How to Write a Picture Book - Part 2

If you are following this series of posts, the chances are that you have already written or started writing a picture book story, or that you are thinking about writing one. And I am concentrating on improving your chances of having the book traditionally published. Traditional publishers want to make money from your book. They think they know what will be most popular with buyers and readers. What makes a best selling book for a publisher is also likely to make a self-published book well liked.

While there are industry expectations and norms, which I'll discuss in future posts, each publisher has a few preferences of their own. Part of your job as a writer who wants to be published is therefore researching publishers to discover what each one likes best - because there's no point in sending a 700 word story to a publisher who only creates books that have less than 600 words.

Analyse every picture book you can find for the same readership as your stories, 20 or 50 or more, and make notes. Make sure that most of these books have been released over the last 4 or 5 years (not as reprints of older books). It's particularly useful to hunt out the books that have at least been shortlisted for an award. In Australia, where I live, the Children's Book Council and Australian Speech Pathologists organisations have annual Book of the Year Awards, as do other bodies, and I always check out the winners, runners up and the books that nearly made the podium. These show current editors’ tastes. 

You'll quickly discover that picture books are usually 24 or 32 single page surfaces including the title and legals. Some pages can be used as flyleaves and paste-downs if the text is short.

For your research in each book, I recommend:

• Note the title
• Write out all the text with what words go on which page
• What reader age is the book most suited to? (The main character is usually portrayed about 2 years older than the expected child reader.)
• Who or what is the main character? How and on what page are they introduced? What is likable about them or what problem do they have - why do we want to follow them through the story?
• Describe what the illustrations show on each page - particularly actions. Categorise them like clips of a movie, noting if the picture is a distant shot showing the setting, a medium distance shot showing action or a close up showing emotion.
• What emotion(s) are shown on each page by the illustration or the dialogue?
• Is there something on the page that encourages or forces you to turn over to the next - it could be an illustration of someone or an animal walking out of the picture (where are they going, what will happen to them? Turn over to find out!), or someone having a problem or doing something (what are the consequences?), or are the words open ended, eg ...and then... - so we want to know what happens next.
• Count and note the total number of words 
• Note the name of the publisher
• Note the year or date of first publication

You'll discover the word count limit for each publisher, if they tolerate slang, if the text includes long or unusual 'made up words' or not, and much much more. Some publishers don't publish books with talking animals, or over 500 words, or with words that rhyme...

Each publisher has their own style of book - their own brand. No matter how famous you are as an author or illustrator, how many millions of books of yours a publisher has sold, they may still not publish you're wordless sketchbook if they consider that style to be too dissimilar to the books that they're well known for.

So, you are searching for publishers who print books ‘just like yours’ – length, style, age-range... or you will write and edit your text to suit as many publishers as possible, or you will modify your text according to which publisher you send it to. One of my unpublished stories has a platypus as a main character ...but I may change it to an otter if it is sent to American publishers who only publish stories about animals that live wild in the USA.

In Part 3 I'll start to discuss what makes a publishable story.

Enjoy your research

Peter Taylor

www.writing-for-children.com

Part 1 of this series can be found at How to Write a Picture Book - Part 1

How to Write a Picture Book - Part 1

After life ‘challenges’ in recent months, this blog is now back in focus and I look forward to posting more regularly, first by providing a series on creating picture books.

How I wish that ‘get rich quick’ internet entrepreneurs wouldn’t perpetuate the myth that picture books, because they have so few words, can be written with ease by absolutely anyone in a couple of hours.

It would be wonderful if it were true.

Published authors recognise that of all genres of book, picture books are the most fiendishly difficult to write—they’re far harder to write successfully than novels for adults or older children.

Apprentice picture book writers are usually too easily satisfied with what they have written, they create works that are not ‘industry standard' and consequently more than 95% of texts never get published. When schools ask children to write a picture book text in a week or two, they cannot expect perfection – only a starting point.

