Win a 30-minute phone or video chat with freelance children's and young adult editor Julie Scheina to discuss your picture book, middle grade, or YA query, and any other industry questions.

Picture Book, Middle Grade, or YA only, please.

Julie Scheina is a former senior editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers with over fifteen years of experience editing acclaimed and bestselling books for children and young adults. Julie has edited more than 200 titles across a variety of genres, from picture books and poetry collections to middle grade and young adult novels. Please visit www.juliescheina.com to learn more about Julie's work.

Image: Headshot of Julie Scheina

Win a 45-minute social media critique + AMA call with JoAnn! She'll not only assess your social media to offer personalized advice on how to play to your strengths and build your personal brand, but she'll also answer any other questions you have about professional websites, establishing yourself online, and (perhaps most importantly) how to stay engaged without burning out. She's managed and grown We Need Diverse Books' online presence since 2017, and can offer accessibility tips, graphic design hacks, habits to avoid, insights into algorithmic flows and SEO, and more!

JoAnn Yao is the Social Media Manager for We Need Diverse Books. She holds a B.S. in Computational Media from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a M.A. in TV, Radio, & Film from Syracuse University. She has worn many hats throughout the course of her career, including researcher for the American Film Institute, script reader and TV Lit assistant in Hollywood, webmaster, online narrative game designer, video editor, and New Frontiers comic anthology writer.

Image: Headshot of JoAnn Yao

Win a 30-minute 'Ask Me Anything' Zoom chat with literary agent Laurie McLean, co-founder and partner at Fuse Literary. You can ask questions about anything in publishing and pitch your work to her as well if you wish. Let's amp up your writing career.

Middle Grade, YA, or Adult only, please.

Laurie McLean spent 20 years as the CEO of a multi-million-dollar marketing agency and 8 years as an agent/senior agent at Larsen Pomada Literary Agents before co-founding Fuse Literary in 2013 with her business partner Gordon Warnock. Laurie specializes in middle grade, young adult and adult genre fiction including romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, suspense, thrillers, and westerns. Laurie is also the Co-Director of the San Francisco Writers Conference, in its 19th year.

Image: Headshot of Laurie McLean

Win a 30-60 minute Ask Me Anything call with Editorial Director Jenne Abramowitz (Scholastic) to discuss the publishing industry, your career path, and any advice you may want to help you along your publishing journey.

Jenne Abramowitz is an Editorial Director at Scholastic, where she has worked with a diverse and talented list of authors and illustrators including Aaron Blabey, Varian Johnson, Debbi Michiko Florence, Liz Montague, Kate Messner, Ash Van Otterloo, Booki Vivat, Jess Keating, Stephanie Kuehn, and Keith Calabrese. She's a sucker for chapter book and middle grade fiction that features unforgettable characters, transporting prose, dynamic illustrations, and commercial plots that have something meaty under the surface that speaks to the world kids live in. Jenne is a member of the Brooklyn Book Festival's children's and YA programming committee, a cat lover, surprisingly good roller-skater, and lifelong Murder, She Wrote enthusiast.

Image: Headshot of Jenne Abramowitz

Win a 30-60 minute call with Doan Buu, Associate Art Director at Scholastic under the Cartwheel and Orchard imprints. During the call Doan will review your portfolio and field any questions you may have about your work and the publishing industry.

Picture Book or Early Reader only, please.

Doan Buu has worked as professional designer for over 20 years, ranging from online to on-air to print media. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, based in Brooklyn, New York, he is always on the look for new and exciting work.

Image: Headshot of Doan Buu

Win a 1-hour consultation with a marketing manager with over ten years of experience at small and large publishers. Perfect for first time authors or authors looking to advance their personal marketing. Learn industry secrets and best-practices to position your book to booksellers, educators, media, and through social media.

For Picture Book, Early Reader, Middle Grade, YA, Graphic novels, and board books.

Available within the United States only.

Hannah Moushabeck is a second-generation Palestinian American author, editor, and book marketer who was raised in a family of publishers and booksellers. With over ten years in the industry, she has worked for publishers such as Chronicle Books, The Quarto Group, and Simon & Schuster. She is also the author of Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine (Chronicle Books, March 2023).

Image: Headshot of Hannah Moushabeck

Win a 30-minute call with Ariela Rudy Zaltzman, a production editor at Penguin Young Readers, to talk about the kidlit industry. Ariela will be happy to talk to you about finding a career in publishing, what to expect from the publishing process after your manuscript has been acquired, or how to effectively incorporate a language other than English in your manuscript.

Ariela Rudy Zaltzman is a production editor at Penguin Young readers. She copyedits, proofreads, advises on conscious language and cultural sensitivity issues in books, and translates English and Spanish texts. She has also worked at Disney Publishing, Chronicle Books, and other houses.

Image: Headshot of Ariela Rudy Zaltzman

Win a 30 minute zoom consultation/AMA with award-winning picture book, middle grade, and young adult author Robin Stevenson.

Robin Stevenson is the award winning author of thirty books of fiction and non-fiction for kids and teens: her writing has been translated into numerous languages and published in more than a dozen countries. Robin's books have won the Silver Birch Award, the Sheila A. Egoff award and a Stonewall Honor, and been finalists for the Governor General's Literary Awards, the Lambda Literary Awards, and many reader's choice awards. She is the Book and Periodical Council of Canada's Champion of Free Expression for 2022.

Robin is represented by Eric Smith and Maria Vicente at PS Literary Agency, and is a member of the Writers' Union of Canada. She regularly speaks at conferences, libraries and schools across North America.

Image: Headshot of Robin Stevenson

Win a 30-minute Ask Me Anything call with Paige Terlip, Associate Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Publishing questions? Writing concerns? Ask anything!

Paige Terlip has worked at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency since 2017, first as an assistant to Executive Agent Laura Rennert, and then as an Associate Agent since 2021. Prior to joining ABLA, she worked at Candlewick Press and Charlesbridge Publishing, as well as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and a ranch in the Rockies to name a few. She has an MA in Children's Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons University.

Image: Headshot of Paige Terlip

Win a 30-minute call with Jenny Xu, editor at Harper and Ecco, to discuss the industry, career path, and poetry and/or nonfiction projects.

Adult only, please.

Jenny Xu edits nonfiction for Harper Books, and oversees Ecco's poetry list. Her list has a particular focus on marginalized and underrepresented voices; recent and upcoming books include Rise by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu and Philip Wang, Heretic by Jeanna Kadlec, Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumathatil, Talking out of Turn by Nicole Sealey, The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi, and Monument by Natasha Trethewey.

Image: Headshot of Jenny Xu

Win a 30-minute call with Acquisitions Editor Alex Brown to discuss your personal career path, your WIP or any industry related questions you have!

Adult WIP only, please.

Alex Brown is the CEO and Acquisitions editor at Rising Action Publishing Co. Alex works in all types of genres. Alex also works in subsidiary rights including translation, film/tv and audiobooks.

Image: Headshot of Alex Brown

Win a 30-minute zoom call with crime novelist Marcie Rendon, published by Soho Press. Marcie has written adult crime novels, children's picture books, and short stories/poetry in anthologies. Open to discussing writing and giving encouragement to continue to write.

Marcie Rendon, White Earth Ojibwe. Listed in Oprah's 2020 list of 31 Native American Author's to read. Sinister Graves, Girl Gone Missing and Murder on the Red River, all Cash Blackbear adult novels, Soho Press. Stitches of Tradition, a children's book, will be published by Heartdrum 2024.

Image: Headshot of Marcie Rendon