A good writer tells a story, a great writer brings the reader into the story.

One of the best ways to render that sense of immersion is capturing the authentic voice of your characters—especially when writing picture book biographies. Award-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of Before She was Harriet and many other iconic titles, shares exactly how to do that with her own method of asking questions of yourself and your characters. 

Ah, the age old question: How do you write a compelling picture book?

It may be simpler than you think! 

Peter H. Reynolds shares how to harness the answers to these following questions for great story-writing:

1. Where have you been?

2. Where are you now?

3. Where are you going?

4. Where would you like to be going?

Do you have fears that intimidate your writing or illustration? Jon Klassen shares how his fears (and desire to have a job!) inform his creative process and shares how to use your fears to your advantage when developing your own stories. You may just find that those fears are the exact things that make you (and your work) uniquely you.

Wouldn't it be grand if there was a fool-proof formula for creating good picture books? That's exactly what Julie Hedlund has spent years researching and studying, and she's come up with 10 essential ingredients or "layers" for picture books that you can follow like a checklist. 

In Part 3 of How to Get Out of the Slush Pile, Emma Walton Hamilton reveals about actionable ways to polish your manuscript's hook to get agents and editors excited about reading your story!

It's time for the second episode in our three-part series: How to Get Out of the Slush Pile!

Author and rhymer extraordinaire Julie Hedlund discusses one of the best ways to signal to industry professionals that you're not ready to be published: writing bad rhyme. 

Writing poetry is one thing, but writing a rhyming picture book is a whole other kind of animal and if you're not doing it right, you'll never get out of the slush pile. Julie spells out best practices for writing good rhyme for picture books. Hint: you're probably doing it backwards!

Tune in to the next episode for the final installment of How to Get Out of the Slush Pile!

It's the first of our three-part series: How to Get Out of the Slush Pile!

Nothing turns an agent or editor more than a poorly written main characters. It's a common mistake for new authors and one big reason a manuscript never makes it out of the slush pile.

To help you avoid this mistake, Picture Book Summit Co-Founder Laura Backes shares important questions to ask when evaluating your work-in-progress before hitting send on your next submission. Listen in for actionable solutions in creating stories that kids (and industry professionals) will want to read over and over. 

Let's get out of the slush pile!

"Don't be too preachy in your writing!" You may have heard it many times before, but how? Try leveling up with sophistication. 

Julie Hedlund discusses the sparkle of sophisticated humor in picture books, where to find great examples of it, and how to incorporate it in your own writing. 

Author Katie Davis spells out why pacing is important for good picture book manuscripts in today's market, analyzes examples of pacing in some of her favorite picture books, and reveals various methods for achieving excellent pacing in shorter texts. 

They say that if you want to get published, don't write rhyming picture book manuscripts! But is that really a rule to live by?

Spoiler: Of course not! Julie Hedlund, author of three rhyming picture books and Co-Founder of the Picture Book Summit, shares how to write rhyming manuscripts that will actually sell.