During the webinar, I’ll talk about how to find the right hooks and universality to really make your picture books marketable on today’s shelves. I’ll also talk about the writer and illustrator relationship in publishing, as well as how writers need to think more like illustrators (and vice versa) in order to come up with truly successful picture book projects.

This excerpt features Rosenthal’s thoughts on finding just the right book idea, as well as working together with an illustrator and how that creative collaboration takes her work to new heights. Read on:

“When my kids were small, there were countless stories told. Often for the boys, I’d tell them stories about dinosaurs, monsters or something in a cape—all these nonsense stories they loved. Ninety-nine percent of the stories I made up for my kids were nonsensical things. But once in a while there was some kind of cool stuff. You have to tell one thousand bad ones to get to the one good one.”

Rosenthal says finding that one good one amidst all the others is a little bit like dating. “When a relationship isn’t right, even if you think I know this is going to work out, he’s really cute, it always has some convoluted glitch—this non-fluid, non-seamless barrage of obstacles. But true love is this flawless, shiny, perfectly smooth thing, at least in the beginning. When I’m writing something, I’m coming at it from a number of different angles. With the ones that end up working, everything falls into place more fluidly.”

That feeling of fluidity can also come from working well with an illustrator. For one of her most recent books, Plant a Kiss (which explores what might grow if you, quite literally, planted a kiss), Rosenthal worked closely with illustrator Peter Reynolds to develop the vision and feel of the book—a process she says has “been a dream.” Not only was it a chance for her to work with one of her favorite artists, but she was thrilled with the vision he brought to the book.

“When I started, I had mocked up the book with stick-figure illustrations. It was tidy, executed visually 100 percent. There was a moment of talk when we thought maybe the book should look like this. It was kind of cute. But thank goodness we reached out to Peter and he said yes. During the first conference call he said he’d send us some sketches. Later, I opened the document, and he had illustrated the entire book. And it was just this moment of ‘Oh my god, he nailed it.’ The characters are beautiful.”

With all of her picture books, Rosenthal has strived for this type of creative partnership. “I really value the collaboration. Oftentimes the writers are kept apart from the illustrator, but that paradigm never made sense to me. From the first ‘yes’ [for Little Pea and Cookies] I made the plea to be involved. I couldn’t imagine not doing it. The books gain so much by the writer and illustrator interacting.”

Interview excerpt of Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Meg Leder from 2012 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market (c) 2011 Writer’s Digest Books. All materials used by permission of F+W Media. All rights reserved

Now that you’ve heard one picture book creator’s thoughts, you can hear even more thoughts on the craft of PBs during the webinar. To sweeten the pot just a little bit, I am going to give away one more copy of CHILDREN’S WRITER’S AND ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET, edited by Chuck Sambuchino, but this contest is a quickie. You can enter in the comments below through 1 p.m. Eastern tomorrow (Thursday, January 12th). I will announce the winner during the webinar (and on the blog next week). If you are taking the webinar, do mention that in your entry. US residents only, please.

Forward this post around and let’s give away another copy of CWIM. Those picture writers out there registered for the webinar will hear more from me tomorrow afternoon!

For those blog readers wondering when I’ll get back to the craft posts here, those are coming up next week. It’s just that 2012 has so many exciting things going on right out of the gate that I have to spread the word. I’ll resume my regular programming once the Writer’s Digest Conference excitement dies down. I seriously can’t wait for this year’s conference. You can check out more details here, and be sure to email me if you still need a special $115 discount code!

I am under the impression that when you have a topic that could be traumatic to a child using animals lessens the effect. Example: Corduroy or Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Also there are wonderful stories such as CLICK CLACK MOO, BEAR SNORES ON, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK that simply can’t be told any other way. Or is that if you use animals in your story, it has to be a story that couldn’t be possibly told with any other setting/character?

When I talk about animal stories, by the way, I mean mostly picture books, chapter books, and some MG. It’s highly unusual to see anthropomorphic animal characters in YA. And it’s true that there seems to be less excitement in general about animal stories than there was a few years ago. Sure, in ye olde days, animal protagonists were de rigeur. Now, I can acknowledge that they’ve somewhat fallen out of style, though publisher’s catalogs are still crammed with all sorts of critters, especially on the PB side.

