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Your Story Deserves
More Than “Someday.”

Your Story Deserves
More Than “Someday.”

You’ve carried this idea in your heart long enough. It’s time to give it the care and clarity it needs to become something real. Inside this masterclass, you’ll find the tools, guidance, and encouragement to finally shape your words into a  publishing-ready manuscript that shines. 

READY TO write YOUR book?

Because the world doesn’t just need more stories — it needs yours.

I'm ready!

Turn your dream of writing a children’s picture book into reality. With expert interviews, step-by-step lessons, and practical downloads, this masterclass gives you everything you need to move your story from idea to finished manuscript.


Welcome to
The KidLit Lab's
Manuscript Masterclass

I'll be right there with you along the way.

with best selling, award winning children's
book author, 

Laura wifler

Somewhere along the KidLit journey, it hits us: writing for children is far more challenging than it seems.
Maybe you…

At some point in the kidlit journey, we all realize that writing for children is a whole lot harder than it looks. Maybe you...

Know you have a solid idea, but don't know where to begin. How do you format it? How many words should it be? How should it start? Should you rhyme? Repeat? How do you write a powerful ending?

Have a manuscript but you want to improve it so it's ready for publication. Writing isn't like math, you don't just do 2+2=4 and know you have the right answer. How do you know what will have a child reading your book again and again? 

Have many ideas but don't know which one to pursue. How do you know which one the market needs? Which ones are editors looking for? What would be most helpful to the readers you want to reach? 

Know you're sitting on a gold mine of a manuscript but don't know what to do next. How do you find an illustrator? What are your publishing options besides going to the local Kinkos?

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“I’ve taken many classes and when it came to my children’s book, The KidLit Lab Manuscript Masterclass is all you need! It’s everything packaged in a great course with a great leader.” 

- Marilu Urciuoli, author of "A Safety Net for All Seasons"

published authors from the kidlit lab

“I would not be a first-time author if it wasn’t for her and the KidLit Lab. Not only was the class informative, it was fun!” 

- ally obermeier, author of "Just like caitlin"

"Joining the KidLit lab is a decision I will never regret! One of the many unique benefits of Laura’s masterclass is that she delivers the content to you; you don’t need to go searching for it. She’s in this together with you."

kay fuller, author of "no matter what God loves you"

“The Manuscript Masterclass was a literary feast for the budding author. It was a beautiful fusion of inspiration, spiritual encouragement, and praxis. This was something I had never experienced in only one writing course!” 

Brittney Dagneau, author of "When I Am Afraid"

Could you be next?

I'm a bestselling, award-winning children's picture book author, and I bring more than just author experience to the table for you—I’ve worn many creative hats, from designing wedding invitations to social media consulting to co-founding Risen Motherhood, a ministry that shared gospel-hope with moms around the world. I love a good dream-turned-reality, and I'm here to put our heads together to work on yours. I love books, and I might just love seeing books come to life even more.

I've written several children's books. Among them, the bestselling, "Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer," which was the winner of the Christianity Today's Children and Youth Book of the Year, and a finalist for the ECPA's Children's Book of the Year, and the bestselling, "Like Me: A Story About Disability and Discovering God's Image In Every Person," which won The Gospel Coalition's Children's Book of the Year.


I'm Laura and I'm here to answer your children's book questions. 

i'm here to help.

I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember. In fact, in first grade, I won my first writing award after I entered my story, "Mackenzie's Dog Goldie" in an AT&T writing contest. I still have the certificate and ribbon. (I'm thinking about putting them up on my office wall.) I had no idea the foreshadowing that would play into my future career. Childhood-me would be shocked and impressed that today I've made those dreams a reality. I get emails and DM's every week from people just like you who are looking for advice and help at various stages of their author journey, but typically their questions require more than what a quick email or DM can accomplish. That's exactly why I built this masterclass to answer the most common questions people have (and the ones they haven't thought of yet). Think of this like my brain in a bottle—the Manuscript Masterclass takes all my best tips and brings them straight to you. 

The KidLit Lab's Manuscript Masterclass

introducing...

Your one-stop shop for writing the children's book you've always dreamed of. 

