If you're new to the Update, you may not know that we publish a monthly subscription-only newsletter for aspiring and working children's book writers that's jam-packed with market leads, advice, inside info and much more. It's called Children's Book Insider, and we've been sharing it with subscribers across the globe since May, 1990!

Here's a look at what's in the May issue of Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers:

* Activity Magazine Seeks Submissions 
* Publisher Seeks Middle Grade Fiction 
* Christian Nature Magazine Accepting Submissions 
* New Imprints Make Their Debuts 
* Publisher Seeks Multicultural Picture Books 
* Agent or Attorney: Which is Right for You? 
* Writing Humor for Children 
* How to Write Great Poems for Children 
* Getting the Word Out on the Web 
* What You Can Learn from a Trip to Barnes & Noble

........................and lots more!

If you enjoy the information offered in this e-mail update, wait 'til you see what we've got in store for you each month in the pages of CBI! A one year subscription to CBI costs as little as $26.95 and includes a special bonus gift.

For more information, go to http://write4kids.com/aboutcbi.html

And to take advantage of our special "18 Months for the Price of 12" offer, go to:

18 Months of the Paper (by mail) edition of Children's Book Insider (US residents ONLY).....$29.95

18 Months of the Electronic Edition (anywhere in the world).....$26.95

"If you are "thinking" about subscribing, DON'T!!! Just do it. I waited for almost 2 years before I did, now I'm wondering why I waited so long" Frederick Claus

>> ITEM 6 - Featured Children's Lit Blog:  Cynthia Reeg's Blog

In the past couple of years, there's been an explosion in wonderful blogs about children's books and the writing process.  Now, in each issue of the Update, we'll profile a unique and helpful blog.

This issue, we highlight an excellent example of an author's blog.  Children's writer Cynthia Reeg discusses the craft of writing, her favorite books and useful tidbits for aspiring authors at her online journal..

http://cynthiareeg.com/blog/

PS:  If you have or know of a blog that should be featured in the Update, drop Jon a line at jon@write4kids.com   Also, if you happen to come across a children's writing blog or site that doesn't list the Children's Writing Update or Write4Kids.com among its links or resources, why not send a friendly note telling them about us?  We'd really appreciate it!

>> ITEM 7 -  Children's Author's Bootcamp News:  Important Omaha Announcement!

Children’s Authors’ Bootcamp was the most worthwhile investment I’ve made in my writing career. No single class or workshop I’ve attended has offered as much concrete, usable information. Thank you, Linda and Laura!
Lisa McCourt, bestselling children’s book author

Two incredible days of fun, inspiration and learning from a couple of real children's writing pros -- it's the acclaimed Children's Author's Bootcamp.  And now, a second event has been added to the calendar!

We've been telling you about 2008's first two Bootcamps:

• June 7 and 8 at the Centerra Promenade in Northern Colorado.  It's right off I-25 and easy to reach for anyone in Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins, Cheyenne, Loveland and Greeley.  And it's only 45 minutes from Denver International Airport and has many lodging options.  
   

• June 21 and 22 smack dab in America's heartland -- Omaha, Nebraska 

The Colorado Bootcamp is close to being sold out (there are about five spots left, so jump on it if you want to come).  The Omaha Bootcamp, however, isn't filling up quite so briskly.  In fact, the cutoff date for postponing the event is coming up very soon and there's a chance it may not happen at all if a few more registrations aren't received in the next week and a half.

So here's the deal, straight up and as honest as we can be.  If seven more registrations are received by May 15, the ladies will be loading up their gear and coming to Omaha for the Bootcamp.  If not, everyone who's registered so far will get a refund and the Bootcamp won't happen.  This would really be a shame, as it's unlikely the Midwest would be seeing another Bootcamp for quite some time, but, economics being what they are, tough decisions have to be made.

If you live anywhere in the Midwest and have dreamed about attending a Bootcamp, we urge you to act now and register for the Omaha event.  Again, the cutoff for the decision is May 15.

And the Bootcamp?  It's a children's writing weekend you'll never forget --  a step-by-step journey to children's writing success that's fun, fast-paced and packed with advice you'll never hear anywhere else!

