The Storyteller's Shelf Podcast

How does a manuscript become a children’s book? Newbery Medalist Meg Medina and her longtime editor, Kate Fletcher, executive editorial director at Candlewick Press, share the trust, revision, and collaboration behind their books.

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Hosts Theresa Maria Villarreal and Jackie Garcia-Morales explore how Tía Isa Wants a Car began their partnership, what goes into book acquisitions and advances, and why the right editorial relationship matters. Hear Meg’s advice on revision and protecting your voice, Kate’s guidance for aspiring editors, and a preview of Meg’s 2027 projects, including My Roller Skates.

KEEP WRITING WITH US
• Storyrise: Plan, write, and revise your manuscript with our free writing studio. Explore a Storyrise Cloud subscription for collaboration and more: https://getstoryrise.com/
• Educational Library: Purchase on-demand writing, publishing, and book marketing workshops: https://thestorytellersshelfpodcast.com/educational_library/
• Romance writers: Enter LOVE AT FIRST WRITE, our NovembeRISE 2026 romance opening-chapter contest. Deadline: November 30, 2026. Entry details and eligibility: https://events.getstoryrise.com/
• Harney & Sons Fine Teas: Find your next reading or writing companion: https://www.harney.com/discount/STORYTELLERS
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission from purchases through our Harney & Sons link, at no additional cost to you.

EXPLORE MORE
Meg’s books: https://megmedina.com/
Our website: https://thestorytellersshelfpodcast.com/
All our links: https://linktr.ee/thestorytellersshelfpodcast
Find The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, and more.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

Megan McDonald, author of Judy Moody, Stink, Bunny and Clyde, and The Fairy Door Diaries, joins The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast to share how she went from children’s librarian to beloved children’s book author.

Megan takes us back to her childhood visits to a traveling bookmobile and the library story hour that inspired her first published picture book. She also shares how growing up with four older sisters influenced Judy Moody, how she develops memorable characters, and what she has learned from writing picture books, chapter books, and novels for young readers.

We also talk about rejection, perseverance, working with editors, and the difference the right book can make in a child’s life. Plus, Megan introduces us to her newer adventures, including Bunny and Clyde: On the Lamb and Eliza and the Hobgoblins from The Fairy Door Diaries.

WRITERS: Could your first chapter make readers fall in love?

Enter the Storyrise LOVE AT FIRST WRITE Romance Writing Contest for YA, New Adult, and Adult romance. See the contest page for current eligibility, entry options, and deadlines.

Contest details:
https://events.getstoryrise.com/

Write your next story with Storyrise:
https://getstoryrise.com

Learn more about The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast:
https://thestorytellersshelfpodcast.com

Save on Harney & Sons Fine Teas through our affiliate link:
https://www.harney.com/discount/STORYTELLER

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

How do children’s books find readers? Carl Lennertz shares book marketing, bookstore outreach, and literacy insights.

Carl Lennertz, Executive Director of the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, talks about bookselling, publishing, literacy, and helping children discover books.

Prefer to watch? Watch the full interview on YouTube.

Follow The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast for conversations with authors, editors, and publishing professionals.

Episode notes and resources

For Carl, it still comes down to people. We discuss the work behind Children’s Book Week and Get Caught Reading, and the importance of teachers, librarians, and booksellers in bringing stories to young readers.

We also talk about representation, book bans, social media, SEO, and what authors can do to help their books get noticed. Carl shares his “coffee tour” approach to connecting with bookstores and explains why, in an industry with no guaranteed formula, writers must remember to “write for the love.”

Explore resources, programs, and news from the Children’s Book Council.

Discover Children’s Book Week, Get Caught Reading, and other Every Child a Reader programs.

Romance writers, explore Storyrise writing events.

WRITING WITH STORYRISE
Plan, draft, and revise your manuscript in Storyrise.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

Writing a book takes more than a blank page.

You need somewhere to keep track of the characters, timelines, locations, and small details that will matter several chapters later. You also need the motivation to keep showing up, especially on the days when the words are not coming easily.

That is where Storyrise comes in.

In this episode, we introduce Atlas, Storyrise’s visual planning space for mapping characters, timelines, locations, and the connections that hold a story together.

We also talk about live writing sprints, where authors can write alongside other writers, build momentum, and make progress without feeling like they are doing everything alone.

At the heart of Storyrise is community. It is a place where writers can connect, share their work with beta readers and editors, join writing events, and find encouragement while finishing their books.

Storyrise was built by writers, for writers, to bring story planning, writing tools, feedback, and community into one place.

Learn more at GetStoryrise.com.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

What makes a children’s book editor want to keep reading, and why might a strong manuscript still receive a rejection?

Tyiana Combs, Associate Editor at Penguin Workshop, joins The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast to discuss what editors look for in picture books, early readers, middle grade, and young adult submissions. She also shares what debut authors can expect from the editorial process, how editors and authors collaborate during revision, current children’s publishing trends, and how writers can build resilience through rejection.

✍️ FIND YOUR WRITING CIRCLE WITH STORYRISE

Storyrise is our writing platform, built by authors for authors who want more than a blank page. Draft and organize your manuscript, plan characters and plot threads, share chapters with beta readers, join live writing sprints, explore alternate revisions, and prepare your story for publication.

