ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to use vectors in Adobe Illustrator to design new characters. Jannie will teach you the basics and demonstrate how she creates her illustrations, thumbnails her stories, and exports files to share with editors. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Adobe Illustrator & Vector Basics​

• Overview of Illustrator: Pros and Cons
• How to Use Tools
• Place a Sketch into Illustrator
• Practice Tracing with the Pen Tool​

Lesson 2: Play! Creating Characters​

• Draw Directly in Illustrator
• Use Grayscale and Color
• Play with Shapes and Sizing
• Design Characters with Guidelines
• Add Texture and Patterns
• Create Different Characters in a Lineup Sheet ​

Lesson 3: Set Up for Book Creation

• Customize Simple Backgrounds
• Play with Horizon Lines
• Move Elements Around
• Determine Best Character Placement
• Export in Different Formats
• Get Thumbnail Templates
• How to Save Thumbnails as a PDF

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

In this mini-class, you’ll determine which mindsets have helped, and which have hindered you in the last decade. Arree’s lessons will have worksheets with questions you can ask yourself that will help you pinpoint which direction you should go. This year, leave your limitations behind, and have the best creative year ever in 2023!

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Beliefs

• Does what you believe about yourself help or hinder you? Do you have a limitation or barrier (like the four-minute mile) that you can leave behind as you go into 2022?

Lesson 2: Learn From the Past

• You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it and move on.

Lesson 3: Big Magic

• Fall in love with your ideas and stories. Nurture your creativity. What’s your vision for the future? Who do you need to be to make it happen?

Lesson 4: Focus and One Thing

• When setting goals, remember that less is more. Learn how to set SMARTER goals and set yourself up for success.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Your email list is one of your business’s most important assets. Learn how to build a lead magnet and collect leads through a follow-up email sequence.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Develop your lead magnet
• Design and Publish Your Lead Magnet
• Social Media & Your Email Auto-Responder Email
• Follow-Ups: Story-Based Messaging
• Writing Sales Emails
• FB Retargeting Ads, List Management & Monetization

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn business basics and children’s industry numbers to help you choose your own business model. Once you have a model, you can formulate a strategy for the phase you’re in (pre-published or published) and tactics to help you intentionally develop the career you want to have.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Business Basics

• Learn the five pillars of business and how to apply them to your author’s business. Identify your three customers, their desires, and the problems you can solve for them.

Lesson 2: The Book Business and the Children’s Book Industry

• You need to understand both business models (traditional publishing and self-publishing) to make good business decisions. Take a look at the numbers and responsibilities you’ll take on with both models.

Lesson 3: How to Build an Author Business

• Plan your author or author/illustrator journey. Learn what you’re getting yourself into so that you’ll have realistic expectations and understand your options.

Lesson 4: Business Strategy and Tactics

• Learn the best business strategy and tactics for the phase you’re in of the business model that you’ve chosen. This is something you can adjust as you move from one phase to the other. In this lesson, you’ll also make a plan for your value ladder (how you can give your customers more value) based on your strengths.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

In this hands-on mini-class, you’ll learn how to build a professional website so that agents, editors, and fellow storytellers can find your work and contact you easily. You’ll learn the tools needed to build a WordPress site and become confident and empowered to make changes and customize it to your liking.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Welcome and Introduction

Lesson 2: Website Basics

Lesson 3: Website Planning, Structure, & Mapping

Lesson 4: Starting Your Website

Lesson 5: Building a Website

Lesson 6: Advanced WordPress

Lesson 7: Bonus Exercise: Building a One-Page Site

ABOUT THIS COURSE

In this course, Arree will walk you though each step, from setting up your Facebook Ads account to finding the right audiences to building and running a FB ad. You’ll learn how to track your progress and scale your ads.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Business Strategy and Tactics
• Building Your Audience
• Building Your FB Ad
• Launch FB Your Ad
• Measure & Scale Your Ads
• Traffic Systems

ABOUT THIS COURSE

In this course, you will learn how to draw your character’s expressions, accessorize and dress them and make a final finish to make them stand out!

