Harold Underdown
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Harold Underdown
@hunderdown.bsky.social
2.7K followers 260 following 2K posts
I'm a children's book editor, teacher and workshop presenter, owner of The Purple Crayon website -- www.underdown.org

I post about #kidlit, but I do have opinions about other things and will share them as well.
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hunderdown.bsky.social
Received today: "Zohran Walks New York"--a tribute not only to Mamdani but to our amazing city. Congratulations to creator Millie von Platen and editor Carolyn Yoder for the vision to create and publish a nearly instant book.

At Bookshop and elsewhere: bookshop.org/a/3703/97816...
The cover of "Zohran Walks New York," featuring the skyline, a street scene, and a smiling, bearded politician waving to people in front of a row of houses. Text: In Zohran's city, everyone is always on the move!" Picture: In background, a bus under elevated subway tracks. In foreground, Mamdani walking towards a street crossing on which two children are walking. Picture: Mamdani, arms in the air, walks towards a lively street party. Text: "It's neighbors welcoming you home after a long walk." Text: "This is Zohran's home, and it's yours too." Picture: People gaze out across a river with a bridge and lighted skyscrapers and a sunset in the background.
November 4, 2025 at 4:41 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
My regular reminder to sign up for my newsletter so you won't miss news of workshops I'm giving, updates to my website The Purple Crayon, and the like. Simple form on my Contact page. Infrequent mailings: www.underdown.org/contact.htm#...
A purple crayon, the logo of my website.
November 2, 2025 at 10:28 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
This photo of my desk means I'm open for #kidlit developmental editing and career/submissions consulting--and possibly other things too (just ask!). I'm not a copyeditor or proofreader and usually do line-editing only as part of a larger project.

More info.: www.underdown.org/pced.htm
A desk crowded with papers, a laptop, postits, a bell, and various paperweights.
October 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
In which I talk a bit more about my "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities" #kidlit workshop, coming up online *next week* via @highlightsfound.bsky.social

More information and to register: www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/pub...
October 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
A reminder: NEXT week I will be offering "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities," online via @highlightsfound.bsky.social, October 14 and 16, recording available, and resources included. $59

See the screenshot below for details or go here: www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/pub...
Banner graphic for "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities." October 14 and 16, 7-8:15 PM Eastern with Harold Underdown Workshop details: Another reminder, because I think this is going to be very useful, and I don't want anyone who would benefit to miss it: NEXT week is when I will be offering "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities," online via The Highlights Foundation, on the evenings of October 14 and 16, with a recording available, and resources included. $59 On Tuesday, I'll be covering: --different kinds of change in publishing, from fads to trends to market shifts, and how to respond to them --how to do your own research into trends --a short history of market shifts in children's publishing, from circa 1960 to today --a look at the big market shift of this century On Thursday, I'll move on to: --the trends! from picture books to young adult, fiction and nonfiction --the changes in publishing from outside of it, mainly --diverse voices and banned books, --technology, and especially AI
October 9, 2025 at 7:35 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
3 weeks to go to my trends workshop! I'm enjoying reading, talking, researching what's going on with PB bios, MG novels, YA and romantasy--the trends you're talking about--and thinking about how best to learn about and deal with them going forward... www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/pub...
Banner for "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities"--online workshop on Tuesday October 14 and Thursday October 16 via the Highlights Foundation.
September 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
A common white-tail dragonfly in our backyard. Aren't the wings cool?
Dragonfly resting on concrete. White tail, black head. 4 rings transparent except for black patch in middle third.
August 30, 2025 at 6:26 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Here's the source I found: The MSNBC News Junkies FB Group.
Screenshot from a FB Group of a photo of Donald Trump with the caption "Trump's Nobel Peace Prize nomination withdrawn."
August 17, 2025 at 9:50 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
It's not quite August, but it feels like the top of the Ferris wheel, so here is the first para. of Natalie Babbitt's "Tuck Everlasting":

"The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning."
The first paragraph of Natalie Babbitt's "Tuck Everlasting": The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn...
July 29, 2025 at 2:59 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Coming up in *3 weeks*--my online mini workshop on "Big Picture Revision," exploring tools, how + when to use them on #kidlit and #yalit manuscripts.

