by kmessner

KidLit Cares: “Free Pass” to Chronicle Books Editorial Meeting & Picture Book Critique with Editor Melissa Manlove

Auction #23: “Free Pass” to Chronicle Books Editorial Meeting & Picture Book Critique with Editor Melissa Manlove

Welcome to KidLit Cares, an online talent auction to benefit the Red Cross relief effort to help communities recover from Superstorm Sandy. Agents, editors, authors, and illustrators have donated various services to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with donations being made directly to the Red Cross disaster relief fund. You can read more about KidLit Cares here. Now, on to the auction!

Chronicle Books editor Melissa Manlove is offering what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an aspiring picture book author — a FREE PASS to the Chronicle Books Editorial Meeting, along with a picture book critique before your book goes to the meeting. Here’s how it will work…

The winner of this auction will receive a picture book critique with Melissa. After you’ve had a chance to revise based on her comments, she will take your manuscript to the Chronicle Books Children’s Editorial Meeting, where potential acquisitions are discussed. If one of the editors is excited about it, great! If not, Melissa will share the group’s thoughts and feedback with you so that you can revise again and submit the project elsewhere.

Note from Kate: Melissa is my editor at Chronicle and worked with me on SEA MONSTER’S FIRST DAY and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW. She is kind, funny, and smart as the day is long. This is a truly amazing opportunity.

Note from Melissa:

I am moved again and again by the generosity of the children’s lit community! As we have passed the $1,000 mark, I am going to sweeten the deal.

As of now, this prize also includes advance copies of four of my books releasing in 2013 (as they become available). You will have Steam Train Dream Train, On a Beam of Light, Little Red Writing, and Lifetime ahead of everyone else.

If the bids reach $2,000 I will include $300 worth of Chronicle books (you choose the books).

If the bids reach $3,000 I will include a one-on-one lunch with me whenever we’re next in the same area (my treat, of course)–at which you will feel free to pepper me with publishing questions. (Assuming you’re in the US. I’ll find a conference near you or some other excuse to be in your area.)

Opening Bid: $30

Auction Ends: Monday, November 12, 2012 at 10pm EST. (Any bids submitted in comments after that time will be void.)

A note about last-minute bidding: If you are used to computerized Ebay auctions that end at an exact, given second, please know that the KidLit Cares auctions don’t work quite that way. Each auction ends when I post the “Auction closed” comment. I do that when my computer turns to 10pm, but because I have multiple auctions to close at that time (also because I am human) it will not be a totally exact thing.  (I have been working for years to try and clone myself, but to no avail, and I am particularly bummed about that at the moment. Those cloned Kates would have been great at closing auctions all at once.) At any rate, the winning bid is the high bid before the Auction Closed comment, even if the time on your computer reads slightly after 10:00. Thanks for understanding!

If you’d like to bid on this auction, check the current high bid and place a higher bid by leaving your name and bid amount in the comments, along with some way to contact you (email, FB or Twitter…I’m not fussy.) Winners will be notified when the auction ends and should be prepared to make an online donation to the Red Cross Disaster Relief fund in the amount of the high bid at that time.  After you’ve made your donation, you’ll forward your receipt to me, and I’ll put you in touch with the person who donated the service you won so that the two of you can work out the details about how and when.   All services will be provided at the convenience of both the person making the donation and the auction winner, but this should happen within three months of the auction’s end unless something else is agreed upon by both parties.

Good luck and thanks for your help!

53 Replies on “KidLit Cares: “Free Pass” to Chronicle Books Editorial Meeting & Picture Book Critique with Editor Melissa Manlove”

  9. This is BRILLIANT and I am going to publicize the hell out of it. Good for you, Melissa, and good for those of you smart enough to bid on this offer and take advantage of, if nothing else, the chance to get so much feedback on your work from gifted professionals.

  10. What a great idea all around! I’m going to get the word out. And having worked with Melissa Manlove, I can safely say someone is going to be very lucky, indeed.

