In This Issue

  • A summary of upcoming dates: So you don't miss a thing!
  • A note from Regional Advisor Danielle Sunshine
  • Illustrator Day: It's days away! We can't wait to see many of you there.
  • Upcoming bookstore events: Check out our lineup of incredible panelists!
  • Autumn Webinars: Next one coming up Oct 22: How to Pitch
  • Asilomar registration coming soon: Registration opens October 28th
  • Critique Connection: Learn how to connect with critique groups and partners
Summary of Key Dates
(Scroll down for details!)
This Month
Oct 11: Illustrator Day

Oct 22: How to Pitch with agent DongWon Song (Webinar)

Oct 28: Golden Gate Conference at Asilomar Registration begins
Coming Up
Nov 3: Successful Critique Groups: How They Support Us in Our Publishing Goals (Bookstore event)

Nov 11: My Best Failure: 6 Debut Authors Recall the Failures that Led to Success (Bookstore event)

Nov 12: Marketing for Authors (Bookstore event)

Nov 21: Meet the Mentors (Webinar)
A note from Danielle Sunshine, Regional Advisor
Hello Regional members,

Welcome to October! There are many interesting regional events this month, including our annual Illustrator Day and a webinar with Agent DongWon Son from Morhaim Literary. Please read on for more details.

We are also excited to begin registration for the 2020 Golden Gate Conference at Asilomar. Stay tuned for details about the conference including information about how to register.

November will be packed with three bookstore events, which are described below. You can also find these events on our regional calendar at sfsouth.scbwi.org.

Finally, the regional team sends a a big thank you to everyone who tuned in for our "Meet the Regional Team" webinar last week. It was wonderful to meet many of you (at least virtually).

Until next month,
Danielle
Illustrator Day is Almost Here!
Oct 12, 2019

We are days away from our 13th annual Illustrator Day, coming up on Saturday October 12th at the Fort Mason Firehouse in San Francisco.

Thank you to everyone who signed up. We can't wait to see so many of you there!

There are a very few remaining seats, so if you would like to join us, click here to register.
Isabella Kung
Illustrator Coordinator
Bookstore Events in November
We are delighted to offer awesome, free bookstore events in multiple parts of our region this November. We know how hard it is for our members to fight their way through heavy Bay Area traffic. It's our hope that many of you will be able to attend at least one of these events. All of them include both valuable networking with your peers and fabulous programming. NOTE: while these are free events, some may require you to register due to bookstore capacity limitations. 

Successful Critique Groups: How They Support Us in Our Publishing Goals

Sunday, Nov 3, 2019 4:30-6:30
Linden Tree Books, 265 State Street, Los Altos
 
Join us for networking and book buying, followed by a panel discussion on critique groups, why they’re important, and how they can support you on your path to publication. Our panelists are:
  • Christine Evans, author of picture book, “Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist: The True Story of a World-Traveling Bug Hunter” (Sept 2019)
  • Vicky Fang, author of picture book, “Invent-a-Pet” (May 2020) and chapter book series, “Layla and the Bots: Happy Paws” (May 2020)
  • Abigail Hing Wen, author of YA, “Loveboat, Taipei” (Jan 2020)
  • Laura Zarrin, illustrator of the chapter book series, "Wallace and Grace" (Bloomsbury) and "Katie Woo's Neighborhood" (Capstone)
 
Questions? Contact SCBWI volunteer host: Lynne Ann Biscay at [email protected]
 
 
 
My Best Failure: 6 Debut Authors Recall the Failures that Led to Success

Monday, Nov 11, 2019, 7:00-9:00pm 
 
Join six California-based authors whose debut middle grade novels were released in 2019 as they talk about the failures they've faced along their journey to publication, and how navigating those failures ultimately helped them achieve their dreams. Learn about their experiences as debut authors, and the biggest lessons they've learned before and after publication.
 
Panel members: Chris Baron, Jen Camiccia, Lindsay Lackey, Aimee Lucido, Lisa Ramee, Brian Weisfeld.
 
To reserve your spot: click here!
 
