Suprises and Silver Linings: When LGBTQ+ Picture Books Go to the Supreme Court

 

(c) Julie McLaughlin, illustrator of Pride Puppy! The nine picture books in Mahmoud v. Taylor

I'd grown up without LGBTQ+ books, without being able to be out. So, when I wrote my LGBTQ+ picture book Love, Violet (Chua, FSG) to fill that gap, I expected it to be censored. 

At first, it was quietly banned (or never purchased) here and there. It was hidden from children in "social sections." I'd only taken a little heat personally. My colleagues who created books about LGBTQ+ boys, transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or intersex characters - or about race, culture, and religion - have received far more harassment. Then...

(Notice Love, Violet on the top shelf in the back.)

...the U.S. Supreme Court announced that they would hear Mahmoud v. Taylor, which names Love, Violet and eight other LGBTQ+ picture books.

That I was not expecting. It was the first of many surprises.

Mahmoud v. Taylor asks whether schools must grant religious parents advance notice and the option to remove children from classes when LGBTQ+-inclusive books are included. (GLAAD fact sheet & video summary.)

On April 22, I sat glued to a group text chat with the other authors and illustrators involved in Mahmoud v. Taylor as the Supreme Court debated this case - and our books.

We were awed that Justice Sotomayor had clearly read our books. Justices Alito and Gorsuch, however, invented new plots and salacious details about several books, respectively. Mischaracterizations of our books had already been included in the case files and repeated throughout the media - often spurring hate messages. If Supreme Court justices couldn't read our books honestly, how would they empathize with LGBTQ+ children and families? How well could they consider what their decision will mean to them?

It was a stressful, unbelievable day. It has been a stressful, unbelievable season... full of surprises.

• The Toll: I never expected this case to take such a big emotional and physical toll. I'd watched others go through public controversies and thought about their book sales. But this... is intense. I'm glad I chose to speak out and engage with this case, but it is about all I've had time for for the past six monts. Early on, I admit I became especially discouraged becasue as the hate messages got going, some LGBTQ+ authors and I received manuscript rejections that indicated the issue was that our characters were LGBTQ+ and intersectional. I did rally. I'd been through this with Love, Violet. But it was a reminder that book bans mean we have to work even harder to support inclusive books.
  
  

• Congratulations? I was startled when several people contragulated me on this case. I've dedicated my career to children and this case could hurt children the most. Any benefit I experience is outweighed by the fact that the very children who might need these books may have them hidden away. Worse, many children are witnessing these bitter, frightening accusations about LGBTQ+ people and books - maybe about themselves.

• And Speaking of Children? Most of the debate about this case, including the Supreme Court's oral arguments, has ignored the LGBTQ+ children and family members in these classrooms. The case arguments repeated the false idea that children aren't ready to understand gender. But as Katherine Locke points out, children are already experiencing and noticing gender by age two. Orientation is there from the beginning, too. (I had my first innocent crush in pre-K.) Some babies are born intersex. Understanding LGBTQ+ identities doesn't require adult knowledge. In fact, our books are the perfect age-appropriate way to help children understand the many ways people are born. For a case supposedly centered on education, there was shockingly little consideration of real children and their lives.
  
  

• Lies and Hate: To have our books lied about, to witness those lies repeated and twisted beyond recognition, has been angering and exasperating. Most of us have received hate messages or prejudice-based book reviews, but one author has been utterly deluged. She even received death threats. The hate is worst after coverage by a popular conservative news source that repeats the mischaracterizations about her book. Her sweet book was inspired by her family. But worst of all, smearing books smears the people represented in them. That's the point. Children get that message. Also: nothing reminded me more of why I wrote Love, Violet than hate messages. Children deserve books full of love!
  
  

• Bearing Witness: I never expected to have an opportunity like this to talk about why we make these books. Beyond interviews and blog posts, I also shared my experiences of growing up queer and the daughter of an Evangelical pastor  in an op-ed for U.S. News and World Report (video intro). Honestly, dredging up those experiences rubbed salt into old wounds. That piece felt impossible to distill into 750 words, both emotionally and technically. But it felt too important not to try. Religious liberty means including everyone - not excluding, erasing, and oppressing those some people disagree with. 

• Humility: I learned you can give a half-hour phone interview and journalists will choose one earnest, non-gramatical sentence for their article. Also, listening to my creative colleagues involved in this case has been been inspiring! I've learned so much!
  
