It’s often the little details that make a picture book, chapter book or novel successful. One of those things — good character names that accurately reflect the time setting of the story. A girl in 1945 isn’t likely to be named Ariel, and a girl in 2009 probably won’t be named Ida.
That’s why the Baby Name Voyager is so useful. Choose any common boy’s or girl’s name and the Voyager will show you how popular it has been at any given time. You can also browse through names and see their rank over the past century, so the site can also help you develop new character names.
It’s free and a lot of fun. Pay a visit at http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/
For much more great information about writing children’s books, stop by the CBI Clubhouse, our new community for writers that’s packed with audio, video, articles, inside writing tips and much more. We’re at http://cbiclubhouse.com.
Whether you write picture books or young adult, the key information you need to locate and target a children’s book publisher for your manuscript is a click away. Here’s where to find it…..
1. The “At Presstime” section of each issue of Children’s Book Insider. If a publisher shows up in our newsletter, it means they’re taking unsolicited submissions. (Or, at least they were when we contacted them. Things do keep changing…..)
2. The Children’s Book Council members page. Gives age range, genre information and titles published for CBC member companies. http://www.cbcbooks.org/about/ourmembers.aspx
3. Bookmarket.com’s Publisher Listing Page. John Kremer’s superb site offers a detailed list of children’s publishers, with contact info, genres published, web links and more. http://www.bookmarket.com. From the homepage, scroll down to “Book Publishers for Authors” to see all the lists available.
4. Jacketflap.com All writers should check out this wonderful free resource. One notable feature: a massive database of children’s publishers with very detailed information. http://www.jacketflap.com
One important note: There’s no guarantee that any particular web listing is fully up to date or 100% accurate. Our advice: Once you’ve identified a publisher that interests you, visit its website to get the latest guidelines. Don’t simply depend on the information included in the listing. Consider these free lists as your starting point.
Happy hunting!
Successful, published children’s book authors tend have four things in common. See if you have what it takes to make it writing children’s books and getting them published.
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