Katie Venit

Resources for Trad Publishing Picture Books

Learn the Craft

These are the three books that I think every picture book writer should have, or at the very least check out from the library and read a couple times. Ann Whitford Paul’s book is the classic that offers evergreen advice about writing picture books. Mary Kole’s is a more modern, data-driven guide that’s not proscriptive as much as descriptive: she studied hundreds of books that are out now and noted their characteristics. A great survey of the market. Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics may seem like an outlier for a picture book writer; however, it’s a great primer for understanding how words and pictures collaborate to make meaning for the reader.

(click on covers for links to my Bookshop shop.)

My best tips to learn the craft are:

  • read read read
  • type up the books you hated and the books you loved and figure out why you loved/hated them.

Blogs, Newsletters, etc

These blogs, newsletters, etc., are all free ways to stay on top of the market. There are a lot more out there, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you.. you’ll find the ones that are most helpful.

Networking and Professional Development

We all need other people to help improve our craft. Some of these are paid and some are free, but all are worth checking out to see if they meet your needs.

How to Find Picture Book Critique Partners/Groups

  • Inked Voices and local SCBWI chapters will often arrange critique groups.
  • PBParty Critique Train 
  • PB Workshop Discord. Discord has a learning curve, but this is an amazing group of dedicated picture book writers all over the world (and some international writers!)
  • #DVPit Discord – This is specific to creators who are historically marginalized and unagented.
  • PB Rising Stars  
  • Mighty KidLit
  • Paid Critiques: don’t feel like you have to have your picture book manuscript edited professionally before submitting it to an agent or editor for consideration. However, having one manuscript edited could be a great professional development opportunity. Here are folks who offer paid critiques:

Querying and Submitting

Here are some resources for the querying process, if you’re interested in getting an agent, or the submission process, if you want to submit to editors directly.