I'm joined by author Stephanie Lucianovic, whose debut picture book THE END OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL drops on September 10. She's dropping some hot knowledge on us about what it is like to navigate the pre-debut time, how to find and utilize mentor texts, winning social media strategies, how to work well with illustrators, and so much more. Plus you'll hear me moan about... cars? Listen, I can't talk about TV Shows on a Book Podcast EVERY time. ;-)

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg (large)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder (make sure it's current!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 generous cups fresh blueberries.

In a mixer, cream butter, add sugar and beat until light. Add egg and
beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk, beating
until smooth. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries. Pour batter (it's
more like: "scrape batter" because this is very thick dough, almost
like biscuit dough) into greased 9 x 9 x 2 pan (grease with butter)
and sprinkle with crumb topping (recipe below). Bake in 375° oven for
approx. 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Crumb Topping:

Blend together with fork or pastry blender (I just use my finger tips,
like sable-ing for pie crust):

1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

My guest is Executive Editor of the Abrams Appleseed imprint, Meredith Mundy. We chat about all things "little-kid" book related -- including the different types of board and novelty books, and the joys and challenges of writing and publishing them.

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! 

* Find me on Twitter. Find Abrams Appleseed on Twitter.

* Abrams Appleseed publishes gorgeous books for the littlest littles!

It's a Summertime Bonus Episode! ABLA Senior Agent Jen Rofé joins me to answer burning listener questions about queries, submission strategies, working with your agent, and so much more. Plus we talk about glass-blowing and Russian spies. (Obviously!)

* The Literaticast has a Patreon -- throw in a buck, and help keep the podcast going, plus the ongoing project to have all the episodes transcribed.

* Find me on Twitter -- Find Jen Rofé on Twitter

* Submission guidelines - here's how to query Jen Rofé!

* Some resources about what to ask on "The Call"

* Publishers Marketplace is a great resource  for learning about who is selling what, and to whom.

Some of Jen's clients, and other books we discussed: 

First I talk a bit about the etiquette of leaving your agent and getting a new one -- it's not as scary or weird as you might worry it will be! Then, the fabulous Dahlia Adler joins me to talk about her books, blogging, promoting authors, self-promoting, cutting through the internet noise, avoiding burnout, and being a professional Big Mouth. We also talk about her site LGBTQ Reads, and Dahlia gives us a taste of her favorite queer reads. Get your pen and paper ready so you can jot down these terrific titles!

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! Throw in a buck and keep the show going.

* Guest author Dahlia Adler's Website / Dahlia's Twitter

* LGBTQ Reads site / LGBTQ Reads Patreon

* B&N Teen Blog

* #DVPit

I sit down with powerhouse editor Namrata Tripathi, the founder and publisher of Kokila Books, a new imprint of Penguin Random House. The first books from Kokila are coming this week, so we have a great discussion about what it is like to start an imprint from scratch, from deciding on the name and logo to choosing the first books to publish; also the importance of diversity in creators, topics, gatekeepers; and what conversation would be complete without mentioning nerdy vampires? 

* The Literaticast has a Patreon - throw in a buck, and help keep the podcasts coming.

* Find me on Twitter. Find Namrata Tripathi on Twitter. Find Kokila Books on Twitter, and on the Penguin website!

* Hey design nerds: Check out this AWESOME article about the creation of the Kokila Logo.

​* MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE is featured in the NYT this week! 

* Kokila is open to submissions from unagented writers from September 1st to December 1st. If your book fits the submission criteria, check it out.

* Some organizations working on diversity in publishing include: POC in Pub, Latinx in Pub, and We Need Diverse Books. The Lee & Low Diversity Survey. 

My guest is Laurent Linn, an Art Director from Simon and Schuster. He'll give us the inside scoop on such hot topics as: What the heck does an Art Director do?! What should an illustrator have in their portfolio? How are book jackets made? What is the "life cycle" of a picture book and why do they take soooo long to come out? And WHO PICKS THE FONTS?! Also we'll talk about vampires and theme parks, obviously.

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! 

* Me on Twitter - Laurent on Twitter

​* Laurent's official website

* As promised - this is everything I know about making an author website, for authors (or illustrators) at all stages of their careers!