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to Design a Character that Readers Will Love
• How to Capture Expressions
• How to Draw Bodies
• How to Dress Your Character
• How to Draw Your Character with Consistency
• Poses & Movement
• How to Use Color & Texture

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Writers at all levels looking to create and visualize their characters
• Illustrators at all levels hankering to level up their character designs

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to craft the best beginning for your picture book. Marcie Colleen will share the four essential elements that every beginner should have, a step-by-step exercise to help you connect with your characters, and examples from picture books with great beginnings. Each of the three lessons has the assignment to help you get the most out of what you’re learning, and we’ve included two handouts for easy reference.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: A Well-Crafted Picture Book Beginning

• Does your picture book beginning include Marcie’s four essential elements?

Lesson 2: It All Comes Down to Character

• If you want “heart” in your story, get to know your character.

Lesson 3: A Beginning Is a Promise

• Your beginning can be a road map. Are you making promises about your story that you keep later on?

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn how to develop healthy work habits, brainstorm great ideas, and work on one idea until you turn it into a picture book story.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• A Creative Process for Developing Ideas Into Stories
• The Elements of Story
• What Makes a Great Story
• Page Turns and Pacing
• A Process for Revising Your Story 

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Beginner writers who need story ideas.
• Intermediate writers who are struggling with the messy middle.
• Visual creators balancing words and images

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Create atmospheric illustrations using well-designed lighting and color, using watercolor washes. Often illustrations can fall flat when only depicting the action. By using setting and lighting, you can create atmosphere and mood in an illustration to help express the emotions in the story.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Creating an Atmospheric Illustration with a Single Light Source

Lesson 2:  Choosing Colors for a Limited Palette

Lesson 3:  Finish Painting Your Illustration!

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how you can create your characters by considering characters we care about, exploring creating characters visually and really get to know your character.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Characters: The Core of the Story

• Identify your favorite characters, past and present. Take a look at how their characteristics can give us insights into constructing our own memorable character.

Lesson 2: Drawn to Design Characters​

• Using warm-up exercises to get started, you’ll explore creating your character visually.

Lesson 3: Questions: Quality Time with Characters

• You’ll learn how questions and observations can lead to a better understanding of your character.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

In this craft-based mini-class, you’ll build habits and create an action plan to finish projects and achieve your biggest creative goals.

If you struggle with focus or feel overwhelmed, you’ll want to learn these science-based strategies to help you create with less stress.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Mindset & Focusing on the “ONE” Thing

• Get clarity on what’s most important to reach your creative vision, and set your mind to build healthy creative habits.

Lesson 2: Creative Focus and Creative Habits

• Learn the anatomy of a habit, and gain focus through intentional habit building.

Lesson 3: Reflection, Planning, & Execution

• Set yourself up for success by planning your success. Use your calendar to make time for execution.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn how to draw anything with simple shapes. In this course, you will learn how to draw with basic shapes, understand how to stylize, construct figures & animals, and start telling stories visually.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to Draw with Basic Shapes (So Simple that Everyone Can Do It!)
• Understand How to Stylize
• Construct Figures & Animals
• Start Telling Stories Visually

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Beginners who want to learn how to draw
• Intermediate illustrators who want to improve your ability to draw out of your head
• Writers who want to visualize their picture book stories.

BONUS

Mental Model Library

Build your drawing skills and muscle memory with these short and easy to follow, step-by-step videos. There are over 40 two-minute tutorials to help you build your drawing skills.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn how to draw anything with simple shapes. In this course, you will learn how to draw with basic shapes, understand how to stylize, construct figures & animals, and start telling stories visually.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to Draw with Basic Shapes (So Simple that Everyone Can Do It!)
• Understand How to Stylize
• Construct Figures & Animals
• Start Telling Stories Visually

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Beginners who want to learn how to draw
• Intermediate illustrators who want to improve your ability to draw out of your head
• Writers who want to visualize their picture book stories.

