There is SO MUCH information for writers out there on the ever-expanding interweb, that it can feel a little overwhelming at times. I created this list to help my fellow authors find quality resources.
I’ve organized the links by how I use them, and there is a focus on Kid Lit because I write mostly picture books and middle grade.
The first few topics focus on HOW to write, but many of these resources overlap categories, so please enjoy exploring.
THIS LIST IS ALWAYS IN PROGRESS – so be sure to bookmark it and return often 🙂
Organizations
SCBWI: The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators recently celebrated 50 years. It describes itself as the “preeminent membership organization for children’s book creators.” I’ve found it an incredibly helpful way to connect with other writers. They have regional conferences, webinars, local meetings, contests, and more. Every year they publish The Book, which lists agents and publishers alongside helpful articles. It’s well worth the yearly price of membership.
12 x 12 Challenge: The 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge is a community of writers who challenge themselves to produce one picture book manuscript each month. There is a prolific forum and a Facebook group where you can interact with other writers. You can ask for and offer critiques in the forum, as well as get information about writing and the business of being a writer. There are monthly webinars and book chats, plus articles about writers and their journeys published every month. These are some of the best webinars on writing I’ve seen and this community has been invaluable in helping me learn the craft and develop my own manuscripts.
The Author’s Guild: Around since 1912 and with over 40,000 members, this is the go-to for author support. They offer a lot of different services to authors, but the main highlight is that they offer contract reviews. This is especially important for people who do not have an agent or lawyer who can help them navigate a publishing contract.
Classes
I think it’s important to note that many of the videos and blogs listed below include free resources, BUT it’s a good idea to combine that with professional classes. Here are some I recommend.
Highlights Foundation: with both online and in-person classes, plus writer retreats, Highlights is an astounding resource for talent in the kidlit industry. Located in Boyds Mills, Pennsylvania, US.
Storyteller Academy: membership includes over 20 signature and 40 mini classes, plus they occasionally offer free classes. There are varying levels of membership, and critique groups.
The Writer’s Barn: also offers both online and in-person classes. Located in Austin, Texas, US.
Lyrical Language Lab: RenĂ©e M. LaTulippe is a poetry expert, so if you’re interested in writing in rhyme, check out her 3 levels of classes, from interactive to self-study.
Making Picture Book Magic: Susanna Leonard Hill’s 4-week class specializing in picture books is available as interactive or self-study.
Blogs
KidLit 411: Kidlit 411 was one of the first things suggested to me when I started to tell people that I was a writer, and following this blog has been the best writing advice I’ve ever received. The blog has a TON of information, and so does their Facebook page. Following them has been so helpful. Every month they post a collection of articles about writing, as well as contests, awards, webinars, classes, and more. It’s about “Kidlit” as the title suggests, which is Kid (Children’s) Literature, but occasionally includes general writing advice, too. You can subscribe to their emails on their website, follow them on X (Twitter), or join their Facebook group.
Writers’ Rumpus: Similar to KidLit 411 above, Writers’ Rumpus also posts monthly about opportunities such as writing contents, classes, and more. Their website also features author and illustrator interviews, book reviews, and writing advice.
Official SCBWI Blog: This is the official blog of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, which is mentioned above. So much incredible information in one place, along with publishing news.
Florida Writer’s Association Blog: I live in Florida, so the Florida Writer’s Association is on my radar, but be sure to look for a local group for where you live. This blog has a lot of articles about writing, and sometimes about writing for children. Be sure to check out the menu on the right to find all their posts by subject.
Writer Beware: This blog/website is super important for writers. It uncovers scams across the writing world, including fishy publishers and agents. This is the preeminent source for researching whether or not a person or company in the writing world is legit. They also have a blog discussing current scams.
NF Fest: Per their website, NonFiction Fest (NF Fest) is “a month-long crash course in writing nonfiction for children” organized by the “Nonfiction Ninjas.” I don’t personally write a lot of nonfiction (I lean more towards Informational Fiction) but I’ve found this site to have such a plethora of helpful information that applies to all kidlit. They have so many articles written by amazing writers. Even if you don’t do the challenge, I still strongly suggest you explore the archive and read through the posts. You can also join their Facebook group.
Picture Book Builders: This blog is written by a group of amazing picture book writers and illustrators. There’s a lot of talk of inspiration about how they developed their incredible books. There are also giveaways.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them): This is Tara Lazar’s blog. She is an incredible author, and if you’re writing picture books, you should be aware of her (and reading her books). Her blog includes her Storystorm month-long brainstorming event, writing tips, book reviews, and giveaways.
Susanna Leonard Hill: Susanna Leonard Hill has a class for writing picture books called Making Picture Book Magic, and her website also offers things like holiday contests, critiques, and lists all of her books. Her blog includes “Tuesday Debuts” and “Perfect Picture Book Fridays.”
