PICTURE BOOK ACQUISITIONS CONFIDENTIAL
Sep 26, 2026
Online event
Matt Phipps, Editor at G.P. Putnam's Sons, will give you the inside scoop on what editors are looking for when evaluating picture book manuscripts!
PICTURE BOOK ACQUISITIONS CONFIDENTIAL
Learn about the qualities editors are looking for when they evaluate picture books on submission and consider their marketability, including word count and pacing, lyricism and accessibility, a fresh concept and the element of surprise, read-aloud-ability, character and story, urgency and a sense of purpose, that certain je ne sais quoi, and more!
We’ll look at both classic and recently published picture books as mentor texts and discuss some ways authors and author/illustrators can revise their manuscripts and pitches before going on submission to maximize their chances for success.
Date: September 26, 2026
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am EDT
Cost of Registration for 1-hour Webinar:
Premium Members: $20
Preview/Nonmembers: $25
Limited Additional Picture Book Critiques:
Editors Matt Phipps and Simone Roberts-Payne will critique picture book texts (fiction, nonfiction, info-fiction and rhyming) manuscripts up to 1,200 words which may include picture book pitch and/or backmatter. Following the webinar, the deadline for prepaid critique submissions is Sept. 28.
Cost of Critiques:
Premium Members: $70
Preview/Nonmembers: $80
Submission Opportunity and Recording:
The webinar will be recorded, and the recording will be available for one month following the event. Attendees will receive a link and a password by email a few days following the event. Plus, all attendees will be emailed submission guidelines for Matt Phipps and Simone Roberts-Payne.
By registering for this event, you acknowledge having read our region's refund policy.
Faculty
Editor Matt Phipps
Matt Phipps is an Editor at G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, acquiring picture books, middle grade, and YA, including graphic novels for all ages. Titles he has edited include At the Cookout by Nadia Fisher, The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Jasminne Paulino, The Crayon Stub by Marcus Cutler, Majestica by Sarah Tolcser, and Trapped in the Horror Dome by Matt McMann. Prior to joining Putnam in 2020, he spent several years on Penguin’s School and Library Marketing team. He was an Editor Mentor with The Word: A Storytelling Sanctuary and volunteered with the Representation Matters Mentorship Program, in addition to serving on the board of the Penguin Random House LGBTQ+ Network and the Children’s Book Council Early Career Committee. He has also worked as a bookseller, a Spanish / English translator, and a college writing instructor.
Editor Simone Roberts-Payne
Simone Roberts-Payne is an Assistant Editor at G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. She previously worked for Jacqueline Woodson as a research assistant. Simone has always loved books from a teen perspective and feels like young voices and concerns tell us so much about the current state of the world. She is currently looking to build a list that includes commercial and literary young adult fiction and picture books from BIPOC voices. She’s drawn to dynamic and diverse fiction, with complicated familial or romantic relationships, a hint of mystery, a touch of heartbreak and all things adorable.