Writing Children's Books For Dummies
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Writing Children's Books For Dummies
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Overview
Everyone loves a children's book—and many dream about writing one. But is it actually possible for an unpublished writer—armed with a good story idea and a love of kids—to write, sell, publish, and promote a book? Yes, it is!
Clearly and concisely written with straightforward advice and a plethora of specific up-to-date recommendations, Writing Children's Books For Dummies provides step-by-step information on everything aspiring children's book authors need to know—from researching the current marketplace to developing story ideas, strengthening writing skills, dealing with editors, and submitting proposals and manuscripts to agents and publishers.
- Updated and improved writing exercises
- All new content on social media and establishing an online presence as an author
- Fresh, updated content on publishing via hard copy and all the e- platforms
From setting down that first word on paper to doing a successful publicity tour, Writing Children's Books For Dummies gives you the confidence and the insiders' know-how to write and sell the story you've always wanted to write.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781118356463 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Publication date: | 01/01/2013 |
| Series: | For Dummies Books |
| Pages: | 384 |
| Sales rank: | 1,040,595 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d) |
About the Author
Peter Economy is a bestselling author, coauthor, and ghostwriter of more than 55 books, including several For Dummies titles.
Read an Excerpt
Writing Children's Books For Dummies
By Lisa Rojany Buccieri, Peter Economy
John Wiley & Sons
Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, LtdAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-118-35646-3
CHAPTER 1
Exploring the Basics of Writing Children's Books
In This Chapter
* Defining the children's book world
* Diving into the writing process
* Creating a powerful story for children and polishing until it shines
* Publishing your book and spreading the word
For many, dreams of writing or illustrating a children's book remain just that — dreams — because they soon find out that writing a really good children's book is hard. Not only that, but actually getting a children's book published is even harder. If you don't know the conventions and styles, if you don't speak the lingo, if you don't have someone to advocate for your work, or if you or your manuscript don't come across as professional, you'll be hard pressed to get your manuscript read and considered, much less published.
Consider this chapter your sneak peek into the world of children's publishing. We fill you in on the basics of children's book formats, creating a productive writing zone, employing key storytelling techniques, revising your manuscript, and getting your story into the hands of publishers who sell to the exact children's audience you're targeting.
REMEMBER
Every bestselling children's book author started with a story idea — just like yours. Also, many of today's most successful writers were rejected time after time until they finally found someone who liked what he or she read or saw and decided to take a chance. Follow your dreams. Feed your passion. Never give up. The day your children's book is published, we'll be cheering for you.
Knowing Your Format and Audience
Before you do anything else, figure out what kind of children's book you're writing (or want to write). Manuscripts are published in several tried-and-true formats, with new ones developed every year. Formats involve the physical characteristics of a book: page count, trim size (width and height), whether it's color or black and white, has lots of pictures or lots of words, is hardcover or softcover, comes as an e-book or an app — or both. There are also lots of genres your book may (or may not) fall into. So figuring out your format and genre will help you determine exactly how to write and present your book. Chapter 2 has lots of examples of published books that do a great job in each format.
REMEMBER
You also need to ask yourself: Who is my audience? Believe it or not, children isn't the correct answer. Children of a particular age bracket, say infant to age 2, or ages 3 to 8, may come closer to defining the target age you're trying to reach, but are they really the ones who buy your book? Because books are ushered through the process by grown-ups — signed up by agents, acquired and edited by editors, categorized by publishers, pushed by sales reps, shelved and sold by booksellers, and most often purchased by parents and other adults — your audience is more complicated than you may think. In Chapter 3, we tell you all about the different people you need to impress before you get your book in the hands of children.
Getting into a Good Writing Zone
If you thought you could just grab a pen and paper and jump right in to writing, you're right! But you may also want to consider what will happen when your life starts to intrude on your writing time. How do you work around the children needing to be fed and your desk being buried under mounds of bills and old homework? How do you figure out when it's best to write? In Chapter 4, we talk about the importance of making a writing schedule and sticking to it. We also emphasize finding a space of your own for writing and making that space conducive to productivity and creativity.
After you figure out how to get to work, you have to decide what you're going to write about. Coming up with an interesting idea for a story isn't necessarily as easy as you may think, which is why we provide lots of ways to boot up your idea factory in Chapter 5. We also have ways to get you unstuck if you find yourself with a mysterious case of writer's block.
