The Waiting Game

When you submit a picture book to a publisher you may wait up to 4 – 6 months for a response.

Here’s what you can do in the meantime:

Create a list of publishers and agents you’d like to send your work to

Read publishers’ and agents’ blogs

Research topics that interest you

Take those topics and write a fictional story or a nonfiction article

Write articles for writers’ newsletters and magazines

Read books in all genres, first for enjoyment and then as a writer

Meet with another writer for coffee or lunch

Form or join a critique group

Talk with librarians about their current needs

Enter a writing contest

Offer to help another writer edit his work

Create a website

Re-write an article using a different slant and pitch it to another market

Consider co-hosting a writers’ event or workshop

Sign up for a writing class

Brainstorm new ideas for another picture book  

What other writers’ ideas do you have when you play the waiting game?

15 "Must-Haves" before Submitting

I write and submit nonfiction articles as well as picture books.  Writing can be challenging—publication even harder. But I’ve discovered that the process is easier when I have the following:           

A comfortable chair

A room with plenty of light 

Silence  

Coffee, chocolate, or any comfort food

The will to let the answering machine pickup

Passion about my writing

The drive to read my work out loud 

A first reader to point out mistakes or to make suggestions

The resolve to edit my work to perfection

An understanding of the market 

A grasp of the submission guidelines

An irresistible query letter, one page

Patience as I wait for an editor’s response

Tough skin if I receive a rejection

Perseverance to submit again

What "must-haves" do you need when you write?

Make an Editor's Day

If you’re thinking about writing and submitting a picture book, it pays to accrue writing credentials.  The fastest way to do so is to write nonfiction.  Really.  It’s easier to get published writing nonfiction than fiction.  Find a topic that interests you.  Make sure it has kid appeal.  Research it.  Write the piece in a kid-friendly in tone.  Then research the magazine markets to find a publisher. Pitch your idea to an editor.      

I’m an editor for the educational website http://www.viatouch.com/ and assistant nonfiction editor for Stories for Children Magazine.  So take it from me, you can improve your chance of an acceptance when you:

Follow the writers’ guidelines, even if you’ve submitted to the publication before

Present an ordinary topic in an extraordinary way

Use reliable sources (that does not include Wikipedia)

Write an article with a great hook, a beginning, middle, and satisfying ending

Incorporate similes, metaphors, alliteration into your articles

Use spell and grammar check  

Check your facts, dates, and spelling of proper nouns

Use a grade assessment tool as a guide to writing for the appropriate target age

Ask a reader to take a look at your piece before submitting

Have an expert read your work for accuracy

Keep your query to one page

Provide photographs or images 

Thank an editor for her time

Make the revisions an editor has requested 

There you have it—14 tips to garner an acceptance.  I guarantee it.

28 Picture Books

My husband Jim read picture books to Abby at bedtime, starting on the night we brought her home from the hospital when she was five days old.  These books are some of our favorites and are suitable for children ages 4 – 8.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles

Goodnight, Moon by Margaret W. Brown

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess

I Need a Hug by Clara Barton Elementary First Graders

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura J. Numeroff

Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino

June 29, 1999 by Davie Wiesner

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia L. Burton
Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard and James Marshall

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe

Oliva by Ian Falconer
Round Trip by Ann Jonas
Ruby the Copy Cat by Peggy Rathmann

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

The Math Curse by Jon Scieszka

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch

The True Story of the Three Pigs by A. Wolf, John Scieszka

The Tub People by Pam Conrad

What do you do with a Kangeroo?  by Mercer Mayer

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Wilford Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox

Initial Results

Maggie and the Third Grade Blues had been sent to several editors.  Most publishing houses will respond in three months if interested.  So far:

Dial—sent the manuscript; no reply

Arthur Levine—sent the manuscript; a signed rejection

Atheneum—sent a query; no reply

Clarion—sent the manuscript; no reply

Flashlight Press—emailed the manuscript; personal reply: a sweet story, but only publishes 2 PB/year

Tricycle Press—liked my previous submission, sent the manuscript, received a personal rejection   

Christy Ottaviano Books:  project not right for her list, personal rejection with a sticker!

Andrea Brown Literary Agency—sent an e-query + manuscript; no response after 6 weeks

Writers House Agency:  personal rejection 

Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency:  post card, no thank you

Contest news: 

The Decatur Public Library Annual Writing Contest—contest discontinued this year

And finally, better news:

The Alabama Writers’ Conclave Annual Contest—Honorable Mention

Writers’ Digest—among the top 100 winners

Dangerous Myths and Terrible Truths

I read this article many years ago, and it is still relevant.  Here are a few snippets from the piece.  Check out Aaron Shepard’s article for 10 more myths and truths about picture book writing.

http://www.aaronshep.com/kidwriter/Truths.html Aaron Shepard

MYTH: Children’s books are easier to write than adult books.

TRUTH: Good writing is difficult no matter what the reader’s age—and children deserve the best.

MYTH: Since my kids/neighbors/students like my story, it will make a great book.

TRUTH: Your kids/neighbors/students may like it only because it’s yours, or because they enjoy your reading.

This does not impress editors.

MYTH: To sell my work, I must get an agent.

TRUTH: Though it has become harder to sell children’s books without an agent, you can still do it—and getting an agent may be as hard as getting a publisher. Agents are more useful and available once you’ve sold on your own.

MYTH: My chances are better if I submit to small publishers.

TRUTH: Not unless your book is specialized. Small publishers issue fewer books and must often be cautious in their selections. Large publishers can afford to take an occasional chance.

MYTH: When submitting, I must protect my ideas from theft.

TRUTH: Theft by children’s publishers is rare. Ideas are plentiful, so editors are more interested in finding writers who can handle ideas. In any case, copyright law protects your work—without any official registration or notice.

Spreads

Most picture books are made up of 16 spreads.  A “spread” is both pages of an open book. 

To represent the spreads, draw sixteen rectangles on a piece of paper, using four rectangles per row.  Draw a line down the middle of each rectangle to divide them into 2 squares.  These represent the picture book pages with text and illustration (usually 32 pages). 

Rectangles 1 – 4 represent the beginning.  Introduce characters, the setting, the character’s want, the conflict. 

Rectangles 5 – 11 represent the middle of your picture book.  Introduce other characters (most picture books should have 2 – 3 characters), action, and complications.  Rectangle 12 is the crisis or climax page. 

Rectangles 13 – 16 represent the ending.  Examine the character’s feelings and solve the story problem. Include a physical resolution and an emotional resolution.

You can fill in the squares with sticky notes and move them around, if needed.  This technique will  help you visualize your story.