We Need Diverse Books

Back to School 2024: New Year, New Books: Three educators share their top three choices to kick off the academic year by Patricia J. Murphy from Publishers Weekly: https://lnkd.in/gj7knSHC #backtoschool #backtoschool2024 #teachers #schoollibrary #schoollibraries HarperCollins Publishers We Need Diverse Books

💡 The spotlight’s on Thushanthi Ponweera! Did you know that Thushanthi was one of our 2021 Mentees? She was mentored by the incredible David LaRochelle and has gone on to publish two children’s books since completing her mentorship, with another picture book on the way in 2025! WNDB is honored to have supported her in starting her publishing career! As a Sri Lankan native, Thushanthi’s story serves as a perfect reminder that mentorships are open to everyone, regardless of location! You can learn more about our eligibility guidelines on our website (🔗 in bio)  and apply for our 2025 Mentorship Program by September 15th! 💻 bit.ly/WNDB-mentorship Swipe through ➡️ to learn about how Thusthanthi’s mentorship experience impacted her career, her advice for up-and-coming authors, recent book releases, and more! ▪︎ What did being part of the WNDB mentorship program mean to you? 📝 Being an applicant from Sri Lanka, I was so honoured to be selected as a WNDB mentee. It gave me the boost of confidence I needed. Working on my manuscripts with mentor David LaRochelle, who was so helpful and encouraging, helped me write better and built faith in my abilities and potential. In fact, it led to my first picture book sale that very same year! ▪︎  What advice do you have for aspiring writers? 📝 Believe in yourself, work hard, build community, and read as much as you can in your genre(s). ▪︎ Tell us about your most recent book release! 📝 MY BEST FRIEND'S BANGLES, illustrated by Maithili Joshi, just came out this year! It's set in the tea plantations of Sri Lanka and highlights the issue of the many moms who leave their families behind to earn a living in foreign lands. But mostly it's about two best friends working through some complex emotions! ▪︎ Go-to snack when you're writing? 📝 Many cups of milk tea! ▪︎ What do you listen to when writing? 📝 The white noise of my kids! ▪︎ What book are you reading now? 📝 HOLLOW FIRES by Samira Ahmed ▪︎ Favorite author? 📝 Too many to choose from! But to randomly name one classic and one contemporary children's author out of all of them, I'd say Lois Lowry and Barbara Dee. Check out Thushani’s books and learn more about her work on her website! 📚 https://lnkd.in/gPhq4qRk Tags: #WNDBAlumx #AlumSpotlight #AuthorSpotlight #AlumnxSpotlight #ThushanthiPonweera #WNDBMentee #MentorshipProgram #WritingMentorship #WNDBMentorship #Writer #Authors #KidLitAuthor #ChildrensAuthor #SriLankanAuthors #DiverseAuthors #KidLit #PictureBooks #MiddleGrade #YoungReaders #AuthorInterview #AuthorQandA #QandA #WritingAdvice #WNDB #WeNeedDiverseBooks

📚 Today marks the final day of my internship at HarperCollins Publishers, one of the top five publishers in the world. As someone who has always been passionate about books, stepping into this industry was a dream come true. I spent the summer in New York, thanks to a generous grant from We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), which allowed me to immerse myself in the publishing world and gain invaluable experience. This summer, I had the opportunity to meet and work alongside some incredible interns and professionals. HarperCollins designed an internship that was both comprehensive and enriching. We had weekly meetings covering various facets of the publishing industry—from editorial and marketing to sales and design. I even had the chance to connect with peers from other publishing houses like Macmillan, thanks to networking events hosted by WNDB and Hachette Book Group. 👥 Throughout my time here, I was able to contribute to a wide range of projects beyond my primary focus in Finance. I’ve always sought to blend creativity with my financial acumen, and this internship provided the perfect platform. I worked closely with the Finance team to conduct postmortem financial analyses, evaluating book performances and ROI. This not only influenced editorial acquisition strategies but also allowed me to forecast future trends in the market. 💼 One of the most rewarding aspects was becoming proficient in Excel—learning to navigate it without a mouse, forecasting, and scenario planning to deliver actionable insights. My mentors in finance, Ohona Bhattacharjya, Chris Anderson, Amanda Lin, Marina Schiffman, Stephanie Sano, and Michael Rohrs played a crucial role in my growth. 📊 Additionally, through WNDB, I was mentored by DJ DeSmyter, Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy for the Morrow Group (Avon and Voyager titles). I also had the chance to execute social media content for HarperCollins, Epic Reads, and Avon, with guidance from Sam Fox and participation from Elana Walters and Katie Updegrove. Check out the project here: [https://lnkd.in/g9F57xGT] 🚀 Working on a rebranding project for a backlist title in the historical romance genre for Tessa Woodward was a highlight, as it allowed me to merge my love for romance and fantasy with market analysis to boost the book's relevance and sales. Collaborating with Auroba Ahmad, Ryan Burns, Selam Getu, Ava Miranda, and Sian Rips on this project, I gained a deep understanding of marketing plans, publicity, and sales—all of which complemented my financial analysis skills. 📈 As I wrap up this chapter, I am filled with gratitude for the experience, the mentorship, and the friendships I've made. This internship has solidified my passion for the publishing industry, and I am excited about the possibility of continuing my journey.