Join Laura Backes, Publisher of Children's Book Insider (and The Writer cover girl!), and Linda Arms White, Christopher Award-winning author of Too Many Pumpkins, Comes a Wind and many other great children's books, for the ultimate children's writing workshop:

June 7 and 8 at the Centerra Promenade, Loveland, Colorado (right off Interstate 25) 

and  (hopefully)

June 21 and 22 in Omaha, Nebraska

CAB features two full exciting days of world-class instruction and exercises on writing fiction for children of all ages, with emphasis on character and plot development, dialogue, descriptive writing, point of view, writing strong beginnings, editing your own work and submitting manuscripts to publishers. If your dream of writing children's books needs a shot of adrenaline, this is the place to get it.

Because it's a step-by-step program, CAB is great for beginners! No previous experience is needed to benefit from this workshop, and you'll leave on Sunday with everything you need to know to write your masterpiece!

For a complete class outline and registration information (including information on booking hotel rooms), see WeMakeWriters.com, or contact Linda White at (303) 747-1014, or CABootcamp@msn.com.

Reserve Your Spot Now -- Children's Authors' Bootcamps fill up quickly

Visit WeMakeWriters.com for all the details.

The Children's Writer's Big Book of "How To" has the solution to more than 100 of the trickiest issues faced by children's authors. From coming up with great ideas right through signing the contract, this amazing volume is packed with insight. Visit http://write4kids.com/bigbook.html to view then entire table of contents!

>> ITEM 8 - Feature Article: Writing for the Expanding Tween Market  By Laura Backes, Publisher of  Children's Book Insider

Like most consumer-based businesses, publishing pivots on the demographic with the largest spending power. These days, that honor falls to the tweens. Numerous industries, from fashion to entertainment to skin care, are all scrambling to reach this hugely influential group.

So what's a "tween"?

At its core, the tween age group is those kids who fall between early childhood and adolescence. Back in the 1990's, we lumped them under the umbrella term "middle grade". And while the tween reader may be anywhere between eight and fourteen years old (the average age being 10-14), tween is more of a mindset than an age. Whereas a true middle grader is happy with traditional story fare for ages 8-12, tween readers are more sophisticated. They're inching toward young adulthood, and want to get glimpses of the teen issues they'll soon be facing.

But tweens prefer to digest those issues from a distance. At their core, they're still kids. Tweens are being pulled in two directions simultaneously. On the one hand, they want to dabble in their own independence and exploration of who they are, and on the other they live in a post-9/11 world where many of them are more protected than in the past, with less time away from direct adult supervision. So tweens want books that give them the thrill of self-reliance and autonomy, but still bring them safely home at night. And most publishers prefer to keep it tame when brushing up against young adult themes. For example, instead of dealing with sexual issues, tween characters might buy their first bra, get their first period, or experience their first kiss.

Middle grade books have always revolved around the concerns fundamental to that age group's very existence—home, family, friends, school, peer group. Tween books stay true to these ideas but move them into a slightly more worldly arena. In The Steps, Rachel Cohn takes a standard middle grade dilemma—a 12-year-old whose parents have split up and formed new families— and places the NYC-bred Annabel in Sydney, Australia, for a first visit with her step-siblings. Annabel begins her vacation determined to bring her father back to America, but after she sees how happy her dad is with his new wife (happier than he ever was with Annabel's mother), she develops a new mindset: I hadn't liked the idea of having so many families, but the Steps were not my choice. What was my choice was whether or not I would make the best of my new family situations. Annabel learns that she has more control than she thought over her own happiness, pushing her toward young-adult maturity. 

Simply writing authentic portrayals of the middle school experience can win the hearts of tween readers. Lauren Myracle earned kudos her tween titles Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, which follow protagonist Winnie Perry through three years of physical, emotional, and social development. The books are light, hip, and friendly, and give adolescent girls a roadmap to navigating their own tween years. Other tween titles that highlight girls' issues include Me, In Between by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (12-year-old Lacey is a year younger than her eighth-grade classmates, yet more physically developed. She's torn between trying to appear both older and younger than she really is.); and The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah by Nora Raleigh Baskin, where protagonist Caroline inherits a Star of David necklace from her grandmother and begins to wonder about her mixed religious heritage.

Even classic "boy" topics like sports are given the tween treatment in Mike Lupica's Heat (12-year-old Michael lives in the shadow of Yankee stadium but is too poor to attend a game. He dreams of leading his team in the Little League World Series, but is benched until he can prove his age with a birth certificate, which was left behind when his family fled Cuba.) James Howe takes on bullying with a group of seventh grade outcasts who decide they're no longer going to tolerate namecalling in The Misfits, and Louis Sachar appealed to both genders with Holes, which deftly braids mystery, tall tale, folklore and contemporary issues with the middle grade themes of friendship and the teen realization that society's underdogs should not be ignored.

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