August 2001

How Do I Classify My Manuscript?

My manuscript is roughly 250 pages and just over 100,000 words. Although it's written from a fifth grade perspective, friends have often told me that it is too complex for the children's market. Do you have any suggestions how to better classify my manuscript?

I was also told (and I finally realized it myself) that my manuscript is quite similar to a popular cartoon. Some of the similarities are obvious and some are not. Unfortunately, the major parallels are the biggest plot elements. What should I do?

Instead of trying to find a way to better classify your manuscript you need to look at a couple other options. One is to keep the POV of the fifth grade child, but cut the manuscript by 75-100 pages. Publishers do categorize their books by age group, that's just the way it is. "Understanding Children's Writing Genres" by Laura Backes, defines manuscripts for 8-12 year olds as middle grade readers, which are usually 100-150 pages. While it's true J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books exceed the recommended publisher guidelines for novel length, new or unpublished authors must adhere to them.

The next option is to change the age of your protagonist to an older adolescent, perhaps a teenager. The difference between middle grade and young adult novels is not always easy to understand. Many authors believe the age of the main character is what should determine the category of the book. However it's more complicated than that. The most important part of writing for children is understanding the age group standards and learning how to apply them to your work. Young adult novels have more complicated plots than those for middle grade, and usually deal with larger social issues. You can read more in the article, "The Difference Between Middle Grade and Young Adult" at Write4Kids.com, where you'll also find more valuable information about children's writing.

As for your story's similarity to a popular cartoon, as long as you haven't used the names of trademark cartoon characters, similarities or parodies of cartoons are acceptable. However you should know that cartoon trademarks are fiercely protected by their owners, so you want to be sure your work doesn't contain any elements of the cartoon show that could be misconstrued as copyright or trademark infringement. For more information about the risks of trademark infringement for cartoons read, "Managing Trademark Risk: A Self-Help Guide to Picking the Title of Your Feature" by Stuart M. Rees.

Should I Submit a Picture Book Dummy Instead of a Manuscript?

I have recently finished a picture book manuscript and have read that sending a dummy with the manuscript will improve my odds. I am not submitting illustrations with the story so how important is it for me to create a dummy?

I also have written a children's novel and have begun to write a second using the same characters. I am unpublished in the children's writing world and I wonder if I introduce this novel as part of a projected series will this be more difficult to get published?

I have been holding off on sending either of these manuscripts out because I want my presentation to be professional but it seems the more advice I get the more confused I become. Any clarification you can provide would be really helpful.

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 guide to creating picture books, including a section on making book dummies.

Editors from Dutton and Harcourt recently told SCBWI conference participants 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.

Concerning series proposals, many children's book publishers are interested in new series ideas. The key to proposing a series successfully is knowing the market. The 2001 Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market has an excellent article, "Ghosts, Cheerleaders & Clones: A Series of Series Books" by Linda Joy Singleton, author of over 20 middle grade and YA books, including her Regeneration series about teen clones. In her article, Singleton discusses how to create a series proposal, plus a list of multi-author, ghostwritten, and/or packaged series, which are written by various authors, and a list of original series written by a single author, such as I Was a Sixth Grade Alien by Bruce Coville and Amber Brown by Paula Danziger. She also offers more than a dozen "Tips for Writing Series." For example: "The action in the story should come out of character conflict," and "Give the characters personal growth in each book." You can find more "Hot Writing Tips" for the juvenile book market at LJ Singeton's web site.

Do You Have Any Information on the Children's Puzzle Market?

Do you have any info or know of a link that might give information/help for creating different puzzles for the children's market?

In my June column, I offer this advice on the correct format for submitting crossword puzzles, send professional, camera-ready copy. You'll also find a few links to current children's magazine puzzle markets, such as Highlights, Spider, and Cricket.

For more information:

Understanding Children's Writing Genres

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

The Difference Between Middle Grade and Young Adult

http://write4kids.com/feature6.html

Managing Trademark Risk: A Self-Help Guide to Picking the Title of Your Feature By Stuart M. Rees, Esq.

http://www.stus.com/trademarkrisk.htm

Lee Wardlaw: Children's Book Author

http://www.leewardlaw.com/

"Hot Writing Tips" by LJ Singleton

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/4815/tips.html

"Hidden Pictures: One Way to Break into Children's Illustration" by Maurie J. Manning

http://members.aol.com/arttag/

Advice from a Caterpillar: June 2001

http://www.writing-world.com/caterpillar/cat05.shtml

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