“Inside the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators” with Lin Oliver

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Mel is Mel Boring, moderator of this interview with Lin Oliver and web editor of the ICL Web Site.

Green shows names or usernames of people, and the questions they asked Lin Oliver.

 

Interviews are held every other Thursday evening for two hours, beginning at 9 CANADA/ Atlantic Time, 8 Eastern Time, 7 Central Time, 6 Mountain Time, and 5 Pacific Time.

 

 

 

Mel: I am personally very proud and pleased that our guest, Lin Oliver, is here tonight. I have known Lin since 1972 when I met her at the very first SCBW conference in Santa Monica, before it became SCBWI. Lin is the Executive Director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators-which is of course what that SCBWI stands for. But I know personally that that title of Executive Director is not just a title to Lin. For she has energetically and with great vision, led in the over-30-year development of the SCBWI, along with Steve Mooser, the President of the SCBWI. And for the first 25 years, they received no salary at all.  It was Lin and Steve and Sue Alexander who first met prior to that 1972 conference and formed the SCBW—later to include illustrators and become the SCBWI. But Lin can tell us all about that—and so MUCH more. Lin, THANK YOU for coming this evening, and WELCOME to the ICL Chat Room!

Lin: I'm happy to be here. A little nervous about all the typing, though.

Mel: I know you will do WELL, because you performed like a pro in our practice! Because Lin Oliver is SUCH an ACCOMPLISHED person, we're going to chat about her OWN writing first in the first hour or so, then about her involvement with the SCBWI during the second hour of the Guest Chat.
Lin Oliver, you are a VERY accomplished children's author, television and film producer, and the Executive Director of the largest organization for children's writers and illustrators in the world. Let's talk about those in order, your children's writing first. Were there other writers in your family of origin, or what in your childhood might have started you toward becoming a children's writer?

Lin: My mother was a podiatrist and my father was an attorney. In fact, they didn't really approve of a writing career. They thought it was too bohemian, and they wanted me to be a teacher. So I became a teacher, and I was terrible. Within several months, I quit and won a writing competition to be a comedy writer for television. I didn't like that either, and then I actually found a job writing a reading program for children.

Mel: So YOU WON a writing competition, having had NO training/education in writing?

Lin: I had graduated from UC Berkeley with an English major. And I was editor of my high school paper. I had always really been a writer, but I entered the competition with no formal training.

Mel: Lin, could you explain to us who didn't "start out being writers” as you obviously did, what were your BEGINNINGS in writing, right from your childhood?

Lin: I began as a reader. And I was always writing, even as a child, and winning little contests in my classrooms. Just like some kids are good at art, or leaders of the glee club, I was typecast as the writer.

Mel: Were there particular children's books you read while growing up that might have moved you to become a writer?

Lin: I loved all the Wizard of Oz books, and of course, Nancy Drew, and the poetry of A. A. Milne and Robert Louis Stevenson. My mother read to me constantly, poems mostly.

Mel: Was your writing particularly aimed at children when you began, or was that a later development in your writing?

Lin: I remember reading Charlotte's Web in the early 1970s and thinking it was the best thing I had ever read. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to write for children. It's still my favorite book EVER!

 

Mel: Charlotte’s Web is also MY absolute favorite book forever!

musicgirl: So did I begin as a reader! How do your parents feel about your writing now?

Lin: My parents have both passed away, but my father lived to see me as a successful writer. He still worried that a writing career wouldn't give me health insurance!

 

Mel: Sounds like lawyer worries—and a dad worried about his daughter!

aliciaf: Hi, I'm new. I’m honored to "meet" you, Lin.

Lin: Happy to meet you. The honor is mine.

Mel: Did you ever follow the often-taken-by-writers route from writing for magazines to writing books, Lin?

Lin: No, I've never written for magazines. I did write for newspapers, though, which I think teaches you that you have to write, write, write, no matter what.

Mel: I know of those two strapping sons of yours. Have they encouraged your writing and filming careers, and provided ideas for you?