There’s nothing wrong, per se, with writing stories starring animal characters. Ask Erin Hunter, the creator of the WARRIORS middle grade series. I’m pretty sure you can find her on the road to the bank…she’ll be the one laughing. And, as I said, there are tons of creatures on shelves today. But why is there this aura that animal stories aren’t quite as popular as they used to be?

Darshana brings up an intersting point. Are animals better suited for difficult stories that need one step of remove from reality? This could be a reason for choosing animal protagonists, though lots of the animal stories I’ve read are simply stories with critters who act very much like human children. In fact, as an interesting counterpoint, I know that one publisher, Lee & Low, will not publish stories with anything but real children, because their mission is diversity and they want the opposite of that remove, they want the human experience only so that their readers can instantly relate. In this vein, I think that we, as people, are so used to relating to protagonists in stories, whether animal or inanimate object or kid, that I don’t know how real this psychological distance is. I’m guessing it’s negligible, though it is good food for thought.

As for the other examples that Darshana mentions, she’s right, they can’t be told any other way, but I think the reason there is just because…they are stories that happen to include animals (or Little Blue Trucks and their animal friends). Her last point is true of all stories, I think, or at least it should be: You make the choices you do in your fiction because you simply cannot make any other choices. Your particular choices are so right that they seem like the only ones. This should apply to characters, of course, but also to setting, plot, word choice, etc. THE VELVETEEN RABBIT is a story about a discarded toy looking for a home. It literally cannot star anyone else but a toy character.

I think anthropomorphic animals are very much a case-by-case question, as well as one of very personal taste. Personally (and here I speak for me and me alone), I do not like chapter books or MG with animals. And most unpublished picture books with animals fall short for me. From what I see in the slush, I get the distinct feeling that some people are writing animal stories simply because they remember reading a lot of animal stories when they grew up. This is a red flag because it shows that they may not be as familiar with today’s market and that they may not be making the strongest and most inevitable choices.

Overall, across the tens of thousands of submissions I’ve read, animal stories tend to cluster near the bottom of the barrel. This is by no means true across the board, it’s a huge generalization, and it has nothing to do with the canon of successful animal stories out there, but this is a clear effect I’ve noticed. (Again, just speaking for myself here.) So I’m wary of them most of the time. And it could very well end up being my loss.

However, I’ve personally broken that mold on my list with BUGLETTE THE MESSY SLEEPER (Tricycle Press) by Bethanie Murguia (and its sequel, coming from Knopf in 2013, SNIPPET THE EARLY RISER), WHEN BLUE MET EGG (coming from Dial/Penguin in 2012) by Lindsay Ward, and POCO LOCO (coming from Marshall Cavendish in 2013) by John Krause. It’s important to note that none of these books deal with issues so difficult that we needed to project them onto animals. It’s more important to note that all of them are tales that could only happen with these particular characters, because their creators made very active story choices. I think that’s the bottom line, right there.

The kinds of picture books that make most agents and editors squirm are the ones that come to the page with a certain agenda. The writer wants to teach the reader something about life. Now, don’t get me wrong…the best picture books all contain big, universal ideas. They all aim to leave the reader with an emotional experience or a realization. The difference between masterful picture books and those written by writers who maybe haven’t honed their craft quite yet, though, is that the masterful picture books get their point across without preaching overtly.

For example, if you want to write a picture book about a stubborn girl named Tally who learns that sometimes compromise is good, too (because what parent wouldn’t like to teach their kids this lesson?), you would never write:

And then Tally learned that she could let her sisters choose the movie once in a while, and it would still be a lot more fun!

You may have a lesson in mind, but it has to be uncovered by the reader in the context of a) a character’s experience, and b) a larger story. If you find yourself coming out and saying the lesson, you are hitting it too much on the nose and it’s very likely that your story is skewing didactic. Basically, you’re working too hard and being too obvious. The best picture book lessons are subtle, and they inspire the reader to come to their own conclusions without hitting them over the head.

Here’s a simple litmus test that I’ve been asking writers to apply to their picture books:

If you remove the lesson at the end, does the story stand alone?

For example, if Tally’s entire picture book is about how she won’t compromise and she won’t compromise and finally, is surprised when her first compromise works out well, then the plot serves the lesson. It doesn’t stand alone. If we took out the moral of the story, we would take away the plot because each event has been in direct service to the obvious ending.

