Where can i go online if I want to write a childrens book but am not sure what to do?

Question

I want to writed a childrens book, but I am not sure where to go to get started? Does anyone know where I can go if I want to write childrens books

Answer 1

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 5 on that list) ...

40% of children's books published today are by celebs like Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis etc.

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.

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 - C

Answer 2

Don't get discouraged by these posts, but use them to gain perspective and adjust your expectations.

There are grass roots alternatives to commercial publishing, but you will need more than good writing skills. You'll also need skills in:

1.editing
2.proofreading
3.illustration
4.book design
5.marketing

You've probably heard of print on demand---which should not be confused with self publishing see the following link and then see the link after that to see CAUTIONS to POD (print on demand).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_on_demand
http://www.sfwa.org/beware/printondemand.html

Lulu.com, the POD mentioned by someone else earlier, in the Times UK identified the company's goal: "...to have a million authors selling 100 copies each, rather than 100 authors selling a million copies each." A Lulu.com bestseller is a book that sells 500 copies. There haven't been many of them.

Take baby steps and build your market: Make a Flash movie of one of the stories you have written and illustrated and publish the movie on You Tube. It will be a labor of love----you won't make any money, but you will gain something better, direct market response that will help you grow and eventually, if you keep at it, may even help you gain an audience.

Send out links to your movie to everyone you know.

Make a few DVDs and play for your kids' classrooms, send copies to children's shelters to children's hospitals and libraries.

Contact your neighborhood library and bookstores and find out about reading opportunities. Bookstores usually have open nights for the public to read their works. Invite all the moms in your kids' classrooms, etc. Neighborhood bookstores and libraries are more open to letting you leave flyers on their counter announcing your reading than Borders-like stores (I have heard personal literature readings at the Borders in the town I live in, but haven't seen flyers advertising the guests).

Watch how the kids respond. Learn from their comments and modify as you go along, making adjustments where necessary. Really listen and check your ego at the door.

Have disks available to give out for free or sell for a small fee. Make sure you GET something in return though. In order for people to get a free disk, ask for email addresses or other contact information so that you can announce your future readings etc. on the website you will create for yourself.

Like any other career, you can't just jump into it and hope to be running with the big dogs right away. It takes work and commitment, but with today's technology, using your skills and talents, you may be able to slowly create yourself over time.

In general, the publishing business is not about taking chances to discover the next Hemingway. It's about sales. If you are successful in building some sort of following you might have a chance to eventually get an agent to represent you.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I agree with Persiphone