Sure, it’s a cliché, but it’s a good one! After months of managing health issues between school visits, I’m finally announcing the daily winners from Storystorm. I will be emailing you over the coming days. Congratulations!

But before that, we have to talk.

Are you having a tough time in picture books? I am. Everyone I know is—mentees, critique partners, agents—I’m hearing it everywhere. Things are slower than usual in the already glacial pace of the publishing market. So, I’m here to tell you: it’s not you, it’s them.

We already know there’s nothing you can do to control what’s happening out there. What we can control is our own output. Keep your B.I.C. and “just keep swimming”. That is, write your butt off. (Wait, I thought Tara said to keep my butt in chair? I’m so confused!)

SCBWI featured an excellent “State of the Children’s Book Market 2024” webinar recently with Deborah Halverson. The playback is available at SCBWI.org and I encourage you to watch. There are indeed bright spots as we navigate through this rough patch. “Editors are craving humor to balance out the more earnest books” is one takeaway. Funny tales, character-driven manuscripts and intergenerational stories are wanted in picture books. And if you can get all three in one book, I suppose you’ve hit the trifecta!

But as always, don’t go writing to please the market. Write to please your muse. Shooting from the heart never goes out of style.

AND NOW, THE DAILY PRIZE WINNERS! Many thanks to Urania Smith and Mel Mwai for helping to randomly select.

I will be emailing winners directly to distribute the long-awaited prizes.

Thank you! I hope to be up and running here more often in the near future!

1 Sally McClure Picture book critique from Tara Lazar
2 Donna Cangelosi Spot in picture book revision class from Julie Falatko
3 Todd Freer Fiction picture book critique from Lisa Katzenberger
4 Sunny Walker 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom and sticker pack from Courtney Pippin-Mathur
5 Denita Johnson Signed copy of ALL THOSE BABIES from Mylisa Larsen
6 Cindy Greene Copy of LUCY’S BLOOMS by Dawn Babb Prochovnic
6 J Lehson Winner’s choice copy of WHERE DOES A PIRATE GO POTTY? or WHERE DOES A COWGIRL GO POTTY? from Dawn Babb Prochovnic
6 Jim Chaize 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” (for an individual, critique group, or classroom) with Dawn Babb Prochovnic
7 Carmela McCain Simmons 30-minute Ask Me Anything with Cheryl Kim
7 Kristi Mahoney 30-minute Ask Me Anything with Sylvia Chen
7 Susan Burdorf One-hour Ask Me Anything with Zainab Khan
7 Dawn M. 30-minute Ask Me Anything OR a MS critique (under 600-words non-rhyming Fiction/Nonfiction picture book/board book) with Marzieh Abbas
7 M. M. Sutanto One-hour Ask Me Anything about websites or Canva OR a live picture book critique on Zoom with Stacy S. Jensen
7 Kathy Doherty MS critique (under 600-words non-rhyming fiction picture book/board book) with option for Zoom brainstorming chat with Christina Shawn
7 Sheri Dillard Manuscript critique (picture book, fiction, poetry or prose, rhyming okay, under 700 words) from Carol Joy Munro
7 Charlie Griffin Picture book manuscript critique (max 600 word, non-rhyming, fiction) OR a copy of Peaches from Gabriele Davis
7 Debbie Allmand $20 gift card to your favorite indie bookstore from Sara Holly Ackerman
8 Kalee Gwarjanski Copy of MAKE WAY: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings from Angela Burke Kunkel
9 Marty Bellis Fiction critique, an Ask Me Anything Zoom call, or a combo of the two from David McMullin
10 Melissa Hastings PB critique with a 30-minute zoom call and a signed copy of ROCKET SHIP, SOLO TRIP from Chiara Colombi
10 Helen Lysicatos PB critique with a 30-minute zoom call and a signed copy of ROCKET SHIP, SOLO TRIP from Chiara Colombi
11 tacy S. Jensen A 60-min AMA and copy of REMEMBERING SUNDAYS WITH GRANDPA from Lauren H. Kerstein
12 Teresa Fales Winner’s choice book copy one of Christine’s book from Christine Evans
13 Hilary Margitich A 30-minute virtual school visit and one 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom from Laurel Neme
13 Mari Miyagi A 30-minute virtual school visit and one 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom from Laurel Neme
14 Tanya Konerman one copy of SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILTY BELT and one Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chat from Sharon Giltrow
14 Joyce Uglow one copy of SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILTY BELT and one Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chat from Sharon Giltrow
15 Jenny Boyd one copy of Love Made More from Colleen Rowan Kosinski
15 Amy Houts one copy of Love Made More from Colleen Rowan Kosinski
15 Sara Fajardo one copy of Love Made More from Colleen Rowan Kosinski
15 Rachelle Burk one copy of Love Made More from Colleen Rowan Kosinski
15 Cheryl Coate one copy of Love Made More from Colleen Rowan Kosinski
15 Diane Mittler one copy of Love Made More from Colleen Rowan Kosinski
16 Angel Gantnier LOVE GROWS from Ruth Spiro
16 Alicia Shawn Gagnon HOW TO EXPLAIN CODING TO A GROWN-UP from Ruth Spiro
17 Lucretia Schafroth 30-minute  “Ask Me Anything” Zoom or one picture book/early reader critique from Melissa H. Mwai
18 kelliearted One copy of MIGHTY MUDDY US from Charles Santoso
18 susaninez0905 One copy of MIGHTY MUDDY US from Charles Santoso
18 Fiona Bannatyne One copy of MIGHTY MUDDY US from Charles Santoso
19 Lisa K Davis (lisakdaviswriting) One copy of LOUIS from Julie Rowan-Zoch
19 Marie Prins One copy of I’M A HARE, SO THERE! from Julie Rowan-Zoch
19 Amy Mucci (brightwishbooks) One copy of NOT ALL SHEEP ARE BORING! from Julie Rowan-Zoch
20 Marci Chorpash Hersel (marcihersel) One copy of ALPHABUDDIES: G IS FIRST! from Karen Kane
20 Judy Abelove Shemtob One copy ALPHABUDDIES: G IS FIRST! from Karen Kane
21 Colleen Owen Murphy
One signed copy of WHO IS TIBET’S EXILED LEADER? THE 14TH DALAI LAMA or a critique of a nonfiction picture book manuscript under 1,000 words with Teresa Ho Robeson
22 Bethanny Parker A PB critique with career consultation (20 min Zoom) with Maria Marianayagum
23 Linda K Chavez One signed copy of one of her books (winner’s choice) from Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
24 Ashley Bankhead 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom or one picture book critique with Gabi Snydeer
25 Laurie Seaford One copy of her book A WALK THROUGH THE REDWOODS and a virtual classroom with Brigitte Rodguez
26 Marlena Leach 30-minute AMA on Zoom and a signed copy of LET’S FLY! with Chana Stiefel
27 Alison McGauley One signed copy of SOURGRASS from Hope Lim
27 Angela De Groot One signed copy of SOURGRASS from Hope Lim
28 Heidi K Yates (Heidikyates) One of either a picture book critique or a signed copy of any of his books from Josh Funk
28 Sharon Dalgleish (sharonkdal) One of either a picture book critique or a signed copy of any of his books from Josh Funk
28 Jessica Iwanski One of either a picture book critique or a signed copy of any of his books from Josh Funk
29 Wendy Greenley Choice of a signed copy of MAKE MORE S’MORES (US addresses only) or a picture book critique from Cathy Ballou Measley
30 All Story Storm Participants
Free e-book on how to use the structure of a picture book—a process called Spreading—to scaffold your writing process from Simone Kaplan