  

• We Are Intersectional: Like coming out and becoming disabled did, this experience reminded me how prejudice is intersectional. Feedom is also intersectional, as the authors of IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All expressed powerfully. Mahmoud v. Taylor is about children's access to books about every mariginalized group. This case isn't about religious people v. LGBTQ+ people. Freedom of speech supports freedom of religion. And children's rights to learn are human rights!

• Surprising Silver Linings: My biggest surprise has been that all this trouble, this rainbow panic, this wave of hate speech, has also inspired so much love!

I've been overwhelmed by the support from so many organizations (PEN America, GLAAD, AABB and more). FReadom champion and picker-upper of weary spirits Tasslyn Magnusson has been with us at every step - and with Super Mom Energy (XO!). Queer elders have reached out with encouragement (XO, Lesléa Newman!). That wasn't all.

A Minnepaolis church where my spouse served purchased one hundred LGBTQ+ picture books to give away and gathered donations for LGBTQ+ causes. Supporters of inclusive education rallied on the steps of the Supreme Court building on April 22. Student activists, who founded their own student rights group after book bans hit their community, joined them as Kind Cotton gave away challenged books. A friend just shared that she was inspired by this case to run for city council. The good keeps coming!

But the most beautiful surprise for me personally has been how Tasslyn and the SCOTUS authors and illustrators spontaneously formed the SCOTUS Book Club. This community has been the biggest silver lining! I'm not sure how I would have surived this season without these new friends! Andy Passchier, illustrator of What Are Your Words?, shared this comic about what getting messages from our group feels like.

(c) Andy Passchier 2025

Several other authors also shared what this experience has been like...

Ian & Sarah Hoffman, authors of Jacob’s Room to Choose

We attended the rally outside the courtroom while Mahmoud v Taylor was being argued. As disheartening it was to hear Supreme Court justices lie about the contents of children’s books, we were uplifted by the joy of the crowd assembled to support the right to read. 

If your work is being challenged or banned, it’s because you did something right. Keep doing it! There are kids and families that need you. There are authors and organizations that will support you. 

 

Here’s the Hoffmans’ essay in Time Magazine about how their son inspired their book.

 

Even these two authors, whose books were the most maligned in the oral arguments, pointed out this surprising joy:

Sarah S. Brannen, author of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding

It still seems surreal that my first book, published 17 years ago, could have ended up embroiled in something so huge. But getting to know the other authors and illustrators of the books in the case, having their support, sharing in their support of one another, has made up for all of the emotional stress and exhaustion.    

  

(Here’s Sarah’s op-ed in the The Boston Globe.)

And Robin has received the most hate mail and harassment of us all. Yet this is what she shared:

Robin Stevenson, author of Pride Puppy!

Being part of an incredible group of authors and illustrators made a tremendous difference. I have been so grateful for all the conversations, the hard work, the cheerleading and hand-holding, and for the times we made each other laugh on the worst days. We also had wonderful support from Tasslyn Magnusson and PEN America, AABB, GLAAD and others- I would encourage anyone going through something like this to reach out and ask for the help you need. 

 

(Read Robin’s essay for Maclean’s about having her book horribly misrepresented.)

Times like these can tear our souls and communities apart. It's easy to drown in despair. But adversity can also remind us that we need each other. And of the importance of our smallest action. It also reminds us of the value of laughter - that sign that we are yet alive and unconquered. For all the evil and harm around, silver gleams everywhere. We can choose connection. We can choose love.

Friends, I’m still exhausted. I’m bewildered and bracing for a Supreme Court decision that may come today. I'm breaking down on the regular. I really, really need a month-long nap. But! These silver linings fill me with hope. This injustice here and around the world isn't the end. Just as the horrors of past eras were not the end either. 

Our love and connections, our vision and hope, are what will power us to keep going, to keep making good trouble, as John Lewis would have us do - one act, one joy, one connection, one story at a time. 

In peace and hope, 

Charlotte

--> Want to help? Here's a Call to Action Guide for kids and adults. Here is our SCOTUS Book Activities Packet and a Book Event Guide. Thank you for reading and being a part of this community of hope!

--> In case you missed them, here are my other posts in June. Happy Pride!
“Pointless Joy! Returning to the Heart in our Art”
“My Process, My Nightmare!”
"PRIDE INTERVIEW with Picture Book Author Joëlle Retener"


P.S. 
(ADDED JUNE 27) Hi friends, the Supreme Court decision was announced today, June 27. The court upheld the parents' injunction, so the case now returns to lower courts. Meanwhile, the school district must provide advance notice and opt-outs for the five remaining LGBTQ+ picture books in the curriculum. Justice Sotomayor's dissent is especially powerful in laying out the broad implications for freedom of speech and for public schools.