Books
I don’t personally believe you can read just one book and be done with learning all you need to know. I’m going to list books that I’ve found helpful here, and I urge you to explore even more on your own. I will continue to add to this list as time goes on.
[Some of these links are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you in advance! And please remember, most of these books are also available at your local independent bookstore and your local library so check them out first.]
SCBWI’s Essential Guide to Publishing for Children: This is “The Book” that I mentioned when I talked about SCBWI above. You must be a member to download it. It is PACKED with useful information. Way too much to go into in this blurb – just know it will serve you well.
Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market: This marketplace listing of children’s publishers from Writer’s Digest is very useful, and one of the first purchases I made when I began to submit my work. Because you can find agents and small publishing houses online these days (see below), the biggest benefits for me nowadays wind up being the articles. This is the type of book I usually check out of the library instead of purchasing (as mine is so very old) because they get updated. Either way, if you’re new to the business of children’s publishing, you’ll want to read through the articles inside. This is similar to the SCBWI’s Essential Guide to Publishing for Children.
The Writer’s Market: This is the more general version of the book above, for those writers looking outside the children’s market.
The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook: Much like the above books about the writing market, except this book is written with a UK focus. Lots of writing advice, and of course, includes international publishers.
Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul: I learned so much from this book and highly suggest it to anyone interested in learning about the craft of writing, especially for children. It discusses everything from coming up with ideas to character development to plotting, and more. There are tips, exercises, and quizzes.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody: This book is incredible. It was SO helpful for me in figuring out how to actually piece together all of my scattered ideas into something resembling a real novel. I often say this book changed my life. And I mean it. I tend to look at things like puzzles, and this book helped me figure out how to take all of my puzzle pieces and put them together in a way that would work. This book is the reason I finally put “the end” on my first middle grade manuscript.
Maker Comics: Draw a Comic by JP Coovert: This book is genius. It’s a comic about how to write a comic. It’s technically a kid’s book, and I did buy it with the intention of giving it to my teenager after I read it, but I enjoyed it AND I learned things. I bought it because I’m learning about writing comics, and I just loved all of the step-by-step tips for physically drawing and assembling your own comics. It’s a wonderful introduction to sequential arts. PLUS, there is a really amazing description of what a book dummy is. It’s written (again) from the perspective of comics, but it’s one of the best examples I’ve seen for constructing your own dummy, which makes it helpful for picture book writers, too.
Videos
Kidlit Social from the Children’s Book Insider: This is an astoundingly incredibly source of information for kidlit writers. I started watching these a couple of years ago, and while they are no longer filming new webinars, you can watch all the replays. It’s kind of like a giant pile (well, 85 to be exact) of mini classes that are all FREE.
Good Story Company with Mary Kole: Mary Kole is a freelance editor and does, of course, offer editing services, but she also has a really helpful YouTube channel. There are all kinds of videos, from plotting to character description for everything from picture books to novels, and even how to query. Her Publishing 101 Podcast is also featured here.
Lyrical Language Lab with Renee M. LaTulippe: Renee is an expert on rhyme, so if you’re looking to write in rhyme you should know about her course. If you’re not ready to take her class, you can start by watching this collection of videos she has on YouTube. If you want to write in rhyme, you need to understand the things she talks about.
BookEnds Literary Agency: I’ve spent hours watching every video they’ve released and I learned a LOT about queries, literary agents, and even writing tips. I recommend taking a look before you start querying.
Cutting the Fluff with Pat Zietlow Miller: This is unquestionably the most helpful webinar I’ve seen for writing picture books. Picture books are short and concise and it’s HARD to kill off your darlings. This webinar will help you cut out everything you don’t need to make your story better. Seriously – if you’re writing picture books, watch this.
Kids Comics Unite: This is a great channel especially for anyone interested in graphic novels and comics. There are a lot of illustrator interviews that could also be helpful for picture book illustrators. There are also videos with publishing advice, live streams, book launches, and more.
Alyssa Matesic: Alyssa is a freelance editor who has worked in the past as an editor for the Big 5. Her channel is packed with advice on writing and the publishing world. She also does a lot of Q&A videos. It’s not focused on Kidlit, but is helpful for all writers.
Query Letters
Query letters can be difficult. It takes a lot of practice to get it right. Some instructions can be found in the Helpful Videos and Books to Read categories. But another good way to learn is to look at what other people have done. Here are some places you can read through examples. These sites sometimes also offer advice on crafting a query.
Query Tracker: This website is listed below in the How to Find an Agent category, because that’s really the main purpose of the site. But they also have a page just for successful queries. As I write this, there are currently 4,941 query examples. You must be logged in to see them, but it can be with their free account.
