KidLitTag

6 Reasons Why Your Kids’ Book Was Rejected

After working in children’s publishing, sitting on various book selection committees, and judging writing for kids contests for 15+ years, I’ve read a lot of manuscripts. Here are the six most common ...

Genres You Didn’t Learn About in Kidlit 101

One of the most formative experiences in my development as a writer was working in a bookstore. For four glorious years I was the manager of the award-winning, much beloved Flying Dragon Bookshop in Toronto. ...

The Writer (You Think) I am

The year before trying out for the Simon Fraser University basketball team, I trained in ways and at an intensity I never before had. I wanted to make that team so badly, so desirous was I to prove myself, ...

Meet Our September Writer-in-Residence, Cary Fagan!

We're thrilled to announce our September writer-in-residence, Cary Fagan!A prolific author of books for both kids and adults, his critically-acclaimed work has earned him accolades such as the Vicky Metcalfe ...

Dirty Dozen: Sarah Howden on Thunderstorms, Dairy-Free Sweets, and Bad Jokes

Author Sarah Howden's debut picture book, Cone Cat (Owlkids), is all about adapting to new situations.Jeremy the cat wakes up in the vet's office feeling a little off. It doesn't take him long to figure ...

FOLD Kids Book Fest Announces Young Readers Book Club

Great news for book-loving kids (and their parents!)The 2020 FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity) Kids Book Fest has announced the creation of the Young Readers Book Club. Focusing on books by acclaimed ...

Five Tips for Writing About Tough Topics for Children and Teens

The best comedy often comes from life’s darker moments. Read up on any comedian and you’ll likely learn about their tumultuous beginnings, middles and ends. (Especially, on Twitter. Literally. At ...

All of this listening

It was hard to write this column. Like everyone else, I’m all for trying to grasp at normalcy where I can, but I don’t have many writing tips to share right now. (Actually, I do have one writing tip: ...

A Few Key Things Every Newly Published Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators Should Know!

The title says it all, guys! Here’s a roundup of a bunch of things that newly published authors and illustrators should know. Whether it’s resources on negotiating contracts or where to do research ...

Moving On and Holding On: Writing Picture Books as Therapy

Is it just me or is closure overrated and nearly impossible to achieve? It sometimes feels like the more you try to shut out painful experiences, the more they wave their hands around and yell, “Look ...