Tips for Writing Children's Picture Books - video

Are you getting ready to write a children's book? Do you intend to both write and illustrate it? Eddie Gamarra, literary manager and producer at The Gotham Group, warns that may not be the wisest course. Unless you're a visual artist, Gamarra says, focus instead on writing the best book you can. If you're a writer, write. Let an illustrator take your story and work on the visual aspects. You should certainly be involved, but don't try and do work you're not suited to doing.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Hi Stacy Usually to get published with a traditional publisher like Scholastic you'll need an agent. The agent will shop your book around to publishers looking for a buyer. To get an agent you'll need to write a query letter and use it when submitting your book to potential agents. Likely you'll need to submit to many, many agents before finding one. If you search here on the ALC for "agent" and "query letter" you'll find some good info to guide you on your way. Good luck with your project.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Hi Heather -- Check out the book launch tool here on the Author Learning Center and see if that helps you. It is designed to walk you through the steps of each phase in the process...writing, publishing, an marketing. It sounds like your writing is done but I can't tell if you still need an illustrator or not. If so, you'll want to look for a freelance illustrator or a publishing service provider who sells service packages that include illustration (AuthorHouse is a good option). You can use the book launch tool to walk through the steps. For instance, if you click on the publishing tab then you'll see a list of common tasks. You can hover over the question mark icon next to each task for sample pieces of content that can help you complete the task. You can also status each task, drag and drop them to rearrange them into an order that works for you, delete tasks you don't need, and even add your own tasks. To get started, go to your Author's Space and click the BOOKs tab. Then click "Start a Book". You'll see the book launch tool at the bottom of the page once you save all your book project info. Also, consider searching here on the ALC for info on Children's books, illustrations, freelance (for finding illustrators), and more. We have tons of good info to help.
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    I have written and illustrated the story as well. My book has been getting praise for the illustrations and the story plot. I have only released one book so far, but I have written and illustrated seven books. My question is how do I get my story in the hands of a reputable publisher like Scholastic our Firefly?
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    Hi, Thank you for your words of advice. I have a text of 450 words to put in a picture book with up to 30 pages with just a few words on most pages. Does that sounds feasible? What do I do next? Thanks

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