August 2004

Where Can I Find A Reviewer For My Self-Published Book?

My middle grade novel will be coming out soon from iUniverse. I've heard that it's almost impossible to find reviewers for self-published books. Do you know of any reviewers who will consider reviewing a self-published children's book?

Finding reviewers for self-published books is difficult, but not impossible. Now there are many online book review web sites that welcome self-published books for review. The first place to look is the Children's Book Reviewers web page at Writing World. You can now find more than two dozen children's book reviewers! If you're a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, go to their web site and 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. Carefully read the guidelines for authors and/or publishers. In most cases, the publication or web site will specify whether or not they will consider self-published books.

SPECTRUM Ready for Prime Time is a brand new program calling for self-published children's authors to submit their books for review until December 15, 2004. There is a $20 fee, however that includes 2 months of advertising for all submissions. Not all books submitted will be selected for review. Reviews will begin appearing online in 2005, at the SPECTRUM Children's Book Club (SCBC) web page. This is a terrific opportunity for self-published children's authors to get noticed. Be sure to follow the submission guidelines, which can be found at their web site.

Remember, always contact the review editor first, according to the guidelines. Never submit your print book or ebook for review without permission.

Where Can I Find Storylines For My Books?

I have written the first book of what I hope will be a series of children's books about the adventures of an inanimate object that comes to life. What I would like is some ideas for suitable storylines. Can you advise please? Thanks for any help

I assume by "storylines" you mean plots for children's stories. The first place to look is the children's departments of your local bookstore and library. Look at books that are similar to your series and study the plots used in those stories. While I'm not suggesting you rip-off another author's plot line, you can adapt a favorite plot to your own story simply by making a few changes.

Folktales are another source for story plots. In her article, "Folktales: What are they?" Stacy Carney describes the plots found in each of six folktale categories. She also examines the reasons why folktales are so popular with children.

The Rock Canyon University Free School of Writing for Children is an excellent reference for coming up with story ideas. To help you brainstorm your own plots, try some of the exercises developed by Rick Walton in "Coming Up With Story Ideas." When all else fails spend some time studying the list of 500 Picture Book Summaries, also found on the web site.

For links to resources on the art of storytelling, be sure to visit the 4 2 eXplore web page all about Storytelling.

Do I Need To Find An Agent?

I will be attempting my first children's picture book, so I have a great deal of questions to ask. Do I need an agent and how much do they charge on average? Who are the best agents as far as the fair deal thing goes and reasonable contacts? I just don't want to be suckered the first time out if you know what I mean. Thanks.

Before you decide whether or not to find an agent, you should write your manuscript. It's a well-known fact among children's writers that it's harder to find a good agent than a publisher. The majority of children's book agents won't represent an unpublished author. You have a better chance of finding an agent if you have a book published. Plus you'll attract more reputable agents. You can find a list of children's book agents in the Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market.

The type of agents who will represent unpublished children's authors more often than not, charge fees or refer you to a fee charging editing service. However you should not pay an agent to represent you.

The best agent is the one who sells your book to a publisher. I'm certain that every writer would say her agent is the best one, which means there are no lists of best agents. Agents who are members of the Association of Authors' Representatives are considered the most prestigious and successful. However those agents can be almost impossible to approach since their client list is usually full. And just because an agent isn't a member doesn't necessarily mean he's a bad agent. The rule of thumb is that the agent should not charge writers a fee to read their manuscripts or represent them.

For tips on protecting yourself from agency scams read "How to Protect Yourself From Questionable Agents" by Marg Gilks. In fact, you can find several articles about the agent question in Writing World's "Finding an Agent" section.

For more information:

Children's Book Reviewers

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

SCBWI

http://www.scbwi.org

SPECTRUM Ready for Prime Time Program

http://www.incwell.com/primetime/

Folktales: What are they?

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

500 Picture Book Summaries.

http://www.rickwalton.com/freeu/brains/summary1.htm

Coming Up With Story Ideas

http://www.rickwalton.com/freeu/storyide.htm

Storytelling

http://www.42explore.com/story.htm

Association of Authors' Representatives

http://www.aar-online.org/index.html

How to Protect Yourself From Questionable Agents

http://www.writing-world.com/publish/agents.shtml

Finding an Agent

http://www.writing-world.com/publish/index.shtml#agents

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