Start with Storyrise’s free writing studio. Explore optional Cloud plans and current features on our site:

https://getstoryrise.com

📚 EXPLORE MORE FROM THE STORYTELLER’S SHELF

Find The Storytellers Educational Library, both Storytellers Marketing Mastery Summits and downloadable materials, our 40 Best Gifts for Book Lovers guide, publishing resources, and more:

https://linktr.ee/thestorytellersshelfpodcast

🫖 HARNEY & SONS FINE TEAS

Make your next reading or writing session cozier with Harney & Sons Fine Teas:

https://www.harney.com/discount/STORYTELLER

🔗 AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

The Harney & Sons link is an affiliate link. Our gift guide may also contain affiliate links, including Amazon links. We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

EDUCATIONAL LIBRARY
Explore on-demand writing, publishing, and book marketing workshops, including past summit sessions: The Storytellers Educational Library.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

This is a teaser for our conversation of The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast featuring Tyiana Combs, Associate Editor at Penguin Workshop.

In the full conversation, Tyiana talks about children’s publishing, the editorial process, what can make a submission stand out, why editors sometimes pass, how stories grow through revision, and why writers should keep going through rejection. She also shares insight from working across picture books, readers, middle grade, and YA.

Listen to the full episode, “What Children’s Book Editors Look for in Submissions with Tyiana Combs,” in this podcast’s episode list.

Find Storyrise, podcast updates, summit resources, our shop page, and more here:
https://linktr.ee/thestorytellersshelfpodcast

WRITING WITH STORYRISE
Plan, draft, and revise your manuscript in Storyrise.

EDUCATIONAL LIBRARY
Explore on-demand writing, publishing, and book marketing workshops, including past summit sessions: The Storytellers Educational Library.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

This is an archived announcement for the 2026 Marketing Mastery Summit. The event has ended, and registration and early-bird offers mentioned in this recording are no longer current.

The summit focused on book marketing, publicity, author branding, social media, and helping readers discover your work.

Looking for writing and publishing resources? Visit our educational library.

Watch our author and publishing interviews on YouTube. Prefer to listen on your phone or in the car? Follow The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast here on Spotify for new interviews.

WRITING WITH STORYRISE
Plan, draft, and revise your manuscript in Storyrise.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

Carl Lennertz of the Children’s Book Council previews a conversation about children’s books, publishing, literacy, and reaching young readers.

Listen to the full interview, “Carl Lennertz of the Children’s Book Council on Literacy & Author Marketing,” in this podcast’s episode list.

The summit promoted in this recording has ended. Explore past summit sessions in our Educational Library.

EDUCATIONAL LIBRARY
Explore on-demand writing, publishing, and book marketing workshops, including past summit sessions: The Storytellers Educational Library.

WRITING WITH STORYRISE
Plan, draft, and revise your manuscript in Storyrise.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

Why do some picture books stay with us long after we close the cover?

In this episode of The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast, we’re joined by Philip C. Stead, award-winning picture book creator and author of many beloved children’s books, including A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, which received the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

Philip shares a thoughtful look at picture book craft, slow storytelling, writing for children, handmade art, revision, collaboration, and the creative life. He also talks about the story behind A Sick Day for Amos McGee, what picture books can teach us about simplicity, and why words and illustrations must work together so carefully.

In this conversation, we discuss:

📚 What makes a picture book feel timeless
✨ Why slow storytelling can be powerful
✏️ How text and illustration work together
📖 The story behind A Sick Day for Amos McGee
🎨 Handmade art, human imperfection, and creativity
🔥 Revision, feedback, and working with editors
🚪 What new creators should know about children’s publishing
📝 Philip’s move from picture books into middle grade

Philip also shares honest advice about the slow pace of publishing, the waiting period after submissions, and why finding the right creative fit matters.

EDUCATIONAL LIBRARY
Explore on-demand writing, publishing, and book marketing workshops, including past summit sessions: The Storytellers Educational Library.

Subscribe to The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast for more conversations about children’s books, kidlit, writing craft, publishing, author interviews, and book marketing.

WRITING WITH STORYRISE
Plan, draft, and revise your manuscript in Storyrise.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.

Graphic novelist and caricature artist Stan Yan introduces his participation in the Storytellers Marketing Mastery Summit for children’s book authors, illustrators, and publishing professionals.

This is an archived announcement for the June 12–14, 2026 event. Live registration and early-bird ticket offers mentioned in the recording have ended.

Explore book marketing, author visibility, and illustrator career resources in our on-demand Educational Library.

EDUCATIONAL LIBRARY
Explore on-demand writing, publishing, and book marketing workshops, including past summit sessions: The Storytellers Educational Library.

WRITING WITH STORYRISE
Plan, draft, and revise your manuscript in Storyrise.

WORK WITH AUTHOR CLIENTS?
Editors, beta/ARC readers, illustrators, and author-service providers: explore Storyrise for Professionals.

GUESTS & PUBLICISTS
Our conversations are expanding across books, film, television, and games. Explore podcast, blog, and summit possibilities through our current booking policy and contact information.