It's the first of our three-part series: How to Get Out of the Slush Pile! Nothing turns an agent or editor more than a poorly written main characters. It's a common mistake for new authors and one big reason a manuscript never makes it out of the slush pile. To help you avoid this mistake, Picture Book Summit Co-Founder Laura Backes shares important questions to ask when evaluating your work-in-progress before hitting send on your next submission. Listen in for actionable solutions in creating stories that kids (and industry professionals) will want to read over and over.  Let's get out of the slush pile!