Live August 19 and 21, 7 PM, via @highlightsfound.bsky.social, w/ handouts and a recording available.

www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/big...
A banner for the workshop "Big Picture Revision," a two-night online mini workshop with editor Harold Underdown. Dates August 19 and 21, 7 PM Eastern. Sponsored by the Highlights Foundation
July 28, 2025 at 8:47 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Some of you know of my long-time involvement with both Kindling Words and The Highlights Foundation. So you will understand how excited I am that KW is planning a retreat AT Highlights this fall.

highlightsfoundation.secure.retreat.guru/program/kind...
A banner for a Kindling Words retreat at the Highlights Foundation.
July 1, 2025 at 9:43 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
I am open for editorial consulting work--if you've been querying manuscripts and aren't getting interest, but don't know why, or are otherwise stuck, I may be able to help! Information here: www.underdown.org/pced.htm

Happy to answer questions here or by email (there's a link.)
A laptop, papers with notes, and other items on a cluttered desk.
June 17, 2025 at 9:23 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Coming up in 3 weeks, the first of 3 pre-retreat online classes, followed on May 15-18 by the Revision Retreat, with Emma Dryden and Eileen Robinson, at @highlightsfound.bsky.social.

www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/rev...

More details in the alt text or via the link.
Graphic for the "Revision Retreat" Details: Many writers say that their favorite part of writing is revision. Whether this opinion matches your feelings, the reality is that revision is part of the writing process and we’ll all need a toolbox full of strategies to meet each book we create. This workshop combines “filling that toolbox” and time to implement the revision strategies on your work(s)-in-progress. Included in this program are pre-retreat presentations that you can engage via Zoom or watch as your time allows, a 1:1 consultation to discuss where you are in your current project(s) and what support you need at this stage in the process, opportunities to ask questions of working editors in the field of children’s books, and, importantly, time and space to revise at the Highlights Foundation retreat center. At the retreat center, days will be spent on individual projects. You choose what that means for you! Maybe you’ll revise on the porch of your cabin, sketch in the Art Coop, research, rebuild, or rest. Emma Dryden and Eileen Robinson will join you at the retreat center, with Harold Underdown supporting you virtually through presentations and 1:1 consultations.
April 7, 2025 at 3:31 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Reminder! The Crash Course in Children's Book Publishing--everything you need to know about our business--starts May 28.

Information and to register: www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/the...

More details in the alt text.
Banner for "The Crash Course in Children's Book Publishing" Details: This ten-week online course covers all aspects of children’s book publishing, from genres and types of books to working with a publisher (and everything in between). Material will be covered via six live Zoom sessions, and pre-recorded content in our online learning platform. You’ll also have access to weekly live “drop-in” hours with Harold Underdown. You’ll also learn details about the editorial development process, including what to do once you have a finished book. The goal of the course is to demystify children’s publishing and answer ALL of your questions about the process. You will: Explore genres of books, types of publishers, types of markets; fiction vs. nonfiction, flat fee vs. royalties, schools and libraries, etc. Find out how to get help before you submit from books, conferences, critique groups, beta readers and children. Find out how to get started as a professional and find your community. Use writing exercises to get to know your characters and develop your stories. Understand submissions rules and practices, including which mistakes to avoid. Learn about how publishers sign up manuscripts and how to make sense of contracts. Discover the publishing process: developmental editing, line editing, copyediting and proofreading, design, illustration, production, marketing and distribution.
April 7, 2025 at 3:26 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Starts *tomorrow*! You can still register for "Practical Matters in Children's Book Publishing"--what you need to know and do, and what you can expect, in #kidlit publishing.

www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/pra...
Banner for the Practical Matters in Children's Book Publishing online mini-workshop on March 18 and 20: A smart, engaging 2-night course covering everything from book types to contracts—plus a chance to ask your pressing questions! Key topics covered during the program will include: • A guide to types of children’s books; • Getting support and feedback; • Researching types of publishers, editors, and agents; • Understanding the submission process; • How manuscripts are acquired; • Key terms in contracts and how they work; • What to expect in the publishing process.
March 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Coming up in two weeks: A two-evening workshop with The Highlights Foundation, online, with recordings available to watch later (so no problem if you can't watch live). $59 Pls. repost!

