The question I was asked was: What are the particular challenges you think we (meaning children’s book authors, editors, educators, advocates, lovers of children’s literature) face?

This was my response:

“I think one of the challenges is keeping young people’s skill and interest in reading high enough to take advantage of the opportunities that will be waiting for them.

In my book Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment (Beech Tree Books, 2008), I talk about how much reading skills correspond to our ability to be confident, engaged, informed citizens. They affect how well we communicate, succeed in school and in our chosen careers, and ultimately our level of personal fulfillment. In fact, order to participate fully in society and the workplace in 2020 and beyond, we will all need powerful literacy abilities. But with all that competes for our attention these days, from television to the internet to electronic games and social networking, we face the possibility of a serious decline in the reading and writing skills of the next generation.

Our strength as readers and writers is profoundly influenced by how much of it we do – the more we read, the easier it gets. The easier it gets, the more we enjoy it, so the more we read. But we have to start by actually reading – and the key lies in making that activity as attractive as all the other temptations out there. We achieve that by focusing on activities that support the joy in reading (as opposed to reading as chore, or duty)…and by ensuring that what is being read is so good that the reader gets hooked and comes back for more.

That’s why I’m dedicated to supporting children’s book authors in the continued development of their craft. We have a huge responsibility on our hands. It only takes one great book to turn someone on to reading… but those great books need to keep being written and gotten into the hands of children!”

This is why you must write that book. If you have ever felt that nudge… that gentle (or perhaps, at this point, nagging) whisper in your ear to get that idea down on paper, I am here to hold you accountable. We can only keep the next generation (and those after that) reading, and writing – and using creative expression to solve problems and promote awareness, and cultivate compassion, and address the issues before them with artfulness and thought – if we continue to provide them with the tools to do so.  And the first (and best, in my view) is a good book.

So, get writing. Who knows? You may be the next Madeleine L’Engle… but even if your story touches just one child, one heart, that’s reason enough for it to exist.  One might even say you have a responsibility to put it out there.

There are essentially two different types of conferences that children’s book authors should be aware of:

1)    the Sales and Marketing kind, at which booksellers, librarians, educators and publishers gather to confer, and most importantly, shop

2)    the Professional Deveopment/Educational kind, at which authors and illustrators gather to learn from one another and to network.

The first category encompasses the following essential book fairs, expos and festivals:

BEA/Book Expo America – Once a year, every May. Primarily for the trade -  for bookseller’s and publishers to do their “shopping” and promoting to one another. Librarians and educators also frequent BEA.  Authors should be sure their books are being represented there. www.bookexpoamerica.com

SCBWI/Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators – 2 major fairs a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The fairs are usually in New York, but there are local chapters which send out newsletters and host events that authors should be sure to take advantage of. You can find out more at http://www.scbwi.org

ALA/American Library Association – One enormously important annual fair, attended by librarians, educators and authors from all over the country. Bear in mind that ALA is also in charge of some of the most influential children’s book awards, such as the Caldecott and Newberry.  www.ala.org

Bologna Book Fair – Primarily about selling rights to the international market. http://www.bookfair.bolognafiere.it/en/

Other major national events in the industry include the LA Times Festival of Books in April (http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks ), TLA (the Texas Library Association) (http://www.TXLA.org) and the San Francisco Book Festival (http://www.sanfranciscobookfestival.com) – and of course, on a very local basis, there are always annual author events at local schools, bookstores and libraries, plus writers workshops, book fairs, presentations, and signings that may be worthwhile to pursue in your own district.

The second category is all about professional development and your own learning curve. These conferences are strictly for writers to learn from one another, and from editors, agents and publishers in their genre. Many of these offer credit, and afford opportunities to network and build connections that might otherwise be elusive. Some examples:

AWP – The Association of Writers and Writing Programs, which celebrates authors, teachers, writing programs, literary centers, and small press publishers. One of the biggest and liveliest literary gatherings in North America. http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/

The Southampton Children’s Literature Conference – Sponsored by Stony Brook Southampton’s MFA in Writing and Literature. Part of the acclaimed Southampton Writers Conferences (which also include fiction, memoir, poetry, playwriting and screenwriting), and rapidly becoming one of the best writers conferences in the industry. Full disclosure: I’m the director of, and teach for, this Children’s Literature Conference.  http://www.stonybrook.edu/writers

There are also a number of other statewide children’s literature and writing conferences that can be found by Googling “children’s literature conferences” or “writing conferences.”

