In this episode, Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund get into the nitty-gritty of writing and using a pitch in your query letter.

Listen in to discover:

• The purpose and importance of the pitch
• Basic components of the pitch
• A simple pitch formula for narrative fiction and nonfiction picture books
• The importance of using the voice of your manuscript in your pitches
• How to incorporate a theme or takeaway in your pitch vs. giving away the ending
• What to avoid including in your pitch
• When to consider leading with your pitch (vs. an intro paragraph)

Our 7 pitch templates (and so much more!) can be found in The Complete Picture Book Submissions System

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton & Chiara Fedele

Listeners who want more on pitches and submissions can grab our free training at picturebooksubmissions.com/free-training.

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit creators can find us!

If you have a question about submissions you'd like us to answer on the podcast or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes, leave us a (anonymous if you wish) voicemail here: https://www.speakpipe.com/pbsubmissions

Thank you for listening!

You've heard you need a query letter when submitting your picture book, but what is a query letter exactly? What should it include? What should be left out?

Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund, published picture book authors and co-founders of The Complete Picture Book Submissions System, share the basics of what to include in your query letter to agents or editors, including:

• The purpose of the query letter
• All about salutations
• What to include in your introductory paragraph
• How to craft your pitch paragraph
• Narrative Pitch formula and examples
• Basics of the Comp Title Paragraph
• What to include (and not to include) in your bio paragraph
• Concluding your query letters

Books mentioned in this episode:

• After The Fall by Dan Santat
• Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• I Don't Want To Be a Frog by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt

Want to know more about picture book submissions? Grab our free training at picturebooksubmissions.com/free-training.

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit creators can find us!

If you have a question about submissions you'd like us to answer on the podcast or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes, leave us a (anonymous if you wish) voicemail here: https://www.speakpipe.com/pbsubmissions

Thank you for listening!

In this episode, Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund, published picture book authors and co-founders of The Complete Picture Book Submissions System, give an overview of what a submission is and how to be submission-ready.

Listen in to discover:

• What we mean by a picture book submission
• Submitting to literary agents vs. publishers/editors
• Whether you can or should submit to both agents and publishers simultaneously
• Components of a submission package
• Definition of unsolicited submission
• Why researching who you want to submit to is critical

Listeners who want more on picture book submissions can grab our free training at picturebooksubmissions.com/free-training.

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit creators can find us!

If you have a question about submissions you'd like us to answer on the podcast or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes, leave us a (anonymous if you wish) voicemail here: https://www.speakpipe.com/pbsubmissions

Thank you for listening!

Join Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund, published picture book authors and co-founders of The Complete Picture Book Submissions System for the very first episode of The Picture Book Submissions Podcast. They created this podcast as a way to advance their goal of demystifying the process of submitting picture book manuscripts to agents and editors. Listen in to discover:

• Why we started the podcast • Why should you listen to us? • Emma's writing journey, including the reality of rejections • Julie's writing journey – from banking to book deals • Why the picture book market is different from adult • Quick overview of what's in The Complete Picture Book Submissions System • What we'll cover in future episodes of the podcast

Books mentioned in this episode: • A Troop is a Group of Monkeys • My Love For You is the Sun

Listeners who want more on picture book submissions can grab our free training at picturebooksubmissions.com/free-training.

If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit creators can find us!

If you have a question about submissions you'd like us to answer on the podcast or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes, leave us a (anonymous if you wish) voicemail here: https://www.speakpipe.com/pbsubmissions

Thank you for listening!