BONUS

Mental Model Library

Build your drawing skills and muscle memory with these short and easy to follow, step-by-step videos. There are over 40 two-minute tutorials to help you build your drawing skills.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

As you clarify who your audience is and position yourself to serve them better, your audience will grow, and you will be more successful.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Clarify Your Vision
• Find Your Audience and Building Personas Audience & Lead Magnet
• Design Your Opt-In
• Email Setup and Build Your Welcome Email
• Launch Your Lead Magnet and Start Building Your List

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to illustrate the three main illustration styles used in today’s children’s books. By making a mood board for your story, you’ll choose your style. Then Arree’s demos will show you how to make important decisions regarding the details.  

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Style

• Learn the three main styles of illustration used in today’s children’s books. Practice each one to help you find the right style for your book.

Lesson 2: Mood Boards

• Find illustrations that have the feeling and tone you want to capture. Use them to figure out the right style for your story. Make a mood board and narrow your three main style choices down to one.

Lesson 3: Style Experiments

• Refine your style by experimenting and selecting the best choices as you work through The Five Core Elements of Style. Demos provided. 

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This graphic novel course covers everything you need to know to turn your story idea into a graphic novel. We will cover both the theory side, as well as the practical side. You will learn the process of creating a graphic novel and dig deeper into each step as you learn how to apply each step to your story project.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Graphic Novel Primer
• Story Structure, Arcs, Writing Pitch and Synopsis
• The Visual Language of Comics
• Writing Graphic Novels
• Illustrating Graphic Novels
• Publishing Graphic Novels

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Writers and Illustrators who want to learn how to create stories with visual illustrations and make their own story into a graphic novel.
• If you have completed Making Comics.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course will help you identify and outsource the tasks you don’t need to do yourself by helping you take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses—and at where you’re spending your time. Arree will walk you through how and where he hires affordable and competent help. Learn how to budget for, train, and work with a VA so that you can spend more time on the tasks that will grow your business.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why, Who, and How to Hire
• How to Hire a VA
• Onboard and Train Your VA
• Who to Hire Next and Management
• Building an Org Chart
• Budgeting and Planning

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to find and query agents who could be a good fit for you and your stories. Myrna will teach you how to write a query using examples of queries that helped some of our Storyteller Academy students sign with agents. You’ll also gain access to a directory of over 100 of the best picture book agents, which includes examples of clients and books they’ve represented.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Resources for Researching Agents 

• Learn how to find the best picture book agents for you and your story.

Lesson 2: Write a Better Query

• Use your research to personalize your query and follow submission guidelines. Learn which elements belong in a query, and see how they can come together in different ways by looking at some examples that worked.

Lesson 3: Handle Agent Responses Professionally

• Learn how and when to respond to agents during the query process and after they offer representation. This lesson includes red flags to watch out for and questions you could ask an agent offering representation.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Illustrating for children’s books goes beyond just picture books. What about books for the littlest audience: babies and toddlers? How is it different for this age group? How do you make art specifically catered to the board and novelty book format? 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: The Board Book: Format, Concepts, and Themes

First, we will discuss board book formats and page counts; Concepts vs. stories.
We take a look at common themes in this age group and what you can have in your portfolio to get art directors to notice you.

Lesson 2: Character Design and Composition for the Youngest Audience

Next, we will consider character designs: creating age-appropriate characters that are clearly defined. We will explore the importance of cropping and composition.

Lesson 3: The Bells & Whistles

Finally, we will take a look at novelty formats such as die cuts, lift-a-flaps, and magnetic pages. Let’s generate creative ideas for your art to be more than just a book!

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Julie Downing and Isabella Kung will be covering the illustration process, composition fundamentals, design techniques, and storytelling principles. They will break down processes like brainstorming, thumbnailing, exploring different compositions, gathering references and using value and color to create effective narrative illustrations.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• The Illustration Process
• Composition Part 1: Composition Techniques for Illustrators
• Composition Part 2: Psychology of Shape Design
• Reference
• Value
• Intro to Color

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Artists at all levels who are interested in children’s book illustration.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course will help you further your narrative illustration practice, teach you new rendering techniques and experimentations, as well as deepen your understanding of what makes a good children’s book and portfolio.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to build a strong children’s book illustration portfolio
• Watercolor illustration techniques
• Digital illustration techniques
• How to experiment and use mixed media
• How to push your illustration 

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Artists at all levels who are interested in leveling up their children’s book illustration and portfolio.

