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!

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.

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.

Over the years, we have designed and/or made our own bookmarks, postcards, posters, flyers, brochures, bookplates, downloadable activities, games and teachers guides. We’ve even made mp3’s, t-shirts, mugs, note pads, umbrellas and mouse pads. These giveaway items are invaluable at book signings, school presentations, book fairs and any other promotional or marketing opportunity. They help attract people to your table and speak for you long after you have moved on to the next gig. One of the best resources in this regard is Modern Postcard.com. This terrific company makes not just postcards but bookmarks, flyers, brochures and posters of all different shapes and sizes. Their printing is high quality, their costs are reasonable, and you can do it all digitally. The more you print, the less expensive it gets. And once you’ve placed your initial order, reprints/re-orders are a piece of cake.

Of course, with children’s books we want to think primarily about items that have kid appeal. How creative can you get? What can you come up with that relates to your book that you can print on and/or give away inexpensively? Think about balloons, pens, pencils, rulers, bubbles, stickers, craft items, toys, coloring books… the possibilities are endless. For these kinds of items you can use a source such as cafepress.com or zazzle.com. They will print your graphic, logo or message on any number of items that you can either buy at cost and give away at your events, or you can create your own virtual “store” that you can link to from your own website, sell the items and actually make some cash and get promotion at the same time.

Oh, we haven’t talked about creating your own website yet, have we? Stay tuned…

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!

We learned this the hard way. My mother (and co-author) and I naively imagined, when we began our collaboration, that writers wrote and publishers published.  We thought our job was to try to write a good book, and then to show up for whatever was asked of us in terms of marketing and promotion – but to leave the logistics of all that to those in the various in-house departments whose job it was to organize it.  Those early efforts barely broke even. We soon realized that we stood a better chance of selling our books, and being able to write more books, if we got proactive about the sales and marketing ourselves.

We have experienced firsthand the vast chasm between the relative failure of some of our books (albeit arguably worthy ones) that we took no real responsibility for helping to sell, and books that we got behind with every creative idea and resource we could muster, which subsequently ended up on the bestseller list or going into reprints.

Because I also moonlight as a freelance children book editor, I know we are not alone in our experience.  Emerging and established writers still dare to hope that once the book is written, their work is done. It’s now about finding the right agent or publisher who will take it to the next step while we go back to work on the next project. But the truth is that writers today have to do a lot more than write – if we want to keep writing, that is, and if we want to experience high sales (and royalty) levels instead of high return levels.

The good news is that new developments in technology and fresh approaches in marketing have made it considerably easier than it would have been even ten years ago for writers to chart their own publishing course.  It’s also fun – strategizing marketing and promotional ideas to support a book can actually be as creative as writing the books themselves. It’s just a question of applying the same level of imagination to our marketing plan as we do to writing our stories.

Over the next few weeks I will be blogging about marketing for children’s book authors on what I call “Marketing Mondays,” in preparation for a Marketing Webinar I’ll be offering in January.  I’ll also be continuing with my weekly blog series on writing children’s books.  Stay tuned!

What do you want to say to your audience, and why?  It’s not enough to simply entertain – we want to offer our readers something to think about, a feeling, perhaps, or a question for further dialogue after the book is finished.  Your theme is your message, your point, your reason for writing this story… in a word, the gift you wish to give.

Let’s say you have an idea about a rescue dog: a compelling character with plenty of plot possibilities.  But what is it you want to say to kids about being a rescue dog?  Is it the value of home, family, courage, being lost and then found?  The task is not to preach or to teach – but rather to give. Think back to being a child, to what you needed to hear or to know, what would have helped you most on your journey to adulthood.

The most successful children’s books are those that have emotional resonance for children. They have a heart that kids can connect with and relate to. Obviously, as adults it’s our responsibility to help guide young minds toward the wiser choices we hope they’ll make… but we need to give kids the respect to make those discoveries themselves rather than having it spoon-fed to them, or worse, hammered over their heads.  We must work to ensure that our themes are relevant and valuable to our reader’s current experience… and most importantly, that they are there to be discovered – not overtly stated or screamed out from the page.

The best way to achieve this is to put ourselves in our reader’s shoes, and write in terms that he or she can relate to. That doesn’t mean we can’t use rich language, or that we can’t ask kids to stretch up a bit in terms of vocabulary. It’s about writing from the child’s point of view as opposed to that of an adult, and offering something that helps our young reader better cope with the challenges of growing up, even if it’s as simple as “you’re not alone…” or “you are loved.”

Here’s a great exercise to explore this further: Write a paragraph describing something – a person, place or object – from your adult perspective. Now, describe that same thing, but imagine that you are a six-year-old child as you write. You can write as either yourself at that age, or as a child you know. The difference should surprise you, and should give you a keener sense of how to connect with your young readers. Above all, it should help you give them the simple gift of being understood.

There are very few people who can write verse as brilliantly as he did, although it is great fun to attempt to do so.  I confess to having written a few stories in “tribute to Dr. Seuss mode” myself.  I also confess to having had a number of those stories rejected by publishers. Verse is widely considered to be difficult to do well, and for this reason, it can be a tough sell. When in doubt, go for prose – but if you must write in verse, then remember this: story first, verse second.

Challenge yourself to write a version of the story in prose, so that you can be sure the story is leading, and that the verse is germane to the story and not just filler for the sake of a rhyme.  In my editing practice, I frequently see stories written in verse taking all kinds of detours because the writer is trapped by the rhythm or rhyme.  They lose momentum, and their central dramatic core.  Drafting a prose version, whether before or after you’ve written the verse version, forces you to review the key issues—character, plot, setting, theme- in order to ensure that you haven’t neglected story structure for the sake of rhyme.  Verse should be the icing, not the cake itself.

Finally, never force the meter, or assume the reader will hit the right emphasis on the right part of the word if it is out of sync with how we normally say something.  Make sure that the rising and falling tone matches, and that the rhyme is true.