Writing for Children

GUEST EXPERT PASCALE DUGUAY

Pascale Duguay is a freelance writer, French/English translator, and high school librarian. Her freelance writing includes articles on books, writing, personal essays, children's short stories, games, activities, and more. We talk about:

• The biggest differences between writing for magazines and writing for books
• How much research you need to do before querying a magazine
• How to take advantage of editorial calendars
• And more!

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING TO GO TO A WRITING CONFERENCE PART 2

In last week's episode, we talked about how to choose the conference you want to go to. This week, we'll touch on what to expect when you get there, what to wear, what to take, and what not to do.

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A WRITING CONFERENCE PART 1

Many people sign up for writing conferences hoping they'll send a manuscript home with an editor, or even better, be offered a contract right there at the conference. Has that ever happened at a conference? Probably. But you're much more likely to come home with a cold than a contract. Does this mean writing conferences aren't worth your time and money? Not at all. It does mean that you need to know what you can expect to gain from a conference so you can prepare for all it has to offer.

Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/setting-conference-expectations-part-2

PROTECTING YOUR REPUTATION

Whether we like it or not, social media is a part of our current culture. Just like most things in life, social media can have amazing benefits for writers. There are authors whose books were first pitched on Twitter and liked by an editor which led to a book deal. Who knows how many critique groups have formed in writing groups on Facebook. And, of course, let's not leave out the ability to market your book yourself through your social media channels. The world has opened up for writers in a big way over the last 10-15 years. Today we're going to talk about the downside and how to protect yourself and your reputation.

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

GUEST EXPERT DAVID KATZ

The producer of the Kauai Writers Conference gives tips for attending conferences and the benefits writers get by involved in face-to-face sessions with authors, agents, and editors.

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

34 THINGS YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEBSITE PART 2

In last week's episode, we talked about the first 17 things you need for your author websites. Part 2 brings us the next 17 things including social media, your about page, SEO, and more!

Listen to Part 1 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/34-things-your-website-needs-part-1/

34 THINGS YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEBSITE PART 1

Author websites are important in 21st century publishing. Consider your website your business card to the world. So, what should be on your website? Listen to the podcast to get started.

Listen to Part 2 here: www.instituteforwriters.com/34-things-your-website-needs-part-2/

CREATE YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM

What IS a platform? It's your visibility. The wider your reach, the more books you can sell. What you do with your platform is try to reach (in an authentic way) your target audience.

It's all about connecting—with people on a real level and because of your reach, you are able to sell books. It's not about being in people's faces and hollering about buying your book.

So, who needs a platform and where do you begin? Let's talk about it in this episode.

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

INTERVIEW WITH JOSH FUNK

Josh Funk writes silly stories and somehow tricks people into publishing them as books—such as the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series and How to Code a Sandcastle. Josh is also known for his expertise in social media, building an author platform before he was published, and connecting with the writing (and reading) community.

We discuss:

• where to find Josh online.
• how he built his author platform.
• what he finds most effective.
• why you need a platform before you have a published book.
• what to put on your website if you don't have a book published yet!

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news

MEMOIR OR BIOGRAPHY?

One of the most common ways to take real life experiences and turn them into stories or books is to tell the stories of our own life. In this episode, we talk about the difference between a memoir and an autobiography and how to decide which one might be best for telling the story you want to tell.

Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news