Picture Book Publishers
Learn To Write- 5 Tips To Writing Picture Books!
Author: Lisa Brunel
There is just something about a well-written picture book that draws in both adults and children. Just seeing your childhood favorite can invoke memories and emotions surrounding your positive experiences with that book. Because of the power that good picture books have, it can be hard to learn to write them effectively. Many an author makes the attempt and misses the mark, leading to rejection and disappointment. However, if you follow these handy tips, you can be more likely to learn to write appealing and publishable picture books.
Pay Attention to Structure
Just because a good deal of the impact of your book will be in the illustrations doesn’t mean that you don’t have to put forth solid writing for the text. In fact, the publisher will base their decisions almost entirely on the quality of your manuscript- most picture books are illustrated later by an in-house artist. You need a strong plot and fully developed characters. While you can leave out things such as character description and physical surroundings, as they will be illustrated, you still need a good story line, complete with conflict that is happily resolved. Remember that picture books are geared towards younger children that need clear resolution.
Length Makes a Difference
By their nature, picture books are meant to be read aloud. There is a certain format that should be used when you learn to write them, including the ideal number of pages. Many picture books are formatted to include about 28 pages of text, so keep that in mind. You should also shoot for around 1,000 words, making each word count. It’s also important to pay close attention to the length of sentences and the way the story reads. Read it aloud as you compose, and have a friend read it for you as well. This will allow you to check yourself on not only length, but readability.
Create a Mood
When you learn to write, there are plenty of things to think about. Picture books seem ridiculously easy; however, they are actually one of the hardest genres to break into. What seems simple actually is filled with details and nuances that can be hard to fake. One of the small things that makes a big difference is the mood of your picture book. This is the feeling that is created as the reader browses through the text and pictures. As an author, you have to create enough of the mood, with words alone, that a publisher will take note. Remember, pictures are added after the fact. Decide if you want the book to have a tender or silly mood, and stay consistent.
What About Rhyme
There probably isn’t an author that has ever lived that wasn’t a huge fan of Dr. Seuss, the classic master of rhyme. One of the reasons that he was so successful was because he stood above the crowd. Rhyme can either work perfectly, or it is a huge mistake- there isn’t a whole lot of middle ground. It is very difficult to add rhyme to a picture book and still be able to keep all the other essential balls in the air that create a solid story. When you learn to write, feel free to experiment with rhyme, but expect a steep learning curve. As a general rule, rhyme shouldn’t feel forced or distract from the plot in any way.
Add Notes
Finally, as we’ve already discussed, you will probably only be submitting the manuscript for the children’s book. Most publishers have their own artists on staff that illustrate their texts for them. If you feel that some things that you envision need explaining, it’s perfectly appropriate to include notes about what is supposed to be happening in the story. The artist will still take some license, but as you learn to write, you should become more familiar with what details need to be clarified to make your picture book coalesce.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/learn-to-write-5-tips-to-writing-picture-books-2038539.html
About the Author
There is more to writing children’s books than you may think. If you have passion and drive to give children well thought about and well developed stories, your on the right track! Learn to write a great children’s book by sigining up to our free newsletter, visit http://www.learntowriteachildrensbook.com you will find the best resources available and recommenced sites to help you achieve success as a children’s author!
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if you really had a busy touring schedule, you wouldn’t need to ask people on yahoo answers for publisher information, you could ask your agent.
And there is no excuse for the amount of poor spelling and grammar in your question.
*accepting (not excepting)
*busy not buisy
*other not others
* professional not profesional
Your best bet is to go to the bookstore or library, pick up some picture books, and see who the publisher is. Then, go to the publisher’s website to see if they take unsolicited manuscripts and, if so, follow their submission guidelines.
You should call the publishers to see. Otherwise, i dont think you need a CERTIFIED agent so have a friend do it.!!!!
You could subscribe to Writer’s Market for $3.99 a month and have the information you need. Or you could make a website and share your book with the world.
Try bookemon.com if you want to self publish your books.
It’s a new site, but compare to the other two more famous self publishing sites: blurb.com and lulu.com, it has its outstanding advantages:
1. It provides an online book builder so that you can purely make your book online without downloading any software and install.
