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. 

Emma Walton Hamilton unearths a brief history of picture books including how Randolph Caldecott started the genre by creating illustrations that helped to tell the story instead of the pictures simply reflecting what's in the text. Emma shares how picture books evolved from morality tales to books for "naughty children" and books that break the rules and meet children where they are. It's the best kind of history lesson for picture book creators.

What makes a great read-aloud?

Join author and librarian Betsy Bird for an entertaining look examination of what separates the good picture book read-alouds from the great picture book read-alouds. Librarians have always known that picture books can often break down into two groups: one-on-one titles and read-aloud titles. One-on-ones are great for getting snuggly at bedtime, but if you want to engage a large crowd of kids, you need a text that pops in an entirely different way. Betsy breaks down some of the most successful read-alouds, from classics to lesser known titles and more recent favorites.

Hold on to your seat because this is one thrilling ride!

Listen in as Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund share their submission expertise and give you the key components of a killer query letter and plus top tips for improving your own query letter. You’ll leave this episode with actionable items you can apply immediately to your own queries. Get ready to polish those queries until they shine brighter than you thought possible.

In Part 3 of Where the Ideas Are, let's talk about how to develop your picture book ideas into a strong manuscripts.

At the core of every good picture book is a central dramatic question. What is that, anyway? Picture Book Summit co-founder Emma Walton Hamilton discusses the importance and function of the central dramatic question and how to find it. 

Be sure to catch Parts 1 and 2 of Where the Ideas Are in podcast episode 031 Generating Ideas with Katie Davis and episode 032 Assessing Ideas with Laura Backes!

In Part 2 of Where the Ideas Are, PBSummit co-founder Laura Backes shares how to assess if your idea is one worth pursuing including...

• Finding out if there's room in the market for your idea
• Deciding if your has kid-appeal
• Determining if your idea is the right size for a picture book

Catch part 1 of Where the Ideas Are in episode 030 Generating Ideas with Katie Davis.