As soon as you have your good idea, it's time to get out there and research to make sure the idea fits your target audience. We cover the hows and whys of researching your audience, of figuring out what children like and what is important in their lives, and then researching the topic itself in Chapter 6.
Transforming Yourself into a Storyteller
By making sure your fiction story features these key elements, you'll be one step closer to publishing success:
[check] Memorable characters: Whether it's a child who can fly, a really hungry wolf, a boy and a slave floating down the Mississippi River, or a smelly green ogre, characters are the heart and soul of children's books. So how can you create characters who jump off the page and into your readers' hearts? Chapter 7 reveals how to build and flesh out great characters and how to avoid stereotyping and other common pitfalls.
[check] An engaging plot: What exactly is a plot, and how does one figure out what constitutes a beginning, a middle, and an ending? That's the territory of Chapter 8, as are conflict, climax, and resolution.
[check] Realistic dialogue: Kids can tell when dialogue doesn't sound right. This is why Chapter 9 features tips and step-by-step advice for writing realistic, age-appropriate dialogue for each of your characters. We also look at ways to keep your characters sounding different from one another.
[check] Interesting settings: One way to engage young readers is to set your story in places that intrigue them. We give you some pointers on how to create interesting settings that ground your story in a particular context and draw in your reader in Chapter 10.
Of course, you also need to consider your author voice or tone. Do you want to sound playful by incorporating word play, rhyming, and rhythm (the music inherent in words well matched)? Or do you want to make youngsters giggle uncontrollably? We give you the tools you need to create your character's voice in Chapter 11. And if you're struggling with sticking to a consistent point of view, Chapter 11 can help you out there, too.
TIP
Interested in writing nonfiction? Then turn to Chapter 12. It's chock-full of good advice on jump-starting your nonfiction project by choosing a kid-friendly topic, organizing your ideas into a comprehensive outline or plan, and fleshing out your ideas with all the right research.
Polishing Your Gem and Getting It Ready to Send
After you've written your first (or tenth) draft, you may be ready for the revising or editing process. Revising and editing aren't just exercises to go through step by step; they are processes in which the writer gets to know his story inside and out. Characters are fleshed out, the story is honed and sharpened, the pacing is fine-tuned, and the writing is buffed and polished.
In Chapter 13, we guide you through the steps of revising and editing, addressing in detail how to fix everything from dialogue issues to awkward writing, advising when to adhere to the rules of grammar (and when it's okay not to), and giving you a few simple questions to ask yourself to make the process much smoother and less complicated.
In the process of rewriting and editing your story, you may find that you have some serious questions about your manuscript, such as "Is this really final, or does it need work?" or "Is this supporting character turning into more of a distraction than anything else?" Seek out feedback from others to help you find answers to any and all questions you may be asking. You can join (or start) a local writer's group, attend book conferences or writing workshops, or participate in writing message boards. For the full scoop on all things feedback-related, see Chapter 15.
TIP
In the publishing world, first impressions carry a lot of weight. Your thoroughly revised, well-written, and engaging manuscript may fail to wow editors if it looks unprofessional. Trust us: Proper formatting goes a long way toward making your submission look as professional and enticing as possible. (Flip to Chapter 13 for some formatting tips.)
And what about illustrations? Should you illustrate your book yourself, or should you partner with or hire an illustrator to create the pictures you envision to complement and enhance your manuscript? For writers wondering about whether art should be included with their manuscript, we give you the pros and cons of partnering with an illustrator. For those with artistic talent to pair with their writing skills, Chapter 14 also provides step-by-step examples of what illustrating a picture book really looks like.
Selling Your Story
After you have a well written, carefully edited, perfectly formatted manuscript in your hands, you're ready to launch it on its first (or 17th) journey out into the big, bad world of publishing. At this point in the process, you have a few different options:
[check] You can send your manuscript to an agent, a person who will best represent your interests and do all the photocopying, query-letter writing, submitting, tracking, and negotiating on your behalf. The good ones are well worth the 15 percent they typically charge to take your career from amateur to professional. Finding the right one, getting her attention, and then negotiating your contract is a process unto itself, which is why we tell you all about that in Chapter 16.
[check] You can submit your book to publishers on your own. Finding the right match and submitting to only the "right fit" publishing houses is an art form requiring in-depth research and quite a bit of sleuthing. Turn to Chapter 17 for advice on finding the publisher who's looking for stories just like yours, as well as how to get what you want in your contract.