• If you completed Illustration 1.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Even if you’re new to comics, graphic novels, and how publishing works, Ken Lamug will take a little bit of time to orient you with basic information at the beginning of this lesson. You’re in good hands. Ken has been making comics and graphic novels for years. He’ll share resources, such as websites and books, that you can use to explore more in-depth. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

LESSON 1: A Quick Graphic Novel Primer

• Ken will orient students with some comic, graphic novel, and publishing basics. He’ll share some of his favorite resources, then dive right into making a comic panel.

LESSON 2: Let There Be Words

• Ken will show you how to write a synopsis or a summary of your story. Then he’ll walk you through outlining through both chapter and page breakdowns. He’ll share different examples of how to script your story.

LESSON 3: From Words to Pictures

• Ken will share illustration tools that he uses, how he does thumbnails, inking, and coloring, speech bubbles, and panels.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

In one of our most popular, foundational courses, you’ll learn how to make a picture book dummy! Arree will cover story basics, visual storytelling, pacing, and revision. This course is not just for illustrators. Using a dummy is a not-so-secret tool for improving your writing. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to Thumbnail Your Story
• What Makes a Great Story
• How to Make a Dummy
• Page Turns and Pacing
• How to Convey Emotion Through Background Color and Typography
• How to Submit Your Manuscript or Dummy

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Beginner writers who have a manuscript the first draft completed.
• Intermediate writers who need to visualize the balance of illustrations and words.
• Advanced writers evaluating heart, hook, and the “it-factor” 

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Of all the challenges that come with writing rhyme, mastering METER—the natural, consistent, rhythms of the phrases we use in our storytelling—is one of the toughest. For anyone at any level, meter takes a whole different skill set than just finding a pair of words that rhyme. It’s actually everything between those two rhyming words that can make or break a rhyming picture book text.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• We’ll start by identifying common meters used in some successful rhyming picture books. And we’ll explore ways for you to choose the right meter for your next poem or picture book project.
• We’ll pinpoint some of the biggest issues with a meter that pops up in early drafts of rhyming manuscripts. And we’ll bust out some handy tools for repairing, reworking, and rewriting a faulty meter.
• We’ll look at some fun ways to punch up your meter, and in doing so, we might even strengthen your character building and storytelling at the same time.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

The goal of this mini-class is to familiarize you with the voice in middle grade novels and how to accomplish a true-sounding, compelling voice that entices middle graders and captivates them until the end of a story.  

Voice in general is the one thing an agent or editor can’t fix. It’s yours and yours alone. Middle grade voice is one of the hardest to nail. It often falls flat, is tinged with message and morals, or is immediately exposed by young readers as “phony”. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Examine the intricacies of middle grade life. We’ll find out where kids that age are on the growth scale and what their specific characteristics are.
• Consider the color of a middle grade voice. Like in singing, every voice has a specific color, and we will explore the sounds of this particular voice.
• Learn writing techniques and writing tools that can help you find and strengthen your middle-grade voice.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Join award-winning author and literary agent Miranda Paul as she combs through the process of creating commercial nonfiction picture books from idea selection to research to writing the final pages of back-matter. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

LESSON 1: You’ve got to start somewhere!

• Is your book nonfiction or fiction? Learn to identify and try different structures and formats that work well for nonfiction. Find the best one for your project.

LESSON 2: The big picture

• Choose the very best idea for you. Then figure out the best tone, target audience, format, and voice for your project.

