A: When I think of high-concept fiction, I think of blockbuster-movie-kind-of-fiction. If you’ve got a “coming of age” story, where everyone is a regular human being that goes to a normal school, the girl breaks up with a bad boyfriend, but then realizes she was worthy without him, then that’s probably not high-concept.

If on the other hand, your story is about a team of undercover teen spies working for the CIA, then you’ve probably got something closer to high concept. Basically anything that can be summarized in one sentence that someone would want to make a movie out of would be high concept.

That’s how I define it. People use words in different ways all the time. But there’s my two cents. Hope that helps!

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Q: I’ve written a picture book and I’m perusing the CWIM. Many publishers have multiple editors or
people in charge of Acquisition. How do I know whom to contact?

A: Great question. Read my article on submitting to editors here. It details in length how to find which editor to pick. http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/for-writers/step-six-find-an-editor/.

In short, it takes some amount of research, but it is well-worth the effort to target your submissions to a specific editor if you can. If you cannot narrow your choices down to a specific person, then locate the publisher’s guidelines online and send your submission to the contact listed there.

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Q: A book I’ve reads says so many times that it is inadvisable to email publishers as they simply won’t respond. But some publishers say they are open to email submissions. Is it still ok to do so?

A: If the publisher’s guidelines say it is okay to email them, then yes, follow the publisher’s guidelines. The book may simply be advising writers not to blindly email publishers as a way to break in. It is unadvisable if you have not received specific instructions from the publisher or an editor there to email. Your emails will go unheard. And you will surely irritate someone there, receiving the emails. Follow the publisher’s (or editor’s guidelines) with regards to email submissions.

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Q: A writer asks: When writing a manuscript, does one indicate that words are italicized by
underlining the intended words or simply italicizing them? I read online that
one should underline any phrase meant to be italicized because that makes it
easier for the typesetter to find. What is your experience?

A: It’s a matter of personal taste. Personally, for all of my manuscripts, I do NOT underline. I italicize. Merely because I’m not used to looking at underlines in this age of computers. My editors at Putnam and Puffin have never asked me to change everything to underlines. However, during copy-editing, my editor did underline everything for me.  So I leave the decision up to you.

Please keep in mind though. Do not abuse italics or underlining. Use them sparingly and only as necessary.

Here are cases under which you may need to italicize or underline.

• To emphasize thought. Not necessarily ALL thoughts. Just thoughts that need that oomph. Example: Even though I thought he was cute, I didn’t think he was that cute.
• Sometimes you may need to set off thoughts in italics to prevent them from being mixed up with who is thinking it.   “You never told me to pick up milk at the store,” he said.  I swear, my husband never hears me. “No, all you said this morning was ‘go walk the dog.’” Ugh. I had told him at precisely 6:15 a.m. to get the milk.
• To show that something is written versus part of the narrative. For example, if your book involves people writing notes to each other or sending emails. You may italicize those messages to indicate they are not part of the narrative. Example: I read the letter.  Dear John, I’m leaving you …
• To emphasize dialogue. Example: “Hey, buddy. I said move.”
• To indicate a foreign word or phrase. Example:  “Ni hao,” Snoop said.
• To indicate a vocabulary term. Example: “He used the word propagate. I have no idea what that means.”
• If anyone thinks of more cases, let me know!

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I get this question a lot. And often the person wants to know 1) how the book can be picked up by a major publisher or 2) how to get the book and related products in the traditional bookstores.

This is a very tough question. But here’s the short answer. PREPARE FOR A DIFFICULT ROAD AHEAD. Why?

Recall what the functions of major publishers are–their job is to get your book illustrated (with the illustrator who will do most justice for your book) and into the bookstores. They’re really good at this kind of stuff. Hence, why they have such a hold in the industry. So why are you trying to do their job?

Read article, To draw or not to draw and this one…Should I self-publish my children’s book?

