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  Shorter, Longer, and Never

  423 readersSay a person has a fun middle grade book, but decided to break it into many picture books instead. Both make the author happy. The author isn't sure which format would make agents and publishers happy. Should author mention it in any way in a query? Like..."This picture book is first in series of many

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  Definitions for the Perplexed: High Concept

  307 readersWhat exactly does an editor mean when he/she says they are looking for "high concept" picture books?Basically, it means she wants a hook. She wants to be able to describe what will appeal to consumers about the book in just a sentence or two.I, like many editors, wish more writers had a better grasp

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  In Which the Cockles of My Heart Are Reasonably Tepid

  1048 readersI've noticed that most MGs that have sold recently have NOT been 'school stories'. (At least what's listed at Pub. Lunch) Does that mean 'school stories' are history? Or maybe they are being bought but not reported? Any ideas?I don't know what you mean by "school stories". A story in which the characters

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  In Memoriam

  936 readersUpon the death of my mom last summer, I began to help my father get organized and discovered an 18-typed-page children's book written by my grandmother, probably 50 years ago. It was never published. Some of the language has an old-fashioned feeling to it, but my cousin for whom it was originally written and I

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  Announcing… Children’s Book Publishing 101: the Online Course!

  1003 readershttp://www.bankstreet.edu/onlinecourses/tews681n.htmlChildren's Book Publishing 101TEWS 681NEver wonder how a children's book gets published? Bank Street College Children's Librarian Lisa Von Drasek will tell you in this exciting overview of children's book publishing. What does an editor do? Do I need an agent? Is there a market for my idea? How do I submit my manuscript? What

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  Rerun: I’m Your Sister’s Bikini Waxer’s Ex-Boyfriend’s Dry Cleaner. So You Won’t Mind Doing Me a Favor.

  1120 readersI just found out my cousin is close friends with a high-ranking editor at a major house. As an aspiring author, I'd love to believe this could be useful one day, but I imagine there are a bajillion writers within a few degrees of every editor. How do you feel about friends and

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  Publishing Myths: General Guidelines and Good Advice

  1050 readersWinner for best cloud-sourced myth(s):It don't mater how bad you're speling or grammer is, or how illegibly formatted your submission. As long as you have an idea that's the new Harry Potter or DaVinci Code, publishers will send your book to a ghost writer to be written, slap a celebrity's name on it as

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  10 Tips on Writing Picture Books

  813 readers And now: a great guest column from picture book writer Jean Reidy, and her thoughts on the Top 10 Picture Book Takeaways from the Rocky Mountain SCBWI Conference. The panel she's writing about was led by kids book editor Allyn Johnston and kids book illustrator Marla Frazee. Jean Reidy is a freelance writer and children's author. Her first children's book, Too Purpley! comes

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  Can I Submit Now? Ok, How About Now? Or Now?

  654 readersI have submitted an unsolicited picture-book manuscript to a house that accepts these (with a policy of no reply unless there is interest). What do you think would be an acceptable waiting period before submitting a second manuscript?Just long enough so that they don't clip the two manuscripts together (in which case probably only

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  No Excuses

  1072 readersI’m a professional illustrator, I’m from Italy and I work in the UK as a video game artist. I usually just write short stories, nothing too complicated o convoluted. I tend to get bored pretty easily so I’m not exactly the kind of person who can manage to stick to a novel for a