I have two pieces of exciting news for writers…and for me! The first news item is that Children’s Book Insider, the outstanding magazine for writers of children’s literature, has just launched its revamped website, the CBI Clubhouse!

According to CBI publisher Laura Backes and Managing Editor Jon Bard, CBI Clubhouse is ” a groundbreaking new community for children’s writers” which “brings together writers from across the globe to learn, share and support one another’s journey toward a publishing contract.”

Sound fabulous? Believe me, it is. On the Clubhouse website, not only can you download the latest edition of Children’s Book Insider, but you can take classes, post on message boards and forums, and get advice on the craft of writing and the arts of publication and promotion from a team of “Expert Guides,” one for each genre from picture books to YA, all of whom are published authors.

Which brings me to the second piece of good news: The Expert Guide for YA is…me! I’m honored to be a member of the illustrious team of authors who will be posting monthly on the website, answering questions on the message boards and forums, and offering webinars and critiques. And I’m in fantastic company. I’ll be surrounded by such luminaries as mulit-published Natasha Wing, Picture Book Expert Guide; the intrepid Anastasia Suen, Easy Reader Expert Guide; and my friend and Newberry-Award-winning author Kirby Larson, who holds the title of Middle Grade Expert Guide.

Together, we’ll be leading all levels of writers through CBI’s 1-2-3 System. Step 1: Create a bulletproof manuscript; Step 2: Choose your path to publication; Step 3: Get out there and market like a pro. You can expect informative posts, fascinating interviews, and special features such as audio, video, and free e-books. And of course you can count on friendly, helpful answers to your questions on the message boards and forums.

I’m so thrilled to be part of this new venture. Go, Fightin’ Bookworms!

Tags: author interviews, book promotion, CBI Clubhouse, critique, publication process, writing process, young adult

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 1:29 pm and is filed under CBI Clubhouse. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.