Win a 30-min AMA call with picture book author Anitra Rowe Schulte or receive a picture book critique by Anitra! Your choice.

Anitra Rowe Schulte is the picture book author of DANCING WITH DADDY, illustrated by Ziyue Chen, and WILLOW AND BUNNY, illustrated by Christopher Denise, which is set for Fall 2022. Anitra is a proud member of the 2021 debut group PB Debut Troupe 21 and 2022 group PB Tales of 2022.

Image: A headshot of Anitra Rowe Schulte.

Win a 30-minute video call consultation on querying, researching, writing, editing, or working at a literary agency with Donald Maass Literary Agency Assistant, Rae Loverde.

Rae Loverde has been an agency assistant at Donald Maass Literary Agency for 5 years - a position she owes largely to the generous WNDB grant that helped her get started in publishing. She is also a freelance editor and agented author who loves writing diverse adult SFF and chasing Inej and Kell, her too-appropriately named editor cats, off her keyboard.

Image: A headshot of Rae Loverde.

Win an hour-long phone or Zoom consultation with Emma D. Dryden, Founder & Principal of drydenbks LLC (Children's Editorial and Publishing Consultancy Firm). During the call you can discuss your publishing questions, submission strategies, writing conundrums, and more! Prior to the consultancy, Emma will ask you to send some information by email which will be kept confidential and which will guide your conversation to make it as valuable for you as possible.

Emma D. Dryden established her premiere children's editorial and publishing consultancy firm, drydenbks, in 2010 after many years as a highly regarded children's book editor and VP, Publisher with Simon & Schuster. In her 35-plus year career, Emma has edited more than 1,000 books for young readers, many of which received awards and medals, including the National Book Award Honor, Newbery Honor, and Caldecott Honor, and which hit bestseller lists in USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly. Emma is on SCBWI's Advisory Council, leads craft workshops around the world, and can be found at drydenbks.com.

Win an AMA about publishing via Zoom call with Literary Agent Eva Scalzo from Speilburg Literary.

Eva Scalzo has a B.A. in the Humanities from the University of Puerto Rico and a M.A. in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College. Since graduating, she has spent her career in scholarly publishing, working for Houghton Mifflin, Blackwell Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, and Cornell University in a variety of roles. She has been with Speilburg Literary since 2013, and started accepting clients in 2017. Eva is a member of the AALA, RWA, and SCBWI.

In Adult Fiction, Eva represents Romance (all subgenres but inspirational) and Science Fiction/Fantasy. She also represents all subgenres of Young Adult Fiction and select Middle Grade.

Image: A headshot of Eva Scalzo.

Win a 30-minute AMA with Writer, Editor, and Creative Coach Heidi Fiedler.

Heidi says, "You bring the questions. I'll bring the answers. Together we will tend to your confidence, creative process, career goals, and more. Sessions are designed to be energizing, actionable, and totally customized to meet your needs. This is a chance to talk in real time about all the different elements of your writing life, so you can bring your vision to life!"

Valid for 6 months

Heidi Fiedler does the deep thinking that's needed to transform ideas into children's books. She makes picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction for kids with curious minds and kind hearts. It's been her pleasure to work on more than 300 titles for clients ranging from Scholastic to Chronicle. Her credits include 180 nonfiction books in partnership with Time for Kids, 90 picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, plus a wide variety of activity books, and art and craft books. After working in publishing for nearly 15 years, She's so excited to see her own picture books and chapter books making their way into the world.

Image: A headshot of Heidi Fiedler.

Win an autographed copy of Law & Authors: A Legal Handbook for Writers plus a 30-minute Zoom consultation on preparing for a career in publishing (or anything else the author/illustrator wants!) with Attorney, Contract Consultant, and Literary Agent Jacqui Lipton.

Will ship in the United States.

Jacqui Lipton is an attorney, contract consultant, and literary agent who specializes in children's literature and the law of the publishing industry. She founded Raven Quill Literary Agency in 2019 and is the author of LAW & AUTHORS: A LEGAL HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS.

Image: A headshot of Jacqui Lipton.

