Nonfiction for New Folks Conference - Oct 9-12

In Gulf Coast Texas, grass is raised on farms and then large slabs of green turf are sliced and stacked for sale, much like carpet squares. I didn’t think anything about it when a turf-laden flatbed truck crossed in front of us at the intersection. But my four-year old son was alert. He asked, “Why is grass growing on a truck?”

Is your own curiosity still very much alive? Do you wonder about things others take for granted? (Like, how can liquid detergent be sold in water soluble bubbles? Why do men look better as they age? Who invented toilet paper?) Do unanswered questions make you squirm? Are you yearning for a more welcoming market for your work? If you answered yes, you owe it to yourself to investigate writing nonfiction for children.

Boys are more likely to read nonfiction, especially reluctant readers. Common Core State Standards mandate more nonfiction in instruction. Publishers are clamoring for new titles. You are eight times more likely to be published in the nonfiction market than fiction

This is your time! But where to start? What are nonfiction publishers looking for? When do you have enough research? How do you write successful nonfiction?

Find answers to these questions and more at the NF 4 NF: Nonfiction for New Folks Children’s Writers Conference, October 9-12. Enjoy the wine country of historic Fredericksburg, Texas, while developing your skills as a nonfiction writer. The NF 4 NF Conference is intended for the beginning to mid-career nonfiction writer. Faculty includes Peggy Thomas (Anatomy of Nonfiction: Writing True Stories for Children), Kelly Loughman, Associate Editor at Holiday House, and many others. All were chosen for their expertise and experience with new writers, for their kindness, and for their sense of fun.

Fifteen sessions include research strategies, techniques for writing history, science, and biographies, writing for the educational market, and what you need to know about Common Core. Learn what publishers want, how to find a topic, ways to research it, and how to write an engaging and informative manuscript. Enjoy socials with faculty and participants including a Texas Barbecue--with line dancing lessons. There is even a five-hour research-based shopping session in town with a dinner voucher!

Kids are curious. They want to KNOW! You, as a nonfiction writer, can satisfy their wonderings and answer their questions. Learn how at NF 4 NF: Nonfiction for New Folks. Check the site for info about fees, housing, airports, weather, and a video of Fredericksburg. (Critiques are also available.) Conference is limited to 50. Registration is now open with early bird pricing.