- My First Book Contract—A Dream Come True
And It Can Happen for YOU Too! “I’D ATTENDED CONFERENCES BEFORE I MET SHIRLEY RAYE, BUT ONCE I LEARNED HER METHOD, I FELT CONFIDENT AND…
- CALENDARS ARE A VALUABLE TOOL
We hope you had a great Thanksgiving! And if you grabbed a book to read to a child, we’re sure you had no trouble finding…
- TIDBITS OF WISDOM
From my files I found these tidbits of wisdom for beginning editors, but the thoughts are helpful for writers also. Barbara Marcus, Random House, said…
- WRITE EVERY DAY (LEARN TO WRITE FAST)
Want to write fast and get your idea for a children’s book on paper at last? Many writers set a quota of words per day….
- INFLUENTIAL AUTHORS
Do you know who is the popular children’s book writer who never once received a rejection slip? Here are three clues: She became an American…
- BENEFIT FROM A STORY BLURB SHEET
Writers know the benefits of signing up for meetings with editors and agents at conferences, and the wise prepare themselves to make the best use…
- IMPORTANCE OF CHECKING FOR ERRORS
In Shirley Raye & Jennifer’s workbook, Write a Marketable Children’s Book, we mention the importance of checking your manuscript for spelling and grammar errors. As…
- BEST OPENING LINES OF KIDS BOOKS
“Marley was dead, to begin with.” This short, punchy line opens Charles Dickens’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL. But Lewis Carroll took his time with the beginning…
- TIPS FOR RESEARCHING LIKE A PROFESSIONAL
Do you like to research? Some writers love research and do too much of it. Others hate it and do too little. I hope these…
- HAPPY NEW YEAR, ASPIRING AUTHORS
Make 2021 the year you pursue your passion and make it the year you write regularly. If you’ve had trouble sticking to past writing resolutions,…
- COMMON MYTHS ABOUT WRITING FOR CHILDREN
There are common myths and misconceptions about writing for children and about children’s books. Myth #1 Writing for kids is easy—there are so few words….
- SELLING WHAT YOU WRITE: IT’S WHAT YOU KNOW AND WHO YOU KNOW
You’ve heard the saying about success, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” To succeed in selling what you write, “It’s what you…
- BEST SELLING PICTURE BOOKS
Lists of best-selling children’s books are great tools for writers. They show us what publishers and consumers are buying, and we learn about…
- WRITE A MARKETABLE CHILDREN’S BOOK IS NOW AN E-BOOK
Shirley Raye and I are excited to announce that our workbook is now available in all e-book formats. The workbook has a fun, new cover…
- WEAVING IN HISTORICAL OR FACTUAL DATA
Last week I wrote about the writing sin of “info dumping.” An editor told me that writers commit it when they force historical or factual…
- HOW TO WRITE A SYNOPSIS
Worried about trying to write a synopsis of your middle grade or young adult novel? The most important thing to remember about a synopsis is—…
- HOW TO BREAK IN AND SELL A BOOK-PERSIST AND PERSIST
Last week I advised writers to sign up for critique sessions with editors at conferences and related my experience meeting Mallory Loehr of Random House….
- SAME OLD STUFF? GET INSPIRED!
I’ve discovered some fun websites and even gleaned an idea from one to use in a book. Maybe they’ll inspire you with ideas…
- BESTSELLERS-CHILDREN’S FRONTLIST FICTION
I can tell you, as writers, that we need to read, read, read—especially books like the ones we want to write. So I’ve…
- WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT BOOKS?
I can’t imagine life without reading and hope I never have to! Great books open our hearts and minds and show us how to be…
- ADVICE FROM EDITORS
I recently read an article in which seasoned editors gave advice to newbies. It was in Publishers Weekly, February 21, 2014, and was titled,…
- Avoid Small-Minded People
As the author of two dozen children’s books and four romance novels, I am often asked to speak in classrooms, libraries, and at writing conferences….