Win a 30-min AMA with New York Times bestselling author of 31 books, including titles with Taraji Henson, Steve Harvey and Will Smith, and publisher of her eponymous imprint at Simon & Schuster, Denene Millner. Ask about publishing - from writing a proposal, to what to look for in a solid agent, to finding story inspiration, to ghostwriting, to books-to-film, to getting published, and so much more. Consultation will be virtual, informative, and fun!

Denene Millner is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of 31 books, including "The Fresh Princess," co-written with Will Smith, and "The Vow," the novel on which the Lifetime movie, "With This Ring," was based. Denene is also the editor of Denene Millner Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint that won Newbery and Caldecott honors and the Kirkus Prize for Children's Literature in its debut year. Denene co-hosts Georgia Public Broadcasting's "A Seat at the Table," a talk show about black women, and is the host of "Speakeasy," a podcast that examines blackness. Her upcoming novel, "The Beautiful Blood," (St. Martin's Press) a multi-generational epic about motherhood, adoption and race, debuts in 2023. The mom of two lives in Atlanta; she is @mybrownbaby across all social media platforms.

Win a 30-minute "Ask Me Anything" video call with professional illustrator & instructor Julia Kuo!

Julia Kuo is a Taiwanese-American illustrator who has worked with the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Science Friday and has taught illustration courses at Columbia College Chicago and at her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis. Books she's illustrated include Livia Blackburne's I Dream of Popo, Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin's I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story, and Katrina Goldsaito's The Sound of Silence. Julia lives in Seattle, Washington.

Image description: Julia Kuo headshot

Win a 60-minute consultation call with editor Holly Ingraham! Ask anything about publishing, get career advice, brainstorm current story ideas, and more!

Holly Ingraham is an award-winning developmental editor with over thirteen years' worth of industry experience. After working at BookEnds Literary and spending 10 years as an acquisitions editor for St. Martin's Press, she founded Holly Ingraham Editorial in 2018. She is a RevPit Board member and lives just outside NYC with her husband, twin daughters and two furbabies.

Image: A headshot of Holly Ingraham.

Win a 30-minute Zoom AMA with picture book author Darshana Khiani. Discuss anything to do with the writing life-craft, publishing, work-life balance, marketing. Plus, receive a signed copy of her picture book How To Wear A Sari

Will ship in the US.

Darshana Khiani is the author of the funny, charming picture book HOW TO WEAR A SARI. She is also a champion of South Asian children's literature. She runs a quarterly newsletter featuring upcoming South Asian Kidlit titles which is read by booksellers, librarians, and influencers.

Image: A headshot of Darshana Khiani.

Win a 30-minute chat with author A.M. Dassu! Chat about anything related to publishing, submitting to agents, writing freelance, the publishing process, or Boy, Everywhere. Even have Dassu look at a query letter within the 30 minutes.

A.M. Dassu is an award winning writer of both non-fiction and fiction including the internationally acclaimed novel Boy, Everywhere which is one of The Guardian's, Bookriot's, and BookTrust's Best Children's Books of 2020 and has been given a much coveted star from Kirkus, Booklist and Publisher's Weekly. It is on Amnesty's Books That Inspire Activism list and has been listed for 12 awards including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the "most prestigious accolade for children's books in the UK" and is the 2021 winner of The Little Rebels Award for Radical Fiction and also the 2021 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. She is Deputy Editor of SCBWI-BI's magazine, Words & Pictures, and a Director of Inclusive Minds, a unique organisation for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality, and accessibility in children's literature. She is also patron of The Other Side of Hope, a new print and online literary magazine, edited by immigrants and refugees which serves to celebrate the refugee and immigrant communities worldwide and one of The National Literacy_Trust 's Connecting Stories campaign authors which aims to help inspire a love of reading and writing in children and young people. Previously, she has worked in project management, marketing, and editorial. Her work has been published by The Huffington Post, Times Educational Supplement, SCOOP Magazine, Lee and Low Books, DK Books and Harper Collins. When she isn't battling emails or writing, she mentors aspiring authors and loves to shout about other people's books.

Image: A headshot of A.M. Dassu.

Win a 30-minute phone call or video chat with Capstone's Content Strategist, Miriam Moore-Keish. Ask her anything about publishing!

