Writing and Illustrating Children's Books As a husband and wife writing team, Caroline and I want every one of you writers out there to be the best you can be. We want you to spread your wings creatively while honing your skills in the craft of writing and the craft of getting a manuscript published. There is no greater thrill than to see your work become a book on the shelves of Barnes & Noble or Borders. We'll take it a step at a time. Print this stuff out. Share it! Tell people where to come to get more. And there will be more, so stay tuned! Part I:
An editor friend of ours once told us that she had received just under 1000 manuscripts in the past month. She had two interns who would help her sift through the pile of treasures from these many hopeful writers, but the task was still daunting. Her story served to underline the fact that it is a jungle out there, and the competition is fierce. How can a new writer get a manuscript noticed with 999 others waiting beside, on top of, and underneath it?
letter is essentially a tool for authors to ask permission to submit a manuscript. However, a well-done query will give you a leg up on the next author in line. The goal of your letter is two-fold:
(1) You want to elicit a "yes" from the editor, so that you have permission to send your no-editor-can-resist proposal for your book, and (2) You want to make a good first impression so that the editor will remember your name when the manuscript crosses his or her desk. How can you do all of this? The first thing to keep in mind is to keep it brief. If the editor must shuffle through nearly a thousand queries a month, which one will that editor be more likely to read? Give yourself no more than four lines to communicate what needs to be communicated. Here's how to do it: In your first line, introduce yourself by saying why you are interested in this particular publishing house. You might mention titles already in their lineup that relate to the project you want to do. In your second line, outline any writing experience you have, and any specific personal experience that makes you ideal for writing what you want to write. For example, a friend of mine wanted to write a children's book on autism. She had never been published, and had moderate writing experience, but she did have an autistic son. Her personal experience made her an ideal writer for the project she was proposing. In your third line, give a brief synopsis or theme of your book and target audience (i.e. ages 8 to 12). Finally, ask if they would be open to you sending a formal proposal and either an excerpt (if it is a longer illustrated book or a chapter book) or a full manuscript (for younger audiences and shorter books). IMPORTANT: Always be sure to include a self- addressed, stamped envelope! For more about getting on top of the pile, watch for our upcoming echapter! These are the critical elements of a query letter. But to whom should you send it? How do you find out? More about that in Part II: Finding the Right Publisher. feedback? cosmicart@stock-space-images.com
Part II: Finding the Right Publisher One of the most important steps in getting your book published is to find the right publisher. With very rare exceptions, publishers are not philanthropists. They are in business, and you must be able to convince them that zillions of people will buy copies of your book. Additionally, the publisher must be the right "fit"—namely, a house that is already publishing the kind of book you have in mind. For example, a publisher of teen novels will not be interested in your adventure involving 8 to 12 year olds.
publisher of your dreams are:
displays the same genre as your work, for the same target age group. See what's popular. Write down titles and publishers and, where possible, contact information. The greatest advantage of a library is…the librarian! This valuable resource person can point you in the right direction and answer some of your toughest questions.
information.
its weight in gold. Updated each year, it gives information on types of publishers, contact information, and whether or not they accept unagented manuscripts or manuscripts from unpublished authors.
upcoming echapter!
log on for our October installment; Part III: Genres. See you soon!
Part III: Genres and book categories When writing a manuscript, we have discussed how critical it is to know your audience. It is just as important to know the identity of your book. Is it a mystery? An adventure? Non-fiction? The identity of your book is called its genre.
many sub-categories, but we'll give it a go. There are picture books (including alphabet and counting books, nursery rhymes, and wordless books), picture storybooks, traditional literature, historical fiction, modern fantasy, contemporary fiction (stories that could happen in everyday life), science fiction, non-fiction (science, history, biography), and poetry.
