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!

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!

Question: How can you turn one book into multiple sources of income, and continue to promote the original book at the same time?

Answer: Re-purpose it!

Re-purposing means converting the content from your book(s) into as many other formats as you can. Could your book make an audio book? An E-book? A web game?  Is there a possibility for a sequel? Can you turn it into a series? Can you make a picture book or graphic novel version of your novel? Can you re-purpose the same story for a younger audience, or an older audience? Can you adapt it into a song? Can you turn it into a play, or a musical? Can you create a workshop or build speaking engagements around the subject?  Can you offer teleseminars or webinars? What about a teacher’s guide? Articles for magazines or e-zines?  Is there a toy, a board game or another activity you could create? Can you make it the basis for a blog?

How many ways can you re-purpose one product?  In this way, you get paid anew for material you have already created, you offer your audiences greater value and opportunities to discover your message, and you gain more opportunities to promote the original work  – all at the same time.

Here are just some of the ways in which we have re-purposed our own books (and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface.) I hope this list might spark your own ideas as to how your story could be re-purposed as well:

The Dumpy the Dump Truck Series:

• Currently under consideration for a TV series
• Pajamas packaged with books for “Books to Bed”
• Fire safety and awareness package created for Dumpy and the Firefighters

Simeon’s Gift:

• Webgame based on the story (at www.julieandrewscollection.com)
• Teacher’s Guide
• Adapted into a musical for family audiences
• Further adapted into a symphonic performance

The Great American Mousical

• Webgame (www.julieandrewscollection.com)
• Song (“The Show Must Go On”)
• Teacher’s Guide
• Currently being adapted into a stage musical for family audiences

Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment

• Blog
• Workshops and speaking engagements
• Articles for e-zines and literacy websites
• E-book

By the way, this principle doesn’t just apply to books. Never lead a workshop or give a presentation without recording it – then get the recording transcribed. You’ve now got the material for blogposts, articles, workshops and more. Always be on the lookout for the ways in which you can parlay your existing materials into new sources of income, and new ways to reach your audience with your idea.

Standard white paper – Don’t even think of using colored paper!

Black ink – Don’t even think of using colored ink!

Double-spaced narrative text. No dummies or proposed lay-outs.

Times or Times New Roman, #12 font. Arial and Cambria are okay too, as they’re close enough to the size of Times New Roman, but you’re really safe with Times.

1¼ inch margins (1.25) on either side, justified left and ragged on the right. That means all straight on the left margin, and uneven on the right.

Paragraphs and dialogue indented, with quotation marks around all dialogue. Every time a new person starts to speak, it’s a new indent.

Title page – a separate sheet attached to the front of your manuscript, which includes not only the working title of the manuscript and your name but also your contact information, the date, and the word count. (Yes, you must include the word count. Microsoft Word has a handy word count tool under “Tools.”) Title and byline should be centered, and contact info, date and word count are on the bottom right. (The date is the last time you edited it, not the first time you sat down to write it. And don’t worry about putting “copyright” or a copyright symbol… it can be construed as amateurism.)

Pagination – all pages numbered, either bottom center or bottom right.

Footer including your last name, and the title of the book. The reason for this is so that if your manuscript pages ever get separated in the editor’s office they can be reassembled – and it’s clear who the pages belong to.

One staple, in the top left corner.

No illustrations, and no art directions.  Just the text. This is critical – unless you are an author/illustrator. Your publisher considers it his or her job to pair a writer with the right illustrator, so absolutely DO NOT include illustrations, whether by someone you have hired, your spouse, your best friend, or your kid. The only exception here is for author/illustrators… and if you are unknown, convey your willingness to bring in a third-party illustrator (or author, if art is your forte) if need be.  I can’t tell you how many manuscripts I’ve seen get turned down because they “loved the art, but hated the text” or vice versa.

No comments or directives on the text. Don’t suggest what the art should look like, or how the pages should be broken up. Again, editors/publishers consider this part of their job, and are irritated at best (and insulted at worst) by neophyte authors who include these suggestions with their submissions. Respect the agent’s or publisher’s imagination and intelligence (and show them that you are a pro) by submitting text only, in the format described above.

Next week we’ll talk about cover and query letters – and after that, finding an agent.

Generally speaking, dialogue should make up at least one-third of a picture book, and should convey as much information as the narrative text. Dialogue enables the writer to be both direct and economical – it’s far more effective and efficient for a character to say, “Go away!” than for the narrative say, “He told her to go away.”

The key to dialogue is the way in which it reveals or develops character. What does the way in which our characters speak say about who they are – their age? Level of education? Background? The time period the story is taking place in? For instance, what do you know about a character who says, “I’ll be your best friend!” versus “I’d be forever in your debt…”?

We also want to think about the words themselves conveying emotion, rather than needing to comment on or explain the emotion with adjectives and adverbs. This is often referred to as “show, don’t tell” – otherwise known as the writer’s mantra.  “Show, don’t tell” means “reveal through the action of the story, rather than telling us or describing things to us.” Show us how naive, shy, judgmental, ornery, or practical so-and-so is… how much he loves his blankie, hates bugs, wants to drive the bus. Show us through action, behavior, and dialogue, rather than you, the narrator, telling us with descriptive text.  Keep the focus on verbs rather than adjectives and adverbs, and action rather than description, to move your story forward.

Here again, Mo Willems’ books are worth studying.  The pigeon’s state of mind, his emotional journey, progresses through each book with only dialogue and body language.  The pigeon sits on the ground, with wings crossed and a frown on his face, saying, “No fair!” and we know he is a) a child, b) both angry and disappointed, and c) resigned to his lot.  Mo Willems is a true master of “Show, don’t tell” – and even those of us who use narrative text can learn from his example.

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.

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!