Jacket Flap: A Social Site for Children's Writers and More

If you write for children or young adults, you may want to check out another social networking site called, JacketFlap. The JacketFlap homepage states: "JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for children and young adults." So, if you are on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or even Twitter, JacketFlap may be another site you'll want to check out if you write, edit, or illustrate for kids or teens.

What is special and useful about JacketFlap?

Besides networking with professionals in the children's book industry, you can also find and read over 700 children's book-related blogs (and list yours!), search through a database of over 900,000 children's books, read book reviews, look through over 20,000 book publishers, and join for free! The "About Us" page states: "JacketFlap is a comprehensive resource for information on the children's book industry. Thousands of published authors, illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, and publishers visit JacketFlap every day." So, if you're a children's writer or illustrator, then this is definitely one of the social networking sites you want to take advantage of.

Just like other social networking sites, you create your profile and find friends. On your profile, you list key facts about yourself such as where you live, your company name, age, and occupation. You also write a short bio. You can link your blog right to your JacketFlap page. For high tech social networkers, you can add video to your profile and upload some of your work.

Like all social networking sites, JacketFlap will take time to learn and to use. One of my goals this summer is to use this one more. Recently, an author contacted me on JacketFlap who wanted to submit to the same company, White Mane Kids, that is publishing my book. She wanted some information about the company, and we have now become JacketFlap and Facebook buddies. These are the types of connections you can make on specialized sites. If you are a children's writer, you can find other writers who may have information to help you or you to help them. It's like belonging to your own on-line children's writers' group--for free!

Check it out--and if you do, look me up (I'm either luvboxers or Margo Dill). I'd love to learn and build JacketFlap with you.

Happy social networking!

Margo Dill

https://www.margodill.com/

Read These Books and Use Them (blog)

photo from JacketFlap website (JacketFlap logo)