Thoughtful, level insight from my friend and colleague @hunderdown.bsky.social on where the #kidlit industry is right now in terms of recent layoffs and reorgs, and how we may have gotten here, and what we can do.

Books to Celebrate National Poetry Month 2026 | 100 Scope Notes

Reminder: Through my firm, drydenbks, I offer #kidlit editorial and publishing consultations, editorial coaching, manuscript editing, career coaching, and more. drydenbks.com/submissions-...

A reminder: we are starting out first series of hangouts next Wednesday the 8th, and we need your revision questions. Find out how to join us and how to send a question in our latest newsletter: mailchi.mp/6cb2243ecc3c...

Whether or not you were able to join us on March 16, we have the webinar for you here youtu.be/KDfFZSdwMwE?...

#DVpit is returning in 2026 on Bluesky! A bluesky pitch event for creators from marginalized communities to pitch their unagented projects to agents and editors! #DVpit will be on Bluesky on Wednesday, September 30, 2026! go to dvpit.carrd.co for more info and stay tuned for more announcements!

Author Randi Pink reflects on Walter Dean Myers’s 2014 op-ed calling out the dearth of racial diversity in children’s literature, and its role in sparking what she describes as YA’s Black Renaissance buff.ly/66Zb5HR

We must keep publishing. Reading is the foundation of everything. And it begins with our children. I believe publishing will bounce back. So will we. My heart is with all those who are struggling right now.❤️

I suspect I'm not the only #KidLit book creator who's been struggling to stay positive, given recent industry news. My heart goes out to fellow creators who have also been affected by recent closures, layoffs. Wisdom from @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social @drydenbks.bsky.social: bsky.app/profile/eile...

Children's publishing friends and colleagues, 2026 is clearly a year of change in our industry. Staying focused on what we can control - and embracing our creative work as best we can - is what we must do to weather this. In it together. #kidlit #YAlit

Hollywood, Ending is my first novel for adults (and my first novel of any kind in nine years). I am so excited for you to read it. Writing it reminded me that writing can be joyful and help me to visit rooms in my mind I just can't get to any other way. apnews.com/article/john...

Publishing Industry People! The origin of the word “blurb”!

Do you follow KBR Plus? It's me, @drydenbks.bsky.social, and @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social. We announced our upcoming *hangouts* last week, and there's more coming along. We share revision-related posts too.

Have you read the latest Children's Bookshelf? buff.ly/cBtjbCF

Our weekly big list of kid lit links is up (Mar 27): kidlit411.com/2026/03/the-... Inside: @inkedvoices.bsky.social PB class, Newsletter Tips, Revision Workshops w/@hunderdown.bsky.social @drydenbks.bsky.social Thanks Karen Ritz for the illo, @dcswanson.bsky.social & GS Harrington for the giveaways.

We are excited to announce that registration is open for our *first* series of hangouts! Free, online, weekly for 6 weeks starting April 8. Full details in our newsletter: mailchi.mp/ffc959e934d5...

“I want children to feel protective of books and of the inherent freedom of expression that goes into writing and publishing”: Jonah Winter on how he hopes his nonfiction picture book ‘The Burning of the Books’ helps readers recognize the danger of book bans buff.ly/pjcNQI4

Come join us April 8th for the first Hangout with Kid’s Book Revisions Plus’ own Emma Dryden, Harold Underdown, and me!!! But, you gotta sign up for the newsletter so we can inform you about what’s happening as we get closer. kidsbookrevisions.com/newsletter-s... See you soon!!

Fall 2026 Children’s Sneak Previews buff.ly/Io2ZqKU

An excellent and straightforward FAQ about AI & copyright from @janefriedman.com

This is great advice about world-building. You do need to make sure that you - the writer - knows every detail of that world though. Even if you don't communicate details to the reader, your knowledge, or lack of knowledge, will be detected by the reader...

“I Will Not Comply”: Librarian Luann James Fights Censorship Demands of Rutherford County Library System’s Board RCLS's director continues to fight back against a library board that demands she remove books, share private info. This is the job, folks! bookriot.com/librarian-lu...

If you do a lot of searching on the internet (as I do), this is a really useful article. Multiple things I didn’t know and will use going forward.

#kidlit announcement! @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social , @hunderdown.bsky.social , and @drydenbks.bsky.social are joining forces to support writers - join us at Kid's Book Revisions PLUS @kbrplus.bsky.social! Announcement and links:

This is a most excellent and thoughtful take.

Announcing the one-of-a-kind Blueberry Award winners of 2025! The only major library-given literary awards for books that inspire a love of nature and action for planet Earth. Do you recognize the winning titles? #kidlit 📚👍 afuse8production.slj.com/2026/03/21/a...

