CHILDREN’S BOOK INSIDER: www.cbiclubhouse.com
A monthly newsletter that includes market information, “Above the slush” submission opportunities, craft tips, author interviews, etc.
SOCIETY OF CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS www.scbwi.org
An international organization with lots of resources and a local western Washington chapter as well. Annual conferences nationally and occasional regional conference.
PODCASTS:
- Christian Publishing Show (Thomas Umstadtt, Jr.)
- Novel Marketing (Thomas Umstadtt, Jr.)
- Write from the Deep (Karen Ball)
- The Story Blender (Steven James)
- Write for a Reason (Dernier Publishing): See Feb. 2023 episode for my interview with tips on creating an author website.
- Your Best Writing Life (Associated with Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference)
- Marketing for Children’s Authors (Laurie Wright)
- Helping Writers Become Authors (KM Weiland)
- Creative Penn (Joanna Penn)
(Some of those are Christian, some are for children’s writers, and some are secular but have very helpful information. I also recommend using the search function of a podcast distributor to find podcasts in your specific genre as well, such as historical fiction, picture books, etc. I use Castbox, which is a free app that keeps all of my podcasts in a “Library,” and new episodes are easily identifiable by a number in the corner of the podcast’s icon).
FREE ONLINE COURSES (see Karen Ferreira karen@childrensbookmastery.com.)
GOOGLE! Simply type your question into an internet search bar and see what comes up! Find YouTube training videos, articles, etc.
Things I’ve searched for:
- How do I create a picture book dummy? See the Ourboox app for a cool way to do this!
- What are scene cards?
- How do I create an online course?
- Self-Publishing versus Traditional Publishing
- How do I get a good author head shot?
- How do I create an author website?
AGENTS REPRESENTING CHRISTIAN CHILDREN’S BOOKS (current when I researched this in 2023—always check Agent websites for updated information):
Adria Goetz, PS Literary: She represents both Christian and mainstream children’s books and is always happy to look at queries. Her clients call her their “fairy godmother”! See Manuscript Wish List or the PS Literary website for a full list of what she is looking for. She was named a Publisher’s Weekly “Rising Star” a few years ago and she’ll be at the NCWA Conference in May 2023!
Keely Boeving, WordServe Literary: She is looking for Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture Books that captivate readers through their use of language and invite us to see the world in new ways. She is always looking for projects from diverse and under-represented voices.
Sally Apokedak, Apokedak Literary Agency: She’s been studying, reviewing, and marketing books, as well as giving writing instruction for 30 years. She represents a select few award-winning and/or best-selling authors, including Hannah C. Hall and Taryn Souders. Sally is also a publisher. Check out her small press, Paraklesis Press. Find out more about Sally’s literary agency at sally-apokedak.com
She is looking for children’s books (for ages 0-18) written from a Christian and/or conservative worldview aimed at either the general or Christian market and she is looking for adult nonfiction or fiction aimed at the Christian market.
Michelle Lazurek, WordWise Literary: She’s interested in representing Christian nonfiction for adults, and picture books for children.
Steve Hutson, WordWise Literary: He’s interested representing a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books for children and adults. “Surprise me.” (Not sure if that actually includes any Christian picture books).
Jessica Schmeidler, Golden Wheat Literary: Her tastes are eclectic in genre and readership, and she represents everything from novelty board books to adult science fiction and political thrillers.
Jessica is consistently drawn to:
- adventure and survival stories (of any readership)
- historical fiction that resonates with the present
- fiction with literary elements (especially atmospheric nature or science elements, as well)
- women’s fiction
- adult thrillers and suspense
- nonfiction PBs (for fiction, it needs to have an emotional depth or relevance
- Nonfiction: survival or journey memoirs, running (or other discipline-focused) devotionals, and something with a contemporary “victory garden”
Both Secular and/or Christian themes welcome.
Alice Fugate joined The Joy Harris Literary Agency in 2021. Originally from Atlanta, GA, she graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN with a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. Prior to joining JHLA, she was an associate agent at Trident Media Group, where she worked for two and half years. Alice works primarily in the children’s book space, across all formats and genres, but also enjoys working on select adult projects, including stories about the American South, historical fiction, and works that explore faith, religion, music, or nature. She’s drawn to literary or well-written commercial projects that have a classic but fresh feel with distinctive, surprising voices from diverse backgrounds. In children’s books, she loves animal fables, fairy tale retellings, comedies of manners, adventure tales, heartfelt contemporary, and narrative nonfiction. In everything, Alice looks for wit and whimsy. She is temporarily closed to queries. 3H