Writing Page-Turning Picture Books
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Picture books aren’t read, they’re performed. The very act of reading a story out loud to a child forces the reader to add inflection, dramatic pauses, and even ad-lib some commentary. Where the pages are turned can add (or detract) as much from the experience as the quality of the story itself.
Picture books are almost always 32 pages long. There is no mysterious artistic reason for this; it’s simply how the printing presses work. If the book is longer, it will go up in 8-page increments, but most publishers don’t care to spend this added cost on new authors. The 32 pages includes the endpages (the white or decorated pages at the beginning and end of the book), the title page, and the copyright/dedication page. So the author has an average of 26 pages to tell the story. In general, the first page of text is a righthand page, and the last page of text is on the left. Once you’ve written your story, it’s useful to break the text into 26 sections, type each section on a separate piece of paper, and staple those pages together like a book. Now read your story as you turn the pages. Does each spread (two facing pages) encompass a different scene from those before and after? Are your characters doing something the illustrator can draw? Finally, is there a reason your r! eaders will want to turn the page to see what comes next?
Talented picture book writers consider pacing when they’re revising their texts. Here are four page-turning methods that work: Read the rest of this entry »
groups. A better term would probably be “guidelines”; these rules exist only to tell you what, in general, editors like to see in the manuscripts sent to them. And, of course, for every rule there are numerous exceptions. But while we’d all like to think our book is strong enough to override the guidelines, this is usually not the case. Here are some rules that shouldn’t be broken until you really know what you’re doing:
for them to view. How to keep a young surfer on a safe path? Try 
Drescher’s credits include Turbulence: A Log Book, Simon’s Book, Hubert the Pudge: A Vegetarian Tale and McFig and McFly: A Tale of Jealousy, Revenge and Death (with a Happy Ending).
ain’t”. If you yearn to see your name in print, you might follow Willie’s example. Why not “hit ‘em where they ain’t” by going where there’s less competition? One excellent — and underserved — field is writing nonfiction magazine articles. Nonfiction can be profitable because you can use the same research on several pieces. Find a topic you love, gather your information, and then craft several articles for different markets. Remember that children are most interested in the “how” and “why” of a subject, especially if you present it in a humorous or unique way. 
the rest of us, whispering about me behind her hand on the school bus. I had to remind myself that this third grader was not Lori, that I was in fact bigger than her and could probably beat her at hopscotch if given the chance.