- Make Your Manuscript Grammar Perfect
As competitive as the writing world is, one can’t afford to be careless with one’s writing, particularly when submitting a manuscript to an editor. I’ve…
- How to be an Effective Writer (and 7 bad Habits to avoid)
Many of you may be familiar with Stephen Covey’s bestseller, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He recommends that if you want to be a winner—in…
- That Dreadful, Dreaded Blank Page
Have you ever faced a blank page and wondered what to do? This unnerving experience can happen at the start of a new project or in…
- Pick Your Words Carefully and Make Them Count
In WRITE A MARKETABLE CHILDREN’S BOOK, we advise writers to replace utility words with more concrete language that appeals to one of the five senses….
- Now Read This–Aloud
One of the things children’s book authors get asked to do quite frequently is to come to story hour at the library or to visit…
- DON’T BE GUILTY OF “INFORMATION DUMPING”
It’s often important to do research on certain places or time periods when we write fiction. But we need to use the information we gain…
- How to Break In and Sell a Book-Persist and Persist
Last week I advised writers to sign up for critique sessions with editors at conferences and related my experience meeting Mallory Loehr of Random House….
- MEET EDITORS, THEN LISTEN AND FOLLOW UP
If you want to break into writing for children, sign up for writing conferences and sign up for private sessions with editors who will be…
- Make Everyday a Reading Celebration With Your Kids
According to one recent survey, approximately 80% of U.S. families did not buy a book last year. That’s a dismal statistic—and for those of us…
- INTERVIEW WITH KERSTEN HAMILTON, AUTHOR OF ‘THE GOBLIN WARS’
Kersten Hamilton is the author of several picture books and many middle grade novels. TYGER, TYGER, book one of THE GOBLIN WARS series, was…
- RESEARCH THE MARKET AND SELL YOUR BOOK
How do you write a book that will sell? Knowing the market is a key factor in producing a marketable manuscript. And part…
- WE AGREE WITH E.B. WHITE
An aspiring writer named Mike once wrote E.B. White and asked what he needed to do to get his book published. The famous…
- WRITE A GREAT PICTURE BOOK
I enjoy reading picture books for the fun of it, the art, and to analyze what makes a good story. I would love…
- JUST CAN’T WRITE, BUT YOU WANT TO?
So deep down inside, you really want to write? But you don’t know how or where to begin. Or you just have the…
- MORE ABOUT GREAT FIRST LINES
I’m intrigued with the first lines of books. Some draw us in by merely stating the basic facts of a story “It was Monday…
- Think Creatively–Writing Opportunities Abound
Think back to the subjects that fascinated you as a child—was it trains, adventures, monsters, fossils? They draw kids today too. Yet many new writers…
- You Must Supply Illustrations When You Submit a Manuscript. True?
So you finally finished writing your children’s book. Now you have to worry about finding your own illustrator. Right? No. Most publishers do not want a…
- Should You Write a Kid’s Book in Rhyme?
Here’s the skinny on writing rhyme–rhyming readers and picture books are hard to sell. Some guidelines for publishers and literary agencies in Writer’s Market and…
- Know What You’re Writing Before You Write That Kid’s Book
Your idea for a children’s book may be great and original. But before you start writing it, you should know what kind of book you’re…
- Decipher the Mysteries of the Children’s Book Market
If you want to write children’s books, you must do market research. This step is every bit as important as the actual weeks of writing…
- ARE GOOD BOOKS A NECESSITY OF LIFE?
Books are not necessary to life in the same sense that air and water are needed to sustain the body. Yet a good book provides…
- HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION LETTERS
Writers know that rejection letters are part of the business, and we try to brace ourselves for them. The worst kind is the…
And It Can Happen for YOU Too! “I’D ATTENDED CONFERENCES BEFORE I MET SHIRLEY RAYE, BUT ONCE I LEARNED HER METHOD, I FELT CONFIDENT AND…
We hope you had a great Thanksgiving! And if you grabbed a book to read to a child, we’re sure you had no trouble finding…
From my files I found these tidbits of wisdom for beginning editors, but the thoughts are helpful for writers also. Barbara Marcus, Random House, said…
Want to write fast and get your idea for a children’s book on paper at last? Many writers set a quota of words per day….
