I have shared my expertise through conference keynotes and presentations;
breakout sessions; and stand-alone workshops across the country.
These have included the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshops
(at both Chautauqua, NY, and Boyds Mills, PA);
NAEYC
Annual Conference; numerous
SCBWI
gatherings from Seattle to Orlando;
and other conferences from Londonderry to Los Angeles.
I am happy to give stand-alone workshops, keynote presentations,
or conference breakout sessions on a wide variety of topics.
A few past workshops:
Writing for the Educational Market. Presented annually; see below for description.
The Heat of Inspiration, the Cool Control of Revision: Poetry for Children
Sharing Our Hope: Writing for the Inspirational Market
Put Yourself Out There: Effective Queries, Cover Letters, and Synopses
Going Beyond the Guidelines: Market Research
I also do a session I call
“From the Slush Pile.”
Conference attendees may bring the first page of any manuscript
and toss it into a box. During the session I pull pages out
of the box, read them aloud, and give a cold response as to
whether I would, as an acquiring editor, continue reading—and
why or why not.
“Of all my memories of the Festival of the Written Word,
one of my favorites is how you came up with a relevant and
unique comment for each presenter. I know I could not
have done that, and I admire you for it.”
Writing for the educational market
Since 2013, Jan Fields and I have co-presented the workshop
Writing for the Educational Market
at Highlights Foundation. Our alums have had a gratifyingly
high level of success. A few examples:
“Since the workshop (7 months ago) I have written
6 educational books. … I haven’t queried any
more [publishers] because (this will be unbelievable,
but a true part of educational publishing), I don’t need more work!”
“I had a paying contract when I left the workshop!
I revised my submission packet in the weeks following the
workshop and sent it out on a regular basis. By October,
I had my first nonfiction educational publishing book
contract. … In March, I signed a contract for a
textbook chapter for double the cost of the workshop.”
“There is no doubt the best investment I made was
attending this Writing for the Educational Market Workshop.
It truly was the beginning of my dream career. Six years
later, I have published over 50 books for libraries and
classrooms. My fourth trade book hits stores in August 2019,
and I have five books currently under contract.”
My eclectic background lets me tailor presentations to the needs
and interests of each audience. Tell me the topic you want,
and I’ll slant my talk to fit your overall theme.
A few past topics:
Refining Fiction: Advanced Techniques for Children’s Writers