You must be as professional as the most established creators. Mem Fox and other well-known authors who sell acclaimed books by the hundreds of thousands will often have spent 3 years or more refining the text of a single 300 word book before it is sent to publishers. 50 drafts would not be uncommon. En route to completing the 190 word best-selling book Where Is The Green Sheep?, Mem spent days, hour after hour working on another draft …another draft …another draft. It wasn’t finished in a year. If you were able to tap in to authors’ thoughts after their books are finished, I know that many would be muttering ‘I am never ever going to attempt to write another picture book’ …though they may almost immediately have an irresistible idea and start writing again. Why? Because there is no greater joy than creating a book that children adore.

I've been to innumerable talks by well-published experts, read text-books on the subject, paid for courses, talked to professionals, downloaded advice from websites, paid editors for appraisals of my own stories, and more. They all try to be as helpful as possible, but coming up with the right words in the right places is still a daunting task. 

Fortunately I managed to get it right for Once a Creepy Crocodile which was Shortlisted for the ‘Book of the Year 2015’ by Australian Speech Pathologists, so I hope I will be able to shorten the length of your apprenticeship and I will concentrate on providing advice for writing for traditional publishers such as Penguin and Scholastic who get books into bricks and mortar stores, libraries and schools and who pay you money. You do not have to pay a cent to be published by this kind of ‘Traditional Publisher’.

Are you still eager to write a picture book for publication?

Relax. You have a lot to learn and research.

The publishing industry works on a different time frame to everyone else. There is never a rush and lots more goes on behind the scenes than you'd ever imagine. They will want your story this year, next year or in 5 years’ time if it’s a good story - but you only get one chance to submit it to each publisher, so it needs to be the best it can be.

If you are a writer, you do not have to find or pay for an illustrator. A publisher will want freedom to organise for your words to be illustrated by an artist of their own choice. If you are unknown, they’ll probably choose one who is famous and with loyal fans and a track record for high sales. Their aim is for your story to make them money – all decisions are commercial.

But when you have completed and perfected your story, if you know a very famous illustrator who would like to illustrate it, when you send your words you can tell the publisher that they would like to be considered.

Get used to the fact that in traditional publishing, you’ll have no input into the illustration process. This is very very VERY hard for an author to accept, but it’s how the best and most loved books are usually created. An American art director I met said that she chooses illustrators to create what no one else would imagine from the words. You must leave space in your words for the illustrator to weave their own magic.

Nina Rycroft illustrated Once a Creepy Crocodile. I didn’t see any art and we had no contact until it was finished. Then I suggested a tiny change, but the publisher didn’t allow it. Nina was probably never told and maybe doesn’t know that. But I love what she’s done and her imagination. The words at the beginning say:

Once a creepy crocodile crawled toward a river bank,

He spied a baby brolga by a bottle-brush tree,

And his tail wagged and wiggled while he winked and grinned and giggled, saying

‘Please come and join me for afternoon tea.’

‘No!’ squealed Echidna. ‘Stop!’ croaked the tree-frog.

‘Run,’ cried Koala, ‘he’ll eat you, don’t you see?’

But the brolga danced and pranced in a trance toward the water saying,

‘Tea is very tempting – thanks for choosing me.’ ... ... ...

I imagined a cunning crocodile that was scary. Nina drew the croc in a Fred Astaire pose tempting the brolga with fancy dance moves, and the brolga responding as Ginger Rogers or any ballroom dancer. And it’s absolutely wonderful.

 

I imagined all the animals running away. Nina has depicted them all having a lovely tea party at the end (spoiler alert ...except for the snake that the crocodile eats). Not too scary for little children.

Does it matter that the illustrations are not as I imagined? No! They’re superb. It’s just not ‘my story’ – it has become ‘our story’, including the art director’s story.

When self-publishers pay illustrators (illustrators need to be properly paid at a sensible hourly rate – they have mortgages and the shops they visit require real money before handing over the goods) and the writer controls what is drawn, the book never reaches its full potential.