[check] You can opt out of the submissions game altogether and choose to publish your book all by yourself. Chapter 18 introduces you to the world of self-publishing, offering you tips, options, and guidelines about how and where to start with print or digital versions of your book.
Promoting Your Book
After you have your finished book or its actual publication date, how can you be sure anyone else will ever see it or buy it? If you're working with a traditional publisher, that company likely has a marketing team dedicated to spreading the word about your book, but you know what? The efforts your publisher is planning on making on your behalf may not impress you, which means you need to do some marketing and publicizing of your own if you want your book sell over the long run. Don't worry, though. Publicity professionals let you in on their secrets in Chapter 19, and we give you lots of ideas of how to get your book noticed. Marketing, planning, and promotion take you from book signing to lecture — all starring you and your fabulous children's book.
TIP
Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware that social media has become a powerful force in promoting everything from products and politics to — you guessed it — children's books. Chapter 20 explains how to use social media (including Facebook, Twitter, and blogs) to introduce your book to the world, alert potential buyers to its existence, and keep it in the public consciousness long after its release date.
Improving your chances of getting published
We've worked in the publishing industry for a long time, and we have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't. Here are some insider tips that can significantly improve your chances of getting published. Some of these tips involve very specific advice, such as getting feedback before submitting; others provide less concrete (but just as important) tips about the etiquette of following up with publishers and how to behave if rejected.
Act like a pro. If you act like you're an experienced and savvy children's book writer, people perceive you as being an experienced and savvy children's book writer — provided you've really done your research. And because the children's book industry tends to be more accepting of those people who already "belong to the club" than of the newbies pounding on the door to be let in, you'll greatly improve your chances of getting published by behaving as if you already belong. Some examples of this include sending a one-page query letter that addresses all the salient points, how to submit your carefully and thoroughly edited manuscript, and formatting your manuscript properly (discussed in Chapters 13 and 16).
Create magic with words. Writing a fabulous children's book isn't easy. A children's book editor has a very finely tuned sense of what constitutes a well-written book and what will sell in the marketplace. If you want to get your book published, your writing must be top notch — second best isn't good enough. If you're still learning the craft of writing, by all means get some reliable and knowledgeable feedback. And you might even choose to engage the services of a professional children's book editoror book doctor to help fix up your manuscript before you submit it to a publisher for consideration. Whichever avenue(s) you choose, the goal is putting your best effort forward.
Research thoroughly. To get published, your book needs to be both believable and factually correct (especially if you're writing nonfiction). If you're sloppy with the facts, your editor won't waste much time with your manuscript before pitching it in the trash. (Chapter 6 keeps you up on the latest developments in the world of children and ways to research your topic.)
Follow up — without stalking. After you submit your manuscript or proposal, expect to follow up with the agent or editor to whom you submitted it. But keep in mind that agents and editors are very busy people, and they probably receive hundreds if not thousands of submissions every year. Be polite and persistent, but avoid stalking the agent or editor by constantly calling or e-mailing for status. Making a pest of yourself will buy you nothing except a one-way ticket out of the world of children's books. See Chapters 16 and 17 for more on when and how to follow up.
Accept rejection graciously. Every children's book author — even the most successful and famous — knows rejection and what it's like to wonder whether her book will ever get published. But every rejection provides you with important lessons to be applied to your next submission. Take these lessons to heart and move on to the next opportunity. Head to Chapter 17 for more on rejection.
Practice until you're perfect. There's no better way to succeed at writing than to write, and no better way to get better at submitting your manuscripts and proposals to agents or publishers than to keep trying. Don't let rejection get in the way of your progress; keep writing and keep submitting. The more you do, the better you'll get at it — it being everything you discover in Parts II and III. And remember: Hope means always having a manuscript being considered somewhere.
Promote like crazy. Publishers love authors with a selling platform — that is, people who have the ability to publicize and promote their books as widely as possible. By showing your prospective publishers that you have the ability to promote your books — in the media, through your networks of relationships, and more — you'll greatly increase your chances of being published. (For more on promotion, see Chapters 19 and 20.)