These stages dictate what type of book you will be proposing to a publisher. The industry breaks down books by age group. We'll explore book types arranged roughly by age, from youngest to oldest readers. The categories fall out in the following way: A Picture Book, generally, is a book in which the art plays the largest role—or at least shares equally the limelight with the text. Picture books fall into four subcategories:
with poems, simple words or songs. Some have no text at all.
relate simple stories that relate to everyday life in childhood. These books can be conventional paper—often laminated—or board books. Books at this level often include pop-ups, flaps, or areas of texture (like sandpaper, slick plastic or cloth).
are keyed to ages 4 to 8. These books contain simple plots, run between 1000 to 1500 words, and can be up to 32 pages in length. Non-fiction picture books may stretch to age 10 and up to 48 pages (~2200 words).
Easy-To-Read books (or Easy Readers) are for children who are beginning to read by themselves (ages 6 to 8 or so). Sentences and words remain simple. The pictures are smaller, and some pages have only text, set in large font. Some Easy Readers for younger kids have about 200 words in the text, while the high- end ones may run over 1500 words with up to 48 pages.
Transition Books are the first books broken into chapters of 2-3 pages each. These books appeal to kids in the 6-9 age range, and help kids transition from Easy-to-Reads to full chapter books. Transition books are illustrated every few pages, usually in black and white. Transition books emphasize action rather than description, and characters are simple.
Chapter Books hit a target group from ages 7 to 10. Your manuscript should run 40 to 60 pages, with chapters beginning every three or four pages. Chapters usually end in "cliff-hangers" to keep readers interested.
Mid-range or Middle Grade books: You will notice that most of our books have been for ages 8-12, and there's a good reason. This is the largest and most dynamic section of children's literature today. These readers can handle longer novels (100 to 175 pages), nuanced characters, and more complex plot twists. Non-fiction books begin to broach complicated and technical subjects.
Young Adult (YA): YA books actually begin at age 12 and go up through middle school. YA books have complicated plots and symbolism, and often contemporary themes. Because of this, YA books often have darker themes not found even a decade ago. Young teen readers can handle multiple characters, and character development becomes important. We'll talk about character in a future installment.
Editors want to know your genre and your target audience. The breakdown of book categories above, along with our genre list, will help you succinctly describe your project in your proposal, and will help you be consistent in your text. Stick to your audience and you'll be in good shape. For more detail on each category, watch for our upcoming echapter!
"Developmental Stages of Readers". feedback?cosmicart@stock-space-images.com
Part IV: Developmental Stages of Readers
In addition to focusing the genre of your book, it's critical to know your audience. What are their capabilities? What are their issues and interests?
differing vocabulary. A good word processing program will tell you for what age group your vocabulary is appropriate. In Microsoft Word, for example, this feature is found in the Check Spelling and Grammar tool, and will pop up in a window after you spell-check the document. This window refers to the Fleisch- Kincaid scale, which is an indicator of developmental levels for readers.
scales occurs when you are writing technical terms. For example, our children's science book manuscripts are thrown off by the technical terms we use. Automatic checkers cannot tell if you have explained things well; they simply tell you that your text is using words too sophisticated for a given age group. But you can get around this by selecting text that has no technical terms. This will tell you if your level of writing matches your target age group. If you must use technical terms in a book, just make sure you explain those terms in language appropriate to your target group.
young readers are necessarily shorter than those for older readers. (See book categories in Part III)
your target age group? How do you find out? The answer to the last question is simply to talk to people. The best people to talk to are those in your target age group. Chat with your kids and their friends (or your grandkids and their friends). Think about neighbors, friends, and anyone else in your social circles. People of any age are usually happy to tell you what is important to them. Teachers and children's librarians are also a good source.
your audience. Find their level and hit it, grammatically and in content. If you are writing a novel, remember that the characters who fall into your target age group are the ones who save the day, usually outsmarting or outthinking some poor dolt of an adult!
couple big words that they can figure out by context. Present them with sophisticated descriptions of characters and settings. Children are good observers of life. Feed their imaginations and curiosities!
of child readers, watch for our upcoming echapter!
feedback?cosmicart@stock-space-images.com
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