A One-Day Summer Workshop

  If you’ve ever said…

“I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book.”

“I’ve got so many book ideas in my head, but I don’t know where to start.”

“I’ve written a picture book or two, but I have no idea what to do with them.”

…then this day is for YOU!

When: Friday, July 29, 2016 * 9:30 – 4:30
Where: Landfair Schoolhouse, Celina, Ohio
Cost: $95 per person

Your workshop fee includes: A full day of information about writing for kids at Michelle’s restored 1894 one-room schoolhouse studio, lunch, snacks, workshop materials, collaboration with others who love children and the books they read and one free post-workshop critique (one picture book manuscript or 10 pages of a longer work) from Michelle.
What this workshop will do:
• Introduce participants to the world of children’s literature, its publishing houses, and those individuals who are instrumental in bringing books for young readers to life.
• Answer questions such as: Who is the intended audience for picture books? chapter books? middle-grade books? teen or Young Adult books?
• Answer questions such as: how many pages or words should my book contain?
• Provide information about which publishing houses are open to submissions and which are not.
• Help a writer know when their work is ready to submit.
• Answer the BIG question: Do I need a literary agent? What does an agent do?
• Define the role of an editor.
• Discuss the author/illustrator collaboration in picture book design.
• Provide collaborative, sharing time with other writers.
• Offer you the opportunity to send a published author up to 10 pages of a children’s manuscript for a written critique within 3 months of the conclusion of the workshop.

What this workshop isn’t:
• It’s not a revision workshop. (Stay tuned for information about Michelle’s Picture Book Revision Retreat, a weekend dedicated completely to revising a picture book manuscript.)
• It’s not a how-to self-publish workshop. While some authors successfully self-publish their books, this workshop is about the world of traditionally-published children’s literature.

**SPACE IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 20 REGISTRANTS **

An email to Michelle will hold your spot

Michelle Houts

is the author of four published middle-grade books, three fiction and one biography. She has two forthcoming picture books and another biography and a new series under contract. Michelle is published by legendary children’s publishing houses Random House and Candlewick Press as well as smaller presses. She won the 2011 International Reading Association Children’s Book Award for Intermediate Fiction. Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild and Bank Street College Best Books of 2014. She’s been featured in Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs. Michelle is represented by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary.