February 2001
Do I Need Permission to Use a Song?
I am a beginning writer. I have written a couple of short stories for the 0-2 age group. When reading one of the stories, you actually sing it to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." When submitting this, do I have to list the copyright for this song? How do I go about this?To answer the first part of your question, according to the Public Domain Infomation Project, (http://www.pdinfo.com/), "Music and lyrics written by an American author and published in 1922 or earlier are in the Public Domain in the United States. No one can claim ownership of a song in the public domain, therefore public domain songs may be used by everyone." "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is listed under the category, Song Lists as part of the public domain.Also, I have been reading the Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market and looking for publishers who specialize in very young children's books. A couple of publishers refer to board books and novelty books. I know what a board book is, but what is considered a "novelty" book?
Writer's Digest is currently running an excellent article on copyright, A Writer's Guide to Fair Use in Copyright Law, by Howard Zaharoff, a copyright attorney who explains that the boundaries of copyright protection aren't as firm as you might think.
Novelty books are pop-up, lift-the-flap, pull-the-tab, or other types of books that are marketed as both a toy and a book. Novelty Books at About.com provides several links for more information.
Ten Little Dinosaurs by Pattie Schnetzler is another example of a novelty book. Read her interview, More Than Meets the Eyeballs, on Writing-World.com.
Where Can I Find Information on Hi/Lo Vocabulary Books?
I'm looking for some information about how to write High interest/ Low vocabulary books. Could you help me in this matter?High Interest/Low Vocabulary Books are in demand right now. Hi-Lo books, as they are commonly referred to in the publishing industry, are for older reluctant readers (intermediate grades through high school) who need to improve their reading skills. In order to capture their attention, Hi-Lo books must contain action, humor, and romance with quick dialogue and simple plots. Issues should be realistic and contemporary. Subjects tend to be about sports figures, celebrities, and popular culture.
A Hi-Lo book is a short novel, 10-20 manuscript pages, with the printed book from 24-60 pages in length. Illustrated heavily, with photographs rather than drawings, Hi-Lo books are purchased mainly by schools. Similar to easy reader books, they use a controlled vocabulary, and run from 400 to 1,200 words.
In order to write a Hi-Lo book, you must first get to know your audience. Understanding reluctant readers is the key to writing for them. Children's Books with Elizabeth Kennedy at About.com contains an in depth article, Resources for Reluctant Readers. This article is well seasoned with links to many more articles and information about writing for the reluctant reader, including what publishers look for. Kennedy also provides a page of links to more resources for learning about Reluctant Readers.
Read all the Hi-Lo books you can get your hands on, for example 18th Emergency by Betsy Byars, and Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry. The Internet School Library Media Center lists a bibliography of excellent resources for High Interest/Low Vocabulary Books.
Once you have a grasp of what's popular among reluctant readers, you'll be well prepared to begin the writing process.
Any Tips on Using Humor and Sarcasm?
"I'm revising a dramatic YA novel and want to add a layer of wit, and sarcasm that I believe will add just the spice needed. Can you refer me to any contemporary books in that genre--such as a teen gal with spirit? Any other tips about using sarcasm?"Humor is a great way to spice up your young adult novel. Be sure to read my interview with a truly funny contemporary children's humor writer, Julie Anne Peters. For more information about young adult humor be sure to browse through Kimberly Pauley's Young Adult Guide to Humor at About.com. My all around favorite study in humor writing is Melvin Helitzer's Comedy Writing Secrets.
Good luck on your revision!
Where Can I Find an Editor?
"I seem to be having a problem finding a children's book editor -- someone who specializes in children's literature. I have written a 200-page novel for children ages 7-10, and I need an editor who understands this area and can go over the material before I send it to a publisher. Can you help me?"Actually I'm not surprised that you haven't been able to find a children's book editor. An editing service that specializes in only children's books wouldn't be able to stay in business very long. For one thing, the foremost children's literature organization The Society of Children's Book Writers does not necessarily endorse editorial critiquing services.The next best thing is that you approach editing services with the request for an editor who has experience editing children's book manuscripts. No matter what, any good editor should be able to handle editing in any genre.
Best of luck to you in your writing endeavors.
How Should I Format a Picture Book?
"Help! I have read Writing and Illustrating Children's Books for Publication, The Children's Writer's Reference, How to Write and Sell Children's Picture Books, a bazillion articles on the subject and still I am confused ... what type of format does the publisher want to see the manuscript in for a picture book?All these 'helpful' guides often contradict themselves and even the authors change their minds. Is it a preference per publisher? Do they (publishers) want to see the manuscript in the picture book layout or just with the page breaks noted?
Lee Wardlaw, Inklings columnist and award-winning author of more than 20 books for children, ranging from picture books to young adult novels, says: "A picture book manuscript should be typed like any other manuscript: Double-spaced, with margins of one-and-one-quarter inches on all sides. This means that a typical 500-word picture book will run about two-to-three typed pages. Never use a separate page for each line of your story. This is the sign of an amateur..."
