You're invited to “Writing for Children and for Young Adults” an online workshop

“Writing for Children and for Young Adults”

~ with Erin O’Connor,
     senior Editor at Scholastic Books

Saturday, June 15, 2024
 1:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom and accessible wherever there’s Internet

If you want to write the next best-selling children’s books or just want to create stories for your own kids, this workshop is for you. Learn how to write stories kids and young adults will love and find out what you need to know to sell your book. This is your chance to speak with someone within a publishing company in a small group setting and to pull back the curtain and see how it all works. Be sure to bring your questions – we'll have lots of time for interaction.

Special option: Participants are invited to submit the opening couple pages (first 500 words) of your children’s book or young adult novel (or up to 800 words if that gets you to the end of your picture book or to the end of your first chapter). Email your pages to me prior to our workshop. Erin and I will publicly critique about half a dozen submissions so everyone can see what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your story-telling. Get your pages in early if you want to be part of this. If you’re not currently working on a children’s story, don’t worry, we’ll get you started! ~Brian

Guest speaker Erin O’Connor has worked in children's publishing for more than 30 years. She is senior editor at Scholastic Canada, currently focusing on nonfiction, picture books, graphic novels and series development. Erin began her career as assistant art director at Owl and Chickadee magazines, and at Scholastic spent many years with the school markets division acquiring everything from board books to YA novels. 

Erin understands children’s literature from both sides of the desk, as she’s also the author of 101 Math Jokes, 101 Cool Canadian Jokes, Canadian Cartooning and Laugh Out Loud Canadian Jokes, much to the confusion of her teenagers, who don’t think she’s very funny at all.

Note: Following the workshop, participants will be welcome to query Erin about their manuscripts. For more information about Scholastic Books Canada, see here. 

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor, author, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers and is the author of a children’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tribute Publishing Inc). But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.

Read reviews and other pieces about Brian’s classes and workshops here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day writing retreats here.