Ariel Richardson, Senior Editor - Children's | CHRONICLE BOOKS
Ariel Richardson, Senior Editor - Children's | CHRONICLE BOOKS
Ariel Richardson loves to work at the intersection of art and impact. As the picture book lead at Chronicle Books, she has been lucky enough to work with such amazing authors and illustrators as Andy J. Pizza, Grant Snider, Elizabeth Partridge, Dan Nott, Rebecca Stead, Carole Boston Weatherford, Molly Idle, Dinara Mirtalipova, and Marc Martin, among others. Books she’s edited have received accolades, from Invisible Things debuting on the New York Times bestseller list to Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration winning the Robert F. Sibert Medal and Bologna Ragazzi Award. She has worked at three independent bookstores on two coasts, and has a masters degree in Children’s Literature from Simmons University.
Ariel Richardson will present the following programs:
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM - KEYNOTE
The Pep, the Prod, and the Pause: Managing the Emotional Roller Coaster of the Creative Process
- Publishing is a loooong journey. Let’s talk about how to pack your bag so you make it to your destination. Building mechanisms like the pep, the prod, and the pause in to our daily life can ensure inspiration, creativity, and the finished product manifests.
Presented by Ariel Richardson, Senior Editor - Children's | CHRONICLE BOOKS
1:05 PM - 2:05 PM - BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS
What Is Editing? [PB, ILLO]
- So often editors are seen as the ones with the red pen, the one who knows all the right answers. But for me, editing is first and foremost about relationships, about listening, about advocacy. It’s also about vision, understanding your audience, art direction, format development, and more. One case study: we’ll talk about the power of storyboarding, and making a dummy, as a tool for editing and revision.
Presented by Ariel Richardson, Senior Editor - Children's | CHRONICLE BOOKS
2:15 PM - 3:15 PM - BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS
Developing Your Career in Children’s Books [PB, ILLO]
- In this tough publishing climate where debut authors are having a harder time breaking out, and consumers tend to gravitate toward the familiar, it’s more important than ever for authors to find out-of-the-box opportunities to build their name recognition and brand, and bring in income. I love helping to grow my authors’ careers! Let’s talk about some of the best ways to do so, from how to write your author bio and manage your online presence to publication in magazines and where to find grants/retreats, etc.
Presented by Ariel Richardson, Senior Editor - Children's | CHRONICLE BOOKS
Ariel will provide WRITTEN WITH 20-MINUTE ZOOM critiques
Ariel will provide 10 written with Zoom meeting critiques for board books, picture books, and/or illustration portfolios. If you purchase one of Ariel's critiques, you will need to prepare the following:
Board Books or Picture Books - send one complete picture book manuscript, no more than 800 words as a PDF file.
Portfolios - send a link to your online portfolio of a PDF with no more than 15 illustrations.
Your critique materials will need to be received no later than Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
Post Conference Submission Opportunity
Ariel will accept submissions from attendees following the conference beginning Monday, November 16, 2026, to Sunday, May 16, 2027.
She is open to submissions the following categories and genres.
Category – illustration portfolios, board books, picture books
Genre – fiction, nonfiction, informational
Attendees may submit their manuscripts and portfolios via a special Query Manager link. The link will be sent to registrants.