Children's picture books are assembled by the publisher, who buys a manuscript, then assigns an artist to illustrate it. Publishers would rather not receive manuscripts with illustrations because it's difficult to accept one part of the package and reject the other. Author/Illustrators usually start out by illustrating the works of others, and eventually are allowed to create their own books. Some publishers are beginning to accept (but not prefer) complete packages. Check Writer's Market to find them. <
If you are submitting an un-illustrated manuscript for a picture book, you don't need to indicate page breaks, double page spreads, or give detailed illustration suggestions, that can be left up to the book designer and illustrator. An exception to this rule is irony. If the text reads "Pippi's room was always tidy", it's okay to insert a note like: [Illustrator: the room is actually a pit.]
Of course it's always a good idea to read many different picture books to get a feeling for the strengths and limitations of the format. Keep in mind that picture books are usually 32 or 48 pages long, including title page.
I recommend putting your story into a dummy picture book format for the benefit of your own experience. Writing With Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books by Uri Shulevitz, is a helpful book on creating picture books, including a section on making book dummies.
At a recent children's book writers conference in Denver, Colorado, editors from Dutton and Harcourt both agreed that page breaks weren't necessary in picture book manuscripts. They also said they like to receive picture book dummies from writers with whom they've worked before and have established a relationship, but manuscript format is perfectly acceptable from new writers.
Another good point discussed by authors, illustrators and editors was that the job of the picture book writer is to tell a great story, and let the illustrator do the rest. Don't spend a lot of words on narrative or description. And don't assume your characters will be illustrated as human or otherwise, leave that up to the imagination--and the illustrator!
How Do I Submit My Daughter's Book for Publication?
I am preparing to submit a manuscript written by my thirteen year-old daughter about her dreams of coming face to face with her ultimate fantasy, Hanson rock group. She meets them and basically lives next door to them for an entire summer then is allowed to come home and share with her classmates the first day back to school with the awesome question, 'What did you do for your summer vacation?'I am very excited about her efforts and would like to know how to submit her book for publication. This is our very first experience with anything like this and we want to do the right thing from the beginning. Any pointers? Suggestions? We would appreciate any information."
Congratulations to your daughter on completing her first novel! That's quite an accomplishment! Now that the book is finished, the next step is to have it manuscript professionally edited. That doesn't necessarily have to cost money. If you're lucky you can talk your daughter's English teacher, or a teacher friend, into helping her polish the manuscript. Your grandma, your best friend, and your Great Aunt Nessie don't count. Re-writing is the biggest step on the road to becoming a published writer. Not every manuscript that's written is publishable but it can be made that way through hard work and good editing.
Once you're satisfied that the manuscript represents your best possible work, it's time to submit to publishers. The majority of children's book publishers today will look at queries with a synopsis and sample chapters, or agent submissions only. The Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market is a good place to start looking. Also this is a good time to register your manuscript with the U.S. Copyright Office.
After a manuscript is accepted and the contract is signed, it can take 2 years or more for the manuscript to be released as a book. An important question you or any writer must ask yourself: "How relevant will my book's subject matter be in two years or more?" And in the harsh reality of today's competitive children's book publishing business you'll find the majority of publishers rarely publish novels written by teens. Editors prefer to see young writers like you gain more writing experience through contests and magazine markets.
So be sure to query the magazine market. Seventeen magazine was ranked one of the best markets for fiction writers in Writer's Digest's "Fiction 50" in June 2000. For longer fiction, magazines have published serials on occasion.
Some ebook publishers like Booklocker, Atlantic Bridge, DiskUs Publishing, and Starlight Writer Publications (SWP) are much more likely to consider manuscripts written by teens. In fact, SWP has a new Young Star imprint especially for teen writers. For a complete list of epublishers go to ePublisher Directory at Mary Wolf's Guide to Electronic Publishers.
Self-publishing is another route to explore. The advantage of self publishing is that you, the author, retain all rights, so no matter how slowly your book sells at first while you build up a reading audience, your book will stay in print. Atlantic Bridge, Booklocker, iUniverse, and Xlibris all have very reasonable programs to assist self-published authors. Thanks to programs like these, gone are those days when young authors like you, who choose to break into print at a young age, who take pride in their work by wanting to publish it, have to pay thousands to subsidy or vanity houses. You can actually earn the money to publish your own book from a few babysitting jobs!
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Copyright © 2001 Peggy Tibbetts
Peggy Tibbetts has been a professional writer, editor, and full member of the Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators for the past 26 years. She offers courses in children's writing and has edited several successful children's manuscripts. She is the author of the children's novel The Road to Weird, as well as the adult novel Rumors of War. Peggy also moderates the The Write List discussion list at Yahoo.
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