Here are several statements:

PEN America Statement after Mahmoud v. Taylor Decision
Statement from Authors and Illustrators
SCOTUS Decision

It's discouraging - especially when, writing for the majority, Justice Alito deemed our books a religious burden and coercive because they portray LGBTQ+ characters experiencing joy. Which leads me back to my first post of the month. Maybe joy isn't ever "pointless." It's how we survive and thrive. Love to you friends. Never give up!

Charlotte Sullivan Wild is the author of several picture books. Love, Violet (illus. by Charlene Chua) is a Stonewall Book Award winner, Charlotte Huck Honor Book, and Lambda Literary Award Finalist. The Amazing Idea of You (illus. by Mary Lundquist) is a lyrical celebration of the potential in living things, especially in every child. She has taught language arts, literature and writing, worked as a bookseller, and volunteered as the SCBWI RA for Southwest Texas and as a radio host for Write On! Radio, KFAI. She is represented by Analía Cabello at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Learn more: www.CharlotteSWild.com

Lee Wind & Justin Campbell: Baton Pass Interview, Part 1

The moment has arrived! After 14 and a half years of blogging for SCBWI, I'll be passing the blogging baton to the wonderful Justin Campbell who starts next week!

Through the magic of online video conferencing, Justin Campbell (left) and me (Lee Wind, at right) make a heart. The perfect metaphor for passing the SCBWI blogging role from me to him!

Justin and I chatted about how a fun way to finale me and debut him as official SCBWI blogger would be a pair of interviews... And so, today are my answers to Justin's questions.

On Tuesday July 1, Justin will answer my questions, and then this blog and the official blogging duties for SCBWI will be in his capable hands! Here we go...

Justin: How did you initially get involved in KidLit and SCBWI: The Blog?

Lee: I started my own blog (I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?) in September 2007 with a focus on the books for kids and teens that included queer characters and themes. I found myself writing about general KidLit publishing things as I learned the business, including doing interviews with agents and editors.

Alice Pope started SCBWI: The Blog in May 2010 (you can read her first post here), and when she formed the very first SCBWI Team Blog to report on the 2009 Summer Conference in Los Angeles, I was invited to be part of that team (along with Paula Yoo, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, and Suzanne Young - see us at work here. Wow, was I younger!)

When Alice left KidLit for another industry in October of 2011, I was asked to take over the official blogging duties for SCBWI, which I was thrilled to do! (My very first SCBWI: The Blog post as the official blogger is here.)

It's been an honor, a privilege, and a joy to blog for SCBWI for so many years. I'm especially happy about having shared the spotlight with so many amazing guest bloggers, and extra delighted that you're taking over, Justin!

Justin: What are you looking forward to post-baton pass?

Lee: More time to write! I was pre-published when I started blogging for SCBWI, and I just had my 7th book come out (the picture book Like That Eleanor, illustrated by Kelly Mangan, published by Cardinal Rule Press.) 

My 8th book comes out in November (the picture book Banana Menorah, illustrated by Karl West, published by Apples and Honey Press/Behrman House.)

With a full-time job, I don't often get more than an hour a day to write (and sometimes it's just 12 minutes.) I'm excited to take the time I've used for SCBWI blogging and put it into writing (though I expect some of the time will go into the author-promotion-marketing bucket, too.)

Justin: What will you miss the most?

Lee: I really like being helpful and sharing information, resources, and inspiration about KidLit. I'll be doing a monthly newsletter as an author, and I expect I'll share some of that there. (Folks reading this are welcome to sign up here.)

Otherwise, I was going to say I'll miss getting to be at the big SCBWI conferences (especially in-person in New York City) -- but happily I'll still be attending those as an attendee rather than a blogger, and continuing to host the LGBTQ+ and Allies socials as well. Yay!

So really, Justin, I'm passing the baton to you with joy. You're going to do great!

**

For everyone reading, thank you for coming along with me on the adventure so far, and please continue to support and read the SCBWI blog.

I can't wait to see what Justin (and the new guest bloggers) do!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Interview: Picture Book Author Joëlle Retener on a Stonewall Honor, Agents, Disability, and Activism

🌈 Happy Pride! Charlotte Sullivan Wild here, and I’m thrilled to share this interview with picture book author Joëlle Retener. They are about to receive a Stonewall Honor for their picture book Marley's Pride (illus. by DeAnn Wiley) at the American Library Association conference next week.