The next post will be on the first steps in story creation…

Hoping that I can help you

Peter Taylor

www.writing-for-children.com

Work in Progress

This book is being created as a collaboration. The dropped capital from my last post will fit inside this border that I've designed. It features 23ct gold leaf and was painted and illuminated on vellum (calf skin). If anyone has a blank sheet of vellum, I'd be most grateful if you could scan it so that the image can be used for a unique page background. The aim is to have a different one for each page to make the finished book look truly like a medieval tome. The page numbers will go on the dragon's scroll.

This is a left-hand side page. You'll have to imagine the border flipped for the right-hand page of the spread. The inner border and illustrations will differ in size.


The text is written by hand using a different calligraphy style for each character in the children's story of the Queen of Hearts' Tarts, by Jennifer Poulter.

This is still a work in progress and the finished illustration(s) by Mandy Sinclair will actually be created using watercolours.She will surprise us with a detail that will go in the circle.

 

Now to complete the text calligraphy, including the page numbers to fit in the dragon's scroll:

 

It will be print-ready and 10 inches by 8 inches when it's finished, probably in July. Hoping that we can find the perfect traditional publisher...

Peter Taylor

Writing for Children

www.writing-for-children.com

Romancing the Stars

I've just finished writing the name tags in calligraphy for the authors and illustrators who will be at Book Links' 'Romancing the Stars' event on Valentine's Day.

It would be great if you could come along and speed date us and find out what we've all been busy creating - Bulimba State School Hall, Oxford St., Bulimba, Brisbane, 6.00 pm - 8.30 pm, Thursday February 14.

I'm not on the original advertising, but filling Martin Chatterton's shoes as unfortunately he can't make it. All other details are correct and can be found at

http://www.booklinks.org.au/RomancingTheStars2013.pdf

 Drinks and supper provided.

Huge thanks to all Book Links' wonderful organisers, and check out their website at http://www.booklinks.org.au and plans to develop a Children's Literature Centre.

 Peter Taylor
www.writing-for-children.com
www.ptcalligraphy.com

'Do Not Forget Australia' - the backstory

Today I have a special treat for readers of this Writing for Children blog – a visit from multi-awarded author and illustrator Sally Murphy and Sonia Kretschmar as they tour blogs as part of the launch of their new book collaboration ‘Do Not Forget Australia’, which is set in the First World War ...AND some lucky visitor will receive a copy. Please post a comment to go into the draw – follow the blog to get two entries. I'll make the draw on Sunday March 11.


‘Do Not Forget Australia’ has been published this month by Walker Books Australia, ISBN: 9781921529863, as a hardback picture book ...so you know what love and care has gone into its production. It should be available from bookstores as well as online sources – but please keep bookstores in business if you can!

Huge thanks for joining me, Sally and Sonia!

The promotional description of the story says:

‘Henri lives in the French village of Villers-Bretonneux. Billy lives in Melbourne, Australia. These two little boys, who live thousands of miles away from each other, share one story that unites Villers-Bretonneux and Melbourne in history.’

It’s visually stunning, as well as a moving and inspiring story for children, but which will be enjoyed by adults, too. Is there anything else you’d like to add, Sally - I don't want to give too much of the plot away? Do you think it will appeal to international readers, say in America?

Yes, definitely. Of course a story set in Australia and France will be most familiar to people in those countries, I think any story which tells of friendship and generosity has appeal far beyond geographic boundaries.

For librarians and parents who may buy it, what aged children do you imagine will be your main readers?

Chiefly children in primary school, though older children and adults will get a lot out of it, too. It is suitable for classroom use as well as for private reading.

I agree completely - I think it's an important story that should be read by people of all nations and all ages. You've dealt with the war element with great sensitivity, and the friendships described are truly inspirational and heart-warming.


Can you tell us a little of the writing process, please, Sally? My Grandmother’s brother died while fighting in France in WW1. Does this story have origins from your own family or someone you know, or was there something else that was a stimulus to start it?

The real stimulus to research and write this story was a photo of the school in Villiers-Bretonneux, which I saw at a parent information day when my son was heading off on a student tour there. I’d seen similar photos before but on this particular day I was struck by the strangeness of a sign, written in English, exhorting French children to not forget Australia and decided I must learn more.

