January 2002

Where Can A Young Writer Get Stories Published?

I need your help! I'm twelve years old and I like to write stories. My teacher thinks I should get them published. So how do I do that?

Thanks to the Internet there are several resources for young writers. Let's start with The Writing Child, a print magazine and web site. The magazine is published three times a year. Publisher/editor Angela Giles Klocke and son, Scott, assistant editor, publish short stories, essays, poetry, and songs for subscribers. At the web site you'll find articles, poetry, contests, and markets for young writers. Be sure to read over their submission guidelines. The Internet Submissions Tip page tells you exactly how to prepare your story to send by email.

"Markets for kids and teens" has a list of fifteen markets, such as Stone Soup and Cyberkids, for kids like you who like to write. "Talented Kids" is another web site where you'll find all kinds of links and information, plus you get the chance to "add your talent" just by filling out a short online form. Membership to this site is free and it's a great way to meet other talented young writers. If you like to write reviews of books and movies, "Talented Kids" is the place to submit them.

At first it can be scary to think of submitting your work for publication. That's why the Internet is a good place to start. Most of all keep writing!

How Do I Find Publishers Of Ethnic Folk Tales?

I have compiled short stories from Indian folk tales and would like to publish them. They are very interesting for kids. What do I need to do? Can you point me to some publishers that publish ethnic folk tales?

Ethnic folk tales are very popular with children and teachers. The best way to find publishers is to go to your library or bookstore and look at recently published ethnic folk tales to see who published them. Many publishers listed in the new 2002 Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market will consider ethnic folk tales. Look in the heading "Folktales" in the subject index at the back of the book. Go to each publisher's listing and read through the submission guidelines carefully.

For online lists of children's ethnic folk tales, be sure to study the New York Library Association's Bengali Books for Children and Young Adults and the Folk Tale Bibliography. Scan the titles listed for the names of publishers, then cross reference those publishers in a search engine or with your favorite writer's market resource. Be sure to follow the submission guidelines, most publishers now prefer queries and samples of your work.

Best of luck to you!

How Do I Get My Coloring Books Published?

I'm not sure if you're the right person to ask. I've illustrated and written the captions for a few coloring books. How do I go about getting them published? Are there any coloring book publishers?

I'm not sure either if I'm the "right" person to ask. I can't solve anybody's problems, but I can certainly find the answers to your questions.

Let me at least point you in the right direction. The first thing you can do is go to your local discount store and look closely at the selection of coloring books. Write down the publishers and their addresses, then go home and look them up at your favorite search engine, or writer's market guide, such as the new 2002 Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market. Look in the table of contents for the heading, "Greeting Cards, Puzzles & Games." Shulsinger Sales and Red Farm Studios are just two of the publishers listed who do coloring books.

You didn't say whether your coloring book is activity related or tells a story. If it also qualifies as an activity book, be sure to look in the subject index under "Activity Books" for a list of publishers, such as Williamson Publishing. After a quick search on the Internet, I found Running Press and May Davenport Publishers, both have a good selection of coloring books available.

You could self publish your coloring books, put up a web site to promote and market them by offering a few free coloring pages for kids to print out and color. At a web site called Dr. Labush's Links to Learning there aren't many links for coloring pages, which leaves open the opportunity for your site to catch on rather quickly. Go to Dr. Labush's web site and click on some of the coloring pages links for more web page ideas. Coloring books creators often find a strong local market for their work.

Whatever publishing route you choose I'm sure you'll find a receptive audience for your work -- kids love coloring books.

For more information:

The Writing Child

http://thewritingchild.com/

Markets for kids and teens

http://members.tripod.com/~Beawriter/kids.html

Talented Kids

http://www.talentedkids.com/index.php

New York Library Association's Bengali Books for Children and Young Adults

http://www.nyla.org/esrt/bengbk97.html

Folk Tale Bibliography

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/mulviet.htm

Williamson Publishing

http://www.williamsonbooks.com/main.html

May Davenport Publishers

http://www.maydavenportpublishers.com/frame.html

Running Press Publishers

http://www.runningpress.com/bookstore/subject_list.asp

Dr. Labush's Links to Learning

http://www.netrox.net/~labush/colrpres.htm#colbooks

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