Writing Children's Books For Dummies

by Rojany, Lisa; Economy, Peter

• ISBN13: 9781119870012
• ISBN10: 1119870011
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2022-05-10
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Create the next very hungry caterpillar, big red dog, or cat in the hat with a hand from this trusted guide

In Writing Children’s Books For Dummies, you’ll learn what to write between “Once upon a time . . .” and “The End” as you dive into chapters about getting started writing, how to build great characters, and how to design a dramatic plot. On top of the technical writing advice, you’ll discover how talented illustrators work and how to find an agent. The newest edition of this popular For Dummies title even shows you how to choose a publisher—or self-publish—and how to use social media and other marketing and PR to get the word out about your new masterpiece.

In the book, you’ll learn about:

• The fundamentals of writing for children, including common book formats and genres, and the structure of the children’s book market
• Creating a spellbinding story with scene description, engaging dialogue, and a child-friendly tone
• Polishing your story to a radiant shine with careful editing and rewriting
• Making the choice between a traditional publisher, a hybrid publisher, or self-publishing
• Using the most-effective marketing and publicity techniques to get your book noticed

Perfect for anyone who’s ever dreamed of creating the next Ferdinand the Bull or Grinch, Writing Children’s Books For Dummies is an essential, easy-to-read guide for budding children’s authors everywhere.

Author Biography

Lisa Rojany is a writer and publishing professional. Lisa has her own company, Editorial Services of L.A., for writers of fiction and nonfiction.

Peter Economy is a Wall Street Journal best-selling business author and ghostwriter with more than 125 books to his credit, including multiple For Dummies titles.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: The ABCs of Writing For Children 5

