It's unbelievable that with all the creative
writing courses out there, that no one
teaches the necessity of researching your
market before you set pen to paper.
Yes, we all want to be creative and let
our imagination go. At the same time,
wouldn't it be great to have some of your
work published? Even better wouldn't it
be awesome to know that you have upped
your chances of getting published by around
80% by simply doing a tiny bit of browsing
in a library or bookstore?
Here is a way to make sure that there
is an interest in your type of story before
you pick up a pen or pull out your laptop:
1) Go to the local bookstore and read
the writing magazines. Editors actually
tell these magazines what they are interested
in, in a fairly timely manner. Most of
the guess work is taken out for you. You
know which editors are looking for what
type of stories.
2) Look at the current Writer's Guide.
It is filled with editors and publishers
looking for fresh material. And guess
what? They also tell you what each editor
wants and what they are sick to death
of.
3) Check out the bookshelves to see which
children's books are featured. Is there
a trend or pattern? For example the last
few years Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl and
Charlie Bone have all been hot. It doesn't
take a brain surgeon to figure out that
magical characters have taken kids and
editors by storm.
4) Ask kids what their favorite books
are. Ask them why they like one over the
other. Ask if their friends are into the
same books. Model these themes.
There is no need to make over the wheel
or hire a psychic to figure out what publishers,
editors and your audience - kids, are
looking for. Gather this information and
apply it to your writing.
Watch the number of your submissions
rise, while your rejection letters become
few and far between.
| About The Author
Caterina Christakos is the author
of How to Write a Children's Book
in 30 Days or Less and countless
articles both on and off the net.
For easy tips on how to write a
children's book go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com.
|
This article was posted on August
30, 2005
