THIS ARTICLE APPLIES TO ALL CHILDREN’S BOOK MANUSCRIPTS – INCLUDING PICTURE BOOKS.
Here’s what I do in Microsoft Word. (If you need a visual, an example is included in the book version of my Crash Course.)
Font and Paragraphing
If you’re like many people you’ll wonder where you’re going to get that illustrator for your book. STOP RIGHT THERE. Unless you are a professional illustrator, do not try this at home, folks! This is the great thing about a writing career. You don’t have to know how to draw! So remember: writers write. Illustrators illustrate. For once something makes sense. Whooopee! I bet I know what your next question might be..”
Recently, I was invited to do a live workshop on WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE. As I was putting together my presentation, I thought I’d leave my students with a few fabulous quotes before I let them march off into the sunset to write their first book.
To find my quotes, I put out a call to writer friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Verla Kay’s message board. I asked them to tell me the best writing advice they’ve ever heard.
A: When I think of high-concept fiction, I think of blockbuster-movie-kind-of-fiction. If you’ve got a “coming of age” story, where everyone is a regular human being that goes to a normal school, the girl breaks up with a bad boyfriend, but then realizes she was worthy without him, then that’s probably not high-concept.
Q: I’ve written a picture book and I’m perusing the CWIM. Many publishers have multiple editors or
people in charge of Acquisition. How do I know whom to contact?
A: Great question. Read my article on submitting to editors here. It details in length how to find which editor to pick. http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/for-writers/step-six-find-an-editor/.
Q: A book I’ve reads says so many times that it is inadvisable to email publishers as they simply won’t respond. But some publishers say they are open to email submissions. Is it still ok to do so?
A: If the publisher’s guidelines say it is okay to email them, then yes, follow the publisher’s guidelines. The book may simply be advising writers not to blindly email publishers as a way to break in.
Q: A writer asks: When writing a manuscript, does one indicate that words are italicized by
underlining the intended words or simply italicizing them? I read online that
one should underline any phrase meant to be italicized because that makes it
easier for the typesetter to find. What is your experience?
A: It’s a matter of personal taste. Personally, for all of my manuscripts, I do NOT underline. I italicize.
I get this question a lot. And often the person wants to know 1) how the book can be picked up by a major publisher or 2) how to get the book and related products in the traditional bookstores.
This is a very tough question. But here’s the short answer. PREPARE FOR A DIFFICULT ROAD AHEAD.
A: If you are both a writer and a professional illustrator, then what you will want to do is create a picture book dummy. I’m not an illustrator myself, but I can point you to a great article on how to make one.
http://www.yellapalooza.com/tutorials/dummies.html
If you’re only a writer, then follow the steps in my crash course to learn how to submit your picture book manuscript.
Are you gearing up for a conference and find yourself wondering what to wear, what to bring, and how NOT to make a fool of yourself in front of editors and agents? Then this is the article for you.
Practical Do’s and Don’ts for Attending a Children Writer and Illustrator Conference
1. Do NOT harass editors and agents to see your work.
I have run into countless writers who have spent hundreds of dollars on literary agents, vanity publishers, and book doctors, in the hopes of making it big in children’s publishing. It really breaks my heart to hear this because the truth is, there are people out there feasting on hopeful newbie writers, turning a very legitimate business into something reeked with fraudulence. THIS ANGERS ME.
I decided to classify this post so it applies to both PBs and longer works. If you’ve been following my Revision 9-1-1 articles, you’ve read a lot about “big” issues which crop up in manuscripts I’ve reviewed. But what’s contained in here is MORE IMPORTANT. Why? If an agent or editor senses you haven’t mastered the basics, your wonderful plot, brilliant characters, and awesome setting won’t matter.
Let me clear up a myth about talking animals. You might have heard it before. “You shouldn’t write about talking animals. That’s a big no-no.” Yet you see hundred of books come out, starring them. What gives?
According to some, talking animals are hard to do.
Let me give you the C Liu take on self-publishing. Self-publishing carries a certain stigma in the children’s writing world. However, that is not to say it’s not the right way to get your book published. It depends. The general rule of thumb is NOT to do this on your own. Why? It can be an expensive proposition. The final product often looks unprofessional. And your book won’t be carried by retail stores unless you sell a jillion copies on your own.
Critique Partners
The children’s writing community is extremely supportive. There are people out there who will read your work for absolutely nothing (see Free-tiques, I am one such crazy person). And there are many more who’ll read your work if you read theirs. This is a very common practice in our children’s writing world. I strongly advocate finding a critique partner or group who can serve as your sounding board as you work on your books.
Knowing the typical word counts of different types of children’s books will help you understand what goal you need to hit. These are only guidelines. If your word count comes in too high or low, you could raise eyebrows with publishers. Some might not even consider your work.