Back in 2021, I relayed the long, long trail to sell a 181-word board book manuscript for publication. And I promised to describe the launch!
Triassic
From dinos in my brain to in the book is like waiting to see a first-born child. Finally, the editor approves the illustrator, and How to Dress a Dinosaur has a cover reveal! Over the top cuteness, I put it on my website, Facebook, and find a launch group of other authors with 2022 releases.
Jurassic
Confidently, I contact local preschools, bookstores, and libraries for the Big Launch event. That’s when I’m informed that with a pandemic (I already had shots) going on no kid programs are being scheduled in March. And everyone is tired of Zoom.
In the meantime, I hire a virtual assistant and build a Pinterest board for dinosaur-related crafts, food, games, and costumes. Plus I order the cutest-ever dinosaur-themed dress.
Copies of my book arrive. I get so excited to tear into packaging I forget to take the usual “box opening” video. I beg family member for photos of any kids in dino costumes or with dinos and unearth my nephew’s dinosaur themed wedding!
I sneakily check all my area libraries to see if they have How to Dress a Dinosaur on order and, as a “local author,” request they purchase it. My launch group comes through with reviews on Goodreads. I start micro-watching the Amazon New Books page and get very excited when How to Dress a Dinosaur gets to number 11! This is going to be big!
Comet Strike
March 15! This is it! Launch Day!…crickets…
I read How to Dress a Dinosaur to one preschool outdoors on a blustery day in a heavy coat—which covers my cute dinosaur dress. Sigh.
Cretaceous
At last, a local bookstore is willing to live-launch How to Dress a Dinosaur on International Dinosaurs Day at the end of May! I bribe my teenage grandchildren to dress in blow-up dinosaur costumes. My own International Dinosaur Day is a real-time event with people who want an autographed copy! Book launches. Post pictures.
Cenozoic
I write an adorable sequel to How to Dress a Dinosaur and am informed the dino market is glutted. Time to move on to mammals…
Award Winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, during library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again. Robin is thrilled to have finally launched How to Dress a Dinosaur (familius, 2022)!
First lines make a promise. From “Call me Ishmael” (Moby Dick, Herman Melville, 1851) to “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” (Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, 1878). What first line drew you in so that it lingered in your memory? Did the book deliver on its promise?
In picture books we make the same promise to our readers/listeners each time we write a new manuscript. With those few initial words, we invite them to enter the world we have crafted and care about the characters. Because picture books have only 500 or so words, those first few are crucial!
In April Sara Kruger listed 30 new books with memorable opening lines. Below are a few examples.
“ROAR! Oh, no, you turned into a dinosaur!” (How to Dress a Dinosaur, Robin Currie, illustrated by Alycia Pace. 2022)
“Why aren’t you fuzzy like a dog, or buzzy like a bee?” (The Secret Code Inside You: all about your DNA, Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Steven Salerno. 2021).
“In 1969, people all across the world were sick”. (Tu YouYou’s Discovery Finding a Cure for Malaria, Songju Ma Daemicke, illustrated by Lin. 2021)
Agents and editors make decisions based on those first few words. Readers rushing through bookstores make buying decisions on them. Make them the best possible!
Innovative
“The kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to the ceiling.”
Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.”
Look over the first draft to find out where the action starts. Can anything before that point be woven into the manuscript later? Let the first line radiate the excitement to come.
Intriguing
“If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.”
The first line relates what is unique about the story.The best opening lines will connect directly to the last line. Problem solved!
Imaginative
“Horn went “Beep!” Engine purred. Friendliest sounds you ever heard.”
Little Blue Truck, Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry. 2008.
Every picture book word choice is honed to perfection, but the first words are the invitation into a new world.
Illustrations
“In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.” (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle, 1981.)
The first line should need no art note. It should be so clear that an editor or agent can immediately get a mental image. And maybe fall in love!
Often the finished first line will not be the first one you write in a rough draft, but ultimately the best one. Start…NOW!
Next month: Opening Lines for Nonfiction
Award Winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, in library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again! Robin was delighted to have the opening line of How to Dress a Dinosaur (familius, 2022) included in Sara Kruger’s Top 30 list of opening lines! Roar!
Things are getting more exciting for fall – real conferences in person with live editors taking pitches. But until then it is easy to fall into the summer slump since no one…seems…to be…doing…anything.
Don’t waste the opportunity to build PLATFORM! (Pause for loud groans and eyeball rolls.) That has been my attitude, too. Clicks, Likes, Tweets, and Followers just build up numbers to get a book contract.
Ok – now that is out of our system, here is a different way to look at the platform.
Shift the focus from “How much we can gain in potential sales?” to “What can share with others who may not have time to do the research?” Start with what we know and want to write about: kids and books. Can we say 15-30 seconds about:
Babies – Board books, soft books, novelty.
Seasonal, holidays, bedtime, birthday.
Mom, dad, grandma, neighbors.
New titles, old classics.
Your favorites, your kids/grandkids/kid next door favorites.
Preschoolers – pictures and novelty books.
Transportation, food, homes, holidays, new baby, pets.
Classic fairy tales and the spin-offs.
Books you love to read and read again.
Books from your religious tradition.
Early grades – picture books and beginning readers, books in series.
Appealing characters, diversity.
World exploration, cultures other than your own, holidays.
Tip 1: Check books out of the library. Show the cover to the camera/screen as if you were sharing it with a friend. (Don’t read the entire book since it is copyrighted.) Talk for 15-30 seconds about why you like it.
Tip 2: Choose ONE medium – Instagram Reels and TicTok are big now, but that can change. Where are the people who could benefit from your knowledge? And where are you comfortable?
BONUS: Whatever books you choose to share become comp titles for your next proposal!
DOUBLE BONUS: You helped some parents pick the right next book for the kid they love!
Award-winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, during library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again! She hopes How to Dress a Dinosaur appears soon on one of YOUR lists! How to Dress a Dinosaur – Familius.com Shop
We just launched a glorious new concept, never done before in exactly this way, and it fits the publisher’s needs, and it is a GOOD STORY!
But the acknowledgment of all this effort is…crickets. Did it go into spam? Sick? On vacation? Moved and left no forwarding address?
Hours, days, MONTHS go by. We are living “in the meantime.”
The publishing industry has scaled back a lot and is not back to pre-COVID levels yet. And there seems to be an annual lag in editorial activity from mid-July to Labor Day. What do writers do in the meantime?
Read
Stop by the library or reserve books online for easy pickup. Stock up in your genre, being aware of publication dates. Decades have gone by since The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Check the word count and subjects of books published since 2017.
Request
While you are at the library, ask the librarian what series or subject kids like. What questions are they asked that do not have recent books to answer. Check with preschool moms or kids at church or soccer practice for book suggestions.
Refresh
Where do people get book ideas? Everywhere? Start a file of new ideas and topics: A single object in a museum, a quote, an intriguing picture, a personal experience. Fill a folder with possibilities.
Revise
Dig out old manuscripts. The word count may not be correct for current submissions, but the story is good. Has the time come for that topic again? How could this story be tweaked to fit a different reader? Try rewriting in rhyme, as a comic book, from another point of view, in an alternative time period?
Recreate
Volunteer with kids at summer camps or at Bible schools, in museums or parks. Even the Snack Person hears a lot about kids’ interests and questions.
Enjoy the summer and have a lovely “Meantime!”
Award Winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, in library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again! How to Dress a Dinosaur came out of direct exposure to preschoolers! How to Dress a Dinosaur – Familius.com Shop
This came up to a panel of editors recently, and it was clear they wanted to put a positive spin on the answer.
As soon as a story starts burbling, I begin to “see” in my brain the characters and how they interact with the environment and each other. Sadly my art is so bad if I drew a cow (even with udders) I’d have to label it. So my first draft is filled with lots of communication to the illustrator (yet unknown) on how to make this book be exactly what I have in mind!
Over the books I have learned how to give (sometimes nervously!) the illustrator free reign – and the results are amazing! The illustrators chosen have not only been right for the story but augmented it with character emotions and quirks I could not imagine.
Now I edit with these “art notes” in mind.
1 Adjectives
Ah, those descriptive words that come so easily to writers! “The blond girl in the green sweater met the big dog.” Is it important that the sweater is green? Or that the dog is big? Or that the story will only work with a blond protagonist? For every descriptive word in the story, ask if each one will limit the artist or if the description advances the story or defines the character. If a word doesn’t matter (except in how you pictured it) remove and reduce the word count.
2 Art notes
Those little italic comments are off to the side, just in case the artist cannot imagine the action. (In that case, pump up the verbs so it is clear!) So tempting but the editors want to have their images and the artists will too. The only time they are needed is if the page is wordless or what you want in art is the opposite of what you are saying. Did Jesus have to be in a white robe with blue sash like every other picture? Resist! Resist!
3 Roughs
The first art we glimpse are the rough drawings. This is like the first or second draft of the writing. It is tempting to go through every page with helpful “suggestions” to show the squirrel eating a nut or having an areal shot of the house. Remember the artist not only has your words in mind but the page flow of the art, the total composition of the book, and the layout of the page with words. Unless there is a factual error (squirrel with two tails), let it go. However, if a certain drawing is a key to understanding the story and you want a change, mention it now before the art is finalized.