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Miriam Moore-Keish received her B. A. in English from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, and her MPhil in Education and Critical Approaches to Children's Literature from the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK.

She has written and edited books for all ages, consulted on manuscripts, taught creative writing classes, guest lectured, and engaged in general bookwormery. Miriam currently publishes children's books at Capstone, designs anti-bias preschool curricula, writes for We Need Diverse Books, curates libraries' children's collections, and edits everything she reads (including the morning crossword).

She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they don't (but she does) sweeten their tea.

Image: A headshot of Miriam Moore-Keish.

Pre-published and published authors: ask your questions about the query process, an author's relationship with an agent vs. an editor, critique groups, marketing your book, author visits, and more! Valerie looks forward to learning about your aspirations and sharing her knowledge and advice about the publishing industry.

Valerie Bolling is the author of the 2021 SCBWI Crystal Kite award-winning and CT Book Award finalist, Let's Dance!, and has been an educator for almost 30 years. Since her book was released a week before the pandemic shutdown, she has been engaged in numerous virtual storytimes and author panels. Immersed in the writing community, Valerie is on the faculty at Westport Writers' Workshop and a member of SCBWI, the Authors Guild, NCTE, and ILA. She is also a 2020 WNDB Mentee and a 2022 WNDB Mentor as well as a member of Black Creators HeadQuarters, The Brown Bookshelf and Highlights Foundation's Amplify Black Stories, and 12X12 Picture Book Challenge. In addition, Valerie is a member of three co-marketing groups - Kid Lit in Color, Soaring 20s PBs, and PB Crew 22 - and three picture book critique groups. Valerie has two books scheduled for release in 2022 (Together We Ride and City Fun), five more slated for 2023, and one for 2024.

Image: A headshot of Valerie Bolling.

Win a 30-minute AMA call with children's author Dorothy H. Price to talk about the writing journey.

Dorothy says: "Everyone has questions about the writing journey. Especially if you just started, or haven't reached the goal you set for yourself ... years ago. That's okay. Keep going, don't quit! Easier said than done, I know. But I've tucked away some wisdom nuggets (yep, I made that up) along my 10-plus year journey to landing an agent and my first agented book deal, this year! Might you be interested in hearing how those nuggets can help you cross the finish line too?"

Dorothy H. Price is a writer and author. Her first book, NANA'S FAVORITE THINGS, was published in 2016. In 2019, Dorothy was one of three picture book authors selected for the We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program. Find her on Twitter @dorothyhp or IG @dhpwrites.

Image: A headshot of Dorothy H. Price.

Win a 45-minute phone or video call with Ashley Wells, who has worked in self-publishing for over five years.

Ashley says: "Ask me anything about self-publishing. We can discuss the publishing process, creating a marketing plan, resources...anything you'd like. If I don't know the answer to one of your questions, I probably know another expert who does."

Ashley Wells has worked in the self-publishing world for over five years. She can help equip self-publishing authors with resources for success.

Ashley Wells Ajinkya is a relationship manager in the publishing industry, a We Need Diverse Books blog contributor, and an Ambassador for The Pad Project. She's also a mental health advocate and public speaker, sharing relatable personal experiences to break down damaging stigmas surrounding disability and mental illness. Ashley loves to travel and enjoys planning trips just as much as hopping on a plane. She can almost always be found with an iced coffee in one hand and a book in the other. You can find her online at ashleywells.squarespace.com.

Image: A headshot of Ashley Wells.

Win an hour-long video call where you can ask Foyinsi Adegbonmire, Associate Editor at Feiwel & Friends, anything about publishing- from questions about getting a book deal to questions about becoming an editor.

Foyinsi Adegbonmire is an Associate Editor at Feiwel & Friends, under the Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. She acquires Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, from contemporary to mystery to grounded science-fiction, and enjoys lighthearted stories with conversational narrative voices. She's in love with romance and forever searching for fluffy YA contemporary romances. When not reading or thinking about her very large TBR pile, she can be found watching Black sitcoms from the 90s/early 2000s and crime shows like Criminal Minds, or obsessing over journals and bullet journaling.

Image: A headshot of Foyinsi Adegbonmire.