The best picture books are good stories (a very basic definition of “story”: a memorable character faces and overcomes conflict, is changed by the experience), first and foremost. The big picture idea and the overall lesson of the book is then delicately layered over and under the plot.

But if we take the lesson away and your plot crumbles, you’ve been leaning too heavily on only using your book to prove a point. Find your character. Find your conflict. Go back to the drawing board and stop attacking your moral so directly.

(There are, of course, obvious exceptions. Teaching picture books that discuss sharing are a hit with some institutional publishers, and people need them for teaching aides, etc. Also, you are free to teach if you are writing non-fiction, obviously. Here I’m just talking about story-driven picture books for the trade market.)

The webinar is Thursday, July 28th at 1 p.m. Eastern. Even if you can’t make that time, it will be recorded and you can listen to it after the fact. You will still get a critique from me and the valuable information all about picture books that I plan on divulging during the presentation.

Register for it by clicking here and tell all your PB friends! For those of you who are writing for older readers, I’ll be doing a special YA webinar in September, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

If you want a bundle of great information on writing for kids and teens — including access to one of my previous webinars, the CHILDREN’S WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS MARKET book, issues of Writer’s Digest, and craft books — check out the Writer’s Digest July Kit of the Month, available only while supplies last!

Everyone go pick up a copy of BUGLETTE, and watch for the companion picture book, SNIPPET, THE EARLY RISER, coming from Knopf/Random House in 2013!

Congratulations Bethanie!

When you’re a debut writer looking to publish in children’s books, you will need a complete manuscript 99% of the time (especially in the case of my readers, who are primarily fiction writers). That means that you’ll need a complete manuscript for:

• Board book
• Fiction picture books
• Non-fiction picture books
• Fiction early readers and chapter books
• Same for non-fiction (though there are fewer of these on non-fiction shelves)
• Middle grade fiction and most MG non-fiction
• YA fiction and most YA non-fiction

The only exception to this rule is if you’re writing older non-fiction, like something for the middle grade or teen age rage or a reference book/textbook. And picture books from author/illustrators will, of course, need to have a dummy attached with some art sketches.

(Picture book dummy: A sketch version of what the book might look like in real life, with the art and text blocked out on 17 spreads/32 pages. Two or three of the spreads should be rendered as if finished…this is called a “mock finish.” The dummy should convey quickly, with the sketches, and in more detail, with the mock finishes, what the book will ideally look like. If you’re curious about dummies, this explanation is a great resource.)

I bet you’ve heard about a lot of authors selling something “on proposal.” That’s a lot more common with adult non-fiction, a business or diet book, for example, or a cookbook, than it is with children’s books. And in fiction, writers only sell on proposal if:

• They’re an established author
• They’ve sold multiple books to this editor before
• The agent decides the project is really, really strong and wants to entice an editor with a partial
• You’re working with a book packager and have only developed a sample before going on submission

If none of this applies to you or you’re just starting out with some fiction ideas, I’d urge you to forget the word “proposal” and work on your full manuscript. A large part of the writing craft is reaching the end and starting the revision process. There’s nothing like it. You learn more from finish and revising than you did from just writing the thing out.

If you haven’t had this experience once or several times before trying to approach agents or editors, you most likely will not have all the skills necessary to get edited and published. So plug away and finish. Besides, a strong, complete manuscript is a much more convincing sales piece than just a partial that could potentially fall apart in the execution. Having a full manuscript works to your best advantage and is a huge learning experience.

How often is too often to query an agent with different projects? For example, I’m in the process of sending queries for project A and writing project B. By the time I wait for agent responses to trickle in, I may be ready to query project B. Is it crazy to send another project to an agent who rejected me within 3 or 4 months? Am I just being annoying? Or, since picture book manuscripts can be written, revised, revised, revised, and polished faster than other genres, maybe this frequency for queries is expected?