See you soon, #NationalBookFestival! We’re excited to announce that WNDB will be attending this year’s Library of Congress' National Book Festival! The festival will take place on Saturday, August 24th, in Washington D.C. And the best part? It’s open to the public and FREE to attend! 📚🎉 You can find WNDB located at Table 1413 in the Story District. Be sure to stop by our table and say hi, because we’ll have all-ages activities, giveaway goodies, information about reading/writing resources, and more! Doors for the Story District open at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning. You can learn more information about the festival on the official LOC website below: 📚 https://lnkd.in/gnCH4Cep Let us know if you’ll also be attending #NatBookFest! We can’t wait to see you there! Tags: #NBF #NBF2024 #BookFest #BookFestival #DCEvents #BookEvents #BookFestivals #FreeEvents #AuthorEvents #Books #Reading #Readers #LibraryOfCongress #LOC #2024NBF #MarginalizedAuthors #DiverseAuthors #DiverseBooks #WNDB #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Kirkus Reviews 150 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall!: https://lnkd.in/gkyuidw8 #bookstagram #reading #publishing #childrensbooks #youngadultbooks #bookstagrammer #readinglist #picturebooks #middlegradebooks HarperCollins Publishers We Need Diverse Books Candlewick Press Levine Querido Christina Soontornvat Carole Boston Weatherford Winsome Bingham Ellen Oh

🍎 NYPL is here to help students, families, and teachers as NYC prepares to get #BackToSchool! Discover an array of free resources to help students, educators, and families succeed in school this year. https://lnkd.in/emmmFYCH

Elana Kuczynski Arnold, Joanna Ho, Rafael Lopez, LeUyen Pham, and We Need Diverse Books Board Chair Dhonielle Clayton are just a few of the book creators for young people who are part of The Author Village. All of the authors, illustrators, and educators in The Author Village are currently scheduling both in-person and virtual appearances for the 2024-25 school year.

Look! A legacy award!! I'm verklempt...

🔔 2025 Mentorship Applications are officially open! 🔔 The WNDB Mentorship Program aims to support writers and illustrators by pairing them with an experienced professional in the field. Our mentors work one-on-one with a mentee and their completed draft of a manuscript over the course of a year, offering advice to improve craft and to better understand the publishing industry. For 2025, WNDB is offering fifteen mentorships split among the following categories: Picture Book Text (PB), Middle Grade (MG), Young Adult (YA), and Illustration (IL). The winners will communicate with their mentor for approximately one year in a mentor/mentee custom-defined program, and the mentorship period will run from January to December 2025. 🗓️ Applications open from August 15th, 2024 to September 15th, 2024 💻 bit.ly/WNDB-mentorship Applicants are encouraged to research our 2025 mentors to figure out who would be the best fit. You can find their professional bios and mentor statements on our website (🔗 link above and in bio) Our 2025 Mentors are Hatem Aly, Jonathan Hill, Aya Ghanemeh, Inda Ahmad Zahri, Derrick Barnes, Anna Kang, Rachel Werner, Julie Abe, Sarah Kapit, Susan Muaddi Darraj, Dawn Quigley, Marina Budhos, Ivelisse Housman, Darcie Little Badger, & Laekan Zea Kemp! Applicants must: ✅ be diverse creatives or creatives who have completed a manuscript for a story centering diverse characters and/or diverse subject matter ✅ only apply for ONE mentorship category of choice ✅ apply with a fully completed manuscript or an illustration portfolio with several sample pieces ✅ follow all submission guidelines Full eligibility details can also be found on our website. Tags: #OpenApplications #MentorshipApplications #MentorshipProgram #WritingMentorship #ArtMentorship #IllustrationMentorship #AspiringCreatives #ChildrensPublishing #PublishingMentorship #MentorshipProgram #WNDBMentorship #WNDBMentorshipProgram #ApplicationPeriod #ApplicationMaterials #ApplicationAlert #PublishingNews #Writing #Illustration #DiverseWriters #ReadDiverseBooks #WNDB #WeNeedDiverseBooks

🎧 📚 We are excited to share that Penguin Random House Audio is now taking applications for the fifth session of their award-winning Narrator Mentorship program! The PRH Audio Narrator Mentorship program launched in 2021 with the intention to increase diversity and inclusion within the audiobook industry and to develop new narrator talent, particularly from underrepresented groups. Check out the program's website here: https://bit.ly/4dlzjiR   In the past, 73 actors have participated and over 90% of participants in the first three sessions have been hired to record on nearly 300 audiobook productions, for PRH Audio and beyond. Those selected to become mentees will be guided by their mentors in individual coaching sessions, producing demo samples, and more over a six-month period!   Learn more about this opportunity from mentee Shawn Jain below. And if you know of someone with prior performance experience who is looking to take the next step, tag them in the comments! #mentorship #audiobooks