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Calendar of upcoming events

28th April 2022: Mentor-Mentee announcement (summer programme)
29th April 2022: #WMPitch
7-8th May: Picture Book Weekend (Hub members)
16th May: Novel-in-Development Award closes (Judged by Chloe Seager)

Hub Calendar

Live sessions:
Thurs 21st April 7pm: Novel workshop with Marcus
Tues 26th April 8pm: Book Blogging with Jo Clarke
Weds 27th April 8pm: PB Workshop with Rashmi
Sat 30th April 11am: Writers Toolkit session on using Canva with Florianne

Picture Book Weekend


From Pitch to Portfolio
Featuring 3 workshops and 2 panels from 3 of our favourite Picture Book teachers, and agents Alice Williams and Lydia Silver on the portfolio panel, this a weekend NOT to miss!

Free for Hub members, we welcome you to join us for the weekend that goes through every stage of the picture book writing process.

Ask an Agent

Want to get your manuscript noticed by publishing professionals? In WriteMentor’s new blog series, we invite leading literary agents to answer quick-fire questions about publishing and submissions, to give children’s writers insights and advice about the querying process.

Lorna Hemingway, picture book and illustration agent at Bell Lomax Moreton, shares her insights.

Current hot publishing trend…

Lorna: Ooooh where to start? I think there is a resounding plea for FUNNY picture books that are interactive and a joy to read aloud. Additionally, a lot of publishers are looking for seasonal favourites that can return to the shelves every year (Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, Ramadan/Eid al-Fitr, Diwali or even Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter) so a book like this would be fab to have in your portfolio. 

Submission turn on…

Lorna: I am an absolute sucker for movie/TV comps – as they allow me to immediately picture your style and narrative. Think along the lines of Jurassic World with the humour of Parks and Recreation (even though these may seem like adult comparisons – it still helps!) 

Submission turn off…

Lorna: Simple favour, please address your submission to an individual rather than the agency at large as it shows that you have taken time to consider who you would like to submit to. 

Current children’s read…

Lorna: I managed to get a copy of Grandad’s Camper by Harry Woodgate and have read it at least 20 times in the last week! 

Biggest submission wish…

Lorna: I would love to receive something in the vein of Slug In Love by Rachel Bright – something that takes me by surprise but makes me absolutely snort with laughter!

Writing Advice on our Blog

Powering up your submission for agents

By Carolyn Ward

Many of us are submitting our work to agents in the hope of getting representation to move forward with the dream of getting something published. It’s the first big step on the ladder for those looking for traditional publication, as your agent will champion your work and send it out to editors at publishing houses. 

But remember – agents see hundreds of submissions a week, so your project needs to stand out; and for the right reasons. 

Follow all submission instructions 

Firstly, follow all submission instructions precisely. Don’t waste your time or theirs. Don’t fall down that dangerous rabbit hole – well, even if they don’t represent teen fiction, they might love mine so much they’ll make an exception. Guess what? They won’t. Think they’ll want to see 10k words of your novel when they only ask for 5k? Nope. 

Agents often discuss how many subs they get that don’t contain the correct materials, or that are addressed to the wrong email, or their name is written incorrectly. The underlying message here is that you can’t follow instructions, or that you aren’t careful. It’s tough, but competition from the in-box is fierce.

Do your research

The answer is to research. Check and double-check! If you are tech-minded, make up a spreadsheet with a top twenty list of which agents to target. Just like in other industries they retire, new people take over, and they can move agency. Make sure your information is up to date. If you aren’t techy, it’s an excuse to buy a new notebook and build your own agent reference book. Keep track of exactly what you send out and how long it takes to get a response. Spoiler – it can take a long time. Six months or longer!  Check on the agency website to see if and when a nudge is appropriate. Always be polite and remember the industry is small and people talk. Don’t scupper your chances by being rude or inappropriate. Agents are humans too, and they want to work with people who are serious about writing and behave in a professional manner. 

Polish your synopsis 

Secondly, ensure your synopsis slaps – can you polish it up more? Does it explain the outline of your story in a balanced way? If you aren’t sure, get a beta reader to check it and see if they can follow your outline. Read it out loud, or use a reader app. Change the font size and style, or colour, and read it again. Is it working? If not – try writing it all over again. Are there stronger or more succinct ways to express the story?

If you are stuck – there are many websites that give hints and tips to help. Have a search and then try again. The reason an agent wants to see it is so they can check the story follows an exciting path, and has a great ending. They want to check the idea is fresh and original. They want to start questioning if they can market your book, and if the premise makes them excited to read more. They will be thinking about what the editors they know have been asking for… and wondering if your project fits.  

Create your query letter

Thirdly – your query letter. Ensure everything is spelled correctly! You can try and personalise it for each agent by researching them a little on Twitter or Instagram. Maybe mention you love one of their authors, or some of the books they worked on. Could one of these works be one of your comp titles? 

Letters are better kept short and sweet, but what you can do is develop that final paragraph, the one with information about you. 

To strengthen this, it is a good idea to try and build up some writing experience, and not necessarily in the same age group or genre. Different experience shows flexibility and also proves that you are determined, observant, able to follow instructions, write to a brief and delight other audiences. 

