WVBF: Writing Workshop - Ashley Belote

Ashley Belote
From Concept to Publication: An Inside Look at Children's Publishing

My name is Ashley Belote, and I'm a native West Virginian from Preston County. I was fortunate enough to be able to present at the 2022 WV Book Festival. During that presentation, I received several questions about the actual process of taking a children’s book from concept all the way to publication, so this session will focus on creating book ideas that sell, how to sell them, and how to market them once the books are released. 

Ashley Belote is the illustrator of FRANKENSLIME (Feiwel & Friends, 2021) and VALENSLIME (Feiwel & Friends, 2021). She is the author-illustrator of THE ME TREE and A PARTRIDGE IN THE WE TREE (Penguin Workshop, 2021), and LISTEN UP, LOUELLA (Feiwel & Friends, 2022). Her forthcoming titles include WITCH & WOMBAT (7/4/23 Random House Children's Books) and DON'T WASH WINSTON (3/26/24 Feiwel & Friends).

She studied traditional animation under the direction of Don Bluth. Ashley is a West Virginia native, and earned her BA from Alderson Broaddus University. She earned her MA in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky. Her graduate study included a children’s literature and illustration course, The Whole Book Approach, through Simmons College at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. She also serves as the Illustrator Coordinator for the Carolinas chapter of SCBWI. Ashley is represented by Moe Ferrara of BookEnds Literary Agency. To learn more, please visit AshleyBelote.com.

Learn more and view the full 2023 West Virginia Book Festival Schedule at wvbookfestival.org.