You’ve got a great idea for a picture book.
You sit down and write it out.
You give it to your children to read. They love it.
You give it to your mother. She corrects a grammar mistake but otherwise dubs it “perfect.”
You give it to your neighbor. She thinks it’s wonderful and offers to illustrate it for you.
You buy a copy of The Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market.
You print out a copy of your story, attach your neighbor’s illustrations to each page and mail it out to every publisher in CWIM.
Congratulations!
You’ve just made every beginner mistake in the book.
Just because picture books are short—and for kids—doesn’t mean writing one is easy. Like any profession, children’s writing requires time educating yourself on the craft, refining your skills, and researching the market.
Stay tuned for tips on what to do with that idea. In the meantime, keep writing!
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August 6, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Mommy Writes
Hey there Tara:) Thanks for stopping by my (semi-defunct) blog the other day. Hope you are well and glad to see you’re still plugging away at the grind. Children’s books are so much harder than they seem! Hope you are having a good summer…I’m less than 2 months out from baby #3! ACK! I think it’s busy now, so I can’t imagine what October will be like…. Janine
August 28, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Have a great children’s picture book idea? Avoid common pitfalls « Tara Lazar
[…] August 28, 2008 in Children’s Books, Children’s Writing, Creative Writing, Picture Books, Publishing, Writing, Writing for Children A few weeks ago, I blogged about common mistakes new children’s writers make. […]