Cracking the Children's Market Code

Get published--somewhere! Anywhere!

I started by editing a small running club newsletter. I won awards and landed a women's column in the statewide running magazine. I believe having credits allows success to happen quicker. Before I approached book publishers with my work, I built up my magazine credits. It worked. Soon after I wrote for Highlights for Children, I had my first print book sale--an easy reader.

Try and start your own club of your favorite hobby. Advertise in your local paper--that's what I did and my club mushroomed to 50 people the second year. Volunteer to be the newsletter editor if you decide to join an existing club--this will allow you to write at least every month thus giving you more practice at what you love.

This does not mean plunking down $700--there are many courses out there that don't cost much. You need a professional writer to edit your work AND you need to take a course that can teach you the ropes quickly. Think of writing as an apprenticeship. An apprentice will always learn faster next to a master--not next to a book.

The best picture book course is Anastasia Suen's picture book workshop.  I was published in Highlights for Children and still didn't break through the picture book market until I took her class.  After completing her course, I sold a picture book three months later.  How's that for results?

Anastasia Suen's Intensive Picture Book Workshop

If you're low on cash, I can recommend my friend, Barbara Kanninen's picture book critique service. She helped me with Multiplying Menace and Princess Peepers and truly helped them get into publishable shape! She only charges $94.95 for a full picture book critique! And if you have revisions, she'll critique it for a very reasonable price. She's REALLY worth the money!

Barbara Kanninen's picture book critique service

Another option is Brenda Sturgis' critique service. I've never used Brenda, so I can't personally recommend her, but she has a lot of testimonies on her site. If you have a few extra dollars, I'd try her out along with Barbara Kanninen's. It helps to have more than one professional critique!

Brenda Reeves Sturgis' picture book critique service

The following are courses you can find on the web:

Institute of Children's Literature The Writing Academy

 Writers Write University

Writer's Village University

 

Read plenty of examples

There are so many different areas of children's writing that it may be hard to decide where to begin. Start by researching the genre that interests you most. Since I loved writing for science magazines, I read every one I could buy or research in the library. Then, for my target magazine, I read a whole issue even before I began to query.  For short stories, I read over 200 short stories in the market I targeted before I made a sale.  Also I read over 200 picture books before I was able to sell one.

I had a 90% acceptance rate of my queries because I didn't spam query like many writers do. I meticulously examined every magazine before I began to query. A great reason my queries worked is because of the best writing book I'd ever come across:

How to Write Irresistible Query Letters, by Lisa Collier Cool

 

 

Make a goal each week

Get your work out there every week! I made a goal of having at least five manuscript/queries out there at all times. When you get a slew of rejections, that can be a hard goal, but it kept me productive. You might need a higher goal than that if you have more time.

Remember, the more work that is floating around, the more chance you will have of cinching an acceptance. But don't just query everything in sight. Be careful of your selections and always look out for more markets that will suit your writing skills.

 

Be professional!

Professionalism doesn't come packaged only in a fine, black and white computer printout, excluding typos and grammatical errors with the editor's name spelled correctly; it comes in how you approach the editor with words and follow up contact. I am often surprised to hear of writers treating editors like they are best buddies even before their first "meeting." Would you do this to someone face to face even though you have not been introduced? Of course not. So why would you address someone you did not know by their first name? Always address the editor as Mr. or Ms. and if they have a name like Kim, which could be male or female, write out:

Dear Kim Lastname:

Also, I've heard of writers "yelling" at editors who do not respond to their work in a specific amount of time. This behavior smells like a third rate amateur.

Let me give you an example of what can happen:

I sent out a humorous story to a top writer's e-zine. I thought it would go well in their humor section. The response time was about a month, but I knew better--e-zine responses are usually fast! After 2 months, I didn't hear anything. I took this as a no and sliced part of the humorous story and placed it in a nonfiction writing article. It was accepted by WritersWeekly.com. So, I composed this letter to the e-zine:

Dear Mr. (Editor):

It has been two months since I sent in, (my manuscript). Since this is double your normal response time, I am respectfully withdrawing my submission.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Pam Calvert

I immediately got a response by the editor apologizing profusely for losing my manuscript and offering his full attention if I submitted it again or any of my other work. I wrote him back telling him that it was already taken. He then wrote back and congratulated me. Because of this, I had made a good contact out of a non-acceptance situation. What might have happened if I'd sent a sizzling, satirical remark, chastising him for not ever responding? I know I would never have an opportunity in that market again! Even though it is tempting, never tell a publication that you are mad. If they are innocent, they will make it up to you. If they're crumbs, you wouldn't want to write for them anyway and you've withdrawn your work.  (And believe me, I've written for a few crumbs! It's NOT worth it!)

 

 

My Favorite Children's Writing Spots

 

There are many children's writer's websites that will tell you much of what I just wrote. Here are some of my favorites:

Verla Kay's Homepage

Children's Writing Resource

The Purple Crayon

Children's Literature Webguide

The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Robin Friedman's Interviews with editors--press on her "interviews" button.