Chapter 1: Exploring The Basics of Writing Children’s Books 7

Knowing Your Format, Genre, and Audience 8

Getting into a Good Writing Zone 8

Transforming Yourself into a Storyteller 9

Polishing Your Gem and Getting It Ready to Send 10

Selling Your Story 11

Promoting Your Book 11

Improving Your Chances of Getting Published 12

Chapter 2: Delving into Children’s Book Formats 15

Dissecting the Anatomy of a Book 16

Grouping Types of Children’s Books 17

Illustrated Books for All Ages 18

Baby-friendly board books 19

Picture books for toddlers 20

Other books that have pictures 24

Working through Wordy Books 30

Early readers 30

First chapter books 32

Middle-grade books 34

Young adult books 36

Chapter 3: Exploring the Genres 39

Going Out of This World 40

Science fiction 40

Fantasy 40

Graphic novels and manga 42

Horror and ghost stories 42

Getting in on the Action (and History) 43

Action/adventure 43

True stories 44

Historical fiction 45

Mysteries 46

Writing About Real People 48

Biography/memoir 48

LGBTQIA 49

Gender-oriented series books 51

Friendship 53

School issues 54

Developmental milestones and first experiences 55

Prose poetry 56

Romance 57

Giving Stories a Message 57

Learning/educational 57

Religion 60

Aspirational and inspirational 60

Diversity 61

Family issues 62

Pets and animals 63

Cultural issues 64

Addiction, abuse, and mental illness 65

Keeping Them Laughing with Humor 67

Quirky characters 67

Parody, satire, and jokes 67

Slapstick and gross 68

Dark humor 68

Wordplay 68

Chapter 4: Understanding the Children’s Book Market 71

Getting Insight into Book Buyers’ Needs 74

For chain and big-box bookstores 74

For independent bookstores 76

Recognizing What Reviewers Offer 78

Discovering What Librarians Add to the Mix 79

Taking a Look at How Teachers Use Books in Their Classrooms 84

Considering Parents’ Perspectives 86

Thinking Like a Kid 86

Going after what kids like — regardless of Mom and Dad 87

Knowing what kids don’t like 88

Part 2: Immersing Yourself In the Writing Process 89

Chapter 5: Setting Up for Success: Finding the Time and Space to Write 91

Finding Time to Write 92

Figuring out when you’re most productive 92

Sticking to a writing schedule 93

Evaluating your commitment 93

Optimizing Your Writing Environment 94

Locating your special writing spot 94

Keeping helpful references handy 95

Cutting down on clutter and getting organized 96

Preventing and dealing with interruptions 98

Chapter 6: Starting with a Great Idea 101

Once Upon a Time: Coming Up with an Idea 101

Relying on specific ideas rather than big ones 102

Tapping into your own experiences 103

Digging through childhood mementos 105

Drawing from other children’s experiences 106

Pulling ideas from the world around you 106

Stumped? Break through with Brainstorming 107

Doing it all by yourself 108

Giving free association a whirl 109

Taking up journaling 109

Buddying up to the buddy system 111

Asking the advice of classmates and writing professionals 112

Seeking help from your audience 113

Going to the source 115

Checking the “best of” book lists 116

Fighting Writer’s Block 117

Chapter 7: Researching Your Audience and Subject 119

Hanging Out with Kids 120

Going back to school 120

Becoming a storyteller 122

Borrowing a friend’s child for a day 125

Dipping into Popular Culture 127

Watching kids’ TV shows and movies 127

Playing kid-focused digital games 128

Reading parenting and family magazines and blogs 129

Perusing pop culture magazines and blogs 130

Surfing the web 130

Browsing bookstores 131

Visiting children’s stores online or in person 132

Studying kids’ fashion trends 133

Eavesdropping where kids hang out 133

Researching Your Nonfiction Topic 134

Outlining the research process 134

Getting around locally 136

Going far afield 136

Visiting the web — a lot 137

Part 3: Creating a Spellbinding Story 139

Chapter 8: Creating Compelling Characters 141

The Secret Formula for an Exceptional Main Character 142

