Regional virtual events

February 28, 2025: Through a series of mini-lessons in this 90 minute webinar, seven published authors and illustrators will share tips for finding a writing or illustration voice and discuss how the way you feel about your voice can differ from how others (e.g., critique group members, agent, editor, etc.) perceive it. The panelists will also host a Q&A and provide participants with a virtual document recommending lessons and craft books. This webinar will be recorded and available to registered attendees for 30 days following the event.

March 3, 2025 (registration ends March 2): Join us as we chat with Kizzi Roberts about chapter books; What they are, where they fit, and why we need them. Chapter books have long been a staple on the shelves of voracious young readers, but what are they exactly? And who are they for? From long-running series spanning over 150 books to new arrivals, we’ll explore key features that make a chapter book different from other middle grade books. From beginning readers to those reading above grade level, we’ll discuss all the ways chapter books meet the needs of readers ages 6 to 10.

March 3, 2025: Explore excerpts from published middle-grade and young adult novels in verse to examine elements and choices that create powerful impact. Consider ways to make your own poetry come together to make a satisfying and striking overarching story. A limited number of MG/YA Novel in Verse OR PB manuscript/dummy critiques available.

March 8, 2025 (registration closes March 7): With a wealth of high-octane experience in Hollywood & Nickelodeon - combined with a genuine support for writers and their best interests - Eddie Gamarra will share insider tips on how and where to pitch ideas that could get your book a fighting chance. Former college professor and now media right consultant, Eddie Gamarra was most recently VP, Literary Affairs where he scouted, acquired, and developed books & other IP for Paramount's Nickelodeon & Awesomeness brands. His client roster included NYT best-selling authors & illustrators as well as Oscar, Emmy, Annie, Caldecott, Newbery, and Geisel winners/nominees. He has a BA from Vassar, a Masters from NYU, and a PhD from Emory.

March 10, 2025 (registration closes March 9): Every would-be author or illustrator has faced rejection in their quest to find a literary agent and/or land a book deal. Those passes can tear you down or propel you towards achieving your goals. Author Susan Johnston Taylor will share the sanity-saving strategies she used over her seven years(!) in the query trenches. Want to hear how she sold her first two books to a publisher without an agent? Or see examples of other authors using rejection art to keep their creative spark alive? Don't miss this candid discussion on dealing with rejection.

March 11, 2025 (registration closes March 10): Join us as we learn from award-winning author Darcy Pattison about the basics of marketing your children's book with pre-publication tasks, launch strategies, and post-publication maintenance. We'll talk about when and how to use metadata, review copies/arcs, newsletters, social media, interviews, conferences, teacher's guides and more to help you sell more books.

March 13, 2025: Whether you are writing an epic fantasy with dynamic world building, a suspenseful thriller, a creepy horror, a dramatic family saga, a charming romance, or an otherworldly adventure, it is important to build characters who are complex and distinct. Each character has a backstory and personality that provides them with dimension, and that character's background should influence how they communicate and connect with others. In this workshop, we'll talk about the different ways we can enhance a character's voice through dialogue and other forms of communication. A limited number of MG & YA critiques are available at an additional cost.

April 5, 2025 (registration closes April 4): Just like first impressions, first pages can matter a lot. They help set up reader expectations, as well as reader anticipation. How do you polish your first page to where it needs to be to get a reader hooked? We'll be looking at examples of strong first pages and discussing what makes them work, as well as chatting about what might NOT work on a first page. Presented by Foyinsi Adegbonmire, Editor at Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing. She was named a PW Star Watch Honoree and her acquisitions include New York Times-bestseller Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Indie Bestseller Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao. When not reading or thinking about her very large TBR pile, she can be found watching Black sitcoms from the 90s/early 2000s, obsessing over crafting, or being sucked into Twitter and TikTok (@Foyinsi_Pub).

April 5, 2025 (registration closes April 4): Whether you're beginning, powering through to the end, or revising a novel or longer non-fiction book, much of writing is about time. Where's the best place to start? How do you time the key changes that structure your book? Do scenes move at a pace matching the action? When do readers need a breather? And what words and rhythms best echo the pace of your story? Suzanne Morgan Williams’s presentation will touch on all of these, based on her experiences writing and re-writing her own work and coaching other writers with theirs. Bring your questions.

April 17, 2025 (registration closes April 16): How Imposter Syndrome can affect creators, agents, and even editors at all points in the writing, querying, submissions, and editorial process, and how to battle through it in your own writing and publishing journey. A limited number of PB, MG and YA CRITIQUES available at an additional cost. (Note: Those who register for POCONO BELIEVE 2025 are automatically registered for this event.)

April 26, 2025 (registration closes April 25): In this highly informative webinar, with a detailed case study about his self-published graphic novel, author and illustrator Roger McMullan teaches you how to find people who want your book, how to build a community around those people, and how to sell your book - all without spending a penny on ads. He'll rate his wide range of promotional efforts with how effective they were in relation to cost and effort, and if they would be worth doing again for a future book.