Social media, SEO, marketing and writingImagination Gone Wild: Writing Books for Children
With some writing experience and knowledge behind you, you might one day wish to try your hand and pen at a children’s book. Books for children are special and take special talents. You need a keen understanding of the children of this generation and some insight as to what publisher’s are looking for if you hope to become a successful children’s book author.
How does an author get started writing for children? Maurice Sendak, Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss), and Judy Blume probably wondered the same thing when they began. The way Judy Blume started was to follow in the steps of authors she admired. “Realizing I would never be another Dr. Seuss or Maurice Sendak, I turned to novels and wrote the kind of books I wanted to read when I was a kid.”
An understanding of today’s children is vital for success. Children do not like to be talked down to, and they are not often fooled. The more you know about them, the better your chances of writing a successful book.
When you feel ready to try a project, query a likely children’s book publisher with a description of your idea or an outline and chapter or two. Some publishers require a complete manuscript.
If you are not sure which publishers to contact, you can go online and study the treasure trove of resources, such as publisher sites, Amazon.com, Publishers Weekly, Writer’s Digest, Google Book Search and other trade publications. Study the newest books for children and see which publishers seem to be doing the type of book you wish to write.
A solid resource for writers interested in the children’s book genre is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books, 3rd Edition by Harold D. Underdown.
Some publishers break down their juvenile and children’s book needs into these divisions:
- Picture books for children ages three to eight or four through seven
- Fiction and nonfiction for ages eight through twelve
- Special interest books for young to older teens eleven through eighteen
- Humorous novels and science fiction for ages nine through twelve
- Readers from eight to twelve often enjoy books about faraway places and various products in use
- Young teens like books on careers, hobbies, the family, government, problems young people face, and romance
- The older teen group is much into special interest areas like military service, art, music, and theater
Many children’s book authors started young. P.L. Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books, is an example. Stories and poems she wrote as a girl were published in Australian magazines and newspapers.
While recovering from a serious illness, Travers wrote the first several Mary Poppins stories “to while away the days, but also to put down something that had been in my mind for a long time.”
Travers is very loyal to her young readers. She calls them “children hopping about with umbrellas, trying to make them fly.”
