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Picture Book Basics

Mar 1

Picture Book Basics

I’ve been working in children’s book publishing in various roles for nearly 20 years now (whoa!). A lot of clients come to me with a manuscript they want me to critique, or a picture book they want me to project manage. They have a first draft and a dream. But many don't take into account some of the very basic points about traditionally printed and published picture books. And how could they? As they say: "If you know, you know." But...what if you don't know? Answer: You com

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3 Exciting Offers for ABC's 3rd Birthday!

Sep 4, 2020

3 Exciting Offers for ABC's 3rd Birthday!

From now until the end of 2020, in honor of my 3rd business anniversary, I am offering a whopping 30% discount off all my editorial services

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You Gotta Read This: Outside In

Apr 20, 2020

You Gotta Read This: Outside In

One of the ways I've been handling being on lockdown during the COVID pandemic is by going outside at least once per day. Most days, around work and distance learning hours, my family and I kick around a ball or garden in our backyard, take long nature walks around our (mostly rural) village, and keep busy teaching the youngest of us to ride a bike. I am lucky to be smack dab in the middle of nature, but my mind and my heart go out to those who don't have such access to the o

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You Gotta Read This: Number 7 Evergreen Street

Mar 31, 2020

You Gotta Read This: Number 7 Evergreen Street

Welp, I had grand plans of posting a new picture book review more than once per week. But alas! Homeschooling, freelance editing, children's book writing, cooking, cleaning (and gardening!), eating and sleeping have taken up most of my time. I made this bread...and then ate almost all of it My little hyper-local community (I live on a dead-end street called a "close" in a semi-rural English village) has been actively bolstering each other during the pandemic. Non-quarantining

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You Gotta Read This: Emergency Kittens!

Mar 24, 2020

You Gotta Read This: Emergency Kittens!

Hi, everyone! Happy what-day-is-it? As I mentioned here last week, I placed an order to my local independent bookstore, in order to: a) stock up on picture books before I wasn't able to leave the house for long (which, now in the UK, we're not) b) support my local indie bookshop, many of which are going to be struggling to survive at the moment c) support picture book authors and illustrators whose books are publishing in these "wild & uncertain times" Some books from my orde

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Gay Bunnies Bring Magic

Mar 18, 2020

Gay Bunnies Bring Magic

As I mentioned in my post on Monday, I am thinking of you all and hoping you stay well and safe during the pandemic. I had drafted this blog post over a month ago, back when the world was a different place. I thought about not posting it today. But I am so proud of this project and how it's affected the world in a positive way, that I decided to go ahead. Especially during troubling times, celebrations are still important! It's been exactly two years since A Day in the Life o

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I ❤️ Self-Publishing Projects!

Feb 10, 2020

I ❤️ Self-Publishing Projects!

Happy almost Valentine's Day, #kidlit lovers! Whether you celebrate this "holiday" or not, I want to tell you about something I really love: Photo by Aung Soe Min on Unsplash Self-publishing projects! Yes, I have worked in "traditional" children's book publishing for 15 years. Yes, I love working with big publishers like Scholastic, Disney, NatGeo Kids, and Bloomsbury. And double-yes, I love working with writers and illustrators who seek to publish traditionally. But there is

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Happy 2nd Birthday to Alli Brydon Creative!

Sep 12, 2019

Happy 2nd Birthday to Alli Brydon Creative!

It's been two years since I started of Alli Brydon Creative, my children's book editorial and writing business! Here, have a slice of cake with me Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash The first year was incredibly successful, with such projects as editing/project managing A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo (which keeps on going and going), writing nonfiction for Scholastic Clubs, and signing on with my agency, Painted Words. Feel free to click back to my blog post from last year

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Perfecting Your Pitch

Jul 17, 2019

Perfecting Your Pitch

A lot of discussion goes on in the #kidlit world about the all-important Query Letter. Do editors and agents even read them? How do I format one? Should I mention that I follow this editor on Twitter? Do I say how much I like the other books on their list? How personal/not-personal should I get? I can only speak for myself as a children's book editor, of course, but I have to say: when I acquire a book for a publishing house, I don't read most of the query letter. I jump stra

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Welcome!

Jan 28, 2019

Welcome!

I am touched and a little overwhelmed. Last Friday, Tara Lazar featured my blog "Alli Brydon Recycles" for Day 25 of Storystorm (which you can read more about here). In this blog post, I spoke about taking your own old picture book ideas and turning them into something new. As a result, a huge number of new readers subscribed to my blog. Thank you, and welcome! It's freaking freezing out here, amirite? I hope you took away something valuable from that post, enjoyed my silly r

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You Got This!

