I often hear from authors who are putting together children\u2019s picture books. They generally want my professional opinion about their manuscripts, and I can generally offer them plenty of feedback. Unfortunately, it isn\u2019t necessarily the type of feedback they are seeking. <\/p>\n
The fact is, I don\u2019t have any expertise when it comes to writing children\u2019s picture books. But I do have something to say to the authors. Here goes:<\/p>\n
1: Read lots and lots of similar books. Study the style, the message and the way it is presented. What tense and person do they use in professionally produced children\u2019s picture books? What type of words do they use? How do they get their message across? Become intimately familiar with the mechanics of these books. <\/p>\n
I looked at a children\u2019s picture book manuscript a few months ago that used a mixture of present and past tense. I haven\u2019t done the study myself, so I don\u2019t know if this is typical, but it didn\u2019t seem to work well in this instance. I cautioned the author to reconsider this presentation style. One thing I told her to do was to study other books similar to hers to see how they handle this situation. <\/p>\n
2: Get involved with a children\u2019s book writers\u2019 organization such as the Society of Children\u2019s Book Writers and Illustrators http:\/\/www.scbwi.org<\/a>. Spend time at the Children\u2019s Writers Marketplace at http:\/\/www.write4kids.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3: Be cognizant of word length. Currently, editors are encouraging authors of early children\u2019s picture books (for children ages 3 \u2013 5) to keep them to 500 \u2013 800 words. Picture books for children ages 4 \u2013 8 can run up to 1000 \u2013 1,500 words in some cases.<\/p>\n 4: Experts stress the importance of having a strong main character. And they say that with planning and creativity, you can tell an interesting story through exciting characters even within 500 to 800 words.<\/p>\n 5: Create a rewarding or satisfying ending for your children\u2019s picture book. Professionals say, \u201cYou owe it to your readers.\u201d<\/p>\n 6: Promote your book to the right audience. One hopeful children\u2019s picture book author told me that her book is for parents of children who have this particular problem (which is discussed in the book). I said, \u201cBut look at the story and the style of your book\u2014it is definitely written for children. You can\u2019t promote it as a book for parents.\u201d <\/p>\n Sure, parents and grandparents are the ones who will purchase it, but if it is a picture book, your audience comprises young children. So be careful how you pitch your book to publishers and to the public. Make sure you are clear about the purpose, intent, focus and target audience.<\/p>\n Writing for children is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. According to the experts, it\u2019s not just a matter of telling a story around some nice photographs or illustrations. Your book must have meaning and purpose, an interesting plot, strong characters and a teaching element, written in a language and style appropriate for the age group.<\/p>\n As I said, I am not an expert when it comes to children\u2019s books, but I do work with authors of both fiction and nonfiction manuscripts as an editor and publishing consultant. Learn more about my services at http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/consulting.html<\/a>. Be sure to read the testimonials. Yes, I have some mighty grateful clients.<\/p>\n Note: I always recommend that authors work with editors who know something about the publishing industry. Just last week, I saw a manuscript that had been professionally edited, yet it wasn\u2019t ready to be published or to be presented to a publisher. The editor (an English teacher) knew grammar, but she didn\u2019t have a clue about preparing a manuscript for publication. The manuscript still had two spaces between sentences, for heaven sakes! To learn more about this editorial rule and others, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em><\/strong>. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> <\/p>\n Lily<\/strong> People in the know are telling me that it is a miracle that she survived. We are pretty sure that, at one point, she was on her way out. But she chose to stay and boy are we protective parents. If I don\u2019t see her little sweet face for a period of more than 20 minutes, I go looking for her. Can any of you relate? Excuse me now, I must go check on Lily.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I often hear from authors who are putting together children\u2019s picture books. They generally want my professional opinion about their manuscripts, and I can generally offer them plenty of feedback. Unfortunately, it isn\u2019t necessarily the type of feedback they are seeking. The fact is, I don\u2019t have any expertise when it comes to writing children\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nBeautiful Lily kitten is doing GREAT! She is such a delight. It is wonderful to see her completely recovered from her seriously serious accident. (Read more about this at my Catscapades blog: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades<\/a>) <\/p>\n