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Getting Started One reason we devised this website was because of the number of letters and e-mails we receive from people who want to write. As an instructor at the Institute of Children’s Literature, I see it all the time. One of the hardest things about the children’s writing industry is getting started. As I look back and see all the right and wrong things I did, I realize I had to learn by doing. It’s the only way. Now I can share with you those things and hopefully steer you clear of the wrong ways to write and publish for children. 1. Realize your dream If you are not passionate about children and literature you probably shouldn’t be a children’s writer. You have to love kids and love to read AND have the desire to learn. This industry is tough to break into and only those with a dream to write for children will be successful. 2. Write down your goals Setting goals is important in every aspect of life. Whether your goal is to clean the kitchen floor by the end of the week or whip out the first chapter of your novel, write it down! Make sure you write down short term and long term goals with dates. If you miss your goal, it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up, rather add that goal to the next day or the next week list of goals. I am convinced that unless you write down your writing goals, you won’t complete them. 3. Get educated! Writing is a craft. An art form and no one is a super writer just starting out. A great place to start is the Internet. Check out all the links on this site under Writer’s Links. Read articles on writing and children’s literature. I didn’t have the Internet when I first started out. I visited the library and checked out books on how to write for children. Visit Writer’s Digest to find books on writing for children. I even subscribed to their magazine. I also took a course at the Institute of Children’s Literature. This is an invaluable course and I feel I learned more about writing for children here than anywhere else. Join writer’s e-mail groups like those found at Yahoo.com. There are tons of them and one that will suit your needs. 4. Purchase the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market Guide This is the Bible to writing for children. Not only is it full of articles and interviews with leading authors and illustrators, it lists many of the current market places to sell your work. Unless you know what the publishers are looking for and how to properly submit to them, you won’t get published. 5. Send away for guidelines and theme lists Once you receive your market guide book, send away for the publisher’s writer’s and illustrator’s guidelines as well as sample issues for magazines and theme lists. You will need to start getting organized keeping your guidelines in folders and close to your computer. Check out the online publishers on this site and visit their sites. 6. Read, Read, Read A great way to understand what kinds of books and stories publishers are publishing is to pick them up at the library and book stores. I often visit Amazon.com or the Children’s Book Council to see what the latest releases are in children’s books. I even subscribe to some children’s magazines but also because I have kids who enjoy reading them too. 7. FAQ’s I’ve put some commonly asked questions on this site to help get you started. Be sure to visit FAQ’s as it is updated often. |