Do you know who is the popular children’s book writer who never once received a rejection slip? Here are three clues: She became an American…
Writers know the benefits of signing up for meetings with editors and agents at conferences, and the wise prepare themselves to make the best use…
In Shirley Raye & Jennifer’s workbook, Write a Marketable Children’s Book, we mention the importance of checking your manuscript for spelling and grammar errors. As…
“Marley was dead, to begin with.” This short, punchy line opens Charles Dickens’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL. But Lewis Carroll took his time with the beginning…
Do you like to research? Some writers love research and do too much of it. Others hate it and do too little. I hope these…
Make 2021 the year you pursue your passion and make it the year you write regularly. If you’ve had trouble sticking to past writing resolutions,…
There are common myths and misconceptions about writing for children and about children’s books. Myth #1 Writing for kids is easy—there are so few words….
You’ve heard the saying about success, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” To succeed in selling what you write, “It’s what you…
Lists of best-selling children’s books are great tools for writers. They show us what publishers and consumers are buying, and we learn about…
Shirley Raye and I are excited to announce that our workbook is now available in all e-book formats. The workbook has a fun, new cover…
Last week I wrote about the writing sin of “info dumping.” An editor told me that writers commit it when they force historical or factual…
Worried about trying to write a synopsis of your middle grade or young adult novel? The most important thing to remember about a synopsis is—…
Last week I advised writers to sign up for critique sessions with editors at conferences and related my experience meeting Mallory Loehr of Random House….
I’ve discovered some fun websites and even gleaned an idea from one to use in a book. Maybe they’ll inspire you with ideas…
I can tell you, as writers, that we need to read, read, read—especially books like the ones we want to write. So I’ve…
I can’t imagine life without reading and hope I never have to! Great books open our hearts and minds and show us how to be…
I recently read an article in which seasoned editors gave advice to newbies. It was in Publishers Weekly, February 21, 2014, and was titled,…
As the author of two dozen children’s books and four romance novels, I am often asked to speak in classrooms, libraries, and at writing conferences….
As competitive as the writing world is, one can’t afford to be careless with one’s writing, particularly when submitting a manuscript to an editor. I’ve…
Many of you may be familiar with Stephen Covey’s bestseller, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He recommends that if you want to be a winner—in…
Have you ever faced a blank page and wondered what to do? This unnerving experience can happen at the start of a new project or in…
In WRITE A MARKETABLE CHILDREN’S BOOK, we advise writers to replace utility words with more concrete language that appeals to one of the five senses….
One of the things children’s book authors get asked to do quite frequently is to come to story hour at the library or to visit…
It’s often important to do research on certain places or time periods when we write fiction. But we need to use the information we gain…
Last week I advised writers to sign up for critique sessions with editors at conferences and related my experience meeting Mallory Loehr of Random House….
If you want to break into writing for children, sign up for writing conferences and sign up for private sessions with editors who will be…
According to one recent survey, approximately 80% of U.S. families did not buy a book last year. That’s a dismal statistic—and for those of us…
Kersten Hamilton is the author of several picture books and many middle grade novels. TYGER, TYGER, book one of THE GOBLIN WARS series, was…
How do you write a book that will sell? Knowing the market is a key factor in producing a marketable manuscript. And part…
An aspiring writer named Mike once wrote E.B. White and asked what he needed to do to get his book published. The famous…
I enjoy reading picture books for the fun of it, the art, and to analyze what makes a good story. I would love…
So deep down inside, you really want to write? But you don’t know how or where to begin. Or you just have the…
I’m intrigued with the first lines of books. Some draw us in by merely stating the basic facts of a story “It was Monday…
Think back to the subjects that fascinated you as a child—was it trains, adventures, monsters, fossils? They draw kids today too. Yet many new writers…
So you finally finished writing your children’s book. Now you have to worry about finding your own illustrator. Right? No. Most publishers do not want a…
Here’s the skinny on writing rhyme–rhyming readers and picture books are hard to sell. Some guidelines for publishers and literary agencies in Writer’s Market and…
Your idea for a children’s book may be great and original. But before you start writing it, you should know what kind of book you’re…
If you want to write children’s books, you must do market research. This step is every bit as important as the actual weeks of writing…
Books are not necessary to life in the same sense that air and water are needed to sustain the body. Yet a good book provides…
Writers know that rejection letters are part of the business, and we try to brace ourselves for them. The worst kind is the…