Give back to the writing community. Both beginners and pros give back to their profession, to their readers, and to their communities. They volunteer to participate in writing groups or conferences to help new or unpublished authors polish their work and get published; they do free readings in local schools and libraries; and they advocate for children in their communities. When you give back like a pro, you improve your standing in the children's book industry, increasing your chances of getting published. And besides all that, you establish some good karma — and that can't hurt.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Writing Children's Books For Dummies by Lisa Rojany Buccieri, Peter Economy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Excerpted by permission of John Wiley & Sons.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You’re Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
How This Book Is Organized 3
Part I: The ABCs of Writing for Children 3
Part II: Immersing Yourself in the Writing Process 3
Part III: Creating a Spellbinding Story 3
Part IV: Making Your Story Sparkle 3
Part V: Getting Published and Promoting Your Book 4
Part VI: The Part of Tens 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part I: The ABCs of Writing for Children 5
Chapter 1: Exploring the Basics of Writing Children’s Books 7
Knowing Your Format and Audience 8
Getting into a Good Writing Zone 8
Transforming Yourself into a Storyteller 9
Polishing Your Gem and Getting It Ready to Send 9
Selling Your Story 10
Promoting Your Book 11
Chapter 2: Delving into Children’s Book Formats and Genres 13
Understanding Children’s Book Categories and Formats 13
Baby and Toddler Friendly: Books with Pictures 16
Board books 16
Picture books 18
Other books with pictures 21
Working through Books with Lots of Words 27
Early readers 27
First chapter books 29
Middle-grade books 30
Young adult books 32
Exploring the Genres 36
Science fiction 37
Fantasy 37
Horror and ghost stories 39
Action/adventure 39
True stories 39
Historical fiction 40
Biography 41
Learning/educational 42
Religion and diversity 43
Gender-oriented series books 43
Licensed character series books and books into brands 45
Chapter 3: Understanding the Children’s Book Market 49
Getting Insight into Book Buyers 52
For chain and big-box bookstores 52
For independent bookstores 53
Recognizing What Reviewers Offer 56
Discovering What Librarians Add to the Mix 56
Taking a Look at Teachers 60
Considering Parents’ Perspectives 62
Thinking Like a Kid 63
Going after what kids like — regardless of Mom and Dad 63
Knowing what kids don’t like 64
Part II: Immersing Yourself in the Writing Process 65
Chapter 4: Setting Up Your Workspace 67
Finding Time to Write 67
Figuring out when you’re most productive 67
Sticking to a writing schedule 68
Evaluating whether you’re a one-shot wonder or a committed writer 69
Optimizing Your Writing Environment 69
Locating your special writing spot 69
Getting organized 70
Preventing and dealing with interruptions 71
Chapter 5: Starting with a Great Idea 73
Once Upon a Time: Coming Up with an Idea 73
Relying on specific ideas rather than big ones 74
Tapping into your own experiences 75
Drawing from other children’s experiences 77
Pulling ideas from the world around you 78
Stumped? Break through with Brainstorming 78
Going it all by yourself 79
Giving free association a whirl 80
Taking up free-form or structured journaling 80
Buddying up to the buddy system 82
Asking the advice of a writing teacher or classmates 83
Seeking help from your audience 84
Heading back to school 86
Fighting Writer’s Block 86
Chapter 6: Researching Your Audience and Subject 89
Hanging Out with Kids 90
Go back to school 90
Become a storyteller 92
Borrow a friend’s child for a day 94
Dipping into Popular Culture 96
Watching kids’ TV shows and movies 96
Playing kid-focused digital games 97
Reading parenting and family magazines and blogs 98
Flipping through pop culture magazines 98
Surfing the Web 99
Browsing bookstores 100
Visiting children’s stores online or in person 101
Studying kids’ fashion trends 101
Researching Your Nonfiction Topic 102
Outlining the research process 102
Get around locally 103
Go far afield 104
Visit the Web — a lot 105
Have an expert look over your work 105
Part III: Creating a Spellbinding Story 107
Chapter 7: Creating Compelling Characters 109
The Secret Formula for an Exceptional Main Character 110
Defining your main character’s driving desire 110
Fleshing out your main character to show readers her driving desire 111
Getting to Know Your Characters through Dialogue 112
Making a Character Bible 114
Surveying a sample character bible 116
Creating consistency 118
