Quick Facts
HOST REGION: Eastern Pennsylvania
CONTACT: Kristen Strocchia [email protected]
COST: This is a FREE webinar made possible by a grant from SCBWI and the Authors Coalition of America.
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
The 3 FREE webinars in this series are made possible by a grant from SCBWI and the Authors Coalition of America.
Webinar Description
Strong historical fiction starts with solid research. In this webinar, writers will learn practical techniques and methods to help make historical middle grade and young adult novels authentic to their time.
We will look at the importance of books, journal articles, and historical newspapers of the era, and the value of primary sources, such as letters, photographs, and even government meeting minutes. Together we will explore search strategies with large collections like the Library of Congress or university archives, and highlight the value of working with local historians and historical societies.
We’ll end the webinar with practical strategies, including simple techniques for organization so your research is easy to manage and access throughout the writing process. We will also discuss a tried-and-true revision method that ensures historical details are naturally woven into the story throughout the manuscript.
This session is designed to help writers build a clear and manageable approach to research, enabling them to create historically grounded stories for young readers.
Meet the Faculty
MG or YA Critiques Available: (at an additional cost)
ADDITIONAL COST:
- Premium Members: $60 USD
- Preview Plan: $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 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: Barr_Strocchia_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, June 19, 2026.
We anticipate critiques to be returned on or about Monday, July 20, 2026.