August 2004

Do You Know Of Any Funding For Self-Publishing?

I am interested in self publishing. I have already written four children's books from the point-of-view of a pet. I have started four more books, all the same theme but directed to children at different ages, starting from baby books going through high school. Do you know of organizations that fund writing/publishing children's books? Also, I need to hire someone to create a web page. In order to go any further with this, I need a grant to help with expenses. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

I don't know of any grants specifically for writers who plan to self publish. According to Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market, the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators has the most grant programs for children's writers: Work-in-Progress Grant, Barbara Karlin Grant, and Kimberly Colen Memorial Grant. If you are not a member, consider joining.

You can also research grants with requirements that apply to some other aspect of your project, besides children's literature, such as educational grants. Funds for Writers is a good place to check periodically for grant information. Hope Clark maintains an ongoing list of grants available to all writers. The International Reading Association is another good resource for grants and awards in several categories.

Self-publishing doesn't cost as much as it once did. Publishing services, such as iUniverse, Xlibris, and AuthorHouse, now publish children's books. They provide editing and illustrators for reasonable fees. You can host your web site through Authors Den for free, with fees for additional services. Their web page is a template, all you need to do is fill in the information.

The new ebook, Could You, Should You Self-Publish a Picture Book? by Anne Emerick, is a comprehensive how-to guide, designed especially for children's writers. Along with a detailed analysis of the setup, costs, and marketing, Emerick covers the pitfalls and positives about self-publishing. The advice and resources she provides are up-to-date and well worth a look. Also included are stories of successful self-published children's writers, such as Nancy Carol Willis and Josephine Nobisso.

Can You Recommend Publishers For My Poem?

I recently wrote a poem that I'd like to have published as a children's picture book. The short, two-page poem is of a spiritual nature. Can you recommend publishers who may be open to this submission?

I don't have any more access to publishers' needs than any other writer, although I wish I did! When it comes to marketing my manuscripts, I'm in the same boat as everyone else. My article "The Elephant in the Room: Marketing Your Children's Manuscript" will help you get started with your marketing process. You will find helpful information about how to research the right publisher for your poem.

Many children's magazines accept poetry for publication. You can find a list of children's magazines and guidelines in the Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market. Several magazines in the Cricket Magazine Group publish poetry. You will find guidelines for all their publications at their web site. Wee Ones Magazine is an online children's magazine that also accepts poetry. Look for the link to submission guidelines at their web site.

What Is The Size Of The Children's Book Industry?

What is the size of the children's book industry in America? Globally?

Your question is an intriguing one. I assume you are wondering about children's book sales. I couldn't find any global statistics because each country keeps its own statistics. According to the Association of American Publishers, in the US the 2003 juvenile hardcover market was about $698 million. The juvenile paperback market for the same year was $448 million.

On my way to finding the answer to your question I found Book Industry Statistics, a web page containing oodles of fascinating trivia about the book publishing industry. For instance in 2002, 10,000 juvenile fiction books were published. Juvenile and poetry are the most popular fiction genres for smaller publishers and self-published books. And here's a sobering statistic: Out of every 10,000 children's books written, 3 get published!

For more information:

Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators

http://www.scbwi.org

Fund for Writers/Grants

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/grants.htm

International Reading Association

http://www.reading.org/awards/

iUniverse

http://www.iuniverse.com

Xlibris

http://www1.xlibris.com

AuthorHouse

http://www.authorhouse.com

Authors Den

http://www.authorsden.com

The Elephant in the Room: Marketing Your Children's Manuscript

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

Cricket Magazine Group

http://www.cricketmag.com/pages_content.asp?page_id=6

Wee Ones Magazine

http://www.weeonesmag.com/weeparents/standing/aboutus.html

Estimated Book Publishing Industry Net Sales

https://advances60.advances.net/publishers/industry/AAP2003S-1.doc

Book Industry Statistics

http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?file=statistics/index.html

Could You, Should You Self-Publish a Picture Book?

http://www.aboonbooks.com/ebook.php

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