Defining your main character’s driving desire 142

Show, don’t tell: Fleshing out your main character 143

Getting to Know Your Characters through Dialogue 144

Compiling a Character Bible 147

Surveying a sample character bible 148

Creating consistency 150

Writing Stories with Two or More Main Characters 151

Choosing Supporting Characters 152

Calling All Character Arcs 154

Character Don’ts — and How to Avoid Them 157

Steer clear of stereotypes 157

Don’t tell us everything 158

Toss out passivity and indefinites 160

Don’t rely on backstory or flashbacks 161

Developing Characters through Writing Exercises 162

Describe your first best friend 162

Borrow your favorite children’s book characters 163

Revisit a painful or joyful experience from your childhood 163

Chapter 9: The Plot Thickens: Conflict, Climax, and Resolution 165

Plot: It’s All about Action 166

Centering on the Story 167

Giving Your Story a Beginning, Middle, and End 168

Propelling Your Story with Drama and Pacing 168

Drama: A reason to turn the page 169

Pacing: How you keep the pages turning 169

Outlining to Structure Your Plot 170

Creating a step sheet 171

Fleshing out your outline 172

Knowing when to circumvent an outline 175

Preventing Plot Problems 176

Writing Your First Draft 176

Chapter 10: Can We Talk? Writing Effective Dialogue 179

The Fundamentals of Good Dialogue 180

Dialogue has a function 180

Dialogue has drama 182

Listening to Real-World Dialogue 184

How kids talk 184

How grown-ups talk 185

Adding a Speech Section to Your Character Bible 186

Testing! Testing! Reading Dialogue Out Loud 187

Avoiding Common Dialogue Mistakes 188

Failing to have conflict or tension 188

Repeating information: Showing versus telling 189

Describing dialogue 189

Using too many speaker references and attributions 190

Creating heavy-handed and unrealistic dialogue 191

Filling space with unnecessary dialogue 191

Improving Dialogue by Using Writing Exercises 192

Talking on paper 193

Introducing your first best friend to the love of your life 193

Chapter 11: Setting the Scene 195

Giving Context to Your Story and Its Characters with Scenery 195

Creating a Context Bible 196

Knowing When to Include Scenery and Context 197

When place figures prominently 198

When place plays an important role 199

When description of place doesn’t interrupt flow of action 200

When you must mention an exotic locale 200

When you mention a specific place at the beginning 201

When you use place to transition to a new scene 201

Providing the Right Amount of Setting 202

Engaging Your Readers’ Senses 203

Knowing When Not to Make a Scene 204

Exercising Your Nose through Smellography 204

Chapter 12: Finding Your Voice: Point of View and Tone 207

Building a Solid Point of View 208

Reviewing POV options 208

Picking your POV 209

Matching tense with POV 211

Having Fun with Words through Wordplay, Rhyming, and Rhythm 212

Engaging in wordplay 212

Taking different approaches to rhyming 214

Keeping your story moving with rhythm 215

Using Humor to Your Advantage 216

Figuring out what kids consider funny 217

Turning to the outrageous and the gross 220

The Mojo of Good Writing: Exploring Voice, Style, and Tone 221

Finding your story’s voice 222

Writing with style 223

Taking the right tone 223

Knowing When You Need a Voice Makeover 224

Helping Your Voice Emerge by Playing Pretend 225

Pretend to be someone (or something) else 225

Chapter 13: Writing Creative Nonfiction Books 227

The Nonfiction Children’s Book World at a Glance 228

Writing Toward a Nonfiction Masterpiece 229

Choosing a Great Nonfiction Topic 231

Looking at topics that get kids’ attention 232

Finding topics that interest you 233

Branching out into the real world 233

Testing Your Topic 235

Outlining Your Creative Nonfiction 236

Starting simple 236

Fleshing out your ideas 237

Enhancing your outline by using visual aids 238

Common Creative Nonfiction Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) 239