I tell my picture book writer clients — AND THESE ARE CLIENTS…people who’ve already cleared the “hurdle” — that one out of every ten of their picture book ideas/manuscripts is going to be saleable. Picture books are “easy” to write and generate and revise and get 700 or whatever words into shape, sure, but it’s infinitely harder to hit upon a winner idea. GOODNIGHT MOON was first published in 1947 and parents still read it to their kids every night, all over the world. Publishers are tightening their lists and, ideally, would love a book with that much power and longevity. In other words, everyone wants something that will backlist for eternity. It’s not easy. I would even argue that’s it just as hard to hit upon such a picture book idea as it is to write a publishable novel, especially in this current marketplace.

Personally, I balk a little when writers hit me up with picture book after picture book, even if some time lapses between attempts. The point is to evolve and go to the next level between picture book manuscripts. Every submission round to agents will bring you valuable feedback and insight. (If you get absolutely no personalized feedback, that’s feedback in and of itself.) Keep writing while you’re on submission, of course, but you should also, in my opinion, wait to see how a submission round goes before you jump back into the querying game. You don’t want to give off the idea that you’re just churning projects out without stopping to learn and grow in between attempts.

Look at it from my angle. I have, oh, six picture book clients. They can all, in a good year, give me 10 manuscripts. That’s 60 manuscripts. Say I decide to just go out with them all (which I would never do). For each submission, I go out to about 8-10 editors at various houses. That would be between 480 and 600 picture book projects that I would send out. About 10 submissions a week. There are about 300 editors actively acquiring in children’s books these days (at the major, mid-size houses, and smaller houses), so even if I cast my net as wide as possible, I would still hit up every editor at least once, sometimes twice, regardless of whether they’re a good fit or even looking for picture books (if you want to know, that particular number of PB-hungry editors is at about 70-100). You also have to consider that, if an editor and I have a good relationship, existing projects together, or similar tastes, I will send to that  group of particular editors more frequently over the course of the year. Those editors — the ones I really love and want to work with — would probably get more like five or ten projects each.

Do you think all those editors are going to see my email or get my phone call and think, “Wow, I haven’t heard from Mary in a while, and I know she only goes out with projects she thinks are really top notch, so I am really excited to hear all about this one!” Absolutely not. They will most likely think, “Yikes, another call/email from Mary. What does she have for me this month and how quickly can I get it off my desk?”

I don’t go out with everything my clients give me. I have to be selective and keep my currency with editors high, so that if they see something from me, they don’t roll their eyes. The worst position you can be in, I think, is if someone gets an email from you and groans. So I’m selective. And I have extremely high standards for the work that I pitch to publishers (just ask some of my impatient clients…and we all know how I feel about patience). You should strive to be this way, too, so I don’t groan when I get your second or third or fourth query for the year.

Picture Books

CHILDREN MAKE TERRIBLE PETS
by Peter Brown
Picture book (40 pages), Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0316015486

This delightful author/illustrator book is so cute that I want to squeeze the hell out of it and make it go “Squeak!” (You’ll get it if you read the book.) The premise is frightfully clever and Brown really comes into his sense of humor with a cohesive, delightful idea. The bear works perfectly with the woodsy textures and colors of the art and, well, basically, I’m in love with the whole thing. So whether you buy this for some kid (I guess) or yourself, it’s a treat that will have you smiling from ear to ear!

THE BOSS BABY
by Marla Frazee
Picture book (40 pages), Beach Lane Books, 2010.
ISBN: 978-1442401679

Now, I don’t know if y’all have heard, but I am obsessed with this book. It takes a universal experience — new baby — and puts an irresistible spin on it. With gentle humor, this will get an appreciative nod from all new parents (or maybe that’s just them nodding off to sleep from getting pushed around by their brand new boss, er, baby). Do you have any pregnant or new parent friends or relatives? Bam! I just did your holiday/shower/congratulations present shopping for you.

SWIM! SWIM!
by Lerch
Picture book (32 pages), Scholastic Press, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0545094191

This one is a bit of an oddball choice and it’s from the summer but I first heard about it this fall so, whatever, it’s going in my holiday guide. Because this is my holiday guide and I do what I want. Just looking at this, you may not imagine that this fish’s cartoony mug would inspire unexpected sympathy and love. That’s where you’re wrong. Lerch (alias for author/illustrator James Proimos) weaves a fishy tale of loneliness, despair, a hungry cat, and, finally, friendship. It is lovely and much deeper than you’d think by looking at the goofy, simple art style (which, by the way, is fantastic).

