Words Matter - Be Kind - Spread Positivity

Join me while I craft my words and attempt to spread the seeds of positivity, just click on the video below. 

3 Publishers Accepting Un-agented Author's Picture Book Manuscripts - WRITERLY WEDNESDAY

 

Picture Book Writers, if you're looking for Publishers who will accept manuscripts from unrepresented authors, you might want to take some notes because here are three  publishers accepting unagented picture book manuscripts:

1) 

Albert Whitman & Co accepts submissions from authors without agents:

They are looking for fiction and nonfiction picture books for kids 1 to 8 years old. 

The Word count should not exceed 1000 words. 

Send a cover letter (inside the email) including the following information:

• A brief description of the story;
• Your bio (including any relevant publications and/or pertinent information regarding your expertise related to your story)
• List comparative book titles that have been recently published (during the past five years.) Include similarities and how your manuscript is different.

• You do not need to include illustrations but, if you are an illustrator, include pdfs or jpegs not to exceed 4 MB

Send letter and  attachments to:

• submissions@albertwhitman.com
• The Re: Line (or subject) should read: “PICTURE BOOK: (story title) by (author name).”
• Submission Guidelines for Unrepresented Authors | Albert Whitman & Company

2) 

Charlesbridge Children's Book Submissions: Charlesbridge Children's Book Submissions

Charlesbridge publishes fiction and nonfiction picture books.

They tend to focus on nature, science, math, social studies, biography, history, and the arts.

They accept only digital submissions for all manuscripts, including author/illustrator book dummies.

Send the complete picture book manuscript.

Via Email to:

childrens.submissions@charlesbridge.com

3) 

Flashlight Press

Seeks fictional children’s picture books for children 4-8 years old.

Word Count: Under 1000 words with a universal theme that deals with family or social situations

Email: submissions@flashlightpress.com

Include in the Subject Line Include: QUERY for the Title of Your Manuscript.

Attach your manuscript as a .doc, .docx, or PDF and copy the following text into the body of the email with your responses to the blanks included:

Title of Story: _____________

Word Count: _________

Target Age: ________

Subject or Theme of story (1-5 words): _____________

Summary (3 sentences or less):___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your Name: _____________________________________

Occupation: ________________________________________________

City, State, Country: _________________________________________

If you have been published previously, list titles, publishers, and pub dates: _____________________

Anything else you’d like to tell us: _______________________________________________

Submission Guidelines - Flashlight Press

 

Author Interview of Heather Ransom Science Teacher who Can Almost See th...

 It's Wednesday, May 5, 2021, and it's Cinco De Mayo. I hope you're all having a great sunny day - like we are in Portland, Oregon.

And for my writer friends, I've got an interview from a writer who is also a business owner, a science teacher and has had an eco-mystery published as a trilogy. So, if you're interested in science this might be right up your alley, or perhaps you're interested in writing a trilogy and getting it published, Heather might be the person you'd like to hear from.

So check out my interview of her below.

Word Count for Writers: Picture Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult and More

 

Word Count/Page Count and More

If you're a writer just starting out, you might have a lot of questions. Some might involve craft, how to create a story, how to develop a character or just how to even begin the process. I'll try to cover those issues over the next few months but I wanted to start with some basic information today about "required" Word Count/Page Length in books.

"Required" is a loaded word because some people say the word count is whatever it takes to tell the story. That might be true in a creative sense but, if you eventually want to get your book published, you'll want to follow some general guidelines that will make your book more attractive to agents, editors and publishers. 

I have looked at publishing links, agent blogs and expert recommendations to gather some basic guidelines to follow. Here’s what I’ve found:

WORD COUNT:

Board Books should be no more than 100 words

Early Picture Books should be a maximum of 400 words

Picture Books should be up to 600 words

Nonfiction Picture Books can be longer at 3,000 words max, but try to keep it closer to 1,000 to 2,000 words

Early Readers are 1,500 words is the max

Chapter Books vary widely based on the audience but usually they start at 4,000 words and max out at 15,000 words

(Additional information according to Scholastic)

Middle Grade Books are for kids in 3^rd-6^th grade with age ranges of 6-11 years.

Word Count Length: 30-50K words

Young Adult Books: are for kids in 7-12^th grade with age ranges of 12-18 years.   

Word Count Length: 50-75K words

PAGE COUNT:

Chapter Books are typically 35-65 pages 

Low-Middle Grade Books are 45-90 pages

General Middle Grade Books are 90-120 pages

Young Adult Books are 150-200 pages

And, if you’re curious about chapter length, check out Mary Kole’s 2017 blog post: Children'sBook Manuscript Chapter Length | Kidlit

Helpful links:

FrequentlyAsked Questions about Children's Writing (writing-world.com)

According to Writing World  FrequentlyAsked Questions about Children's Writing (writing-world.com)

According to Mary Kole at ManuscriptLength: How Long Should a Children's Book Be? | Kidlit:

(According to Writing World: www.writing-world.com/children/FAQ.shtml)

Writerly Wednesday - Don't Feel Rejected - or at least you're in GREAT company

 

A Short History of Rejections for When You’re Feeling Rejected

1) Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected 144 times before it was picked up and became a runaway best-selling book.

2) Madeleine L’ Engle’s novel, A Wrinkle In Time was rejected 29 times.

3) Lisa Genova’s novel, Still Alice, was rejected more than 100 times, and she went to self-publish, carrying books in the trunk of her car. Her book then went on to be a best-seller and a popular movie starring Julianne Moore, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Alice.

4) The Tale of Peter Rabbit was turned down so many times, Beatrix Potter eventually self-published the beloved story.

5) Ursula LeGuin’s novel The Left Hand of Darkness was rejected as being “endlessly complicated…hopelessly bogged down…and unreadable.” 

6) Kathryn Stockett’s novel, The Help was rejected from 60 agents before it was picked and turned into a best-selling novel and film.

7) One of Louisa May Alcott’s rejections of Little Women, included this quip: “Stick to teaching.”

8) In response to Moby Dick, Peter J. Bentley, of Bentley & Son Publishing, asked Herman Melville, “Does it have to be a whale?” 

9) Alex Haley’s Roots was rejected 200 consecutive times.

10) Shel Silverstein had a difficult time publishing The Giving Tree, which he was told would never sell.

11) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was rejected so many times that author L. Frank Baum started keeping track in a journal he called A Record of Failures.

12) Harry Potter was famously rejected by nearly a dozen publishers before one agent’s 8 year-old daughter devoured the book and demanded more. Only then was it picked up. What if that 8 year-old had been napping??

13) The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, was described as “An irresponsible holiday story that will never sell.” And then, it sold 25 million copies worldwide.

14) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig, is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most number of rejections for a best selling book (121 rejections).

15) Meg Cabot, who wrote The Princess Diaries, collected so many rejection letters, she kept them in a bag under her bed that eventually grew enough she could not lift it. Her book eventually sold 15 million copies. 

16) Jason Wallace’s Out of Shadows is rejected 100 times by literary agents and publishers, before it is taken on and wins the Costa Book Award in 2008.

17) James Patterson’s novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, was rejected by 31 publishers in a row, then went on to become a best-selling novel. Patterson went on to write 19 books in a row that landed on the best sellers list.

18) Kate DiCamillo racked up a staggering 473 rejection letters in six years before she published her first novel, Because of Winn-Dixie.

(Thanks to Darlene Pagan for this inspiring list)