The Sub It Club: This blog shows examples of query letters that worked. You’ll see published books you may recognize within the list.
Query Shark: Another blog with great examples of query letters. This one, however, isn’t focused on successful queries, but on people asking for help in rewriting their current queries.
Finding Agents
When looking for an agent, these websites are just a start. Don’t forget to check out the agent’s agency website, their own websites if they have one, and to follow them on Twitter/X, Instagram, or Bluesky. My suggestion is to follow as many agents as you can on your choice of social media; it helps you to see what’s going on in the kidlit world. And, of course, be sure to double check with Writer Beware.
Query Tracker: This is one of the best places to find information about literary agents. You can sign up for a free account, do detailed searches, get a lot of info about the agents, and keep track of your queries. Some things can only be done with a paid account but it’s only about $25 a year, so well worth it when you’re ready to begin querying seriously.
Publisher’s Marketplace: This is the ultimate resource for deal announcements, so it’s a great place to search for agents that you are interested in. You can find out what types of projects agents normally represent. Membership costs $25 per month, so I suggest only joining once you are seriously beginning to query agents.
Manuscript Wishlist: This is my favorite place to start searching for literary agents. They have a nice search function to help you narrow down your list.
#MSWL: This site is helpful because it shows you what agents have been posting on Twitter/X with the #MSWL (manuscript wishlist) hashtag in one place. You can also narrow down the categories.
Published to Death: This website, aka Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity, has many resources. I’ve listed it here because it regularly posts about agents who are open to new clients, as well as all of the other things on the site, which includes contest information and self-publishing advice.
Duotrope: This website has been around a long time and I used it back in the day when it was free. It now costs $5 a month, which isn’t much, so you may want to join when you begin your querying. They list over 7,550 publishers and agents and it never hurts to have another resource.
Guide to Literary Agents (Book): For those writers that prefer to have a print copy, this book from Writer’s Digest lists over a thousand literary agents. You’ll still need to double check online that the agents are open to queries, but you will also find advice and articles in the book as well.
Fighting Book Bans
ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom: The American Library Association’s department for intellectual freedom advocated for the rights of library users.
ALA Book Resumes: These “book resumes” made by the American Library Association list the education value of thousands of titles in order to help fight book bans.
Unite Against Book Bans Toolkit: This toolkit from the American Library Association includes a wealth of material, such as talking points to use, how to contact decision makers, and how to organize.
Authors Against Book Bans: writers, illustrators, editors, and more, who are dedicated to fearlessly fighting the oppression of literature.
The National Coalition Against Censorship: celebrating its 50th year in 2024, the coalition was formed in partnership with the ACLU and is dedicated to protecting the First Amendment.
The Author’s Guild: the guild advocates for authors in fighting book bans. Their website includes tool kits and book club information, plus other links.
First Book: an organization that is dedicated to helping children and educators in low-income area get the books they need.
Red, Wine, and Blue: an organization focused on advocacy for women, they also work to defend children’s education from the attacks of book bans. Includes information about local groups.
Diversity Resources
We Need Diverse Books: A wonderful charity organization. I feel like I should mention that I have a few of their shirts and I love them. A great place to donate, if you have the funds. You can find books and a lot of resources for writers, parents, librarians, and educators.
CCBC Diversity Statistics: The Cooperative Children’s Book Center, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, has been collecting data on diverse books since 1994. They release the results of the study every year.
The Diversity Baseline Study from Lee & Low Books: Lee & Low publishes incredible books, and this page offers a lot of resources on diversity in children’s books. You can find a variety of articles and charts here.
Diverse Book Finder: One of the cool things this organization does is that it purchases diverse books which are available to anyone through an Interlibrary Loan. (This is a WorldCat thing, and if you’re not sure what that is, it means getting a library book from any library in the world – ask your local librarian for help.) Also, this site has a Search function so you can search for books that fit into categories, such as activism, adoption, immigration, gender, culture, and/or religion, and more.
Social Justice Books: This is a branch of the Teaching For Change organization which strives to provide resources to parents and teachers about books which promote social justice. There is a blog and a lot of book reviews and book lists organized by topics like disability, grief, incarceration, women’s history, and more.
Queer Kid Lit Creators at LeeWind.com: For Kid Lit writers who are queer, you can join a safe community of fellow writers. They have meetings, workshops, critiques, and more.
The Conscious Style Guide: This website provides a variety of guides and articles on how to talk about disabilities, such as a glossary of ableist phrases and alternatives. There are guides on how to make internet images or PDFs accessible to blind people. There are discussions on deaf literature. Many of the resources are related to literature, and it is helpful for anyone writing about disabilities.
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