Journeygirl

Welcome once again Fellow Children’s Writers and Friends,
Alright we’ve looked at where to get advice about writing for children when you’re completely or at least fairly new to the craft and still bamboozled about where to begin. (See Attractions on the Literary Highway 27/11/15). We’ve looked at Conferences (Fun at the Festival 23/3/16) Competitions (Win Win Win! It’s Competition Time 28/1/16) and Critique Groups (Thinking Critiqually 25/5/16) as ways to not only help you learn about your craft, but also encourage opportunities to network with other writers. By now if you haven’t already done so, you’re probably ready to consider submitting your work to publishers, be they magazine, newspaper, online or of course publishing houses.
So now you have another new and exciting bend in the road to publication where like every other, decisions have to be made. What do I say in my email/letter? How do I show my manuscript in the best light? Where can I find out about those? Well look no further! Now I don’t claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, in fact I, like Police am accustomed to my silent fears gripping me long before I reach the…keyboard. However, like any good writer, I have done my research (More on this in future posts) and I can tell you five key points which I have found very useful; be professional, be polite, have an elevator pitch, know your brand (self) and know your market and your manuscript’s place in it. To elaborate:

Be Professional – do your research, know which publishers publish your sort of manuscript. It’s no point sending an early reader to a publisher which only publishes books for adults. Similarly you wouldn’t send a Young Adult Novel to a travel magazine focusing on kid friendly holidays, nor an article which would suit the latter to a publishing house specialising in Picture Books. Aside from looking at their website, actual publications in shops or online a key place to find this information is in the Publishers Guidelines. Find these or request them politely and follow them to the letter. Present your query and/or submission in a professional manner using a clear 12 point font, well thought out formal language which is clear, concise and catchy.

Be Polite take the time and effort to research whether via the web, marketplace books, or a simple phone call, who you should send your submission to and as much as possible do so using their correct name, with their correct title and of course with correct spelling.

Have an Elevator Pitch for those of you who haven’t heard this term before it simply refers to what you might say to someone (preferably an editor) if you only had the few minutes it would take to ride an elevator together (possibly, especially if you bore or badger them, only one floor) about your manuscript. Essentially it should include; who your main character is, what they want most and what’s making it most difficult to get it. If it is a non-fiction piece or a travel article or some other sort of writing which is informative more than narrative it should include a clear and interesting summary of your manuscript in about three short sentences. 

Know Your Brand Although this can and often does include information about blogs, websites and social media you are engaged in professionally, that is bordering more on your platform. Your brand is essentially you! You and the things you like to write about and the style you tend to write it in (can be more than one) A publisher is not just interested in your one, no doubt ‘brilliant’ manuscript, but in whether you have any more in you. Be ready to tell/show them what else you have ready to go or at least are working diligently on. Publication is a business and it’s only if they like what the see that they’ll invest in you. This is also where you would state why you’re the right person to write this piece, include your experience and expertise for example if your an ex-Olympic athlete than you would probably be very suited to writing for an athletics magazine as would a teacher to be to children’s writing. Also include any previous writing credits if you have them. Don’t worry if you don’t have any yet, no one who has been published, did at first. 

Know Your Market and Your Manuscript’s Place in it. Look at your manuscript carefully, decide who it might be aimed at e.g. 3-5 year old children or 12-15 year old girls. Again research that market to see what else is out there. Is your piece similar in style to anyone else’s but not too similar. State this in you submission. Is it Fantasy? Graphic novel? Romance? Coming of Age? Add this to your submission too. The clearer you are about your piece the better you can sell it. It is up to you and your piece of writing as to what you will include here but (a great) title, age range, genre and word count are essential. So come on pluck up that courage, do the hard yards on the research trail and above all ensure that your submission letter/email, cover page and most importantly manuscript are as polished and professional as you can make them. Above all write a great story! (Or a detailed and entertaining informative piece)
Hopefully I’ve given you some food for thought and a fair bit of work to do, or better still a bit of encouragement, if you’ve covered these points already and I wish you the greatest of luck and a hearty Farewell Fellow Travellers as you

Savour the quest

Journeygirl

Hello again fellow Children’s Writers and Friends,
In case you hadn’t realised, last month I was really excited about a friend of mine from my FAW (Fellowship of Australian Writers) branch getting a publishing contract, but I couldn’t say much more at the time because she had yet to make the announcement to everybody that she wanted to. That now done, I’m happy to recommend you all have a look at her new website carolyneldridgealfozetti.com and go to her News page to hear all about her new picture book Forest Feasts. Congratulations Carolyn!

Yes getting a book published is very exciting and not only for the author themselves but also for those who care about their success. However, as Carolyn herself says and I have to agree, it’s still a real buzz every time you achieve publication, no matter the scale. In my case, I have had some near misses in the past i.e. placing in the competitions, but not high enough to make it into Anthologies and then in 2014 it finally happened and I was shortlisted and published in the Zinewest Anthology. nwg-inc.com When it happened again in 2015 I was equally excited, possibly more so and I have my fingers crossed for the hat trick later this year. I have to say, it was at this point (i.e. 2014 publication) that I finally felt confident enough to let people other than my family and my fellow Eastwood/Hills FAW http://hillsfaw.wordpress.com members know that I was actually a writer, on the road to publication. I beamed, quite goofily no doubt, for at least a week, the beamed again when I actually held the Anthology in my hands later that year. 

Probably as a result of that, things seemed to fall into place more readily then, especially when I (have the confidence to) put the time and work in. In January of 2015 I was the www.creativekidstales.com.au ‘s Emerging Author of the Month featured on the front page of their website with none other than Graeme Base. How cool is that? Since then I have entered many more competitions, submitted work to editors at conferences, some of which has been received favourably and even submitted directly to a couple of publishing houses receiving personalised rather than form rejection letters. All positive steps! I know I still don’t submit enough, however as you know, I’m spending more of my time and energy on learning my craft by methods mentioned in other blog posts, so that every time I do submit I know I’m giving it my best shot. 

Although the last sentence may seem a bit off topic, I guess it’s my way of explaining why I have a rather short list of publication credits and why (despite it being a common recommendation) this doesn’t worry me much. I have been working on ensuring I learn enough to receive that little buzz even more often because I’m told it’s just as exciting as getting that all elusive book publishing contract. Many professional authors I’ve spoken to say how each and every publication, no matter how small is exciting! So for those of you out there slogging away and feeling down about your apparent lack of success remember every new bit of learning about the craft, every bit of writing is success. You’re in the world’s minority simply by completing a manuscript. Remember also (note to self) to work on achieving some smaller scale publication success. Submit to magazines e.g. The School Magazine theschoolmagazine.com.au and anthologies, newspapers, competitions and websites because every successful submission, every publication, no matter how small will give you, and those who are backing you, a real buzz.

Short and sweet today fellow travellers, farewell,

Savour the quest,

Journeygirl