Questions? Contact SCBWI volunteer host: Lindsay Lackey at [email protected]  



Marketing for Authors
with Annemarie O’Brien

Tuesday, November 12, 2019, 6:00-8:00pm
Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco

What do potential agents, editors, other industry professionals, and readers find when they look for you online? The goal of Marketing for Authors is to arm you with 15 action items you can do now to build and improve your “brand,” i.e. who you are, what you write, and where to find you; and to improve your google ranking to expand your audience. In particular, Annemarie will cover tips on improving your website from the perspective of Google searches, using SEO to reach more targeted audiences and to build an effective and memorable author brand. This talk is designed for any writer at any stage in the publishing process. We’ll also browse for books and network over light refreshments. RSVP: Free for SCBWI members with reservation; $10 at the door.

To reserve your spot: click here!

Annemarie O’Brien is an award-winning children’s author and marketing professional with twenty-plus years of global brand experience. She has a BBA in marketing, an MBA in international business, and an MFA in writing for Children & Young Adults. She teaches story marketing at Stanford Continuing Studies and writing courses at UC Berkeley Extension and Pixar. She is a frequent conference speaker on story marketing.
 
Questions? Contact SCBWI volunteer host: Ann Jacobus at [email protected]  
Autumn Webinars
OCTOBER: How to Pitch with agent DongWon Song

October 22, 2019 at 12pm

Meet agent DongWon Song from Howard Morhaim Literary Agency and learn how to write an effective pitch. Click here to register.


NOVEMBER: Meet the Mentors

November 21, 2019 at 12pm

Meet our 2019 SF/South Mentors and hear about their experience in the program and the takeaways we can all learn from. Click here to register.


Also take note of our upcoming winter webinars :

  • In January, local writer and teacher Anne-Marie Strohman will present, "Reading for Craft."
  • In February, local writer and ukulele player Tim McCanna will present, "Rhyming in Picture Books: Dos and Don'ts."

All our webinars are FREE for SF/South Members!

Beyond our region:
Many regions put on webinars and make them available to SCBWI members from other regions. The Nevada region curates a list of upcoming webinars from around the world. Click here to see all the amazing content available in the coming months.

Bonus:
In case you missed it, here’s the replay for our latest webinar, Meet the Regional Team. Our regional team took questions about many aspects of SCBWI and writing. 

Golden Gate Conference 2020 at Asilomar
Registration Opens Monday October 28th at 9am
Stay tuned for an email detailing everything related to the Golden Gate Conference 2020, coming later this month. Meanwhile, mark your calendars for registration on October 28th at 9am.

At-A-Glance:
  • Date: March 13-15, 2020
  • Location: Asilomar, Pacific Grove, CA
  • Theme: Your Weekend MFA (Masters of Fine Arts)
  • Registration begins: Monday October 28th at 9am
Critique Connection News
NEW: Pop-Up Critique Meet-Ups!

Keep an eye on the SCBWI San Francisco/South Facebook page for pop-up events in our region on Saturday mornings. If you are interested in hosting a Critique Meet-Up in your area, please contact our Critique Connection Coordinator, Lynne Ann Biscay, at  [email protected] .

Also....

Our new system for connecting members with critique partners is up and running! You can access our "seeking a critique group" database through our SCBWI San Fran/South regional page. Click here! Please note: you must be signed in to the SCBWI website in order to access the database.

If you are seeking critique partners, add your name/info to the database and then take the initiative to contact writers/artists listed in your area to see if they might be a good fit for a critique exchange. Our system is “self-serve” because only YOU can determine what works best for you.
 
Besides the database, you can also meet potential critique partners at our local bookstore events.  Each event coordinator will have a sign-up sheet for people seeking critique partners. Following the event, we will “connect” you via email.
 
Also, consider attending the bookstore meet-up at Linden Tree Books in Los Altos on Sunday, November 3 from 4:30PM - 6:30PM. The panel discussion topic will be “Successful Critique Groups: How They Support Us in Our Publishing Goals.”
 
If you have any questions about Critique Connection, please contact our coordinator, Lynne Ann Biscay, at  [email protected] .
We're looking for your ideas for how we can make this newsletter more fun and more useful. Send us your suggestions! Contact Laurel at [email protected].