LESSON 3: Under the Microscope – looking at details

• Learn about different kinds of research and how to revise your project. Miranda will take you through everything you need to know, including how to write a pitch and query.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

In this mini-class, Alex Leon will teach you how to paint people with acrylics, and then he’ll go over how to enhance your acrylic painting in Photoshop. You’ll learn how to mix colors, use transfer paper, paint your character, and use tools and layers in Photoshop. If you don’t want to use Photoshop, this class will still help you paint your character with acrylics.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Alex will show you how to mix your paints to get different skin tones and hair colors. He’ll show you how to use the gray mixing palette to double-check your values: your light, middle, and dark colors. 
• You’ll learn how to transfer your drawing and make an illustration feel finished. Alex will demonstrate how to paint facial features, clothing, and hair. 
• If you’re interested in finishing your painting digitally, acrylic paint can be combined with Photoshop to create a unique look that combines the strength of both. You’ll learn how to keep the texture of acrylic paint while making adjustments in Photoshop. Alex will demonstrate how to use Photoshop tools and layers as he walks you through the whole process.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

First-person, second-person, or third-person? Close or far? The goal of this mini-class is to help writers discover the perfect point of view for telling a story.  

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: The Basics​

• What Is Point of View?
• Define the Perspectives​

Lesson 2: The Decision​

• Why Different Stories Require Different Perspectives.
• Examples
• Considerations for Each POV​

Lesson 3: Minding the Gaps; Using the Gaps in Perspective to Create Tension, Humor & Emotion

• Gap 1: Audience
• Gap 2: Time
• Gap 3: Knowledge

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

In this mini-class, you’ll design a character from scratch and learn how to render the character in three different styles. You’ll also learn how to use brushes and apply textures to your artwork.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Photoshop Tools & Foundational Techniques

• Overview of Photoshop’s Menus
• How to Use Layers and Brushes
• How to Use the Lasso, Fill, and Mask Tools
• How to Use Adjustment Layers and Lighting Effects

  Lesson 2: Render Your Character in Three Different Styles

• Use Custom Brushes to Create Line Style Artwork
• Use the Lasso Tool, Mask Tools, and Textures to Create Shape Style Artwork
• Apply Lighting Layers and Adjustment Layers to Create 3-D Artwork

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Biographies for children can be boring and formulaic, and boring picture book biographies risk losing the attention of their young audience. Our goal is to help students understand the picture book biography genre and write a manuscript that has a place in the market.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to identify successful picture book biographies
• How to tell a STORY within the constraints of fact
• How to approach research and back matter.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Each instructor will take you through their own picture book revision process by sharing handouts and critiquing student manuscripts during the six live workshops. There are no prerecorded lessons.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn to familiarize yourself with a variety of voice strategies to use in your drafting including artistic composition, poetic devices, and how you can amplify your reader’s feelings across narrative arcs.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Voice
• Retellings
• Narrative Arc
• Stakes
• Rhythm and Reason
• Catharsis

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course with Arree Chung is perfect for authors/illustrators who are ready to learn the design elements and production strategies necessary to finish a picture book. It’s the perfect follow-up to Making Picture Book Dummies.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to Stylize Your Picture Book
• How to Compose Your Picture Book Pages with Values and Composition
• How to Use Color for Storytelling
• How to Develop Your Style and Make Final Art
• How to Plan the Production of Your Book

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Illustrators dedicated to writing great stories using excellent design elements
• Creators of all levels who need to understand how design plays into a story and who want to nail page turns.

BONUS

Arree’s Production Design File Library
 
Get access to Arree’s design files he used for his picture books. You’ll get his sketches, his art experiments, and the color scripts he used to illustrate his picture books!

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to identify three picture book story frameworks that will help you improve your own picture book stories.

If you could use a little more help unlocking mentor texts to write and revise character-based, two-character, and high concept stories, this intensive will give you the key questions to ask.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Character Framework

• Learn which elements of the story are essential to a character-based story.

Lesson 2: Two Character Framework

• How do you change the way you tell a story when it has two main characters?

Lesson 3: High Concept Story Framework

• Agents and editors often say they’re looking for high-concept stories. Learn how to identify (and hopefully write) them.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn how to make better word choices and fine-tune the readability of your picture books.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Write picture books with voice, rhythm, repetition, and flow.
• Master alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, musicality, and cadence.
• Pace your story and write concisely for readability and flow.
• Make connections with teachers and librarians through your picture book.

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Discover the heart of your story in order to write a pitch that is concise, honest, and captivating.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• The structure of a good pitch, including the ideal length.
• What to say about your story, how to get to the heart of the matter.
• Clues to help you know when your manuscript is ready to be pitched.
• How to be an advocate for your own work!