Chances are the quality of your work, no matter how much you love it, won’t match up to what a major publisher can do. And even if your book is as good or even better, do you have the sales force required to get it picked up by stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders? Probably not. Even major publishers can’t get all of their books into bookstores, and this is with a full-time sales force on their payroll! (YES, IT’S TRUE!-there is only so much shelf space in the stores.) So what are the chances little old you can?

(SMALL.)

So what do you do? Well, you’ve already deviated from standard procedures. The industry is not very equipped to handle that. In fact, deviation from protocol usually labels you as an amateur–someone who didn’t know better. Not good. Already you’re starting off on the wrong foot with publishers.

Here are your options:

A. If you only had the book illustrated then….

1) Drop the illustrations from your book*. Read my crash course and follow standard procedures for submitting a manuscript. Never mention what you already did. *The exception is if you are a professional illustrator yourself. In that case, read B. You’ll want to make a dummy.

B. If you simply must have the illustrations because you agreed you go in on it with someone else…then…either agree to split up OR create a dummy and submit the dummy to publishers.

Read post, How do I make a picture book dummy?

C. If you’re too far into the process and you can’t bear to lose other stuff like the CDs you created, and the audiobooks, and the stuffed animals…

…your best bet is to go the self-publishing route, get some decent sales figures, and either 1) work through organizations designed to assist self-publishers in getting distribution to bookstores. Or 2) hope that you’ve got enough momentum that a big publisher will listen to you and offer to publish for you. (Either option is probably one of the most challenging endeavors you can take on. A and B are a lot easier. C is for the marketing guerilla in you. If you don’t have a marketing bone in your body, forget it.)

D. If you’re okay with having no distribution in the bookstores and no help from a major publisher, AND you have no problems plugging your own book…

…You are an ideal candidate for self-publishing! You understand you will market the book on your own. You realize it’s not as easy as putting something out on Amazon and waiting for the moolah to rule in. And with the right attitude and hard work, you may just get picked up by a major publisher. The savviest of self-publishers who succeed in the marketplace can become exceptions to the rule. But keep in mind, YOU determine the book’s success, not Amazon or anyone else when you choose to self-publish.

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A: If you are both a writer and a professional illustrator, then what you will want to do is create a picture book dummy. I’m not an illustrator myself, but I can point you to a great article on how to make one.

http://www.yellapalooza.com/tutorials/dummies.html

If you’re only a writer, then follow the steps in my crash course to learn how to submit your picture book manuscript.

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Are you gearing up for a conference and find yourself wondering what to wear, what to bring, and how NOT to make a fool of yourself in front of editors and agents? Then this is the article for you.

Practical Do’s and Don’ts for Attending a Children’s Writer and Illustrator Conference

1. Do NOT harass editors and agents to see your work. It’s perfectly okay to talk with them should the opportunity arise, but shoving your manuscript in their faces is NOT the way to make a good impression, nor is asking them if they will look at your work later. The only time you should ask an editor or agent specific questions about your work is if you’ve paid for a private one-on-one critique and you are in a session with the editor or agent specifically for the purpose of talking about your critique.
2. Do dress appropriately. I can’t stress this enough. You have to remember that most of these editors and agents live in New York. They are usually pretty decently dressed people. You should try not to look like you just threw on the first mumu you could reach when you rolled out of bed this morning. Leave the ties and business suits at home. But do dress business casual. Even Casual Friday for the office environment is acceptable (so neat denim can work if you still look put together.) If you’re a lady, dressing with the rule of three in mind will help you weather any conference. Three? What do you mean? 1) Wear a top. 2) Wear a bottom. 3) Bring something to wear over your top in case the room is cold. This might mean a coordinating jacket, cardigan or sweater. Men? You’ll be safe with a collared shirt, button-down, or sweater with khakis or neat trousers.
3. Do NOT forget your business cards. I manage to do this at least once a year and feel like a complete idiot when I find myself scribbling my info on the back of a napkin. These conferences are a great way to network with writers and other industry professionals who are in a position to help you or vice versa. Make it easier to network by having a “professional-looking” business card to give to them. If you don’t know what “professional” looks like, ask buddies you trust to help you pick out your design. Haven’t published anything yet? It doesn’t matter. You’ll want your name, your email address, physical address, phone number and your title “WRITER” or “ILLUSTRATOR” on there. If you don’t want to share that much info, at the very least, put your name, email address, and title on your card. The best place to get FREE professional-quality business cards on the Internet quickly is, by far, Vistaprint.com. I use them myself and am extremely pleased with their product. (The matte finish also looks and feels great. No need to upgrade to the glossy or the 100-lb paper unless you really, really want to.)

