The Business of Writing for Children: An Award-Winning Author's Tips on Writing Children's Books and Publishing Them, or How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Book for Kids

Topics include common myths about children's writing, children's book categories, elements of successful stories, manuscript format, submission strategies, contract negotiation, the publishing process, career building, and children's writer resources. Also included are specialized subjects such as querying for multiple manuscripts, promoting a first book, and designing a Web page.

Read The Business of Writing for Children to learn the secrets you might spend years discovering for yourself.

THE BUSINESS OF WRITING FOR CHILDREN is a semester-long crash course on writing books for young readers of all ages--in a mere 115 pages.

For the beginner who wants an in-depth overview of the field, or a pro who needs a shot in the arm to get back to work , this is an excellent choice. Good job, Aaron.


Mayra Calvani -- TCM REVIEWS   November 20, 2005
Mayra Calvani (Brussels, Belgium)
44 out of 44 found this review helpful

If you're thinking of writing, selling and promoting a children's book, The Business of Writing for Children is a title you'll definitely want to add to your permanent reference shelf. In it you'll find tips, useful information and resources on how to write children's fiction, learning what editors want to see in a manuscript, how to submit your queries and promote your book. The book's short length and concise, right-to-the-point approach make it an ideal first guide for beginners in the field.

Shepard begins by listing some "Dangerous Myths and Terrible Truths" about the business. Then he offers general guidelines on how to write for children, dealing with topics such as Theme, Plot, Story Structure, Characters, Setting, Style and Tone.

The different kinds of children's books categories can be confusing and hard to distinguish from one another; Shepard describes each in a clear manner.

Everything from formatting and submitting your manuscript, to negotiating a contract, to understanding the publishing process, to building your career, to scripting your story can be found between these pages, and more. A separate section is given to other topics such as Rhythm and Writing and Researching Folk Tales.

Most helpful are the author's sample flyers and queries, especially his ingenious way for sending one query for multiple titles, saving time and postage fees. Shepard also offers clever alternatives to sending cover letters by using Post-its. At the end of the book there's an Appendix filled with useful resources.

Be aware this book will not teach you how to self publish a children's book, but only how to sell your work to traditional publishers. However, this is a reference work valuable for anybody who wishes to understand the business of writing for children. Highly recommended.





Want to write for kids or adults, this is the Holy Grail   November 26, 2001
D. hamilton (38° 39' N -90° 38' W)
47 out of 49 found this review helpful

I finally received ýThe Business of Writing for Childrený and was amazed at the information he reveals. From writing to marketing and dealing with publishers, this is the writers bible. It really is the best book I have ever read on this industry. It is written in a clean, clear and concise structure that no one would have a problem understanding.
Even if you'r just thinking of writing for children, fantasy, fiction, or other style, you would be much better prepared whne you know what to expect, and what is expected of a writer in publishing world.


Not like every other book...   January 11, 2003
35 out of 36 found this review helpful

Having already purchased many books on the technique of writing for children, I was pleased to find this book contained more. His methods for querying, scripting and marketing are valuable, and clearly explained.

Many of the reviews already placed here have gone into more detail on what is contained in this book, so I will simply summarize...

This is an easy to read and understand book full of valuable information for the aspiring, or previously published, children's writer.