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CHILDREN'S WRITERS MARKETPLACE
JANUARY 2002
Welcome to the Children's Writers Marketplace at its new location! Applause goes to Children's Book Insider for hosting it! For those who weren't readers at Inkspot or later at my own site, my name is Margaret Shauers. I have been active in many writing areas over the past 30+ years, but writing for children remains my best love. Over the past several years, I've been working in the activity book and game book areas. I also freelance children's short fiction and puzzles and do some adult material. The magazine market list I sell grew from my own writing card file. I now include nonfiction markets, as well. Information about ordering the full 350+ market list is given at the end of this column.
You can email me at mshauers@kscable.com.
FROM MY MAIL:
This update came from Amy Novesky, one of the Chronicle editors inquired about last month:
" Hi Margaret,
A friend of mine happened across your newsletter, specifically the letter from a reader who wondered where I had gone. I left Chronicle in September 2000 to pursue freelance work. Technically I was not replaced. However, the same editors that received submissions when I was there are still there, with the exception of Susan Pearson who works as a satellite editor for Chronicle. Victoria Rock remains the director of the children's program and all submissions can be addressed to her attention. I hope this helps.
And, for what it's worth, I continue to work as a freelance editor and consultant and offer consulting, developing and editing services to the children's writing public. You are welcome to share this information with your readers.
I can be reached at this email address. anovesky@earthlink.net.
Thanks for your interest and for producing a dedicated newsletter.
Amy Novesky"
Free Spirit Publishing, 217 Fifth Avenue North, Suite 200, Minneapolis MN 55401-1299. Telephone is (612) 338-2068. Fax: (612) 337-5050. Douglas J. Fehlen is Editorial Assistant. This publisher specializes in SELF-HELP FOR KIDS® and SELF-HELP FOR TEENS®. They are dedicated to publishing high quality nonfiction materials that empower young people--and help adults who care deeply about young people. They are currently accepting submissions in the following topic areas:
Mental and emotional health issues (early childhood through adolescence)
Social skills
Character education
Creative teaching and learning
Gifted and talented youth
LD (Learning differences)
Family and parenting issues
Social action
Violence prevention
Healthy youth development
Visit Free Spirit's web site: www.freespirit.com.
To receive a free copy of Damez, fill out a survey at http://www.damezmag.com/sections/survey/20011207.php.
In the RED FACE department this month, I wish to apologize to Erin Berger and the other staff at Highlights for Children. I received the following corrections to their contest (which I mentioned last month):
"I had a few concerns about the information given, however. It says, 'Entries should be unpublished works of fiction for ages 6-13.' Actually, our age ranges only goes to 12, so 6-12 would be more appropriate. Also, your information says, 'Three manuscripts will be awarded $1000 and published in the magazine. Winners will also receive a pewter bowl or attendance at the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop.' Actually, every winner receives a pewter bowl and has their piece published. The choice they must make is whether to receive the $1000 or to attend the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop." (Thanks, Erin, for catching my goofs! Highlights for Children has always been wonderfully supportive of writers--including new writers. I apologize!)
Good Apple Newspaper, Educational Oasis, Totline, Schooldays and Lollipops are some of the former Frank Schaffer publications that will continue to be published under new owners McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing. Like Shining Star, the publication Challenge will soon bit the dust. The June/July 2002 issue will be the last. (Has anyone heard if editor Mary Tucker has been successful in buying the Shining Star subscription list?) The address for the publications still going is P.O. Box 408, Madison, IA. Donna Borst oversees them all.
From another source, I learned that Totline is actively seeking developmentally appropriate activity ideas for children ages 2-5!
Clubhouse Jr., 8605 Explorer Dr., Colorado Springs CO 80920: Annette Bourlanc, Editor. This Christian publication (see above for general info) uses articles of 200-100 words, fiction of 200-650 beginning reader stories and 600-1000 read-alouds. 4-8 year olds.