2. The book builder provides free and easy to use book page templates in all themes so that you can create your book easily by starting from the templates.
3. It provides clip arts, background and other art Gallery for authors to use freely.
4. It allows authors to upload and convert word, powerpoint or pdf file into (part of) books.
5. It provides online book reading so that all people can read your book online (you can also control the privacy so that only friends can read it, or not readable by others)
6. It provides book widgets so you can share your book on myspace, facebook or other social networks. You can also share your book through email or social network messages.
The best way to learn about Bookemon is to become a member and upload some photos, explore the site and share your creations with your friends. Our membership and utilities are all provided free of charge and there is no obligation to buy. The only cost to you is when you decide to order bookstore quality books that have been published by you, your friends or other members. (Any copy number is OK!) Welcome to Bookemon, Make Books Your Way has never been more enjoyable and easy.
http://www.bookemon.com
Unfortunately the odds are heavily stacked against you. You have chosen the most difficult thing in the publishing business – getting a children’s book published.
Let me describe for you the current nature of the children’s book market. I just finished ghostwriting two children’s books for a very major sports figure – already sold to a very major NY publisher. The first is with artist now and due out in Spring. I am currently working on another one with others to follow. This information was given to me by a Senior Editor at the publisher I write for (one of the top 2 on that list) …
40% of children’s books published today are by celebs like Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis etc. Celebs can get anything they want published. Their names sell.
40% are written by existing, established children’s authors like Eric Carle.
15-20% are reprints of children’s classics like Curious George.
That leaves at best 5% for new authors.
And that percentage is being cut into by adult authors like Carl Hiaasen and Mary Higgins Clark entering the childrens’ market recently.
To that, add the fact that most of the large publishing companies are backlogged with children’s books they have under contract but havent gotten out yet.
As a result, most A list publishers aren’t even reading childrens’ books right now, which means agents arent either. Agents only read what they can sell.
There is very little room to break into the children’s market. Only books that are extremely exceptional and have huge appeal stand a chance. Forget any holiday related books – the selling season is too short to make money.
And most publishers have huge backlogs of children’s books they have purchased and are not published yet. It takes about a year for a children’s book to make it out. It usually takes an artist about a month a page to illustrate. So most publishers have their production schedules for children’s books filled out for the next few years.
Take a walk through any major childrens’ book department and you will confirm what I am telling you. Getting a childrens’ book done is almost impossible – and getting an advance for it is virtually out of the question anymore. Unless you fall into one of those categories above. I am fortunate to have the backing of a very major sports star to get me in the door with kids books. I write adult novels, but believe me I have tried with kids books before and failed for exactly the reasons I list here.
Ghostwriting has gotten me in through the back door, and now I will be able to sell some of the children’s books that have my name on them. For now, someone else’s name is on the cover. Someone whose name sells books – big time. Don’t ask me how you can get a ghostwriting deal for a major sports star … I really backed into this. It was a gift from Heaven really and it is a blast working with this person too!!! My mantle is now covered with sports memorabilia worth a fortune!! Presents.
That is the nature of the beast. You might get a copy of Writers Market and search for some small publishers who are reading childrens’ books, but searching through the agents section, you will see that almost NO agents are reading childrens’ books. Try for some small publishers that read without going through an agent. Expect a lot of rejection. Develop a really thick skin and learn to advocate for yourself.
There is one shot you have. As you are searching through that book department, look for something that isn’t there. Some kind of a topic nobody has written about. It would be something that teaches a lesson to kids in a fictional way, but that hasn’t been done before. Believe me – there are topics. I fond one recently. I did a teleconference with the publisher I work with and he was thrilled. He wants te book yesterday. No such book exists. If you can find a topic nobody has covered before and write an exceptional book. you have a shot. Jamie Lee Curtis has been very successful with that.
Always remember that before you send anything to anyone, check them out. Preditors and Editors, Absolute Write Water Cooler’s Bewares and Background Checks, Writers Weekly.com and Writers Wall are all great sources and totally free – although if they help you, it is nice to contribute a donation. Someone has to pay for running the sites. If you do not see information on the publisher or agent in question, write to Dave K at Preditors and Editors, Victoria Strauss or James Macdonald at Absolute Write or Angela Hoy at Writers Weekly. They are happy to pass along any info they have to help you.