4 Surprises
They happen! Here’s a short story about a “Cat who Changed its Fur.”
I published Eyewitness Animals, Christmas Story, (Standard Publishing, 1997, now out of print). It’s the Nativity story through the eyes of 7 different animals who might have been there. The usual ones were Clomper Donkey and Wooly Lamb. My last character was Silky Kitty, the innkeeper’s cat. She led the little family to the barn behind the inn. In my mind, she was a slinky Siamese, able to get into small places and laze in the sun.
At this time authors did not approve (or even see) art during production, but I figured how many ways were there to draw a donkey or a lamb? Or a cat?
The book arrived and I loved the cover and the layout and the art! But when I turned to Silky Kitty’s story, I found she had morphed into…
There she is in front of the manger: Fluffy Kitty!
Every year since it came out, I have read Eyewitness Animals, Christmas Story, to church preschoolers. Every year the favorite character is – you guessed it – Fluffy Kitty!
Award Winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, in library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again! How to Dress a Dinosaur had no art notes and look how cute it turned out! How to Dress a Dinosaur – Familius.com Shop
After the fifth editor said, “I am especially looking for high concept picture books. I can’t explain that, but I know it when I see it!” I’ve been researching this elusive children’s book category. A high concept book idea is so immediately engaging and plot-driven, that a pitch is a single obvious and action-packed sentence.
1 Premise-driven
The story is about the action, with less emphasis on character, dialog, or lyric writing. The story is easily summarized in one, intriguing sentence: what if ocean trash were art?
2 Suited for a wide audience
The high concept book is as much fun for parents to read as for kids. It is highly visual to engage all ages and has strong commercial appeal by being immediately relevant or a twist on easily understood situations.
3 Unique
As in “Wow I never thought of that before! If your premise has been done before, take a new twist and then push it further. Imagine your book ad on a poster. What if the SUPERHEROES were at the Christmas manger?
4 Immediately intriguing
There must be an obvious source of conflict that grabs the attention from the title and delivers what it promises.
The book will undoubtedly include all the expected characteristics of a children’s book: story arc, problem-solving and relatable characters, three attempts and a climax in the plot, excellent word choice, rhythmic pattern, or flawless rhyme.
The best way to find examples of high concept is to read the tag lines from hit movies. (High Concept Movies – IMDb) Groundhog Day, Jurassic Park, Tootsie, Inside Out, Sister Act, The Incredibles. Each one has a poster where one picture and a phrase tell you exactly what you are getting.
The best way to dream up a high conceptis to find a relation between two unrelatable things: Vacation on Jupiter. Dining out with various Australian animals. Then push it two or three steps wilder! A really boring vacation on Jupiter. Taking my Wallaby to the Waldorf Astoria.
And the best person to ask for a high concept story idea: any 7-year-old!
Author note: And without ever calling it high concept, my most recent book is How to Dress a Dinosaur (How to Dress a Dinosaur – Familius.com Shop) and checks many of the boxes! The editor could not describe it, but she knew it was right!
Award Winning author Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, in library story times. She has sold 1.7 M copies of her 40 storybooks and writes stories to read and read again!
We’ve all read picture books that just seemed not quite right – the subject matter was too obscure for a board book; the illustrations were too detailed to use in a group. Avoid these mismatches by taking a moment when you write (or revise) to picture the person or group who will most enjoy it. That decision will govern your word choice and count, tone and approach – even if you are writing a book about dogs!
1 Family one-on-one
The subject matter is not as important as the experience of snuggling together and sharing. Board books, pop-ups, and interactive sound books are popular. A dog story might review the actions of a puppy all day and the snuggle next to mom for the night.
The subject matter is specific to the child and situation. Topics may be divorce or bullies, sharing, emotions, school behavior. There will often be suggested questions for discussion or opportunities to follow up. A dog story might be fear of dogs and how to approach one safely.
The subject matter will be specific to the group’s interest: dinosaurs, community issues, learning about other cultures. A dog story might compare the work dogs do in different parts world or use dogs to teach math concepts.
Dozens of Dachshunds: a Counting, Woofing, Wagging Book by Stephanie Calmenson
4 Group read aloud
The subject matter is not as important, but the best (and repeated) read-aloud books have several common traits: simple pictures, limited text, humor, surprises, rhythmic language.
The dog story might be about a teeny dog who attempts tasks humorously too big for him but finally discovers what only a small dog can do.
Dachshund Through the Snow by Michelle Medlock Adams
So, before you write the dog story (or folk tale or biography), take a minute to imagine the listener. That extra step may move your story to First Place. Woof!
Robin Currie learned story sharing by sitting on the floor, in children’s sermons, and in library storytimes. Robin has sold 1.7 M copies of her 30 Bible storybooks and writes stories to read and read again! How to Dress a Dinosaur is available now! How to Dress a Dinosaur – Familius.com Shop
Kids love humor, and publishers know it. Face it—parents love humor too. That’s why knowing how to add a few ha-ha moments to your story holds so much value to children’s book writers. But where do you start?
Last month, I explored four ways to add humor to your picture books. Those methods included word play, or puns, selecting words that have a funny sound, like snorkel, exaggeration, and crazy foils. This time around, let’s dive into even more funny business.
Artwork by Lori Scott
The Unexpected
Ever watch a blooper video? Those reels often show actors in an intense, dramatic scene, and then something unexpected happens on the set, and guffaws and giggles break loose. That’s because in any given situation, people hold expectations about how we are supposed to behave and react. Any break from that norm, and it strikes the funny bone. As writers, we can use this to our advantage.
A good example of this type of humor is found in the book Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds. When kids pick up the book, they expect something scary. The entire book builds up a sense of foreboding and fear until the final page. That’s when the reader is finally let in on the gag, and that unexpected twist is outrageously hilarious.
You can practice creating an unexpected ending by rewriting the finale of already established stories—ones familiar enough to the reader that they already anticipate the conclusion. Brainstorm a list of ways to turn the ending upside down. For example, maybe Goldilocks doesn’t run out of the cottage at the end of The Three Little Bears. Instead, we discover she’s a party animal who’s been hired to throw a surprise birthday rumpus for baby bear. Once you have mastered changing up traditional tales, you can create your own.
Artwork by Lori Scott
What a Character!
Readers latch on to funny characters. These have amusing quirks, behaviors, or appearances that make them funny. When accompanied by the perfect illustration, it’s hard not to laugh when you pick up the book. Some examples include the pigeon from Mo Williams Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, the duck from Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, or the dinosaur from Ryan T. Higgins’ book We Don’t Eat Our Classmates.
To develop this skill, make a list of your favorite funny story characters. Pick one and study him in depth. Pinpoint what you find so humorous about him. Dream up a foil or companion for the character. Then write out a conversation between the two characters being as silly as you can. Allow your character to dominate the give and take until he emerges as his own standalone entity.
For example, let’s say I picked Helen Lester’s main character from Tacky the Penguin. Tacky, is an odd penguin. He’s loud, he dresses in a sloppy Hawaiian shirt, and he’s slapstick clumsy. I’d introduce him to an overly friendly skunk who is completely oblivious to its odor. The little critter might even want to be a penguin too. Then I’d write a scene where the two meet, being as outrageous as possible, and let my skunk take over. If he was over-the-top silly with a strong enough personality to pull it off, I might just have the star for my next story. If not, I’d think, well, that stinks, and try again.
Artwork by Lori Scott
Ha-ha, Ho-ho, Hee-hee-here We Go!
With these past few months of ideas, you now have a handful of tools to help you add more humor to your stories. How do you start? With a grin. Then a chuckle. Then a good belly laugh. Oh, and a pen and a piece of paper might help too.
Elementary school teacher Lori Z. Scott usually writes fiction. Her down time is filled with two quirky habits: chronic doodling and inventing lame jokes. Neither one impresses her principal (or friends/parents/dogs/casual strangers), but they do help inspire her writing.
Somehow, her odd musings led her to accidentally write a ten-title bestselling chapter book series and on purpose write over 175 short stories, articles, essays, poems, and devotions. Lori also contributed to over a dozen books.
Lori enjoys speaking, leading workshops, and visiting local elementary schools to share her writing journey. Follow her on Instagram @Lori.Z.Scott.
Flip through the 2021 calendar and remember especially happy times. Big annual events were special, but your best memories may the “less stressful but loaded with fun” celebrations. Libraries and bookstores are hungry for picture books and board books beyond the Big Three to fill demand year-round. And back list titles take on new life every year! How can you fill this need?
Lesser-known holidays
Imagine or visit the local party store. What decorations festoon the aisles? President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, May Day, Mother, Father and Grandparent’s days, Arbor Day, Thanksgiving. (Try mixing two – Valentine Turkeys, Thanksgiving dinner with the Presidents. Anytime a dragon or dinosaur shows up for a holiday, fun will ensue!)
Own voices holidays
If your personal traditions include Hanukkah, Juneteenth, Diwali or Cinco de Mayo, all children need these stories.