In any war, there are always so many from both sides who really don’t want to kill others, but feel that they have to protect their homeland, or support their country. My uncle was a prisoner on the Burma railway, but apart from the brutality of many Japanese guards, there was another who risked his own life to bring Donald food, and I believe local villagers did the same. Though much of my story will be fiction, I’m finding it hard to write, and have made several starts over the years. Is this a story you’ve been thinking about or wanting to tell for a long time? How long did it take you?

From the day I saw the photo until publication was almost 4 and a half years. Some of this time was researching, some trying to find the right angle, some perfecting the story. Then, when the story was accepted, the editing process began and Sonia needed to time to do the illustrations. The illustrator’s role is so important and of course she can’t begin until the story is ready.

Please tell us about the research involved, too. Was there something surprising that you discovered?

I was able to find quite a lot of written information about the battle in Villers-Bretonneux, especially because I was researching in the months leading up to the 90th anniversary. I loved learning about how the people of Villers-Bretonneux have maintained links to Australia through street signs, through maintaining the war graves and through marking Anzac Day.

Before holding a copy of the book, I saw some of the completed and wonderful illustrations on your website, Sonia – and congratulations on your recent ‘Illustrator Australia Award’, and the success of your portrait in the Archibald, and more. I can’t keep up - you’ll soon have caught up with Sally. But getting back to the illustrations for this book - they’re so atmospheric, poignant and I keep finding more and more in them to look at and contemplate. How did you tackle the research? Have you visited the area in France?

Thank you! I have been quite busy - these past 12 months especially. The research that I did for this book is a combination of general sketching, imagination and trawling through many obscure websites. I found French sites dedicated to selling and/or documenting historical postcards to be particularly helpful, as is the Australian War Museum site. I also had a friend put me in contact with a local war historian. I have spent time in Paris, but , no – I have never been to Northern France, unfortunately. I spent a lot of time perusing the village via Google street view to get a sense of the place!

When I go into someone’s house for the first time, I always look at their book shelves. When I visit an illustrator, I like to see what’s on their work table. What’s on yours, Sonia? Do you have favourite colours that you blend most frequently? Favourite brushes?

Unfortunately my work table is never neat for long – it seems to collect miscellaneous bits and pieces. At the moment I'm transforming a doll for an art exhibition , so I've got synthetic hair and spare eyes and beads all over the place.



It's a lot tidier than mine! Thank you for sharing this picture - I feel I know you much better now :)

I do like experimenting and trying new things whenever I can. As for colours, I do like warm colours of reds, yellows and flesh tones (which weren't that suitable for my imaginings of devastated France – though I did try and use that palette for my warm Australian scenes). Otherwise, blue-greens are beautiful as well.

I’ve read of illustrators who have refused to work on a book because the author gave illustration suggestions, and also that illustrator George Cruickshank suggested ways that Charles Dickens might change his stories – though these ideas were largely unappreciated. In recent years it’s been normal for the author to send a manuscript to a publisher, and if everyone there likes it enough, the author gets a contract and the publisher finds and chooses an illustrator whose style they think will be most appropriate. Someone they think will be able to imagine and bring to the project what no one else could provide. The author and illustrator never talk to each other or meet ...until ...maybe an award ceremony - or, at least, sometime after the book’s finished or published. You’re talent and imagination are well recognised, but was this book created via this route or were you ever in contact? Did you get any hints or tips from each other?

In this case it was the Publisher, Walker Books, who contacted me after they took on Sally's manuscript – we weren't in direct contact with each other at all during the process, really – but we have since become Facebook friends! It was actually quite a trans-continental affair – Walker Books are in Sydney, Sally is in Perth, and I'm in Melbourne. (Sydney to Melbourne is about 600 miles, Melbourne to Perth about 2,000 miles) In my research, which was fairly extensive, I found out little historical details along the way that did cause the text to change slightly. I think most of the issues for the other pages were ironed out between myself and Wayne Harris, the designer, before Sally got to see anything...yes, from my perspective I think it was the team at Walker Books who gave the most “suggestions” - I'm happy to take most things on board; the only awkward ones are those made when the deadline is looming!