If you’re an illustrator, making up a postcard displaying samples of your work in full-color is also a REALLY, REALLY GOOD IDEA. You can also do this at Vistaprint.com. So get those ready and printed in time for your conference.

4. Do bring a notebook and a writing instrument. You’ll be taking lots of notes and you’ll want a working pen to do it with. Using one notebook reserved strictly for conferences might also help you stay organized if you plan on going to more than one in your lifetime.
5. Do NOT make Q&A sessions all about you. Often, you will have an opportunity to ask questions of editors and agents at the end of a session. If you want to know something, don’t make the question all about you. There is nothing more aggravating to your audience or speaker than having to answer a question about the marketability of your picture book about frogs and funerals for the 8-12 year-old audience in front of two hundred people. Make your questions open-ended and general so that everyone may benefit from the answer.
6. DO remember to smile. Every year I see it. People who attend conferences with a permanent scowl on their faces as if they were forced to attend. It’s easy to get nervous and worry about whether or not you are making all the right moves, but in that process, don’t forget to change the expression on your face. Sometimes something as simple as a “pleasant” countenance is all you need to to start up a conversation.
7. Do NOT forget to bring breath mints or gum. Speaking of your mouth, there is nothing worse than having stale breath from keeping your trap shut for hours on end. Or maybe you had a sandwich with onions on it for lunch. So don’t forget to bring the Altoids with you. Not only will your breath thank you, but it’s a great way to make nice with the neighbor sitting next to you who just might have forgotten to bring their own arsenal of fresh-breath products.
8. DO leave room in your baggage for freebies. If you’re going to a large conference, like the annual national SCBWI conferences, do leave room in your luggage for all the freebies you will bring home. Mostly this will consist of publisher catalogs. I personally prefer to stuff all these publications into the “expandable” part of my carry-on and then ship the whole puppy back on the plane. Going to the conference, however, I make sure I have my luggage with me at all times. Nothing worse than having your luggage lost when you’re on a trip.
9. DO NOT get drunk. Okay, this goes without saying. But little do you know how much partying there can be if alcohol is present! You’ll want to remember who you are and what you did the night before when you wake up for the second day of the conference.
10. DO put yourself out there. If you make one promise to yourself, it should be this: MEET PEOPLE while you are at the conference. How rare it is to be among others who love children’s writing as much as you do! And guess what? You might find your new, beloved critique partner at one of these conferences. That’s how I met both of mine. Are you shy? Me, too. I just try to remember most people hate small talk as much as I do. You already have something in common with everyone around you–so break the ice! Put yourself out there and be amazed by how others respond.

Good luck at your next conference! Now excuse me while I get ready for mine!

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I have run into countless writers who have spent hundreds of dollars on literary agents, vanity publishers, and book doctors, in the hopes of making it big in children’s publishing. It really breaks my heart to hear this because the truth is, there are people out there feasting on hopeful newbie writers, turning a very legitimate business into something reeked with fraudulence. THIS ANGERS ME. AND SNOOP! In fact, it’s upset me enough that I’ve decided I’d shell out some of my own money to help combat the scams that are out there. You might have even gotten to this page by clicking on my sponsored ad. (If you did, pat yourself on the back. You’re a very smart cookie).

Here’s the deal. If you do a Google search, a lot of the links go to vanity publishers or predatory “agents” who will try to convince you that if you PAY them, they’ll make you successful nearly instantly. BUT LISTEN TO THIS: DO NOT PAY ANYONE A DIME TO REPRESENT OR PUBLISH YOUR BOOK (unless you really want to self-publish. If this is the case, [read post, should I self-publish my children's book?->should I self-publish my childrens book]).

