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It's time to reveal our super-secret project:  Write4Kids! TV.   It's a web video channel devoted exclusively to writing children's books, and will feature video interviews with authors, editors and publishing visionaries.  It's completely free and is certain to become must-viewing for anyone interested in creating children's books.

Right now, the very first episode is up, and it's a doozy. Join me for an exclusive chat with Karen Robertson, author of Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island and creator of an amazing eBook called Author's Guide to Book Apps.

Karen has a great story:  about a year ago, she decided to create an iPad app for her book.  She's a self-described "total non-techie", but she taught herself how to do everything.  Her journey turned out to be more fun and less expensive than she imagined.  Now she's become an evangelist for writers to create and sell their own children's book apps and, to prove that absolutely anyone can do it, she's created a step-by-step roadmap that shows exactly how to make it happen (and she's teamed up with us to offer it at a special price).

Apps are super-hot right now and can offer exposure and, yes, profit for writers, whether they've been previously published or not. 

In our chat, Karen shares exactly what apps are and how they're sold.  It's a meaty conversation that will leave you feeling confident that, in fact, you can do it.

Go check out "Children's Book Apps Made Easy" at http://Write4Kids.tv

Karen has a free report about creating apps at http://bit.ly/apps4kids

Ever since Max went on a wild rumpus in 1963 in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, picture books have quietly ventured away from stories of sweet, happy, safe childhoods into more subversive territory. Sure, plenty of gentle, value inspired books still line the shelves (and some of them are quite good), but tucked between the tales of liking yourself just the way you are and comforting bedtime stories young children can journey to imaginative, exciting and sometimes scary places. Places where no grown-ups are allowed.

When I tell people that I teach children’s book writing classes, the response is often, “That’s good, because there are so many bad children’s books out there.” I used to agree, but I’ve come to learn that as long as a book has a big enough audience to justify keeping it in print, it deserves a place on the shelves. That’s because everyone’s definition of “bad” is different. Personally, I hate picture books whose sole purpose is to teach children a lesson or moral. It’s as if kids don’t deserve to be entertained, but simply preached to. The worst are books written by celebrity authors, who think because their names are household words they have the authority to tell kids how to behave. To top it off, the books almost never follow the standards of good writing editors require of their lesser-known authors. But a few publishers and a lot of adults have determined these books are “good” enough to buy. And so they exist.

My favorite books operate outside the box. They offer a new way of looking at the world; they don’t tell a child what to think but show a child how to think. They acknowledge all the emotions of childhood, from anger to pride to fear to silliness. It takes a special dedication to write this kind of book for the youngest children. These are the kids parents most want to protect, and who adults most want to control. Some adults are afraid of books that allow young readers to think like kids as opposed to grown-ups in training. And so I greatly admire the new crop of forward-thinking picture book creators. Here’s a sampling:

Big Momma Makes the World by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Candlewick, 2002). What if the world was created by a woman? And what if that woman brought forth the light and the dark, the sea and the sky, with a baby on her hip and the laundry piling up in the corner? Root’s Mama is a no-nonsense Earth Mother who makes the planet for her baby to crawl upon and people to swap stories with while she’s sitting on her front porch. When they got out of line, she admonishes “Better straighten up down there,” but most of the time she smiles and says, “That’s good. That’s real good.”

This book is not for every family, especially if it conflicts with religious beliefs. And that’s fine, because no book can be perfect for all children. But I love that’s it’s out there delightfully pushing boundaries for anyone who wants to read it. The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by David McKean (Harper, 2003). Lucy is sure the sounds she hears in the walls of her old house are wolves. But her family doesn’t believe her: “You know what they say…If the wolves come out of the walls, then it’s all over.” But Lucy’s right, and one night a pack of wolves clamors through the walls, forcing Lucy’s family to flee to the garden. After two nights outside the family’s had enough, and Lucy leads them to the house where they creep into the walls and watch the wolves destroy their home with a wild party. Finally the family bursts through the walls, scaring the wolves away. Life returns to normal after several days of clean-up, but then Lucy hears other sounds one night, “…exactly like an elephant trying not to sneeze.” Should she tell her family? No, they’ll find out soon enough.

This book, with its dark, surreal illustrations, is too scary for many kids. But older picture book readers who like to be spooked will love it. I appreciate that the message is not the pragmatic “Don’t let your imagination run away with you,” but rather “Sometimes, your worst fears will come true. But you’ll be able to handle it.”

Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet by Ross MacDonald (Roaring Brook Press, 2003). An alphabet book that begs to be shouted out loud, each letter is expressed through sounds that match humorous illustrations. “M” is depicted by a huge Meow! coming from a small cat, while a frightened cow runs off uttering a smaller Moo! “N” is NO! yelled by a father as his blindfolded son tries to pin the tail of a donkey on dad’s back side instead of the poster. “O” is the boy’s OH! and oops! while watching Dad yell OW… and stagger off in pain, tail firmly in place.

Little triumphs over big in this book, often at the expense of adults. Preschoolers will appreciate the physical humor that sometimes borders on naughty, as in the illustration of an exposed rear end of a lion tamer after the lion removes his clothes with a ROAR! and a RIP! The words, set in 19th Century wood type and printed on a handpress, give the art a nostalgic feel reminiscent of old circus and “Wanted” posters.

The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam, 2003). A proud mother recalls the day her child (who looks to be four or five years old) saved a group of babies when they crawled away from their parents who were occupied by a pie-eating contest. The babies chased butterflies over a hill, explored a cave filled with bats, and got stuck in a tree while imitating birds. The savior wisely fed the babies a snack of blackberries and dew and let them nap in a pile before returning them to their worried parents. The black silhouette figures against a technicolor sky allow any child to imagine him or herself in the place of the brave young child in a firefighter’s hat.

While this book doesn’t shout “subversive,” when I first read it I could imagine parents gasping at the thought of a story depicting helpless babies wandering around unsupervised, or munching on berries growing in the wild. But rather than scare children, I think this book empowers them. Kids know when they’re entering the world of make-believe, and every preschooler deserves to fancy him or herself a hero once in a while.

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Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

In this video, we explore a segment of children’s publishing that offers less competition and more opportunity for beginning writers — nonfiction magazine writing. If you’re looking for a quick, fun and rewarding way to build publishing credits and experience, we’ve got all the info you need!

Having trouble viewing the video? You can also find it at Dailymotion, Metacafe, 5Min, Graspr and Howcast.

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Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

I recently opened up my email to find this message: “Can I get published as a children’s book author if I’m not a good writer?” I was taken aback at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I appreciated the question. The sender knows her limitations, but dreams of getting published anyway. She’s not suffering under the delusion that she’s the next Dr. Seuss, and I admire that. She’s going to look at her work with a critical eye, and search for ways to make it better. This is assuming that it’s possible to learn to write well.  I believe that it is.

Very few writers have the innate ability to create vibrant, relevant, compelling stories right out of the gate. Most have to work at it. And those who see writing as a skill that is never quite mastered, requiring a lifelong devotion to the learning process, will be most successful. Where this gets tricky is that unlike other skills – such as baking a cake – there is no foolproof way to learn how to write.  So while I can’t give you a one-size-fits-all method, I can give you some ideas on how you can find the path that works best for you.

Read, read, read. Why are editors always telling aspiring authors to read piles of children’s books? Because they give you a concrete representation of what works. Be sure you read good books (check reviews or ask a librarian or teacher for recommendations). By simply reading, you’ll learn about the ebb and flow of a story, how a character is introduced and developed, the types of conflicts appropriate for each age group, how to build tension in scenes and chapters, the relation of sub-plots to the main storyline, how dialogue moves the plot along, and much more. You’ll experience firsthand how a skilled author uses sensory images to immerse the reader completely in the story. By comparing several authors writing for the same age group, you’ll hear different literary voices.

I suggest reading books like those you wish to write, as well as books one level younger and one level older. So, if your goal is to write a middle grade mystery for ages 8-12, also read mysteries for ages 7-10 and 10-14. In this way, you’ll become educated about precisely what makes up a middle grade novel and how it’s different from fiction for older and younger readers. You might even learn that your story isn’t really for middle grades after all.

Another reason for reading a lot of quality books is that you need a yardstick against which to judge your own work. You’ll learn which “rules” can’t be broken and those that have more wiggle room. For example, you’ll be hard pressed to find a 60-page picture book in the stores, even by a well known author. If your picture book’s that long, you’ll have no choice but to rethink the story and fit it into 32 pages. However, you can experiment with unconventional characters and unexpected viewpoints. And the older the reader, the fewer rules apply. But no matter what you do with your plot, characters or writing style, make sure you know why you’re doing it. Don’t write the story in present tense unless it needs to unfold in real time for the reader. Don’t incorporate flashbacks unless they’re vital for understanding what’s going on in the story now.

