Let’s Get Ready for my new #14DayPBChallenge. During the next 2 weeks, I plan to complete at least one new picture book manuscript, and I am also challenging myself to begin my search for an agent. I plan to do the process publicly–here on my blog. Join Me: Take the 2023 #14DayPBChallenge. It’s Free. Every…
Category: Frances Gilbert
A Pitch for #PBpitch: How My Picture Book The Donkey’s Song Was Discovered
Over and over again, I have repeated these words: It Is A Miracle That The Donkey’s Song Has Been Published! While I’ll try not to drag you through the entire litany of my publishing story, I’ll repeat a few of the high points. I had convinced myself that I’d never sell a manuscript for a…
Believe – Memoir Mondays Prompt: Do Your Believe?
Last week, I set the prompts for this week’s Memoir Monday’s writings, and I established that today, Friday, September 23, 2022, we would write about the following prompt: “I Just Can’t Believe That…” Today, I awoke and began writing about the prompt, and I began looking for the old song, “I believe for every drop…
Hello, Moon – A Picture Book by Julie Downing
“Hello, moon. Goodbye, sun. Night is near. Day is done. In my opinion, Julie Downing’s Hello Moon is a perfect short picture book. The literary theme of Night versus Day plays heavily in this book. But in Hello, Moon, the nighttime is not sinister or evil. It Dark versus Light – Night versus Day –…
#14DayPBDay 11 – How to Write an Author’s Biography for A Picture Book Writer?
I’ve only been in the business of writing children’s books for a couple of years and yet, I couldn’t even venture a guess as to how many times I’ve been asked to supply a biography for myself. Doesn’t it make sense to get one good biography ready and store it somewhere safe? Better still–email your…
Who Is Jacki Kellum, Author of The Donkey’s Song, Random House Children’s Books – 2022
“I am part of all that I have met.” – Tennyson – Many years ago, I read Tennyson’s words: “I am part of all that I have met,” and I can honestly say that all of my life’s experiences have become the core of who I am now. Today, as I continue to celebrate my…
I Used Canva to Create An Announcement for My Debut Picture Book The Donkey’s Song
Several days ago, I tweeted the message that images are important to help build a social media base. And in that post, I advised authors to subscribe to Adobe Photoshop, which is expensive, at best. For years, I have subscribed to the entire Adobe Creative Suite, and I use at least one of its programs…
The Donkey’s Song is a Picture Book in Rhyme + Frances Gilbert’s Notes about Rhyming Picture Books
Yesterday, I posted several of my reservations about submitting for publication my Debut Picture Book, The Donkey’s Song: It is a Seasonal Book It has Religious Overtones I am an Unagented Author [But I’m about to launch a campaign to correct that issue] I was an Unpublished Author. The following is the article that I…
How to Create a Text Dummy for a Picture Book in Microsoft Word
A few weeks ago, I began writing a new picture book, This is how I began visualizing that new story: You can probably see that I am passionate about this book idea. You see, this is a true story. When I was a little girl, a desk was situated beneath my bedroom window. At night,…
A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words: Why Images Are Important in Social Media
I essentially have 3 master’s degrees – English [writing], art, and information technology, and while I use the skills from both my writing and art study daily, I can honestly say that when it comes to getting attention on social media, it is how I present my art and writing that grabs the most effective….