Birthdays and anniversaries
Celebrations are annual so the possibilities are always there. Kid birthdays are ready made opportunities for gift giving. How do flamingos celebrate? What’s the right gift for a grandma? Who was the very first person to celebrate a birthday? (States have birthdays, too, as do countries, presidents and explorers. Great opportunity to piggyback on curriculum.)
“There’s a day for that?” celebrations
Foods have days: Jan 19 is popcorn, April 12 is grilled cheese, October 4 is tacos! Animals: Feb 27 Internal Polar Bear Day, June 4 Hug Your Cat Day, Dec 2 National Mutt Day. Activities, inventors, and saints all have days! None of these alone may be big enough for a book but a “Eat your way through the year” or “Which day is better Mutts or Cats?” (To find these lists put in your interest and add “holiday,” “celebration,” or “awareness day.”)
BONUS: all these celebrations lead naturally to back matter of recipes, crafts, family activities, and origin stories.
Here’s to a year of happy holidays!
Award winning author Robin Currie led children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called midlife to ordained ministry. She has a special love for children’s literacy and Bible storytelling. Robin annually volunteers teaching English in developing countries. She and her husband actively grandparent 5 wonderful kids.
Robin has published seven library resource collections of creative ideas for library story times, and more than 20 Bible story books for children.
National Dinosaur Day is June 1! How to Dress a Dinosaur, illustrated by Alicia Pace and published by familius in March 2022.
Students in my second-grade classroom love reading funny books. There is a bit of science behind the attraction. Laughter increases how much air you breath in, which stimulates organs and releases endorphins that can ease tension, relieve pain, and reduce stress. Laughter also activates the release of dopamine, a brain chemical that boosts feelings of reward, motivation, and pleasure. So it’s no wonder children are draw to stories with humor. Laughter makes them feel good. That’s why often, whether it’s for a magazine or a picture book, humor sells.
Ifyou’re not feeling funny, take heart. Humor writing can be developed by exercising your funny bone.
Word Play
A lot of humor starts with word play, a tactic often referred to as a pun. The one-liners might not get a laugh out loud reaction, but many readers appreciate their cleverness. With her popular Amelia Bedelia books, Peggy Parish wrote a whole series centered around puns.
To create these zingers, make a list of words related to your topic. Then consider the different uses for each word. Build your joke around the alternate meaning. Keep the ideas flowing and generate as many as you can, even if it’s a stretch. You can weed out the weak ones later. For example, when I had story about shoes, I considered types of shoes people might wear and generated these ideas: Plumber wear clogs. A spy wears sneakers. And doctors wear heels. I bet you could brainstorm more!
Word Choice
Face it, some words are just funnier than others. Words like snorkel, tickle, ka-pow, and chicken make me laugh every time. Sometimes you can make up funny words too. Fizzlepop. Snarkolala. Blarg. The silliness of the delivery can make it even funnier. The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak is a great example of this strategy. This hilarious book relies totally on silly words to make the reader laugh.
To develop this skill, keep the search bar open on your internet. (You have limited choices using the synonym feature in a Word document.) When you write a story, look for synonyms for some of your plain Jane words. Read the list out loud. Listen for the words that make you smile and either make the switch or create your own similar-sounding word. For example, substitute chortle, giggled, or guffawed for the word laughed. Or, lollyhahachucklesnort, which I just made up.
Exaggeration
The nice thing about picture books is that the pictures tell part of the story. An artist can add humor with an over-the-top illustration. Some might consider this slapstick humor since it involves a kind of physical action instead of words. A good example of this type of humor can be seen in the exaggerated character expressions in Mo Williams Elephant and Piggie illustrations. Elephant doesn’t cry. He weeps. He isn’t angry. He explodes. I believe it’s the pictures, not the text, that makes those books fly off the shelves.
But what if you’re not an artist? Outrageous comparisons can create hilarious images in the reader’s head. I’ve used word pictures like ‘an octopus in roller skates’ and a ‘crazed Doberman in bubble wrap’ to add a touch of humor.
To develop this skill, find any comparisons you write in your story. Then visualize something that captures the same emotion you’re trying to convey in the most unusual way possible by thinking–what’s crazier than that? Take it to the extreme. As before, generate as many ideas as you can and keep the best.
Crazy Foils
Warner Brother’s classic cartoon Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote builds all its humor on Coyote’s plans going awry. No matter how clever his trap, it always fails in a hilarious way. Several popular picture books use this backfire approach. Growing up, one of my favorites was Jon Stone’s Monster at the End of this Book. In it, a character named Grover doesn’t want the reader to keep turning pages. I laughed as I blew past brick walls and other obstacles Grover used to try and stop me. We see a similar give-and-take with the audience in Mo Williams Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. No matter how much the Pigeon argues, the reader turns him down.
Writing this kind of humor is situational. Similar to slapstick humor, the author must consider not just ordinary arguments or obstacles, but outrageous ones. And the foil can’t be simple either—it has to have exaggerated responses. For Wile E., he not only falls off a cliff, an anvil lands on him. For Grover, not only does the brick wall collapse, he gets covered with concrete and mess. For Pigeon, he becomes increasingly irate.
To develop this skill, look for situations that can be turned around. For example, the child does not want to sleep. Create a list of obstacles to going to bed. Generate as many wild hurdles ideas as you can, then weed out the weaker ones. Put them in increasingly dramatic order so that the stakes get upped with every page turn. The story practically writes itself!
There are many other methods of adding humor to your story. Next month, I’ll explore a few more. In the meantime, why not try out a few if the ideas I mentioned? Remember, even if you’ve never written humor before, it can be learned. You might fall on your face a few times. But laugh it off and keep trying.
Lori Z. Scott, teacher and author, writes fiction because she’s like an atom. She makes everything up. She also has two quirky habits: chronic doodling and lame joke telling. Neither one impresses her boss, but they still somehow inspired Lori to accidentally create a ten-title bestselling children’s book series and on purpose write over 175 other publications. She continues penning stories as an excuse to not fold her laundry. Find her silly drawings, poems, and whatnot on Instagram @Lori.Z.Scott and look for her debut YA novel Inside the Ten-Foot Line coming October 2022.
What do you want to accomplish in your writing by Dec 31, 2022? From the perspective of January, everything is possible!
1. Vision
Hold a 1-hour team staff meeting with yourself and brainstorm all that could be in 2022. Remember in brainstorming there are no wrong answers, nothing too far fetched. Use sticky notes or file folders or a spread sheet. Dream BIGGER!
Vision: I want a manuscript sold to a publisher by Dec 31, 2022.
2. Plan
Sort stickies into categories: writing, platform, network
Plan: to publish book I need to:
Writing: read in category, generate ideas, 1st draft, critiques, edit
Platform: social media, personal contacts, conferences
Sale: research publishers, complete proposal, query, agent, pitch
Maybe stop for coffee.
Plan: to increase my platform I need to:
Social media: Facebook author, IG author, Pinterest pages, website
Personal contacts: teachers, parents, librarians, author, twitter and LinkedIn, blogs
Conferences: in person, virtual, opportunities to pitch or submit
Er, make that a latte with an extra shot.
Plan: to make the most of conferences I need to:
In person: dates, cost, travel, other opportunities in area
Virtual: dates, cost, critique and pitch opportunities
Other opportunities: Blogs or groups the regularly interview agents or editors who open to followers
Ready for a double expresso mocha?
3. First step
The first step is the hardest and the most exciting! Let’s go!
First Step: Today I will look at 7 recent books in my writing category
First step: Today I will add 1 item to my FB author page promoting the book of another author
Board books have extra thick coated pages that small hands can turn and chewing babies can sink their teeth in. Browse any discount store and there will shelves full!
3 Reasons Board Books are Popular
Cost
They cost under $10, even less if reduced for warehouse and big box stores. They make excellent last-minute gifts, stocking stuffers, spontaneous check out purchases. Sometimes they cost less than the card that accompanies them!
2 Durability
Babies easily grab and chew on the pages. Just wipe off. They are easy to throw in a bag for use in a doctor office or restaurant. No torn pages or ripped covers.
3 Fun
With attention grabbing colors and not too much story, having two or three at bedtime is easy. Babies can be distracted easily and begin to learn the stories and simple concepts.
3 Types of Board Books
1 Concept
The focus is on one specific concept (ABC, shape, color) without much of a storyline. However, because there are so many concept books out there, one that can manage a story line while counting to 10 or learning opposites will have an extra appeal to publishers.
2 Novelty
The physical experience (lift the flap, sound buttons, touch and feel) is the focus of the book. Many are concept books where children feel animal fur. The book can have an actual story line with sound buttons for noises.
3 Mini versions
Many publishers print reduced versions of a best-selling picture book as a board book. It is the entire book reduced in format, leaving pictures and type smaller than normal. Other times sections of the story are omitted to keep the number of pages low.
3 Tips on Writing a Board Book
Words
Board book manuscripts are 10-14 pages and often under 150 words. Chose the very best possible words and make any rhyme perfect.
Pictures
They will be larger than the words. Make sure each page of text can be represented in a clear and simple picture.
Series
Always look for ways to develop at least 4 ideas for a series with a connected theme and art. Holidays and seasons, Bible stories, nursery tales, toys, pets, families!
