logo

 

 

In our website, you'll find:

  • Events: see our calendar for upcoming speakers and conferences
  • Volunteer: at local conferences, to be on the Advisory Committee, to submit articles and illustrations to the newsletter, etc.
  • News: subscribe to the Sunflower Scoop or In the Wind.
  • Critique Groups: Need some help? We all do! Joining a critique group is the best way to improve your work.
  • Member Sites: see what Kansas members are up to.
  • Contact Us: Still have questions? Send an e-mail to Regional Advisor Sue Ford. With Website concerns, contact Kate Barsotti.
 
Good Books for Writers
(Recommended by KS SCBWI members):

Kathryn Brogden, ed.: Writer’s Market
Orson Scott Card: Character and Viewpoint
John Gardner: The Art of Fiction
Elizabeth George: Write Away
Anne Lamott Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Robert Newton Peck: Fiction Is Folks
Newton Newton Peck: Secrets of Successful Fiction
Alice Pope, ed.: Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market
J. I. Rodale: The Synonym Finder
Jane Smiley: 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel
 
quote

"Don’t be in too much of a rush to be published. There is enormous value in listening and reading and writing—and then putting your words away for weeks or months–and then returning to your work to polish it some more."

Sharon Creech

 

 

Welcome
The Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is dedicated to helping new and established writers and illustrators hone their craft and learn about the business of publishing. The Kansas region holds quarterly meetings and an annual conference, plus provides support to Kansas members.

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Writers at Work
2009 Event

WHAT? I’M AN EDITOR?

Saturday, July 25th
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Online Registration

Mardel Christian and Educational Bookstore Meeting Room
7102 W 119th St (119th & Blue Valley Parkway), Overland Park

Cost nonmembers $17, members $12. At the door, if space available, will be $20 and $15.

September’s almost here. Don’t have a panic attack about meeting editors at the upcoming Kansas SCBWI conference.  Relax.  Really!  Editors put on their pantsuits one leg at a time, too.  Learn how to win contracts and influence important people.

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I WANT TO WRITE OR ILLUSTRATE FOR KIDS!

How Do I Get Started?

I’ve Already Written a Book, Now What Do I Do?

  • Join a critique group. KS SCBWI has groups!
  • Make it the best it can be.
  • Come to our conferences to network with others, learn about the publishing industry, and meet editors, agents, and published writers and illustrators.
  • Get the Children's Writers Market Book—available at most bookstores, it has marketing info and more.
  • Go to the library and bookstores and look at books similar to what you’ve written. Study them to see what you like and don’t like. See who publishes these books.

I’m Interested in Children’s Magazines, What Do I Do?

  • Get the Children’s Writers Market Book. It has info on magazines, too.
  • Study children’s magazines you find especially interesting.

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Membership Benefits: The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

22,000 members strong! Benefits you receive from your membership with SCBWI:

NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL:
A professional association recognized by the publishing community; Board of Advisors includes Judy Blume, Walter Dean Meyers, Jane Yolen, Arthur A. Levine.

And:

  • Regional chapters found in all 50 states in U.S., plus 62 countries.
  • Two major national conferences, LA (summer) and NY (winter).
  • Continuous calendar of conferences throughout the country and world, hosted by each region, giving participants access to top publishers and agents. (Permission usually given to attendees to submit manuscripts to the publishers/agents, even if they are closed to non-agented material.)
  • Networking with members on a national and world level.
  • Five awards presented nationally to members for writing and illustrating. Six grants awarded to help members continue work on their children’s book.
  • Membership in an organization that lobbies for author/illustrators concerns.
  • Online discussion boards.

LOCAL:

  • Active local chapter that conducts quarterly events and annual conference. (See www.Kansas-SCBWI.org for information on upcoming conference in June.)
  • Advice and guidance on all steps of publishing: the Kansas chapter (which includes neighboring counties in Missouri) has 204 members, 100 of them published.
  • Critique groups at the regional level: group of 4-6 writers/illustrators who meet either face-to-face or online to edit one other’s work.
  • Advice and guidance on all steps for seeking publishing from chapter members.
  • Sunflower Scoop, the Kansas region’s online email update filled with current information on writing, publishing news, and events.
  • Access to bi-monthly publication, In the Wind, with up-to-date publishing news, features on writing tips, etc.

 

 

 

SCBWIJoin SCBWIfaq

- - - SCBWI website

What's an SCBWI region? Membership benefits (PDF)- - - Current events in our area! See what's happening. - - -

In the Wind Newsletter:

In The Wind:
February 2009 (PDF)

 

Site design: Kate Barsotti, Inc. . Unless otherwise indicated, this website and its contents are the property of the Kansas Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, USA, and are protected, without limitation, pursuant to U.S. and foreign copyright and trademark laws. While Kansas SCBWI uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information on the site, the Kansas region of SCBWI also makes no representations or warranties as to whether the information accessible via this website, or any website with which it is linked, is accurate, complete, or current.

Kansas SCBWI reserves the right to cancel events or to change speakers or sessions at its discretion.