Find a system that works for you. The first step toward learning to write is figuring out how you learn the best. Some authors I know are very left-brained; they love charts and graphs and lists. They thrive on tracking their scenes and plotting out their book on every level before they start to write. Those left-brainers will analyze published books and count the words per page, note which scene contains the plot’s catalyst, chart out where the tension rises and falls in each chapter. Others prefer to learn more intuitively. They read books, absorb the different writing styles, and maybe jot down a few notes with overall impressions or key points they want to remember. They have a general idea of where their own story is going, and aren’t afraid to experiment and take detours along the way.

If you don’t know where you fall on the spectrum, try different approaches and see what feels right. Remember that there is no one way of doing this, and every method has its pros and cons. Plotting out your story beforehand can prevent you from wandering off track, but the lists can become an evasive technique to keep you from actually writing the book. Letting the words spill onto the page with no grand plan feels very creative, but usually results in huge first drafts that have to be significantly trimmed and shaped. If you write long enough you’ll discover your weaknesses and devise ways to work around them. Maybe you outline first, then put it away while you write your first draft. Maybe you lay out your scenes on a plotline after each chapter, then revise as needed before moving on to the next chapter. If your dialogue tends to wander in circles before coming to the point, you’ll learn to get it on paper and then tighten it in the second draft.

Recognize your strengths. Some authors are brilliant nonfiction writers but can’t sell a fiction story. Others write wonderful picture books but are overwhelmed by all the layers to a novel. Instead of trying to force a style that isn’t you, start with what you’re naturally good at. You don’t have to publish fiction to be a successful author. You may dream of writing picture books, but if you have a knack for relating to teenagers, maybe young adult novels are your future.

Discovering your strengths involves experimenting with several writing styles and age groups. If you don’t know where to start, think about the kinds of children’s books you most like to read. Then play around with writing dialogue or scenes for the same age group. If you’re naturally drawn to nonfiction, make a list of topics that excite you. Start by writing about one of the subjects in the style of some of your favorite children’s magazines.

Above all, practice. Over the years I’ve worked with writers who have gotten published through sheer force of will. They’ve gone over manuscripts again and again, taking them from mediocre to polished. They’ve put aside ideas that simply didn’t work and turned to something new. And they never submitted the first or second draft to an editor, because those manuscripts could always be improved. They weren’t very good writers when they began, but they learned. And you can too.

Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

Having problems viewing the video?  Try these links:

http://www.5min.com/Video/Writing-Picture-Books—How-to-Get-Started-188470615

http://www.viddler.com/explore/cbiclubhouse/videos/44/

http://www.blip.tv/file/2660410

Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

Many beginners believe writing picture books are a breeze, but it requires a lot of skill to pack a story into a few words. If writing a picture book is your dream, here are some tips to consider before you begin:

Keep it simple. You should be able to sum up the plot of your picture book in three sentences. Not every detail, of course, but the broad strokes. Use one sentence for the beginning (naming your main character and the problem or conflict he’ll face in the story), one for the middle (describing the gist of the efforts your character makes to solve his problem), and one for the end (how he finally resolves the conflict and reaches his goal). If three sentences doesn’t capture the essence of your plot, then it’s probably too complex for a picture book.

Note: You’re concentrating here on plot (the action of the story), rather than theme (the underlying message). Don’t get into describing theme when you’re summarizing your plot. The theme shouldn’t even be an issue at this point. You want to construct the story so the character’s actions, and how he changes because of those actions, implies a lesson to your readers.

Think in pictures. The term “picture books” says it all: the illustrations are just as important as the words. The average picture book is 32 pages long, with about four pages of front matter (title page, copyright page, etc.) So you have 28 pages of text and illustration. If you aim for 1000 words to tell your story (the average length of picture book text), that gives you about 36 words per page (some pages will have more words, some less, depending on the pacing of your story). While you don’t want to obsess over precise word counts when you’re writing early drafts of your manuscript, do keep in mind that every page of your book needs to inspire a different illustration. So count out 36 words from your manuscript and note how big a block of text that is on the page. That’s about how many words you can devote to each illustration. After that, your characters have to do something— move around, change locations— so the illustrator will have a new picture to draw.

One way to think in pictures is to convey the character’s problem, and her efforts to solve that problem, in concrete, visual terms. If your character is having trouble memorizing facts for school, that all takes place inside her head. But if she’s embarrassed because she can’t swim, then her attempts to learn are easily illustrated.

Note: Some illustrations will span two facing pages, called a two-page spread. In this case, you’ll have about 70 words for that one illustration. But picture books are a mix of single page illustrations and two-page spreads, so keep the action moving at a good pace.