One day you may see a baby chewing on your book!
Award winning author Robin Currie led children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called midlife to ordained ministry. She has a special love for children’s literacy and Bible storytelling. Robin annually volunteers teaching English in developing countries. She and her husband actively grandparent 5 wonderful kids.
Robin has published seven library resource collections of creative ideas for library story times, and more than 20 Bible story books for children.
Coming in March 2022: A BOARD BOOK! How to Dress a Dinosaur, illustrated by Alicia Pace and published by familius.
Does it seem to take FOREVER to get a brilliant (they all are!) book published for kids? Even as a published author and an agent, months and yeas pass between burble of idea and book in hand.
The Idea
Somewhere between the Construction Equipment Phase and the Superhero Phase, the Dinosaurs roam. Kids are fascinated by the huge lumbering beasts. One theory is that small children, feeling powerless, imagine themselves as awe inspiring predators with gigantic teeth! Roar!
The original inspiration for this story was in fall of 2014, when my youngest grandson was 3 years old and had many things on his mind to do with dinosaurs but few with getting dressed. James was in the dinosaur phase where he can’t pronounce “broccoli” but can say “Pachycephalosaurus” and correct my mispronunciation. He also owned dinosaur themed shirts, hats, socks, jackets, and underwear. And hundreds of plastic painful-to-step-on in-the-dark dinosaur figures.
So how about a book that empowers the child to feel the capabilities of the dinosaur channeled toward the mundane task of getting ready for the day?
The Writing/Editing
It was a brain burble that became first a badly rhyming text – what rhymes with Diplodocus? (Hopped aboard a bus? Was oozing green pus? Super-flu-i-us?). By 2016, I shared “Dressing a Dinosaur” 12-page board book with my critique group. They found things to improve in the 199-word manuscript – and that is why I appreciate them!
A year of tweaking, renaming to How to Dress a Dinosaur and trimming to 181 words. They reviewed it in again in 2017 and thought Dinosaur was ready to roar.
In February 2019 I sent this manuscript to a critique service, and it received a “GO”!
The Publishing
On to my agent, which required a full proposal with marketing ideas, sales of earlier work, and comp titles – far more than 181 words. Luckily in the meantime no one else thought of this and wrote it!
The Book
By March of 2022 I expect to celebrate 10 chewable pages of How to Dress a Dinosaur! (In a later article I’ll discuss the stages of preparing the world for this jungle shaking this even!)
Soooooo…
If you are counting, that is a total of 8 years for a board book! Take away: know your reader, edit, edit, edit, wait wait wait, but believe that the best ideas out there will find a home! Even if it seems to take longer than the Pleistocene era!
Award winning author Robin Currie led children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called midlife to ordained ministry. She has a special love for children’s literacy and Bible storytelling. She serves in Chicago area parishes and annually volunteers teaching English in developing countries. She and her husband actively grandparent 5 wonderful kids.
Robin has published seven library resource collections of creative ideas for library story times, and more than 20 Bible story books for children.
“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down!” said the Big Bad Wolf.
Children engage with picture books by hearing the words we read aloud (auditory or hearing) and seeing the pictures we show them (visual or sight). Another sensory opportunity often overlooked is touch/action, often called kinesthetic. That’s why generations of children know exactly how to blow down pig’s houses!
How can we add that kinesthetic dimensions to Christian picture books?
Level 1: Read the story. (all ages)
The majority of books require no engagement other than looking at the pictures and no interaction with the reader other than sitting still to listen.
Level 2: Touch-and Feel (birth-5 years)
Very simple board books may feature items attached to the page or holes cut to reveal textures. Feel the woolly coat. The adult guides the very young child’s hand to experience sensations perhaps for the first time.
Level 3: Lift the Flap (6 months to 3 years)
The next level of interacting involves lifting a separate piece of the book to reveal part of the story itself. What’s behind the bush? The child and adult physically engage in lifting a flap and determine how the figure under the flap relates to the story line.
Level 4: Engage in the text (6 months to 6 years).
The child is invited to make a noise or motion in response to the story. Touch fingertips together for a mountain. These very simple motions bring the child into the words of the story, increasing engagement between reader and listener.
Level 5: American Sign Language (3-8 years)
A much more significant level of interaction is in using American Sign Language to replace certain words in the text, child actually tells the story with the reader. LOVE The sign for love is to cross your arms over your chest. The child is assists in actually telling the story and often the signs afterwards are enough to remind the listener of the event or concept.
Level 6: Retelling (5-12 years)
Beyond the book methods require children old enough to remember without needing to see the pictures. Let’s have three volunteers to be Elijah, the wind and the broom tree. Directions in the book guide reader and listener to act out all or part of the story or tell it in their own words to others.
Level 7: Creative Expression (6-12 years)
Creative expression expands the story experience in drawing, building, or work with craft materials. Draw a mural of creation. These activities can be done by any number of children in a home or Sunday school setting.
Which one to use in the story you are writing? In general, the younger the child, the simpler the language and more immediate the response has to be. But any story for any age can be more memorable with invitations to kinesthetic response.
Start moving!
This post is an excerpt from Robin’s chapter in Writing & Selling Children’s Books in the Christian Market: From Board Books to YA by Michelle Medlock Adams and Cyle Young, Iron Stream Media, 2020.
PICTURE 5
Award winning author Robin Currie led children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called midlife to ordained ministry. She has a special love for children’s literacy and Bible storytelling. She serves in Chicago area parishes and annually volunteers teaching English in developing countries. She and her husband actively grandparent 5 wonderful kids!
Robin has published seven library resource collections of creative ideas for library story times, and more than 20 Bible story books for children.
She is excited to reveal the cover of her next book, How to Dress a Dinosaur, coming in March 2022!
Is there anything more fun than being in the library Children’s room at story time? I was the lucky librarian who did that for 30+ years, reading to kids from birth to kindergarten. I also selected thousands of books for the library to purchase and chose from those the ones to highlight and share at story time.
When the publishers’ seasonal announcements are made, how do professional librarians know what to choose?
Librarians are less swayed by Big Name and Big Author Following. We will buy a good book by an unknown author. We do not buy from Amazon, or care about number of stars. We do not have time to follow blogs. Our job is to spend community tax dollars on the best for kids.
What DO librarians want in a picture book?
1 We want a book that fills a need. All day long we get questions:
Where are the books on Dinosaurs?
Trucks? Princesses? Ponies?
And harder ones like Telling a 4-year-old about a divorce.
Or a toddler about a new baby.
And the ever requested: toilet training.
2 We want a child focused book. And in the format for the right age.
Board books for age 0-2.
Picture books naming objects for ages 1-4.
Simple stories for ages 3-5.
Often, we find a concept above the child’s comprehension in a board book or simple picture book.
3 Most important we want a read aloud!
Page turns
Rhythm
Repetition
Word usage
Illustrations
All these must work together in that perfect read aloud. They only arrive on our library desks about twice a season, but they are the books that get checked out and read over and loved for generations!
PICTURE 2
Now how can you position YOUR book to be on the shelf and purchase lists for the library?
1 Spend time looking at books at the library. Note publishers who sell to picture book collections. It is a very different set of publishers than for school age. It is different publishers than for book sales at big box stores. See what topics have empty shelves, or what books are dogeared from rereading.
2 Check the library newsletter for the perennial story time topics: holidays, friends, silly stories, and, of course, dinosaurs!
3 Ask the librarians what subjects are most popular. More important what are the needs they see in the market. That may be your subject to write!
BUT WAIT: when you send out a query letter or a proposal for your picture book, mention that you have done this research and what your results were. It will not represent double blind data but will go a long way in getting your story to the page and onto the shelf!
Award winning author Robin Currie led children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called midlife to ordained ministry. She has a special love for children’s literacy and Bible storytelling. She serves in Chicago area parishes and annually volunteers teaching English in developing countries. She and her husband actively grandparent 5 wonderful kids!
Robin has published seven library resource collections of creative ideas for library story times, and more than 20 Bible story books for children.
PICTURE 4
Tuktuk: Tundra Tale
Kansas NEA Reading Circle Catalog Selection 2017.
The Very Best Story Ever Told
WINNER: 2020 Serious Writer’s Book of the Decade, Focus on Family Top 10 Family Friendly Picture Books 2019, First Place, Wright Medal, North Carolina Christian Writers Conference, 2019, Finalist: 2019 Selah Award
She is excited to reveal the cover of her next book, How to Dress a Dinosaur, coming in March 2022!
“Many books for children feature children. Your writing will be more natural if you are aware of the rhythms and patterns that youngsters adopt when they interact with each other. Children often say the first things that come to mind. They repeat phrases – and rework their sentences as they speak. Try writing short, staccato sentences or long rambling ones just to get a feel for pacing. Reflecting on your childhood memories can also help draw out an authentic voice.”
Author Alan Dapré A former TV scriptwriter who now spends his time writing zany story books, usually about a Tartan Cat.
When I came across Dapré’s quote while doing some research on the Internet one afternoon, I loved it! I actually said out loud, “Yes!” You see, to write for children, we need to be where they are and listen to how they talk. We need to watch how they move and interact with the world around them.
