Bestselling Authors and Illustrators On Writing and Publishing

If you’re looking for authors and illustrators to share insights on writing and publishing, check out these two awesome interviews! In these exclusive videos, best selling authors and illustrators sit down with us at KidLit TV: author Ame Dyckman, author/illustrator Zachariah OHora, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka! We partnered with Picture Book Summit 2015 and created these two videos specifically with authors and illustrators in mind. In these videos, you’ll be hearing insights and advice for authors and illustrators of picture books from some of the most well-respected creators in children’s literature.

Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora

Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora teamed up for New York Times bestseller “Wolfie the Bunny”. This duo share “big break” stories, their process for writing, warnings and more!

Here’s just a few snippets you’ll hear in the video with Ame and Zachariah.

We love Zachariah’s thoughts on writing a moral into a story. As an adult, sometimes we want to write a story around a lesson, but Zachariah issues a warning. (And you’ll see in the below video of Jarrett J. Krosoczka he shares a similar message!)

“As I kid, I didn’t want to see an overwhelming lesson or message in a book. That should be avoided at all costs.”

— Zachariah OHora

And sometimes the thought of marketing yourself as a writer or illustrator is daunting and many authors and illustrators haven’t learned how to do it well. Ame Dyckman shares advise that any expert in marketing (traditional or online) would agree with.

“No body wants to hear you if you’re sitting there and talking about yourself.”

— Ame Dyckman

Ame goes on to talk about how you have to love your whole business, genre and everybody else, too. And it’s true, usually people who shine a light on other people get more love and attention back on themselves. So, yes, another example of how the golden rule works for kids and adults.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is known for his wicked sense of humor and his wide range of skill. He writes picture books, chapter books, graphic novels and more! Among other insights for authors and illustrators, Jarrett J. Krosoczka shares an eye-opening story of how one misstep in knowing the internal process of publishing houses can keep you from getting published. Just another great reason, among the many, to search out a helpful and kind group of fellow authors.

If you’re an author or illustrator looking for more insights on writing and publishing, be sure to check out Picture Book Summit. It’s an online conference for authors and illustrators of picture books. In October 2015, they held the first ever Picture Book Summit (where KidLit TV unveiled the above two videos). Over 700 people attended the conference and it was given rave reviews!