Kidlit Writing & Illustration Resources
I created a guide filled with all my recommendations for classes, workshops, mentorships, podcasts, conferences, and more...
Picture this:
It’s your first day of middle school at a brand new school. You toured the school over the summer, but can’t really remember where the bathrooms are. And which hallway are you supposed to be in? Are you dressed ok? What are you even supposed to wear in middle school? Are you gonna fit in? It seems like everyone else already knows each other as you walk down the hall looking for your locker. They’re laughing, telling secret jokes that you’re not privy to. You find your locker, but you can’t unlock it even though you swear you’ve got the code right! The bell rings. You’re late!
Did you ever experience the “new guy” feelings? Starting new things does feel a little like this. Everyone seems to know what they’re doing and you’re just starting from scratch. Well, everyone doesn’t actually know what they’re doing. It’s just our own insecurity telling us we’re the odd one out.
I felt this way when I first started out in the kidlit world. I really didn’t know how or where to begin. But after 6 years of clawing my way into hanging out in the industry, I decided to create a list of resources that will hopefully help you out! This is a list of my own personal recommendations, not a comprehensive list of everything. I only want to recommend the things I’ve had experience with and can get behind.
*There is some overlap for middle grade and young adult, but since my main focus is picture books this is geared more toward that.
*I also considered putting this list behind a paywall because it took me quite a long time to put together, but ultimately decided to make it free because I think these resources should be available for everyone! Who am I to gatekeep? Especially since there are people recommended who are also making their way in the business and deserve to be seen by everyone. BUT, if you’d like to support me and become a paid subscriber it would be SO appreciated. It helps me spend more time bringing you this kind of content. I still have my sale going on that you can read about here. Ok, I’m done. :)
So let’s dive in!
Let’s start here:
SCBWI: Let’s start with this. SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Hello, mouthful.) is the first place I would recommend anyone going if you’re a picture book creator. They are filled to the brim with resources. Conferences, retreats, workshops, classes, community, I could go on and on. They’re how I found both of the critique groups I’m in and have played a vital role in finding my footing in the industry. You need to pay an annual membership fee, and, full disclosure, a lot of the workshops, retreats, etc. are an additional cost.
Writing Classes/Courses/Workshops:
Writing Barn: One of the top places I’d recommend going for writing workshops.
Highlights Foundation: I’ve taken many workshops on writing with them and always walk away with good nuggets of information. They also have in-person programs and retreats.
Good Story Company: They have a variety of services, including editing services, classes, a writing community, a blog, podcast, and Substack.
Inked Voices: They have critique groups, accountability groups, and webinars.
Gotham Writers: They’ve got loads of writing courses in a variety of topics and genres, including picture books, middle grade and YA.
Illustration Classes/Courses/Workshops:
SVS Learn: I’ve recommended them before. You can pay for their classes annually, and depending on which tier you choose can have access to challenges, community, and live events. I did the Essentials course.
Skillshare: This is a membership you pay for annually and then can access their entire library of classes. Skillshare is chockfull of all sorts of creative classes. Children’s illustration, hand lettering, sewing, procreate, etc.
Domestika: purchase individual classes that are always great deals. I especially loved this class by Mark Hoffman.
Illustration Dept. I’ve done portfolio reviews and a mentorship with Giuseppe Casellano, former art director for Penguin Random House, and I highly recommend. He has all sorts of classes and is a great resource.
Orange Beak Studio: a fantastic team comprised of author-illustrators and an art director, they host “Orange Beak Evenings,” which are virtual workshops and industry insights with authors and illustrators, along with tutorial services for writing and illustrating.
Make Art That Sells: Led by Lilla Rogers, this is an extremely popular course and I know loads of people that have taken and loved it!
Retreats:
Milkwood: Run by the incomparable Sophie Blackall, who took an old barn and renovated it into a magical retreat for kidlit creators, this is the place I want to go more than anywhere! She runs a variety of retreats and residencies throughout the summer that you can only get into by lottery or invitation. I’ve been accepted a couple of times and my schedule didn’t allow me to go. *Crying into my shirt* But ONE DAY I will make it there!
Highlights Foundation: Lots of retreat options here!
Orange Beak: If you live on the other side of the pond (as they like to say) or are willing to travel, I think it would be so fun to go to an OB retreat!
SCBWI also does regional retreats. My region does a retreat every other year.
Lots of writers and artists host retreats all around the world. I was lucky enough to attend Rebecca Green and Meera Lee Patel’s retreat in France three years ago. So keep a lookout for those!
Conferences:
SCBWI: And it shows up again! They have annual in-person conferences in New York, virtual conferences based out of California, and Regional conferences/retreats. I’ve been to the NYC conference and my regional conferences and they truly are worth it!
Picture Book Summit: A virtual conference with incredible speakers (like Vashti Harrison and Jason Chin) and workshops, this is a great opportunity for those who can’t attend in-person events.
