Where can I find a list of childrens’ writers conferences?

Writing for children has long been a dream of mine but I don’t really know where to begin or what it’s all about. A friend suggested going to a writers conference. Do you think that’s a good idea? Can I learn what children’s writing is all about at a conference? Where can I find a list of childrens’ writers conferences?

If you want to find out what children’s writing is all about, please read The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books by Harold Underdown.

For raw beginners like yourself, attending a writers conference is an excellent way to get a “feel” for what children’s writing is all about. You will have the opportunity to hear speakers who work as editors, agents, or published authors, and learn about the trends in children’s publishing today. You will meet other writers and form friendships, which will help you as you grow and develop your writing skills. When you connect with other children’s writers in your area you can join critique groups or meet-ups.

Through the Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) you can find children’s writers conferences all over the world. Go to the web site and click on “Events”. You will find information about their national conferences in New York and Los Angeles. Then click on “Regional Events” to find out about regional chapter conferences. The conferences are listed according to date, so you will need to search through the months listed to find the next conference in your area. Non-members are welcome at SCBWI conferences.

You can find a calendar of conferences and workshops in the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market . Shaw Guides is another good resource for writers conferences in general. Go to the web site and click on “Writers Conferences & Workshops”. You can search by date or location, but since this is a listing of all conferences and workshops you will need to sift through the results to find conferences specifically for children’s writers. When all else fails, do a Google search for “children’s writers conference” and you will find additional listings.

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How do I handle resubmitting my novel?

A few years ago I got a top NY agent to represent my YA novel. The agent submitted to 15 publishing houses without a sale. The agent finally stopped submitting and said she didn’t think it was the material but the timing. Her only suggestion was that maybe I should cut it a bit. How do I handle resubmitting my novel? Do I have to say it was rejected by all those publishers and my old agent finally gave up? Not a great selling tool. Or should I just change the title?

I don’t think you need to do anything. The first agent mentioned that timing probably had something to do with her inability to sell your manuscript. And believe me in when it comes to the publishing business, timing is everything. I don’t see the need to change the title, unless you want to. But you certainly don’t need to “disguise” your manuscript in any way. You aren’t required to provide the submission history of the manuscript, unless the agent asks for it. Editors come and go, and switch publishing houses all the time. Agents tend to form relationships with editors and follow them around. So for that reason, where your manuscript has been has little bearing on where it’s going since it has more to do with timing than anything else. Perhaps an editor who passed on it the first time around will take a second look and find a place for it on her list. Editors usually don’t hang onto manuscripts to wait for the right time.

Over the course of my own career I have been represented by several agents. Only one agent has asked me to provide a history of submission for a manuscript. However during a 5-year span, one of my YA manuscripts was seriously considered, and nearly contracted by two different editors at the same publishing company. The key in querying agents this time around is to try and find a way to pitch it that ties your novel to something current in the teen world — trends, news, sex, media, fashion, movies, sports, the web — whatever kids are into that’s considered “hot”. That’s what agents and editors seem to be looking for.

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