Lin: I have three sons, all strapping. My sons are a total joy to me, and yes, give me non-stop ideas. I think having children, and being around children, is a great aid in writing for children.

Mel: Is your husband a "strapping man," too? J And how has he supported you in your many career channels?

Lin: My husband is five feet six inches, but he thinks he's strapping! He has been a co-equal partner in parenting, which is essential if you have a two-career family. However, in terms of specifically supporting me in writing, I think my writing friends and collaborators do that best.

Mel: I'm five-feet-seven--so NOW I THINK I am strapping, too! J What suggestions would you have for children's writers as to how to deal with what might be their family problems?

Lin: Can you be more specific as to what kinds of family problems?

Mel: Yes, perhaps their spouse doesn't support their writing, doesn't even WANT them to write.

Lin: I think there is an inherent jealousy factor, people envy a passion for writing, because it's so consuming; and so I think perhaps understanding that your spouse may be a little jealous of your love of writing and maybe even feel left out of your writing world. It's important to include him or her.

Mel: That's a GREAT insight, Lin! I've never even THOUGHT about the jealousy factor. Is there the same sort of jealousy among people in the film industry?

 

Lin: The film industry is an entirely different population. I find children's book creators the kindest and most generous people in the world. That's why I love our community so much. The film community is much more competitive, however, and even cutthroat.

writingmachine: What would you say was your lowest low, as a writer, Lin?

Lin: I think every morning before I start to write is my lowest low, because it's scary. You think, what if I can't do it today? But then you just put your chin up and your shoulders back and dig in and discover you can still type, at least, if not write.

writingmachine: What would you say was your biggest high as a writer, Lin?

Lin: Oh, there is nothing, nothing like finishing the first draft. What a relief it is. Then the fun starts, which is re-writing.

Mel: I agree!

musicgirl: How does a writer find time to write if they have YOUNG children?

Lin: It's very hard when your children are young. I'm sympathetic, really I am, but you have to carve out a little time that is for you. I think it's helpful to have a laptop and go out of the house to write. Little kids don't understand what you're doing when you're writing. My kids used to say that I typed and talked on the phone for a living. So if you leave the house, and write in a coffee shop or in the park or in the library, I think you can be much more productive. Plus, it's fun, too—you get to look like a writer!

Mel: Sorry, I got bounced out of the chat room!

Lin: Welcome back!

Mel: THANKS, Lin! I’m going wireless here in Ohio, and I THINK that's the reason. How then did you get from writing into the film production business?

Lin: I wrote a reading series for five years, and then I was contacted by Universal Studios because they were starting a new division called Home Video. They wanted someone who knew both the educational market and had some entertainment experience. So I went to work at Universal. Within a year, I was a Vice-President in the TV department, and I learned film production. I was there for almost eleven years, running the SCBWI as a hobby, so I always maintained an interest in children's books.

g_logger: Did you APPLY for the Vice President position at MCA/Universal?

Lin: No, they hired me first as a consultant, and I did everything they asked me to do. Then they hired me in a much lower position. I worked my way up, and I was lucky that I caught the attention of the higher-up people.

Mel: May I ask what was the reading series you mentioned a moment ago that you wrote for five years? And how did that SERIES come about?

Lin: It was an educational reading series, designed to teach kids to read. It was called SWRL, and was a federally funded research and development program. Eventually, it was published by Ginn and Company. It was there that I met Steve Mooser and we started the SCBW, in an attempt to learn the job we had been hired to do!

Mel: How did you and Steve get to write for that series, Lin?

Lin: You're not going to believe this, but there was an ad in the Employment Office at Ginn that said CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITER wanted. I applied, and then had to audition by writing a story. Steve Mooser auditioned, too, and we both got the job—we were such amateurs.

Mel: It IS hard to believe an ad for a CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITER! (But I believe you, Lin!)

Lin: I'm sure it was the only time those words have ever appeared anywhere. Must have been fated!

Mel: I'm back—sorry, I got booted out again!

Lin: Mel is gone. Let's talk behind his back!