The input from the editor, book designer and art director have always helped make my books far better than I would have produced on my own. Everyone in the process thinks that each book they work on is ‘my book’ – including the people in production and printing, and even the sales people and publicist who will probably have had a say in its acceptance.

'Do Not Forget Australia' will be highly successful because readers will find it moving and it will be appreciated and loved by them – but I do hope it gains industry recognition for its excellence too. It must do! The last time we actually met, Sally, rather than virtually (we live about 2800 miles apart), was at the Children’s Book Council awards in Brisbane for one of your earlier books – I can’t remember which one, I believe this is your thirty third. I hope I’ll see you both at the next ceremony, and thank you so much for coming here and answering my questions. You may find there some extra ones that readers ask in the ‘comments’ over the next few days.

And please check out Sally’s and Sonia websites:

Sally Murphy: http://sallymurphy.net/  Sonia Kretschmar: http://www.soniak.com/ ...and their other books.

Thanks again and best wishes to you both,

Peter Taylor
http://www.writing-for-children.com/

PS Leave a comment or a question to enter into the draw for a copy - and tell your friends and networks about it, too. Buy a few for gifts -  it's a book that will be forever cherished.

PPS Here are Sally and Sonia's other stopovers:

1st March   -  Let's Have Words  http://letshavewords.blogspot.com.au/

2nd March  -  Kids Book Capers   http://content.boomerangbooks.com.au/kids-book-capers-blog/
3rd March  -  Running With Pens   http://kerrilane.wordpress.com/
4th March  -  Read and Write with Dale   http://orangedale.livejournal.com/  
5th March  -  Karen Tyrrell   http://karentyrrell.com/
7th March  -  Spinning Pearls   http://spinningpearls.blogspot.com.au/
8th March  -  Katwhiskers    http://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/
12th March  -  Pass It On    http://www.pass-it-on-blog.blogspot.com.au/
12th March  - Kids Book Review   http://www.kids-bookreview.com/
13th March  -  Under the Apple Tree   http://angelasunde.blogspot.com.au/
14th March  -  Lorraine Marwood. Words into Writing   http://lorrainemarwoodwordsintowriting.blogspot.com.au/

From Past Experience

One of the nineteenth century’s early authors and illustrators of coloured children’s books can still teach us a marketing lesson or two. Kate Greenaway took favourite pictures from her books ‘Under the Window’, ‘Mother Goose’, ‘A day in a Child’s Life’ and provided the outlines from the pictures in ‘The Marigold Painting Book’, for children to colour.

The original picture and poem that goes with this one come from 'Under the Window':

The finest, biggest fish, you see,

Will be the trout that’s caught by me;

But if the monster will not bite,

Why, then I’ll hook a little mite.

Here's another one in 'Under the Window':

Tommy was a silly boy,

“I can fly,” he said;

He started off, but very soon,

He tumbled on his head.

His little sister Prue was there,

To see how he would do it;

She knew that, after all his boast,

Full dearly Tom would rue it!

That’s nice, isn’t it? His sister, Prue, knew he’d hurt himself but she didn't try to stop him – she wanted to see what method he’d use. Still, that's typical of kids.

For this one, she only provided a detail in 'The Marigold Painting Book':

 

‘Scraps’ of her pictures were also created to stick into albums, clothes designed to match the illustrations, a Birthday Book, another painting book...

Here are some of her painting tips - for watercolours, I presume, but the same would apply if using gouache paint (ie artists’ quality opaque poster paint, which can be diluted until it’s transparent):

A good paint box should contain the following colours:

Ivory Black, Sepia, Vandyke Brown and Burnt Sienna.

Crimson Lake, Vermillion, Light Red and Yellow Ochre.

Gamboge, Emerald Green, Prussian Blue, Ultramarine Blue

The brushes must be washed clean, rinsed and dried after use. Never leave the brushes in water, and never lay them flat on the table. Take plenty of colour in your brush. Try first on a piece of spare paper to see that you have the right shade, and that your brush is not too wet or too dry.

Always begin at the top and colour downwards, from left to right (if you are right handed).

