12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

Podcast for picture book writers by picture books writers with the 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge founder Julie Hedlund and co-host Kelli Panique www.12x12challenge.com

12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by Julie Hedlund, with 32 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Julie Hedlund hosts 12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast, a arts show with 32 episodes published.

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  12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

  032 - Turning Real Life Stories into Picture Books with Emma Walton Hamilton

  Aug 13, 202639 min

  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, but also how they tweaked the true story of a real-life dog who liked to sing into to a fun, kid-friendly picture book. Here's what you'll discover in this episode: How to take real-life events and turn them into picture books The quirks of the real dog behind the inspiration The connection to her current dog The thread of true story in most of her picture books How pushing the envelope can take the story to the next level Jane Yolen's advice to not let the truth get in the way of a good story Why it's hard to let go of our real-life experiences when writing a story Encouraging kids to have the courage to shine Starting at the ending and working backward in the story Adding kids or child-like characters to make the story kid-friendly How two people can be inspired by the same thing and come up with two very different stories What's next for Emma Links mentioned in this episode: Picture Book Summit 2026! Emma is presenting at this year's event. Get $100 when you register before 8/27/26. The Complete Picture Book Submissions System created by Emma and Julie to help you create a submission package that will land you a book deal. Get the free training here . Books* mentioned in this episode: Shy by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, and Eva Byrne Waiting in the Wings by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, and EG Keller The Enchanted Symphony by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, and Elly MacKay Music Plants Hope by Tonnye Fletcher and Natalia Bruno After the Fall by Dan Santat Find these books and more in the 12 x 12 Bookshop ! If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us! Have questions for us or ideas for future episodes? Leave us a quick voicemail here . Thank you for listening!

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  12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

  031 - Rachel Orr, Tasha Hilderman, and Suzy Levinson

  Aug 6, 202630 min

  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 an after-party podcast episode to talk about the fun things about writing and working together. Here's what you'll discover in this episode: Unexpected inspiration Why Suzy's mantra is "Follow the fun!" Why it's important to find the writing style that fits you Thinking about what books you read that make you want to write What Rachel loves about the variety projects she reads as an agent When and if you should take trends into account when writing Evergreen themes The importance of writing what you love How Rachel leverages rejections to find out what editors really want Formulaic vs. non-formulaic One of Rachel's favorite writing exercises How Tasha makes her manuscripts less predictable How working within parameters can be freeing The What If Game How Rachel develops submission lists and how much input her clients have in the process Links mentioned in this episode: Picture Book Summit 2026! Get $100 when you register before 8/27/26. How to Set Up and Sustain a Successful Agent/Author Relationship Webinar with Rachel Orr, Tasha Hilderman, and Suzy Levinson - Get 25% off! Books* mentioned in this episode: Dinos That Drive by Suzy Levinson and Dustin Harbin Lights at Night by Tasha Hilderman and Maggie Zeng Mini Golf Fun! by Tasha Hilderman and Kaly Quarles Gorilla Vanilla by Tasha Hilderman (coming in 2027!) Animals in Pants by Suzy Levinson, Kevin Howdeshell, and Kristen Howdeshell Find these books and more in the 12 x 12 Bookshop ! If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us! Have questions for us or ideas for future episodes? Leave us a quick voicemail here . Thank you for listening!

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  12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

  030 - Alyssa Reynoso-Morris: Getting the Gig After Party

  Jul 30, 202638 min

  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 author income. In today's podcast, we talk about how to get the most bang for your buck as you begin visiting schools and book speaking gigs, funny author visit stories, and more! Here's what you'll discover in this episode: Where to focus your efforts if you're just starting author visits Which events pay the author more Which events sell the most books Alyssa's process for reaching out to bookstores, schools, and conferences How many inquiries she sends per week and how many turn into bookings How many visits she gets from referrals at other events Her experience working with a booking agent How her experience learning to read late in elementary school influences how she writes for kids today How she keeps the read-aloud aspect in mind as she writes Funny stories from school visits Why authors have to diversify their income streams Links mentioned in this episode: 25% off Alyssa's webinar: Getting the Gig Alyssa's resources for writers Books* mentioned in this episode: Bold, Brilliant, and Latine by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris and Sol Cotti Gloriana, Presente: A First Day of School Story by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris and Doris M Rodríguez-Graber Plátanos Are Love by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris and Mariyah Rahman The Bronx Is My Home by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris and Kim Holt Pieces of Home by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris (debuting April 2027) The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera Kindred by Octavia Butler Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin Find these books and more in the 12 x 12 Bookshop ! If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us! Have questions for us or ideas for future episodes? Leave us a quick voicemail here . Thank you for listening!

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  12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

  029 - Rainbow Arcs After Party with Daria Peoples

  Jul 23, 202631 min

  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 drafting process and help you see holes in works-in-progress. In this episode, we talk to Daria directly after the presentation, and we dig a little deeper into some of the aspects of the webinar and give each other a little therapy along the way. Here's what you'll discover in this episode: The power of writing—whether you get published or not Writing and illustrating without an audience Creating no matter the outcome How your writing impacts you What happens when a book resonates with your readers The responsibility of writing for children How kids get to the heart of the matter Self-care when writing and illustrating tough topics Making changes based on Daria's plot arc for internal and external emotions How other people around us can see the themes of our work before we do What's next for Daria Links mentioned in this episode: 25% off Daria's webinar: Rainbow Arcs Books* mentioned in this episode: This Is It by Daria Peoples Hello, Mister Blue by Daria Peoples America, My Love, America, My Heart by Daria Peoples My Love for You is the Sun by Julie Hedlund and Susan Eaddy I Got Next by Daria Peoples Find these books and more in the 12 x 12 Bookshop ! If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us! Have questions for us or ideas for future episodes? Leave us a quick voicemail here . Thank you for listening!

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  12 x 12 Picture Book Podcast

  027 - Kari Lavelle & Lindsay Leslie Team Up for Author Visits

  Jul 9, 202642 min

  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 as they critiqued each other's work, and continues to blossom as they do author visits together! Could having an author visit partner be the key to your success? Find out how this partnership works in today's episode. Here's what you'll discover in this episode: How they met and when they started writing The role their friendship played when times were tough The number one recommendation they give aspiring writers Why writing friendships are important outside of critique groups The challenge of debuting books and author visits during the pandemic What's a booking agent and how they work Determining the value of your author visit and what to offer Why they started doing author visits together How their visits work even though one writes fiction and the other writes nonfiction How they involve the kids in their presentations What has evolved in their visits over the years The difference between presenting to younger grades versus older grades The surprising preferences of younger readers versus older readers Their tips for reigning in an excited audience Funny things that happened during author visits Their advice for writers just starting with author visits Links mentioned in this episode: How Now Booking Lindsay Leslie on Instagram and Bluesky Find Kari Lavelle on Instagram and Bluesky Books* mentioned in this episode: Gus Hearts the Bus by Lindsay Leslie and Geeta Ladi So You Want to Build a Library by Lindsay Leslie and Aviel Basil Dusk Explorers by Lindsay Leslie and Ellen Rooney Butt or Face by Kari Lavelle We Move the World by Kari Lavelle and Nabi H. Ali Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice by Kari Lavelle and Bryan Collier Find these books and more in the 12 x 12 Bookshop ! If you enjoy the podcast, please like, subscribe, and review so other kidlit writers can find us! Have questions for us or ideas for future episodes? Leave us a quick voicemail here . Thank you for listening!

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