Mel: Hey, watch it—I'm back! J I OUGHT to take my OWN advice about not getting knocked out of the room, huh?!

Lin: It's all that fancy wireless stuff.

omalizzie: What is a reading series?

Lin: It is a series of stories and books that are used to teach children to read in school, like the old Dick and Jane series.

aliciaf: Did I read that you are working with the "Fonz"? Or is it a different Henry Winkler? ;-)

Lin: No, it is the same Henry Winkler who played the Fonz on Happy Days. He and I are writing a series of children's books called Hank Zipzer. They're fiction, but about a boy who has reading and learning problems, as Henry did and still does.

ccdahl: What's the best children's book you've read recently, Lin?

Lin: I loved Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. And for picture books, I loved Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. And Shredderman!

writingmachine: Lin, who do think will be the next J. K. Rowling?

Lin: Well, Christopher Paolini is writing a series called Eragon, which is hugely popular. He wrote the first one when he was only fifteen years old. He's nineteen now, I think, so he's off to a grand start.

writingmachine: What do you think of stars like Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis and others writing children's books?

Lin: I think anyone is entitled to write a book, as long as they learn about it first and study the form and history. I'm not a big fan of Madonna's books but I think Jamie Lee Curtis is a good writer. I know a lot of people in the field are upset about celebrity books because they have such an unfair promotional advantage. But if the book is good, then it will find its way. And if it doesn't merit attention, it will eventually fade away.

Mel: Lin, Henry Winkler is an EXCELLENT example of an entertainer who SHOULD write children's books. What is it about Winkler that led him to do that—after being so successful on TV and in films?

Lin: Henry has always cared about kid's issues. Do you remember on “Happy Days” when the Fonz got a library card?

 

Mel: Yup!

Lin: The next day library card applications in America went up 500%. He was inspired to write for children because he had such a difficult time in school. He was never diagnosed with learning differences, and grew up thinking he was stupid. He is a very motivated communicator to children.

Mel: WOW! What a POSITIVE influence Winkler was and is!

 

Lin: Yup. He's good. Even the way he elected to write the books was classy.

 

Mel: How did you get together with Winkler to co-author?

Lin: He and I were brought together by a mutual friend, Alan Berger, who is an agent, and whose son is my son's best friend. Another example of how your children help you out!

Mel: For sure! Lin, would the Fonz have written books if not for you? I'm THINKing YOU had as much to do with his writing books as HE did.

Lin: Henry did not have the confidence to write by himself, both because he understands what it takes to write a book, and because of his learning challenges. So the answer is probably not. But we have a very wonderful collaboration.

Mel: The Winkler/Oliver story is an AMAZING one, that OUGHT to be written, I think!

Lin: I'll tell him you said that.

 

omalizzie: Lin, I am impressed by how you have moved about in the writing community! Would you say that Winkler is consulting with you or are you truly co-writing?

Lin: We write the books together. I do more of the physical writing part, but he is here with me, talking the parts. It's the way he writes. He's very creative, just not in a traditional writerly kind of way. The point is, he found a way that works for him, and he can express his creativity.

Mel: So the Fonz actually "acts out" the part of each kid?

Lin: Yes, he does, especially Hank Zipzer, who is his alter ego.

gladys1: Tell us more about Winkler's books, please.

Lin: The series that Henry and I have written together is called Hank Zipzer: World's Best Under-Achiever. It's a fictional series about Hank, who has dyslexia, and his friends growing up in New York. It's published by Penguin-Putnam, and there are seven books out so far—with another three on the way.

Mel: I highly recommend Winkler's and Oliver's Niagara Falls...or Does it?, which I've just read. Those are very REAL kids in that book!

writingmachine: What are the main problems with co-writing; and the main benefits?

Lin: You have to learn how to collaborate, and I think the most important skill is to listen to each other's ideas without judgment. Each person has to be free to brainstorm, and have a clunker of an idea without feeling bad about it. I think the benefits are that it's fun and not lonely, and you get to split sandwiches at lunch.