The edge of a colour may be softened with a clean damp brush.

For purple, mix red and blue. (My paint collection has Alizarin Crimson that I mix with Ultramarine Blue to make purple.)

For green, mix yellow and blue.

For orange, mix red and yellow

For grey, mix Prussian Blue, Crimson Lake and Sepia

Ultramarine Blue is the purest blue, but it doesn’t mix as well as Prussian Blue. It is useful for skies and for the grey shades in flowers.

All cold colours which are to serve as shadows to warmer colours should be laid on first, and generally warm colours over cold should be the rule. Blue is a very cold colour. Crimson Lake is a colder red than Vermillion or Light Red, and Gamboge is a colder yellow than Yellow Ochre. Orange is the warmest colour in nature, and blue the coldest.

If you are an illustrator, please tell us what other colours you think should be in a paint box.

Peter Taylor

http://www.writing-for-children.com/

Making a Favourable Impression - Networking in 20 Stages

There are some authors and illustrators whose work is in constant high demand and publishers are always eager to receive their next idea. Having a track record of moneymaking successful books is a big plus, but what other factors make a publisher want to work with an author or illustrator?


Obviously, talent is one criterion, and possibly the ability and willingness to help promote books – but there is no doubt that publishers like and prefer to work with ‘nice people’.

‘Nice people’ are open to suggestions from editors and discuss these amiably.

Nice people deliver work on time, every time – even better, long before deadlines.

Nice people are helpful and they don’t phone every day to check on progress.

Nice people respond promptly to requests and are courteous – they are friends.



Let’s suppose that an editor receives and likes stories or book ideas from two different unpublished creators, but can only has room on their list to publish one of them. If one writer or illustrator is someone the editor thinks would probably be ‘nice person’ to work with, and the other is unknown, whose book is most likely to get published?

So, how do you get a good reputation and an unfair advantage before you’ve had a book published?

1. Write. Learn your craft as best you can. Complete something – even if it still needs improvement.

2. Have some totally professional looking business cards printed – not things with streaks and perforated edges. Dress professionally. Look and behave like a professional.

3. Create a website or maintain a blog, or both, and consider producing a newsletter on any topic that interests you. The latter is not essential, but if you have a lot of happy subscribers/readers it can be advantageous.

4. Contribute to Yahoo and similar forums on writing for children and learn from them. Keep all your posts positive. Never criticise a publisher or editor anywhere on the internet – your comments can be found.

5. I never talk about a book’s rejections - not by name, anyway. If a publisher reads these (and they might!) they’ll have pre-conceived negative feelings about it when they receive it for consideration “...It’s done the rounds and nobody likes it – so I probably won’t either”.

6. Go to book launches, meetings and festivals and take opportunities to meet other creators of the same standing as yourself and with a positive outlook – you’ll become a ‘family force’ and be able to help and inspire each other.

7. Listen to people around you at events. Ask questions – people like to know you’re interested in them and to talk about themselves (but you’ll probably avoid people who ramble on and on, so don’t you ramble on, either. When you speak, have a pre-rehearsed and interesting short and snappy ‘elevator pitch’ describing what you write about, or your latest work in progress or finished story, to tempt further conversation and enquiry.)

8. If you meet or are introduced to well published creators, realise that they probably have friends around them that they like talking to. Don’t barge in or be pushy – they are probably tired of people wanting to get something out of them. Just try to come over as a natural and genuine person. But you can offer to promote their work on your blog – become a helpful friend in any way you can think of - with no immediate ulterior motive. Later, they may give you advice on work of your own. ‘What goes around, comes around’. (See 1 – make sure you have something to talk about.). But have no expectation.

9. Connecting meaningfully with one or two people for a significant amount of time is probably more useful that flitting around trying to network with everyone present at an event.

10. Research presenters at conferences that you will attend. Gain industry knowledge and do research on the internet, by visiting bookstores, reading and examining books in libraries to discover what each publishing house is currently publishing, and who the key personnel are – the editor, art director, publisher ...even the sales reps. Yes, the sales reps have a say at meetings that are held to decide which books get published. Find out who has been involved in the production of books that have won recent awards. Congratulating people is always a good conversation starter. You will be recognised as someone who is professionally involved in the industry.

