Is SCBWI worth it?

This forum can help. You can post in SYW and read all of the stickies here. But if you want to write picture books, you need to learn about them and how they differ from other published forms. You also need to read them.

These are places to learn: Harold Underdown's Purple Crayon website, Verla Kay's Blueboards, now affiliated with SCBWI (Disclosure: I moderate for them), and SCBWI. Do some research and look for other threads asking about joining on these boards and at Verla's. A search for SCBWI should turn up some. Then, when you feel more ready, you can decide about joining.

Post your questions here too. We are always glad to help.

Thanks, Debbie.

I'm off to the library today, to begin the process of learning about picture books.

I agree with the idea of trying out a local conference. I participated in several Hudson Valley regional conferences, which like NJ is close enough to NYC to attract some editors and writers.

At SCBWI conferences I got to hear Paula Danziger, Laurie Halse Anderson, Christopher Paul Curtis (his talk was at the NYC conference), Linda Sue Park and others. For their talks alone I am glad I joined (though you can attend conferences without being a member).

I'm not currently an SCBWI member mostly because my current writing projects are not aimed at children or young adults. SCBWI used to be very anti-self-publishing which frustrated me, but now that SCBWI president Stephen Mooser self-published a book (2014) I'm guessing that has changed.

SCBWI has changed with the times on Self Publishing. There is even an award now: http://www.scbwi.org/awards/spark-award/