Hi everybody! I’m Jon Bard, Managing Editor of Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Writers and Fightin’ Bookworm in Chief at the CBI Clubhouse, a credible new members only community for folks who want to write children’s books.
Today, Seven Steps to Success Writing Children’s Books.
If you’ve given children’s book writing a shot and you’ve gotten some rejections or maybe you just haven’t really a good start with it, you’re feeling a little bit discouraged, a bit burned out, maybe a little overwhelmed. It’s time to take a step back and recommit to your success. With that in mind, here are seven things you can start doing right now to help you get over the hump. Write on a regular basis. I’m not going to tell you to write everyday but that’s great if you could make it work. What’s more important is to find a schedule that you can stick to. If you set the bar too high, it will be easy to give up, so think about what’s realistic for your life. Three evenings a week, all day on Fridays, every Sunday afternoon, then do it.
Retrade journals once a month. Keeping up with the publishing industry is an important part of developing a writing career. Set aside one afternoon a month to a visit a library and browse through publishers weekly, hornbook, school library journal and other trade magazines. Note which books are getting the most attention from reviewers or placed prominently in publisher’s ads. Also, read reviews of books similar to what you’d like to write. If you can’t make it to the library, most trade journals have feature articles posted on their websites.
Read newsletters and publisher’s catalogues. It’s easy to get behind with reading your subscription newsletters or keeping up with catalogues from publishers. Try leaving a stack of reading material on the table where you eat breakfast or take ten minutes a day to read while you’re eating lunch or dinner. If you commute to work, print out and carry the current issue of Children’s Book Insider to Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Bulletin or perhaps a few publishing catalogues instead of the daily newspaper to look at on the bus or doing your lunch hour. You can also spend an afternoon once a month in a library studying catalogues from children’s book publishers. Just ask the children’s librarian to show you where they’re stored.
Read at least one new well reviewed or award winning children’s book each month. Study the books that are getting attention especially if they’re for the same age group for which you want to write. Focus on the plot structure in fiction titles or the presentation of information in non-fiction as well as character development, dialogue and writing style. After you’ve read the book, pick at a part. How many characters did the author need to tell the story? Where did the author choose to end each chapter? How many words were on each page of a picture book? How much description did the author include and what was left up to the illustrator? Note which elements you’d like to incorporate into your own writing as well as what you didn’t like so much about each book.
Plan to attend one writer’s conference this year. Writing conferences are terrific places to meet editors and agents, learn about new markets and trends and network with other writers. Many conferences also offer one-on-one manuscript critiques. For conferences in your area, check out the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, that’s cbwi.org or the conference listings in Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market.
Enroll in at least one writing workshop this year. Writing workshops are classes differed from conferences that they give intensive, focused instruction on the writing process. Many classes include writing exercises and the chance to have your work critiqued during the sessions. For classes in your area, check with your local community college, continuing education center or public library.
Also, be sure to visit wemakewriters.com to learn about the children’s authors boot camp workshops that are held around the country. Their weekend long, intensive workshops that are a lot of fun and an excellent place to learn more about writing fiction for children.
Finally, join or recommit to a critique group. Meeting regularly with a critique group can be invaluable to writers of any level. Try to find a group of people who are all working on children’s books and were familiar enough with the children’s market to be able to give you useful feedback on the quality of your writing. Inquire with your local SCBWI chapter information desk at the library or nearby bookstores for existing groups in your area. Attending a critique group regularly even if you don’t always have a manuscript to read will sharpen your editing skills. It also doesn’t hurt to have a community of writers to commiserate with when the rejections come and to help celebrate those hard earned sales.
Finally, for an amazing amount of inspiration, visit the CBI Clubhouse, the home for success-minded children’s book writers. You’ll find articles, videos, podcast interviews with the bestselling children’s authors, e-books, chat room, message boards and much, much more. You’ll be ready to take on the world after you come in hang with the Fighting Bookworms at the CBI Clubhouse at cbiclubhouse.com.
Until next time, this is Jon Bard reminding you, keep writing!
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services