For published *middle grade* authors! Win a 45-minute phone call with Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author and IP content generator, to take a deep dive into workshopping your career. Dhonielle will offer advice, troubleshooting, and ideas for how to navigate your book, agent, career trajectory, and/or challenges in the current publishing market.

Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of The Conjureverse series, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, Whiteout, The Rumor Game, and of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She is Board Chair of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. She is the President and founder of Cake Creative and Electric Postcard Entertainment, IP story companies creating diverse books for all ages.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Dhonielle Clayton.

Deck your book club halls with a spicy holiday romance book club kit! One lucky winner will receive 10 signed copies of a Christmas Notch book of their choice, plus a 30-minute Zoom visit to your book club from authors Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone! Options include A Merry Little Meet Cute, A Holly Jolly Ever After, or A Jingle Bell Mingle. Please note that A Jingle Bell Mingle won't be available until after September 24th, 2024.

Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone are best friends and now the co-conspirators behind the more-naughty-than-nice USA Today bestselling world of Christmas Notch, Vermont. They promise no gingerbread cookies were harmed during the production of these novels.

United States only.

Image: A graphic with the covers of A Merry Little Meet Cute, A Holly Jolly Ever After, and A Jingle Bell Mingle.

For educators and their students: Win a 30-minute Ask Me Anything about the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book, A Long Walk to Water. Connect with the author at a mutually agreed upon time via Zoom (or other platform). Linda Sue Park will answer as many questions as she can about the book, Salva, reading, writing, and more!

Linda Sue Park is the author of many books for young readers, including the 2002 Newbery Medal winner, A Single Shard, and the perpetual New York Times bestseller, A Long Walk to Water. She is the co-founder/curator of the Allida imprint for HarperCollins, and runs the kibooka.com website to highlight the work of Korean diaspora creators. She also serves on the advisory boards of We Need Diverse Books and the Rabbit hOle children's literature museum.

Win a 30-minute phone call with New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, where she will review the first 50 pages of your work-in-progress!

(Manuscript pages should be written in English. Open to any age range/genre.)

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels, including the Novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and her adult debut, Book of Night. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Holly Black.

Win a 30-minute phone, Zoom, or messaging conversation with No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White - and signed editions of FIVE of her novels! Choose your favorite variety, or five of the same novel to combine with the Zoom chat for the best book club meeting ever. Whatever the format, we're going to have fun!

Kiersten White is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of dozens of books for readers of all ages, including Star Wars: Padawan, the And I Darken trilogy, the Paranormalcy trilogy, the Buffyverse Slayer series, Hide, and Mister Magic.

United States only.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Kiersten White and the covers of And I Darken and Slayer.

Win a young adult query critique and a 30-minute AMA Zoom call with New York Times bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton! Come workshop your career with Dhonielle. She will offer feedback on your YA or MG query and answer any of your questions about the publishing industry.

Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of The Conjureverse series, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, Whiteout, The Rumor Game, and of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She is Board Chair of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. Dhonielle is also the President and founder of Cake Creative and Electric Postcard Entertainment, IP story companies creating diverse books for all ages.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Dhonielle Clayton.

Win a 30-minute Zoom AMA with Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of five YA books! Brendan will answer your questions about the writing, publication, or behind-the-scenes stories of any of his books.

Brendan Kiely is the New York Times bestselling author of four YA novels including All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds). His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award, the Walter Dean Myers Award, and was twice selected as one of the American Library Association's Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults. His most recent book, The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege, was a School Library Journal, Bank Street, and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Brendan Kiely.

Win a handwritten deleted scene from the world of Orphan Island, plus a thirty minute call with author Laurel Snyder to discuss your questions or ideas! Many people have asked Laurel about the mysteries of Orphan Island, and she has made a policy of not answering-but this is your chance to read some of the outtakes and backstory! You will receive an exclusive glimpse of what precipitated the creation of the island and what the world is like on the other side of the water. Laurel will also throw in a signed and personalized copy of Orphan Island.

Laurel Snyder is the author of thirty books for young readers, including the Geisel-winning Charlie and Mouse series with Emily Hughes, the National Book Award Nominee Orphan Island, and countless picture books, including Endlessly Ever After with Dan Santat. Her most recent novel is The Witch of Woodland.

Image: A graphic with the cover of Orphan Island and a headshot of Laurel Snyder.

