SCBWI

Society of
Children's Book Writers
and Illustrators

Optional Conference Activities

Participation in these activities at a conference is optional

and may involve additional fees.

 

If you have any questions, please contact the Regional Advisor

Click here to register for the next conference

 

Illustrators’ Day is a full day optional activity

with acquiring faculty – Check the

Illustrators’ Lounge for more information

and read about our past Illustrator Day events here

Additional Fees apply

 

Quickfire Portfolio Review – FREE!!!

Bring your portfolio to Illustrators Day for a “Quickfire” panel review by the faculty as part
of the ID program. Limited to the first 25 to select this option due to time limitations in
the program.

 

Writing Intensives with Award Winning Authors, Agents

and Editors – Additional Fees apply

 

One-on-One Sessions with an agent

Come spend 20 minutes one-on-one with an agent who will answer questions and

offer individualized advice and feedback. Bring your query, your first page, a printout

of your current Facebook page or a few of your most recent blogs; bring your one year,

three year, five year plans as a writer/illustrator, your royalty statement, or recent

personal rejection letters, and get some advice on craft or marketing yourself and your

work from one of the best!  You may submit up to 5 pages of material for the agent to

review in advance of the appointment. Send to sbreezeoneonone@gmail.com no later

than 30 days prior to the conference. These pages are not intended to be critiqued as

with a formal critique, and are only to apprise the agent of the issue/project/subject you

wish to discuss. Additional Fees Apply

 

  START WITH A PITCH- FREE!

We’re having a pitch party! Here’s how it works:

  1. If you’re interested in presenting a pitch (IT’s FREE!), sign up when you register. Look for the button labeled “Start With a Pitch!”
  2. Perfect your pitch! (We’re having a Practice Your Pitch Party on January 22nd so you can perfect that pitch. Visit the Southern Breeze blog here for all the details!)
  3. Bring your pitch with you when you come for the conference.
  4. The morning of the conference, we’ll select names from those who have signed up. We’ll announce the names at the beginning of the Pitch Party so YOU MUST BE IN ATTENDANCE AND READY TO PARTICIPATE. If you choose at that time NOT to participate, do not line up.
  5. Each person participating will have thirty seconds to make the pitch. You may wish to read your pitch rather than memorize it. Either way, at :30, you must stop.
  6. Each member of the Pitch Panel may or may not give feedback. 

We hope to get through around 25 pitches in the time allotted for this session. But we can only achieve that goal if you’re prepared. So perfect your pitch, listen carefully, and then cross your fingers. You might pitch yourself–and your manuscript!– all the way to a new agent!

SCBWI MEMBERS BOOK LAUNCH and BOOK SALES  – FREE
Southern Breezers are invited to participate in our 
book sales and signing at our conferences.

Book Sales: SCBWI Members who are not speaking at a conference may designate ONE title to
be included in the bookstore, with publisher, date and ISBN by 
completing the book sales form
no later than 30 days prior to the conference.

PLEASE NOTE: SCBWI Headquarters has opened this optional activity to all members,

and it is no longer limited to PAL members only. Due to space limitations for the bookstore,

the number of members who may sell books is limited and the available slots will be filled

on a first-come-first-served basis.

 

Book Launches: Published SCBWI members are also eligible to launch books published during the preceding 12
months
which have not previously been launched at a conference.

To participate in the book launch, in addition to completing the book sales form, you must also
send a digital image of your book cover to sbreezelaunch@gmail.com
no later than 30 days prior
to the conference 
so that there is sufficient time to prepare the book cover powerpoint presentation.

At the launch, you will have three minutes to speak about your book and your story of publication.

Due to time constraints, registration for this activity is limited and spaces will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Please prepare and time your comments prior to the conference so that you can complete them in the allotted three minutes.

 

ILLUSTRATORS’ Portfolio Display – FREE!!!
Illustrators may display their portfolios at our conferences.
For more information about putting together a portfolio, check the guidelines for the SCBWI Showcase and the blog post by Elizabeth Dulemba, our former Illustrator Coordinator.

There is no additional fee for this activity.

 

Formal critiques – Additional Fees Apply

NOTE: These may be scheduled to occur during conference sessions.

FORMATTING MANUSCRIPTS FOR FORMAL CRITIQUE

For more information about formatting a manuscript, see From Keyboard to Printed

Page, at www.scbwi.org (click on “Publications” then download “The Book.” Formatting instructions are on page 10)

No more than one manuscript may be submitted for each critique. Manuscripts

for formal critique shall be no longer than 10 pages, including synopsis. The first page

of your manuscript should include your name, contact information, total length, and the

category (pb, mg, ya) of your submission. Please number all pages. Place the title and

by-line one third the way from the top of the first page, and begin the text no higher than

halfway down the page. New chapters should begin on new pages, with text starting no

higher than one third the way down the page. Use one inch margins on all sides, 12 point

font, and, except for poetry and a one page synopsis (which counts as a page in the 10

page maximum), please double space all text.

 

Face-to-Face critiques: after registering, email your manuscript to

sbface2facecrits@gmail.com no later than midnight, 35 days prior to the

conference. Please use “[SM or wik] F2F Critique – [title]-[category (pb, mg, YA )] ”

as your email subject line.

 

Written only critiques when offered, written only critiques are guaranteed to be completed by an editor or agent. They may not be offered at all conferences.

If you register for a Written Only Critique your manuscript should be the same length and format as a Face to Face critique, but should be emailed to sbwrittencrits@gmail.com no later than midnight, 35 days prior to the conference. Please use “[SM or wik] Written Critique – [title]-[category (pb, mg, YA )] ” in your subject line.

 

Portfolios  – Your portfolio to be formally critiqued should be brought to the conference. See above for more information about formatting portfolios.

 

Informal Critiques – FREE!!!

This activity offers the opportunity to critique others’ work and have your work critiqued by peers.

There is no charge for this activity. Bring at least 5 copies of your work, no more than 2500 words

please, to the conference.

 

First Pages – FREE!!!

This activity occurs only at our Springmingle conference, and 

offers a quick critique by the faculty panel of first pages which are presented

anonymously in a general session. There is no additional fee for this but registration is

limited due to the limited time available for the activity.

First Pages – After registering for this optional activity, please submit the first

page, up to 250 words, in the same format as manuscripts submitted for formal critques.

Submit your title, genre, and the first page of text as a word document attached to an email sent no later than midnight, March 2, addressed to first8lines@gmail.com.

Please do not put your name or other identifying information on the document.

 

Submissions will be read aloud at the conference. Because First Pages is a popular activity, registration is limited and we typically do not have time to read and review all of the submissions which are received. There is no guarantee that all submissions will be reached or that the full page you submit will be read.