Hello, everyone! Welcome to your first check-in of 2025! I’m so happy you’re all here.

It’s already been an exciting month with FIVE 12 x 12 members winning American Library Association Youth Media Awards. Not to mention all of the FANTASTIC energy in the Facebook Group and Forum. Thanks so much to everyone who’s introduced yourself and added to the excitement.

But these check-in posts are primarily about whether or not we wrote and/or revised a picture book this month (or worked on illustration if you’re an illustrator). I am happy to say I revised a picture book this month, but not happy to say I did not write a new draft. I usually try really hard to start the year off with a new draft, but well… January Januaried HARD this year. I have a writing retreat scheduled next month though, so I hope to catch up then.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

• Did you complete a draft of a new picture book story in January?
• Did you complete a revision of a previous picture book manuscript in January?
• Did you post a review of a 12 x 12 member book on Amazon, GoodReads, or Barnes and Noble?
• Did you request that your local library purchase a 12 x 12 member’s book that they don’t currently have in circulation?

Let us know in the Rafflecopter and the comments.

January Featured Author Anita Yasuda is offering a copy of her book — a Caldecott Honor book! — UP, UP, EVER UP! (US / Canada only) or a 30-minute AMA (Ask Me Anything)!

Thanks, Anita! And congrats on your book receiving the Caldecott Honor.

Here’s how to check in for a chance to win:

1. See the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post.
2. Click on the “Comment on Anita’s post” button. Commenting on Anita’s post is mandatory for this giveaway and you can enter the Rafflecopter even if you didn’t write a draft this month. Click ENTER.
3. If you haven’t commented on Anita’s post yet, go to the post here to comment.
4. After you’ve commented on Anita’s post, come back to this post to enter the Rafflecopter.  (Commenting alone won’t enter you in the drawing automatically, you must enter the Rafflecopter by following step 2.)
5. Click on the “Wrote a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you completed a PB draft in January. If you did, click ENTER, if not, click cancel and move on to the next step.
6. Click on the “Revised a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you revised a PB in January. If you did, click ENTER. If not, click cancel.
7. Click on the  “Reviewed a 12 x 12 member’s book” button. This will ask if you reviewed a 12 x 12 member’s PB on Amazon, GoodReads, or Barnes and Noble in January.  If you did, enter a link to your review and click ENTER. If not, click cancel.
8. Click on the last “Requested your local library purchase a copy of a 12 x 12 member’s book” button. This will ask if you requested your local library to purchase a 12 x 12 member’s picture book. If you did, enter the name of the library and click ENTER. If not, click cancel.
9. That’s it! There is no overall submit button or email confirmation. Rafflecopter will track your points. (The top of the Rafflecopter will say X/5 with X being the number of entries you currently have in the drawing.)

Here’s a video tutorial on the forum to walk you through these steps: Click here for the monthly check-in tutorial.

The deadline to enter the Rafflecopter is midnight Eastern on February 7th. Rafflecopter will draw a winner and it will be announced on the blog on February 10th.

Remember, badges are not awarded automatically and must be requested in the forum. Click here to request your January badges.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 x 12 may earn a commission from books purchased through the links in the post. Proceeds go to fund 12 x 12 diversity programming and scholarships.