  12. There have been some questions. Attending the editorial group are Ginee Seo, Kelli Chipponeri, Tamra Tuller, Naomi Kirsten, Ariel Richardson, and Taylor Norman. Participating via email are Victoria Rock and Christopher Franceschelli.
    And me, of course.

    Thanks for all the support!

  13. Sorry, I mean I’ll be physically at the meeting, not that I participate via email. Victoria and Christopher participate via email because they work mostly out of the office.

  24. I am moved again and again by the generosity of the children’s lit community! As we have passed the $1,000 mark, I am going to sweeten the deal.

    As of now, this prize also includes advance copies of four of my books releasing in 2013 (as they become available). You will have Steam Train Dream Train, On a Beam of Light, Little Red Writing, and Lifetime ahead of everyone else.

    If the bids reach $2,000 I will include $300 worth of Chronicle books (you choose the books).

    If the bids reach $3,000 I will include a one-on-one lunch with me whenever we’re next in the same area (my treat, of course)–at which you will feel free to pepper me with publishing questions. (Assuming you’re in the US. I’ll find a conference near you or some other excuse to be in your area.)

  27. This is out of my price range at this point; however, I commend all participants for their generosity and for such a great idea. I would love to be notified if something of this nature takes place again. Good luck to all! And thank you!!
    Tina Donovan, M.Ed., LPC

  28. OMG – What a marvelous opportunity! Melissa Manlove is the editor of one of my fave poetry collections for children, Water Sings Blue. Unfortunately, this is getting beyond my price point but what a wonderful idea!

  29. Pingback: World touring sketchbooks « How To Be A Children's Book Illustrator

  31. I don’t understand. I just submitted a bid of $2,700 and it is now 9:35pm EST, but my previous post says 10:33pm.

  32. I think it’s just that the site isn’t displaying the correct time. I had the same issue on another auction.

  38. This auction is now closed. The winner is the high bidder whose comment and high bid are posted directly above this “end of auction” notice. If that’s you, please make sure your contact information on that comment is current so that I can touch base in a few minutes to confirm that you won. Then, you’ll use the Red Cross link below to make a donation in the amount of your high bid to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Please don’t do that until I contact you, just to be sure. If your bid is listed after this notice, you are not the high bidder, as your bid came in after the auction closed. (We still appreciate your support, though!) Here’s the donation link:

    https://www.redcross.org/donate/index.jsp?donateStep=2&itemId=prod10002

    After you have made your donation, please email me at the following address: k m e s s n e r at kate messner dot com (all lower case, no spaces) with your Red Cross receipt attached. On Monday, I’ll provide you with the information you’ll need to get in touch with the donor of your item and carry out the terms of the auction.

    Thank you – again – for your support in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Your generosity will be a huge help to the Red Cross as the serve the people hurting the most in the storm’s path.

    ~Kate

  41. A fine suggestion, Colleen. I accept!
    Colleen and Jeff, I will be in touch with both of you as soon as Kate confirms your donations.
    yay! CONGRATULATIONS! And thank you so much for your generosity!

  42. Hi Kate,
    Jeff Bogle out bid me ($3600) at the last minute. I just wasn’t fast enough, but I was willing to go up to $4200. Would you be willing to look at picture books from both of us given that I am prepared to donate the $4200 to the Red Cross. (This would be a total of $7800 that you would have personally raised).
    I have a picture book that I would really love to show you.

    Best,
    Colleen Rand

  43. Well played, Colleen.

    Melissa,
    Thank you for generously accepting the pair of bids, thus giving both Colleen and I the chance to have our work seen, critiqued, and pitched, all while helping the Red Cross by that much more. Winners all around.

    Cheers,

    Jeff

  45. Congratulations Colleen and Jeff! The bidding went wild while I was fast asleep on a brief trip to Munich (I’m a SF Bay Area gal)…so sorry I missed out on the action but thrilled for the Red Cross!

    Kate, thank you for organizing such an amazing collection of offerings…what a wonderful thing you have done!

    And last but not least, thank you Melissa for your generous auction donation! What a fabulous opportunity for these two auction winners!!

    XO and best of luck to everyone!

    Lisa