Table of contents

Table of contents

At Presstime: New Market Listings, Conferences and Contests....................................... 2 The Art of the Query by Jane McBride............................................................................ 4 A Day in the Life of Executive Editor Kendra Levin, interview by PJ McIlvaine............ 6 Narrative: Don't Believe Its Bad Rep by Jane McBride................................................... 9 Agent Spotlight: Jodell Sadler of the Jill Corcoran Literary Agency by Lynne Marie...... 11 Envisioning a Book on a Shelf by Randi Lynn Mrvos...................................................... 14 Tips for Creating Bilingual Books by Sharon Olivia Blumberg....................................... 16

This issue's contributors

Sharon Olivia Blumberg is a recently retired school teacher, having taught Spanish and English for over 20 years. In addition, she is a writer and voiceover artist. She is a contributing author to My First Year in the Classroom, edited and compiled by Stephen D. Rogers, Kids Imagination Train, Guardian Angel Ezine for Kids, Foster Focus, and Voya Magazine. Visit her website at:

Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten and Hedgehog's 100th Day of School (Scholastic), and numerous stories and articles in magazines, including Highlights for Children, High Five, Baby Bug, Family Fun, Hopscotch, Turtle, Spider and Writer's Digest. Her website is

Jane McBride is the author of 34 novels, numerous short stories and articles including pieces in 16 Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, and the CBI Managing Editor. Follow her writing blog at

PJ McIlvaine is a published writer/produced screenwriter/kid lit author/blogger/journalist. In a former life she was a great baker of Europe. PJ's websites are . and . She is represented by Jen Corkill Hunt of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

Randi Lynn Mrvos is the editor of Kid's Imagination Train ezine, a columnist for the writers' newsletter Extra Innings, and a former consultant for Pearson Digital Learning. Her publishing credits include Christian Science Monitor (Kidspace), Highlights for Children, Nature Friend, Appleseeds, Mothering, and Byline. Her picture book Maggie and the Summr Vacation Show and Tell will be released summer 2017.

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Publisher: Laura Backes Layout: Shellie Doherty Editor/Agent Spotlight Editor: Lynne Marie Featured Interviews: PJ McIlvaine Chief Operations Officer: Jon Bard

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Children's Book Insider makes every effort to verify the legitimacy of small and new presses and literary agents before printing information in "At Presstime." However, authors and illustrators should always proceed with caution when approaching publishers or agents with whom they are unfamiliar, and read contracts carefully. All "At Presstime" listings are current at the time of initial publication. Members are urged to verify listings past the month of publication.

New Markets

At Presstime:

Magazine for Young Children Accepting Submissions

Ladybug, a literary magazine for children ages 3-6, features original stories, poetry, nonfiction and activities. Editors look for clear and beautiful language, a sense of joy and wonder, and a genuinely childlike point of view. Particularly interested in stories that explore themes of identity (gender, race and ethnicity, neighborhoods, beliefs and traditions) citizenship and global cultures, scientific and technological exploration, and the creative spirit.

Fiction: up to 800 words, as well as rebus stories up to 200 words. Contemporary, folk and fairy tales, humor, animal stories, as well as city settings and stories that take place outside the United States.

Poetry: up to 20 lines. Rhythmic/rhyming. Especially looking for poetry that explores young children's daily lives and their emotions and imaginations, as well as action rhymes that get kids moving.

Nonfiction: up to 400 words. Simple explorations of interesting places in a young child's world, different cultures, nature and science. Can be straight nonfiction, or can include a story element (such as a child narrator). Also looking for unusual and imaginative activities and games, crafts and songs.

Writers should study past issues of the magazine before submitting (most libraries carry Ladybug, as well as large bookstores and newsstands). All submissions must be sent through the Cricket Media Submittable page at . Allow 3-6 months for a response.

Publisher Accepting Submissions for All Ages

New Podcast Looking for Authors

Reading With Your Kids is a new podcast that launched in February for parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians and any one else who loves reading with kids. The show is looking to motivate parents to read with their kids, as well as cook, create, exercise, listen to music and experience all types of media with their children. The podcast airs three times a week.

