February 2004

Where Can I Find Children's Book Reviewers?

I have a middle grade reader coming out in the spring. My publisher has asked me for a list of book reviewers to send the galleys to for advance reviews. What should I do? I don't have a clue where to look for children's book reviewers.

You're in luck! My 2-book children's anthology, The Road to Weird was recently released and I've spent the past few months seeking reviews for my book. In the process, I updated the Children's Book Reviewers web page at Writing World, and added six new additions to the list. You can now find more than twenty children's book reviewers! If you're a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, you can download the free "Guide to Children's Book Reviewers." The guide lists individuals and publications that review children's books, along with information on how and what to submit.

Please remember that authors and publishers should always contact the review editor first, according to the guidelines. Never submit your print book or ebook for review without permission.

How Long Should I Let My Publisher Consider My Next Book?

I have a contract with a major publisher that includes giving them the first look at my next picture book story. I sent other stories shortly after signing the contract after the editor asked to see some more. No response. I sent her a story this summer and waited 4 months for a response but it was noncommittal, suggested making changes but not necessarily interest. I sent her a completely new one 3 months ago and I haven't heard back despite queries. My contract says that they would let me know within two months whether they are interested in my second story. I am getting very frustrated. What do I need to know? Is this sort of wait usual?

Negotiating with publishers usually involves a wait. Not because editors or publishers necessarily want to make writers suffer, it's because they're usually swamped with work. In most houses, final decisions about manuscripts are made by an editorial committee, which adds a time factor to the whole process.

Everything you need to know is in the contract with your publisher. Let's focus on your second picture book manuscript. The third manuscript you send them doesn't really enter into this because you were not contractually obligated to send it to them. You said that according to the "next book" provision in your contract the publisher has 2 months to make a decision. Two months has passed, therefore you have honored the terms of the contract by giving the publisher exclusivity. Now you are free to submit the manuscript elsewhere. You aren't legally obligated to notify the publisher that you are submitting elsewhere. It's up to you, if you feel you should do so, as a courtesy. As for the third manuscript, you have always been free to submit that manuscript elsewhere.

I checked with a few resources and there is no hard and fast "legal" rule concerning "next book" provisions in contracts. In his article, "'Next Book' Provisions in Publishing Contracts", Ivan Hoffman explains the issues and offers advice for negotiating with publishers.

What Is An Average Advance For A Young Adult Novel?

In a past column, you said new writers should expect advances of $1000 to $3000 for picture books. Is there a difference for young adult novels? I would hope so because I can't imagine JK Rowling was paid this amount for her first Harry Potter novel (before it became wildly popular, that is). Writing is something I do because I absolutely love it. But, let's face it, we would all like to quit our day jobs and make a decent living by writing full time!

According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books by Harold Underdown and Lynne Rominger, the average advance for a novel is $3000. They also note that many children's book publishers pay no advances at all. Authors whose first and second books sell well or win awards generally see their advances increase.

JK Rowling was, in fact, paid only a little more than the average for "Harry Potter and the Philiosopher's Stone." The Bookbrowse.com biography of JK Rowling says this: "The Scottish Arts Council gave her a grant to finish the book and, after a number of rejections, she eventually sold Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone for the equivalent of about USA $4,000 to Bloomsbury (UK)."

I wish I could say there's a reasonable across-the-board standard, or average, in children's publishing but there isn't such a thing. Publishers differ. And I can't really point to any trends in children's publishing contracts, except to say the income for children's writers hasn't improved much over the past 20 years. Many published children's authors keep their day jobs, or if they don't, find they can only maintain a steady income by doing regular school visits, or speaking at conferences.

For more information:

Children's Book Reviewers

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

SCBWI

http://www.scbwi.org

"Next Book" Provisions in Publishing Contracts by Ivan Hoffman

http://www.ivanhoffman.com/next.html

JK Rowling biography

http://www.bookbrowse.com/index.cfm?page=author&authorID=334

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