2012 SCBWI Australia & NZ Conference Programme

29th June to 2nd July 2012
The Hughenden Hotel
14 Queen Street Woollahra, Sydney

Partnering National Year of Reading 2012 www.love2read.org
Supporting Room to Read www.roomtoread.org

Book Sales for delegates

There is a BOOK SWAP and/or SALE 4.15pm on Sunday 1st July. So bring your books and swap, share, buy books

In addition, there will book sales of the books launched at the conference.

Friday 29th June 2012

Manuscript and portfolio critiques all day

3-5pm - Registration
3-4pm - Illustrator setup
4.30-5.30pm - Illustrator Showcase - exclusive viewing to publishers, art directors, media and industry
5.30pm-6pm - Launch of Catriona Hoy's 'The Little Dinosaur', illustrator Andrew Plant, Working Title Press
6.00pm - Illustrator Showcase open to delegates
7.30pm Welcome by SCBWI leaders to the delegates and conference.

Cocktail dinner party to meet and greet

Saturday 30th June

Bus collects delegates at The Hughenden at 9.15 am or Sydney delegates and those driving go to the NSW Writers Centre Rozelle.

10 – 10.45am

Welcome by Chair of the Board of NSW Writers' Centre Susanne Gervay introducing Jill Corcoran USA Literary Agent
Key Note – What is the world publishing? by Jill Corcoran

11 – 11.45am – concurrent sessions

Inside a picture book
These best selling, award winning picture book creators give inside information on how they created and published their books.

Corinne Fenton
Claire Saxby
Nina Rycroft
Sue Whiting (Walker)
Participating Chair – Frané Lessac

History is Selling
How do publishers and authors meet the demand for historical fiction.

Pamela Rushby
Belinda Murrell
Lisa Berryman – publisher HarperCollins
Zoe Walton – publisher Random House
Chair – Mark Greenwood

12 – 1pm

Reaching into the Heart: Realistic fiction
Social realism defies market trends and is always a seller.

Sally Murphy
Pru Mason
Meg McKinlay
Sarah Foster – publisher Walker Books
Participating Chair – Sue Whiting of Walker Books

12 – 12.50pm

Inside the Educational Book Market
How to get into the educational market. Successful creators discuss their books, why and how they work for educational publishers.

Sheryl Gwyther
Maria Gill
Meredith Costain
Lesley Vamos
Chair – Dianne Wolfer

1 – 2pm - LUNCH

1.30pm

Book Launch
Belinda Murrell's The Forgotten Pearl with publisher Zoe Walton

2 – 2.45pm concurrent sessions

What do the Publishers Say?
Picture Books

Tegan Morrison – publisher ABC books
Karen Tayleur (Five Mile Press)
Jeanmarie Morosin (RandomHouse)
Chair – Frané Lessac

What do Publishers Say?
Children's and Young Adult

Sarah Foster (Walker Books)
Zoe Walton (RandomHouse)
Jill Corcoran (USA)
Lisa Berryman (HarperCollins)
Chair – Wendy Blaxland

3 – 3.45pm concurrent sessions

What Makes a Best Seller?

Katrina Germein – picture books
Meredith Costain – teen
Deborah Abela – series
Chris Kunz – mass market fiction publisher RandomHouse
Participating Chair – Deborah Abela

Going Digital

Hazel Edwards
Pamela Rushby
Lesley Vamos
Jeni Mawter
Chair – Christopher Cheng

4 – 4.45pm – concurrent sessions

Pitch an Idea that Captures a Publisher – Children's and YA novels

Judges:

Brian Cook (Literary Agent)
Zoe Walton(RandomHouse)
Lisa Berryman (Lisa Berryman)
Chris Kunz (RandomHouse)

Pitch a Picture Book that Captures a Publisher

Judges:

Sue Whiting (Walker Books)
Tegan Morrison (ABC books)
Karen Tayleur (Five Mile Press)
Jeanmarie Morosin (Random House)

Verandah Social

Bus collects delegates at 5.30pm or drive to The Hughenden

7.00pm – Pamela Rushby's THE HORSES DIDN'T COME HOME to be launched by Susanne Gervay with publisher Lisa Berryman
7.30pm Dinner with networking and entertainers Meredith Costain, Chris Cheng and Scott Chambers
Party, party, party

Saturday Night

Crystal Kite Award Night Winners celebrating:

2011 – Claire Saxby's 'There Was An Old Sailor' Walker Books
2012 – Norman Jorgenson and James Foley for 'The Last Viking' Fremantle Press

7.30pm Dinner with networking and entertainers Meredith Costain, Chris Cheng and Scott Chambers

Party, party, party!

Sunday 1st JULY

Earlybird Breakfast

'Illustrator Earlybird Breakfast Social' at 8.30 am Sunday 1st July. Please check out the board for the location.

Manuscript & portfolio critiques

9.20am Welcome by Conference Convenor and Regional Advisors.
9.30–10.20am

What do publishers expect today from authors and illustrators?
From craft to social media.