Mel: Especially good if the sandwiches are peanut butter! J

writingmachine: Do you see any children's writing superstars rising?

Lin: Every day a star is born. We see it in the SCBWI all the time. Someone comes to a conference and before you know it, they're teaching at a conference. Robert Sabuda, who does those magnificent pop-up books, was just a few years ago, a conference attendee. Now he's a best-selling artist.

n1k1: Hi Lin, have you published books besides your co-written ones? Any advice for newbies at writing children's books?

Lin: I just sold a new series that will be all mine, called Who Shrunk Daniel Funk? It's about a shrinking boy. I think the best advice for newbies is first of all to read many children's books so you can learn what you like and don't like. Some people say you should read 1,000 books for every one you write!

g_logger: What is your favorite book of your own that you wrote?

Lin: The Day of the Iguana

hugh: Could you explain the horrors of rejection?

Lin: Rejection stinks, but you have to be resilient. Think of yourself as one of those Bop Bags. They're toys that you blow up and they have sand at the bottom. You can hit them and they bop back up. Every time you get a rejection, it's like someone has hit you—so you go down for a minute, and then bop back up. After all, what are the choices?

dydy: What do you expect to hear in a pitch for a screenplay?

Lin: It's very important to be able to summarize your idea swiftly and not go on too long. People have a short attention span in a pitch, so you have to say what is appealing and different about your idea right up at the front.

Mel: Lin, here's a question I don't understand, but I think YOU will:

dydy: Do you believe in the shortest possible logline?

Mel: I presume that is about screenplays?

Lin: I've seen loglines that are just one word. They're short but silly. Someone recently gave me a logline that said OZONE! I don't know what they were talking about. A logline needs to say the idea and present what is unique about your idea for a screenplay, why it is a unique proposition. Something like "Space Creature comes to earth" is short, but not effective because it sounds like a thousand other movies.

Mel: THANKS for that definition of logline, Lin! Let's turn to SCBWI now, if you will. Lin, about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, first of all, WHY did there come to be such an organization?

Lin: I think at the time there was a huge need for training and instruction in writing for children. Steve and I started it because we looked around for an organization to join, and there wasn't one.

Mel: Next the WHEN of the SCBWI's coming about? When did it really start, and why did it start at that PARTICULAR time?

Lin: It started in 1971-72, and it was because Steve Mooser and I both got a job to write a reading series. We knew we didn't know much about writing for children, and we wanted to learn more. We looked for a conference or a group to join. There wasn't one, so we started one. And that's truly how the organization began!

Mel: Of course you've surely guessed that I want to ask next about exactly HOW the SCBWI came about—or the SCBW, as it was first called.

Lin: We took out an ad in Writer's Digest Magazine, looking for members. Sue Alexander was the first one to join. She has been an invaluable part of building our organization. We decided that the first thing to do was have a conference. We invited Jane Yolen and Sid Fleischman, both of whom accepted, and we were off and running.

Mel: I have heard a very encouraging and maybe legendary story about how you and Steve Mooser and Sue Alexander met at a restaurant to actually talk about starting the organization. Could you tell us if that's a true story, please?

Lin: Yes, it was the Lamplighter Restaurant in Van Nuys, California. Sue had already answered the ad in Writer's Digest, and knew that there was a need for an organization. She set us on the right track. I was 21 years old, and fresh out of college, and had no idea what I was doing. Neither Steve nor I had even been to a conference. Sue had at least attended some.

Mel: You had some BIGGIES to help launch it, like Jane Yolen and Sid Fleischman; who were OTHER significant, maybe behind-the-scenes people who helped start SCBW?

Lin: Dorothy Leon became our first public relations person, as a volunteer. And very soon after, Don Freeman joined up, and Myra Cohn Livingston. What's significant, I think, was that the biggies joined right in with the newbies, which is so typical of the kindness and generosity of children's book people.

Mel: Could you tell us more about Don Freeman and Myra Cohn Livingston and their impressive work in picture books and children's poetry, which some may not know of?