We'll start things off with an overview of the Christian Kid's Book world - giving you the foundation to start off right. By the end of this module, you'll:
  • Know general requirements for children's picture books.
  • Understand the current KidLit landscape.
  • Discover where you, as a Christian writer, can make an impact. 
Next we'll move into the content sieve. Whether you have one half-baked idea or 100 solid ones, I'll help you find the right topic to pursue next and build a foundation to set you up for success when you start the first draft. By the end of this module, you'll:
  • Have a solid list of topics that you can turn into book manuscripts.
  • Know which one is the best one to pursue for your next draft.
  • Understand how to weave a uniquely Christian worldview into your story and make it theologically accurate.
  • Know how to develop characters and settings in a way that's believable and compelling for a child's imagination. 

A Look Inside ...

The KidLit World

The Prep

module 1

Module 2

If writing is revision, revision is writing. No draft is perfect right out of the gate, so it's here that I'll teach you the top techniques editors and authors use to cut the fluff and make your manuscript soar. By the end of this module, you'll:
  • Know the top things to avoid that make editors cringe
  • Understand the correct formatting for a children's book
  • Understand pacing and page turns
  • Select a solid title
  • Ensure you have a tight thread to pull through the manuscript.
  • Have a solid manuscript that's ready for publication. 

Polish and Shine

module four

Now that you've got your idea and researched it to the moon and back, you're ready to write your first draft. This is where most of us usually lose steam on an idea—but not today! By the end of this module you'll: 
  • Understand how to write a snappy opening and satisfying ending
  • Know how to keep momentum and tension through the middle
  • Understand when to use lyric, rhythm, and rhyme—and when not to
  • Know exactly what to do when you get stuck (It happens to all of us!) 

Draft the Draft

module 3

There's nothing like seeing your idea become a reality. Here's  how we're going to do it.

EXPERT INTERVIEW: 



CATALINA echeverri ON WORKING WITH AN ILLUSTRATOR
THE ICONIC ILLUSTRATOR OF THE TALES THAT TELL THE TRUTH SERIES

EXPERT INTERVIEW: 



HUNTER BELESS ON PREP AND RESEARCH - Author of "Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It," and "Amy Carmichael: The Brown Eyed Girl Who Learned to Pray"

EXPERT INTERVIEW: 



Melissa Kruger on Writing First Drafts, Author of "Wherever You Go I Want You To Know,"and other children's books

EXPERT INTERVIEW: 

Dorena williamson on editing and polishing the draft Author of "colorful,"and other children's books

The goal of this masterclass is for you to write an incredible manuscript for your children's book, but I know ultimately, what you want to see is that book in a child's hands.* Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging. We're going to do a flyover of publishing options so you can map out your next step. By the end of this module, you'll: 
  • Understand your options for a path to publishing and which one is right for you. 
  • Hear from an editor at a major Christian publishing house about what they're looking for and how to catch their eye. 
  • Gain gospel-centered encouragement for how to steward your gifts and dreams to the glory of God. 

What Now?

module 5

EXPERT INTERVIEWs: 



Amy Gannett on Writing for Children to the Glory of God
Founder of tiny theologians

Kyle Hatfield on Traditional Publishing,* editor at Harvest House Publishers

While I'll be your guide every step of the way, I'm also bringing in my talented friends to share their expertise. 

In The KidLit Lab, you'll hear from: 

catalina echeverri, illustrator of the tales that tell the truth series

kyle hatfield, editor at harvest house publishers

Amy gannett, author and founder of tiny theologians

hunter beless, author and founder of journeywomen

get me in there!

Melissa kruger,  VP at TGC and author of "wherever you go, i want you to know"

dorena williamson, Author of "colorful" and other children's books

bonus!

yes, it really works!

I enjoyed every minute spent working through the masterclass! The course is informative and encouraging. Laura is knowledgable, fun, and honest while also providing great interviews with fellow KidLit colleagues.

I'm so thankful I enrolled in the KidLit Lab. Laura's experience writing children's books and passion to see others achieve their dreams makes her an insightful teacher. I feel equipped and inspired in my journey towards becoming an author.

I enjoyed every minute spent working through the masterclass! The course is informative and encouraging. Laura is knowledgable, fun, and honest while also providing great interviews with fellow KidLit colleagues.

Laura strikes just the right balance between giving instruction, being informative and providing inspiration. This course was so helpful to provide the beginnings of a framework for me to approach my writing.

Makes your manuscripts 100% better! Laura is like a big sister who's been there before, warmly guiding you through every module.

This course has been so inspiring and fun! The modules, interviews and resources are extremely valuable and encouraging. I'm very thankful for you!

I enjoyed every minute spent working through the masterclass! The course is informative and encouraging. Laura is knowledgable, fun, and honest while also providing great interviews with fellow KidLit colleagues.