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

In this hands-on mini-class, you’ll learn Kristine Brogno’s 10 Principles of a Winning Portfolio so that you can revise yours. You’ll also learn how to present your portfolio with confidence.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

LESSON 1: 10 Principles of A Winning Portfolio

• In this first lesson, Kristine will share the ten principles she feels are most important in creating or revising your portfolio.

LESSON 2: Deep Dive into Principle #4: Show me variety!

• Kristine will show you the details that make the difference between a mediocre portfolio and one that stands out.

LESSON 3: Presenting Your Work and Receiving Feedback

• In this last lesson, Kristine gives specific tips on presenting your portfolio online and through Zoom calls. She also talks about best practices for receiving feedback.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

The goal of this course is to help creators recognize the power of rhythm and rhyme—and prove that editors DO acquire MANY rhyming books! Miranda and Baptiste will introduce a host of technical aspects of rhythm and rhyme, reveal tips on how to evaluate a manuscript on multiple levels, and demonstrate self-editing techniques to make rhyming picture books stand out, inspire, and beg to be read aloud over and over. We are Team Rhyme. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Miranda and Baptiste Paul will share what they’ve learned in their journey to publishing nearly a dozen books for children in rhyme.

1. How to Evaluate Rhyme and Rhythm

• Is my rhyme any good?
• Am I consistent?
• What words should I use to talk about rhyme?
• What’s the difference between rhyme, rhythm, meter, and lyrical writing?
• Why rhyme at all?

2. How to Evaluate Other aspects of a Rhyming Book

• Where’s the plot?
• The book’s arc?
• The marketing hook?
• Big picture vision and theme?
• Do these things even matter if the rhyme is perfect? (Isn’t the rhyme all that matters?!)

3. How to Make Your Rhyming Book Better 

• How do I edit my own work? What should I look for?
• Is my work original? How can I surprise my reader or offer something that feels fresh?
• What are editors really looking for?
• How can I pitch or submit this and try to get it published?
• Should I even write this particular book in rhyme?

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Many authors would like to be invited to schools for an author visit, but don’t know where to start. This mini-class will teach you how to create an effective author presentation, book an author visit, and give authors the confidence needed to plan and have a successful author event.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Create an effective author presentation

• Making it Visually Interesting
• Room Seating Arrangement
• Read Slowly and Clearly
• Share Personal Stories
• Keep it Interactive
• Make it Age Level Appropriate
• Full-Day & Breaks
• Virtual School Visits
• Virtual Equipment and Tips

Lesson 2: Book an author visit

• Go Indie: Bookstores!
• Go to the Source: School Librarians & Principals
• Go to the Hub: Library Conferences
• Go to your Community

Lesson 3: Planning Your School Visit

• Honorarium and Agreements
• Booking Multiple Schools
• Additional Tips: Travel and Tech
• Go with the Flow – Have Fun!

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course will help you solve the complexities of self-publishing by giving you the most efficient strategies for publishing plans.

Self-publishing is risky because it’s so complex, and there are too many decisions involved.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to bring your book to market with the strongest chance of success.
• How to navigate complex decisions and find the best strategy for your books.
• How to take your ideas and turn them into a thriving book business.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to write wonderful rhyming stories, the kind that gets read over and over again. Tim has strategies and checklists that will help.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Before Your Even Start Rhyming

• Write down an idea that you have for a rhyming story.

Lesson 2: Determine If a Story Idea Is Right for a Picture Book

• Make sure your story is age-appropriate and will be the right length for a picture book. Use the checklist!

Lesson 3: Determine If Your Story Is Right for a Rhyming Picture Book

• Tim has some questions you can ask to determine if your picture book needs to rhyme. He also has an assignment that you’ll be able to use as a reference throughout the whole process.

Lesson 4: The Big, Ugly Block of Prose

• You’ll write your story as a big, ugly block of prose to work out your narrative. This will also give you something to mine for keywords later.

