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Jason Kirschner’s above illustration was the winner of the NJSCBWI Artist Exhibit Award for an Unpublished Illustrator.

Yvonne Ventresca – Signed book deal with Skyhorse Publishing for a contemporary YA novel about a flu pandemic.

Robin Newman – Signed a book contract for her chapter book, “The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake, A Wilcox & Griswold Mystery (Creston Books, Agent: Fleissig) Plus, she received an SCBWI Barbara Karlin Grant Letter of Commendation.

Linda Bozzo – Signed two book deals with Amicus for eleven nonfiction books about the military.

Susan Hood – Sold 2 new picture books to Random House. Plus, her book SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER won a 2013 Int. Latino Award.

Ame Dyckman – Signed another book deal and picked up her Crystal Kite Book Award at the conference.

Adam Lehrhaupt – Landed an Agent when his editor Alexandra Penfold joined Literary Agency, Upstart Crow. His debut book, Warning: Do Not Open This Book! with Simon and Schuster is coming out 8/27/13.

Nancy Viau - Had two PBs come out this spring: LOOK WHAT I CAN DO! and STORM SONG. One PB forthcoming in 2014.

Pam Brunksill – Sold her first magazine piece to Highlights for Children It will appear in this September’s issue.

Laurie Wallmark – Magazine article printed in Cricket and a story in Boys Quest. She sold two additional articles to Boys Quest.

Dave Amaditz – His young adult novel, Dirty Secrets, was the winner of the 2012 SCBWI W-I-P Grant for a Contemporary Novel.

Wendy Greenley – Just discovered her poem “Elegy to my Hotel Bed” is included in the July/August issue of the SCBWI Bulletin.

Tracey Baptiste – Is working with Scholastic as an editor in their education department with a digital teacher training product called Scholastic U.

Eric Sailer took Honorable Mention in the NJSCBWI Artist Exhibit with the above illustration.

Left to Right: Agent Jessica Regel, Agent Stephen Barbara, Sheri Oshins, Leeza Hernandez, Kelly Calabrese, Connie Colon, Agent Marietta Zacker.

If you would like to see more photos taken at the conference click these links:

http://robinnewmanbooks.wordpress.com/

http://nerdychicksrule.com/2013/06/11/the-quotable-nerdy-njscbwi/

https://www.facebook.com/connie.t.colon/photos

Congratulations to all! I expect that I will be able to report back lots of other success stories once the bubble to the surface after the dust settles from the good things that went on at the conference.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Believe me you will feel like pulling out all your teeth if you don’t realize that…

Thanks to Dow Phumiruk for sending in this illustration to help me make my point.  Dow is a pediatrician who has found her passion in children’s book illustration. Most of her work is digital, and she enjoys using a bright, colorful palette. She joined SCBWI in 2011 and is looking forward to her first national conference in LA this summer. Here is a link to see more of her art: www.artbydow.blogspot.com .

the New Jersey SCBWI Conference being held in Princeton, NJ June 7 – 9 will close registration on APRIL 30th! I am making a big deal about this, because I am afraid that many of you will miss the date.  When I was running the conference, I would let people register up until the first week in June and because of that I didn’t realize that the deadline was a drop dead date at the end of April. If I didn’t realize, then I am sure someone else who is use to registering later could miss getting into the conference. I would feel terrible if you wanted to go and didn’t understand the change.  Please help spread the word, so that doesn’t happen. I don’t blame them for the earlier cut off, it will drastically help the committee to prepare for the conference.   www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

REMEMBER: EARLY Bird DEADLINE for
New Jersey June Conference is March 1st

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Many of you have asked to hear the stats from the conference.  Here they are:

We had 299 people attend.  That is everyone, including the editors and agents.

We had  354 critiques, portfolio reviews, and special consultations.

Attendees came from 23 different states.

One Hundred and Thirty-Nine people received pitches and 142 people attended a First Page Session.

Fifty-six people attended the First -Timers Session and from the feedback, everyone who attended got a lot out of the session and it helped break the ice for people who did not know anyone.

One Hundred and forty-seven attendees came to the Mix and Mingle on Friday night.  We had a long line for the food this year, but we have already talked to the hotel about how to correct the situation.

Below are places where we spent a huge amount of time and still made mistakes. 

