Now what? That's a question I get quite often. Lots of people write picture books but are unsure of what comes next. The short answer: a lot. Picture books may seem to be simple pieces of writing but a lot goes into them. Getting a draft or two down is just a step, albeit a great one. Getting critiques... revising... studying the market.... There is much work to do! If you have the 'Now What' feeling, I have some thoughts for you. Check out my post, I've Written a Picture Book, Now What? for some help with moving forward. *Hint* Moving forward does not include hiring an illustrator.

I must admit that even I get the 'Now What' feeling sometimes. I know the steps. It's the making them that can be hard for me. I get stuck on a revision or have a "marvelous" idea that I can't seem to make work. Ugh! Sometimes you just have to put things away for a while and come back to them later. By a while I mean months! I am doing that with one story right now in the hopes that I'll see new ways of re-visioning it when I come back to it. I just love the title. I have got to make it work!

I do have one concept that I definitely made work. I have news since my last newsletter! I had an announcement in Publisher's Weekly. (I have always wanted to have an announcement in Publisher's Weekly!)
I am so excited! The illustrations I've gotten to see so far are very fun. Bomboland's work is amazing. I love the work they have up on their website. I cannot wait to see the finished book! I worked long and hard on the manuscript before I submitted it to my agent. (It's the one I got his attention with in the first place.) I worked on revisions with my agent before we submitted the manuscript to publishers. Once we sold the manuscript to Sterling Publishing I worked on revisions again, this time with my editor. Revising is a great thing and probably the highest on the 'Now What' list. Picture books take a lot of revising. Different editors are looking for different elements. Staying open and flexible will help you go further with your work than you might have imagined.

In the spirit of revising, I've rewritten my Picture Book Manuscript & Query Letter Critique Services page! As a picture book writer I tend to write short and to the point. That's how my Critique Services page had been for a long time. I was getting a lot of inquiries about my services, from what my critiques are like to how to send me work, so I knew I needed to elaborate. I am pleased to have a new, in-depth page about my critique services covering not only the basics of my critiques but also why you need critiques in general. Even if you're not interested in one of my critiques you may want to go give it a look and see if you are indeed ready for a critique. Of course, if you do want a critique from me, feel free to contact me anytime.