Irish Writers Union

The Irish Writers Union (Comhar na Scribhneoiri) offers a model contract for guidance to members, and assists in disputes if, or when, things go wrong. The union acts as a watchdog, on both contracts, and royalty payments, for members, or for their estate. It negotiates with the Arts Councils, both north and south, Bord na Leabhar, and Cle (the publishers association), amongst others, on behalf of writers. The union welcomes applications for membership from established authors and beginners alike. A programme of meetings and activities takes place throughout the year; and fraternal links are maintained with the European Writers Congress, and similar writers organisations throughout the world. 

www.ireland-writers.com

 

The Irish Writers Centre offers a range of services to writers, from manuscript assessment to legal advice and downloadable databases of Irish publishers and agents.

 http://www.writerscentre.ie/centre/resources/services/services.htm

The Illustrators' Guild of Ireland

The Illustrators' Guild of Ireland is a non-profit organisation established in 2000 to support the development of illustration in Ireland by showcasing illustrators' work and by fostering links with similar organisations at home and abroad.

www.illustratorsireland.com/

SCBWI

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, formed in 1971 by a group of Los Angeles based writers for children, is the only international organization to offer a variety of services to people who write, illustrate, or share a vital interest in children’s literature. The SCBWI acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people. There are currently more than 19,000 members worldwide, in over 70 regions, making it the largest children's writing organization in the world.
http://scbwi.org

The Children's Books Council
The Children's Book Council, Inc. (CBC) is a nonprofit trade association of publishers of trade books for children and young adults in the United States. The CBC promotes the use and enjoyment of trade books for young people.
The website offers in particular book reviews (and the possibility to add to the list) and the section Getting Your Book Published gives a good summary of the situation for aspiring authors and illustrators through FAQ's, although the Council is mainly concerned with the US market and US-based publishers. Some publishers' submission guidelines for illustrators are also available.

http://www.cbcbooks.org/

The Purple Crayon
This website is absolutely full of articles on writing and illustrating for children, both from the creative point of view and the business side of things. It offers loads of interviews and links. A great detailed, no-nonsense resource, for people at various stages of their creative career.

 http://www.underdown.org/

The Horn Book

For a lot of reviews, articles about writing and info about awards and conferences, all in the field of children's books.

 http://www.hbook.com/resources/authorsartists/default.asp