Every year, we try to put attendees with different editors and agents where possible.  Example:  You had one-on-one critiques with Mr./Ms. agent and Mr./Ms. editor, and you signed up for a first page (which we put you with two other editors), then if you had a pitch we aimed to get you with an agent that you hadn’t seen and then we tried to put you at lunch on Saturday and Sunday with two other editor/agents that you weren’t on your scheduled.  This was a nightmare.  I think we did a pretty good job in getting the job done, but there were a few mistakes and people complained that they were scheduled for a pitch with an agent that didn’t do what they wrote.

So we have decided that next year, we are going to do things differently.  We are planning to have an online registration, where you will pick your lunch tables both days and you will pick the First Page sessions you want to attend, along with the workshops.  When it is sold out, it is sold out and you will have to look for the next best thing.  So people who sign up later, will not have everything to chose from.  Also people who decide at the last minute they have to leave the conference early will not have all options open to them.  It is not a simple task to move someone when there is a huge web of critiques, pitches and first page sessions.  We did our best, but last minute changes is like turning a hose directly on a spider web – the whole thing can collapse.  Trying to do these types of changes two days before the conference causes a mess and an awful lot of stress.  We are looking for ways to avoid the stress and hope by pointing that out, people will try to do better on their side of things.

Next year we plan to have editors and agents come in earlier on Friday, so you will be able to choose to do critiques on Friday.  This way more people can be scheduled for their critiques when workshops are not in session.  Of course, we will still need to have some attendees do critiques during worksho

Making New Writer Friends and Reconnecting with Old Ones Last week I had the best time at the NJSCBWI Conference despite a few family setbacks. (An emergency room visit in the middle of the night) But that's another story. I was thrilled to meet and chat with some of my POET'S GARAGE members. I had met Stella and Diana before, but this was my first time meeting Laura. I also ran into my old

Below is the list of donations that will be in the NJSCBWI  Conference Raffle.  You can purchase tickets to use to win the following prizes.  We have a lot of really good things this year.  There is still time to donate.  Everyone who donates something worth over 25 dollars will receive three free tickets to use in the raffle.  Check back for additional items.

* Up to 10,000 word Namelos critique.

* Author Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, picture book critique.

* Author Charlotte Bennardo. critique of the first 30 pages of a novel, plus synopsis.

* Author Dianne Ochiltree, a picture book critique, of one story, double-spaced, 12-point type, up to five manuscript pages

* Author Audrey Vernick critique of full PB or 15 page novel critique. 

* Author Nancy Viau, critique of first 15 pages of a Middle Grade novel and corresponding synopsis.

* Author Natalie Zaman, critique of first 30 page of a middle grade or young adult novel, plus synopsis.

* Brand new Canon color printer

* Writer’s Weekend Retreat inMaine

* 4 Diamond Box tickets to the Phillies game on June 15^th

* 2 Yearly SCBWI Memberships.

* $70 off a Summer 2011 Networking Dinner in NYC.

* $50 off a future NJSCBWI Event.

* Invoke the Muse” Candle Basket.

* “Writer’s Basket” with $50 Barnes and Noble gift cards, chocolate cherry wine, Lang Willaimsburg

* Certificate valued at $1200 for a pencil sketch of your pet.

* Free consultation and $50 certificate off programs price of MEDImorphosis Physician Assisted Weight Loss Plan.

* “Devine and Delicious YA Basket” with a $20 gift card for Dunkin Donuts, plus: MATCHED by Ally Condie, NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer, THE DARK DIVINE by Bree Despain, and ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins.

* Original oil paintings and art work

* Barnes and Noble Gift Certificates

* Fabric Sample Basket

* 2 signed copies of The Beauty of Different

* Autographed copy of LULLABYE, LITTLE ONE by Dianne Ochiltree which was selected for inclusion in the Dollywood Foundations Imagination Library national childhood literacy program.

* 2 Autographed copies of The Complete Idiots Guide to Publishing Children’s Books, 3^rd Edition

* 1 hour massage,StraubeCenter,Pennington, NJ

* “Tea and Creativity on the Summer Porch” Basket ~  It contains a wooden desk easel, journal, pens, brushes, tea pot, 2 mugs, tea and Ghirardelli chocolate.

* From Kids Lit Authors Club ~ 1 Picture Book basket, plus 1 MG/YA book basket.

* Illustrator creative branding consultation (gift certifica