As for self publishing it with someplace like Lulu – it will get you nowhere. Self published books dont make it to bookstores. It is a financial black hole to self publish. I recently read about a woman who refinanced her house and spent over 70 thousand dollars publishing and promoting her children’s book. She has recouped less than 10% of her money and is in danger of losing her home.
Childrens’ books are impulse buys. What is out on the tables for kids to see is what sells. Kids don’t shop at websites for things like books. They have to hold them in their hand and nag Mom to buy it. The only way to achieve that is through a good traditional publisher. Self publishing will do nothing for you but take money.
I have starred a lot of great Q and A regarding writing on my profile. You can access it and print out the pages. Start a notebook you can refer to. There s a lot of good information here and I add more as I see good ones. I am doing it to help others. Feel free to use it. Add me as a fan and get the regular updates. Keep writing. Remember you have to need to grow a hide as thick as a herd of elephants. There will be rejection letters.
Just keep writing. Be exceptional!!
Good luck. Pax –
You want a Nebraska (NE) publisher?
Yes, I actually was being sarcastic. Making fun of you asking about publishers and books yet you can’t even form a proper sentence.
HA Rey ღ
Generally you can’t just choose which publisher will publish your book, unless you’re looking to self-publish for personal purposes.
If you’re looking to read a wider audience, I would suggest finding an agent that works with you well and to have the agent shop your book around. Most published author’s I’ve heard talk about agents adore them.
Here’s a good resource where you can get started:
http://www.scbwi.org/
The best thing to do is to look at books in the age range you are targeting. This will show you how many pages the books are, page length, page spreads, word complexity for the age, etc. You can simply go to the library for lots of good examples, watching for books published more recently rather than many years ago. Additionally, you can look at book lists from schools and also the Scholastic Book list.
Make sure you don’t use the self-published books for your examples, as you are looking through the library or in the bookstore. These books are paid for by the author and are just ways for publishers to make money off people with “good ideas” who are desparate to be published. Then the author has to find ways to sell the books. The problem is that then you can’t really tell if the book is of any quality, since it did not go through the normal manuscript screening process. It could just be junk, so not a good example. Be sure to find large publishers to use as your examples. That does not mean that you need to submit to the large publishers, but they are good examples of what you should shoot for in regards to how your manuscript is crafted. But, don’t submit to the self-publishers or “vanity presses”, unless you want to upfront all of the cash, be wooed by how wonderful you are, even if you may not be, and you will still have to sell your books. Do your research in this matter.
If you have kids, it helps to read to them to see what they respond to. Kids are always your best resource since they are the target audience. You won’t want to say, “Look at my manuscript”, but just sitting down with them, listening to them, and reading to them helps. They are quick to respond to the book being read. Reading other books written for kids is the next best way to learn how they learn, how they are entertained, or what they like.
Once you think your manuscript is in order, you can look at the “Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market” book which lists the publishers. Ask for their submission guidelines so that your manuscript is prepared according to each publisher’s specifications. The publishers really like it when the author has done a little homework to see if they publish whatever type of writing you have created, and prepared it according to their guidelines. They do appreciate this. Then, keep submitting. Good luck.
R there NE publishers who will publish picture books for an older mature audience?
A book with short, easy to read paragraphs and detailed pictures. Something a young adult, or adult would enjoy reading.
NE does NOT mean Nebraska.
A book with short, easy to read paragraphs and detailed pictures. Something a young adult, or adult would enjoy reading.
Something with a fantasy or sci-fi theme
list of publishers of childrns picture books?
looking for someone to publish my childrens pic book,any suggestions?
Need to find a Publisher for children’s picture book?
