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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Picture Book Mentorship - Thanks for Applying



Dear Future Picture Book Author,

Thanks to everyone who applied for my free picture book writing mentorship. After reading over one-hundred emails and fifty manuscripts, I’ve selected a mentee. I’ll be working for the next six months with Tara Luebbe of South Carolina.

Authors are constantly told—usually after a rejection—that this is a highly subjective industry and it is. (Insert eye roll.) I connected with Tara’s letter and her two sample manuscripts. That doesn’t mean other candidates weren’t just as good or qualified. It’s something I felt in my gut.

Due to my lack of backbone (and some technical glitches), I’m not sending out “rejection” emails to all who applied. I wish everyone the best and thanks for taking the time to write me.  Keep writing, y’all. That’s the only secret to this industry. You just can’t stop.

Warmest regards,
Stacy


10 comments:

  1. Congratulations to Tara! I so appreciate the opportunity, Stacy. Thank you!

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  2. Big congratulations to Tara! Thanks, Stacy, for the opportunity. :)

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  3. "I gotta scholarship to King's College.I gotta lot of brains but no polish."

    Ok no more Hamilton. But seriously we all need to give it up to Stacy for such generosity. She has her own books to write/market plus kids etc and is still willing to go above and beyond and not charge anything! There is a lot of "help" out there for unpublished writers, for a fee. I hope other writers get wind of this and follow her example. So everyone please support her: buy the books, tell your librarians, blog about them, tweet about them, accost browsers in the bookstores, give them as birthday gifts, buy them for charity, ask your local indie to stock it, stick them in little libraries, donate them for your children's classrooms/libraries/preschools, tell all the people in line at Disney about them, get them for your grand kids, tell your critique groups about them, review them on Goodreads and Amazon (this is really important), teachers force your kids to do book reports on them, tell the neighbor kids, tell the publisher how much you like them, yodel about them from the Swiss Alps or whatever you can do. Let's show Stacy our appreciation.

    I am still in shock that I won and extremely grateful. This came along at the perfect time for me and I know her guidance will make a difference. I look forward to paying this forward to someone else someday.

    Hey did I tell you about this awesome new book The Dino Files?

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  4. Congratulations, Tara!

    I'll keep an eye out for your work, as I'm sure those manuscripts will be in full published book glory one day! Thanks for the opportunity, Stacy, and good luck on the dino- publicizing!

    Best Wishes,

    Brittany Orrico

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  5. Thank you, Stacy. Hopefully one day, I can follow in your footsteps. Such a kind offer in the first place. All the best Tara and Stacy.

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  6. Congrats, Tara. And, thanks for the opportunity, Stacy. Looking forward to seeing both of your books on the shelves of my local library.

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  7. Congratulations Tara :) What an adventure it will be!

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  8. Hip, hip, hooray for Tara! Thank you for your generosity, Stacy.
    ~Suzy Leopold

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  9. Congratulations, Tara! Enjoy your journey. Thanks, Stacy. You are awesome!

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  10. Congrats, Tara! And kudos, Stacy, for being so generous and setting an example for all of us. Enjoy the journey, both of you!

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