If you’re hoping to make it big with a reputable publishing house, standard industry practices is Agents and Pubishers pay you, not the other way around. This means, if an agent decides to rep you, he won’t charge you a DIME until he’s sold your book to a publisher. If you want to know how REAL literary agents operate, read AAR’s Canon of Ethics. AAR is an organization that has established ethical standards for literary agents. Many good agents are members, but it’s not a requirement. If you find an agent who’s breaking many AAR rules (like charging reading fees to consider your manuscript, demanding payment up front, etc., promising some analysis to be read in 24 hours, selling critiquing services along with representation), you don’t want to sign up with them. You’ll want to report them to Preditors and Editors. This is a great place to see if a name you’ve found has already been listed as “not recommended.”

The same goes for “publishing on demand” (or POD) publishers, self-publishers, and vanity presses (all the same thing essentially, though they will claim they are not). If any of them say they will make you big on Amazon or in bookstores, RUN THE OTHER WAY. The truth is, if you go this route, only you can make your book big by doing some serious hard-selling. [read post, should I self-publish my children's book?->should I self-publish my childrens book] to find out why.

When it come to book doctors or people selling critique services, you’ll certainly find you don’t always get what you pay for. THIS KILLS ME because I often offer free critiques (what I call free-tiques), and then I hear these stories about how someone paid $400 for total drivel. Often book doctors are so out of touch with the children’s writing industry that you have to ask yourself why you should seek advice from someone who is probably less informed than you are. So be sure that you’ve exhausted all your other resources (seeking out free advice from other writers, critique partners, and even this website!). And if you do go with a paid critique service, get recommendations from people you trust before you shell out a ton of money. Also know this: critique services won’t ensure your book’s success. Only you can do that by writing a good story that publishers actually want to buy.

Finally, not everyone who shows up on the Internet is a scam. There are a few guys out there who are operating legitimate businesses helping children’s writers. To find out the real deal on organizations you’re unsure of, ask the children’s writer community by visiting The Blue Board. A simple search on there should get your answer. Or just ask me.

Thank you!

Cynthea (and Snoop!)

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I decided to classify this post so it applies to both PBs and longer works. If you’ve been following my Revision 9-1-1 articles, you’ve read a lot about “big” issues which crop up in manuscripts I’ve reviewed. But what’s contained in here is MORE IMPORTANT. Why? If an agent or editor senses you haven’t mastered the basics, your wonderful plot, brilliant characters, and awesome setting won’t matter. Remember how bitter and exhausted your slush-pile editor or agent might be? You could get slipped the form at page one! So watch out for these common pitfalls.

back-to-back-to-back adjectives

Yes, I will admit fantasy and historical fiction often has a very descriptive style. But this is what I mean (no matter what genre your book is)…

• Example: The tall, white, spotted dog sat on a polka-dotted straw mat.
• Solution: Examine your sentences. Might you find your sentence works just as well without a few of those adjectives? Yes, I think so. Why do adjectives irk people (including me)? They feel mechanical. Pushy. And controlling. And they can drag down your sentences. How quickly can a sentence like that be scanned without slowing your pace? Now picture four sentences like this with as many adjectives. OUCH! So pay attention! Your job is to provide TOUCHES of description, not necessarily the whole spiel. Trust your readers to have imaginations.

echo, echo, echo…

This is by far the biggest pain to correct and sometimes very hard to detect.