Lin: Don Freeman was an artist and writer who created the character Corduroy, the teddy beat who loses his button. He was a wonderful man, talented and funny and warm. Corduroy was the first major picture book that featured an African American child, so it was a real breakthough. Myra Cohn Livingston was a poet for children; she wrote wonderful memorable poems, and was an impressive teacher who launched many careers, including Eve Bunting's. Myra had many proteges.

Mel: Was the SCBW JUST in the Los Angeles area at first? Or did you and the other "starters" see it as a worldwide organization that there was a need for then?

Lin: Steve and I were based in Los Angeles, and we ran the organization from my kitchen table. We had members all over the country, and I think Jane Yolen put on the first New England conference. We certainly never dreamed it would be worldwide. In fact, we are constantly amazed at that fact.

Mel: At your kitchen table—what a SUCCESS story!

 

Lin: It's through the effort of so many volunteers that the organization finally took off.

 

Mel: Ruth presubmitted this question, Lin:

 

Ruth: I'm an author-illustrator, joined SCBWI last fall. SCBWI is still oriented toward the writer over the illustrator, but I hear hints that is changing. Can you tell us any specific things being done for illustrators? Thank you :)

Lin: Hi Ruth. Yes, we are working very hard to implement new programs for illustrators. In February, we are holding our first Professional Illustrators Forum in New York. And we also now have major art shows at both the Los Angeles and New York Conferences where art directors come to discover new talent. And check out our web site, which has an illustrator's contest every other month, and the featured artist is every other month, too. Many artists' careers are being launched!

Mel: Ruth also presubmitted this question:

 

Ruth: Is SCBWI more for beginners? It's hard to balance the needs of both newbies and established pros; what do you suggest to keep the pros interested in coming to SCBWI events? Thank you :)

Lin: Great question, Ruth. At all our conferences now, we have professional tracks for published authors. And we're instituting grants just for published authors. The Amber Brown Fund in memory of Paula Danziger is giving money to authors for school visits. And we're just starting a new grant in memory of editor Olga Litowinsky, which gives money to published authors to travel to New York to meet their editors. Also, we are starting a series of online chats with editors, intended for published authors.

Mel: I'll point out here parenthetically what takes a lot of typing, but is worth it. SCBW means the Society of Children's Book Writers, and SCBWI means the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators—someone asked. It is the same organization, but it was called just SCBW until children's illustrators were embraced in it as well; it then became the SCBWI.
Lin, what were the challenges you and the other leaders of the organization had to face and solve in those early years of the beginnings of the SCBWI?

Lin: We wanted to develop regional activities for people who couldn't come to the national events. And so we had to develop a network of regional volunteers who could put on events in their area. Stephanie Gordon did a magnificent job of building a network of regional advisors, now headed by Cheryl Zach. And Erszi Deak in Paris is doing the same internationally. Also, we had the challenge of building the credibility of the organization into one trusted by the editors, agents and art directors of the publishing industry. I think they respect and trust us now.

Mel: Cheryl Zach has been in our chat room, too! I know that the SCBWI has a building now, with a full-time staff, as well as a board of directors and Regional Advisors in the states and overseas. How did you FIRST set it up, what with the very little money I'm sure you had, and how big was the "staff" of the SCBW?

Lin: The first staff of the SCBWI was Steve and me, who did it for no pay for over 25 years. We didn't care, it was such fun. Then our next unpaid employee, after Sue Alexander, was Steve's father, who sent out renewal notices. It was a labor of love for all of us. It wasn't until the last seven or eight years that we had any employees at all. Sue Alexander worked as a volunteer for as long as we did.

Mel: No pay for 25 years? We owe YOU and STEVE a LOT , as well as Sue Alexander—and Steve's father—THANK YOU ALL! Tell us about the growth of the SCBW/SCBWI. How many charter members were there? How did you make children's writers and illustrators aware of it at first, to the effect that its growth burgeoned even in those first years, and it has now grown to over 22,000 members, Lin?

Lin: Building this organization has been one of the great thrills of my life, along with my three strapping sons, and not-so-strapping husband!