Win a 30-min Google Meet AMA with adult romance author R. L. Merrill. Writing your first book or twentieth and need a brainstorming partner? Have a complete manuscript but unsure of what to do next? Published your first book and want some help deciding how much social media/promo is right for you? R. L. Merrill would love to chat with you via Google Meet and share ideas and experiences she's had throughout her publishing career. With follow-up email support!

Fun, Fresh Fiction with Feeling

If R.L. Merrill is your local hard rock/metal radio station, Rochelle is her Adult Contemporary alter ego. Spinning feel-good stories to make you laugh and swoon, Ro writes romance for grown-ups who use their words (mostly) and take care of business. She's a mom and wife who's on hiatus from a career in education while she explores the new terrain of mid-life adventures. You can catch her walking and gardening in her neighborhood by the Bay, spoiling her rescue pets, and dreaming of attending concerts and theaters again someday. Stay Tuned for more hits coming your way?

Image: A headshot of R. L. Merrill.

Win a 30-minute AMA Zoom or phone call with Alli Brydon, freelance editor. Alli invites you to ask anything about the publishing industry, including your personal career questions.

AMA Zoom call must be taken within the first 6 months of 2022.

Alli Brydon is a freelance children's book editor, author, and lifelong New Yorker who now lives in the UK. She is the editor of the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo and writer of fiction and nonfiction for Scholastic, Lonely Planet, NatGeo Kids, Sourcebooks, and more. With over 15 years of experience developing, editing, writing, and selling books on both sides of the Atlantic, Alli has spent a large part of her career nurturing authors and illustrators to improve their craft and create outstanding children's books. Please drop in at allibrydoncreative.com to learn more, sign up to receive her blog posts by email, or just say "hi."

Image: A headshot of Alli Brydon.

Win a 30-minute AMA phone consultation with Patrice Caldwell, literary agent and author. During this time, you can ask Patrice anything about publishing. This is not a critique of your work, but Patrice is happy to answer publishing questions.

This phone call offer expires on December 31, 2022.

Patrice Caldwell is a graduate of Wellesley College and the founder of People of Color in Publishing-a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting, empowering, and uplifting racially and ethnically marginalized members of the book publishing industry. Born and raised in Texas, Patrice was a children's book editor before becoming a literary agent.

She's been named to Forbes' "30 Under 30" media list, a Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree, and featured on Bustle's inaugural "Lit List" as one of ten women changing the book world.

Patrice's debut novel, Where Shadows Reign-the first in a YA fantasy duology-is out in 2023 from Wednesday Books/Macmillan. She is also the editor of A Phoenix First Must Burn, 16 stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope (out now) and Eternally Yours, a YA Paranormal Romance anthology out in Fall 2022. Visit Patrice online at patricecaldwell.com, Twitter @whimsicallyours, and Instagram @whimsicalaquarian.

Image: A headshot of Patrice Caldwell.

Win a 30-minute AMA phone consultation with Patrice Caldwell, literary agent and author. During this time, you can ask Patrice anything about publishing. This is not a critique of your work, but Patrice is happy to answer publishing questions.

This phone call offer expires on December 31, 2022.

Patrice Caldwell is a graduate of Wellesley College and the founder of People of Color in Publishing-a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting, empowering, and uplifting racially and ethnically marginalized members of the book publishing industry. Born and raised in Texas, Patrice was a children's book editor before becoming a literary agent.

She's been named to Forbes' "30 Under 30" media list, a Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree, and featured on Bustle's inaugural "Lit List" as one of ten women changing the book world.

Patrice's debut novel, Where Shadows Reign-the first in a YA fantasy duology-is out in 2023 from Wednesday Books/Macmillan. She is also the editor of A Phoenix First Must Burn, 16 stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope (out now) and Eternally Yours, a YA Paranormal Romance anthology out in Fall 2022. Visit Patrice online at patricecaldwell.com, Twitter @whimsicallyours, and Instagram @whimsicalaquarian.

Image: A headshot of Patrice Caldwell.

Win a 30-minute Zoom consultation with middle grade author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Kimberly invites questions about publishing or about her books.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of Newbery Honor awards for The War That Saved My Life and Fighting Words.

Image: A headshot of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.