Looking for authors of children's and young adult books, family-friendly graphic novels, and books featuring interactive family activities to appear on the podcast. Contact Fatima Khan, the show's associate producer, at fatima@jedlie. com. You can get more information about the podcast here:

Albert Whitman & Company publishes a wide range of high-quality books for children and teens. Currently seeking picture book fiction and nonfiction, and fiction for middle grade and young adult readers. For a full list of current titles, go to https://

For all submissions, include a cover letter in the body of your email (subject line should read "(TYPE OF BOOK): (title) by (author name)", and contact information with phone number. Cover letter should include a brief synopsis along with the book's "hook", a short bio mentioning previous publications or other background information relevant to your story, and titles for up to three comparative books published in the past five years. These should be books that have a similar audience to your book and that you feel will compare with your book in the marketplace. Explain how your manuscript is different from these books. Attach manuscripts as Word documents (preferred) or PDFs. File sizes cannot be larger than 4MB. Send all submissions to Submissions Editor at submissions@. Albert Whitman does not require exclusive submissions. Responds within six months only if interested in pursuing publication.

Picture Books: Seeking fiction and nonfiction manuscripts of up to 1000 words for children ages 1 to 8. Send cover letter along with full manuscript. Send illustrations as PDF or JPEG attachments ONLY if you are also a professional illustrator.

Middle Grade Fiction: Seeking fiction queries and sample pages for middle-grade novels for children up to age 12. Finished manuscripts should be up to 35,000 words. Send cover letter along with the first three chapters as an attachment.

Young Adult Fiction: Seeking fiction queries and sample pages for young adult novels for ages 12-18. Word count: Up to 70,000 words. Send cover letter along with the first three chapters as an attachment.

April 2

At Presstime

New Visions Award for Unpublished Author of Color

Tu Books, the middle grade and young adult imprint of Lee & Low Books, is sponsoring the fourth New Visions Award for a mid-

Higdhleligghratsde or young adult novel by a writer of color. The Award winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 and a standard publica-

tion contract, including basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor Award winner receives a $500 cash prize.

The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a middle grade or young adult novel published. Writers who have published work in other venues such as children's magazines or picture books, or adult fiction or nonfiction, are eligible. Only unagented manuscripts will be accepted. Work that has been published in its entirety in any format (including online and self publishing as well as other countries) is not eligible.

Manuscripts should address the needs of children and teens of color by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and which promote a greater understanding of one another. Themes relating to LGBTQ+ topics or disabilities may also be included. Submissions may be any fictional genre novels for children ages 8 to 12 or young adults ages 12 to 18. Particularly interested in fantasy and science fiction, but also welcome contemporary, historical, mystery, and suspense. Graphic novel scripts in those categories are also welcome. Nonfiction will not be considered. Submissions should include a synopsis of the story plus the first five chapters, accompanied by a cover letter that includes the author's name, address, phone number, email address, brief biographical note, relevant cultural and ethnic information, how the author heard about the award, and publication history, if any. Do not send the entire manuscript. For graphic novels, include the equivalent of 24-30 scripted pages. Include 6-10 pages of final art samples and optional character sketches in PDF format only if you are an author/illustrator.

Submissions should be submitted online at in the New Visions Award category. You will receive a confirmation email stating your submission was received. Manuscripts may not be submitted to other publishers while under consideration for this award.

Submissions will be accepted from June 1, 2017, through October 31, 2017. Finalists will be notified and full manuscripts requested no later than January 31, 2018. If your full manuscript is requested, it must be received by Tu Books by Feb 19, 2018. The Award and Honor winners will be selected from among the full manuscripts requested and will be announced no later than April 30, For more information, go to

LEE & LOW BOOKS is pleased to announce an exciting new initiative with First Book and the NEA Foundation aimed at helping educators feel more confident broaching subjects related to race, ethnic and cultural diversity in the classroom. Through the generosity of the NEA Foundation, LEE & LOW BOOKS will award a second NEW VISIONS AWARD WINNER for the 2017 contest. The NEA Foundation will sponsor the cost of publication of this winning title. LEE & LOW BOOKS will publish a special paperback edition of the book that will be exclusively available to educators and program leaders serving children in need through the First Book Marketplace.