Writing can be a lonely business, so wherever you are drawn to, confer, confer, confer!

Manuscripts that are overwritten, under-developed, derivative, riddled with mistakes, or out of touch with the marketplace often won’t make it past the pre-screener’s desk – so it’s imperative that yours is in the best possible shape before you even think of submitting it for publication or agent consideration.  The best way to do that is by hiring a freelance editor to give it the once over before you submit. It can actually make the difference between a book getting selected for publication or not.

I work with freelance editors regularly myself. Even though I am one, I can’t edit my own work – and I don’t see the weaknesses in my writing that I can spot in other people’s.  I recently got a comprehensive, page-by-page evaluation of a picture-book manuscript I’m working on that included a round of follow up questions. It was invaluable, and well worth the investment.

There are a number of editorial services to choose from.  A manuscript evaluation gives you comprehensive written feedback as to what the strengths and weaknesses of your story are, as well as recommendations for character and plot development, assessments of theme and structure, and so forth. Armed with this evaluation, you then conduct your own rewrite.  Content- or line-editing means line-by-line recommendations for changes to words, sentence structure and grammar, as well as refinements in plot, character development, theme, and narrative. This service is obviously more expensive, but depending on your needs may be more helpful.  Copy-editing is generally proof-reading and fact checking.

Finding the right editor is a little like finding the right athletic coach or teacher for your child.  You need to feel safe about placing your cherished manuscript in their hands, and trust that it will be nurtured and supported in its development and be the stronger and better for it. There are several good places to conduct a search. One is the Editorial Freelancers Association, which most freelance editors are members of. You can also find editors on Elance and Guru as well as through Media Bistro.  If you are a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (and if you aren’t a member, you should be) they will give you a pdf list of member editors they recommend. The latter is probably your best guarantee of quality.  Of course, you can also conduct a Google or other search-engine search – simply enter the words “childrens book editors” or “freelance editors” and explore the websites that come up.

The following are six steps to help you identify and select the right editor for you:

1)    Decide what type of editing service you need: manuscript evaluation, content or line editing, or proof-reading. When in doubt, go for an evaluation first. Most editors will give you a break on the price of follow-up line-editing if they have provided an evaluation first, and this can be the most cost-effective way to get the best result.

2)    Look for someone who has significant experience in the children’s book industry, either as an author or an editor – preferably both – and specifically in the genre you are writing in.

3)    Ask to see samples of their work.  Some editors will share anonymous examples of their evaluations, others will offer to line-edit two or three pages of your manuscript so that you can get a sense of whether their style and approach is simpatico with yours.

4)    Review any testimonials and endorsements, or ask for references you can contact.

5)    Ascertain their pricing structure, and be very clear about understanding what you will get for that price. If you are getting an evaluation, will it be in writing so you can refer to it later as needed?  Are you allowed any follow-up questions? Will they give you a projected schedule for completion of their work? How about a discount off of any future services?

Once you’ve researched your options, narrow it down – and then go with your gut as to who feels the most accessible, professional and right for your particular project.

The following is some basic information on social networking for children’s books… but the field is morphing so fast, that there are scores more opportunities in this area out there that even I don’t know about… so I hope those of you who are using these resources will take the time to comment and share what you know.

The prime social networking sites these days are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  (If you’re a YA writer, then MySpace is also worthwhile.) The real power comes from connecting these sites to each other (or to your blog), so that you need only post information in one place and it goes out to all of them. One way to do this is through Ping.fm – though you will also find ways on the sites themselves to connect with eachother.