Open internationally.

For published *young adult* authors! Win a 45-minute phone call with Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author and IP content generator, to take a deep dive into workshopping your career. Dhonielle will offer advice, troubleshooting, and ideas for how to navigate your book, agent, career trajectory, and/or challenges in the current publishing market.

Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of The Conjureverse series, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, Whiteout, The Rumor Game, and of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She is Board Chair of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. She is the President and founder of Cake Creative and Electric Postcard Entertainment, IP story companies creating diverse books for all ages.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Dhonielle Clayton.

Win a middle grade query critique and a 30-minute AMA Zoom call with New York Times bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton! Come workshop your career with Dhonielle. She will offer feedback on your YA or MG query and answer any of your questions about the publishing industry.

Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of The Conjureverse series, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, Whiteout, The Rumor Game, and of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She is Board Chair of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books. Dhonielle is also the President and founder of Cake Creative and Electric Postcard Entertainment, IP story companies creating diverse books for all ages.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Dhonielle Clayton.

Win a manuscript critique and 30 minute phone or video call with YA author Clara Kumagai! Clara will provide feedback on the first 30 pages of your YA manuscript and answer any questions you may have about the industry.

Clara Kumagai is from Canada, Japan, and Ireland. Catfish Rolling was nominated for the YOTO Carnegie Award, a finalist from the Great Reads Award and shortlisted for the 2023 KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards. She lives and writes in Ireland.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Clara Kumagai.

Win a three-chapter manuscript critique from Alison Green Myers! Share the first three chapters of your middle grade novel or novel in verse with Alison. Alison will check with you via email about the specific type of feedback you are seeking, provide a written critique, and then follow up with a 30-minute Zoom call to answer your questions and talk next steps.

Alison Green Myers serves as the program director for the Highlights Foundation facilitating fellowships for storytellers. Alison is a National Writing Project Fellow and the author of A Bird Will Soar which earned the Schneider family book award from the American Library Association. Alison would love to discuss middle grade books with you, and talk about two upcoming middle grade projects (especially the one with an alligator whose ring-name is Fuzzy).

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Alison Green Myers.

Win a query critique and 30-minute phone call with Lisa Moore Ramee, bestselling and award winning author of A Good Kind of Trouble, Something to Say, and MapMaker. Lisa will provide feedback on your MG query and chat with you about the publishing industry!

Lisa Moore Ramee still calls Los Angeles home even though she now lives in the Bay Area of Northern California. She counts coffee as one of her best friends and is a devout believer in dreams coming true. Her debut novel, A Good Kind of Trouble, is a Walter Dean Meyers Honor book, an Indie bestseller and made many "best of" lists for 2019. She is also the author of Something to Say, which received 3 starred reviews, MapMaker, and The Everybody Experiment.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Lisa Moore Ramee.

Win a query critique and a 30-minute chat with Nathan Bransford, former literary agent and author of the JACOB WONDERBAR series.

Nathan Bransford was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd and is the author of HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL and the JACOB WONDERBAR series. He started blogging in 2007 and his blog has consistently been named one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers by Writers Digest. He's dedicated to helping authors write what they love, navigate the publishing process, and successfully market their books.

Image: A headshot of Nathan Bransford.

Win a signed and annotated copy of The Otherwoods plus a query critique and 30-minute call or video call with Justine Pucella Winans, award-winning author of YA and MG fiction!

Justine Pucella Winans is a queer and nonbinary author who lives in Los Angeles with their husband and chaotic Halloween cats. They are the author of the acclaimed Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything, JLG Selection One Killer Problem, Stonewall Honor Book The Otherwoods, and the forthcoming Wishbone. When not writing spooky, funny, and queer books, Justine can be found training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or pushing off their massive TBR stack to read webcomics.

US only.

Image: A graphic with the cover of The Otherwoods and a headshot of Justine Pucella Winans.

Win a picture book manuscript critique and a 30 minute ask-me-anything phone call with bestselling author Joanna Ho! Joanna will offer feedback on your picture book manuscript and answer any questions you might have about your critique, the publishing process, etc.

Joanna Ho is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of many books for kids. She has received the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature Honor, a Golden Kite Award, an Ezra Jack Keats Honor, and a Golden Poppy Award.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Joanna Ho.