💜 Last year, one of my happiest surprises was when Joëlle asked to trade work, and we became fast friends. We connected through the Facebook group Disabled Kidlit Writers, hosted by Lillie Owens Lainoff (another star!). In addition to both being LGBTQ+ picture book authors, we have the same chronic illness. ME/CFS blocks a body’s ability to produce energy correctly or recover from exertion (physical, mental, emotional, and sensory). Finding a creative friend who doesn’t mind recording video messages while lying in a dark room is a gift! Now, I'd like to share the gift of Joëlle's interview!

📚 → Learn more about Joëlle’s recent and upcoming books.

 
✏️ My comments are bolded. Joëlle’s are in regular text. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Let’s get started!

STONEWALL HONOR

(c) 2024 DeAnn Wiley, from "Marley's Pride," Barefoot Books, used with permission

Joëlle, CONGRATS on your ALA Stonewall Honor for Marley’s Pride! This is a beautiful story of how a queer Black grandparent supports their queer grandchild, by helping them navigate Pride with sensory sensitivities. The heart of this book is that Pride is about welcoming and supporting everyone.

What was it like to get “the call” about the Stonewall Honor and to have your work honored?

I was in complete disbelief. I broke down in tears and screeches of excitement! It was such an honor to be recognized. You and I have talked about this before, Charlotte… [historically], queer literature that’s recognized tends to be whitewashed and focused on the experiences of white gay men. The fact that my book that centers the journey of two trans-nonbinary Black individuals was recognized is a testament to the evolution of queer children’s literature. This win sends a message to people who share those intersecting identities that you’re seen and we value you. Your voices and your stories are worthy of being shared, are worthy of being uplifted. It was a powerful experience to know that something that I created is providing representation for my community in a way that has not been done, or at least not consistently.

It gives me hope that stories like mine, that children like me, that families like mine, can see themselves represented in books. Not only books about trans and nonbinary lives, but books that go beyond the normal tropes of coming out, [that] are centered in queer joy, and rooted in community, I think that’s a really big deal. Especially at a time when there is so much struggle within our community. To be reminded that the radical joy that comes with living authentically and being in community with others lives on is a gift. For my book to be shared broadly as a symbol of all that our community is, is humbling. I’m very grateful and hopeful that it will uplift folks who need the daily reminder that we are not alone. Joy is inherently part of our human experience no matter how we identify.

AGENTS!

Both of us have had the hard experience of leaving our first agents. It sounds like you have landed in the right place with James McGowan at Bookends Literary Agency! (For those querying agents, James is focused on building his adult list right now.) What is that relationship like? I know that on my recent search I needed to figure out my own priorities…

I’m so grateful to be working with him! I feel like I have this superstar in my corner! James is really responsive. He has a great eye for how to strengthen my manuscripts in order to make them sellable. He is patient with all of my many, many questions. He is kind and funny and so snarky, and that’s what I love most about him! I can bring my full authentic self to the table when I’m working with him. While I recognize, yes, it’s a professional relationship, I can let my very short hair down when I’m with James. I feel so comfortable.

Most importantly, I genuinely believe that James loves my manuscripts. As someone who has historically been insecure about their writing, having an agent like James by my side has helped me to really fully perceive my work for what it is. It’s been such a magical experience. I couldn’t imagine working with anybody else.

The search for the right agent can be so tricky. It’s encouraging to know that this is possible with time and patience!

WRITING WHILE DISABLED

The new logo for the Disabled Kidlit Writers group on Facebook, where Joëlle and I met.

How does disability influence the way you write and what you write?

I have a dynamic chronic illness [meaning, the severity fluctuates], so I live my life in seasons, from flare to flare. As a result, my writing is also seasonal. [Flares] impact me both physically and mentally since my disability affects my cognitive function. The typical advice is to write, write, write, as much as you can! You must be a prolific writer! The reality is that I can’t be. I can only write based on how my chronic illness is behaving.

I relate! When I became ill, the focus shifted from “how much” I work to “how to” work around physical and cognitive limits. Whether one is disabled or caregiving or working long hours, working harder isn’t always an option.

Often times, I’m not writing, but I’m reading, listening to audio books, which are incredible when you don’t have the physical capacity to read. During these periods of “dormancy” I focus on documenting the ideas that bubble up. My creativity is usually dying to come through and this is an easy way to feed it even if I’m not able to fully create stories in those moments. (Yes!)

My disability has also allowed me to explore different ways to write. When sitting up is difficult, I’ll write from [bed]. (Ditto!) Sometimes, physical typing or looking at my computer screen isn’t accessible to me. I use talk-to-text apps instead and leave myself voice memos to think through ideas or concepts. I save them like sticky [notes] to circle back when I have the space to do so.