BINK AND GOLLIE
by Kate DiCamillo and Allison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile
Early reader (96 pages), Candlewick Press, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0763632663

Kidlit heavyweights DiCamillo and McGhee team up with Fucile (LET’S DO NOTHING) to create, I think, the most refreshing, surprising, and downright hilarious book of the year for younger readers (and me!). Bink and Gollie are characters that you get immediately, from your gut to your heart. They star in three vignettes that echo one another and are about sisters, love, and those quirks that we can’t help but adore (sometimes begrudgingly) in those closest to us. This type of voice — and you’ll see what I mean when you read it — isn’t for beginning writers. It’s something to aspire to and dream about. In fact, this whole book seems deceptively simple. But there is brilliance at work here. I won’t say any more, lest I deprive you of the sheer joy of reading BINK AND GOLLIE for the first time.

GUYKU: A YEAR OF HAIKU FOR BOYS
by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Picture book (48 pages), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0547240039

This book is haiku:
Seemingly simple and then…
An epiphany.

Not only do I love that this is a picture book of haiku for the four seasons, I love that it’s for boys. The charming illustrations here — done with a unifying accent color for each of the four times of year — are full of boys playing and getting into trouble. And yet, in every verse, on every page, there is the wonder, the stillness, that only great haiku can capture. Some verses are really funny and down to earth. Others, downright poetic. Without giving too much away, here is one of my favorites, from summer:

With the ember end
Of my long marshmallow stick,
I draw on the dark.

IT’S A BOOK
by Lane Smith
Picture book (32 pages), Roaring Brook Press, 2010.
ISBN: 978-1596436060

Now, you’ll notice that I’ve added a lot of concept books to my list. What’s a concept book? Well, like THE BOSS BABY and GUYKU, IT’S A BOOK isn’t really narrative-driven or character-driven. Instead, it takes an idea and runs with it to make a great statement or collection. Writers: this is a tough row to hoe. Marla Frazee and Lane Smith can do it. If you’re a debut writer, I wouldn’t follow the example of these books, I would just appreciate them for what they are. That said, I think IT’S A BOOK is a perfect comment on the digital revolution in publishing and the world at large! Get it for your blogger friends. (Ahem, ahem…)

BEAVER IS LOST
by Elisha Cooper
Picture book (40 pages), Schwartz & Wade, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0375857652

This one also came out over the summer, but I love it so much that I want you to buy it for everyone you know this holiday season. It is truly a treasure. While SWIM! SWIM!, above, reaches emotional heights with some rather funny art, this story achieves the same effect with gorgeous art and few words (four, in fact). As opposed to the concept books on this list, this is very much a narrative-driven picture book by a very talented visual storyteller.

Middle Grade

CLARA LEE AND THE APPLE PIE DREAM
by Jenny Han, illustrated by Julia Kuo
Chapter book (160 pages), Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011.
ISBN: 978-0316070386

Okay, so this book comes out in a few weeks, and it’s not really middle grade, it’s more of a chapter book, but I sure did enjoy it! The art is charming and works really well with Jenny Han’s voice, which I became smitten with in MG books like SHUG and teen reads like THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY. If you’re new to chapter books or unsure of the genre, please do check this one out. It’s full of humor and heart and just right for this in-between age group!

SUGAR AND ICE
by Kate Messner
Middle grade (288 pages), Walker Books for Young Readers, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0802720818

Kate Messner is a MG rock star. She has a smart, literary voice that manages to blend emotional resonance and great, unique plots. Messner is a client of my colleague, Jenn Laughran, and has a long career ahead of her. For all of those writers aspiring to the MG shelves, this latest installment and her previous MG, THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z, should be at the top of your “To Read” list. SUGAR AND ICE has a frosty, seasonal setting, too, so it’s perfect for cozying up with, as long as you have a cup of cocoa on hand.

A TALE DARK AND GRIMM
by Adam Gidwitz
Middle grade (192 pages), Dutton, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0525423348

This is an example of what’s possible with MG, and how dark and funny you can really get. Adam Gidwitz certainly knows his Brothers Grimm, and he’s not afraid to take unsuspecting readers on a twisty and, at times, hilarious-even-though-you’re-totally-grossed-out look at the “fairy tales” we all think we know. And the scenes of carnage are described with such…well…good cheer! Just perfect for the holidays! For all those writers who have very active narrative voices — where the narrator is part of the tale, a la Lemony Snicket — this should be an especially exciting read. I devoured this book in one sitting and loved the voice.