Laura's course has helped me get past being a writer with ideas to being a writer with a plan. Laura's content is professional, but also personal. Every minute was worth the investment!

This course truly helped my ideas come to life (and stirred up a bunch of new ideas)! As a new writer, I am so thankful to have Laura’s expertise and guidance. 

I hadn’t considered taking my writing seriously until my wife forwarded me the link to this course, but it was the nudge I needed to more fully invest in the various half-baked ideas that I have considered in the past. I particularly appreciated the holistic approach to learning about the KidLit landscape - from the craft of writing to the strategy of developing a publishing-ready book. Thanks to Laura and the KidLit team!

I enjoyed every minute spent working through the masterclass! The course is informative and encouraging. Laura is knowledgable, fun, and honest while also providing great interviews with fellow KidLit colleagues.

I was at the idea stage of my writing journey when I came across the KidLit Manuscript Masterclass. In her videos, Laura shared vital information that I will be building on as I continue crafting my first children's book!

Laura, this course was absolutely FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. All of the modules were extremely helpful and well thought out. The calls were invaluable! I would 100% sign up for this course again! Loved every second of it. As a personal note, I love that this course got me dreaming some big dreams again! THANK YOU!

If you dream of writing and publishing a children's book, the KidLit Lab is for you! Laura has done a masterful job of providing professional expertise, industry insight, and most of all, encouragement to budding writers. I am so thankful for this resource!

This course truly helped my ideas come to life (and stirred up a bunch of new ideas)! As a new writer, I am so thankful to have Laura’s expertise and guidance.

A great scaffolded framework to how Laura has approached writing kids books with added insights into the realm of publishing. I personally appreciated the reminders about writing from a biblical perspective regarding identity and worth. Great camaraderie in this cohort and hoping the best for my fellow writers!

I've been writing almost my entire life, and for publication for some years, so I wasn't sure how much would be new--but Laura shared many ideas I'd never considered, especially related to writing for children and preparing for publication. 

It was so great to be apart of the KidLit Lab! Laura and her colleagues are a wealth of knowledge! I loved how everyone’s authenticity and love for creative Kingdom work shone through! 

Laura's thoughtfully curated children's literature course helped unlock the mystery of writing children's literature and provided insight into the editing and publishing process. More importantly, the course encouraged kingdom-building work by encouraging the importance of research and correct theology to help guide young souls. 

I'm so grateful for the wisdom and practical knowledge I have gained through this course along with the motivation to pursue writing the books I have dreamed of writing.

I couldn’t enough of Laura’s teaching in the weekly modules. With each new module drop, I raced to soak up her expertise! The content was formatted into doable steps and weekly goals so that it didn’t seem overwhelming; I’ve truly never had so much fun with writing!

I am so grateful for this course. I learned so much about writing children's books and feel equipped to tackle my dream. Laura was patient, kind, and answered every question we had. Highly recommend, you'll honestly come out of this course feeling more than prepared.

The knowledge and expertise Laura and her talented friends share during interviews are invaluable. I really hated that the course had to end!

Not sure it's for you?  

See where you land below and find out. 

Sure is! Book ideas are everywhere, if you only know where to look. And I'm going to teach you exactly that. 



I don't have any book ideas—just a dream to write—is this course for me? 

I'm a dreamer!

What if I have a completed manuscript already? Will this course still help me? 

Absolutely! It doesn't matter where you are in your children's book journey, there are always ways to improve and strengthen your draft. Plus, we're going to bring in real authors and other professionals from the industry that you can learn from—I'm sharing all my secret sources from my past years of experience as a published author. 


I already wrote my children's book.

While you can think of The Lab as a 101 for writing a great children's manuscript, there are always new things to learn. If you're looking to learn some new skills or still feel a bit uncertain about writing a strong manuscript, then yes! But if you're whipping out kid's books and have several pub deals, this might not be the right course for you.

Is this masterclass only for new authors? What if I've already been published?

I'm an experienced author.

I only want to write a book if I can be traditionally published. Will this course help?

I understand this! Yet the reality is there is no silver-bullet to getting traditionally published. But you can ask any editor at any publishing house—the place to begin is with an excellent story idea and solid manuscript. Without it, there's no chance. Lucky for you, that's exactly what we're going to work on in the KidLit Lab!


i really want a book deal. 