Read the rest of the post here.

Novel-in-Development Award

“WriteMentor is such an encouraging environment I had no hesitation in entering. I loved that the novel did not have to be complete.”

Amanda Thomas, winner of WriteMentor’s 2020 Novel-in-Development Award

Read more here.

Mentoring

WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online one-to-one mentoring service. Working with a children’s author, you will receive ongoing developmental editing, writing advice, publishing insights, and direct feedback on your manuscript to help you elevate your writing craft to the next level.

Spark Mentoring is always available if you need extra help or support each month.

Alternatively you can join the waiting list for our group mentoring (PB, MG, YA) here.

If you'd like 1-2-1 PB mentoring, complete this form.

Magazine

WriteMentor Magazine Issue 9 out now! Read…

  • An exclusive interview with bestselling and award-winning children’s illustrator and author Rob Biddulph.
  • What inspires Rachael Davis to write for children and why authors should write from the heart.
  • Advice from Bonnie Bridgman on how newly-published authors can overcome imposter syndrome and anti-climax after releasing their debut. 
  • KL Kettle’s reasons why authors should bring their whole selves – and all their past and present skills and experiences – to their writing.
  • A day in the life of former Penguin Custom Publishing expert Sabrina Shah.
  • Witticisms from our Honest Writer⁠⁠.
  • Winning stories from our flash fiction & short story competitions⁠.
  • Interviews with mentors and mentees from WriteMentor’s summer mentoring programme.

Buy your copy here!

Catch up on past issues ⬇️

Podcasts

We've got not one, but THREE podcast series for your ears to enjoy! All free-to-access, so grab a cup of tea and settle down to some writing & publishing insights.

Our Podcast page is here.

If you prefer watching, or would like closed captions, you can go to our YouTube channel.

#WMPitch

You know that we know it's rubbish to not be selected for something! So to pull you from the pools of disappointment, we will be hosting our annual #WMPitch the day after the Summer Mentoring Pairings Announcement! 

That's the 29th April, 2022, from 8am-8pm BST on Twitter, using the hashtag #WMPitch.

And this year we've added a cool bonus/surprise for a few writers!

Read more here.

Final Word

April 2022

Well, well, well. Last time I wrote, I had a book out on submission. I handed control of my destiny to the gods of writing, and they have been favourable to me on this occasion. As I said, just because I’m an ‘established’ (whatever that means) writer, doesn’t mean every book I write gets accepted – twice in the last few years I’ve written a book only for it not to find a home. I can’t say this any more clearly: THIS IS NOT EASY, there are no two ways about it. But (cliché alert) one of the most important things you need to have as a writer is the desire to persevere. You don’t even need to be confident about your work (I’ve never met a writer who was, genuinely). That might sound strange, and I once was verbally attacked by someone on a panel event who said I must have been confident to submit my work in the first place, twenty and something years ago. I said it wasn’t a question of confidence, it was more that I was naïve, enthusiastic, and though I didn’t see it then, I had the ability or the gift of perseverance. 

My big brother is now a successful writer too – I got going before him, not because I was any more confident than him, but because I sent my stuff into the world, while he wasn’t. Publishers do not drive around obscure Cambridgeshire villages, knocking on doors and asking if there are any half-finished manuscripts inside, I told him. You have to finish your work, you have to send it out there. And you have to persevere. Last weekend, a writer friend of mine got news that her agent likes the book she has been working on for six years. She is 87. She has perseverance; it will never leave her.

The result of perseverance (sometimes, because the other magic ingredient you need is good luck) – is that you get a book deal. And as it turns out, not only did the book on submission get an offer, but a book I have been working on for four years finally found a home too. I had almost given up on this other project, but finally, finally it has found a home and will be published very soon. This is a book called All In Your Head and it’s a very personal book – it’s a memoir type thing of the last decade or so of my life, which began with me falling ill and consequently not being taken seriously by my doctor(s). It’s a rather rambling story of medical gaslighting, but also it investigates some of the supposed truths about writers – for example, are writers more prone to madness? Are writers really physically frailer than the average? And so on.  It will be published by Impress Books in July and suddenly there is a lot of extra work to do surrounding the project, but that’s fine – I welcome it.

My birthday approaches and I am grateful for that. On Friday I will be 54, which is good news because I found 53 to be a really unsatisfying number, and so indeed it proved to be as a year of my life.  My daughter arrives tomorrow to celebrate, if I’m lucky some other friends may be able to raise a glass with me too, and as I see life now, that’s all we can do – celebrate the victories, no matter how large, or how small. 

If you’re submitting yourself at the moment (because that’s what it feels like), all I can say is this; do try not to take it too seriously. And I totally feel your pain. This is not an upbeat blog post, but it is an honest one, and I am minded to finish with something my friend Catherine Johnson is always (very rightly) pointing out: no one is asking us to do this crazy thing. No one is forcing us. So just take it for what it is and try to keep some balance in your life, at all times.

Next time, something happier. 

Writing can be lonely, but it doesn't need to be.

May the Force be with you!

Stuart, Florianne, Melissa, Sophia and Emily
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