11. Discover where these people hang out professionally – Facebook, LinkedIn, SCBWI Conferences etcc. Listen, to start with. Learn a little about them and their hobbies, and their partners and children.

12. Be helpful. Contribute to forums the ‘important people’ frequent. Your writing will be read. They will form an opinion of your writing skill before your ms hits their table or you meet face to face. They will already ‘know’ you ...however you portray yourself.

13. When attending a conference or talk, try to ask a sensible question that many people are likely to want answered. Start by standing up so you can be seen and give your name. You will be remembered if you later meet face to face, and by other attendees.

14. Using your research, when you meet an ‘important person’, you can start with something personal – “How’s the house renovation going? Did you find time for much surfing this year – what are your favourite spots?” Many editors appreciate a break from people asking about publishing. But have your ‘elevator pitch’ or ‘sound bite’ ready in case you’re asked what you are writing – and after replying, ask if you may send it to the person when it’s completed/been given one more edit and tweak. If they seem very friendly, you can then smile and ask if you can be cheeky and put ‘Requested’ on the envelope and in the cover letter, or if you should just send it for adding to the pile. Give them a business card – they may visit your website. Having your photo on the card may remind them whose it is and encourage a visit (Make sure your site/blog is worth visiting ...memo to self – mine needs an update.)

15. NEVER EVER try to give an agent or editor a manuscript at an event – it’s incredibly unprofessional ...you’ll be remembered for the wrong reason, and editors and agents talk socially to each other, even if their businesses compete.

16. NEVER EVER send gifts or imagined spin-off merchandise with a story.

17. Can you imagine being an editor or agent at an event, with a stream of unknown people coming at you from all directions and introducing themself, hour after hour? It’s not surprising that they like to talk to those people they know well. You’re likely to get a much more relaxed reception if one of their friends can introduce you (see 8) – especially if they can say “Hi Mary, I’d like you to meet my friend Jackie. She’s takes a lot of natural history photos, just like you do.” ...and you’ll immediately have a connection. It will be a relief for them to talk to you.

18. It may well be the case that the person has a full list of clients or is not accepting any more manuscripts at this time, or not in your genre. It doesn’t matter! See 15 – industry professionals talk to each other. Be a nice person. Comment on their Facebook page. If you share a common interest, once or twice a year (not every week!), send a postcard of a surfing spot you’ve enjoyed if you are both surfers, and say “You’d like it here!”. Keep in touch ...gently. If you are an illustrator and the person has children, send each child a small picture – not a full-scale artwork that’s taken a month to produce and an obvious bribe to make the person feel indebted to you. If you meet at another event, they may introduce you to one of their own friends in the industry, or you may produce something more suited to their requirements in months or years down the track.

19. After an event, thank people – even if you didn’t meet them. “Many thanks for all your organisation of the YYY event – it was most useful.” “Many thanks for coming to the YYY event and all the insider info that you shared.” Or if you did meet: “I really appreciate the time you spent talking to me at YYY and the ‘top tips’ you gave us all. The place I was telling you about is called ‘Mandy’s Point’. I’ve enclosed a photo. I hope our paths cross again.”

20. Briefly mention your connection in a cover letter for your story manuscript:

Dear Ms Person,

Thank you for your most useful talk at the YYY event and answering my question about word counts. It was wonderful to meet and chat socially afterwards.

The enclosed 600 word story has been written for children aged 3-5...



I hope you will be recognised as a ‘nice person’ ...someone who is ‘normal’, professional, friendly but not pushy, creepy or overly generous, someone easy to talk to, someone who listens and is likely to understand what is required if asked to do something or consider making changes, someone who is unlikely to be demanding or shout down the phone, who appears efficient and is likely to make deadlines, someone it will probably be a pleasure to work with for book after book after book.

I hope you will produce many books that are successful for publishers and for yourself.

Peter Taylor
http://www.writing-for-children.com/