SCBWI – Southern Breeze – Spring Mingle

I went Atlanta this weekend for “The Inside Story,” a conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Though bad weather in New York delayed the arrival of three speakers, the intrepid organizers did some re-arranging and we were treated Friday night to a talk by Diane Capriola, co-owner of Little Shop of Stories.

She told us she relies on children (her own and the ones who come in her shop) to tell her what they like. She also said she is most likely to order a book for her shelves if she gets a good review via word-of-mouth. Sometimes this pitch comes from the publisher’s sales rep, but it can come from a writer or illustrator, too — just not the weekend before Christmas.