To let you understand I have three manuscripts and Before I even sent them out to publishers I sent a couple to Robert Munsch, and he was really awesome and helped me “tweak” one of my stories. I asked him if they were good enough to get published and he said yes. (I’ve kept all his emails) This was about four years ago, I have tried many Canadian and US publishers that are well known but have been told they are not looking for picture books (ages 2-7). Last Winter I sent my manuscripts to a publisher called Wooden Cat Books and have not heard a thing! Basically I am looking for a publisher that is looking for children’s pictures books (and maybe down the line a young adults novel… still in progress so we’ll see) I went to writer’s digest for some advice because I do have a visual and slight learning disability where I am might put in a word twice by accident for example “Courtney said said.” And I was told I should put this in my cover letter. Do you think this hurts my chances?
Good children’s picture books publishers??
I’m a teen who has just finished writing a 23-page children’s picture book-which, by the way, I think is just awesome- and wants to publish it in the US/UK. But there are three major problems: one, I can’t afford to hire an agent because my parents are against me with publishing my own book-they think it’s stupid and pointless and a colossal waste of time-and they won’t let me. two, I have not a cent to spend on anything connected to publishing-since I’m just a teen- and my parents will never lend me money so I could do what they think is so stupid and pointless. three, I don’t live in the states or UK or any English-speaking country so I can’t get things like the Writer’s Marker, which apparently is a must-have for amateur writers .
The reason why I want to publish my book in the US/UK is because I don’t think where I live is a very suitable place for publishing books. It’s not much of a ‘read books’ country. But I want my books to be read by as many people as possible-not because I care so much for the money, but because it’s sure to make me immensely happy. And I also want to show my parents that writing/illustrating/publishing books isn’t so fruitless as they think it is.
So considering my situation, can you tell me where I can publish my picture book? Any reliable international publisher willing to take a teen’s book? It would help me a lot.
Getting a picture book manuscript accepted?
I’ve had an idea which would be suited to a picture book for young children … I know that usually publishers prefer to pick the illustrator but does anyone have any tips as to how you would go about getting the story right and getting published e.g. typical word count, narrative, presentation
Thanks
Who is your favourite children’s book publisher when it comes to illustrations?
When you buy picture books for your little ones which publisher do you go for? I like illustrations by Usborne and want to discover other great publishers.
Can anyone Give me a list of Children’s Picture book publishers that are excepting unsolicited manuscripts?
Can anyone give me a list of all the children’s picture book publishing houses that accept unsolicited manuscripts and that can be contacted by email?
** With all due respect I am writing this in a hurry so please excuse my errors and uncapitalized words… They are a result of my buisy touring schedule and I am looking for others experienced opinions besides mine… 🙂
also… does anyone know if WL Children’s agency is a scam? They want to represent me and they are insisting that i have a third party look and critique my work… I think they sound profesional but i have learned all so many times that an agency is not what they say online or on paper… I am sure they are fine but i want to be 100% sure before i waste $75 on a critique from their agency…
thanks
Kitty kat
Peach: Thanks for the Constructive Comments and spell check. I appreciate it… really I do… But if you realized that I am ONLY a fifteen year old girl (which I may not have commented on in my question) and that I have an Extremely INSANE schedule you would understand. However due to my agent working on representing me and my work, (and that my agent ONLY represents non-fiction, like most agents they limit the works in which they represent…) I am forced to hire an additional agent from WL children’s agency. I am merely wondering if they are creditable, since I lack the time to go look it up and find out myself, I am asking you.
Peach:
You have my sincere apologies, I did not mean to give your answer a low rating, I meant to give it a great rating because it helped me realize that if I wanted professional and creditable responses that I would have to make my question creditable too. I am sorry about that… you have my apologies.
Peach has ever so kindly given my question’s sloppiness a little fine tuning and I would like everyone to note that I am grateful for her taking the time to critique my question…
*accepting (not excepting)
*busy not buisy
*other not others
* professional not profesional
I’m self-publishing a picture book; can you recommend a publisher?
I’m self publishing picture book with my diverse family and their vacations. Can you recommend a publisher?
What are some publishers that accept picture books without an agent?
I would like to know the names of some publishers that accept children’s picture book submissions without an agent. Thanks,
DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANY GOOD CHILDREN’S BOOK PUBLISHERS THAT TAKE SUBMISSIONS FOR PICTURE BOOKS?