SCBWI has some very exciting news!
The CBCA are offering SCBWI members opportunities to showcase our talents at their ACT conference, Dreaming With Eyes Open, from June 10-12.
These include:
Friday Night Book Fest—Friday June 10, from 6.30pm
You have 3 minutes to spruik your 2021-2022 publications to teachers and librarians, followed by book sales.
SCBWI Meet and Greet Stand with the opportunity to showcase your newest book or Illustration work throughout the conference.
SCBWI Pitch to Publishers—Saturday June 11, 1-3pm
Pitch your ideas to some of Australia’s top publishers.
Post Conference Catch-Up—Sunday June 12 from 5pm
Join your fellow SCBWI friends at a The Civic Pub for a catch up. (Drinks and dinner at your own expense. Even if you are not attending the conference and are in Canberra, you may like to join us for this.)
Sound exciting? We think so.
All these opportunities are free for conference ticketholders, who are also SCBWI members (the pub, of course, is free to enter). If you would like to attend Friday Night Book Fest only, there will be a CBCA charge of $40 to participate in the opening night of the conference.
CLICK HERE to find prices for CBCA Conference tickets. Hurry! CBCA Conference Early Bird tickets close 30 April.
Early Bird Tickets have been extended to May 6th!
If you are interested in a social ticket for the Friday Night Book Fest and Welcome Reception CLICK HERE.
Please find more information below on each of these events along with the application forms.
(DRAFT PROGRAM—Program times subject to change)
SCBWI Friday Night Book Fest
Friday June 10, from 6.30pm
This is a great chance for you to spruik your publications from 2021-22 in short, fast, fun pitches. You will only have THREE MINUTES to tell the audience why your work is so amazing. After that time, you will hear a gong and we will be moving into the next speaker. Book sales will be made available on the night for the wonderful teacher librarians to buy as many books as they can carry.
There is a limit of 20 places, so if you’d like to be considered, please CLICK HERE (submissions closed) to submit your application by May 6, 2022.
Cost: Free for conference delegates who are SCBWI members or $40 for a CBCA Social ticket to join in Book Fest and enjoy the opening night of the conference.
SCBWI Meet and Greet Stand with Live Illustration
For SCBWI PAL Members
From June 11-12
Throughout the conference, SCBWI will have a Meet and Greet Stand. This will be managed by the wonderful ACT team, led by Shelly Unwin, and will be a terrific chance for you to chat about your books with teachers and librarians. Illustrators are also invited to illustrate for passing delegates.
Cost: Free for conference ticketholders who are SCBWI members.
If you would like to be part of this stand, please CLICK HERE to let us know.
SCBWI Pitch to Publishers
Saturday June 11, 1-3pm
Do you have a cracking proposal you’d love to pitch to some of Australia’s leading kids’ publishers? Then the SCBWI Pitch to Publishers is for you!
A limited number of members will be given three minutes to pitch their projects to publishers in front of a live audience followed by feedback from the publishers.
If you’d like to be considered for Pitch to Publishers, please carefully follow the guidelines and CLICK HERE (submissions closed) to submit your application by May 6, 2022.
This is a chance for you to get to the essence of your story and fine tune what makes your manuscript special.
Cost: Free for conference ticketholders who are SCBWI members and attending in person.
Pitch to Publisher Panel (subject to change)
James Layton—Publisher, Larrikin House
Larrikin House Publisher James Layton is passionate about creating fun, edgy and unique books for young readers. His industry experience spans thirty years as both a bookseller to schools and in 2018 a children’s publisher. His first question to authors when assessing manuscripts is always ‘What’s the buy-in for the kid?’ As a young reluctant reader himself, James started creating humorous books to engage kids and make them laugh. His frank, no-nonsense approach is invaluable for anyone who wants a publishing deal.
Briana Melideo—Books Publisher, CSIRO Publishing
Briana Melideo is CSIRO Publishing’s Books Publisher. She helped to establish their children’s book program in 2015, and since then, Briana has published over 20 picture and chapter books that introduces the next generation to science, and shows them how science is fun, exciting and part of their everyday lives.
Briana is most interested in picture book submissions for readers aged 5-9, and chapter books for readers aged 8-12. All submissions must have a STEM focus and be non-fiction or narrative with a non-fiction subject. Titles should appeal to Australian readers, but do not need to be exclusively Australian (content, species etc.). She is not currently considering fiction proposals (even those with science as the underlying theme), textbooks, educator materials, or picture/board books for babies or pre-school.
Meg Whelan—Senior Editor, Affirm Press
Meg Whelan is a senior editor on the children’s book team at Affirm Press and was previously the children’s book buyer at the Hill of Content Bookshop in Melbourne. She was shortlisted for the 2021 Rising Star ABIA and has worked on award-winning titles like The Grandest Bookshop in the World.
Rebecca McRitchie—Commissioning Editor, Hardie Grant Childrens
Rebecca McRitchie has been editing children's books for over 8 years and is currently a Commissioning Editor at Hardie Grant Children's Publishing. She is also the author of a number of children's fiction series published by HarperCollins and Scholastic Australia.
Post Conference Catch-up
CLICK HERE to RSVP to join your SCBWI friends at The Civic Pub on Sunday June 12th from 5pm. Drinks and dinner at your own expense. Even if you are not attending the conference and are in Canberra, you may like to join us for this.
SCBWI wishes you all the best of luck.