Welcome to
Rate Your Story
 Kidlit Craft, Community, Feedback and Opportunity.

Part of being a writer is seeking out feedback on our work. That’s why we’re all here at Rate Your Story, right? We know how valuable...

Tips from The Soaring '20s Debut Group The Soaring ‘20s is a group of authors and illustrators debuting picture books in 2020 (and in...

Getting girls interested in STEM is becoming an important goal of educators and many parents. One of the best ways for parents and...

Even as a child, I collected Halloween and Christmas picture books, among them, THE WITCH stories by Norman Bridwell and CLEM THE CLUMSY...

Each year the Annual RYS Awesome Openers Writing Contest grows, and this year was certainly no exception. Our judges have spent weeks...

The Backstory: After sending countless stories to one editor, and getting rejected, I asked her, "What would you like to see from me in...

So… you want to write a manuscript that’s as strong as can be? You want your manuscript to fight the good fight in today’s competitive...

We're excited to announce the 2020 Annual Rate Your Story Awesome Openers Writing Contest will be open for submissions starting August...

The Soaring ‘20s is a group of authors and illustrators who have come together to support each other as we debut picture books in 2020...

I’ve taken many leaps throughout my career, confident that at the right moment, the net will appear. I started my career as a radio news...

As a child, I was one of Mister Rogers’ television neighbors. He was a companion and a storyteller. He made a point to illuminate the...

Enter the Rafflecopter above for your chance to win a copy of Rebecca's debut, After The Rain. *Winner must be located in the US. On June...

When I first signed up to write this blog post six months ago, I was expecting I’d write about something totally different. I thought I’d...

I grew up with nursery rhymes, and although many see them as outdated, they are helpful for language acquisition and encourage children’s...

When you’re sitting alone with a piece of paper or a computer screen, writing can seem like a solitary business. But while the act of...

We are thrilled to be hosting literary agent Mary Cummings of Betsy Amster Lit on our blog this month. Scroll down for Mary's interview...

In January, 2015, I started researching and working on the story of Elizabeth Jennings’ rejection from the streetcar in 1854. I’d found...

For twenty-five years I’ve been an Early Childhood teacher, teaching children from pre-k to third grade in the public schools of...

YOUR NEXT GREAT BOOK TOPIC You’ve probably heard the common writer’s adage, “Write about what you know.” Which is often a good idea. But...

For the past year, my critique group, The Broad Strokes has set aside the first half hour of every meeting to share our favorite new...