As I present winners for the last several giveaways, I want to also make the post useful for everyone, even if you didn’t win a prize. So I asked followers on Twitter what they wanted me to write about…

Ahh, Katie, if only I knew the answer to that! We would all be guaranteed a run-away hit!

But seriously folks, what I do is try to stay on top of what’s being released and what’s coming out so I don’t duplicate something that’s already out there. Has that tactic worked? Scanning announcements in Publisher’s Marketplace and Publisher’s Weekly? Visiting bookstores twice a month? Asking my local librarians what new titles they’ve acquired?

Well, yes and NO. Definitely NO.

I wrote a blobfish manuscript right before a barrage of blobfish books got bought. Nice timing, Tara. I had thought to myself, “I haven’t seen any picture books about blobfish,” which is really code for “everyone is writing a blobfish book RIGHT THIS SECOND!”

Now that doesn’t mean the world won’t want YOUR blobfish book. It’s just that the world didn’t want MINE (at the time).

Unique hooks are like strikes of lightning. Hold an umbrella during a storm and you might get hit. What that means is—be open to all the inspiration going on around you. Something you see or overhear might lead to a hilarious title that inspires a whole new story. Ducks circling my table at an al fresco breakfast led to a knee-slapping title.

Put aside time every day to just sit and daydream. Let your mind wander. Go out in public and eavesdrop.

I happen to like wackiness in picture books. A new book with a fantastic hook IMHO is LLAMA DESTROYS THE WORLD. The llama in the story is so hungry he eats EVERYTHING and creates a black hole. Now that’s ludicrous. And I gotta read it.

What books hook you? Study them. Figure out why. What about the title and premise makes you want to pick them up immediately? And then try to do that in your OWN, UNIQUE WAY.

After all, you’re a unique writer. You’ll find your unique hook.

With my book 7 ATE 9, I began by thinking of a popular schoolyard joke that every elementary student would know. I wanted a punchline to be the title. AND BOOM! “Why was 6 afraid of 7?” smacked me upside the head.

BECAUSE 7 ATE 9!

And then I was off to the races. Seriously. I immediately thought about 6 visiting a “Private I” and things went from there.

For the sequel, coming out in October, I wanted Private I to continue with his punny sleuthing, so after numbers, I naturally turned to letters. AND BOOM! The title THE UPPER CASE came to me for its play on a detective CASE and a letter CASE. Fun times, fun times. (Then it took me over a year to think of the 3rd book’s hook!)

Another fantastic thing I learned about finding subjects for picture books is asking a toy store: what’s new and hot in toys at the moment? Typically trends in toys lead to trends in books. So make friends with your local librarian and your local toy seller!

And now…onto our recent winners! Congratulations to all. I will be emailing you shortly.

BADGER’S PERFECT GARDEN by Marsha Diane Arnold
Julie K. Rubini

AWAY WITH WORDS: THE DARING STORY OF ISABELLA BIRD by Lori Mortensen
Celeste Bocchicchio-Chaudhri

Poetry Skype with author Shannon Anderson
Emmie R. Werner

THAT’S FOR BABIES! by Jackie Azúa Kramer
Anita Banks

A KITE FOR MOON by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple
Lisa Howie

COWHIDE-AND-SEEK by Sheri Dillard
June Sengpiehl

untitled by Timothy Young
CeceLibrarian
Rinda Beach