The Weekly 411 (12/15/17)

© Matthew Rivera

Dec. 15, 2017, vol. 50

The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to Kidlit411 each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our email updates. Are you on Facebook? Join our Kidlit411 group for conversations & camaraderie.

KIDLIT NEWS

Looking for holiday gifts? The End of the Year Best of Lists are Out. Here are some good ones:

• New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2017
• Huffington Post Best Picture Books of 2017
• NPR's Book Concierge: Kids Books
• Lee & Low's Holiday Gift Guide for 2017
• Seventeen Magazine: 27 of the Best YA Books of 2017
• 31 Days 31 Lists: Day Eleven - 2017 Bilingual Children's Books (check out the other days too)
• Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

This week we welcome picture book author Alison Goldberg and her new book, I LOVE YOU FOR MILES AND MILES, illustrated by Mike Yamada (Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BFYR), which releases on Dec. 26. Be sure to enter to win a copy!

For Writers

Parallel and Perpendicular: A Lesson in Character Perspective from Star Wars

Pacing Your Plot: 20 Ways to Rethink your Narrative Pace 

Picture Books

Mick Inkpen's Top Tips For Making a Picture Book

The Secret to Writing a Standout Picture Book

How To Create A Fantastic Picture Book

Writing Challenges

Jan. 1- 31 StoryStorm with Tara Lazar

What: Come up with 31 picture book ideas in one month. Get daily blog posts, win prizes, join a great community of writers

Julie Hedlund's 12 x 12. (Sign up in Jan. and Feb). 

What: Join the world’s friendliest writing community and challenge yourself to write and revise 12 picture books in 12 months.

Who: Open to All

Cost: Tiered Membership Levels. Registration opens in January.

Contests & Awards

Mar 20 Templar Publishing Illustration Competition

• What: submit your cover, 1 spread & storyboard for a dragon themed book (either fiction or nonfiction)
• Who: illustrators
• Prize: first prize: £750 plus possible publication, £500 and £250 2nd and 3rd prizes

Social Media

How to Build a Website - A Complete Guide for Beginners

Nonfiction

Celebrate Science: Behind the Books: The Nonfiction Family Tree

A Special Appeal

A talented kid lit author and VCFA alumni, Frances Lee Hall, died last year very suddenly. Her critique group from the Bay Area and some other VCFA alums in the area are trying to keep her legacy and extraordinary talent alive by publishing one of her middle-grade books, LILY LO AND THE WONTON MAKER. It was sold to a house that closed, then nearly sold again, but it never got published, but it’s funny and dear and features a lively soccer playing girl of Chinese American heritage. The proceeds will go to her daughter Emmie’s education. They need to have 250 orders by February in order to do an initial run. If you are interested in pre-ordering, please see this link from Inkshares, a crowd-funding publishing company.

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