This was much easier to do when my daughters were at home because we were “that house”—the house where all of the neighborhood kiddos gathered. I never had to work at being around children. Today, as an empty nester, I find myself having to work a little harder when I want to interact with my readers.
If you find yourself in that same situation, or if you write for the picture book market and you only have teens in your house, you’ll also have to get a little more creative to observe and interact with your readers. So, here are four tips to help you in that quest.
Volunteer: Offer to babysit for your friend’s children or take your turn in the nursery at church. Work with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, or other children’s groups. Be a coach. (I was a cheerleading coach for a stint, and out of that experience, I was inspired to write my YA devotional, “Get Your Spirit On! Devotions for Cheerleaders” (SonRise Devotions, 2018). You could also volunteer to read to children in your public library. Those are all win/win scenarios. You get to feel good about volunteering, and you will get quality time with your readership.
Strategically Observe: You will want to observe children at play. Watch how they interact. Listen to how they talk—their pacing, their word choice, their voice inflection. Observe how they move and engage with one another. Good places to do this? Go to the park. (Walk your dog there so you don’t look like a creeper—ha!) Hang out in the toy section at Wal-Mart. Go to the zoo and do double duty. You can observe kids and animals and take notes for future books.
Research: fill in the gaps with online research. When you can’t be with kiddos in real time, watch YouTube videos of kids just being kids. And while you’re at it, find out what kids are reading, watching, and listening to, and then do the same! Get in their world so that you’ll understand it and them better.
Remember: think back to when you were a kid. When you just can’t find a way to be around little ones, you can still make this work. All you have to do is…remember. Slang words and clothing fads may come and go, but the raw emotion of a story never goes out of style. Use your own childhood experiences or those of your children and draw from them. Tap into memories of your proudest, saddest, most embarrassing, or disappointing moments. Feelings are universal and timeless. Childhood memories may be the story buds for numerous future articles and books. The key is to remember with all of your senses—what you saw, how it felt, how it smelled, etc. Become that child again!
Yes, this will take some time, but it’ll be time well-spent. Get to know your audience and watch your writing become more raw, more real, and more relevant.
Michelle Medlock Adams is a best-selling author and an award-winning journalist, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Hoosier State Press Association. Author of over 100 books with more than 4 million books sold, Michelle is also a New York Times Bestselling ghostwriter and has won more than 70 industry awards for her own journalistic endeavors, including the prestigious Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book in 2020, 2019 and 2018 for “How Much Does God Love You?” “Dinosaur Devotions” and “My First Day of School”. And, over the past three years, she has added several first-place honors from the Christian Market Book Awards, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and the Illumination Awards in multiple categories.
Since graduating with a journalism degree from Indiana University, Michelle has written more than 1,500 articles for newspapers, magazines, and websites; and served as an adjunct professor at Taylor University. Today, she is President of Platinum Literary Services, Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States. When not working on her own assignments, Michelle ghostwrites articles, blog posts, and books for celebrities, politicians, and some of today’s most effective and popular ministers.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, Cuddle-up Prayers; I Love You Bigger Than the Sky and Writing & Selling Children’s Books in the Christian Market: From Board Books to YA coauthored with her agent Cyle Young.
Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two daughters, Abby and Allyson, two sons-in-law, two granddaughters and two grandsons. She and Jeff share their home in Southern Indiana with a miniature dachshund, a rescue Greyhound/Lab mix, and two cats. When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing, cheering on Indiana University sports teams and the Chicago Cubbies, and all things leopard print.
You might have heard that “Rhyme is a crime,” and that editors don’t like rhyming board books and picture books. That’s not exactly true. Editors just don’t like BAD rhyme. They like rhyming board books and picture books that are written well. It’s just that they have seen so much bad rhyme over the years, their hearts might be a bit hardened toward rhyme.
But if you can write good rhyme—then go for it! Most of my children’s books are written in rhyme, and I continue to sell rhyming manuscripts. But, let’s write good rhyme! Don’t be a rhyme criminal!
Let’s take a look at the top rhyme felonies I see when judging contest manuscripts.
Felony #1: Letting rhyme dictate the story.
If your story has been kidnapped all to make a rhyme work, then you’re a rhyme criminal. In other words, if your story is about a lizard who becomes a wizard simply because the rhyme worked, then it’s probably not a very strong story and if you wrote the same storyline out in narrative, you’d soon realize that the rhyme is really the only thread holding it together, and that’s not enough.
Clever rhymes are fun to read once or twice but if the storyline is weak and the characters aren’t very strong, your story won’t be able to keep the attention of children through endless readings. It won’t have that re-readability factor that’s so needed in picture books.
Felony #2: Using odd sentence structures to make a rhyme work. #justsayno
For example, in the song you might’ve sung in Vacation Bible School, “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man” (Remember that one?), the lyrics go:
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
A wee little man was he. (Why would we ever restate that he was a wee little man, and why would we say it in this odd sentence structure? Because we need it to rhyme with “see”.)
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see. (Again, we would normally write, He wanted to see the Lord. But we changed the sentence structure so we could make an easier rhyme…)
If you find yourself changing around parts of speech for the sake of rhyme, your name might as well be “Felony Melanie” because you’ve committed a rhyme crime. Just say no to doing that—promise?!
Felony #3: Being a lazy rhymer and settling for near rhymes.
For example, nursery rhymes and song lyrics get away with this lazy rhyme crime a lot, but it’s not going fly with most of today’s picture book editors.
Baa, baa, black sheep, Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full. One for the master, One for the dame, And one for the little boy Who lives down the lane
Though “dame” and “lane” have the same long vowel sound, they aren’t perfect rhymes. They are near rhymes. A perfect rhyme would have been to rhyme “lane” with “Jane”—see how that works?
Don’t ever settle for the easiest rhyme. Don’t name a character “Forange” simply to rhyme it with the color Orange.
Felony #4: Writing a poem and calling it a picture book.
Just because it is a nice rhyming or rhythmic poem doesn’t mean it’s a picture book. It might just be a nice poem for you to sell to a poetry anthology for children or possibly a poem you can sell to a children’s magazine that features poetry.
For example, I wrote a poetry book for kids called, “My Funny Valentine” for Ideals Children’s Books, and it has over 30 rhymes in it, but they are simply fun poems—not stand-alone picture books.
“Secret Admirer”
I see her every single day. I think she is the bomb. I’m making her a valentine. But please, don’t tell my mom. I think I’ll write: “You really rock! You’re very, very cool.” But if I say that mushy stuff. She might think I’m a fool. So I won’t sign my name to it. She’ll never know it’s me! I’ll tell her that she rocks my world, And makes my heart run free. I’ll sign it, “From your biggest fan.” I slide it in her locker. But if she finds out it’s from me. I’m gonna have to sock her.
A picture book will have re-readability; it will have a need for at least 12 scenes of artwork; it will have page-turning breaks; it will have a story arc; etc. Just because it rhymes, doesn’t make it a picture book.
Also, just a series of events or a rundown of a day, no matter how well they are written in rhyme, is also not a picture book. There’s no story arc there.
Felony #5: Writing in rhyme and being the only one who can make it rhyme.
This is maybe the worst felony of all. If you can only make your story rhyme while standing on one leg and holding your head just right, it’s probably not written in good rhyme and meter.
Always read your manuscripts out loud to see where you get tripped up, but most importantly, have others read your manuscript out loud and see if they have trouble with any part.
Study other rhyming books that are published and use them as mentor texts.
Felony #6: Writing in rhyme just for the sake of it.
Sometimes stories can be told WAY better via prose, not rhyme. You’re robbing yourself if you don’t try writing your story both ways. You might be surprised which version is stronger.
Now that you know, go forth and write crime-free!
If you want to learn more about creating GOOD rhyme, check out Michelle’s rhyming class at Serious Writer Academy.
Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and book awards include top honors from the Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, Cuddle-up Prayers; The Perfect Persimmon; I Love You Bigger Than the Sky and is anticipating the upcoming release of her book Writing & Selling Children’s Books in the Christian Market: From Board Books to YA (Iron Stream Media) with her coauthor and literary agent Cyle Young.
I was in the window seat, thumbing through my recent issue of “Writer’s Digest,” just waiting for the plane to take off when a mother and her young daughter sat down next to me.
“Don’t worry, babe,” the mom comforted. “You’re going to be all right. We both will.”
But the little girl didn’t seem so sure. She fidgeted, hid her face in her stuffed unicorn, and eventually, her tears flowed.
She was afraid. Very afraid.
The mom in me wanted to help. I was so thankful I had listened to that still small Voice when I packed my briefcase that morning.
“Is this your first flight?” I asked the little girl.
Without looking at me, she nodded.
“It’s a first flight for both of us,” her mom quickly added. “And, we’re both a little scared.”
I locked eyes with the mama and asked, “I’m a children’s author. Would it be Ok if I shared a book with your daughter? I think it might be helpful.”
“Of course,” she answered.
I reached down and pulled out my book, “I Will Not Be Afraid” (Concordia Publishing House) and handed it to the little girl.
“I wrote this book for my little girls when they were afraid,” I told her. “I want you to have it.”