Further details in the alt text, or click this link: www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/pra...
Graphic for the "Practical Matters in Children's Book Publishing" online workshop on March 18 and 20. Details: It's for anyone getting started in the world of children's book publishing, which can be be both wonderful and frustrating. It covers all the *practical* stuff someone needs to know, from kinds of books and who they are intended for, through submissions, all the way to contracts and the publishing process. There will be a bonus handout with web and print resources, and a time to answer burning questions. Please share to #kidlit writer and illustrator friends who might benefit! And let me know if you have questions. This is likely to be the only time I give this workshop in 2025.
March 4, 2025 at 5:08 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
I noticed cool features on the jacket and cover of the UK edition of Frances Hardinge's "The Unraveller." See the Alt text for details.
The jacket of "The Unraveller" by Frances Hardinge. Arranged around title and author's name are 5 key objects from the story: the moon, a feather, seed pods, a spider, and a fish hook. A spider web printed in metallic copper appears behind them, over a dark purple/black background. The spine of "The Unraveller" by Frances Hardinge. There are no words on the cover or spine, but on the spine appear 5 key objects from the story: the moon, a feather, seed pods, a spider, and a fish hook, all stamped in metallic copper ink, paralleling their appearance on the jacket.
February 15, 2025 at 11:25 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
The sky last night at sunset...
Clouds in the sky at sunset, some tinged with orange, with a bare tree standing on the right edge of the photo.
February 15, 2025 at 3:41 AM
hunderdown.bsky.social
Announcement! All the practical stuff in #kidlit publishing, coming up 3/16 + 3/18! Join me for a jam-packed 2-night course covering everything from book types to contracts and the publishing process—plus a chance to ask your pressing questions! More details: tinyurl.com/mtadfe5u

Please repost.
A graphic for the "Practical Matters in Children's Book Publishing" workshop, March 16 and 18. Key topics covered during the program will include: • A guide to types of children’s books; • Getting support and feedback; • Researching types of publishers, editors, and agents; • Understanding the submission process; • How manuscripts are acquired; • Key terms in contracts and how they work; • What to expect in the publishing process; • and so much more! There will be time saved for a Q&A on the final night of the program.
February 14, 2025 at 8:28 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
We had a visitor to our yard today.
A possum sniffing around in a snowy yard with a rosemary plant in a pot next to it.
February 13, 2025 at 2:22 AM
hunderdown.bsky.social
In case you need a break from everything else, meet our local possum, visiting at midday to snaffle the peanuts in our birdseed mix before the squirrels could get to them.
An oppossum with its back to the viewer and tail visible, looking for food on a concrete patio with a bench and bag of potting soil behind it. An oppossum looking for food in the sunshine on a concrete patio with a rosemary plant next to it.
February 8, 2025 at 12:01 AM
hunderdown.bsky.social
The Tire: A Tragedy in 4 Acts.

See the Alt text for details.
Act 1: A young Tire, torn cruelly from it's wheel, left with the trash. [A car tire sitting on a few trash bags on the curb. The street, with parked cars and trees, stretches from lower left to upper right.] Act 2: Escape! The Tire evades the Sanitation Dept. and shelters against the Park fence. [The tire leans against the base of some railings that extend from right to left, with a bush and a tree visible through them.] Act 3: A new possibility? The tire in the Park, perhaps seeking a new life as a swing. [The tire stands in the middle of a dirt area. Behind it is a pile of wood chips. In the background are trees, the park railings, and a street with houses on it.] Act 4: Tragedy! A Parks employee has captured the Tire, and left it again with the trash. Looks like this is the end. [The tire sits by an open metal gate with a few bags of recyclables, outside what appears to be a maintenance storage area, with a few barrels, a salt spreader, and other equipment.]
January 18, 2025 at 3:52 AM
hunderdown.bsky.social
"Writing Picture Books" by Ann Whitford Paul, which I reviewed years ago, remains the best guide to writing picture books I've seen: www.underdown.org/writing-pict...
The cover of Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul
January 16, 2025 at 8:10 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
The first night went well! 120 signups, 70 people attending live. More to come Weds.--you can still sign up, watch last night as a recording, join us Weds. night.

www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/suc...
Banner for "Successful Strategies" workshop.
December 17, 2024 at 4:11 PM
hunderdown.bsky.social
NEXT WEEK: Find out what you need to know and what works now when sending out a #kidlit manuscript. Handouts and recordings included--you must register in advance. $59

Live December 16 and 18 via @highlightsfound.bsky.social

www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/suc...

Please share!
Visual for the "Successful Strategies for Submitting Your Manuscript to Agents and Editors" online workshop
December 10, 2024 at 4:56 PM