Writing Exercises for Creative Nonfiction 240

Pretend you’re a newspaper reporter 240

Create a funny five-step procedure to wash a dog 241

More short exercises to get you writing 241

Part 4: Making Your Story Sparkle 245

Chapter 14: Editing, Revising, and Formatting Your Way to a Happy Ending 247

Your Revising Checklist: Getting Major Story Elements in Order 248

Theme 249

Characters 249

Plot 250

Pacing and drama 251

Setting and context 252

Point of view 252

Fine-Tuning Your Text: Editing Important Areas 253

Strengthening your opening 254

Keeping your dialogue tight and on target 254

Transitioning effectively 255

Trimming wordiness 256

Keeping your chronologies in order 257

Formatting Basics: First Impressions Matter 257

Including the proper information on the first page 258

Following other children’s book formatting conventions 258

Not to Put Too Fine a Point on It: Checking Basic Grammar and Style 261

Punctuation 261

Style 262

Miscellaneous 263

Hiring Help: Working with an Editor or Editorial Service 265

Finding a good editor or editorial service 266

Asking the right questions 268

Digital versus hard-copy editing 269

Chapter 15: Creating Pictures from Your Words: The World of Illustrations 271

To Illustrate or Not to Illustrate 272

Recognizing Why You Shouldn’t Hire an Illustrator 272

Following the Hand-Drawn Illustration Process with Artist Tim Bowers 274

Starting with black-and-white pencil sketches 275

Moving on to finished pencils 276

Creating color art 276

Capturing the right cover image 277

Exploring the Digital Art Process with Author/Illustrator Barney Saltzberg 279

Interior art 280

Cover art 281

Getting Your Art Seen by the Right Folks 283

Considering some solid options 283

Preparing a book dummy 285

Handling Art When You’re Self-Publishing (and Not an Artist) 286

Chapter 16: Finding and Incorporating Feedback 291

Deciding When to Seek Feedback 292

Getting Help from Friends and Relatives (or Not) 294

Delving into the pros and cons of friendly advice 295

Having a friend in the business 295

Calling on Topic Experts: Beta and Sensitivity Readers 296

Attending Conferences or Retreats 297

Exploring the conference scene 297

Getting away with retreats 300

Participating in a Workshop 301

Working with a Writing (or Illustrating) Group 302

Finding the right group 302

Starting your own group 304

Sifting through the feedback you receive 305

What Feedback Should You Expect During the Publishing Process? 309

Part 5: Getting Published and Promoting Your Book 311

Chapter 17: The Traditional Route: Signing with an Agent or Publisher 313

Identifying the Right Publisher 314

Gathering information from the marketplace 314

Perusing writer’s guides and directories 316

Drafting Query Letters and Proposals 316

Perfecting the query letter 317

Drafting a great book proposal 320

Joining Forces: Working with an Agent 322

Finding and approaching your ideal agent 322

Managing multiple agent submissions 323

Understanding typical agency agreements 324

Terminating your agency relationship 327

Copyright: Protecting Your Work 329

Success! Reviewing Your Publishing Contract 330

Surveying the two types of publishing agreements 330

Getting what you want in the contract 331

Dealing with Rejection 334

Chapter 18: Considering Hybrid Publishing 339

The Good and the Bad about Hybrid Publishing 340

The good about hybrid publishing 340

The bad about hybrid publishers 341

Vanity presses: Don’t say we didn’t warn you 342

Identifying the Right Hybrid Publisher for Your Book 344

Doing your research and asking around 344

Confirming some important criteria 345

Approaching a hybrid publisher 346

Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Hybrid Buck 346

Fees and payments 347

What about distribution and marketing? 347

Chapter 19: So You Want to Self-Publish? 351

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing 352

Exploring Your Self-Publishing Options 354

The print route 355

The digital route 358

Setting a Price for Your Publication 359

Distributing Your Self-Published Book 360

Getting in the door at traditional bookstores 360

Persuading online booksellers 361

Considering other places to sell your book 362

Chapter 20: Donning Your Publicity Cap 363

Understanding How Your Publisher Promotes Your Book 364

Publicizing Your Own Book 364

Focusing on the digital components 365

Touching on the traditional components 369

Promoting Your Work in Person 373

Planning a publicity tour 373

Joining the signing and reading circuit 373

Hiring a Publicist 374

Discovering what a publicist can do 374

Finding the right publicist 377

Getting the most for your money 378

Chapter 21: Getting Savvy with Social Media 379

Influencing the Influencers 380

The basics of influencing others 380

Understanding the different kinds of online influencers 381

Figuring out where online your influencers live 382

Knowing Where to Create a Social Media Presence 382

Blogs 383

Podcasts 383

Goodreads website 384

Facebook 384

Twitter 385

Instagram 385

YouTube 385

TikTok 385

#BookTok 386

Pinterest 386

Making a Splash: Launching a Social Media Campaign 389

Reviewing the ABCs of a social media campaign 389

Getting noticed on social media 390

Surveying the unwritten rules of social media marketing 391

Applying search engine optimization 392

Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Campaign 393

Part 6: The Part of Tens 395

Chapter 22: More Than Ten Great Sources for Timeless Storylines 397

Tales of Yore: Fairy and Folk Tales, Fables, and the Like 398

Mythology and Mythological Heroes 399

Nursery Rhymes 399

Bible and Religious Stories 399

Family Issues and Changes 400

Sibling Issues 400

First Experiences 400

Common Childhood Fantasies 400

Friendship and Social Issues 401

Growing Pains (Emotional and Behavioral) 401

Bodies and the Brain: Their Functions and Changes 401

History Makers and History in the Making 402

Nature, Science, Technology 402

Chapter 23: Ten Children’s-Author Recognitions to Dream About 403

Newbery Medal 403

Caldecott Medal 403

Coretta Scott King Book Award 404

Printz Award 404

Pura Belpré Award 404

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award 404

ALA Quick Pick & ALA Notable Books for Children 404

Stonewall Book Award 405

Robert F Sibert Informational Book Medal 405

State and Local Book Awards 405

Index 407