LINKS
SCWBI– The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is an international organisation and acts as a network for writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people. There are currently more than 19,000 members worldwide, in over 70 regions, making it the largest children's writing organisation in the world.
“The benefits of membership in SCBWI are many. The SCBWI sponsors two annual International Conferences on Writing and Illustrating for Children as well as dozens of regional conferences and events throughout the world. It also publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, offers awards and grants for works in progress, and provides many informational publications on the art and business of writing and selling written, illustrated, and electronic material. The SCBWI also presents the annual Golden Kite Award for the best fiction and non-fiction books and the Sid Fleischman Humor Award.”
Verla Kay – Children’s Author Verla Kay has created a powerful resource in her website for both writers and illustrators, affectionately known as the ‘Blue Boards’. As well as useful links and articles, the most popular feature remains her Writer’s Forums. With over 2,000 friendly and welcoming members you are sure to find a wealth of information on writing and illustrating children’s books, as well as make some great friends along the way.
(http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php)
CBI Clubhouse – Formerly known as the ‘Yellow Boards’, the Children’s Book Insider owners Jon Bard and Laura Backes host another popular website for writers. They have recently changed the CBI Clubhouse format to become a paid site, however, the monthly fee is minimal and you can join with no obligation to continue. This fee also includes CBI’s popular monthly newsletter, “The Children’s Insider”, which is packed full of writing hints and tips, including market listings.
Critique Circle – Critique Circle is a reputable website that allows you to post your work online and receive feedback from other writers, at no charge. While you may find, and request, critique partners through other forums, they generally have rules and limits to posting your work for critiquing, as this can have potential legal ramifications. Critique Circle, on the other hand, is a site purely dedicated to helping you critique your story.
Just remember, although Critique Circle is free, its success is a result of active member participation. So, why not join in the fun, and see if you can’t help another fledgling writer while you are there.
(http://www.critiquecircle.com)
Harold Underdown–As well as a being a children’s book editor and the author of ‘The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Picture Books’, Harold has been incredibly generous with both his time and wisdom in creating this website. He has selflessly shared massive amounts of information through his website, all at no charge to you. This is another site that is worth your time to study in depth.
BLOGS
Here you will find a list of blogs by published and popular children’s authors, as well as aspiring writers who are sharing their journey from obscurity to publication. If you have a blog, why not let us know and we’ll add you to our list.
Mem Fox – Mem is one of our all-time favourite writers for children. What we especially love about her is that she is one of the few authors who has created fantastic picture books specifically for the under-5 market. If you are seriously interested in writing for us, we can’t recommend enough that you get yourself a copy of either ‘Where is the Green Sheep?’, ‘Tough Boris’, ‘Ten Little Fingers & Ten Little Toes’ or ‘Boo to a Goose’ and study, study, study!
Although Mem doesn’t appear to update her blog that regularly, if you haven’t visited it before, it’s definitely worth your time. Make sure you pay special attention to her “Stories behind the Stories’ section.
(http://www.memfox.com/welcome.html)