Amy Nielsen The Purcell Agency Amy’s  Wish List Picture Books I’ll be looking for hyperbolic, zany storylines that teach a life lesson (even subtle) or ones with laugh-out-loud moments written simply to entertain. Check out the legendary Robert Munsch and Michael Marchenko for what I’m hoping to see in my inbox. Middle Grade I’ll be looking for fast-paced stories mostly set in a contemporary setting that feature characters that think, act, and talk like real middle graders. Young Adult I’ll gravitate toward contemporary issue-driven plots where teens find themselves in situatio ..read more

BOOK WINNERS: Cathy Stefanec Ogren won WHO’S WRITING THIS STORY?! by Robin Newman Angie Quantrell won NEXT LEVEL by Samara Cole Doyon Lindsay H won FIRST FRUIT by Amalia Hoffman Winners please send in your addresses and mention the title of the book you won. ******* KUDOS: Schneider Family Book Award Winner Shannon Stocker’s IZZY’S WHEELS, a biography about Izzy and Ailbhe Keene, who realized the fashion options available to Izzy, a wheelchair user, weren’t the same as those for her sister; the two founded their own company and now create stylish wheel covers for wheelchair ..read more

Robin Kolb has a new Middle Grade book GALLOPING AWAY, illustrated by ILANA Ostrar and was published by Chicken Scratch Books this past February. Robin has agreed to send one lucky winner in the US a copy of her book. All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or reblogging really helps spread the word about a new book. So, th ..read more

North Street Book Prize Deadline: July 1, 2024 Winning Writers will award a grand prize of $10,000 in the tenth annual North Street competition for self-published and hybrid-published books. Choose from eight categories: Mainstream/Literary Fiction Genre Fiction Creative Nonfiction & Memoir Poetry Children’s Picture Book Middle Grade Graphic Novel & Memoir Art Book $20,400 will be awarded in all, and the top nine winners will receive additional benefits to help market their books, including advertising in the Winning Writers newsletter and a marketing consultation with Carolyn ..read more

Amy Nielsen The Purcell Agency Amy’s  Wish List Picture Books I’ll be looking for hyperbolic, zany storylines that teach a life lesson (even subtle) or ones with laugh-out-loud moments written simply to entertain. Check out the legendary Robert Munsch and Michael Marchenko for what I’m hoping to see in my inbox. Middle Grade I’ll be looking for fast-paced stories mostly set in a contemporary setting that feature characters that think, act, and talk like real middle graders. Young Adult I’ll gravitate toward contemporary issue-driven plots where teens find themselves in situatio ..read more

Amy Nielsen The Purcell Agency Amy’s  Wish List Picture Books I’ll be looking for hyperbolic, zany storylines that teach a life lesson (even subtle) or ones with laugh-out-loud moments written simply to entertain. Check out the legendary Robert Munsch and Michael Marchenko for what I’m hoping to see in my inbox. Middle Grade I’ll be looking for fast-paced stories mostly set in a contemporary setting that feature characters that think, act, and talk like real middle graders. Young Adult I’ll gravitate toward contemporary issue-driven plots where teens find themselves in situatio ..read more

Hi there Kathy Temean readers, it’s Mira Reisberg again and I’m so excited to be back to share some tips and techniques for writing great children’s book titles. Before a reader opens your book, the very first thing they read is the title. It’s the first impression, the beacon that draws readers into the wonderful world that you’ve created. And while it doesn’t always make or break whether an editor or agent says, “Yes!” to you or your story, your title can make a huge difference. And then of course, once your story is made into a book, ready to sell and get into children’s hands, your title i ..read more

APRIL AGENT OF THE MONTH Daniele Hunter – McIntosh & Otis DANIELE HUNTER has a BA in English from Drew University, with concentrations in literary criticism, poetry, and creative writing. graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She is a member of the AALA and their DEI committee and co-directs their fellowship program through Literary Agents of Change. She has been with the children’s department at McIntosh & Otis since a 2016 internship, and is thrilled to now be acquiring! I’m looking for (in order of priority) young adult, midd ..read more

Writing Soulful and Lyrical Fiction and Nonfiction: Sweet Tips for Every Stage Hullo friends of Kathy Temean’s, Dr. Mira Reisberg here with some more writing tips. These are about writing soulful and lyrical fiction and nonfiction children’s books, which can absolutely include humor. I am including some examples from awesome former students that epitomize this, although I wish I had time and space for more. Infusing your prose with soulfulness and lyricism can captivate young hearts and minds, whether you’re crafting a picture book, chapter book, middle-grade novel, or young adult novel. To s ..read more

APRIL AGENT OF THE MONTH Daniele Hunter – McIntosh & Otis DANIELE HUNTER has a BA in English from Drew University, with concentrations in literary criticism, poetry, and creative writing. graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She is a member of the AALA and their DEI committee and co-directs their fellowship program through Literary Agents of Change. She has been with the children’s department at McIntosh & Otis since a 2016 internship, and is thrilled to now be acquiring! I’m looking for (in order of priority) young adult, midd ..read more