Advice for Aspiring Children’s Book Authors!
I get asked quite frequently if I can assist someone in their quest to write a children’s book. Some people have already written a story and are looking for an illustrator, some have an idea for a story and are wondering if I can help them write it, and some just have a vague idea that they want to eventually write for kids and they are wondering how they should proceed.
I decided to compile my best advice here so that I can direct everyone with these questions to one central place.
First of all, the good news for those of you who are looking for an illustrator: you don’t need one! Editors do not want to receive a manuscript with illustrations attached. Publishing houses already have illustrators who they work with, and they prefer to match a writer with an illustrator of their choice. So my best advice for writers is to just focus on writing the best manuscript possible, and don’t worry about the art right now.
The next step for everyone else interested in the world of children’s book writing: Join SCBWI. If you are not already an established writer or illustrator and you are setting out on this path all alone, this is the only way to go. SCBWI WILL GIVE YOU EVERY RESOURCE YOU WILL EVER NEED. When you join they will send you a massive book filled with answers to all of your questions: how to improve your writing, how to query an agent, how to prepare your work, how to market your work etc. Plus many cities have local SCBWI groups that meet on a monthly basis, and it is free to go to their meetings. They also have annual conferences all around the world that are open to the public. But if you are really, for real serious about breaking into this industry, it is definitely worth it to pay to join SCBWI and make the most of the information you will have access to as a member.
Another resource is the Guide to Literary Agents. A new one comes out every year. This compilation of agents gives you all the information you need on how to query an agent and what kind of work specific agents are looking for. It will take some time, but it's worth it to look through the whole book to find the agent who is just right for you. Having an agent makes it way easier to reach out to different publishers. Without an agent, the work you submit to a publisher will go into their "slush pile" which is basically a big stack of mail that they have to go through.
Things to expect: The children’s book market is intensely saturated. Not only is it saturated with every amazing children’s book ever written that adult readers want to pass onto their own children, it is also saturated with professional authors and illustrators who are at the top of their game and who are creating some of the most imaginative content the world has ever seen!
BUT! This doesn’t mean there isn’t space for a new writer to find a niche. If that were true, I would not have been able to find a niche for myself! But the point is, you have to be really clear about what you are writing, and what new or unique voice you bring into the arena. It is important you research the market and see if your idea has already been done already (1 or 100 times). You also have to be prepared to work very hard and dedicate yourself to your creative process over many years and many rejections.
Because I was confused about the kid’s book market when I started out, I decided to self-publish my first book, My Wondrous Cloud Odyssey. I funded it through a Kickstarter and about 300 people supported the book and helped me to get it published. It was a ton of work to set up the file formats correctly and mailing it out took forever. So there are some obvious drawbacks. Nonetheless, my goal was just to figure out if I could even create a book and to get myself out there, and for that reason I’m glad I did it. Again, SCBWI has all the info you need to learn how to self-publish.
After I had amassed enough work to create an illustration portfolio, I entered the SCBWI illustrator’s competition at the Austin conference in 2015, and I won! At this point, I had some book ideas, and I learned how to query agents. I queried about 8 agents and the process took about 6 months, until I finally got a call back from someone who was interested in working with me. From that point, I worked with my agent on finalizing my manuscript and illustrations in order to show my book idea to editors. This took about another 6 months. Finally, we shopped the book and after about 5 or 6 (very nice) rejections, I got a book deal! I had about 6 months to finish the book, and the book didn’t come out until about 9 months after that. This was my first book to come out through a major publisher: This Phenomenal Life (Lyons Press, 2017).
My agent sold this book to 5 other publishers in other countries, and it was then published into 5 other languages (Spanish, French, Polish, Korean, and Chinese). The book was especially successful in China and I was invited to go on book tour their in 2017. Meanwhile, I was working on my second book (This is Texas, Y’all!), and shortly after that book came out, I started shopping my idea for the book I’m currently working on, coming out with Penguin in Spring 2020. So the process is ongoing and I think a lot of it is about building momentum in the market and building one’s own strength as an artist through each project.
A final note, another great resource site is We Need Diverse Books, which is a non-profit dedicated to promoting books that reflect the realities of children in all their diversity. They are particularly interested in promoting authors and illustrators of color. You can check out some of their grant opportunities and resources at their website.
If writing and illustrating is what you love, I say GO FOR IT! As with most creative endeavors, the real reward is in the creative process and the unexpected relationships that come your way when you seek out a kindred community. Best of luck!