Here’s the basic info:

1)  Facebook is the most used social network worldwide.  Users maintain a database of friends and update their personal profiles to notify friends about their activities. Users can also join special interest networks and groups, and become ‘fans’ of certain pages (such as the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.)  If you are a published author, you need to have not only a basic Facebook identity but also a Facebook fan page, in order to separate your friends from your fans. You can then link these to your Twitter account…

2) Twitter is a social networking/microblogging service, through which users send (and read) messages known as tweets. Tweets are brief updates of up to 140 characters, displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers, known as followers. ‘Tweeting’ means posting regular news updates about your activities to your followers. This can be purely social, or it can be a powerful marketing tool -  a way to build your list, and get your followers to come to your events, buy your book, etc. Bear in mind that, if you are a children’s book author, you need to be selective as to who you allow to become a follower. I have had the experience of allowing anyone to follow my tweets, then looking more closely at a follower’s icon or identity and discovering they were clearly somebody with a different agenda. You want to be sure your followers are authentically interested in children’s literature. The way to do that is to click back through to a would-be follower’s profile before you approve them as a follower. This way you can see what their information says about them.

3) LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site, in which users maintain a list of people they know and trust in business (called Connections). This list creates a network that consists of direct connections, the connections of each of their connections, and the connections of second- and third-degree connections (talk about six degrees!), which can then be used to explore news, jobs, and business opportunities. LinkedIn users can also join groups (such as “Childrens Publishing” or “SCBWI Members”) for news and networking with like-minded business colleagues.

4) Other Sites – There are a few other key sites for children’s book authors. Among them are JacketFlap, SCBWI.org, WritersDigest.com, and MediaBistro.com. Each of these sites requires the user to create a profile, and affords unique opportunities for users to connect and network with one another, posting and promoting news items.

Bear in mind that social networking is only as good as your profile on each site: how complete and detailed it is, and how often you update it. It is also time consuming.  For those of us looking for excuses to avoid writing, it’s a really good distraction. Because I manage Facebook and Twitter sites relative to my own stuff as well as the Julie Andrews Collection and Southampton Children’s Literature Conference, I have to give myself goals in terms of how many tweets or posts I make a week or a month relative to each of these things in order to avoid drowning in the details.

That said, there is no doubt that there is no better – or cheaper – way to build your list, or to market yourself, or your product, than to utilize this powerful resource.

But first – let me ask you a question:

*Have you ever dreamed of writing a children’s book?

*Do you have an idea for a story but don’t know where to start?

*Have you written a book, but don’t know what the next step should be?

*Would you like to join the multi-million dollar children’s book industry, but have no idea how?

Perhaps you know me as the author of many best-selling children’s books written in partnership with my mother, Julie Andrews.

I’m also a writing teacher, Director of the Southampton Children’s Literature Conference, and a freelance editor – as well as being Editorial Director for the Julie Andrews Collection publishing program.

I know first-hand how many aspiring authors dream of breaking in to the children’s book market but are stumped as to how to do so.

I want to help you make your dream of writing children’s books come true!

Introducing…

Just Write for Kids!

A Unique Home-Study Course in Writing Picture Books for Children

Whether you are starting from scratch, have an idea for a book in mind or already have a manuscript in progress, this 8-week course will turn your dream into reality. Each week, you will receive a specific lesson in writing and editing your picture book, with corresponding assignments and worksheets.

In just 8 weeks, you will have a completed manuscript in hand, ready to submit to agents and publishers and all from the comfort of your own home!

Within 8 weeks, you will…

• Learn the fundamental aspects of writing for children, including:
  • How and where to find idea’How to develop characters, map a plot and identify themes
  • How to write engaging narrative, effective dialogue, and successful beginnings, middles and endings
  • How to deal with issues like anthropomorphism, verse vs. prose and word play
  • How to edit your manuscript
• Master the language and understand the standards of today’s children’s book market
• Write a complete, submission-worthy picture-book manuscript,
• Be on your way to submitting your manuscript to agents and and publisher

Learn more at Just Write For Kids.

Joyful reading experiences are among the most important gifts we can give our children – and the children’s book market needs a fresh influx of quality books every year.

