Writing for children (Copyright 2006 Lee Roddy)

I hope this is the day when you begin turning from aspiring writer to become a published author of books for young readers.

When I’m introduced to someone as an author with nearly 50 juvenile books published, I often hear this comment from the new acquaintance: “I’m writing a book for young readers.”

For more than 25 years, I’ve taught writing to aspiring authors across the country, including for Writer’s Digest Magazine. Countless numbers of those students have gone on to sell their first or many works from picture books to young adult or even adult novels.

CHRISTINE TANGVALD SAID: “When I took Lee Roddy’s class in Seattle, I didn’t know a SAY-SEE from as a SAS-SEE.” ((Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope).” Her website shows that she sold 90 books with three million copies in print. That includes picture books, although I did not specifically teach that to her, but the principles are the same for all kinds of fiction.

I have similar testimonial from aspiring writers who went on to write and sell their first adult novel – and sometimes many novels. I hope this encourages you to seriously consider what can be learned from these lessons.

I like to help novice writers, so when I hear, “I’m writing a book for children,” I ask two vital questions.

Who’s your target audience?
What’s your story about?

Answers to both questions are quite predictable and are usually wrong -- from an editor’s viewpoint. Examples:

“My book is for all children.” Or: “My book is about ….” The speaker usually rambles off into a detailed account which normally doesn’t include the main elements that an editor must know to make a favorable decision. You need a few words or 30 seconds to make your book sound interesting enough to buy.

I begin this series of lessons with the objective of guiding adults who want to write for children of any age, and who are willing to learn their craft. Let’s start by considering the first question about the target audience.

Sadly, most aspiring writers don’t realize that editors don’t buy manuscripts intended for “all children.” Kids’ books are divided into six distinct classes, according to Eden Ross Lipson, children’s book editor for the New York Times and author of “Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children.”

My published juvenile novels are aimed at middle grade and young adult readers. I don’t write for little children. So pick your niche and learn what it takes to consistently sell to that precise age group.

Before you start your book, you need to recognize that you are first writing for an editor. If he/she isn’t “hooked” in a few words, or if your work doesn’t fit in a particular slot for that house, young readers will never see it. Set your goal to meet an editor’s needs in filling one of the following categories:

1. Wordless books. 2. Picture books. 3. Story books. 4. Early reading books. 5. Middle reading books. 6. Young adult books.

There are several resources that give detailed writers guidelines on what each particular house wants. Two easy sources are on-line or at the current issue of The Writers Market at the reference desk of your public library.

You may also go on-line and bring up any publisher’s name to see if writers’ guidelines are given. Of course, you can look in current issues of writers’ magazines to learn what houses are seeking. But never blindly send off a manuscript without matching i1t to what the target house wants.

The second question posed at the beginning of this lesson is one that almost every aspiring writer I meet – young or old – fails to correctly answer.

You should be able to present an intriguing summary of your story in about 30 seconds. Here are two examples:

From Syd Field, one of the best-known teachers of screen writing, here’s his summary sentence of a well-known movie: “A visitor from outer space misses space ship home and being found and befriended by some children who help him escape – that’s E.T.”
From my best-selling juvenile novel, “Secret of the Shark Pit” (now published through Mott Media): “This is the story of a boy who disobeys his father and

ends up in a pit filled with sharks – and no way out.”

In another lesson, I’ll explain what an editor meant when he said: “You don’t have to eat the whole egg to know if it’s bad.” I’ll also detail how to “hook” an editor by giving him/her the critical beginning elements in a story.

I will have a question and answer page where you may submit your question, so send it along.

Meanwhile, I hope today is when you began turning from aspiring writer to published author of books for young readers.

Send your questions to me at this website, and watch for more lessons to come.

Lee Roddy
Author/Speaker
Member,
Authors Guild
of America.