• Example: I looked at him. “Look, Frank. If you want to look for suspects, than you have to look here.”
• Solution: Can’t tell what’s wrong with this? Your ears need a workout then. READ YOUR MANUSCRIPTS OUT LOUD. It’s a lot easier to pick up on echoes that way. Eventually you will get so good at it, you will automatically fix them before you even write an echo down. Soon you will also learn six-thousand variants for the word look. I love the example above because I, myself, am a recovering look-aholic. A revised version of the above might be… “Look, Frank.” I picked up a book entitled BEST PLACES TO FIND SUSPECTS. “If you want to hunt someone down, this is what you read.”
• Echoes can appear between sentences, paragraphs, and pages. So don’t confine your search to the sentence itself. Read the work aloud and listen for those echoes.

serial as, when,-ing killers

• This is another variant of an echo. If you use a sentence pattern too often like AS I X’d, SHE Y’D. Or WHEN X Happened, Y happeend. Or I X’d, [INSERT VERB]+ing. It’s noticeable. You’re killing sentences with those echoes. Your reader will detect YOU. You don’t want to be detected. You want to be invisible so your reader can focus all his energy on reading your great book.
• Example: I ran to the door, panting. “It must be Tony,” I said, opening the door. But standing in front of me was Rick, holding a gun.
• Did you hear the -ing echo?
• SOLUTION: READ YOUR WORK ALOUD. AND SLOWLY. Are you noticing you love AS, WHEN, and/or -ING a bit too much? AS, WHEN, AND -ING phrases are the most abused I’ve seen in free-tiques. Learn to vary your sentence patterns. Also, don’t be afraid to use SIMPLE sentence structures. And fragments (GASP!). They are just as acceptable as more complicated structures.

bum words

Check your manuscript for words that aren’t earning their keep in your sentences.

• Examples: THAT, JUST, EVEN, Adverbs, Adjectives.
• Solution: Cut them or cut them down. Only use them when they have value in your sentence. You’ll find your writing will sound much tighter when you lose the bums. Also you might discover some of these words echo as well. If you love the word THAT and JUST, chances are, you have a thousand of them in your book. Send those bums packing!

!@#@~!–improper punctuation (or questionable punctuation)

• Classic punctuation mistakes mostly involve the comma. The most common one I’ve seen goes something like this…I ate, and went to the pool. Or…..The teacher, Mrs. Applethorn, called roll. The em dash, ellipse, semicolon and colon are also punctuation marks people can’t get a handle on.
• Solution: Brush up, people! Elements of Style is a great resource for this. You don’t want an editor or agent (trained on detecting writing faux pas) obsessing over your errant comma. If anything, you want them impressed with your ability to insert a REAL em dash in your manuscript.
• Granted, there are different standards for punctuation (especially for the comma). You can’t guess which standard the editor or agent will apply to your manuscript. So when in doubt, stick to one rule and be consistent throughout.

bad par
a
graph
ing

• This is when the paragraphs are all over the place. The author hasn’t quite worked out when to start or end a paragraph. Paragraphing dialogue seems to be problematic for many writers.
• Solution: Typically paragraphs change as speakers change and/or when the topic of discussion switches as well (like regular paragraphs). Read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers or Elements of Style. Also, examine real books if you’ve got one of those situations where a character is thinking while someone else is talking. Learn how to use paragraphing to your advantage, not to your detriment.
• Also, are all of your paragraphs GINORMOUS? What do you think an editor thinks when she sees an entire page that is only one paragraph? Long paragraphs may be a symptom of verbose or unclear writing. Tighten it up. Whack out the unnecessary. Restructure your work so the intent can be conveyed in readable bytes.

misplaced tags

• This is when the action and the dialogue are reversed. Example: “This coffee is awful.” I sipped from the mug. Wow, seems obvious, huh?
• I see this all the freaking time.
• SOLUTION: Make sure you’re paying attention to what you’ve written. Place special focus on your tags. Especially ones that are actions. See if it reads more logically when you reverse the sequence.

tag frenzy

• This is when the tags appear in every single line of dialogue. Or the tags are so distracting, it’s hard to pay attention to what is being said. What you get with too many tags is another variant of an echo. The words may not be the same but you’ll hear the “ping” and “pong” reverberating in your brain as you read it.
• Example:

I opened the can. “I was thinking about trying out of the soccer team.”

Mom emptied the dishwasher. “That’s nice, honey.”

I fed Fido. “So can we afford my uniform?”

