Schedule Of Events
Note: With your free Children’s Book Mastery pass, you can only watch the expert sessions for 48 hours from when they broadcast. Each day, new sessions will be uploaded, and the sessions that have been live for 48 hours will be removed. If you want to watch any of the expired sessions, you’ll be redirected to purchase the Premium Pass to get lifetime access.
If you’re a Premium Pass holder, you can watch the sessions here, but this page is NOT your member’s area. You need to log in to the Premium Pass members’ area to access the expert sessions after they get locked away on this page. (You’ll find links in your emails how to do that).
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DAY 0 – Children’s Book Mastery Kick-Off
Sunday, 27 July 2025 at 12 pm EDT | 9 am PDT | 11 am CST | 5 pm UTC
Karen Ferreira
Children’s Book Mastery Kick-Off
Join us for the live kick-off where your host will run you through a bird’s eye overview of all the steps of creating and publishing your children’s book, and explain how you can get the most out of the summit.
DAY 1
Sessions become available on Monday, 28 July 2025 at 8 am EDT | 5 am PDT | 7 am CST | 12 pm UTC
Tara Lazar
Revision made easy! slightly better than before
After a decade and 15 published books, Tara shares her best tips and tricks for revising your picture books. Revision is never easy, but hopefully these insights can help you rewrite that manuscript with aplomb!
John Fox
Why Your Picture Book Isn’t Working (Yet), And How to Fix It
In this insightful session, children’s book editor John Fox emphasises the critical relationship between text and illustrations, highlights the importance of specifying the correct target age group based on content complexity and word count, and shares valuable advice on building tension. Fox also explains how repetition and patterns can be effectively used in picture books to create engagement and satisfaction for young readers.
Joe Bunting
How Structure Can Help You Get Your Book DONE
Wall Street Journal bestselling author Joe Bunting reveals the six essential plot elements every children’s book needs, plus how structure (not inspiration) is the key to actually finishing your manuscript. Learn how to use plot types to shape your story, uncover the hidden stakes that create emotional impact, and apply the right kind of process structure to stay motivated and make real progress.
Kate Penndorf and Valerie Heller (Write For Kids)
Creating Multi-Dimensional Characters
Learn techniques to develop multi-dimensional characters by considering both their outer layers (observable traits like physical appearance and personality) and inner layers (motivations, emotions, and backstory). Gain insights through interactive exercises that reveal new sides to your characters.
Paul Brodie
What It Takes to Launch a Bestseller
Get the inside scoop on what it takes to launch a bestselling book directly from someone who’s done it over 190 times. In this session, Paul Brodie shares the strategies, timing insights, and key success factors behind his guaranteed launch method.
Karen Ferreira
From Weak to Wow: The Essentials Your Picture Book Might Be Missing
Whether you’re revising a manuscript that feels off or just starting to write your first story, this session will help you understand what makes a picture book truly work. You’ll learn the essential story elements most aspiring authors miss and get a clear 3-level framework to write and improve your manuscript with confidence.
DAY 2
Sessions become available on Tuesday, 29 July 2025 at 8 am EDT | 5 am PDT | 7 am CST | 12 pm UTC
Monique Danielle
Using Atticus to Create a Picture Book
Learn how to self-format your children’s picture books using Atticus, a cost-effective alternative to hiring a formatter. Monique Danielle demonstrates how to easily upload your illustrator’s JPEG images as full-page spreads, add text either embedded in illustrations or directly in Atticus, and export both print-ready PDFs and ebooks from the same file.
Marcy Pusey
How to Create a Strong Picture Book Plot
Discover what makes an emotionally engaging picture book plot. Marcy Pusey shares how to write a strong beginning, build conflict, and weave in lessons without being preachy. Learn how to develop your characters, strengthen your pacing, and avoid the most common plot mistakes authors make.
Christopher Maselli
How to 10x Your Writing Momentum
Discover practical strategies to boost your productivity and momentum. Learn how to schedule writing time, create a focus-friendly environment, use the proven Pomodoro Technique, and build accountability that keeps you going.
Katja Kaine
Five Steps to a Killer First Draft
Learn how to craft a compelling premise, outline your plot, build strong characters, and organise your ideas into scene summaries, all while avoiding common planning pitfalls that stall writers before they start.
Emma Dhesi
The 4 Must-Haves Every Opening Scene Needs
A strong novel opening must introduce a clear main character, include movement or action to create momentum, establish setting and tone through vivid description, and present a micro tension. With examples across genres and a simple planning exercise, Emma Dhesi highlights how these four elements lay the foundation for a compelling and emotionally resonant beginning.
DAY 3
Sessions become available on Wednesday, 30 July 2025 at 8 am EDT | 5 am PDT | 7 am CST | 12 pm UTC
Brooke Van Sickle
3 Keys to Creating a Story That Connects With Publishers
In this session, Brooke Van Sickle highlights that successful children’s books rest on three key pillars: emotional resonance, a purposeful “so what” factor that keeps the story focused and meaningful, and marketability.