Dec 12, 2018

You Got This!

Long time, no write, folks! You might have noticed the last date/time stamp on this blog was in September. I truly want to beat myself up about this delinquency, but I refuse. my favorite mug Yes, I refuse to beat myself up about not writing. I want you to try to do the same. A YA author posted to Twitter yesterday: If you scroll down to the several hundreds of inspiring responses (which I recommend you do!), you'll read mine: "Moved to a new country and set up a whole new li

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"Put a Ring On It"

Aug 6, 2018

"Put a Ring On It"

Today I want to talk about commitment. Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar: you wake up one morning from a fantastical, sparkly dream about unicorns and rainbows, and tell your partner about it at the breakfast table. Your partner says, "You should really turn that into a children's book!" You think, "I could definitely write a children's book about this," and so you draft a manuscript, show it to a couple of people, and BOOM! you've got yourself a children's picture boo

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Books are Some of my Best Frints

Jul 30, 2018

Books are Some of my Best Frints

Oh my, friends! What a summer it has been so far. We're hitting the beach. We're spending time with friends and family. We're doing math exercises. We're eating too much ice cream (is that even a thing?). We're going to museums. I'm writing up a storm. And we're READING READING READING! The kidlit librarians and I are on a first-name basis. There are some amazing and hilarious picture books that I wanted to share with you. Our current favorite: The silly language alone is gua

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Some crazy & exciting stuff

Mar 28, 2018

Some crazy & exciting stuff

Last week was a bit of a crazy one! In addition to the umpteenth snow storm/Nor'easter we've seen this month (and 10th snow day off from school), there was some exciting news over here at Alli Brydon Creative: (for more on this, including my Twitter thread and the YouTube clip, click here) Yup, I was the editor and project manager on the picture book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, aka the #BetterBundoBook, published by HBO's Emmy-Award winning show Last Week Tonight with

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Happy Holidays, from Alli Brydon Creative!

Dec 20, 2017

Happy Holidays, from Alli Brydon Creative!

This year has been a pretty monumental one: I started Alli Brydon Creative in September, which was a huge leap of faith for me. Only four months in, I'm already busier and more fulfilled than I ever could have imagined! I've been enjoying a wide variety of interesting projects that satisfy all parts of my creative mind, and I'm constantly amazed by the quality and quantity of work that passes across my desk. And next year, I'll be adding "published author" to my list of accom

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November is the best month...

Nov 7, 2017

November is the best month...

...because it's PICTURE BOOK MONTH! Picture Book Month (PBM) was started by these wonderful children's book authors and illustrators, and this nifty graphic (above, created by Joyce Wan) can be found on their site. Consider becoming an ambassador of Picture Book Month, like I just did! Look who else recognizes this Month of Months: National Education Association Children's Book Council American Library Association Teachers All the kids! What I love about Picture Book Month is

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The "So What?" Test

Oct 31, 2017

The "So What?" Test

NB: my intention as an editor is never to be mean. But I do strive to be tough. My author clients come to me for answers they can't get from their peers or critique groups; they rely on me for a professional opinion. And business is tough—yes, even the children's book business. I should say, especially the children's book business. As a children's book writer, you've got some of the toughest critics out there! My two tough critics, each in his own way. My intention as an edit

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First Page = First Impression

Oct 18, 2017

First Page = First Impression

Your eyes flutter open as the sun's orange rays peek through the slats between the window's blinds. Man, it's too early to be awake, your brain tells your sleepy body. You breathe deep. Wiggle your toes and fingers. Creak-crack go the joints. A tiny thought floats into your mind like a speck of dust and lingers. And it lingers. The thought, like most do, grows larger and takes up more space in your brain, sending electric currents down through your body and firing up your arm

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Introducing... #Kidlitbot!

Oct 10, 2017

Introducing... #Kidlitbot!

#kidlitbot mascot and logo created by children's book illustrator Mike Ciccotello The hilarious and talented children's book author, Tara Lazar, was so kind to feature me on her blog this week! And what am I guest blogging about over there, you ask? Something I dreamed up called #Kidlitbot, a weekly children's book writing prompt that I started on Twitter. #Kidlitbot is an idea generator for authors, illustrators, and author-illustrators to use as a springboard to write the f

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Picture Books 101

Oct 2, 2017

Picture Books 101

Having been a children's book editor for nearly 15 years, I sometimes take for granted the things I know about the creation, craft, and publishing of picture books. Nearly every time I work with a wonderful new client through Alli Brydon Creative, I realize that I've got another bit of info stored away in the filing cabinets of my brain that I should dust off and place face-out on the shelves. (yes, I actually imagine my brain is like a large room full of filing cabinets!) So

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