Spotlight: Why Picture Books? (And How You Can Sell Yours...)

Selling picture books in today’s market is hard. But do you know what is even harder? Writing picture books in today’s market. 

Just ask Mem Fox, acclaimed picture book author of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge and Time for Bed, who once wrote, “Writing a picture book is like writing War and Peace in Haiku.” 

What makes picture books so uniquely challenging is that they require distilling character arc, plot and emotionally resonant themes into a 32-page format. Today’s picture books address topics as wide-ranging as equity, freedom, grief, identity, divorce, immigration, resilience, and social justice, and do so while marrying both narrative and visual storytelling.

What do the best ones get right? And what exactly are editors looking for in a picture book?  

Veteran Simon & Schuster Books editor, Paula Wiseman, of Paula Wiseman Books, answers those questions and yours in our upcoming Zoomie:

Why Picture Books? (And How You Can Sell Yours...)

Paula’s passion for picture books has produced many award-winning titles throughout her forty-plus-year career including: Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe; Genius in a High Chair by Rosemary Wells; Draw by Raul Colon; Ducks on the Road: A Counting Adventure by Anita Lobel; The High-Flying, Deep-Diving Adventures of Kathy Sullivan: Astronaut and Oceanographer by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Jessie Hartland; Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace, illustrated by Bryan Collier; This Moment Is Special: A Día de Muertos Story (Day of the Dead) by John Parra; and Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome.

We hope you’ll join us for this fascinating and informative presentation!

When: Wednesday, May 27, 2026 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm ET

Where: Online

Cost: $20*

*For those who can’t attend live, a recording of this session will be made available for 30 days after the event for all ticket holders.

Click the image below to find out more and sign up:

Paula Wiseman is editor-at-large for Simon & Schuster. She has 45 years experience in publishing, most recently as V.P and Publisher of Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. She has worked with Lesa and James Ransome, Toni Morrison, Rosemary Wells, Raul Colon, Matthew Forsythe, Matt Van Fleet and many other amazing book creators.

Share