Daniel David Wallace
How to Avoid a Passive Young Protagonist
Writers are often told protagonists should be active, with clear goals and desires. But this can be challenging when writing young characters, who often rely on adults and lack power or experience. How do you avoid a story where the protagonist is simply led around or paralyzed by uncertainty? We’ll explore how Legendborn, The Hunger Games, and A Wizard of Earthsea tackle this issue.
Cameron Suttr
How Plottr & Storysnap make your writing process easy, organized, and fun
Discover how to use Plottr to visually map stories page by page, add character arcs, descriptions, and even placeholder illustrations in a storyboard-style timeline and StorySnapp that automatically generates a detailed “book bible” and chapter-by-chapter visual outline in Plottr.
Gena Maselli
The Basics of Writing Curriculum for Children
Gena Maselli offers a comprehensive guide to writing curriculum for children, emphasising both the diverse audiences who use it and the many subject possibilities. She also outlines essential curriculum components like scope, sequence, supplies, and clear lesson plans.
Charnaie Gordon
Using Social Media and Blogging to Grow a Book Brand
Charnaie Gordon shares how her blog Here Wee Read started as a hobby and organically grew into a successful business, with Instagram being a key platform for building her community. Gordon emphasises the importance of being authentic and taking advantage of emerging platforms like Threads to foster deeper engagement.
DAY 4
Sessions become available on Thursday, 31 July 2025 at 8 am EDT | 5 am PDT | 7 am CST | 12 pm UTC
Derek Doepker
Author Collaborations: Growing Your Reach Through Relationships
Discover how strategic, authentic collaborations can expand your reach, boost credibility, and grow your audience. Derek Doepker shares how to build real relationships with fellow authors and influencers, avoid common outreach mistakes, and shift your mindset to marketing that doesn’t feel salesy.
Arielle Haughee
Connecting and Maximizing Reach With Book Bloggers/Influencers
Arielle Haughee shares practical strategies for children’s book authors to grow their reach by collaborating with book bloggers and influencers. She explains the value of using book tours, either DIY or paid services, and how to create effective digital or physical press kits.
Sandra Beckwith
How to Use AI to Turbocharge Your Book Marketing
Learn how to use AI tools in helping identify target audiences, create marketing messages, research podcast opportunities, and develop lead magnets. Sandra Beckwith offers examples using prompts in ChatGPT and Perplexity, and shares best practices like being specific with prompts, working step-by-step, and verifying AI outputs.
Kris Safarova
Eight Ways to Leverage the Power of Numbers for Your Author Business
Numbers influence decisions, so use them thoughtfully and ethically to strengthen your author business. Find out how countdowns and deadlines create urgency, why odd and specific numbers feel more intentional, how scarcity and small group limits add perceived value, and how context changes number perception.
April Cox
10 Steps to a Flawless Book Launch with AI as Your Copilot
Discover how to use AI as a publishing tool with April Cox. April shares the 10 essential elements of a successful book launch and how to use AI to optimise each one. From coming up with titles and descriptions that convert, to selecting categories, keywords, pricing, and building a pre-launch marketing plan, you’ll see how to streamline your strategy and save hours. Includes a live demo to help you elevate your Amazon listings, boost visibility, and more!
DAY 5
Sessions become available on Friday, 1 Aug 2025 at 8 am EDT | 5 am PDT | 7 am CST | 12 pm UTC
Vicky Weber
Voice in Picture Books: What It Is and How to Nail It
In this session, Vicky Weber breaks down what voice really means, why it matters, and how to find and develop one that fits your story and audience. Discover how voice can help you stand out in a crowded market, how to adapt your tone for young readers, and keep your voice consistent through revisions. If you’ve ever wondered how much of you should come through in your writing, or how to make your manuscript more distinctive, this session is for you.
Philip Duncan
Authentic Email Marketing for Authors
Email marketing doesn’t have to feel awkward or salesy. In this session, Philip Duncan shares how authors can build trust, grow their lists, and write emails readers love to open, even before they have a book to sell. Plus, you’ll hear simple, effective strategies for launches, list-building, and staying consistent without tech overwhelm.
Ray Brehm
Clone Yourself with AI: The Author’s Shortcut to Getting All the Platform Stuff Done—Without Touching Your Manuscript
In this session, discover
AI Powered Shortcuts for editing, lead magnets, email lists and more
How to Create Marketing Assets, sales funnel and web page copy
How 3D Prompting is the secret to multiplying your core content
Beth Barany
Heart-Centered Marketing for Fiction Writers
Beth Barany shares the importance of focusing on emotional connection rather than traditional marketing tactics. She outlines a five-step process that includes clarifying your values, understanding your book’s emotional impact on readers, building a community of like-hearted peers, selecting a few marketing methods that resonate with you, and finding your audience.
Eric Van Der Hope
DIY vs. Hiring Pros
In this session, Eric Van Der Hope, a three-time #1 international bestselling author and book publishing expert, explains why the DIY approach to publishing can end up costing more in the long run. He shares practical advice on outsourcing key tasks like editing, cover design, and formatting to experienced professionals. You’ll also learn how to find trustworthy service providers and spot red flags along the way.
