’s Poetry.

Every faculty member was accessible, warm & funny. If I garbled my words

getting them out, or didn’t get any words out to those I intended to, it was my

own cold feet. Next time, Jan!

I feel good that at lunch I linked a writer I didn’t know before that much appreciated meal,into a nice conversation with an agent at our large table, because the writer had shared with me info about her work I knew the agent would like to know. Put on the spot, I am usually more advanced at promoting others than myself.

BEST MOMENT

At a workshop an editor said spiffy remarks after

I read aloud from my fresh-scribbled words. They were three pieces

of brief writing in response to the unexpected writing prompt. I

blushed, floated. Haven’t quite landed, yet.

BOOKSTORE

Orlando’s newish indy shop, Bookmark It, received a warm welcome.

http://bookmarkitorlando.com/

I turned out to be their first conference book buyer (not just looking)

customer.  One of the best sellers of the SCBWI weekend is the book

cradled in my hand, in the photo,

LULLABY & KISSES SWEET.

I am so stoked that writer pals, especially Robyn Hood Black,

are represented in this huggy, chubby board book, longside Jane Yolen, X.J. Kennedy, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Kristine O’Connell George, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Alice Schertle & other children’s author luminaries. I am happy it winged it’s way, inscribed, to the dear baby in our family in Rhode Island, who celebrates his 1^st birthday this very month.

ORLANDO is BEAUTIFUL

We arrived in Orlando not long after visiting our family in CT & MASS during

days of a big ol’ eyetalyen wedding, so it was fun to reflect on very different cities.

 We saw a chipmunk in Boston and an otter in Orlando. We saw the pencil

sculpture in Orlando in a downtown art park.

And it strikes me as something Boston would be proud to own.

Consider the SCBWI-FL MidyearConference in 2016. Information on

it will be posted at the Florida site.

IMPACT

While I was in Orlando, several title eyedears & other creative writing

thoughts came to mind. My conference-inspired scribbles continue.  
 I’ve re-read & re-read notes from the two conference

critiques, have thought, made scribbles of phrases, lines, more.

One final summer presentation as a children’s author is on my

calendar. ( I visited a well-off private school one week & then drove over
to a needy community center program the next & I appreciated having
those contrasts.) The next event is at our lovely library.
After,  I expect to slack off non-manuscript writing (including here & my own blog)
to finish manuscripts & begin new project eyedears

that bubbled up as a result of this inspiring SCBWI-FL weekend.