* Buy Laurent's book from your local independent bookstore! 

* Oh, you want to see an adorable pic of Baby Laurent with Kermit? 

* I couldn't find the video I remembered of Leo and Diane Dillon drawing together - if you find it, let me know! But here's an article about them. 

More Art:

This episode, I'm pleased to welcome newly minted Newbery Medalist Meg Medina. We chat about world building in realistic fiction, writing large casts of characters, balancing business vs art, tips for debut authors as well as those suffering from "sophomore slump." Oh... and though I promised her I would NOT ask her about "the call" from the Newbery committee.... at the end, she tells a bit of the story anyway! Yesss! Plus we gab about TV shows and Tamales. 

* Find me on Twitter. Find Meg on Twitter. Visit Meg Medina's website

* Some photos and cool stuff about winning the Newbery award! And watch the video about what it was like to get "the Call"!

* Want a signed copy of MERCI SUÁREZ CHANGES GEARS? There are signed copies available at Meg's local indie, ready to ship.

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! Throw in a buck, and you just might win books. Including MERCI!

I sit down with Lisa Cron, the author of STORY GENIUS and WIRED FOR STORY - she is chock full of advice to make your next novel truly unputdownable. Also, I get a couple of words in edgewise, and talk about my obsession: RUSSIAN DOLL!

 * The Literaticast has a Patreon! Throw in a buck, and you can give me ideas for future episodes, ask guest questions, and maybe win a book!

* Find me on Twitter! Find guest Lisa Cron on twitter!

* Lisa Cron's website, with book info and more

* Creativelive Story Class with Lisa Cron

I'm getting ready to head to Seattle for ALA Midwinter. So what even IS that? In this episode, I speak to Jenny Choy, the Associate Director for School-Library Marketing for Abrams Books for Young Readers. Jenny tells us the difference between publicity, marketing, and school-library marketing, and gives us the lowdown about what happens behind the booth curtains at a big librarian conference like ALA. What books are on display, and why? Which authors get invited, and why? What does she wish that authors knew about her job? So much great info! Yay!

* The Literaticast has a Patreon! Throw in a buck and you just might win a book. Plus, you can give me input about what you'd like to hear about on the podcast! 
* Abrams Books for Young Readers website
* ALA Youth Media Award speculation blogs: Calling Caldecott, Heavy Medal (Newbery),
* Books we chatted about: 

I chat with four awesome booksellers about their top children's and YA book picks for holiday gift giving (and my own picks, too!) -- some you've probably heard of, but others likely be new to you, and all are well worth checking out. Of course, there's no way that we could get ALL our faves in one little podcast.... but hey, it's a start. :-) 

Stephanie Appell, Parnassus Books, Nashville TN
* Find Stephanie on Twitter
* Find Parnassus on Twitter
* Parnassus has awesome book subscriptions for both YA and grownup books! These first edition, signed hardcovers come straight to your door every month -- a subscription would make an AWESOME gift for a true booklover.
* Parnassus has amazing dogs, for real. Mary Todd Lincoln is my best friend!
* Stephanie is obsessed with this Etsy shop...

​Rebecca Wells, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA
* Find Rebecca on Twitter
* Find Porter Square on twitter
* Porter Square does a ton of events - including a Debut Authors event series starting in 2019!
* Rebecca is also an author! Find out more about her debut, SHATTER THE SKY, out in July 2019.
* Rebecca is obsessed with the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

     Abby Rice, The Briar Patch, Bangor, ME
* Find Abby on Twitter
* Find the Briar Patch on Twitter
* The Briar Patch has been a children's-only bookstore for 35 years.
* They do a Harry Potter Festival every summer -- I NEED TO GO TO MAINE FOR THIS!
* Abby is obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons!

Nichole Cousins, White Birch Books, North Conway, NH
* Find Nichole on Insta
* Find White Birch Books on Insta
* White Birch has been open for 25 years -- and they have some long running book clubs that are almost as old as the store!
* Nichole is obsessed with Litograph Temporary Tattoos - they make great stocking stuffers, too!