PLAIN KATE
by Erin Bow
Middle grade/YA (336 pages), Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0545166645

A lot of people say that PLAIN KATE is YA, but I think this skews more toward MG. Even though there are very dark elements to this story (and poignantly so, not like the rollicking darkness of GRIMM, above), I think this type of fantasy adventure is more at home on MG shelves. Either way, MG or YA, PLAIN KATE is one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous books I’ve read all year. As you may know, I, uh, read a lot in my line of work. With most books, I’m sad to say, I tend to skim and hurry, anxious to get on to the next book in my teetering “To Read” pile. With this one, I savored each page, anxious, again, but for a very different reason: I didn’t want it to end. Erin Bow’s prose is breathtaking. Sublime. There’s a word choice on every page that made me sit back and pause. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Young Adult

THE THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS
by Dana Reinhardt
Young adult (256 pages), Wendy Lamb Books, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0375844553

This book is, to sound like a cheap action movie reviewer, an “emotional tour de force.” While I can’t find the right words to describe Levi and Boaz’s fractured, fragile brotherly relationship after Boaz returns from war, we’re all lucky that Dana Reinhardt has fared a little better and written a whole book of not only words, but thoughts, images, and vitally important scenes on the subject. Reinhardt probes this relationship without once flinching…she portrays a sobering, lonely truth that could be happening in houses all across the country as veterans return to their families.

THE MOCKINGBIRDS
by Daisy Whitney
Young adult (352 pages), Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0316090537

Daisy Whitney tackles the difficult subject of date rape and its aftermath with courage and an intellectual rigor that is refreshing to see on the YA shelves. What I loved about this book is that Whitney, as a writer, didn’t take the easy way out. What would’ve been the easy plot? Girl wakes up bleary-eyed and realizes that she’s been raped. For MOCKINGBIRDS, that’s just the first chapter. Then Whitney takes off to explore a whole other story that’s there. What happens to Alex is only the beginning to a story that explores justice, truth, and empowerment in a very interesting way. A well-written, meaty read, and an inspiration for YA writers to think past the obvious plot.

GIRL, STOLEN
by April Henry
Young adult (224 pages), Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2010.
ISBN: 978-0805090055

I’m a huge fan of April Henry’s writing. In this gripping, thrilling YA, she takes on a challenge that most writers would easily shy away from: her narrator is a blind girl. What does that mean? It means that there’s some masterful, unexpected description in this book. What else? It’s really easy to ratchet up the stakes and tension. What happens to our dear blind girl? Does she enjoy a nice sit, safe on a couch somewhere? Bad news: she’s kidnapped. Worse yet: she’s sick. And did I mention she’s blind? Reading GIRL, STOLEN is like a three-hour-long anxiety attack, and I loved every minute of it. Read this for a very elegant lesson in pacing and tension…and to see how a writer fares when her powers of visual description are taken away.

THE REPLACEMENT
by Brenna Yovanoff
Young adult (352 pages), Razorbill, 2010.
ISBN: 978-1595143372

When you pick up THE REPLACEMENT, you won’t get the usual faerie/changeling story that you’ve gotten used to elsewhere on YA shelves. What I especially loved about this well-written, dark debut is its atmospheric quality. Can’t you tell from the Edward Scissorhands/Tim Burton-inspired cover? From word choice to descriptions to imagery and plot, Yovanoff weaves a cohesive, eerie, engrossing read. This has the whiff of dystopian about it, but not in the way that’s already becoming boring in the marketplace. This is a unique, fresh take, and I will remember certain twisted, macabre scenes from this book for a very long time to come. Plus, the cover rocks. (I’m easily amused by shiny objects…)

Books that I also loved but that are buzzed about enough elsewhere: THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger, CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS by Natalie Standiford (I adore her voice, as always!), and ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins (Yes, it is as delightful and smart and romantic as everyone says it is, go read it right now!).