NEW & CHANGES:
As I predicted last month, concerns with mail safety have made submitting more difficult. Make sure you follow guidelines exactly or your submission probably won't even be read! Bethany House no longer accepts unsolicited manuscripts. They will be returned to sender or discarded unopened. HarperCollins Children's Books has not been considering unsolicited material, but what comes in will be discarded, unopened. Mail addressed to specific editors here will be delivered, but it will be up to the individual editor whether to open the mail or not. Greenwillow Books, the Only HC imprint that has been considering unsolicited manuscripts no longer does so. Call 212-261-6627 after April 1st for an update. Zondervan and Zonderkidz will no longer open any material not addressed to an individual or not from a recognized source. They will be returned unopened or discarded if there is no return address. Zondervan encourages writers to submit book proposals electronically to First Edition, The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Manuscript Service: www.ECPA.org. Book proposals of no more than 5 pages also may be faxed to Book Proposal Review Editor: 616-698-3454. Although not in the children's area, Fawcett is a publisher who now not only accepts agented materials only, but simply discards all over-the-transom submissions and proposals. Unfortunately for new writers who have a hard time finding a good agent, the anthrax scare will make breaking in even harder at most markets. (WARNING! A poor agent will probably get the same reception at these houses. So be careful when you do select an agent.)
A notice in the Authors Guild bulletin states that most agents still are opening mail, but most do not want unsolicited manuscripts either--send query letter, synopsis or outline, etc. only until you receive a request for the entire manuscript.
Candlewick Press is no longer considering unsolicited submission either, not because of mail safety, but because they were overloaded with something like 20,000 submissions when they did agree to review them.
Check web pages (most can be found at the Writer's Digest Online site). As I suggested earlier, followed guidelines exactly.
On the magazine side, I'd expect more magazines to request email submissions. Again, follow guidelines closely. Some want attachments. Others will not open attachments, but prefer the text within the body of the email. Winner Magazine, one of the Seventh Day Adventist publications, for instance, requests email queries to winer@healthconnection.org. They buy 1st American rights and pay $80 for 650 words. They have special needs. Check those out, too!
For whatever reasons, Moon Mountain Publishing has also announced a moratorium on new submissions.
Pleasant Company Publications is no longer considering picture book manuscripts and is temporarily putting a hold on submissions for their History Mystery series. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has a six-month hold on accepting submissions. At that point, they plan to establish an email submission policy.
Boy Crazy, Suite 1200, 300 E. Main Street, Norfolk VA 23510: Gabrielle Lasting, Managing Editor. This is a spin off publication of Decipher, Inc.'s Boy Crazy trading card line. Bimonthly for girls 12-17. Each issue will feature one of 363 teen boys found in mall searches. At present it is mostly staff written, but this may change. www.boycrazy.com. Email: Gabrielle Lasting@boycrazy.com.
If you write parenting issues, don't forget that Family Circle, 375 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10017 puts our two parenting sections each year. The focus is on children from infancy through 8th grade. Queries only, can be emailed to aebron@familycircle.com. Website: www.familycirlce.com.
Children's Book Insider editors checked out the story on the Children's Better Health Institute submission confusion. Child Life and Children's Digest are definitely still closed to submissions. Humpty Dumpty, Children's Playmate, Jack and Jill, Turtle and U.S. Kids are reading manuscripts, but due to the economy are able to purchase only a few magazines. Terry Harshman, editor at Turtle and Children's Playmate, says the best bets there are for short poems at both magazines and rebuses at Turtle. The addresses here are all 1100 Waterway Blvd., Box 567, Indianapolis IN 46206.
Christina Kelly, Editor-in-Chief at YM magazine has hired new editors for several positions. Lori Majewski, formerly at Teen People, will become Executive Editor. Abby Gardner, formerly an associate editor at Jane, will become Beauty Director, and Elizabeth Kiester, former market editor at Jane, will become Fashion Director.
More not-so-good news is that Mc-Graw Hill has eliminated 925 positions, of which approximately 575 are in the publisher's education group. Ouch!
Kids Highway has at least temporarily suspended publication.
Devo'Zine, P O Box 189, Nashville TN 37202-0189: Robin Pippin, Editor. This devotional for teens 13-18 wants daily meditations of 150-250 words, poetry and prayers of 10-20 lines. Pays $20 per meditation; accepts reprints. Prefers NRSV, NIV, CEV. Has theme list. Emails: devozine@upperroom.org; devozine@upperrom.org. Poetry guidelines can be found at http://www.upperroom.org.
Annemarie Iverson is editor at Seventeen, 850 Third Avenue, New York NY 10022. Check out their website at www.seventeen.com.
