Eastern PA Webinar: Ask the Editor—Series Potential with editor Carina Licon
Oct 29, 2026
Online event
From building characters readers want to revisit to creating worlds with room to grow, we'll discuss the qualities editors look for when evaluating series potential in middle grade and young adult novels, with a brief look at what works for picture book series as well. Whether you're drafting book one of a planned series or wondering if your manuscript has sequel potential, this session will offer an inside look at how editors think about series in today's children's publishing market. A limited number of PB, MG, & YA CRITIQUES available at an additional cost.
Quick Facts
HOST REGION: Eastern Pennsylvania
CONTACT: Kristen Strocchia [email protected]
COST:
- Premium Members: $15 USD
- Preview Users: $25 USD
CRITIQUES: available at an additional cost; scroll down for more information
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 about two days after the event.
REGISTRATION CONFIRMATIONS
Upon completion of payment, you will receive a payment confirmation by email. You will also find a registration confirmation on the website that will include event-specific details. Go to your Member Home and click on My Events under the black bar at the top of the page. All events you have registered will be displayed on this page. If there are additional meeting details (i.e. Zoom links for virtual events or materials required for the event), this information will be found under the green Meeting Info button.
REFUND POLICY
Registration fees for webinars and virtual events are nonrefundable because recordings are available for 30 days following the broadcast. For more information on our refund policy, click here. By registering for this event, you agree that you have read and understand the refund policy for this event.
Meet the Faculty
About Carina
Carina Licon is an Editor at Holt BYR (Macmillan Children's) from El Paso, TX. She is seeking compelling picture book, middle-grade, and young adult fiction across genres with complex characters who sit at the heart of a story and leap off the page. In picture books, she seeks: books that explore difficult experiences/emotions in nuanced ways; books that center BIPOC and queer joy; intergenerational households/settings; the fun, imaginary, and magical; the humorous, goofy, and silly; the tender, touching, and sweet. In middle grade and young adult, she seeks: complex, whipsmart protagonists; contemporary YA horror and thrillers in the vein of Courtney Summers; spooky, atmospheric MG; gothic YA horror or fantasy; stories about mental health; coming-of-age stories; friendship stories; intergenerational BIPOC stories; stories of everyday life in a BIPOC household (especially Latinx); romance with lots! of! angst!; contemporary, grounded fantasy OR high fantasy with strong real world/relatable themes. Overall, she’s looking for stories that lift a mirror to the experiences of diverse children and young adults who feel big and overwhelming things–love, grief, joy, and everything in between. She is not a good fit for high fantasy multi-book series or in-verse novels.
PB (manuscript or dummy), MG, or YA Critiques Available: (at an additional cost)
ADDITIONAL COST:
- Premium Members: $60 USD
- Preview Users: $65 USD
For all submissions, format your work in 12 point font, with one-inch margins, and double spacing. (US Letter paper size-Include all materials in the same document; please don’t send two documents.)
- For Picture Book (PB): Please send entire manuscript or dummy and a 1- to 2-sentence pitch (in the same document).
- For Middle Grade and Young Adult (MG/YA): Please send up to 10 pages of your manuscript and a one-page, single-spaced synopsis (in the same document).
- For Translated works: Please follow the above guidelines specific to the category of your project and include a brief note about the source work (in the same document).
How to format your submission:
⇒For all submissions, format your manuscript in 12-point font, with one-inch margins, and double spacing (US Letter paper size). Include your synopsis in the same document (please don’t send two documents).
⇒Please SAVE YOUR FILE as Webinar Faculty Last Name_Your Last Name_TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT as a PDF or DOC or DOCx.
Example: Licon_Strocchia_A SERIES OF PURPLE CARROTS
⇒Then send your file to Kristen at [email protected]. The subject should read: Webinar Faculty Last Name_Your Last Name_TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT (same as saved file name).
Submission deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026.
We anticipate critiques to be returned on or about Tuesday, December 1, 2026.