Does disability affect what you write?

My disability has made me even more determined and passionate about writing inclusive stories. It’s so important for children, but also [for] the parents who are reading, to see themselves in books. I want to remind readers that they belong. Black people belong. Black trans - Black Queer people belong, and disabled people belong, especially in spaces that have been historically inaccessible to those communities, such as nature/the outdoors. We exist in this world, right? To assume that disabled people aren’t all around us is just unrealistic. Which is why I make a concerted effort to work with my editors and illustrators to have disabled people represented. [I try] to ensure that that representation is present in whatever I touch.

FINDING CREATIVE COMMUNITY WHILE DISABLED

For me, isolation has been the hardest part of becoming chronically ill – worse than the illness itself, which is why your friendship has been such a joy, Joëlle! (I wrote about this for SCBWI in 2023: “Cures for Loneliness: Writing and Illustrating Disability.”)

How is creative community different when you live with disabilities? What do you wish people knew?

Thank you for this question! I don’t often get opportunities to talk about my disability and how it impacts me as a creative. Shedding a light on it could help other spoonie creatives like me to feel a little bit less alone. 

(SIDEBAR: Christine Miserandino coined spoon theory as a way to measure energy with metaphorical “spoons.” People with disabilities may have significantly fewer or a fluctuating number of daily “spoons” compared to non-disabled people. “Spoonies” are people who have to pace their energy very differently than non-disabled people. Now, back to Joëlle!)

I really struggle with connecting with the kidlit community. There are so many platforms where we can engage. While I’m really grateful for those digital spaces, keeping up feels impossible. Being on apps like Bluesky and Discord feels like stepping into a really loud room and you have a sensory sensitivity. Like, there’s constant noise coming at [me], and I am incapable of sift[ing] through it.

Sometimes, when I’m having good body days and my mind isn’t as foggy, I try to jump on. I want to be around my people. I want to share the ups and downs that are part and parcel of the publishing business. But it’s difficult. And my enthusiasm doesn’t last long. It can be really isolating not to be able to connect with other creatives in those spaces. It’s often a choice between [that] and showing up in the real world for myself or my family. That means I don’t get [many] opportunities to connect with other creatives.

That’s so hard.

One of the few gifts of the pandemic was that more events are now online, which means that homebound or disabled people can at least watch events when in-person or live attendance is impossible. This also reduces travel costs, another barrier. I appreciate when webinars are archived for a month, so I can watch them in parts if I can’t concentrate for 1-2 hours or if it’s a bad health season. But for those able to attend some events, there are still barriers, right?

In person get-togethers are so difficult. They usually require travel, which looks like me schlepping my entire family to these events. Then there’s naturally lots and lots of socializing which takes weeks for me to recover from on the back end. I don’t think most people understand how taxing it can be for people [with] chronic condition[s] to simply leave their homes let alone all the planning and prepping that comes with attending larger social gatherings. It is a struggle and it can be very lonely.

I’m really grateful for the writing friends who I connect with one-on-one, via Marco Polo (a free video messaging app) or voice memos on texts.

Ultimately, it is very much about trying to find accommodations and exploring different avenues for connection.

It’s my hope that this blog post will help able kidlit creatives to better understand the spoonie struggle. Then perhaps we could find ways to reduce the emotional and mental labor that’s typically shouldered by their chronically ill counterparts when seeking out community.

Thank you for sharing your experiences, friend.

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Last, what is something you’ve read that is lighting you up?

Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World (Without a Bullhorn)
Small Actions = Big Results
By Omkari L. Williams
Forward by Layla F. Saad

Gosh, this book really stuck with me! It's about how to make activism accessible to everyone. Williams talks about the perception [of] activist[s] and what [they] look like. More often than not, activism is perceived as being at the front lines with a bullhorn, on stage. The reality is that activism is more all-encompassing, and [we] need to see it from a holistic perspective. Activism is accessible to everyone, which to me is an incredible realization given my health issues.

Yes! Recently, a disabled author friend was processing with me how much she wanted to march at protests, but she is unable to do so physically. She did feel proud that her son marched. Raising him is part of her radical work. So are her stories and donations. We can show up in our own ways.

[In] the forward, Saad [says] that for the longest time, she did not consider herself an activist because she did not fit the quintessential image of an activist. But as Williams notes, activism is a verb. It’s a verb that describes actions that you take in order to move forward the greater good of humanity.