Writing Stories with Two or More Main Characters 119
Choosing Supporting Characters 120
Calling All Character Arcs 122
Character Don’ts — and How to Avoid Them 124
Steer clear of stereotypes 124
Show your character in action 126
Toss out passivity and indefinites 127
Don’t rely on backstory or flashbacks 128
Developing Characters through Writing Exercises 129
Describe your first best friend 129
Borrow your favorite children’s book characters 130
Chapter 8: The Plot Thickens: Conflict, Climax, and Resolution 131
Remembering That It’s All about Action 132
Centering on the Story 133
Making Sure You Have a Beginning, Middle, and End 134
Using Drama and Pacing to Propel Your Story Forward 134
Drama: A reason to turn the page 135
Pacing: How you keep the pages turning 135
Outlining Tools to Structure Your Plot 136
Creating a step sheet 137
Fleshing out your outline 138
Knowing when to circumvent an outline 141
Preventing Plot Problems 141
Writing Your First Draft 142
Chapter 9: Can We Talk? Writing Dialogue 143
The Fundamentals of Good Dialogue 144
Dialogue has a function 144
Dialogue has drama 146
Listening to Real-World Dialogue 147
How kids talk 147
How grown-ups talk 149
Adding a Speech Section to Your Character Bible 149
Reading It Out Loud 150
Divulging Common Dialogue Mistakes 151
Failing to have conflict or tension 151
Repeating information 152
Describing dialogue 152
Using too many speaker references and attributions 153
Creating heavy-handed and unrealistic dialogue 154
Filling space with unnecessary dialogue 154
Improving Dialogue by Using Writing Exercises 155
Talking on paper 155
Introducing your first best friend to the love of your life 156
Chapter 10: Setting the Scene 157
Giving Context to Your Story and Its Characters with Scenery 157
Creating a Context Bible 158
Knowing When to Include Scenery and Context 159
When place figures prominently 160
When the place isn’t just incidental 161
When description of place doesn’t interrupt flow of action 162
When description of context adds something measurable 162
When you must mention an exotic locale 163
When beginning a novel and a specific place is mentioned 163
In a new scene where place is used to transition 164
Providing the Right Amount of Setting 164
Engaging Your Readers’ Senses 165
Knowing When Not to Make a Scene 166
Exercising Your Nose with a Smellography 167
Chapter 11: Finding Your Voice: Point of View and Tone 169
Building a Solid Point of View 170
Reviewing POV options 170
Picking your POV 171
Matching tense with POV 173
Having Fun with Words through Wordplay, Rhyming, and Rhythm 174
Engaging in wordplay 174
Taking different approaches to rhyming 176
Keeping your story moving with rhythm 177
Using Humor to Your Advantage 178
Figuring out what kids consider funny 179
Turning to the outrageous and the gross 182
The Mojo of Good Writing: Voice, Style, and Tone 182
Finding your story’s voice 184
Writing with style 185
Taking the right tone 185
You Know You Need a Voice Makeover When 186
you have more than one POV in a scene 186
you experience the anxiety of influence 186
you find your omniscient narrator battling one (or more) star 187
your story sounds monotonal 187
Helping Your Voice Emerge by Playing Pretend 187
Pretending to be someone else 188
Pretending you swallowed a magic potion that makes you only three feet tall 188
Chapter 12: Writing Creative Nonfiction Books 189
The Nonfiction Children’s Book World at a Glance 189
Writing a Nonfiction Masterpiece 191
Choosing a Great Topic 193
Looking at topics that get kids’ attention 193
Finding topics that interest you 194
Branching out into the real world 195
Testing your topic 196
Outlining Your Creative Nonfiction 197
Starting simple 198
Fleshing out your ideas 199
Enhancing your outline with visual aids 200
Presenting Common Creative Nonfiction Mistakes (And Fixes) 201
Writing Exercises for Creative Nonfiction 201
Pretend you’re a newspaper reporter 201
Create a funny five-step procedure to wash a dog 202
Part IV: Making Your Story Sparkle 205
Chapter 13: Editing and Formatting Your Way to a Happy Ending 207
Your Revising Checklist 208
Theme 208
Characters 209
Plot 209
Pacing and drama 210
Setting and context 211
Point of view 211
Recognizing the Power of a Good Edit 212
Editing Out Common Writing Traps 213
Strengthening your opening 214
Keeping your dialogue tight and on target 214
Transitioning effectively 215
Trimming wordiness 216
Keeping your chronologies in order 217
Removing assumptions 217
Formatting: First Impressions Matter 218
Including the proper information on the first page 218
Following children’s book formatting conventions 220
Presenting Your Pre-Submission Basic Grammar and Style Primer 221
Punctuation 222
Style 223
Miscellaneous 224