Keep a childlike outlook. Picture book characters can be children, adults, animals or fantasy characters. But all main characters must embody the sensibilities of a child between the ages of 4-8. This mean the problem your characters faces needs to be relevant and important to your target audience. The way your character tackles that problem must fit with the way a child would tackle it. Don’t create an adult main character just so you can impose some adult wisdom on your readers. Grown-up characters using the emotional, illogical and sometimes messy coping strategies of children can be a very effective, and funny, storytelling technique. Above all, the character must be the one to solve the problem, using methods that are accessible to children. If readers see themselves in your main character, then they’ll understand the underlying message of your story.

Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

Mysteries have always been popular with middle grade readers. They are typically fast-paced stories that build self-confidence by permitting the reader to solve the crime. Simple mysteries for this age group follow a clear formula in which the author lays out clues for the reader in a predictable fashion, using escapes, setbacks and coincidence. The Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books fall into this category.

As readers become skilled at solving mysteries, they reach for books that require careful scrutiny to discern clues. Goody Hall by Natalie Babbitt and Mystery of Drear House by Virginia Hamilton and are good examples. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you choose to write mysteries for children.

* Unlike other types of children’s books, the child protagonist in a mystery does not go through major character development during the story. His or her character must be strong at the start of the book, and have qualities the reader will identify with or admire. However, one of the protagonist’s character traits (a photographic memory, for example) can be used to solve the mystery, as long as the readers know about it.

* Another difference between mysteries and other types of fiction is that in mysteries there is little or no underlying theme to the story (such as loneliness, peer pressure, etc.). The plot drives the story, and the conflict and tension is derived from what happens to the main characters from without, rather than what’s going on inside themselves.

* The child in the story need to be as smart, or smarter, than the grounups. Adults can help in certain situations in order to make the story believable, but the child must uncover the major clues and solve the case.

* The clues to the crime, as well as the crime itself, must be accessible to children in real life in order for the story to be realistic. This also helps the reader solve the mystery. A child would not know, for example, how someone could alter the brakes on a car, but he or she is most likely aware of how this was done to a bicycle.

* The reader needs access to all the clues available to the protagonist. It’s not fair for the author to withhold information.

* It helps if the author rehashes the entire crime and rounds up all the clues at the end of the story. A common method is using the protagonist to summarize the crime to another character just before solving the case. This will remind readers of the clues, and give them a better chance of coming up with the solution on their own.

Laura Backes is the publisher of Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Writers. For more information about how to write children’s books, including free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit Children’s Book Insider’s home on the web at http://write4kids.com and the CBI Clubhouse at http://cbiclubhouse.com

This video explores some cool alternative methods of telling a story. If you’re struggling to add some flair to your writing, check these tips out!

If you can’t view this video properly, you can also find it here: 5min graspr Viddler blip.tv Veoh DailyMotion Sclipo YouTube

Feel free to share this video or embed on your site or blog!

Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children’s book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!

Sure, it’s aggravating. You work tirelessly on your manuscript, revise, re-write and revise again. You send it off to publishers and get a mailbox full of rejections. Meanwhile, some pop star or ballplayer gets a big money deal to write a children’s book without lifting a finger.

Well, that’s the way the world works. No need to get down about it. Just get to work. Non-celebrities get book deals every day. Here’s how you can do the same.

Step 1: Master the Rules.

If you’re not famous, your manuscript or query letter takes the same route as the rest of the non-celebrities. It gets dropped, as part of a huge pile, on the desk of an overorked, underpaid, editorial assistant (or a freelance reader). Her job is to dig through the pile of dross and find a few nuggets of gold, and then pass them on to an equally overworked and underpaid editor. The editor then reads through the smaller pile, pulls out the submissions that catch her eye, and brings them to an editorial meeting. If the general consensus is “yes, this is a book we want to publish”, you’re on your way to partying it up with Madonna in the special “Children’s Writers’ VIP Lounge” at the Viper Room.

Buried in that timeline is a bit of bad news and a bit of good news. First the bad news: The editorial assistant weeds out up to 95% of the submissions that arrive. In other words, the vast majority of submissions to a publishing house never even make it in front of a person in a position to publish it. Why not? They may, of course, simply be awful submissions, laden with poor grammar, misspellings and hackneyed writing. They may be the obvious work of amateurs, handwritten on lined paper with childish drawings. Or, and this is where there’s some hope, they may simply get turned down because they’re the less obvious work of amateurs.

More subtle things, such as using single spacing rather that double spacing, or a manuscript whose word count is out of whack with the “norm” is sometimes all it takes for an EA to say “Beginner”. Rejection.”