New Agent Accepting Submissions for All Ages

Kari Sutherland is a new agent with the Bradford Literary Agency (). She was previously a Senior Editor at HarperCollins Children's Books. Kari is most interested in finding stories full of heart; ones that carry readers to faraway places or deep into a character's mind; action-packed page-turners that surprise her; dark dramas with touches of humor; and, above all, a voice that leaps off the page. She is actively seeking diverse voices across all genres.

In children's books (picture books through middle grade), Kari is interested in character-driven stories, new twists on classic tales, empowering themes, epic fantasy, fresh voices and experiences, inventive mysteries, humor, and magical realism. In young adult fiction, Kari is drawn to compelling voices, tight pacing, and clear world-building regardless of whether it's a space drama, an underground dystopia, a small town, or a big city contemporary.

To query Kari, please email your query to: kari@. The subject line must read "QUERY: (title of manuscript)". For fiction send a query letter along with the first chapter of your manuscript and a synopsis pasted into the body of your email. Be sure to include the genre and word count in your letter. Picture book submissions: send a short query along with entire manuscript pasted in the body of email. Follow Kari on Twitter @KariSutherland

April 3

Submission Tips

The Art of the Query

by Jane McBride

A lot has changed since I sent out my first query many decades ago. The manner of submitting queries has evolved to the point that it is nearly unrecognizable from the primitive paper queries complete with the requisite SASEs (self-addressed stamped envelopes) of years ago. Now many queries are sent electronically, which is a blessing for writers, saving us both time and money in printing and postage. But regardless of whether you're sending your query electronically or by snail mail, the same standards apply.

Let's first talk about why you should query:

Many publishers and magazines will not look at your work without first seeing a query. This is increasingly true as electronic submissions make it easier than ever for writers to send complete manuscripts with only a touch of a button.

Most, if not all, agents require a query. Agents, like editors, are busy people. They don't have the time or resources to wade through the many manuscripts that arrive in their inbox. Manuscripts that arrive without being requested via a query are frequently tossed.

Queries tend to get faster responses than do completed manuscripts.

Queries can save time on nonfiction submissions. Some book publishers and many magazines accept queries for nonfiction books or articles before the work is complete. This helps the author know if her idea and approach is on target in the early stages. The editor may then accept the project on the basis of a query (for magazines) or ask for a more detailed proposal (books), and give input on shaping the project before the entire manuscript is written.

Now that we've talked about why you should query, let's discuss the nuts-and-bolts of querying.

What a Query Letter Looks Like

It's addressed to the proper person (with the proper spelling of his/her name). If the publisher indicates that queries should go to "Submissions Editor", that's how they should be addressed, but begin your letter with "Dear Editor," not "To Whom It May Concern." Queries to agents should be addressed to a particular agent at the literary agency.

It's single-spaced, using standard business letter format. Try to fit the entire query letter on one page (or the equivalent of one page if sending by email).

It begins with your book's "hook" ? a 1-3 sentence statement that captures what's unique about your story or nonfiction approach. Think of your hook as a 10-second pitch you'd make to an agent at a writer's conference. Include the book's title, word count, age range and genre:

When Kayla invited Lisa, the weird new kid in school, to eat lunch with her, she was just trying to score some points with the vice principal and get out of detention. But when Lisa dumped a carton of chocolate milk on a cheerleader's head from across the room, Kayla knew this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship. The New Kid, a 25,000 word humorous/paranormal novel for ages 12 and up, is a mash-up of Stranger Things and Mean Girls.

Since the hook doesn't tell the editor/agent exactly what happens in the plot, you need to use the next 1-3 paragraphs giving a more detailed synopsis of the story, or a more detailed description of your topic and slant for nonfiction. See my article, "Tackling the Synopsis" in the March 2017 issue of CBI. (Remember to keep the synopsis brief ? 1 short paragraph for picture books and easy readers, 1-2 for chapter books, middle grade, and

April 4

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