Hiring an Editor or Editorial Service 226
Finding a good editor or editorial service 227
Asking the right questions 229
Digital versus hardcopy edit 230
Chapter 14: Creating Pictures from Your Words: The World of Illustrations 233
To Illustrate or Not to Illustrate 233
Recognizing Why You Should NOT Hire an Illustrator 234
Walking through the Illustration Process 236
Starting with black-and-white pencil sketches 236
Moving on to finished pencils 237
Creating color art 239
Recognizing the importance of the right cover 239
Getting Your Art Seen by the Right Folks 241
Handling Art When You’re Self-Publishing 244
Chapter 15: Finding Feedback and Encouragement 249
Recognizing When to Seek Feedback 250
Getting Help from Friends and Relatives (or Not) 252
Delving into the pros and cons of friendly advice 253
Having a friend in the business 253
Attending Conferences or Retreats 254
Exploring the conference scene 254
Getting away with retreats 256
Participating in a Workshop 257
Working with a Writing (or Illustrating) Group 258
Finding the right group 259
Starting your own group 260
Sifting through the feedback you receive 261
Part V: Getting Published and Promoting Your Book 265
Chapter 16: Getting an Agent to Represent You 267
Defining the Perfect Agent — and His Not-So-Perfect Counterpart 267
Recognizing what good agents can do 268
Watching out for bad agents 269
Finding an Agent 270
Obtaining referrals 270
Researching your heart out 271
Attending conferences 272
Submitting Your Ideas to an Agency 272
Following submission guidelines 273
Standing out from the pack 274
Perfecting the query letter 274
Managing multiple submissions 277
Asking the Right Questions before Signing an Agency Contract 277
Understanding Typical Agency Agreements 278
Sizing up the standard terms and conditions 278
Distinguishing between exclusive and by-project services 280
Negotiating like a pro 281
Terminating Your Agency Relationship 282
Chapter 17: Finding the Perfect Publisher and Signing a Contract 283
Identifying the Right Publisher 283
Gathering information from the marketplace 285
Perusing writer’s guides and directories 285
Drafting Query Letters and Proposals 286
Copyright: Protecting Your Work Before You Send Anything 289
Success! Reviewing Your Publishing Contract 291
Surveying the two types of publishing agreements 291
Getting what you want in the contract 292
Dealing with Rejection 296
Chapter 18: So You Want to Self-Publish? 299
The Good and Bad News about Self-Publishing 300
Exploring Your Self-Publishing Options 302
The print route 303
The digital route 306
Setting a Price for Your Work 308
Distributing Your Book 309
Working with distributors 309
Getting in the door at traditional bookstores 310
Persuading online booksellers 311
Considering other places to sell your book 312
Chapter 19: Donning Your Publicity Cap 313
Understanding What Your Publisher Will Do to Promote Your Book 313
Publicizing Your Own Book 314
Focusing on the digital components 314
Touching on the traditional components 318
Promoting Your Work in Person 319
Planning a publicity tour 321
Joining the signing and reading circuit 322
Hiring a Publicist 322
Discovering what a publicist can do 322
Finding the right publicist 323
Getting the most for your money 325
Chapter 20: Getting Savvy with Social Media 327
Influencing the Influencers 327
The basics of influencing others 328
Understanding the different kinds of online influencers 329
Figuring out where online your influencers live 330
Knowing Where to Create a Social Media Presence 330
Blogs 330
Facebook 331
Twitter 331
YouTube 332
Pinterest 332
JacketFlap 333
Launching a Social Media Campaign 333
Reviewing the ABCs of a social media campaign 333
Surveying the unwritten rules of social media marketing 334
Applying search engine optimization 336
Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Campaign 336
Part VI: The Part of Tens 341
Chapter 21: More Than Ten Great Sources for Storylines 343
Tales of Yore 344
Fairy tales 344
Fables 345
Folk tales 345
Mythology and Mythological Heroes 346
Nursery Rhymes 346
Bible Stories 346
Sibling Issues 347
Family Changes 347
First Experiences 347
Common Childhood Fantasies 348
Friendship and Social Issues 348
Growing Pains (Emotional and Behavioral) 348
Bodies: Their Functions and Changes 349
History Makers and History in the Making 349
Nature, Science, Technology 349
Chapter 22: Ten Recognitions Children’s Authors Dream of Receiving 351
Newbery Medal 351
Caldecott Medal 351
Coretta Scott King Book Award 351
Printz Award 351
Belpré Medal 352
Geisel Award 352
Stonewall Book Award 352
Sibert Medal 352
ALA Quick Pick 352
Texas Bluebonnet Award 352
Index 353
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