She looked up at me with her big brown teary eyes and gave me just a hint of a smile. She and her mama read every page and every accompanying bible verse about fear, and by the time the plane took off, a calmness had blanketed our row.
That, my friends, is why we do what we do.
Our words, whether written in rhyme or narrative, hold great power. They can encourage, empower, educate, and comfort our readers. They can bring much-needed laughter, and they can provide a temporary escape into a world of story.
As Christian writers for children, we can make a difference, and just knowing that fact makes all the difference. Knowing you’re not just throwing together a manuscript for the sake of another sale, but rather you’re crafting a story that might encourage a child who never receives any support at home, or that you’re writing a book that could bring comfort to a scared little girl, that’s what keeps us writing.
That should be what drives us when we’re putting in the hours—studying the craft, learning the market, revising and rewriting, praying over every word, and promoting so our books can go everyplace they were intended to go and do the work they were destined to do.
Felt needs
Many publishers call these kinds of books “felt need” books, which basically means these children’s books fill a void. They address a need or they deal with a difficult situation in a very kid-friendly way. I love writing these kinds of books because it feels like ministry. You know why it feels that way? Because it is!
Some common felt-need topics include being afraid, being sad, feeling overwhelmed, feeling angry, and not feeling good enough. These types of needs can be narrowed down through story to address a very specific aspect of the felt need. For example, it’s not just that the child is afraid. The child in your story might be afraid of the dark. That’s a very common childhood fear. My daughter Abby was very afraid of the dark, which is why I wrote “Operation Moonbeam” (Little Lamb Books) which debuts in 2021. Or, it’s not just that your main character feels sad, it’s that she feels sad about her best friend moving away. Now, you’ve got the seeds of a story.
Felt need books are also referred to as issue oriented books. For example, there have been several books released in recent years about a grandparent’s battle with dementia. It’s very sad when Grandpa no longer remembers his grandson’s name. Helping a child understand the disease a little more and assuring the child that Grandpa’s lack of memory certainly doesn’t mean his love for the child is diminished, provides education and comfort to that reader. This can be handled through fiction or nonfiction, or you can combine the two by addressing the situation through story as well as providing nonfiction backmatter about the disease and resources to learn more.
As I walked through Book Expo in New York City last year, I couldn’t believe how many more companies had begun felt need/issue oriented lines. Just as I walked into the main room at Book Expo, I saw a whole wall of board books that all began the same way, “When I feel…”
Do you know why these kinds of books are becoming more and more popular? I believe it’s because they are becoming more and more needed. Kids today are facing adult situations, and as these little kids battle big problems, they often suffer anxiety, fear, anger, and hopelessness.
I’m not saying that as Christian children’s writers we are expected to have all the answers, but I am saying this—we know the One who does! He can help us help them! And, it’s our privilege to hold the little hands of our readers and walk them through these difficult seasons.
In order to do this with skill, however, we need to study others who have done it well. Here are just a couple of suggestions to get you started. Read “The Rough Patch” by Brian Lies to see a masterfully written children’s book about dealing with grief. Read Crystal Bowman’s book, “I Love You to the Stars: When Grandma Forgets, Love Remembers “ that tackles the topic of dementia head on. And, of course, you can check out “I Will Not Be Afraid” to see how I handled many of the most common childhood fears in one book.
Let me also challenge you to make a list of the things that most bothered you as a child or a teen. Was it anxiety over being bullied? Was it feeling embarrassed over not being good enough? Be specific when you make your list, attaching emotions to events or situations. Next, look at your list and ask, “Do children today face these same types of situations? Is there room on the shelf for another book addressing this topic or emotion? And, am I the one to write it?”
Once you’ve answered those questions, pray and ask God the best way to share your story so the pain you experienced as a child (or the pain your own children have gone through) has purpose. Let it motivate you to write a life-changing book for children, or maybe just a comforting book for a little girl sitting next to you on your next flight. Be excited that God has chosen you for such a time as this…your healing words are needed now more than ever.
So write.
(This post is an excerpt from Michelle’s upcoming book with Cyle Young: Writing & Selling Children’s Books in the Christian Market: From Board Books to YA being published by Iron Stream Media.)
Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and book awards include top honors from the Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, Cuddle-up Prayers; The Perfect Persimmon; I Love You Bigger Than the Sky and is anticipating the upcoming release of her book Writing & Selling Children’s Books in the Christian Market: From Board Books to YA (Iron Stream Media) with her coauthor and literary agent Cyle Young.
In January, I had the privilege of speaking about being a writer at a large private school near Chicago. But before my talk, as an added bonus, I had lunch with a group of award-winning student authors ranging in age from 5 to 13. (These students had been chosen to represent their individual classroom as “the best of the best” and read their work in front of the entire school.) So, while I chatted with these gifted wordsmiths in between bites of cheese pizza, I asked them: “Which was harder for you—writing or editing your story?” As I expected, all but one said the editing process had been way harder. Then, the one who didn’t jump on the editing bandwagon said something I’ll never forget.
She very honestly admitted, “I had trouble with the writing process because I kept editing myself…”
That comment sparked a very interesting conversation about hats and one of my favorite books about writing, Dancing on the Head of a Pen: The Practice of a Writing Life by Robert Benson. In case you haven’t read it, Benson shares about the different hats he wears when crafting his amazing books. He sports a stylish beret when creating story. As he writes his “sloppy copy,” beret man is the guy in the chair. But once this first draft is safely recorded, he switches to his well-loved Yankees cap which he has lovingly named “Gamer”. He wears “Gamer” when editing. But Benson explains that bringing out “Gamer” too soon in the process can totally halt the creativity of “Beret man”—the artist.
That’s what had happened to the student who confessed she’d really struggled with the writing process.
“You switched hats too soon,” I told her, explaining Benson’s theory.
What about you? Are you self-editing (and sometimes self-loathing) as you write and create children’s stories? Are you constantly fixing grammar and spelling or rewriting sentences three and four times before continuing on? If so, I feel your pain. I occasionally stifle my own creativity because I can’t get my baseball “Gamer” cap off my head. It just won’t budge! And, no matter how hard I try, I can’t create with “Gamer” calling the shots!
If you struggle with this premature switching of hats, here are three strategies you can implement to keep your beret safely in place as you create.
Write fast, really fast. Don’t give yourself the chance to edit. Just get that story down on paper or in that computer, whatever your process.
Switch gears, not hats. The moment you feel yourself slipping into the editing mode, switch gears completely. For example, if you’re writing a picture book in narrative and you start to slip into editor mode, stop writing narrative and try writing your picture book in rhyme. That will get your creative juices flowing again and put your editor’s cap back on the hat rack.
Set the Mood with Music. This works well for me. If I’m creating, I have on “mood music” that awakens the creative part of me. So, when I was writing my book, “Get Your Spirit On! Devotions for Cheerleaders” I listened to all of the cheer music compilations that my daughters competed to when they cheered. That music was motivating and put me in the right mindset to write about “all things cheerleading.” But, when I am editing, I almost always listen to instrumental music. When the instrumental melodies fill my writing room, it instantly becomes my editing room. Maybe this tactic will work for you, too!
If you’re like the little girl who struggled with knowing which hat to wear—the beret or the Gamer—I hope you’ll try these three strategies. And, I recommend you purchase your own copy of Dancing on the Head of a Penand glean from Benson’s genius.
Michelle
Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling
author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and
book awards include top honors from the
Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the
Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of
Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of
the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker
at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys
bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the
Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of
her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous
& Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and
C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional
book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.
Once in a while, I come across a book so unique and wonderful that I think, “Wow, I sure wish I’d written that book.” (I bet you do the same.) For example, when I first read Adam Rex’s “School’s First Day of School” (Roaring Brook Press), I actually said out loud in the bookstore, “Now, why didn’t I think of that?” In this charming story, Rex puts a new twist on an old concept—children being afraid of the first day of school. Hundreds of books have been written on that topic. In fact, I wrote one called, “My First Day of School” (WorthyKids) in 2017, and though I like how it turned out, it’s certainly not as clever as “School’s First Day of School” which is told from the school building’s perspective.
In Rex’s book, the school expresses all of the same emotions many children experience on that first day of school—excitement, jitters, anticipation, embarrassment and more.
That’s a perfect example of taking a tired topic and breathing new life into it. Publisher’s Weekly thought so, too, stating the following in its review: “Every so often, a book comes along with a premise so perfect, it’s hard to believe it hasn’t been done before; this is one of those books.”
Let me give you another example of how a gifted author took what could have been a straightforward, boring biography about two well-known historical figures but instead crafted copy that’s touching hearts around the world. It’s a book called, “Martin & Anne” by my friend and fellow Nonfiction Ninja Nancy Churnin.
In “Martin & Anne” (Creston Books), readers are taken on a journey that explores the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank—two history makers born the same year on different continents. Churnin details how both faced discrimination from the time they were very young. Martin Luther King, Jr. faced “Whites only” signs while Anne Frank grew up facing “No Jews allowed” policies. They were kindred spirits who suffered untimely deaths yet impacted the world while they were here.