9.30am

Panel of Publishers

Laura Harris
Lisa Berryman
Zoe Walton
Karen Tayleur
Chair – Dianne Wolfer

10.30 – 11.00 am - Morning tea

11 – 11.45am

Agents – what is their role, what can you expect

Jill Corcoran
Frances Plumpton
Brian Cook
Sandra Morris
Chair – Corinne Fenton

12.00 – 12.45pm

Industry News - ASA, NSW Writers Centre, CAL, SCBWI
Awards, Opportunities, Funding, Illustrator and Author Development

Hazel Edwards
Laurine Croasdale
Libby Gleeson
Susanne Gervay
Chair – Meg McKinlay

1pm – 2pm - Lunch

2pm – 3pm

Social Media workshops

Select one of these workshop leaders:

Sheryl Gwyther
Creating and using a blog and facebook to create your presence in the marketplace, develop craft, establish networks and community.
Lesley Vamos
Designing, branding and linking your Social Media sites so they are professional and provide you with an image.
Sarah Davis
Controlling your own website using content management platforms like Squarespace. With a few clicks of the mouse you can create a flexible, dynamic and easily updated website, complete with image galleries, blogs, discussion boards and gain your internet independence and never need to depend on a web developer again.
Christopher Cheng
To be advised.

3.10 – 4.10pm

How to Market Your book

Sarah Foster
Benython Oldfield
Jill Corcoran
Zoe Walton
Lisa Berryman
Chair – Prue Mason

4.15 – 5pm

Books – delegates bring and sell their books – on display table

Farewell from SCBWI leadership and committee

For delegates who are staying on for the Master Class, optional dinner at The Hughenden. Booking required.

Monday 2nd July – Optional

Manuscript assessment with Jill Corcoran all day

Writing Master Classes. Selection of 4 three hour sessions:

2 x 3 hour illustrator intensives
2 x 3 hour author intensives
*Additional 1 x 3 hour author intensive.

9.30 – 12.30

WRESTLING WITH PLOT With Sherryl Clark

How do you create a strong plot with pace and tension? How do you avoid holes and saggy bits? How do you even work out how to make it all hold together? Whether it's a picture book or an epic novel (or trilogy), the key element that makes your plot work is structure. If you understand how to make that strong yet flexible, you'll be able to create a great plot or, better yet, fix one that's not working.

This masterclass will give you the basics of structure and a range of practical tools to take away for your own writing. It is the opportunity to consider, take time and focus on your craft.

Award winning author Sherryl Clark has been teaching Story Structure at Victoria University for 5 years and regularly applies it to her own books, from picture and chapter books to verse and prose novels. Website: www.sherrylclark.com

THE ART OF CREATING CHARACTER - an illustrator Masterclass with Nina Rycroft

Join children's book illustrator Nina Rycroft in this hands-on interactive workshop to design, develop and breathe life into your very own storybook character. In this illustration workshop we learn to look at the ways in which the characters reveal information and contribute to the telling of a story. We brainstorm ideas, build a character profile, learn Nina's anthropomorphic techniques and other drawing tips that will have your characters run, jump and leap right off the page!

Bring character ideas and stories that you may want to develop. Nina is currently illustrating a Jackie French story with Harper Collin and will bring samples of her work in progress to this session.

Materials list

Bring your favorite picture Book character
A 2B graphite pencil
Sharpener
Soft eraser or putty eraser
Thin line (.3 or .5) black pen
A3 sketchbook for practicing mark making
Colour - pens, pencils, paints (if we have time)

Nina Rycroft children's book illustrator has a rich and diverse style including her acclaimed 'Ballroom Bonanza', 'Now I Am Big', 'No More Kisses', 'Boom Bah' and is currently illustrating Jackie French's Dinosaurs. Website - www.ninarycroft.com

12.30 – 1.30pm – light lunch

1.30 – 4.30pm

CREATING PICTURE BOOKS – author masterclass With Meredith Costain

In this hands-on interactive workshop, Meredith will outline the elements of creating text for picture books, from the initial idea to the finished jewel. There will be plenty of opportunities for small group discussion and writing as we look at the range and scope of picture books, how to get ideas, language and structure, paging and pacing, crafting and drafting, and how to submit to publishers.

Award winning author and editor, Meredith Costain has written over 100 books for children. Her picture book Doodledum Dancing, illustrated by Pamela Allen, was a CBCA Honour Book, and Musical Harriet was adapted for television by the ABC. Website: www.meredithcostain.com

1.30 – 4.30pm

THE ART OF DIPLOMACY - how illustrators act as mediators and translators to get words and pictures talking to each other – illustrator masterclass - With Sarah Davis

In this hands-on workshop, Sarah Davis will show you tricks and techniques for engaging with a text and translating words into images. You'll look at how to react sensitively, think laterally, and go beyond the obvious to create images and visual narratives that bring out the best in a story. Perfect as an introduction to the craft of picture book illustration, a way to workshop a text you're currently illustrating, or a kickstarter to generate shiny new pieces for your portfolio.

What to bring in your diplomatic bag:

An A3 sketchbook or drawing pad
3-5B drawing pencils or graphite
Eraser
Sharpener
Your imagination

Multi award winning illustrator Sarah Davis was awarded the CBCA's 2009 Crichton Award for her first picture book Mending Lucille, by J.R. Poulter (Lothian/Hachette Livre). Her books include Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Sue Whiting (New Frontier), Fearless and Fearless in Love, by Colin Thompson (ABC Books/Harper Collins); The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate by Joy Cowley (Gecko Press, NZ); Marmaduke Duck and the Marmalade Jam and Sounds Spooky by Chris Cheng. Sarah is an acclaimed illustrator and workshop leader with diverse use of mediums and styles. Website: www.sarahdavisillustration.com