Kidlit Writer in Progress & Resource Blogger

How to Become a Children’s Book Author is an online event I found through Eventbrite. Donn Swaby is a published author who has created a fantastic outline for aspiring authors to write and publish their book ideas. The comprehensive guide outlines board books, picture books, young adult, etc. The guide also mentions subgenres if you want to write fantasy, science fiction, or adventure books.

If you are new to the concept of writing or said to yourself one day you want to write books, this is a perfect outline to start with. You will have information on story structures, query letters, and other online resources you will need to know moving forward. At the end, you get a free copy of “Manuscript Publishers”. This book has over 300 publishers and discusses who they are, what they publish, and if they might be a good fit for your book. It will lead you to more information, such as submission guidelines and when publishers are open to submissions.

My main takeaway from this webinar was that it is very important to look at a manuscript wish list. An agent will always have a wish list or a way of saying what sort of stories they are looking for. It is overwhelming, as there are hundreds of publishers and agents and bios to read through to see where you fit. It does get less complicated over time. Donn Swaby is open to questions at the end, and his professional and charismatic demeanor makes participating and asking questions less intimidating!

The next class will be Saturday November 15th. The webinar can be found on Eventbrite.