Writing Resources

Earlier this year I wrote up reviews for SPILLING INK and WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS. If you haven’t given yourself the gift of both of these, what are you waiting for?! I’ll also recommend two writing books that are a must for every writer’s shelf. These two are not new, by any means. But they are the books I’ve been recommending for years. If you don’t have these, you owe it to yourself this holiday season to correct that mistake

WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL
by Donald Maass
Writer’s Digest Books, 2002.
ISBN: 978-1582971827

Hands down, one of the best fiction craft books I’ve ever read. In fact, I read and reread this about every six months to make sure I’m being as comprehensive as possible in my revision notes to clients. Each time I read it, I am reminded of important novel-writing elements, and I never fail to learn something new or see something in a new way. If you haven’t read this yet, that’s okay. I forgive you, and I hope you can forgive yourself. Don’t just buy this for yourself, buy it for everyone in your critique group or writing workshop. Then use it to guide revision or shape your thinking about any new projects in your pipeline. You’re welcome!

BIRD BY BIRD: SOME INSTRUCTIONS ON WRITING AND LIFE
by Anne Lamott
Anchor Books, 1995.
ISBN: 978-0385480017

I know I won’t be blowing anyone’s mind when I say that writers sometimes have issues. Jealousy, insecurity, blocks, procrastination, rejection angst…it can get pretty ugly at the keyboard sometimes. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or like I’ve lost perspective, I like to sit with BIRD BY BIRD for a while. Anne Lamott has a nearly hypnotic writing style — warm, wise, filled with gentle faith that never preaches or hits you over the head (Much like a good picture book text! I digress…). These personal essays, musings, and reflections, as the tag line says, “on writing and life” are a joy to read, especially after you’ve pushed yourself too hard or gone through a particularly difficult period in your writing journey. While, on a craft level, there’s nothing revolutionary here, it’s still worth a read. And it’s highly inspirational. A great gift for any aspiring writer.

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Whew! I hope you like these recommendations, as this is probably the longest and most time-consuming article I’ve ever written for the blog. What can I say, though? There’s a lot to love out there! For the purposes of this post, I’ve either purchased all of these books or received advance review copies for free from the publishers. Happy holidays, dear readers, and happy shopping!

I’d like to know more about agents and how they go about repping author/illustrators. I read an awful lot about query letters for authors but how does an author/illustrator query?

As we do with our authors, agents help author/illustrators develop their projects, work up a submission plan, and connect our clients with potential editors. The nature of the editorial work is a bit different, though. I’ll be the first to tell you that I am not an artist. (Despite a very promising banana still life at age three that remains framed in my mother’s…closet. Ouch.) But my mom is actually a rather well-known fine art painter. I’ve spent my entire life around art and almost every fall, I go on tour with her and hang out in even more galleries. I may not know how to pull what’s in my mind and get it down on paper visually, but I do know what I like (and what’s good) when I see it.

With author/illustrators, I comment on issues of composition, image choice, character, expression, color, etc., but the art mastery has to be there before I sign an author/illustrator or illustrator. All of my illustrators came to books from being artists first, writers second. It is much easier to hone the picture book writing side of a creator’s craft (though it’s still very difficult to write a timeless, smash hit picture book) than it is to teach them art. That’s why I don’t recommend writers take up art and try to become illustrators. Unless you are gifted visually, it will be very difficult to compete with all the illustrators on shelves today or in BFA or MFA programs. Aspiring illustrators should spend a few hours in the picture book section of a bookstore and see what the professionals are doing. Even the most deceptively simple styles have a lot of artistry going on behind the scenes. Adding writing to an illustrator’s toolbox is a lot easier (and more feasible) than adding illustration to a writer’s.

So for me to take on an illustrator, I need to be wild about their illustration style and talent. They also need to have at least one really fun or commercial story idea that we can work with. If the writing isn’t stellar (yet), I know I can work with them just like I would my author clients in order to get things into shape.

Submissions work similarly with author/illustrators, except I’m often sending out a full sketch dummy, anywhere from two to five mock finishes (full color renderings of sketches), and the manuscript text. I will either send this in the form of a physical, mail submission, if the art works better when you can spread it out in front of you and really dive in, or as a digital PDF file.