Win a critique of your fiction picture book manuscript and a 30-minute video chat with Paola Santos, author of How to Eat a Mango. Paola will offer feedback on your manuscript and answer any of your questions about the publishing industry!

Paola Santos is a children's book author born and raised in Venezuela. Her stories are woven with her culture, experience in a new country, hope, happiness, and diversity. Paola holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in Literature and Children's Literature and Reading Promotion. Her debut picture book, How to Eat a Mango (Holiday House), illustrated by Juliana Perdomo, will be released on July 16, 2024.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Paola Santos.

Win a written picture book manuscript critique from Vicki Johnson, author of Molly's Tuxedo. Vicki will review your manuscript, line by line, and offer her feedback via email, with a 30-minute follow-up call to discuss the edits and any questions you may have about the publishing industry.

Vicki Johnson's debut picture book is Molly's Tuxedo (Little Bee Books), illustrated by Gillian Reid. Vicki was a 2022 Lambda Literary Fellow. Molly's Tuxedo is a 2024 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Recommended Book, a 2024 American Library Association Rainbow Book List selection, and a 2023 Ontario Library Association Top Ten 'Best Bets' Picture Book.

US only.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Vicki Johnson.

Win a picture book manuscript critique and 30-minute phone call with Emily Sun Li, Simmons children's literature MFA candidate and author of picturebook Mr. Chow's Night Market (forthcoming in Spring 2026 with Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House)! Emily will offer feedback on your (ideally non-rhyming) picture book manuscript and answer any questions about the publishing industry and/or MFA programs in children's literature.

Emily Sun Li is a Chinese American writer pursuing an MA in Children's Literature and MFA in Writing for Children at Simmons University. Previously, she spent two years teaching English and studying Mandarin Chinese in Kaohsiung, Taiwan as a Fulbright scholar. Her debut picture book, Mr. Chow's Night Market, releases in Spring 2026 in a two-book deal with Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Emily Sun Li.

Marcie will chat with you for 30-minutes via zoom to answer questions you may have about the most recent stand-alone crime novel, Where They Last Saw Her, or questions related to the Cash Blackbear crime series.

Open internationally.

Marcie R. Rendon is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation, author, playwright, poet, and freelance writer. She is the author of the Cash Blackbear series; stand-alone crime; and 2020 McKnight Artist of the Year.

Image: A headshot of Marcie R. Rendon.

Win a 30-minute ask me anything with award-winning children's author Valerie Bolling! Valerie will be happy to answer questions about the publishing industry and provide tips/advice to support you on your publication journey.

Valerie Bolling is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves and feel seen and heard, valued, and validated. She's the author of six picture books as well as a Scholastic Acorn early reader series, Rainbow Days. Sharing her books with children and inspiring them to write their own stories brings Valerie immense joy!

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Valerie Bolling.

Win a 30-minute phone call with bestselling author and video game writer Brittney Morris, plus a signed and annotated copy of her book Slay. During your call, Brittney will answer any of your questions about her books or the publishing industry!

Brittney Morris is the bestselling author of Slay, The Cost of Knowing, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Wings of Fury, and The Jump. She also writes video games and has contributed to projects such as The Lost Legends of Redwall, Subnautica: Below Zero, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Marvel's Wolverine. Brittney is an NAACP Image Award nominee, an ALA Black Caucus Youth Literary Award winner, and an Ignite Award Finalist.

US only.

Image: A graphic of Slay and a headshot of Brittney Morris.

Win a behind-the-scenes 30-minute AMA with Teresa Robeson, the APALA Picture Book Award-winning author of Queen of Physics. Teresa will answer any of your questions about her books and the publishing industry! She will also offer a signed copy of Who is Tibet's Exiled Leader? The 14th Dalai Lama to the winner (if located in the U.S. or Canada).

Teresa Ho Robeson is an Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Picture Book Award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction books on science, nature, and her own culture, as exemplified by her debut Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom (illus. Rebecca Huang) to the upcoming Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us (MIT Kids/Candlewick; illus. Diana Rezina), Who Smashed Hollywood Barriers with Gung Fu?: Bruce Lee (Penguin Workshop; illus. Ryan Inzana), and Clear and Bright: The Ching Ming Festival (Astra; illus. William Low).

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Teresa Robeson and the cover of Who is Tibet's Exiled Leader? The 14th Dalai Lama.

