Breakout Session #2

Breaking Into Book Covers with Maeve Norton

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what we want you to do. Art Director Maeve Norton’s session for illustrators focuses on breaking into book covers. Topics include: how to find clients, working with deadlines, setting budgets and creating the visual world of a book. This session will provide you with the tools you need, and didn’t know you needed, for a successful career as a cover illustrator.

Creating Memorable Characters with Shamar Knight-Justice

As illustrators, we have the unique opportunity to honor authors and their stories by bringing life to the protagonist. In this workshop we will investigate characters' features, gestures, and distinct attributes in order to understand what makes readers fall in love with them. Participants will begin by looking at examples of notable characters from classic and recent stories, then evaluate and revise their own original characters.

The Duet of Translation with Arthur A. Levine

If a solo performance requires a strong, distinctive instrument, then a duet takes those requirements and adds the necessity to blend. The ultimate effect relies on each instrumentalist to be attentive to the other, and to convey the piece of music TOGETHER. This is the process of translation; two artists working together to produce a beautiful performance of the music. This session will cover the way translators and authors work together and the steps a book takes to become available to readers in a foreign language market.

 Finding the Kid Viewpoint in Picture Book Biographies with Alyza Liu

While most picture book biographies are by and about adults, their audience is primarily young readers. How can authors and publishers find ways of making these biographies appealing to that audience, something they pick up for themselves instead of something they have to read for school? Join the editor of the forthcoming Can You Imagine: The Art and Life of Yoko Ono for a talk on theme, POV, and picture book biographies as “emotional portraiture.”

 From Pages to Panels: A Graphic Novel Writing Workshop for Authors with Whitney Leopard

Understanding visual literacy and how words translate into art is extremely important for any author writing a graphic novel. This session will focus on writing graphic novels and things all authors need to consider whether they are illustrating it themselves or are working with an artist. 

 How to Keep it Together when it feels like Your publishing Career is Falling Apart with Alison Weiss

A publishing career has lots of highs, but the path isn't always a smooth one: your next book isn’t acquired, you part ways with your agent, your editor leaves, or your book doesn't sell nearly as well as you expected. In this session, Alison Weiss gets honest about the tough side of the publishing business and examines ways authors and illustrators can use negative experiences to propel themselves to the next great thing.

 Kickstarter Publishing 101 with Oriana Leckert

Join Kickstarter's Head of Publishing, Oriana Leckert, for a look at the tips, tricks, and strategies behind successful crowdfunding campaigns. You'll learn about the benefits of building community and raising money through crowdfunding, the publishing landscape on Kickstarter, and the most important elements of building and running a project, illustrated with case studies from a variety of children's book authors and publishers.

 Page by Page: Breaking Down Picture Book Pagination with Kait Feldmann

We'll discuss pacing and pagination in this in-depth look at how picture books are printed and bound. This workshop is geared towards both authors and illustrators. If you have any picture books with you at home, grab a few and keep them next to you during the webinar for some hands-on exercises!

Person-ality: Exploring First, Second, and Third Person Voice with Cheryl Klein

Should your project be written in first person or third? What are the strengths and limitations of both? And when can you use second, if ever? We'll do a deep dive into the nuances of personae in this lecture-based workshop.