Do you see what Churnin did so brilliantly here? Can you identify the twist? Instead of writing the typical biography, Churnin created a type of comparison/contrast book, paralleling the lives of these two extraordinary people—Martin & Anne. She didn’t write a chronological retelling of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, nor did she write just another ordinary biography about Anne Frank. She found a new way to share important details about these two historical figures’ lives. This book is more than clever; it’s inspired.
So, how can you get a new perspective on an old topic or put a new twist on a tired tale? Force yourself to think outside the box and never accept your first thoughts about how to tell the story. Explore several options, sharing the story from various points of view, and see which version is stronger. Also, look for the little-known details about common stories and see if you can build on those facts to create a unique book that will wow the editors of Publisher’s Weekly, and more importantly, inspire a new generation of readers.
Michelle
Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling
author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and
book awards include top honors from the
Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the
Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of
Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of
the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker
at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys
bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the
Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of
her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous
& Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and
C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional
book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.
If you’ve been to any writers conference lately,
you’ve no doubt heard lots of talk about building a platform. And, you’ve probably
learned that one of the best ways to grow your platform is to increase your
social media following.
But, just how can we grow our online following?
Well, it would take more than one blog post to fully answer that question, but
here are three tips to help you improve your online numbers and your
engagement.
1. Be Authentic:
People can spot “a fake” almost immediately, so be genuine when you post updates. For example, if you aren’t a savvy cook and yet you’re coming out with a cookbook, don’t promote yourself like you’re the expert. Instead, be self-deprecating and play up your inabilities to cook. Have fun with it! People are tired of folks showcasing their “perfect social media lives”—be real. Your connections will love you for it, and they’ll be more apt to listen to you when you share about your latest books, future speaking gigs, etc.
One of the most liked and shared posts I ever made
happened this past winter when I posted a picture of my feet wearing two
different boots. I just happened to glance down at my mismatched feet while
sitting under the dryer at my hairdresser’s, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I
snapped a picture, posted it on Instagram & Facebook, and said something
like, “You know you’re on way too many deadlines when you look down at your
feet and discover that you’re wearing two very different boots. At least they
are both black, so there’s that…”
My followers loved it! Many commented that they’d
worn different shoes to work before, so not to feel too badly. Others said they
were having that same kind of week. Still, some just messaged, “Thanks for the
laugh.”
2. Be Overgenerous:
Always give more than you take. It’s totally fine to share the cover of your latest book and promote it on all social media platforms, but make sure you’re also giving back and not always in advertising mode.
For example, you could offer a coloring sheet
related to your children’s book or some other kind of free downloadable
(Perhaps, some of your backmatter or a sidebar you didn’t end up using could
serve as a nice freebie.)
Entrepreneur and Author Gary Vaynerchuk has been
giving away content from his books before they were ever released for years,
and yet his books are always bestsellers!
So, why should we be overgenerous with our
information? It builds authority,
credibility, trust, and likability, and it increases our online presence
because people will share you and your valuable content.
3. Be Consistent & Caring:
You can’t post once every two months and expect to gain much of a following online. Post often, even if it’s just a repost of a funny meme you found, or one that you created in Canva. (Hint: You can use a scheduler to post across several social media platforms all at once.)
Can’t think of a clever status update? Why not ask
your followers a question, and see how many responses you receive? It can be something as simple as, “So, how’s
your Monday going?” or something as specific as, “Anybody else watch the
Thanksgiving Day parade? What was your favorite float?”
Don’t be afraid to engage with your followers. Get
to know them and let them get to know you—the real you.
Lastly, when interacting with your followers, whether
it’s on your personal Facebook page or within a LinkedIn group, always try to
add value when sharing information. Be that “go-to guy” or “go-to girl.” When
you answer questions, without asking for anything in return, you become more
likable, and people will be more likely to share you and your books with their
friends and family.
Ok, there you have it—three tips to get you started
on that all-important platform building. Now, go forth and post!
Michelle
Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling
author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and
book awards include top honors from the
Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the
Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of
Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of
the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker
at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys
bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the
Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of
her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous
& Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and
C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional
book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.
Whenever I teach at conferences, I’m
often asked the same question: “How do you write so many books a year?” I
jokingly answer, “Lots of Diet Pepsi and Peanut M&Ms.” But the truth is, it
takes determination, drive, prayer, a support system, and B.I.C. time,
otherwise known as “Butt In Chair” time. Let’s face it; if this children’s writing
thing were easy, everyone would be a writer. It takes commitment and sacrifice,
but you can do this.
Part of making time for writing is
changing your mentality. If writing for children is more than just a hobby for
you, treat it as such. If you don’t put
it on your calendar, you probably won’t do it. So, get a planner (I like the
Happy Planners) and make a writing date with yourself. Here are three more strategies
to help you carve out more B.I.C. time in your already busy schedule.
FIND THE TIME
On a deadline, ready for B.I.C time
If you’re a
morning person, get up an hour or two earlier and spend that time working on
book proposals, crafting articles, or writing those all-important follow-up
thank you notes to the editors, agents, and other faculty members who poured
into you at a recent conference.
If you get an hour for lunch, why not
take your personal laptop with you to work and spend those minutes working on
your own assignments?
Eat a protein
bar instead of going out for lunch. You’ll get work done and lose weight! It’s
a win/win! And, if you’re a night owl like me, write at night. Once the house
is quiet (when most everyone else is in bed) spend those magical minutes
cranking out copy.
If none of those options work for you,
how about participating in what I call a “Super Saturday?” Reserve one or two
Saturdays a month for all-day binge writing. Schedule that time in your planner
or add them to your smartphone calendar—just like you would any other
appointment—and plan for eight hours of uninterrupted writing time. NOTE: This
is not the time for Facebook stalking or playing computer games.
If you have children at home, ask your
spouse or another relative to take them to the zoo or the library or anywhere
but where you’ll be writing. And, then use that time wisely. Consider those
minutes sacred and write like crazy. You’ll start to look forward to it—I
promise! And you’ll get so much done!
BECOME ACCOUNTABLE
Writing partners keep each other accountable
Becoming
accountable to someone on this writing journey is another important strategy to
helping you meet deadlines, accomplish writing goals, and fulfill those publishing
dreams. So, get an accountability partner—maybe someone you met at a previous
writers’ conference— and have weekly or monthly “checkups.” Be tough on each
other and help one another inch toward those goals! (A writing critique group
is also good for keeping you honest, and you should have one of those already.)
Another way to
become accountable is simply to set a deadline for yourself. Even if you’re not
writing an article for a magazine that has a deadline attached, give yourself a
deadline. And, reward yourself when you hit that deadline! Treat your freelance
career like a 9-to-5 job—deadlines motivate us to quit procrastinating.
Depending on
how you’re wired, goals may not be enough to motivate you. But, goals plus
deadlines should do the trick. Set goals big enough to make you sweat a little
and create realistic (yet pressing) deadlines to keep your butt in the chair.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME
My B.I.C. chair
Speaking of
B.I.C. time, you may have to “outsmart” yourself in order to get your writing
hours in each week. Spend a few minutes thinking about your habits, your
excuses for not writing, your normal routine, etc. Now, you’re going to have to
simply “outsmart” yourself into logging B.I.C. time each week. For example, I
know that once my butt is in the chair, I can write for many hours straight—no
problem. But when I allow myself to get out of the house—even if it’s just for
a food run—I’m gone. Fifteen minutes turns into four hours. I know myself. What
starts off as a quick trip to pick up Diet Pepsi ends up in a shopping trip to
Goodwill or Plato’s Closet, and before I know it, the whole day is gone. So, I
outsmart myself by running all of my errands on the same day. I’ll go grocery shopping, get my nails done,
take the dog to the groomer, and drop off those bags of clothes to Goodwill all
in the same day. Whatever doesn’t get done on my errand day will just have to
wait until the following week’s errand day.
The rest of
the week when I have the urge to “get out of the chair,” I resist that
temptation, knowing those other errands can wait until my next errand day.
That’s the deal I make with myself, and somehow that works for me. Find what
works for you!
When I
practice all three of these strategies, I accomplish so much more, and you
will, too. Bottom line, you have to want this writing career, and you have to
be willing to work at it every chance you get. It may not be easy, but I can
promise you, it’s worth it.
Now, go sit
your butt in the chair and write!
Michelle
Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling
author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and
book awards include top honors from the
Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the
Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of
Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of
the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker
at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys
bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the
Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of
her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous
& Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and
C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional
book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.
We’ve
all said it before. You know, the old, “I’m just waiting on God to make this
publishing thing happen.” The truth is, most of the time, God is waiting on us!
You
see, waiting on God isn’t like waiting in a long line at an amusement park.
We’re not supposed to wait around doing nothing until our desires are finally
met. Rather, we should be like the high-class waiter who watches for the needs
of the people at the table she serves. We must actively serve God and attune
ourselves to Him while we patiently wait for Him to accomplish His plans. We do
all that we can. In other words, we do the natural stuff and he adds the “super”
to our natural.
Here
are a few “natural” things you can do to be more productive while waiting upon
the Lord for your publishing dreams to come true.