Mom wiped her hands on a rag. “I don’t see why not.”

• SOLUTION: Space out your tags more randomly. Eliminate extras you don’t need. Watch for distraction. It takes an ear to get this right. So study real books. Learn from the masters. Read your stuff aloud until you’ve got this one down.

action fixations

• This is yet another variant of an echo. Too much of one thing calls out the writer. Do you find your characters “shrug” a lot? “Swallow” too much? “Breathe” enough for the entire population of China?
• SOLUTION: Vigilance is required again. Doing a “find” in WORD (Ctrl+F) will help you figure out if your MC swallowed only two pages ago. Watch for variants of the same action or from the same body part. I’ve noticed the “eyes” and “breathing” are very popular fixations. The “heart” is probably a close third. Again that is not to say you can’t use vital bodily functions in your book. Just don’t use them all the time. Change it up a little. Perhaps some of these actions could be substituted for unique thoughts. Left out entirely. Or changed up with a different body part?

concurrent actions which aren’t concurrent

• Once again the -ing, as, and when constructions can do some damage to your writing.
• Examples: Tripping down the steps, I landed in the bushes. Or. As I ran through the hall, I opened the door. Or. When I buckled my seatbelt, I started the engine.
• Solution: Focus on what you’re trying to say. Take a quick look at your as and when clauses. Check out those -ing participles. Did you really mean that? Don’t be afraid to lose the when or the as or the -ing. Write two independent sentences or a compound one. Or at the very least, use the correct construction. The revised examples might look like this…I tripped and landed in the bushes. OR. I ran down the hall. I opened the door. OR After I buckled my seatbelt, I started the engine.

the obvious icky stuff

• Most of you are pretty good about misspellings, so I won’t harp on it here. However, on occasion I do see oopsies on the first few pages. Granted, no one is 100-percent error free, but really work hard to make sure nothing silly like this happens, especially on those critical first pages. You don’t want the editor or agent to assume this is what the rest of the manuscript is like, do you?
• SOLUTION: Have someone help you check. Don’t trust WORD to correct all your mistakes. Watch the tricky “it’s” and “its”, “your” and “you’re”, and so on. Read your work aloud, too.

What’s the big idea?

• Mastering the basic mechanics of good fiction writing allows the editor or agent to focus on your story. It also prevents you from being rejected at Page One. Too much of something is usually not a good thing. Echoes, in particular, will call you out from the story. Thus, vigilance is required to ensure your invisibility (and your survival!). Read your work aloud. Be aware of common faux pas so you can send up the red flags when you read your own stuff. Get the help of writer friends. Finally, review your copy of Elements of Style or Self-Editing for Fiction Writers if you need to. A little awareness can go a long way.

Order WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE

Happy revising!

Cynthea

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Let me clear up a myth about talking animals. You might have heard it before. “You shouldn’t write about talking animals. That’s a big no-no.” Yet you see hundred of books come out, starring them. What gives?

According to some, talking animals are hard to do. So? What if you’re a natural at it? Does that mean you shouldn’t write them? (Snoop says, “Heck no!”) There is one word of caution though when it comes to writing novel-length talking animal books. Finding an editor or agent who will openly admit they like to work with novel-length talking animal books is difficult. They RARELY advertise their secret love for yapping giraffes because so many anthropomorphic stories are written poorly. BUT if this is your passion, you must write your book anyway. And be on a serious lookout for editors/agents who have worked with them before.

I also think a lot of people get caught up on the “no talking animal” rule when it comes to picture books since a ton of PBs feature animals. But have no fear. If your characters must have four legs, write away. Most editors (if their house publishes talking animal books) won’t even blink when they see you’ve written something about an alligator who’s lost his wooby. Or you may leave the text open-ended and the editor can decide if she wants to make the children humans or reptiles. But please don’t stop yourself from writing stories with animals in them because you read or heard that was a no-no. Write what you love to write and write it as well as you would any book.

[Read my story, I dared to write a talking animal book->I dared to write a talking animal book] if you like to be entertained.

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