Sure, you could hire an editor to polish your manuscript. But when you learn the craft for yourself, you gain skills you can use again and again — saving time, money, and frustration with every future story you write.

there's no formula, but I can give you loads of tips and tricks to write a winning manuscript from the get-go

let me, help you, help you

It was such a gift to be able to talk through the content with Laura, who is absolutely lovely and has so many compelling thoughts. I have come away inspired and would totally recommend this course.

Rebekah T.

"I am so happy I signed up."

The KidLit Manuscript Masterclass is the only one of its kind. You'll...

Gain clarity on what makes a good idea and what you should set aside

Understand the requirements, standards, and best practices for Christian KidLit

Know how to research and vet a topic idea so you can be as true and accurate as possible

Have go-to strategies for when the draft isn't working

Learn techniques for editing and polishing your draft

Know what it looks like to find and work with an illustrator

Discover clarity on what to do with your manuscript once it's complete

Receive encouragement on what it looks like to write for God's glory and steward your gifts faithfully

i'm in!

Forget endless Googling or ChatGPT asks. Here, expert guidance cuts through the noise so you can focus on what matters—writing your book.

PAY MONTHLY

Enroll Now!

one payment

Only $497

Enroll now!

Best Value!

BUT IT'S ON MEGA SALE WHEN YOU PURCHASE RIGHT NOW

Three payments of $170/mo.

Most Flexible

PAY MONTHLY

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Six payments of $90/mo.

most affordable

THAT'S A TOTAL VALUE OF MORE THAN $1,700

Try The KidLit Lab's Manuscript MASTERCLASS for 7 days, risk free.

I want you to be 100% confident when you invest in The KidLit Lab. That’s why I'm offering you a 7-day money back guarantee! If you're feeling like the course isn't helping you in your book writing journey, you're free to cancel, no questions asked. 

money back 
guarantee

100%

COME ON, TAKE A CHANCE ON YOUR DREAM.

Don't flounder in your book journey for one second more.

I'm busy! How much time will this take? 

The course is self-paced. There are five modules to work through and you can expect the content to take about 30 min - 1 hour to get through each week in addition to working on your manuscript(s).  I know life is busy, that’s why this Masterclass is built to flex around your schedule: work at your own pace with lifetime access to the lessons. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course?

Lifetime access! Once you purchase, you can go back and watch it as much as you'd like for the lifetime of the course. You'll also get access to any future new content for free, if it's added.

Will you offer feedback on my manuscript / story ideas during the course? 

While I would love to, I'm just not able to do this due to time constraints. If you'd like me to offer a personalized review of a manuscript or other feedback, your best bet is to book a 1:1 coaching call with me, here.

What if I purchase The KidLit Lab's course and realize it's not for me?

No problem! I'm offering a a 7-day money back guarantee! I want you to be 100% confident when you invest in The KidLit Lab. If you enroll and realize it's not for you, I'll refund it.

Do I need to buy anything extra once I purchase?

Nope! It's all included. 

Is this for children's fiction or nonfiction?

Both! There will be all sorts of information and tips for anyone who wants to write for children, no matter their genre. 

Do I have to be a Christian to take this? 

Nope! You can think of this a bit like “faith-based." While I think what sets this course apart is the fact that we're coming at the topic from a Christian angle, it's not heavy-handed and anyone can learn from it. 

I already have a children's book — is this still for me?

Absolutely. Many of my students come in with a draft already written or even a book published. Inside the Masterclass you’ll learn how to take that draft apart, see it through an editor’s eyes, and revise it so it truly shines. You’ll get live feedback, proven revision techniques, and guest insight from editors, illustrators, and published authors. By the end, your story won’t just be “written”—it will be polished and publishing-ready.

I just want to self-publish — is this still for me?

Yes! Whether you plan to self-publish, go traditional, or do a mix, the fundamentals of writing and revising a strong picture book are the same. The Masterclass walks you through shaping and polishing a manuscript that children (and parents) actually want to read, then gives you a roadmap for next steps — including guidance on the self-publishing route so you know what to expect and how to launch with confidence.

What if I don’t have any ideas yet?

That’s okay! You don’t need a concept to join. In the first part of the Masterclass we’ll explore the KidLit market, brainstorm together, and narrow in on an idea with real potential. By the end of the module you’ll have a concept you’re excited to develop — and by the end of the program, a polished draft you’re proud to share.

"Your downloadable resources were wonderful—worth the cost of the course alone! I will refer back your teaching in this course for years to come." 

Kate M.

"I couldn't believe how much insider knowledge I gained."

let's talk.

I completely understand. Feel free to send me an email with any questions you have!

Still on
the fence?