Notes from the Slushpile: FAQs

Who reads Notes from the Slushpile?

Our readers are mainly authors of children's books, both published and aspiring, but we are also widely read by editors, agents, booksellers, parents, and anyone interested in children's literacy. Our primary audience is in the United Kingdom but we aspire to attract a wider readership - especially now that some of us are getting published in other countries.

What sorts of articles does Notes from the Slushpile accept from guest bloggers?

We like reportage about events, talks, conferences that would help an author or aspiring author improve his or her game. We also like personal stories that illustrate the creative life we have chosen. Some of our guest blogs are the most popular amongst our readership (eg. Fiona Dunbar's Mother's Day Story and Nicky Singer's The Good The Bad and The Opera) ! Our themes tend towards

How to get published
Getting an agent
Trends in children's publishing - check out Are Pneumatic Models Allowed to Win Book Prizes
Issues in children's books - check out Candy's Bye Bye Libraries, Bye Bye Civilization
The ups and downs of being an author - aspiring and published
Success stories - check out Teri Terry's It's a Deal
Essentials of being an author
Marketing for authors - check out our Build Your Own Website series
Authors online
Procrastination
What happens after publication
Surviving rejection
Surviving publication
Craft - see Tony Bradman and the Art of Story
SCBWI stuff
Discussions or input into wider debates in the Kids Litosphere - see Jackie Marchant's Is Young Adult Fiction Safe for Young Adults

How can I become a guest blogger on Notes from the Slushpile?

Become a guest blogger by pitching a story idea to Candy at mumatwork AT blueyonder.co.uk or Teri at teri.terry AT ymail.com - or chat up any of our blogging team via Facebook or Twitter.

Do you pay?

Are you joking?

Well ... there is the joy of blogging of course (and an opportunity to procrastinate). This is a widely read blog and it's a way to get noticed in the children's book world. And if you are a lonely author, it's a way to become part of a friendly, buzzy, supportive communitiy. The cool thing about the children's book world you see is: it's about reading and the love of reading. We are not in competition with each other. Which is why children's authors are much less bitter and twisted than some.

That easy?

Well, we are very nice and cuddly people. However we are looking for substance, insight, wisdom and inspiration - and we do (very kindly) request revisions when the submission needs some work. We ourselves have long suffered from rejection so we wouldn't do it in a cruel way. Sometimes we add pull-quotes and sometimes we add sidebars with extra information. The images must be specific and add value to the article - we consider images essential to this blog. We can help with pictures - but if you want to source your own, there's a handy guide right here. Our in-house journalist will check for attribution, libel, defamation and copyright work-arounds.

And when Candy is inspired, you might end up getting the Photoshop treatment.