Picture Books, with agent Leslie Zampetti, Winter 2026

January 22nd, 2026 - February 23rd, 2026

with Leslie Zampetti

Not open yet

Member registration opens November 3rd at 10:00 (EST).
Non-member registration opens December 19th at 10:00 (EST).

You'll submit your pages at the group start, then spend the next weeks critiquing peer stories. The agent will submit their notes near the critique deadline. After critiques are complete, we host a live group debrief over Zoom, in which each writer gets individual time with the agent to dig into feedback, brainstorm next steps, and discuss any writing questions. In addition, the agent will lead a group discussion in the group workspace.

Our goal with these events is to help writers become stronger storytellers. 

You may sign up for 1 PB workshop per season. 30 days ahead, you may sign up for a second group provided you are able to give thorough peer critiques in each group.

Notes

Who this workshop is for: <p><span>Writers are expected to be at an intermediate level of picture book writing craft or above. Writers may have achieved&nbsp;this through self-study of books and exercises, or organized instruction such as classes, workshops, or webinars. Writers should be familiar with elements of craft such as characterization, plot, internal arc, and pacing, in order to offer craft-rooted feedback to their peers.</span></p>

Focus: Children's - Picture Books - Fiction - Children's - Picture…

Group size: 8 writers

Submissions: <p>Fiction submissions should be under 900 words; nonfiction should be under 1550 words including backmatter. If your backmatter runs longer, please submit the headers for sections that are not included and omit your bibliography.&nbsp;<br></p><p></p>

Fee

Members: $140; Non-members: $165

About Leslie Zampetti

A former librarian with over 20 years’ experience in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie’s focus was on the reader, giving them the right book at the right time - which works for matching client work to editors too. Having negotiated with organizations from Lexis-Nexis to the elementary school PTA, she is able to come to terms that favor her clients while building satisfying relationships with publishers. And after cataloging rocket launch videos for NASA and model rocket ships for an elementary school, Leslie welcomes working with the unexpected challenges that pop up in publishing.

Schedule:

  • Thurs, Jan 22 - Submissions due
  • Thurs, Feb 12 - Critiques due
  • Thurs, Feb 19, 7pm-9:15pm ET - Debrief call
  • Mon, Feb 23 - Group closes