Big Sur: Hosted by Andrea Brown Literary Agency this is an in-person workshop where industry professionals mentor you in small group settings. It’s a three-day event so I’m putting it under conferences, even though technically it’s a workshop.
There are a lot of literature and library conferences also available. I’m happy to also add these to an updated list if people are interested. Just comment and let me know if you’d like to see these added.
Podcasts:
Illustration Dept.: Here it is again! Giuseppe releases weekly interviews with illustrators, art directors, agents, and more.
Creative Pep Talk: Hosted by author-illustrator Andy J. Pizza, he often interviews other industry peeps, or just talks about “building a thriving creative practice.” He’s honestly got some of the best insights I’ve heard and I really enjoy it.
3 Point Perspective: Hosts Jake Park, Lee White, (and Will Terry who recently left) talk all about illustration and how to make a living out of it.
My Creative Life: Hosted by Nancy Miller, she interviews folks in the industry. And you might just hear me in a future interview!
Gab ‘n’ Doodle: This isn’t a podcast, but a live drawing session on Instagram hosted by author-illustrator Mark Hoffman. He has different illustrators on each week to draw and talk about life and the industry. It’s super fun!
Mentorships:
Illustration Dept.: Geez, he’s practically in every category! I got so much out of my 3 month mentorship with him that I had to put him in here.
Catia Chien: I want to be like Catia when I grow up. She offers 2-month long mentorships, group mentorships, or 1:1 sessions a la carte.
Anoosha Syed: Author-illustrator with loads of knowledge, she just launched a big rebranding for her site, including a mentorship option you can sign up for.
PB Rising Stars: This is a free mentorship you apply to that “pairs agented picture book creators that are knowledgeable about querying, author-agent relationships, being on submission, book deals, and contract language, with the next generation of children’s book creators for an immersive, three-month, one-on-one mentorship experience that is more than just a critique.”
Critiques
Illustration Dept.: You can purchase 1:1 critiques, but he also hosts a free weekly online group critique every Thursday evening!
Melissa Mwai: I actually won a critique with her earlier in the year and it was really helpful and organized!
Anne Appert: She’s got some great work out there and although I haven’t personally done a critique with her I would trust her 100%.
Carolyn Fraiser: She’s in my writing critique group and is just fantastic at story. She also keeps a calendar of contests and events on her website that you should check out!
Jenny Bowman: Creative writer and children’s book editor with experience editing books on the New York Times bestselling book and series lists.
SCBWI sometimes has regional events that offer critiques. Just another reason to sign up for a membership with them.
People to Follow:
Anoosha Syed: Author-illustrator with a decade of experience sharing her professional journey. (I mentioned her mentorship above.) I love her transparency of her experience in the industry. She’s on all the social platforms, including Youtube and Substack.
Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Another fantastic author-illustrator who has a lot of resources available on her site. She also is a huge trailblazer on Bluesky and has done so much there to boost the kidlit community.
Tara Lazar: Tara is an author with a fantastic blog filled with resources. She also is the creator of Storystorm, an annual writing challenge to help generate ideas. I participated for the first time this year and it was fantastic!
Rebecca Green: One of the most beloved illustrators in the industry, she’s been writing a blog for years sharing behind the scenes of her process. She has a Patreon for only $5 that I highly recommend.
Where to look for agents:
Publishers Marketplace: This requires a membership, but I’d say it’s worth it to pay for a month or two to do your research on agents. You can track any agents deals and what publishers/editors they’ve worked with.
Query Tracker: You can search for agents and keep track of your queries.
SCBWI- The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children: If you sign up for a membership you can download this guide that has a list of agencies.
Pick up your favorite books, or books that are similar to what you write/illustrate, look up the author and/or illustrator and find out who their agent is.
Publishing Stuff
Publishers Weekly: Get up to date news on what’s happening in the industry and all the latest book releases.
Kirkus: reviews, blogs and profiles of authors
The Horn Book: a journal of children’s literature, free e-newsletters, a blog, and unique web content
School Library Journal: an American monthly magazine and website for librarians and educators that provides reviews, news, and articles.
Jane Friedman: Jane reports on the publishing industry to help authors understand the business.
Books:
Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
The Interaction of Color by Josef Albers
Dear Genius by Leonard S. Marcus
Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang
Drawing for Illustration by Martin Salisbury
Phew! Ok, I feel like this was a big chunk of info to digest and I hope you can take the time to look through it all. If there are any categories you’d like to see added please comment and let me know! I would be happy to keep this list updated. Maybe a resource page on my website?
I hope you’ve found this helpful and if you have any questions just reach out to me. And if you sign up for any of these you gotta let me know! Until next time!
xo,
Katie
🤝
Excellent list to go back to! Thanks for compiling this :)