I’ve had to really rethink how I show up in this world, specifically [with] my social justice work. This book has allowed me to own it, and to embrace it. It has allowed me to recognize how my storytelling is one hundred percent activism! Yes, I have said it! I’ve said it!

I agree!

My disability has forced me to let go of a lot of things. [But this] book allowed me to see that maybe it’s not a releasing of the social justice part of my life, [which] is so fundamental to who I am. Perhaps it’s a reframing of how I approach my activism, and an opportunity to find new ways to lean into it.

I love that! Thank you for sharing your heart and experiences, Joëlle!

If you’re headed to ALA, look for Joëlle and their beautiful book Marley’s Pride! Check out what's next from Joëlle!

Wishing you all joy and community for your journey!

💜

In case you missed them, here are my previous posts for June:

“Pointless Joy! Returning to the Heart in our Art”

“My Process, My Nightmare!”

💜

Joëlle Retener is the author of Marley’s Pride a Stonewall Honor book, which received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist, and OUR WORLD: USA. Their forthcoming books include MADINA’S BIG, FABULOUS, WIN and its sequel (Disney Hyperion ’26), and BELLY GROWLS (Henry Holt 27′). As a Black Kreyol, disabled, nonbinary creative, Joëlle believes that art is a vehicle to rewrite and reimagine outdated narratives about historically marginalized communities. Joëlle is a proud graduate of Spelman College and American University. They are represented by James McGowan at Bookends Literary Agency. Learn more: www.joelleretener.com

Charlotte Sullivan Wild is the author of several picture books. Love, Violet (illus. Charlene Chua) is a Stonewall Book Award winner, Charlotte Huck Honor Book, and Lambda Literary Award Finalist. The Amazing Idea of You (illus. Mary Lundquist) is a lyrical celebration of the potential in living things, especially in every child. She has taught language arts, literature and writing, worked as a bookseller, and volunteered as the SCBWI RA for Southwest Texas. She is represented by Analía Cabello at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Learn more: www.CharlotteSWild.com

7 Books in 21 Years: Lee's Tips on Getting Published

This week's tips are on Getting Published – things I wish I'd known back when I was starting out, and that I'm happy to pass along to you now.

1) Know your goals and what success is to you.

Is it financial? 

Is it awards?

Is it impact on a single reader?

Is it the most readers?

Is it seeing your book on a bookstore or library shelf?

Is it even about you, or is it more about the stories and/or ideas you want to share?

Being clear on your goals can help you determine the path you want to take with getting published. 

I author-published (a.k.a. self-published) my first YA novel, and while I liked having control (like selecting and hiring the team of professionals who helped me make it awesome) I ultimately wanted that book (Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill) to reach more readers, to empower more young people.

That influenced my decision to not publish myself again, but instead to be published by traditional publishing houses that have full sales team distribution. Accordingly, I've been published by a bunch of independent publishers: Lerner/Zest Books (No Way, They Were Gay? and The Gender Binary is a Big Lie), Levine Querido (Red and Green and Blue and White), Chicago Review Press/Interlude/Duet (A Different Kind of Brave), Reycraft (Love of the Half-Eaten Peach), and now Cardinal Rule Press (Like That Eleanor).

If you want to explore the many different paths to getting published, check out this free resource from IBPA, the Publishing MAP (Models and Author Pathways).

2) Don't "submit" your work. "Offer" it.

Author and poet Lesléa Newman gets the credit for this shift in mental models. I also don't want to "submit" and give up my power. I would much rather "offer" the work to a publisher to see if they want to partner with me on getting that book published and out in the world and into the hands of readers.

For me having a book out on "offer" has been a very healthy switch in how I think about getting my work out into the world.

3) The Big Five are not the only path. There are Indie Presses. And Self-Publishing (or Author-Publishing).

At this point, the general public does not care who published a book. If it is beautifully done and the quality is there and it is professional published, it doesn't matter to them who published it. They are not studying the copyright page.

This is an amazing opportunity.

Librarians and bookstores do care still who published something, so if you're going the smaller indie publisher or author-publisher path, there's a lot more vetting you'll need to do so your book is considered.

4) Publishing yourself is not a short-cut.

Impatience is not a good reason to author-publish (self-publish.) 

Being a publisher is a completely different role from being a writer, and even being a published author. A publisher has so much else to consider and deal with, and while there's a lot of control, you have to control it all...

Be sure it's what you really want to do. And if you do it, do it in the most professional way.

5) Publishing is subjective. Incredibly subjective.

...Meaning it's not a 'failure' if a project hasn't found its publishing home yet.