Lesson 5: Setting Up Your Story to Rhyme

• In search of strong rhymes and the best word choices, Tim will have you using keywords and tools, like a rhyming dictionary and a thesaurus.

Lesson 6: Finding Your Story’s “Inner Meter”

• A great meter should add atmosphere to your story without distracting readers. It’s important to find the meter that matches your story.

Lesson 7: Considerations as You Begin the Rhyming Process

• Now that you’re ready to write that first draft, Tim has some parting advice.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn how to make your submission stand out (in a good way!) with our favorite set of Chronicle Book editors. Ariel and Melissa will cover honing your story skills, revising your story, how to submit, and how to hook agents and editors with your submission.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Hone Your Story Skills & Revise Your Story with Melissa and Ariel
• How to Hook Editors, Book Sellers, and Readers
• How to Make Submissions Stand Out
• How to Submit Confidently with a Plan

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Intermediate level writers with multiple manuscripts at hand to polish
• Advanced writers ready to make their submission stand out
• Illustrators who want to work on illustration consistency and how to get discovered.

ABOUT THESE WORKSHOPS

• Writers and illustrators of children’s books who want to learn how to query agents and/or submit work to publishers.
• Anyone who is in the process of querying agents and needs some help.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to use symbolism and visual cues to tell more powerful, kid-relatable stories. You’ll learn how to use your own challenges as inspiration. This intensive includes a handout with Kathryn’s exercises for each lesson.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Shapes

• Find out what kind of personality each shape has.

Lesson 2: Lines

• See how a line can symbolize a turning point in your life or a change in a relationship.

Lesson 3: Color and Emotions

• Learn about how colors make you feel.

Lesson 4: Size Relationship and Composition

• In this lesson, you’ll explore what you’ve learned about shapes and colors to make a composition.

Lesson 5: Writing and Wordplay

• You’ll add wordplay to everything else you’ve learned in this intensive to tell a story about three words.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to layer traditional media and textures in your digital illustrations to add interest and charm. This step-by-step mini-class includes handouts to make it easier for students to identify the traditional materials and digital tools the instructor uses.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Ken’s Materials and Drawing Trees

• Learn techniques for drawing trees with a variety of pencils. Ken talks about how and why he uses different pencils, and he demonstrates drawing with negative space.

Lesson 2: Creating Textures and Drawing Characters

• Ken walks you through using scotch tape, various erasers, and even a stencil to add texture to your drawings. You’ll watch Ken paint a variety of translucent background textures, using watercolor, and learn how to add characters to a background with tracing paper. Then you’re going to scan the art you’ve made. 

Lesson 3: Photoshop Demo

• Once you’ve scanned all of your art, you’re going to put the pieces together in Photoshop. Ken shares all kinds of cool techniques to help you get your image exactly the way you want. In addition, you’ll learn how to make a digital brush in Photoshop, using your own art.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Teacher and author Shannon Anderson will help you pursue your creative aspirations with a step-by-step process of unlocking your power within. 

It’s difficult to figure out how to find the time and resources you need to work on a creative endeavor. It’s even harder when you are filled with doubts.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How to Develop a Growth Mindset
• Ask the Right Questions to Discover Your Options and Next Action Steps
• Maximize Your Time and Energy for Creative Work

THIS MINI CLASS IS FOR YOU IF

• You have a creative “thing” that you’d love to do more.
• You encourage everyone else to go for their dreams, but feel guilty doing it yourself.
• You are scared you won’t have enough money to provide for your family if you go all in.
• You don’t feel there is enough time in the day to pursue your passion.
• You feel like an imposter when you think about taking steps toward your dream.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

You’ll come away from this class with a better understanding of how painting can enhance your illustration. You’ll know which tools you need and how to use them. Jessixa provides one of her own illustrations for practice and a handout with instructions to help guide you through each lesson.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1:  Tools and Sketching

• Learn how to turn a rough sketch into a finished drawing.

Lesson 2: Transferring and Inking

• Jessixa demonstrates three techniques for transferring your sketch onto watercolor paper. Then she teaches you how to ink your illustration.

