Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 60

National Book Lovers Day

Before I get into my post, I wanted to recommend a book to everyone since today is National Book Lovers Day. Last week, I finished Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. I liked it well enough but it wasn’t until very near the end of the book that I realized how masterfully it was … Continue reading National Book Lovers Day →

Revision: What I’m Doing This Week

I have a deadline on Friday so I’ll be spending my week doing revisions. I have to admit that my process has changed a lot since I started doing these books. Today my process looks something like this. That makes for four drafts total. Let me emphasize that this is my nonfiction work-for-hire. When I … Continue reading Revision: What I’m Doing This Week →

Blog Tours: What and Why?

Over the next two weeks or so, I’m taking part in a blog tour (see above). I thought this would be a good opportunity to remind you what a blog tour is and why you might want to do one for your own book. A blog tour is like a book tour but it is … Continue reading Blog Tours: What and Why? →

Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and Idea Generation

I had to do a chocolate chip cookie day post. I just had to! Because when I saw that today was chocolate chip cookie day it immediately brought to mind this picture book. The whole series of books was fun but this was definitely my favorite. There are so many national and international days. In … Continue reading Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and Idea Generation →

Get Out of Your Way

Maybe you need to hear this when you are trying to decide what to write. You come up with an idea . . . but then you talk yourself out of it. It just isn’t good enough. It isn’t high stakes. No one is going to want something so blasé. Or maybe you are trying … Continue reading Get Out of Your Way →

Picture Book Biographies Require Space in the Market

I really wanted to call this post “Picture Book Biographies Need Room to Breathe.” I didn’t but now I’m feeling much better having shared that with someone. My editor tells me that my titles and subtitles are sometimes a little “out there.” I’m not sure where I heard about this particular picture book biography but … Continue reading Picture Book Biographies Require Space in the Market →

What Barbie Taught Me About Creating Characters

Last week, I mentioned I had to finish my revision so I could go see Barbie with a group of friends. The friends I was with laughed. “You are going to see Barbie?” I almost said something incredibly rude. But I didn’t. What can I say? My filter does periodically work especially if I’m in … Continue reading What Barbie Taught Me About Creating Characters →

Why to Have a Newsletter and an Email List

One of the best ways to make direct contact with people is through an e-mail list. You can use this list to promote your books, your classes, any speaking engagements and more. Perhaps the best part about having such an e-mail list is that it is yours. There are limitation to contacting people via social … Continue reading Why to Have a Newsletter and an Email List →

Freebie Friday

Not that I’m going to have a freebie every Friday, but when I do — Freebie Friday! This week I finished another book list for young readers. These books are about or set in Kentucky. There’s one by me (L.C. Edwards), one by Jane Yolen, and 16 more. Click here to download a printable copy. … Continue reading Freebie Friday →

Sidebars and Picture Book Depth

“There isn’t enough a strong picture book manuscript. It needs more depth.” If you’ve been writing picture books for any length of time, someone has probably said something like this about your work. It doesn’t matter if it came from a critique partner or an editor. It is never what you want to hear. The … Continue reading Sidebars and Picture Book Depth →