The other part of how I work with an author/illustrator is trying to rustle up illustration work. This is very tough going for most agents, and most illustrators, because a lot of illustrator-project pairing is a matter of luck and timing. Not all editors are equally patient or talented when it comes to stretching their imaginations for either a text or an art sample. This isn’t a slam on editors…far from it. Matching text to art is quite a skill, and that’s why some children’s editors don’t even have a lot of picture books on their list, because working with art isn’t something they love to do.

Some will see an artist’s sample postcard and, if it features a dog, think of their text that also needs a great dog character. A match is made! Some editors will leave a text sitting unmatched until the last possible moment, then see a great postcard that crosses their desk and…again, art alchemy! Others will fall in love with an artist, keep their postcards on hand or a link to their online portfolio in their favorites, and hunt tirelessly for the right text.

Most illustrators and editors swear that it’s all about when an art sample crosses their eyes. The right sample at the right time will get hired. Others think it’s about consistency…if they see an artist a certain number of times, they will start to think about them for jobs.

My job is to work with my artists to create the perfect sample image, portfolio, and postcards and then get them out there. For some clients, my colleagues and I do postcard mailings. I also do digital art mailings, the ABLA Artists of the Month email blasts that go out every month and feature two artists the agency’s client lists. Editors love having both hard copy postcards and links to online portfolios, so we try to do everything we can to get illustration jobs as well as sell the client as an author/illustrator (get them a book deal where they do both and there’s no other name on the cover).

As far as query letters for author/illustrators go — and remember, we only accept online submissions — I prefer having a query, a link to your online portfolio mentioned in your query letter, then the text of the picture book copied and pasted in the body of an email.

Yes, you do need an online portfolio, absolutely. It can be simple and you can pay someone to do it, but make sure you can update it easily with new images. I’d say you need about ten to twenty really strong examples of your characters, some micro scenes that focus really closely on one or two things, some macro that get a wide scope of action in one picture, some setting, some animals…really show off your range.

If you have a physical dummy blocked out, mention that in your query. If I like what I see electronically, I’ll give you the mailing address to send it my way.

This easily answered question comes from longtime reader Siski (or is it Franz these days?):

I’ve got a story that absolutely requires them but I feel amateurish including them because I’ve read you shouldn’t. Should I try to rewrite the story without them?

Just so we’re immediately clear, I’ll talk a little bit about picture book manuscript formatting. When you write a picture book manuscript, you’ll typically have your text on the page, with line breaks or white space to indicate page breaks as you envision them. Like this:

I am writing a picture book story.
I think it’s very fun.

I’ll include a page break in it,
So the lines don’t start to run.

You can even dictate page breaks in parentheses, like this:

(Page 1)

I am writing a picture book story.
I think it’s very fun.

(Page 2)

I’ll include a page break in it,
So the lines don’t start to run.

Well, when you’re writing and you want to convey something about how you see the page illustrated, you include an illustration note, usually in parentheses and italics. This is what we’re talking about when we say illustration note:

I am writing a picture book story.
I think it’s very fun.

(Illo: Mary cradling her new MacBook Air, beating out the meter of her story with her fingers.)

If you write picture books, you’ll hear a lot of opinions about illustration notes. Some people say they’re a no-no, others say to add them in. I’m in the middle of the debate on this one. The reason so many people advise against illustration notes is this: too many writers use illustration notes to micromanage.

For example, you’ll see illustration notes like:

(Illo: Sally has brown hair, glasses, and a blue skirt. She is skipping down the street with a red backpack in one hand, a lunch sack in the other, by a house with a green mailbox, while her braid swings to the left.)

Or the note will be too detailed in other ways. Or the writer will include an illustration note for every page. The list of illustration note misuses goes on and on.

The point of an illustration note isn’t to jot down every single thing that’s in your imagination. It’s also not to micromanage the potential illustrator. The point of an illustration note is to convey something to the manuscript reader that is not obvious from the text.

Only use illustration notes in your picture book manuscript if there is something integral to the plot that you want the illustrations to convey, but it’s not described or alluded to anywhere in the text. In other words, if I will be blind to something from just reading the text, use an illustration note to describe it, but really do keep them simple, spare, and few in number. The average picture book text will only need one or two, tops. An example of an effective picture book note:

I am writing a picture book story.
I think it’s very fun.

(Illo: Mary typing, blithely unaware that a monster is sneaking up behind her, claws bared.)