Mel: Hey, I think five-feet-six IS strapping! J

Lin: The SCBWI did grow, slowly over the first fifteen years, but our most significant growth has happened with the Internet. Suddenly, there is a way to make people aware of us. I think much of the growth of SCBWI comes from the industry itself. Editors are grateful for our existence because it makes their jobs easier, provides a way to raise the standards of submissions, and an avenue for them to discover new talent.

Mel: Do you remember how many people came to that first 1972 conference? And what are the numbers of writers and illustrators coming to the California and the New York annual conferences now?

Lin: The first conference in 1972 had 55 people, many of whom, by the way, were faculty and staff. My mom made the potato salad for the conferees herself, and the hotel rooms were per night, for an ocean view!

Mel: I was ONE of those 55 lucky people! And having Jane Yolen as my manuscript mentor really WAS what got me started in children's writing in 1972.

Lin: I remember that you were there, Mel!

 

Mel: What a memory you have for that time over 30 years ago now!

 

Lin: Yeah, but don't ask me where my car keys are. I can't remember!

Mel: HA, me neither! I'd like to say here that what seems to me UNIQUE in children's writing is that the "big ones" always WILLINGLY help us "small ones."

Lin: That is an amazing but truly wonderful fact. Jane Yolen as case in point! Now the Los Angeles conference has about 900 people attending, and last year, the New York conference had 700. We've moved the hotel this year in New York, because we had so many people on the waiting list last year. This year the hotel can accommodate more people.

Mel: When the SCBWI held that first conference in 1972 in Santa Monica, was it planned before that conference happened that it would be an ANNUAL conference?

Lin: Yes, I think we always hoped that the conference would be a success and there would be others. We now have a wonderful videotape archive of the great speeches. We're working on putting them together for posterity.

Mel: Ruth presubmitted this question, too:

 

Ruth: What is the value of the national conferences? Any words of wisdom I can use to convince my family it's a good use of the family travel budget? ;) Thank you :)

Lin: I think coming to the conference in California is a life-changing event, I really do. You are immersed in the children's book world from the inside out for four days. It leaves you inspired, if exhausted. The New York conference is another kind of experience, well worth it, but more a New York experience, quicker, pacey—but great for networking. If your family is interested in coming to Los Angeles, we hold the conference at a beautiful hotel, really first class. They can have fun all around the city, and on the hotel grounds, while you soak up the inspiration.

Mel: Ruth presubmitted one more question, not having heard what you said tonight about the moving of the conference in NYC:

 

Ruth: The Mid-Year (NYC in Feb) conference is moving to a new hotel. Does this mean more people can attend? How will this change the conference? Are there other changes in store for that conference? (I'm excited because I'm determined to go this time!) Thank you :)

Lin: We're holding the NY conference at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan. We had to turn so many people away last year, that we were forced to get a bigger venue. What this means is that the general sessions will have more people, but we also have more room to schedule more breakout sessions with editors and art directors. So our hope is that there still will be as many opportunities to network. We have nine breakout sessions with editors and art directors.

omalizzie: Are there Canadians in SCBWI as well?

Lin: Oh yes, many Canadians. We have two chapters in Canada, east and west. One is in British Columbia, the other in Ottawa and Toronto. We love Canada!

omalizzie: Do you have to be published to be a member?

Lin: You can be an associate member and not be published. To be a full member, you must be published, but access to SCBWI benefits are the same for published and unpublished (as of yet) people.

writingmachine: Is J.K. Rowling a member? What other famous members?

Lin: J.K. is not a member, but her editor is. Most every published author or illustrator is a member, including Judy Blume, Tomie de Paola, Jerry Pinkney, Bruce Coville, and Linda Sue Park—who are all on our Board of Advisors.

gladys1: Lin, what are the advantages of belonging to SCBWI?

