May 2001

How And Where Do I Submit Rebus Stories?

I would like detailed information about rebus stories. I would like to write some for submission to Highlights for Children, but I don't know how to go about formatting it. Do I draw the pictures, too, or just write the story? If I just write the story, does the magazine pick which words get drawn as pictures or do I need to compile a word list? In addition to Highlights, I would also like to know other potential markets for rebuses, too, and I did see at least one book published by Scholastic that is a "rebus read along storybook." Any information you can provide about rebuses would be great! Thanks.

Rebus stories should be submitted like any other story: typed, double-spaced, name and address on the top left, word count on the top right. The magazine, or book editor, will pick which nouns to illustrate. If you want, you can underline or highlight the words you think would make good pictures.

"Rx for Writers" at the Institute of Children's Literature web site contains two excellent articles. "Rebus Writing" by Dorothy Smith, includes Highlights' Senior Editor Marileta Robinson's guidelines for successful rebus stories. Highlights prefers no more than 125 words, including at least eight concrete nouns that can be easily illustrated. Marianne Mitchell's article, "Nuts and Bolts of Rebus Writing," offers a step-by-step approach to writing a rebus story. According to Mitchell, these four children's magazines publish rebus stories: Ladybug, Highlights, Turtle, and Humpty Dumpty. Submission guidelines can be found at the magazines' web sites.

I found a few publishers who include rebus stories in either series or activity books. GHB Publishers includes rebus stories in their Fun Facts & Games series of interactive workbooks featuring states and countries. Series books for pre-schoolers often include rebus stories, such as Scholastic's My First Hello Reader, and Grosset & Dunlap's All Aboard Reading.

For a complete listing of children's magazine and publisher submission guidelines be sure to check out the 2002 Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market.

How Do I Write For Young Adults?

I am interested in writing for young adults. Is it imperative that I read a lot of young adult novels first, in your opinion? They vary so much, there seems not to be a standard format. What are the categories and what are the "taboos?" Is there a specific word length?

In April 2001, Book Industry Trends reported a 31 percent increase in children's book sales between 1998 and 2000, due in large part to the Harry Potter phenomena. Publishers have seized on this renewed interest in reading as an opportunity to expand their children's books lists. Juvenile novels, young adult books, are hotter than ever. To keep up with what's popular, be sure to check the Publishers Weekly Children's Bestseller List. Be sure to check out my Author Interviews here at Writing World.com. James Deem, Julie Anne Peters, and Maryann Weidt are all successful YA authors, yet each has his/her own style.

Sensitivity to censorship has done away with most taboos in book publishing, including children's books. Taboos still exist among individual publishers, however they usually outline their specifications in their guidelines, which can be found in the 2002 Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market. Taboos do exist in children's literature within segments of the American culture, giving rise to Banned Books Week (September 22-29, 2001) sponsored by the American Library Association, who publishes a complete listing of banned books, which in our free society are usually quite popular.

Categories for YA novels, beyond fiction and non-fiction, vary among publishers and you'll find them outlined in their guidelines. "Understanding Children's Writing Genres" by Laura Backes, defines young adult books: "For ages 12 and up, these manuscripts are 130 to about 200 pages long." Lyn Linning's "Notes on Literature for Young Adults" presents an in-depth analysis of young adult books. According to Linning, the length of a YA novel is about 50,000 words, or 80-160 pages, and written for ages 12-20.

One thing I can guarantee you'll discover by reading YA novels is every author has her own voice, and each and every book is unique. The novels you enjoy reading are probably the same type of novels you'll enjoy writing.

Is It Appropriate To Submit More Than One Manuscript To an Agent?

I have several finished manuscripts. Is it ever appropriate to send more than one at the same time to an agent for review? I was specifically thinking of sending a picture-book manuscript and the first three chapters plus an outline of a chapter-book for young readers.

I posed your question to six agents but only three responded. Before you submit to any agency, cross check them with Preditors & Editors Agents pages. Here's what the agents had to say:

"It is best to choose your most saleable work and query about that. You can always later query about the next. There are exceptions, but that is what I would generally recommend."

--Sheree Bykofsky, Sheree Bykofsky Associates, Inc.

"Yes you can submit more than one work to an agent at a time. If you tell an agent that you have more than one work in your query letter, they will usually ask for the first ten pages of each work. I know we do."

--Richard Baker, The Robins Agency

"Two picture book manuscripts, and a one-page synopsis of a longer work with a sample chapter is acceptable. Lists of past or in-the-works manuscripts distract from the submission at hand. Published titles are a different matter. Simply say that other projects are available. Any serious prospective client has written/is writing more, which we ask about if moved to call or write. Nothing says 'amateur' louder than cover letters beginning, 'I have written a ...' It implies 'and nothing else'."

-- Scott Treimel, New York

For More Information:

Rx for Writers: "Nuts & Bolts of Rebus Writing" and "Rebus Writing"

http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/wt05/index.shtml

Ladybug Writer Guidelines

Highlights for Children Editorial Guidelines

Humpty Dumpty and Turtle Magazine Submission Guidelines

http://www.cbhi.org/cbhi/writersguidelines.shtml

GHB Publishers Fun Facts & Games

http://www.ghbpublishers.com/html/ffg.html

Grosset & Dunlap (a Penguin Putnam Inc. (Imprint)

Scholastic

http://www.scholastic.com/

Association for Library Services to Children Awards

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awards.html

Publishers Weekly Children's Bestseller List

http://www.publishersweekly.com/bsl/currentChildrens.asp

Peggy Tibbetts' Author Interviews

http://www.writing-world.com/children/index.shtml

Banned Books Week

http://www.ala.org/bbooks/challeng.html

Understanding Children's Writing Genres

http://www.writing-world.com/children/genres.shtml

Sheree Bykofsky & Associates, Inc. Literary Agency

http://users.rcn.com/sheree.interport/

Preditors & Editors: Agents

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm

The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators

http://www.scbwi.org/

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