The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators held its 2026 Virtual Winter Conference on February 6–7, with keynote speakers Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Traci Sorell, plus the annual Golden Kite Awards ceremony. This year's conference drew 400 registered attendees. TeMika Grooms, SCBWI’s manager of design and illustration, moderated a panel of two editors and two agents, who shared what they’re looking for (a good laugh in troubled times), advice for creators (be open to feedback), and their feelings about diverse literature (keep writing it).
Nick Thomas, executive editor at Levine Querido, said he’s always in search of “someone with a distinctive voice, telling a book of their heart.” Most of the time, those books of the heart are pitched by agents, but this month LQ published a manuscript received through Submittable, Thomas said. He especially welcomes “a sense of humor in any and all types” of submissions, with the caveat that comedy is “really hard to achieve on the page.”
Elise McMullen-Ciotti, senior executive editor at Lee & Low and Tu Books, agreed with Thomas about humor, “especially when something is endearing and moves me.” A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, McMullen-Ciotti champions Indigenous authors and content, and she encouraged the audience to “go and read an Indigenous book in 2026.” Her own book, Outfoxed: A Wish Novel (Scholastic Press), recently received a 2026 American Indian Youth Literature Award honor, and she said, “I hope that I’ve made the Cherokee Nation proud.”
Lately, McMullen-Ciotti added, she’s seeking empathic work—“something that has a light in it”—as a counterweight to conflict. “I don’t want any more books about war,” she said. “A lot of speculative stuff tends to have great battles, but I think there are other ways we can grow and give kids something to talk about.”
Agent Adriana Dominguez at Aevitas Creative Management observed, “The world feels very heavy right now, and I think that’s why a lot of us are asking for humor.” Domingez also is keen to see innovative takes on diversity, with “a bit of a pause” on picture books and other children’s books about food. “That’s the most basic thing everyone knows about a culture, but that’s not where I want us to stop learning,” she said.
Kate Schafer Testerman, founder and president of KT Literary, confirmed that “we all still want and are promoting diverse titles that represent the world around us.” Even though she sees reader demand for books centered on race and gender, Testerman expressed regret that “a lot of the editors at Big Five houses can’t get those through acquisitions committees,” whose financial projections are not optimistic. “I don’t want to be a downer, but it is a challenging time right now,” with the school and library market for inclusive books chilled by a climate of fear.
In addition, LQ’s Thomas acknowledged that he’s concerned about factors such as decreased library funding, public schools’ reluctance to purchase potentially controversial books, and at times a failure of metadata to identify diverse content, which reduces discoverability. To make positive change in the industry, he said, “Use your library as much as possible. When you check out a book or place a hold on the ebook, that signals they need more and translates to sales—and it doesn’t cost you anything.”
“And if the book is not there, ask for it!” Grooms interjected.
McMullen-Ciotti seconded Thomas and Grooms. “At Lee & Low, our biggest target is the school and library market,” she said, and “political actors are influencing the money our customers can use.” At the same time, she reminded listeners, “You can’t kill an idea—it’s still going forward despite all the noise.”
When an audience member asked whether authors should tread more cautiously, McMullen-Ciotti responded with “a big giant no—write a great story and stand firm on it,” while Testerman said, “If fear of being banned is what’s keeping you from writing the story, you’re doing the banning yourself.”
The panel also covered trends. When Grooms asked the group to talk about genre-blends and storytelling, Testerman observed that “romantasy is a wildly popular blending, but those books already existed before there was a name for it.” We now name “cozy horror and funny speculative,” Testerman said, “but as modern readers we are more likely to put specific labels on something.” McMullen-Ciotti added that global film and TV favorites are having an influence on the American literary market, “with things like K-dramas, and that’s influencing what we can see as story.”
At the close of the session, Grooms asked everyone to make a wish for 2026. “No more book bans!” said Testerman. “Rousing support of our librarians,” said McMullen-Ciotti. “More library funding—and more domestic printers,” said Thomas. And Dominguez asked for “more diverse voices, surprise, surprise.”
“I like the way you all dream,” Grooms replied.