Split
your Time 50/50
Spend
50 percent of your time writing and the other 50 percent marketing for future
work. This may sound extreme, but it keeps assignments coming in and your
writing going out to magazines, newspapers, websites, and book publishers. Try
to contact five to 10 editors/publishers/publications each week. That may seem
like a lofty goal, but it is not that difficult if you have already crafted a
standard pitch letter to use when applying for freelance gigs or a generic
query letter that you can hone for each different publication or children’s
book publisher.
Then,
spend a couple of hours each week doing “follow-up” work. Maybe it’s sending a
thank-you note to an editor who took time to write you a personal note on a
rejection letter. Or maybe it’s reaching out to editors you’ve already
established a relationship with to ask if they’re in need of a writer to tackle
any work-for-hire projects in the near future. Or it might be pitching another story to a
publication that recently purchased one of your articles—why not strike while
the iron is hot?
Apply
the “Ten-In” Rule
This
rule means you should have at least 10 query letters/pitch letters/proposals (or
a combination of the three) circulating at all times. So, if you get a
rejection letter back from Clubhouse Magazine on Monday, sit down right
then, grab your Writer’s Market guides and find another magazine to
query. Write a query to that publication and send it out on Tuesday! I’ve found
that if I don’t do it right away, I won’t do it. So, like the classic Nike ad
says, “JUST DO IT!”
Recycle,
Rework and Reap!
If
you’ve been writing for a while, you probably have lots of published articles
under your belt. If that’s true, then you have a gold mine of untapped
resources. I have sold one of my articles 13 times in the past twelve years!
(“Every Dog Has its Day”) The key is this: never sell all rights to your
article. If you only sell first rights, then you can sell second serial
rights/reprint rights after that. Then, you can resell the exact same article
numerous times as long as the magazines you’re querying accept reprints. The
various writers market guides will have that information for you.
You
can also rework a piece enough that it will be sellable in different markets
than the one you originally intended it for. (To sell first rights again, the
piece must be reworked 50 percent or more.) For example, I once wrote a
hair-care article for a wedding e-zine, telling brides different ways to achieve
great hair on their wedding day. Well, with a few tweaks and a funny poem about
bad hair days, I sold that same “tweaked” article to Brio. And that’s
not all. Part of that Brio version is now a sidebar in my devotional
book for tweens.
With
these three tips, you can increase your productivity and build your platform while
waiting on those other publishing doors to open. Now, go forth and be
productive!
Michelle
Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling
author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and
book awards include top honors from the
Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the
Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of
Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of
the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker
at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys
bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the
Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of
her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous
& Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and
C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional
book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.
Eva Shaw, author of “Ghostwriting: How to Get Into the Business” beautifully sums up the heart of being a ghostwriter:
“You put your ego aside to perform an invaluable service, write brilliant words, produce wonderful copy, and work harder than anyone believes is humanly possible.”
Yep, that pretty much describes
every ghostwriting assignment I’ve ever had but I’d also add—the hard work is
totally worth it. And, ghostwriting isn’t just reserved for those of us who
write nonfiction for adults; children’s writers are often
called upon to ghostwrite for celebrities, politicians, TV personalities, and
even ministers of megachurches.
To date, I’ve ghostwritten over 25
books for adults and six children’s books, and I will probably do more as time
allows. In case you’re interested in the possibility of ghosting in the future,
here’s some vital information to get you started.
The 411 on Ghostwriting
*Definition: Ghostwriters are behind-the-scenes writers. Unnoticeable. Usually unnamed, though you can sometimes get a “with” on the cover if negotiated in the contract. And, ordinarily, well paid. Yay! (For more information about what fees to charge, visit this informative article: ghostwriting-advice-what-to-charge/)
*Duties: A ghostwriter writes on an assigned topic, under someone else’s name, with that person’s consent and input. Some of the clients I’ve worked with are very involved—talking through every line of the manuscript—and others, not so much. Each client is different, and every assignment is a challenge.
Why so challenging, you ask? Well,
if you’re like me, you’ve worked very hard your entire career to find your
voice. In ghostwriting, you are asked to lose your voice and find the client’s
voice. You have to wear an entirely different hat.
*Process: So, how do you get the story? Sometimes you work from transcripts of recorded talks/interviews with your client. Other times, you’ll be working from interviews you’ll be conducting. Still, other times you’ll get very little direction, and you’ll simply have to come up with text that sounds like your client. If your client has spoken in public a lot, take time to listen to those recordings. Listen to the way he/she phrases things and the cadence and pacing of his/her storytelling. Are there certain expressions or phrases your client uses often? Your goal is to write totally in your client’s voice so when someone picks up that book—even if it’s a short children’s book—people who know your client will say, “Wow, that sounds just like (insert name of client).”
Marketing Yourself As
A Ghostwriter
Get a Website:Develop a website that tells what services you offer, comments from satisfied clients (you can use first names only), your bio, etc. Or, simply add a dropdown ghostwriting menu on your existing website.
Get a Brochure: Vistaprint.com is a very inexpensive way to put together a professional-looking brochure that touts your writing skills and ghostwriting services. Carry the brochures with you because you never know when or where you’ll encounter your next ghostwriting client.
Talk it Up: When you’re at conferences, let publishers and agents know you offer ghostwriting services specializing in nonfiction/fiction children’s articles and books. Because I do this, I’ve had more than one agent contact me with high-profile clients in need of a ghost.
Also, talk it up on social media and list it under your
skills on LinkedIn. You might even consider advertising yourself on www.upwork.com as a ghostwriter for children’s
projects.
Join a Ghostwriters National Association/Group: such as associationofghostwriters.org This is just one of several associations/groups geared specifically for ghostwriters.
Ghostwriting is quite lucrative, so if you’re not married to
that coveted cover credit, go for it! It’s a great way to make money, meet some
very interesting people, and tell some amazing stories—even if they aren’t your
own. It’s truly an honor to help others share the stories that God has put on
their hearts.
Michelle
Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling
author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and
book awards include top honors from the
Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the
Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of
Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of
the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker
at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys
bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the
Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
A query letter is your chance to make a great
first impression at a publishing house or a magazine, which is why your letter
had better be amazing. After writing hundreds of successful query letters over
the course of my journalistic career, I’ve come up with the following “quick
query tips” to help you become the king or queen of queries.
Be
professional: Use Times New Roman, 12-point type and keep your text flush left.
Just because you’re querying a children’s magazine or a children’s book editor,
don’t get all goofy. For example, don’t use glitter paper or baby farm animal
stickers to jazz up your query.
Always
address your query letter to a specific person: You’ll find that information in
the various Writer’s Market Guides, on publisher websites, and from faculty
listings of various conferences. As a last resort, call the publisher or
publication to find out an editor’s name spelling and title just to be sure.
Indicate
you’ve studied their publishing house or magazine: You might mention a book they’ve
published or an article they have published or a section of their magazine that
relates to your suggested text.
Show how
your proposed book/story fits with their publishing program.
Go the
extra mile: Always offer a little extra something in your query letter such as photographs
to accompany your text or a parenting moment or “Fun Factoids” on the last page
of your manuscript or a fun sidebar to accompany your main magazine article.
The editors may not want all of those elements, but they will be impressed that
you offered them.
Make
sure the publisher/magazine you’re querying is currently accepting submissions:
Some only accept queries from unagented writers during certain months of the
year. Also, some magazines work from theme lists so check to see if the
magazine you’re querying is working with such a list. If so, mention which
month/theme your proposed story idea fits.
Keep it
concise: Try to keep your query to one page.
Always include
your credentials in your third paragraph: Even if you don’t yet have any
publishing credits, and even if you haven’t yet won any writing awards, you
still have something you can write in that third paragraph. Share why you’re
the perfect person to write that particular article or book. For example, if
you’re pitching an article about skin cancer, and you’re a melanoma survivor,
you can include that in your letter. Or, if you have a really great source that
you plan to quote in your article, mention that source.
Make your last two lines work for you: The
close to your query letter is just as important as your opening paragraph.
Thank the editor for reading your query letter, and then offer to take on story
ideas that their staff may not have time to generate. Tell the editor you are
open to “Work for Hire” projects and that you’d like to be included in their
“freelance pool of writers.”
Once you’ve crafted an amazing query letter, make sure you
keep good records, including the publication’s name, the editor’s name, the
date you sent it, and when you expect to hear back from that publication.
If the magazine/publisher accepts simultaneous submissions,
pinpoint five or so publications that would be a good fit for your story idea/book
and prepare
letters for each one. I call this the “nail it and mail it” step. Just double
check that you’ve changed the editor’s name and publication’s address for each
letter. And, be sure you’re sending that query the way the publication’s
guidelines instruct—via email or snail mail.
Lastly, try to keep ten things circulating all the time. I
call this the “ten in rule,” meaning I always have ten submissions out. Now, I
may only have two different story ideas that I’m pitching, but I will pitch
each one to five different magazines or publishing houses. Make sense?
Ok, now go forth and query with confidence!
Michelle
Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling
author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and
book awards include top honors from the
Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the
Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of
Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of
the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker
at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.
When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys
bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the
Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.
Michelle is celebrating the recent release of
her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous
& Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and
C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional
book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.