Now you can join the rewarding children’s literature business and touch the hearts and minds of the next generation.

Take the first step toward making your dream come true TODAY!

Go to Just Write For Kids!

Act 1: Set-Up – transition/plot twist – Act 2: Conflict/Crisis – transition/plot twist– Act 3: Resolution

Let’s take a closer look:

Act 1 – Set up: This tells us the world we’re in, who the central character is, what s/he wants, and what his/her problem is. At the end of this section there is some kind of transition or plot twist that raises the stakes, and makes it matter all the more that the character achieves his/her goal.

Act 2: The character keeps trying, keeps going for what s/he wants. Obstacles occur – either from external circumstances, or from within the character’s own make-up. Finally, something happens, some major obstacle, and – crisis! This further raises the stakes. There is another transition/plot twist – perhaps s/he is about to give up, or there is some impasse. It seems as though all is lost.

Act 3 – One last ditch effort – and then, resolution! Goal met, objective achieved, prize won – the final obstacle is overcome, yet often when offered the prize, s/he has to decide whether to take it or not… thus satisfying the need created by something in the past (at the beginning).

Most types of dramatic writing – most film scripts, most play scripts, most full length novels – follow this strict 3 act format. It’s basic dramatic structure: beginning, middle and end, or set up, crisis and resolution, and it is just as true, necessary and important in a picture book as it is in any other kind of dramatic literature. It’s also referred to as the “dramatic arc” or “journey,” and can be illustrated visually by a hill, a bell curve, a hat, a pyramid.

Stakes rise… and rise… and peak… then move toward resolution.

Having a niche means being known as “The Person Who Writes X,” as in “Oh, that’s the person who writes those talking truck books” or “That’s the person who writes those steamy vampire novels.”  When you have a niche, you can still do other things – you don’t have to limit yourself  – but having a particular area of strength and reaching out to that specific community can be hugely valuable when it comes to building a marketing platform. It’s otherwise known as “target marketing.”  And once they’ve bought one of your books, chances are they’ll buy another.

For instance, if you know a lot about cats and you write a series about cats, then you have a built-in audience of cat lovers out there that you can reach out to. You can market your book not just to families who love cats, but to cat rescue centers and pet stores, anything that specializes in cat.  Maybe a cat food company would be interested in using your book as a giveaway item, or maybe you could do a signing at your local SPCA or veterinarian’s office or pet store.

One of our niches is the arts, which my mother and I both have a background in and which is a recurring topic in a number of our books.  So when we wrote The Great American Mousical, which is about a troupe of mice who live and perform below the boards of a venerable Broadway theater, we marketed the book to “show-folk” in every way we could think of. We stuffed the book in give-away bags at the Tony Awards, we became Amabassadors for Kids Night on Broadway, we reached out to theater memorabilia stores in Times Square to see if they would carry the book and to Playbill magazine to see if they would do a feature on it.  We created trivia games for theater fans and a mouse dress-up-and-put-on-a-show game online. We wrote articles on theater etiquette and offered links to theater camps for kids on our website. We’re even developing a musical theater adaptation of the book for family audiences.

In the publishing industry, they call this “special sales,” and most publishers have special sales divisions whose job it is to reach out to non-bookstore type places. But our experience is, you’ll have a lot better chance of success if you come up with ideas of where to pitch to yourself.  It’s your area of strength – even the best special sales departments won’t know the places to go in your niche the way you do. Every niche-marketing approach we did for Mousical we came up with ourselves. So think outside the box… Whose your audience? Where do they hang out, what do they buy, what do they like to do? Then come up with ways to sell or promote your work there.

With that in mind, it’s imperative that you make sure your manuscript is in the best possible shape before you even think of submitting it for publication or representation. Here’s how:

1)   Join a writers group. Get honest feedback from fellow writers on an ongoing basis. Find one in your area, or start one yourself.  It’s all about getting together on a regular basis – usually weekly – and reading each other’s work aloud, then feeding back.