Lin: SCBWI members have access to great information about the publishing field, and belonging will save you incredible research time in how to market your work. You get discounts to all conferences that almost pay for your membership, and admission to local events. You receive a wonderful book of publications that tell you everything you need to know about how to get started, and can apply for contests, grants and numerous awards. And you get to be part of the children's book community, making friends in your region, around the country, and throughout the world. What a gift that is!

Mel: Here are two similar questions, Lin:

writingmachine: Do you have to be a published writer to join SCBWI?

omalizzie: Are there credentials needed to join SCBWI?

Lin: Anyone with an interest can become an associate member. Published authors and artists can become full members. The best way to become a full member is to join SCBWI and learn how to get published.

Mel: And the ULTIMATE question!:

hugh: How does one join SCBWI?

Lin: Inquire at www.scbwi.org. Or you can call our office (call during office hours and you get a real person, no "punch three and stand on your head," at (323) 782-1010, or write us at 8271 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048

doug: What are the benefits of SCBWI for the unpublished?

Lin: I believe it is the quickest and most efficient way to get published. You will learn how to submit your work, and where, and also learn how to improve your craft. And you'll meet people who are publishers, who can actually buy your work.

g_logger: Lin, I went to the Oregon chapter of SCBWI. Is there someone that you could put me in contact with, so that I can give books to Libraries in Florida. A couple thousand books, to start?

Lin: There is information on our web site about donating books to Florida. It's in the News section. Good for you—they will be thrilled. By the way, the web site address is www.scbwi.org.

omalizzie: Is there a special Canadian web site Lin?

Lin: There is, but the best way to get there is to go to our web site and click on regional chapters in the menu bar across the top. There are links to all of our regional web sites.

litlpilgrim: What is the general cost of membership and the conferences?

Lin: First year membership is $75, and each renewing year is $50. The conferences vary, depending on size, location, and how long they run. The New York conference is for members; the Los Angeles conference runs about four days. Regional conferences average about a day.

doug: Can SCBWI help you find/research an agent?

Lin: We publish a directory of agents that is specific to agents who work in the children's publishing field. It is available to members, and is part of the book (Publications Guide) you receive when you join. It's updated regularly.

Mel: I KNEW before we began chatting with you, Lin, that these two hours would soar by as if they were two minutes. THANK YOU so much for sharing your widely varied accomplishments in children's books and films. And for giving us the "inside story" about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators! I have seldom seen so many questions for a Chat Guest, Lin. And that moves me to ask you if you will return again some day, so that we will be able to chat with you more about the SCBWI and your career in providing the best entertainment for children. Will you come back and chat with us again some day, please?

Lin: It would be an honor. I've enjoyed this time so much, but oh, my aching fingers!

Mel: Yes, I understand, Lin! At our next Guest Chat on Thursday December 2, Joanne Mattern will be here to chat with us about educational publishing, under the title of "Opening the Door to Educational Publishing." Joanne will answer questions about the many facets of the educational market, and how you can break into and write for it. Joanne Mattern is the author of over 130 books and articles, most of which were written for the educational market. She is a former ICL instructor, and also worked as an editor at Morrow Junior Books and Troll Communications before becoming a full-time writer in 1996. Joanne lives in New York State with her husband, two daughters, and three crazy cats. Come back on December 2, and we'll even ask Joanne about those crazy cats!

Mel: I thank YOU again, Lin Oliver, for being our chat guest tonight! It took my breath away to hear about ALL you have accomplished in your writing and filming life—not to mention raising those three strapping sons! We will all look forward with even more enthusiasm to upcoming SCBWI events, and hope to see you there. I want to thank you also tonight, especially, for helping start the SCBWI, and for all the work you've done in it to provide all of us children's writers both the motivation and the tools to succeed at publishing! By the way, I'm going right away to get your The Day of the Iguana!

tkat_2: Lin you're an inspiration.

 

jjchamp: Thank you!!!

 

omalizzie: This has been an outstanding feat for you Lin. :o}

Lin: Thank all of you for chatting. I hope to meet you in person. If we're ever in the same room, at a conference or something, please come say hi.

Mel: THANK YOU again, Lin! And goodnight everychildren'swriter!