Emma Walton Hamilton & Julie Hedlund
Help Aspiring Authors Succeed!
Who are we?
Children’s book authors Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund are two of the industry’s recognized thought leaders on picture book submissions. Together, they have accumulated thousands of hours reading, critiquing, and helping authors improve their submissions. They both speak to dozens of agents and editors every year in their roles as founders of the Stonybrook Children’s Book Fellows and the 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge. With more than 50 years of collective experience, Emma and Julie are now sharing what they know about picture book submissions in one place —
The Complete Picture Book Submissions System.
After years of trial and error with their own publishing careers, Emma and Julie were inspired to create the System to provide authors and illustrators with a step-by-step, easy to use System that teaches the skills needed to research, create, and send outstanding picture book submissions.
Emma Walton Hamilton
Emma is a best-selling children’s book author, editor and arts educator. With her mother, actress/author Julie Andrews, Emma has co-authored over thirty children’s books, seven of which have been on the NY Times Bestseller list, including THE VERY FAIRY PRINCESS series (#1 Bestseller), JULIE ANDREWS’ COLLECTION OF POEMS, SONGS AND LULLABIES, the JULIE ANDREWS’ COLLECTION OF POEMS, SONGS AND LULLABIES series, SIMEON’S GIFT, THE GREAT AMERICAN MOUSICAL, and THANKS TO YOU: WISDOM FROM MOTHER AND CHILD. Emma’s own book, RAISING BOOKWORMS: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment, premiered as a #1 best-seller on Amazon.com in the literacy category and won a Parent’s Choice Gold Medal. She teaches Children’s Literature for Stony Brook University’s Creative Writing MFA and is the co-host of the Julie’s Library Podcast.
Emma’s first poetry collection, Door to Door, was published in fall 2022. Her latest picture books co-authored with her mother, The First Notes: The Story of Do Re Mi and The Enchanted Symphony are inspired by their love of the arts. Their newest collaboration, Waiting in the Wings, inspired by true story, is on bookshelves now.
Emma also works as a freelance children’s book editor, and hosts the Just Write Children’s Books home-study courses in and resources for writing picture books, chapter books and middle grade and young adult novels, as well as for school author visits (School Visit Wizard.) She is a contributor to the Huffington Post in the parenting and books categories, and a member of SCBWI and The Author’s Guild. Visit her at emmawaltonhamilton.com
Check out Emma's Work!
Julie Hedlund
Julie is an award-winning children’s book author, founder of the 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge, blogger, and a regular speaker at SCBWI and other industry events. Her newest book, SONG AFTER SONG: THE MUSICAL LIFE OF JULIE ANDREWS, from little bee books debuted in Fall 2023. Her picture book, OVER, BEAR! UNDER, WHERE?, from Philomel Books can be ordered from Bookshop.org. Her first picture book, A TROOP IS A GROUP OF MONKEYS (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2013) was also published as an interactive storybook app and was the recipient of the 2014 Independent Book Publisher’s Association Benjamin Franklin Digital Gold Award. Her storybook app, A SHIVER OF SHARKS, Little Bahalia Publishing, 2013, was a 2014 Digital Book Award winner. Julie is also the author of MY LOVE FOR YOU IS THE SUN, from Little Bahalia.
Julie is one of the founders of the Picture Book Summit online conference and a PAL member of SCBWI. She is represented by Erzsi Deak of Hen & Ink Literary. Visit her at juliehedlund.com.
Check out Julie's Work!
Where We've Been Published
Awards We've Won
Where We've Been Featured