2)   Take a writing course in your genre. Whether in a classroom, as part of an adult education program, or online, a good writing course is an opportunity to further develop your material. MediaBistro.com has online courses for authors, and many university writing programs will accept non-matric students.

3)   Hire a freelance editor. I know I’m biased – but this is really key. The Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators (wwwSCBWI.org) maintains a terrific list of freelance professional children’s book editors. You might also check out EditorialFreelancers.com, Elance.com and Guru.com. Whether you go for a simple evaluation or a comprehensive line edit, it’s worth every penny – and will save you so much money, time and heartache down the line. A good editor will not only help you polish your current manuscript, he or she will also help you be a better writer on your next one.

I wrote it in a very simple but stylistic format, and gave it to my editor.  “This is sweet…” she said, “but I’m concerned about the artwork.  It seems like it will be page after page of a boy standing there with his arms outstretched and his parents looking worried. Can we get away from this scene at all? Can we go somewhere else? Can we shake it up a bit?”

Duh.

Sometimes a story isn’t picture-book worthy because there just isn’t enough visual interest.  That story ultimately ended up as a poem, and for that it works fine (I hope… If you’re interested, it’s included in our new anthology.  It’s called “Faith”.) But it wouldn’t have worked as a picture book because there’s no visual progression to the story. There’s emotional progression, but no visual progression.

Remember: Artwork is at least 50% of a good picture book, and tells as much of the story as text does. And in picture books, art shouldn’t just mirror the text, it should advance the story – adding dimension and detail beyond what the text reveals, so that the reader pieces the whole story together from both. Picture book authors must avoid writing what the art will show – but they must also ask themselves whether, and how, each scene will make for compelling artwork.

Step one, particularly if you are just starting out or are new to writing for children, is to make sure you know the market you are writing for, and its specific styles and requirements.

I continue to be amazed by how many aspiring children’s book authors are ignorant about or just plain out of touch with today’s marketplace.  Many of us take inspiration from the books we loved as kids, but it’s also important to realize that times and trends have changed considerably since “Goodnight, Moon” and “Make Way for Ducklings” were published.  Familiarize yourself with what’s selling, and what the current as well as the classic styles, trends, and approaches are. See how your book fits in. Pay attention to the balance of text versus illustrations, the number of pages and/or words, the subject matter being dealt with. Be especially aware of what’s on bestseller lists and winning awards. Research the competition in your particular genre or subject matter, and include that information, along with why your book is different and fresh, when you make your submission.

There are literally dozens of resources to help you in this regard. Here are just a few with which to get started:

• Annual Publications, such as Literary Marketplace (it’s expensive and updated every year, so check it out from your local library) and Children’s Writers and Illustrators Guide (published by Writers Digest). These are essential tools to know what’s happening not only in the marketplace, but also at the publishing houses – who’s moved where, who’s soliciting what, what the latest submission guidelines are etc.
• Weekly Trade Publications, like Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. Both also have daily digests (PW Children’s Book Digest is essential reading) and blogs that are invaluable.
• Membership Organizations, such as The Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators  (www.scbwi.org) – a must. For a nominal membership fee, you get access to all kinds of resources, support and opportunities, both on their website and in the welcome kit you will receive.
• Web resources such as jacketflap.com – a social networking sites specifically for childrens book authors. Mediabistro.com is good too, in that there are online classes, job listings and other opportunities for writers.
• KidLit Blogs and MomBlogs– A veritable powerhouse in the industry. More on these later!
• Conferences, festivals and trade shows, such as BEA, ALA etc. We’ll get into those in more detail later, too.
• Bestseller lists, especially the New York Times (childrens books are mostly only available on the online version of the Times bestseller list), IndieBound and Publishers Weekly.
• Awards – especially all those sponsored by the American Library Association (www.ala.org) such as the Caldecott and Newbery.

Perhaps most important of all:

• Spend time in the kids sections of libraries and bookstores and be a sponge… and,
• Hang out with – and read to – kids. Nothing will better teach you what works, what doesn’t, what makes them laugh, when you’ve got them, and how quickly you can lose them!