I get asked quite frequently if I can assist someone in their quest to write a children’s book. Some people have already written a story and are looking for an illustrator, some have an idea for a story and are wondering if I can help them write it, and some just have a vague idea that they want to eventually write for kids and they are wondering how they should proceed.
I decided to compile my best advice here so that I can direct everyone with these questions to one central place.
First of all, the good news for those of you who are looking for an illustrator: you don’t need one! Editors do not want to receive a manuscript with illustrations attached. Publishing houses already have illustrators who they work with, and they prefer to match a writer with an illustrator of their choice. So my best advice for writers is to just focus on writing the best manuscript possible, and don’t worry about the art right now.
The next step for everyone else interested in the world of children’s book writing: Join SCBWI. If you are not already an established writer or illustrator and you are setting out on this path all alone, this is the only way to go. SCBWI WILL GIVE YOU EVERY RESOURCE YOU WILL EVER NEED. When you join they will send you a massive book filled with answers to all of your questions: how to improve your writing, how to query an agent, how to prepare your work, how to market your work etc. Plus many cities have local SCBWI groups that meet on a monthly basis, and it is free to go to their meetings. They also have annual conferences all around the world that are open to the public. But if you are really, for real serious about breaking into this industry, it is definitely worth it to pay to join SCBWI and make the most of the information you will have access to as a member.
Another resource is the Guide to Literary Agents. A new one comes out every year. This compilation of agents gives you all the information you need on how to query an agent and what kind of work specific agents are looking for. It will take some time, but it's worth it to look through the whole book to find the agent who is just right for you. Having an agent makes it way easier to reach out to different publishers. Without an agent, the work you submit to a publisher will go into their "slush pile" which is basically a big stack of mail that they have to go through.
Things to expect: The children’s book market is intensely saturated. Not only is it saturated with every amazing children’s book ever written that adult readers want to pass onto their own children, it is also saturated with professional authors and illustrators who are at the top of their game and who are creating some of the most imaginative content the world has ever seen!
BUT! This doesn’t mean there isn’t space for a new writer to find a niche. If that were true, I would not have been able to find a niche for myself! But the point is, you have to be really clear about what you are writing, and what new or unique voice you bring into the arena. It is important you research the market and see if your idea has already been done already (1 or 100 times). You also have to be prepared to work very hard and dedicate yourself to your creative process over many years and many rejections.
Because I was confused about the kid’s book market when I started out, I decided to self-publish my first book, My Wondrous Cloud Odyssey. I funded it through a Kickstarter and about 300 people supported the book and helped me to get it published. It was a ton of work to set up the file formats correctly and mailing it out took forever. So there are some obvious drawbacks. Nonetheless, my goal was just to figure out if I could even create a book and to get myself out there, and for that reason I’m glad I did it. Again, SCBWI has all the info you need to learn how to self-publish.
After I had amassed enough work to create an illustration portfolio, I entered the SCBWI illustrator’s competition at the Austin conference in 2015, and I won! At this point, I had some book ideas, and I learned how to query agents. I queried about 8 agents and the process took about 6 months, until I finally got a call back from someone who was interested in working with me. From that point, I worked with my agent on finalizing my manuscript and illustrations in order to show my book idea to editors. This took about another 6 months. Finally, we shopped the book and after about 5 or 6 (very nice) rejections, I got a book deal! I had about 6 months to finish the book, and the book didn’t come out until about 9 months after that. This was my first book to come out through a major publisher: This Phenomenal Life (Lyons Press, 2017).
My agent sold this book to 5 other publishers in other countries, and it was then published into 5 other languages (Spanish, French, Polish, Korean, and Chinese). The book was especially successful in China and I was invited to go on book tour their in 2017. Meanwhile, I was working on my second book (This is Texas, Y’all!), and shortly after that book came out, I started shopping my idea for the book I’m currently working on, coming out with Penguin in Spring 2020. So the process is ongoing and I think a lot of it is about building momentum in the market and building one’s own strength as an artist through each project.
A final note, another great resource site is We Need Diverse Books, which is a non-profit dedicated to promoting books that reflect the realities of children in all their diversity. They are particularly interested in promoting authors and illustrators of color. You can check out some of their grant opportunities and resources at their website.
If writing and illustrating is what you love, I say GO FOR IT! As with most creative endeavors, the real reward is in the creative process and the unexpected relationships that come your way when you seek out a kindred community. Best of luck!