Case in point: recently, a book project of mine went on offer to an editor at an imprint of a publishing house. They asked for revisions. I revised, and they loved the new proposal/sample chapters. "We're going to acquisitions!" 

Then the musical chairs of publishing stopped the music—as often happens in this industry—and there was a different person who was the new editor of that imprint. 

Same book project. Same imprint. But now my book didn't fit their vision of what they wanted to publish. So that book didn't go to acquisitions after all. 

And now my agent and I need to figure out what would be the right publishing home for that project, and put it out on offer again.

It is all subjective. Don't beat yourself up if the answer is 'no.' Sometimes, it takes a lot of 'no's to get to the right 'yes.'

6) Email etiquette and compassion.

Email sucks.

A few years ago, when agents started saying that they would only respond to pitches when they were interested, there was quite an uproar. It felt unfair, that we were being told to careful craft our pitches and tailor them specifically for a specific agent, and then we might not even hear back! 

Many of us wondered, How was that professional? 

I view that with a LOT more compassion now. In my day job (as Chief Content Officer for the Independent Book Publishers Association) I get between 150-200 emails a day. That is so much to respond to! I do my best, but sometimes it's a few weeks before I respond, rather than a few days. And there are emails that get by me! 

I'm doing my best, but email is an incredibly inefficient means of communication (I also dislike how tone doesn't come through) and it's a lot -- especially when juggling all the other parts of my job.

So I've come to view agents (who get many, many more emails than I) with more compassion about the email situation. They have to prioritize their current clients, the things that are most pressing, and they're squeezing in reviewing offers for representation...

We could all use a bit more compassion when it comes to emails. And if you want some email etiquette tips from a publisher I admire, Brooke Warner rounds some up here.

7) Publishing has two speeds: Glacial and Panic.

You only control what you control, so try to focus on that. 

And while your work is out on offer, or you're waiting for notes back from your editor, or otherwise publishing is making you wait, work on something else. Don't just sit around waiting. 

Put your energies into what you control.

**

I hope these tips have been helpful!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

My Process, My Nightmare!

I taught writing for two decades, for middle school through PhD students. You might assume I have my writing process down. RIGHT?

<Maniacal laughter – face plants in crumpled paper.>

Teaching taught me so much, like how unique everyone's process is. I also learned that sometimes it's easier to be kind to other writers than to oneself. I honestly would prefer to write a quippy post about process hacks (I love me some rainbow sticky notes!). But what has saved me this year is revising how I think and feel about my creative process.

When I worked with struggling readers, I used to start the school year by having a volunteer come to the front of the class. I asked them to repeat negative statements about our situation such as, I don't want to do this. This is pointless, and so on. I had them raise their arm from their side. I'd try to press it down -- and down went their arm. Easy. Then I had the students repeat affirming phrases about the task and themselves. I can do this! I'm strong! Suddenly their strength manifested. Even when I pushed hard, they held ther arms firm. I wanted students to discover the power of their own self-talk and belief. A power that still surprises me.

(Fellow Language Arts teacher Karen Ernst and me in 2000, on the last day of school. By this day, many of our students had discovered that they could do more than they thought!)

It's funny. I used to encourage my students to think about how their brains naturally work in order to figure out their writing process. Were they list people? Did they need to freewrite to find out what they think. Were they more visual, auditory, kinesthetic, concrete or abstract, and so on. There was no right or wrong answer. How could they work with their brains, not against them? For which parts of their writing would they need support -- because we all need help. 

Author Mary Logue talks about considering how we do other tasks, maybe at home or work, and how that might give us insights into our creative process. Do we need external deadlines? Do we need silence or visual reminders? As Lee Wind recently pointed out, the secret is not learning how others work but how we work. Yes! Good! Smart!

But in my weaker moments, I'm embarrassed by my early drafts. I berate myself. I feel ashamed at how ridiculous, how messy, how longwinded my work is. Who puts in that many details? What even IS my process? I have a thousand process hacks, and they definitely help, but at a certain point, everything falls apart. Who writes like this?!

Me, apparently.

<Outstretched arm drops.>

This spring my process -- and my self-talk -- were put to the test. Yes, there were tears. But there was also an unexpected discovery. It brought me back to the truths I once offered my young student writers all those years ago. As always, they are still teaching me.

