Children's Writers' Frequently Asked Questions
- How
do I get started?
The first step is to do research. Decide what types of children's
books that you want to write, and then go to bookstores and see what
the most current books are like in that style or category. After you
have read and studied as many of these books as you can find, then
check out the Writer's Digest book, Children's Writer and Illustrator's
Market . This book contains all the basic information and etiquette on
how to submit stories to publishers. It also has a listing of all of
the children's book publishers with their policies toward accepting
manuscripts for consideration.
Be sure to take a look at my other suggested books for writers.
- I
have no artistic talent and I don't know anyone who can illustrate my
picture books,
what do I do?
Children's book authors don't need to worry about creating
the illustrations for their books. In fact, the majority of publishers,
if not
all, do not want authors to submit illustrations with their stories
unless the
author is also a very talented illustrator. When you submit a story for
publication, it needs to be able to stand on its own merits. If the
publisher
decides to buy your story, the publisher will then decide who will
illustrate
it.
- Do I
need an agent?
It depends on who you ask. This has been a long debated
question. There are pros and cons in having an agent and in not having
an
agent. It really depends on what you want the agent
to do for
you.
-Agents can help you get your first publishing break.
However, many writers feel that it is harder to get a "good" agent
than it is to sell a excellent story on your own to a publisher. I was
able to
sell my book, BRAVE LITTLE MONSTER to HarperCollins without an agent.
-Agents can help you negotiate your contracts. If you're
not comfortable negotiating your publishing contracts or if you simply
don't
want to, a "good" agent can be invaluable in this area. If you have no
fear or if you want to negotiate your own contracts, there are plenty
of
resources on the Web and books that you can buy that can guide you in
your
contract negotiations.
-Agents can help propel your writing career. In my opinion
this is the best reason for getting an agent. However, not all agents
can help
propel your career. Most good agents know the publishing industry and
have
contacts at the major publishing houses, but you'll need to do your
research to
see if the agent your evaluating has the influence and capability to
really help
you build your career. Of course, before an agent can do anything for
you, you
have to have the writing skills and talents to back up that successful
writing
career.
The bottom-line you is that you don't necessarily need an
agent to have a successful writing career, but being able to get the
right agent
can definitely help your career. But don't forget, no agent is better
than a bad
agent.
- Is
it okay to submit a story to more than one publisher at a time?
It depends on the publisher. Some publisher won't accept
any simultaneous submissions, while others don't care. You simply need
to find
out their submission policies by looking on their Web site, send them a
letter
with an enclosed SASE and request their writer's guidelines, or look up
their
policy in the latest Writer's Digest Children's Writer and
Illustrator's Market.
If you do submit simultaneously, as a courtesy you need to inform the
publisher
that it is a simultaneous submission.
- What's
the best thing I can do to get my first break in selling a story?
Don't stop writing. Write all the time. After
you finish a story, start on a new one. The more you write, the better
your
writing will become. It can take several years of writing tons of
stories and
receiving tons of rejections letters before you have the skills or
insights or
whatever it takes to write a story that will be noticed and wanted by a
publisher.
- What
else can I do to help my writing career take off?
-Read lots of the latest children's books.
You need to know the current market to get a feel for what editors are
looking
for.
-Attend writing
conferences. Not only can you learn a lot of important things at
conferences to
help your career, but they also give you the opportunity to meet
editors from
publishing houses, agents, and other authors.
-Join a critique group.
To become a better writer, you need objective feedback on your writing.
Critique
groups can help you improve your writing skills and help you discover
essential
elements that might be missing from your stories.