For self-published authors, there's now a book that lists 1,300 independent bookstores. For more information go to http://www.booklocker.com/ww/products.html#bookstore.
FROM YOU (THANK YOU!)
D.R. wrote to let me know that an article about writing the rebus was in the September 2001 issue of Children's Writer. It was entitled "Short on Time?" and written by Vicki Hambleton. (I'd missed this one. The one I mentioned last month was in the same magazine a few years ago. Do check this one out if you read fast in September, too! It's good.)
And Risa writes that The Goldfinch has ceased publication.
SITE OF THE MONTH:
Encyclopedia Brittannica now has an online search engine for use: www.britannica.com.
CONTESTS:
Children's Writer, 93 Long Ridge Road, West Reading CT 06896-1124 has a contest going for (to) 650 word Profiles in History. Target audience is 7-10. Prizes range from $50 through $250 and publication for the 1st place winner. Subscribers get free entries; others pay $10.00, but receive an 8-month trial subscription. Send SASE for full details.
Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), 812 Huron Rd. E. #719, Cleveland OH 44115 has a contest open for writers under age 21. 1st prize is $200 cash, publication in SABR Journal and/or website, a 3-year membership and a plaque. Up to 3 finalists also receive 1-year memberships. Deadline is June 1. No entry fees. Send SASE for guidelines. Contact Rodney Johnson, contest/award director.
Writers Weekly has writing contests. The winter contest is full (entries are limited), but you can sign up for the spring contest at http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.html. This one will be limited to 500 entries and there will be 85 prizes.
LETTERS:
Note to letter writers: Thank you for your emails. I read them all and I try to answer as many varied questions as possible. I also have a backlog so it can take time. If I don't use your letter in the column within two months, it's for one of the following reasons. (A.) I've answered a very similar question in the past. Please check the FAQ section and the archives. (B.) I no longer publish letters where I must do more than very minor grammar and spelling corrections. This includes the many letters I get where no capitalization is used. Editing letters takes too much time–and such letters hardly indicate a serious commitment to writing. Believe me, editors never take poorly constructed writing seriously! (C.) I do not critique writing and no longer respond to emails requesting such services.
Dear Ms. Shauers,
Thank you for your informative site. I have written several children's books and was trying to do the "submission" thing myself. However, upon re-reading my books on getting published, I've begun to entertain the idea of a literary agent. I'm in the process of researching that whole idea. I have had a subsidy publishing company contact me, but I have that on hold. Please advise, as this process can become discouraging. My reasoning behind this decision is that I don't want to waste anymore time than I already have trying to re-invent the wheel.
I've printed a list of agents from the Internet to scrutinize.
Please respond at your convenience as to whether this route is feasible for me.
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Deanna
Dear Deanna:
As I also recommended last month, I first advise getting the book "2002 Guide to Literary Agents" put out by Writer's Digest. Not only does it give up-to-date addresses and phone numbers (It never hurts to check those out online; things change fast in publishing!), but also gives very good advise on how to pick a quality agent.
Unless you wish to market the book yourself, I'd not go with a subsidy publisher. If you do go the self-publishing route, do some networking with other self-published authors to learn of local/area printers who usually provide work of equal or better quality at consistently lower prices than subsidy presses.
Good luck!
Margaret
JANUARY TIP: New Year's resolutions for writers always include the resolve to write more, market more wisely, finish a long-term project or some other writing related goal. Let's all do a step-by-step breakdown of exactly how we can achieve our goals. Make a checklist--and follow through. Do make it policy to double-check each magazine's guidelines! Between the general economic slow-down and the mail scare, it looks like even the best writing will be harder to place this year.
WISHING YOU A CREATIVE & PROFITABLE 2002!
Click here to view December's Children's Writers Marketplace
TO ORDER my complete 350+ Children's Writers magazine market list (paying markets ONLY; approx. 1/3 are Christian markets): send $4.50 for an email copy; $7.75 ($8.75 outside US) for print snail mail copy. If you cannot send funds drawn on an actual U.S.bank, please check if your country is eligible for PayPal (link below) or send an International Money order. PayPal is also acceptable from the U.S. and shipment will be same or next day. Please allow 7-10 days for snail mail; up to a month outside US. This list is updated whenever I get new information and is seldom exactly the same two days in a row. Margaret Shauers, 1411 12th Street, Great Bend KS 67530 USA.
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