This March, we were at the dinner table when i couldn't hold back the sobs. I had been struggling for weeks to craft an op-ed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor, which names my picture book Love, Violet, along with eight other LGBTQ+ picture books. The clock was ticking down to the oral arguments. Would I miss my chance to speak? The strain of dredging up old experiences of growing up queer and religious was draining my reserves. I’m chronically ill, so most days I’m also managing shifting symptoms and brain fog. I couldn't wait for a better health season. This op-ed had to be done now! How could I condense a complex experience into 750 words? Every revision sprawled longer. I started over, over and over. This essay was getting WORSE. My process was a nightmare.

<Cue sobbing>

After listening, my spouse gently pointed out that despair was part of my process.

What?! Unhelpful! Try again, dear wife!

Except… she was right.

At some point, my projects always fall apart. As do I. Maybe I can’t find the structure or focus. I'm asked to cut something meticulously crafted or to abandon my approach. At some point, everything feels impossible.

Yet realizing this is my "normal" process reminded me of something else I knew in my bones but didn't want to admit:

My best epiphanies follow despair. After “giving up,” I wake up the next day with a fresh fierceness to solve problems. After the collapse of hope, I'm suddenly open to extreme revision. Maybe it’s a survival instinct: Am I really going to let this project die? Maybe for me, testing the stakes of actually quitting forces me to do what it takes to make a project work.

Apparently, this is my process.

Realizing that despair isn’t the end but a means has truly helped me. Isn’t that what stories teach us, too? That as bad as things get... there is hope?

That op-ed that had me in tears somehow ended up published in U.S. News and World Report (video intro) the night before the Supreme Court oral arguments – just in time. I have no idea how I got from mess to focus to the right voice. And maybe that isn't helpful... except to know that it happened. It was possible when it felt like it wasn't. That's something.

Here's the most important part of the story -- the part that I hope would make my students proud. After that impossible op-ed, there was one more topic I dearly wanted to write about before the Supreme Court announced their decision in June or July. <Clock resumes ticking.> This idea was complex. I had tried to write an op-ed bout it a years ago. It was about justice. It felt urgent. But as is my way, that first attempt became so tangled with sprawling sentences and too many ideas... I gave up in despair.

Could I do it now?

This time, I began differently, with the same determination -- but also with grace, with acceptance of my terrible unique process. I WOULD NOT PANIC. No matter how tangled my drafts became, I would persist, step by step, breath by breath, because recently, my nightmarish process had worked.

I began with raw scribbles. I scratched out points on scraps of paper. I laid them out. My teaching friend Karen (pictured above) and I used to call this stage notecard solitaire. I looked for groupings, a possible order. Slowly and painfully, I let myself write everything I wanted to say in a 7,000-word draft. Ridiculous! Who writes this long?! The familiar thoughts rose like shrieking vampires from my nightmares.

[Sidebar: You might enjoy this song about killing the vampires of doubt (with swearing): https://scbwi.blogspot.com/2025/06/pointless-joy-returning-to-heart-in-our.html ]

This time, instead of berating myself, instead of abandoning hope, I chanted: This is my process, This is my process. This is…

This time, I didn’t cry. There were a thousand deep sighs. There were wretched drafts that kind people reviewed to help me find my way. This is my process. This is possible. This is...

How that essay transitioned from an unreadable franken-draft to the 3,600-word essay that is now on submission… I have no idea. Except that I understood that the nightmare was wasn't the ending. It was the means.

I wish I could reveal your perfect process, offer you the exact right tips. Your proces might change with each project or with time. There are so many resources on process here at SCBWI and at Kidlit 411 (Here are some that have worked for me). But what has helped me most is accepting that my nightmarish process is mine -- and it can work. Somehow that takes the fear out of it, at least a little.

What makes our work shine is the particular weirdness of our brains. Only we can create what we create. Criticizing our own brains and processes is a waste of energy. Not every project will work... but many projects can work if we embrace our unique way of being in the world.

Even our nightmares have their uses.

And isn’t that kind of like life? Just when everything feels unbearable, impossible… the morning comes?

I'm wish you faith for the nightmares, and joy for the journey.

XO Charlotte

 

In case you missed it, here’s my last post: “Pointless Joy! Returning to the Heart in our Art”

Charlotte Sullivan Wild is the author of several picture books. Love, Violet (illus. Charlene Chua) is a Stonewall Book Award winner, Charlotte Huck Honor Book, and Lambda Literary Award Finalist. The Amazing Idea of You (illus. Mary Lundquist) is a lyrical celebration of the potential in living things, especially in every child. She has taught language arts, literature and writing, worked as a bookseller, and volunteered as the SCBWI RA for Southwest Texas. She is represented by Analía Cabello at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Learn more: www.CharlotteSWild.com