Win an exclusive 30-minute Zoom conversation with Ha Dinh, author of Where Wildflowers Grow, The Jade Bracelet, and The Moon Lantern. Ha will offer behind-the-scenes insights on her books and publishing journey from the classroom to publication.

Ha Dinh is a children's book author and educator with 16 years of teaching experience in the primary grades. She is the founder of Happy Days in First Grade Blog and Teaching Resources. Her debut picture, Where Wildflowers Grow, was published in 2023 by Waterbrook & Multnomah/Penguin Random House.

US only.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Ha Dinh

Win a 45-minute Zoom call for a tarot reading and AMA with Clare Edge, author of the MG fantasy series Accidental Demons and the YA fantasy romance I Put a Spell on You (both forthcoming from Harper). First Clare will pull some cards to help get clarity and insights into your WIP (or any other creative project you're feeling stuck on) and then you'll have a chance to ask any questions you might have!

Clare Edge is an author (and witch) who was raised in the Rocky Mountains. Their novels Accidental Demons and I Put a Spell on You are forthcoming from Harper. They have too many degrees, too few cats, and often too much or too little blood sugar.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Clare Edge.

Win a 30-minute Zoom call with Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Riot Baby and Goliath. Tochi will offer insights on the creative process of his novels and a behind-the scenes look at the development of his upcoming essay collection!

Tochi Onyebuchi is the author of Riot Baby, Goliath, and the War Girls and Beasts Made of Night series. An award-winning author and essayist, he is the author of the upcoming essay collection, Is This a Race Book?.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Tochi Onyebuchi.

Win a 30-minute call with bestselling author Dana Alison Levy! You will have the chance to ask Dana anything publishing and writing related. She will answer your questions on writing, querying, working with an agent, getting published, and more!

Dana Alison Levy is the author of bestselling and critically acclaimed books for kids and teens, including the Family Fletcher books and It Wasn't Me. Her books have garnered multiple starred reviews, been named to several "best books of the year" lists, and have been Junior Library Guild Selections. Some of them have also been banned. Dana was last seen reading banned books with her family in New England.

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Dana Alison Levy.

Is she still friends with Martha? Did she really hear her teacher using the bathroom? Did she marry Mike Miller? Author, illustrator, and graphic novelist Cece Bell, will take as many "insider" questions as possible (within a 30-minute time period) about her autobiographical graphic novel, EL DEAFO.

Cece Bell is the author and illustrator of the Newbery-honor winning graphic novel, EL DEAFO, which chronicles her childhood experiences with hearing loss. Her latest book, ANIMAL ALBUMS FROM A-Z, is a picture book celebration of music featuring 26 album covers and 26 songs in 26 different genres, all of which showcase her "goofy, deeply affectionate, no-detail-left-behind creativity" (Publishers Weekly).

Image: A headshot of author and illustrator Cece Bell and an image of the book cover for EL DEAFO.

United States only.

Win a 30-minute phone with Angela Dominguez, New York Times bestselling illustrator of Just Help! and author of the popular Stella Diaz series! Angela will give you insight into her published work and share her tips about getting published.

Angela Dominguez is the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time Pura Belpre Illustration Honoree. Her most notable work includes Just Help! written by Sonia Sotomayor, the popular Stella Diaz series, and many bilingual picture books.

US only.

Image: A graphic with a headshot of Angela Dominguez.

Win a signed and annotated copy of The Quince Project by Jessica Parra! Jessica will sign your copy and include at least 5-7 insider notes throughout the book, by hand either on the pages or on Post-It notes! Winner will also receive a 30-minute phone or Zoom call with Jessica, where she will offer behind-the-scenes insight about her publication journey and answer any questions you may have about yours.

As a lawyer and daughter of Guatemalan and Cuban bakers, Jessica Parra never objects to an extra slice of cake. She's a Los Angeles native who loves to write about Latinas with big hair (and even bigger dreams), complicated families, and the healing magic of acceptance. She's the author of Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success, as well as the forthcoming The Quince Project, both published with Wednesday Books, and many unfinished first drafts about cats living their best lives-all nine of them. When she isn't drafting books you can find her sipping kombucha, cuddling with her kitties, or co-piloting the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge. You can visit Jessica at jessicaparra.com

Open internationally.

Image: A graphic with the cover of The Quince Project and a headshot of Jessica Parra.