Do you enjoy writing for a topic or a theme? I found tons of valuable writing tips and information on Liano Mahoney’s website. Surf on over there. In particular I have listed some tidbits to think about that Liano Mahoney listed on her site. Check out the other 9 tidbits by clicking here. There's more: click on this link to a doc file containing an up-to-date theme list for some children’s magazines. Of course you should check out the submission guidelines for any magazine you are interested in.
DO THE MATH.
Perseverance is the ultimate key to publication.
Perseverance is the ultimate key to publication.
In your quest to getting published, try to remember that children's book publishing is a business. Like all other businesses, it boils down to numbers. Here are some numbers that all children's writers should consider*:
10% = the portion of the American population who believes that they have a "book in them" that they would like to write some day
5,000 = the approximate number of picture books published in a year
1,001 > the number of words that most publishing houses don't expect and don't want in a picture book manuscript
$50,000 = the approximate amount that a publishing house has to invest in the making and distribution of a picture book, including artwork, royalties, printing, marketing, etc.
The number of manuscripts in the average slush pile that are truly publishable: less than 5%
12 = the number of rejections JKRowling received for the first Harry Potter book before it was finally accepted
*DISCLAIMER: Please note that all of these stats have been posted for motivational purposes only. They have not been fact-checked. In other words, consider their implications, but please don't quote them as gospel.
Write it down,
Carma