Lesson 3: Watercolor Your Illustration

• Learn Jessixa’s techniques for creating beautiful watercolor illustrations. She’ll even teach you how to remove mistakes.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Chapter books are gaining more and more shelf space these days, and many editors are actively looking for new series to publish. But so few writers really understand how this unique format works.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

LESSON 1: What Is a Chapter Book?/How to Develop Characters and Setting Worthy of a Series

• Chapter book format
• How to create engaging characters
• How to develop a setting or situation that kids will want to escape to time and time again.

LESSON 2: Series Premise vs. Book Premise (and why they are both important!)

• What is a series premise, and why should you develop one before you even start writing your first draft?
• What is a book premise, and how does it differ from the series premise?

LESSON 3: The Nuts and Bolts of the Chapter Book Structure

• The Crumb Cake Method vs. the Layer Cake Method of writing
  • What should go into your first chapter
  • Breaking your plot into chapters
• The anatomy of a chapter
  • How to end each book in the series

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

In this fun mini-class, you’ll learn a lot of different strategies for writing humor for children. Laurie will emphasize the importance of effective page turns and escalating emotion in the story. The three handouts will outline her strategies with examples from her books.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Pay Attention, Dammit!

• Learn the best way for you to discover humor. Laurie will share her favorite methods.

Lesson 2: A Potato, a State, and a Doughnut Walk into a Book…

• It all starts with a funny idea! Laurie shares some of her favorite strategies for writing humor.​

Lesson 3: Emotion Commotion!

• Learn how to use humor and effective page turns to escalate emotion in a story, ease tension, or lighten a heavy moment.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to avoid the pitfalls that keep rhyming picture books from selling. Diana can help you write a meter that people want to read aloud.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: Meter

• Match Meter to the Tone/Emotion of Story
• Identify Two Common Picture Book Meters
• Write Iambic and Anapestic Meter

Lesson 2: Beats

• Most Common Beat Patterns for Picture Books Scan Beats Per Line and Identify Meter

Lesson 3: Rhyme

• Most Common Rhyme Schemes for Picture Books
• Rhyming Examples
• Identify Rhyme Schemes
• Avoid Rhyming Pitfalls

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn how to make better word choices and fine-tune the readability of your picture books. Jim will teach you how you can build a story with setups and pay-offs and how to make a story emotionally satisfying.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Write a Great Story in Manuscript Form
• How to Edit Your Own Manuscripts
• Leave Room for the Illustrator, While Still Creating a Great Story
• Build a Story with Setups and Pay-offs
• How to Make a Story Emotionally Satisfying

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Beginner writers in need of an idea.
• Intermediate writers perfecting the art of revision.
• All levels looking to create more space for illustrations.
• Illustrators who are interested in crafting their own stories.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Learn how to turn your story concept into a full novel with a rich plot, well-developed characters, and vivid imagery designed to immerse your readers in the fantastical world you created.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Plan Your Middle Grade Fantasy Novel
• Write Characters and Dialogue
• Worldbuilding
• Stakes, Rising Tension, and the Ticking Clock
• Make Magic Believable
• Write Action and Fight Scenes

THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR

• Beginning or advanced writers who love fantasy.
• Visual creators who want to create a fantasy world for their readers.

ABOUT THIS MINI-CLASS

Learn how to craft a voice that merges your signature strengths with the type of story you want to tell. Carter gives detailed explanations of how your choice of perspective, sentence structure, and words influence the voice of your story.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Lesson 1: What Even Is Voice Anyway?

• Identify Your Primary Reader
• Identify Your Storyteller
• Diversify Your Reading
• Examine Your Signature Authorial Voice

Lesson 2: The Technicalities of Voice

• Determine Your Story’s Perspective
• Explore POV Options
• Choose a Tense

Lesson 3: The Emotional Responsibility of Voice

• Evoke Emotion with Words
• Improve Word Choices and Sentence Structure Connect Your Thematic Goals to Your Voice
• Match Your Sounds to Your Story

ABOUT THIS COURSE

In these workshops, Arree Chung will take you through his own illustration revision process by sharing handouts and critiquing student picture book dummies during the six live workshops. There are no prerecorded lessons.