Have you read the latest Children's Bookshelf? buff.ly/ehwQi59

I see the "writer" whose novel just got tanked for being "AI" is blaming it all on an editor who allegedly rewrote substantial portions of the novel using an LLM. So, a) why would you use an "editor" like that, b) I reread reach my novels a dozen times during the pre-pub process, this excuse is bunk

Our weekly big list of kid lit links is up (March 20): kidlit411.com/2026/03/the-... Inside: Rules for Picking Character Names, YA Webinar, Big Sur on Cape Cod conference, more. Thx @mirkahokkanen.bsky.social for the illustration, @annettepimentel.bsky.social, Ten Speed Press for the PB giveaways.

Author @christymarx.bsky.social details an impresonation scam I'm seeing multiple versions of right now: contact from what appears to be an editor at a major publisher, referral to a (fake) literary agent, who then tries to sell something www.patreon.com/posts/author...

"Books read in childhood do not disappear, but “continue to unfold and inform the way in which we interpret the world”"

Bookseller and champion of diverse books Jewell Stoddard, who co-founded one of the first children’s-only independent bookstores in the U.S., has died at 92. Read our tribute buff.ly/ysLiOXi

Do you know the Resources page on our website? Lots of great revision-related books and web articles. We've updated it recently but would love to hear your suggestions! www.kidsbookrevisions.com/resources.htm

Some good news for a change.

Nothing like teaming up with #kidlit editorial colleagues who are also great friends! Join us for webinars, hangouts, and workshops about revision! www.kidsbookrevisions.com/index.htm

Read widely! Support new releases, but support older titles, too. Review them. Recommend them to friends and family. That's how creators' older work contributes to supporting them to create new work. Plus, you will probably really enjoy the experience, because BOOKS.

One way to counter some of the uncertainty in the children's books community is to support each other! @debbieohi.com is right!

Layoffs, Moves at Penguin Young Readers as Dial Imprint Shuttered buff.ly/9bfrpGI

#kidlit Sad, bad news.its a chaotic tim in the children's publishing industry. Authors & Illustrators, now is not the time to stop being creative, though I know it feels that way. Creative work is what will get us through. Together.

The publishing industry has moments of euphoria and moments of absolute heartbreak. You develop a thicker skin along the way, but it's still going to hurt sometimes. Remember this: Every day you keep going, your craft is getting better.

Awful but not entirely surprising news after the layoffs at smaller pubs last year. The school and library market is hurting--which we don't see in Bookscan numbers.

It's a volatile time in publishing right now. Don't be surprised if you see progressively bad news the next few months. But as I'm telling all of my authors, we've weathered bad times before and books won't go away completely. Don't lose hope, but definitely gird your loins. It's gonna be bumpy.

After more than 50 years, the former CBC Favorites program, in which children vote on their picks for the best books of the year, has been rebranded as ‘Kids Favorites: Kid Read. Kid Chosen’ buff.ly/6uTeZoF

The edit isn't an attack on your first draft. It's a conversation between who you were when you started and who you've become by the time you've finished. As a writer, you've likely learned so much during the process. Would you agree? How have you grown as a writer? #Nonfiction #WritingTips #Booksky

REVISION TIPS: #1 Read your manuscript aloud. Every word. You'll hear and catch things that your eyes will miss. #2 Listen to your manuscript read aloud by someone else. Every word. You'll hear and catch even more things that your eyes will miss. #kidlit #YAlit #writingtips

"Hot, sexy, dangerous boys—central to virtually all young adult romance novels—cannot be copyrighted."—Judge Colleen McMahon Glad we've got that settled, at least. lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/wp-content/u...

Our weekly big list of kid lit links is up (Mar 13): kidlit411.com/2026/03/the-... Inside: PB Tips, When to Get Feedback, @pbrisingstars.bsky.social mentorship, more. Thanks Audeva Joseph for the illustration, B.R. Kang and Ellen Cochrane for the MG giveaways

Some reflections on writing, editing and teaching writing in a time of uncertainty. #kidlit #writers #editors #teachers reviseandshine.substack.com/p/what-are-w...

Wow — Powerhouse editorial trio now on Bluesky!! @drydenbks.bsky.social, @eileenwrobinson.bsky.social, and @hunderdown.bsky.social. #Kidlit #YALIt

Our colleague @janefriedman.com shares invaluable information about all aspects of writing & publishing. Here's a helpful article about revision: 7 Steps For Tackling A Revise-and-Resubmit