For Writers Young and Old

So you want to write children’s books. Maybe you even have written books. Loads of them! And now you’re curious about what it takes to get published.

 

Orange tabby cat wearing black framed glasses sitting on a lap with extended crossed paws
Boo, in editorial mode

Well, first of all, there is absolutely no one-size-fits-all path to publishing. Quite the contrary. I know writers too young to vote who have signed book deals early in their career. I’ve known many many more who have written for five or more years, getting closer and closer, and yet still haven’t sold their first book. And of course, now there are all kinds of self-publishing options that have changed the field even more.

 

 

If you are a kid, there are lots of options for getting your words out in the world! You don't have to write a whole novel (anywhere from 50,000-90,000 words!) and race around to publishers, all of which can feel pretty overwhelming. In fact, my advice to you is to go slowly, check out some of the links below that publish kids' writing, and wait until you're a little older to write a book. Unlike underwear modeling or Olympic gymnastics, writing is not something that is only possible when you're young! So here are some places where kids can submit stories, poems, and artwork...check them out! But remember, whether you are writing a short story, a whole novel, or a school paper, the basic steps are the same: Brainstorm, Write, Revise, Revise Again, One More Time, Clean it Up, Celebrate!

 

Boris, giving his opinion of my book
Boris, giving his opinion of my book

 

 

Resources for Kid Writers

Publications:

Stone Soup (ages up 13)

http://www.stonesoup.com/stone-soup-contributor-guideline/

Teen Ink (ages 13-19)

http://www.teenink.com/submit#submitworkTabs

Blue Pencil Online (ages 12-18)

http://thebluepencil.net/submission-guidelines

Canvas Teen Literary Journal (ages 13-18)

http://canvasliteraryjournal.com/submit/

Celebrating Art (grades k-12)

http://www.celebratingart.com/index.php

Cicada (all ages)

https://cricketmag.submittable.com/submit/17820

The Claremont Review (ages 13-19)

http://www.theclaremontreview.ca/#!writing-submissions/c1bm7

Creative Kids Magazine (ages 8-16)

http://www.ckmagazine.org/submissions/

Figment (ages 13+)

http://figment.com/

Launch Pad (ages 6-14)

http://www.launchpadmag.com/write/

New Moon Girls (ages 8+)

http://newmoon.com/how-to-get-published-new-moon-girls/

Cricket Magazine

http://www.cricketmag.com/14-Submission-Guidelines--Childrens-%28Students%29-Writing-and-Art

Online Storytelling Communities:

Storybird

https://storybird.com/

Wattpad (ages 13 and up)

https://www.wattpad.com/

Kids Are Writers

http://kidsarewriters.com

Kid Pub (all ages)

http://www.kidpub.com/

As I said above, there are lots of paths to publication these days. But for traditional publication by one of the big publishing houses, it takes time, talent, and luck in some combination. It also takes some industry know-how. For a terrific overview of the basics of getting published, with a ton of great resources, check out this link.

Again, I stress that it’s different for everyone, but here are the basic steps it takes to get published.

1) write a book

2) let it sit for a while

3) revise — not just correct typos, but really fix the bones of the book*

4) find excellent critique partners and let them tear it apart*

5) revise again and send back to the excellent critique partners

6) and again

7) research literary agents who represent authors with similar work*

8) draft a short query letter that pitches your book and makes agents curious*

9) repeat step 4 through 6 with the query letter

10) start sending out that query letter

11) pay attention to feedback

12) start writing your next book

*these steps are all critical and there are wonderful online resources to help figure them out. Websites listed below are awesome places to find critique partners, post your query and get feedback, learn about different agents, and so on. DO NOT GO IT ALONE...there is a ton of great information out there, as well as all kinds of support.

 

Me, trying to write with Amos "helping"
Me, trying to write with Amos "helping"

Below is a small list of resources that I found helpful as I went through the process. Buckle up, godspeed, and enjoy the ride!

For advice on the craft of writing:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/

Middle grade author Janice Hardy’s blog has amazing posts on every step of the writing process, from brainstorming to revision. Hugely helpful.

http://cherylklein.com/

Former editor at Scholastic shares thoughts on editing and writing. Also links to her book on writing, which is a great resource for writers looking for an editor’s perspective, and some great additional resources.

http://maggiestiefvater.com/tag/how-i-write/

Bestselling YA author Maggie Stiefvater’s blog has some excellent (and highly subjective) posts on her writing and revision process.

http://www.robinlafevers.com/tag/writing/

Bestselling YA author Robin LaFever also has amazing writing posts on her blog and instagram. I really like her thoughts on character and the writing process.

For online discussion boards and community and resources:

www.absolutewrite.com

This website is invaluable for all new writers. It can be overwhelming, as it has all kinds of information on every possible genre, from poetry and chapbooks to young adult and picture books. It is very worthwhile to poke around, as there are great threads on literary agents, querying, finding critique partners, and more. There are also places to share your work and get feedback.

www.scbwi.org

Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators: One of the best resources for people who want to break into the field. Has lists of local critique groups listed by state. They have regional groups across the country and around the world, and the regional conferences can be an excellent way to meet fellow writers as well as editors and agents. They also have the "Blue Boards" for their members...a large discussion board where you can find threads on almost any kid lit-related topic imaginable.

www.writeoncon.com

This amazing group puts on a free online writers conference every August for children’s book authors. It has a lot of the advantages of attending a writing conference without the cost and travel of getting to one. Editors, agents, live chats, critiques and more are all available in real time during the conference and afterwards on their website.

For industry information:

www.shelf-awareness.com

A free daily newsletter on publishing: “Shelf-Awareness” is for the general reader…and there is also Shelf Awareness ‘Pro” for news about the industry.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/

Industry magazine Publisher’s Weekly puts out an online children’s book newsletter, which is free and has great information on what’s happening in the trade.

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P.S. For kids and grown-ups...writing is hard. Getting published is hard. It can be easy to get discouraged! So here... a cat on a surfboard!