12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

A trade secret, that is... Earlier this year, agent and author Miranda Paul gave a webinar called Trade Secrets: Ways to Make Your Picture Book Idea More Commercial. In this podcast episode, we dive into a few topics...

Our dear Jane... The children's writing community lost one of our greats this year when our beloved Jane Yolen passed away. She is not only the author of over 450 books for kids, she is a teacher, mentor, and...

What's it like to be a New York Times Bestseller? It's a momentous time for the 12 x 12 membership and so we bring you a momentous podcast episode! During the first week of August 2026, not one but TWO 12 x 12 member...

What You Need to Know About Author Press Kits Kelli Panique has been working behind-the-scenes at events for creatives for almost 15 years now. As a regular part of her job, she contacts and coordinates with speakers...

Turn real-life anecdotes into stories Author and independent editor Emma Walton Hamilton shares the story of her latest collaboration with her mother, Julie Andrews. Emma not only chats about the inspiration for SHY...

The Fun Part of Having an Agent After their 12 x 12 webinar about establishing successful agent-client relationships , agent Rachel Orr and her clients (and 12 x 12 members) Tasha Hilderman and Suzy Levinson stayed for...

The ins and outs of author visits As a past 12 x 12 webinar speaker, Alyssa Reynoso-Morris brought us Getting the Gig ! A jam-packed webinar with ideas and tools to use to land more speaking gigs and supplement your...

Do you change your writing or does your writing change you? In early 2026, Daria Peoples gave a webinar about Rainbow Arcs and plotting the internal and external arcs of your story in a way that can save you time in the...

You've got a friend in me! In this episode, Kelli Panique chats with Kari Lavelle (pronounced CAR-EE) and Lindsay Leslie. Their writing friendship began when they were both just starting to write picture books, bloomed...

Hook, hook, does your book have enough hooks? In this episode, Julie gives an overview of picture book hooks and why they are so important in today's children's publishing market. Here's what you'll discover in this...

Author Debbie Davey won a spot on the podcast by donating to Publishing for Minnesota! (Thank you, Debbie!) In this episode, Debbie shares her experience with self-publishing two picture books. Here's what you'll...

Author and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Chief Content Officer Lee Wind has always advocated for books that help marginalized kids and teens, especially those on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, navigate life. In...

Meet Carren Jao, one of the passionate co-leaders of the 12 x 12 Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (ANHPI) Affinity Group. Ellen Lee was unable to join us for this conversation, but please visit her website, too...

Award-winning children's author Heidi E.Y. Stemple joins co-hosts Julie and Kelli to celebrate her latest picture book releases and to talk about why backmatter is so important for picture books (and when it's not)...

Meet stand-up comedian, actress, TV writer, audiobook narrator, and picture book author Jorjeana Marie, here on the 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Podcast to discuss using improv techniques to write humorous...