3. Be realistic, but don't lose hope. You'll hear it all when you first start out. How some authors spent 25 years collecting rejection letters before publishing their first book. How your chances of getting published in your first year are one in a zillion. And--my personal favorite--how agents won't take on unpublished, unknown writers.
My advice? Don't believe everything, but have a healthy respect for what you hear from reputable sources (i.e. writers who have been at it at least a couple of years). While few can realistically dream of being the next J.K.Rowling--she's got that spot locked up for a while--it's not impossible to make a living at it, either.
As most will tell you, working on your craft (and we don't mean paper maiche) is Job No. 1. That goes for experienced authors as well as beginners. Whether your thing is picture books or poetry or young adult fiction, take a class at a local college, or check out some online courses. Find yourself a good critique group (your SCBWI regional advisor can help you there) and write, write, write.
My favorite resources...
I probably have at least two dozen "how to write for children" guides on my shelves. Here are two I think every beginner should check out:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books. Co-written by editor Harold Underdown, he of the popular Purple Crayon website, this guide has so much helpful insider information, it's like going to a year's worth of writer's conferences. Forget the "idiot" title; it's smart, well-written, and, at times, even entertaining. What more can you ask for for $16.95?
The Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market is published each year by Writer's Digest Books; some call it the Bible of the industry. It lists nearly all the children's publishers, and offers tips on everything from how to submit manuscripts to how to attract an agent. Various articles and interviews make it fun to read, too. Just be careful. In my first year, I spent far more time leafing through the pages of CWIM (and dreaming of that first sale) than I did actually writing!
Others I would recommend, in no particular order:
The Art of Writing for Children: Skills and Technique of the Craft, by Connie C. Epstein. (Archon, 1991). Epstein, former editor-in-chief of Morrow Junior Books, is a primary contributor to the montly SCBWI Bulletin. She's plugged in with the industry, and knows her stuff.
How to Write Children's Book and Get It Published by Barbara Seuling. (Macmillan, 1991). The author-illustrator offers lots of helpful info, including the one quote that adorns my computer: "We may tell ourselves it's laziness or lack of motivation, but usually we are just afraid."
You Can Write Children's Books by Tracey E. Dils. (Writer's Digest Books, 1998). Good, basic info, with helpful writing exercises from an author of more than 20 books for young readers.
The Way to Write for Children, by Joan Aiken. (St. Martin's Griffin, 1998). Award-winning Aiken, English author of more than 100 books, has a more literary approach, and digs deep. Chapter One begins: "Do you want to write about children or for them?"
From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books by Kathleen T. Horning (HarperCollins, 1997). Horning, a children's librarian and coordinator of special collections at the Cooperative Children's Book Center at University of Wisconsin's School of Education, offers a wealth of insights here. Even if you're not reviewing (or being reviewed), this is a valuable resource as it gets to the heart of what makes some books great--or not.
The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers, by Betsy Lerner. (Riverhead Books, 2000). Excellent book on the writer's psyche, which Lerner, an editor turned agent, knows all too well. Especially good for novelists.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King. (Scribner, 2000). You say you don't read Stephen King? Don't let that stop you. This is a compelling, and, at times, poignant read, loaded with entertaining anecdotes and insights about the writing life. And you'll never again look at an adverb without wincing wincingly.
Poem-Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry, by Myra Cohn Livingston. (HarperCollins, 1991). Livingston taught children's poetry at UCLA for years before her death, inspiring and motivating a slew of writers (Kris O'Connell George, Janet Wong, Ann Paul and Sonya Sones among them) who went on to write award-winning books themselves. Although this book was written for older children, its a fine resource for aspiring grown-ups, too.
How to Write Poetry by Paul B. Janeczko (Scholastic, 1999). Also geared toward older children, this is nonetheless a valuable read written by a well-known poet and anthologist.
The Insider's Guide to Getting an Agent by Lori Perkins. (Writer's Digest Books, 1999). Though not geared toward children's authors (who don't need an agent quite as much as their grown-up book counterparts), this book is a good resource for anyone on the hunt for reputable represention. If nothing else, you can live vicariously through the descriptions of lunching with New York editors.
An Author's Guide to Children's Book Promotion by Susan Salzman Raab (self-published, newly revised in 2001). Raab, former staffer at Bantam, Dell and Scholastic, is president of Raab Associates, which specializes in children's book promotion. Raab represents many heavy hitters, and offers helpful tips here.
Negotiating A Book Contract: A Guide for Authors, Agents and Lawyers by Mark L. Levine (Moyer Bell, 1998). Dry as beef jerky (but a romance novel in comparison to contracts), this slim guide comes highly recommended. It will help make sense of those ulcer-inducing contract negotiations. Helpful for writers both agented and not.
Come back soon for more!
