Six Questions with Annette Whipple

Annette Whipple celebrates curiosity and inspires others to live in wonder. She is the author of more than 30 fact-filled children's books including Chomp! The Truth About Sharks (Reycraft Books), The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Chicago Review Press), and Where Is Texas (Penguin Workshop). She's been named the 2025 Outstanding Pennsylvania Author by school librarians. Annettte is a wife and mom, life-long learner and nature lover, cookie baker and sometimes burner. She delights in connecting with readers and writers. Visit Annette's website to learn more about her and her writing. Or find her on social media:

Facebook and Instagram @AnnetteWhippleBooks.

Twitter/X @AnnetteWhipple

1. How do you define success for yourself at this stage?

I’ve learned that success feels quite different as an author than in other work. Offers and contracts are slow. So are income and recognition. There was a time when I just wanted to make a living from writing and writing-related work. However, I’ve learned that kidlit writers (especially nonfiction), shouldn’t tie success to income. I don’t know if I’ll ever make a living. As long as I get paid for my writing once in a while, I’ll say that is success enough for me. Writing is hard and rejection is frequent; yet I love it. My biggest taste of success came last year when I was named the 2025 Outstanding Pennsylvania Author by school librarians.

2. What piece of advice would you like to give to aspiring kidlit authors?

My first piece of advice to any aspiring writer is to attend conferences. For children’s writers, we need to attend conferences and workshops designed with kidlit in mind, like SCBWI, BoydsMill/Highlights Foundation, and the Writing Barn or general conferences that have a lot of workshops/tracks designed for kidlit writers. Writing for children is unique—and writing nonfiction for children is even more specialized. We also need critique partners! (See below.) In addition, make time read recently published books in your genre. Read dozens of middle grade or YA if that’s what you want to write. If it’s a picture book, read a hundred of them.

3. Do you ever feel lonely being a writer? If so, how do you deal with that?

I like to be alone. I like to work in quiet. BUT I also need people in my life that understand the difficulties related to the publishing world. (My family does not.) I have kidlit writing friends I check in with regularly. In addition to friendship, since we all write nonfiction, we also read each other’s manuscripts to help one another improve. I’ve met these friends at workshops and conferences as well as online in kidlit Facebook groups.

4. What was the process of timeline for this new book, from idea to publishing?

Keep in mind this is the seventh book in The Truth About series for Reycraft Books. I’ve learned what works best in this series, as well as what readers love in the back matter. The first book in the series, Whooo Knew? The Truth About Owls took four years and 35 drafts to get the structure right!

Flick! The Truth About Lizards includes 1500 words of main text, including illustrated sidebars, and 800 words of back matter.

Flick! The Truth About Lizards Timeline

January & February 2023- Research

February 2023- First draft

March 2023- Critique partners shared feedback

April 2023- Met expert who reviewed manuscript

April 2023- Completed draft 10

April 2023- Submitted manuscript days before deadline

March 2025- Received digital design of book

March 2025- Reviewed images with expert

October 2025- Flick! The Truth About Lizards published with Reycraft Books

5. Was this the book that landed you your agent? Tell us what this process like?

I did not use an agent for this book (or series). I met the editor at a Highlights Foundation workshop in 2019. He was excited about my manuscript and shared my vision for my owl book. Reycraft Books offered me a contract for Whooo Know? The Truth About Owls. The contract for that book did not include additional books for the series, but Reycraft Books and I have worked together for seven books in The Truth About series now.  

6. How do you divide your time between research and writing?

I love research. For the most part, I research for a foundation and then begin writing. For Flick! The Truth About Lizards, I knew the general things I wanted to include and was able to complete the foundation of my research in just over a month. I knew I’d need to research more for some details or additional information later. For a recent project proposal, I’ve been researching for years and still learn more all the time. Sometimes it really depends on the topic.