So here’s the good news: simply by picking up the specific, but not wildly arcane, rules of children’s publishing, you can leapfrog over the madding crowd. When an EA or reader reads a manuscript that comes from someone who clearly knows how it’s done, they’re far more likely to give it a fair reading, and far less squeamish about passing it on to the boss.

So how do you learn the rules? Visit http://cbiclubhouse.com and have a look at the resources available there.

Step 2: Write to the Publisher’s Needs.

The problem with most aspiring children’s book writers is that they have a specific idea from which they won’t budge. To be honest, it’s usually a pretty dumb idea and, even if it’s halfway decent, chances are it’s been done many times already. Look, I know your dream is to write that book about the talking dish sponge and his sinkside pals, but put the dream on hold for a bit. The absolute best way to get published is to figure out what publishers want – and give it to them.

Here’s an example: Schools desperately need fiction and nonfiction books that integrate into curricula. Publishers, thus, are desperate to provide said books, as schools are big and dependable customers who are likely to buy directly from the publisher, giving even a better profit margin.

And you’re response to this is..? Hopefully, it’s “Hey, I’m gonna write some books that tie in with school curricula!”

This is just one example – publishers have all sorts of often unglamorous niches they need filled. How to find out? Send for their guidelines and catalog. Often, they’re quite explicit about their needs, other times you need to read between the lines of the catalog to figure it out. But the answer is usually there.

And, seriously, let’s see Brad Pitt try to write an exciting thriller about the passage of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.

Step 3: Learn to Write a Great Query Letter.

Your query letter (used if you’re sending a few sample chapters of a longer manuscript) or cover letter (used to accompany and introduce a complete manuscript) is your chance to really earn the sale. Almost always, it’s a wasted opportunity filled with irrelevance (I’m the mother of four and I’ve always dreamed of writing a children’s book!), pleading (It would mean so much to me to see this book in print!) and ludicrous assertions (Everyone tells me I’m the next J.K. Rowling!).

A good query letter is basically this: a powerful sales letter meant to convince a publisher that it is in its best interests to publish your book. Essentially, you need to tell them that your manuscript fits their needs and will sell to their current market and will expand into new markets. Tell them, specifically, how you will be able to deliver readers (e.g. I have a weekly blog read by more than 20,000 parents and my website attracts 60,000 visitors a month) and how there is a defined need for your book and how you will reach the target customers (e.g. There are over a half million foster children in America. These children, their foster parents and foster siblings need books like mine to help make sense of their situations. I will promote my book directly to them through organizations, conferences, newsletters and websites.)

To succeed in publishing, you must strip away the romantic nonsense you’ve been brought up with and see things as they are. Children’s books aren’t published by magical elves. They’re published by business people (albeit, business people who, thankfully, often genuinely love the books they publish). Display to an editor that your book will be an artistic and financial success and you’re taking a big step in the right direction. For much more on writing a great query letter, go to http://www.write4kids.com/query.html To learn about a collection of actual query letters from children’s authors that you can use for models, go to http://www.write4kids.com/a2e.html.

Step 4: Write to an Underserved Existing Market.

Sometimes the concept of writing to a publisher’s needs can be turned on its head. Perhaps there’s a sizeable, wonderful market that no one is serving and you can convince a publisher that its just the one to serve it. It could be anything – children of interracial marriage, girls who like jazz, boys who play piano, American kids who dig the game of cricket – if there are enough of them out there and are too few books for them to read, you may very well be introducing a publisher to a potentially lucrative market.

Do your research. Talk to trade associations, government experts, owners of websites that serve specific markets or anyone else who can give you some supporting backup on the size of your target group. Search Books in Print for already existing titles that target the group. Speak with librarians and booksellers to get their viewpoint on needs. And include it all in a great query letter.

Step 5: Listen to the Pros.

There’s no need to go it alone. Take the time (and spend a few bucks) to listen to others who have made the journey. Writing conferences, workshops (visit http://wemakewriters.com for an excellent one), books and newsletters (such as Children’s Book Insider — write4kids.com/aboutcbi.html) can dramatically increase your chances of getting published by helping you avoid typical mistakes and pitfalls. An eBook such as I Wish Someone Had Told Me That: 64 Successful Children’s Authors Give You the Advice They Wish Someone Had Given Them (http://write4kids.com/wishbook.html) is a great example of this sort of instruction. Pay heed to the voices of experience!

Laura Backes is the publisher of Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Writers. For more information about how to write children’s books, including free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit Children’s Book Insider’s home on the web at http://write4kids.com and the CBI Clubhouse at http://cbiclubhouse.com