Synopses & Reviews
?Honest and precise? everything about writing for children there is to know.?
?Jane Yolen, author
Here is the comprehensive guide to writing, publishing, and selling for the ever-expanding and always exciting children?s market?now in a new and updated third edition.
? Includes new chapters on self-publishing and on "how to choose a how-to", plus revision and updates throughout
? Offers practical advice on getting started--and on dealing with out-of-print books
? Covers picture books, chapter books, nonfiction, middle-grade and young novels, and common formats and genres
? Reveals what happens inside a children's publishing company, and provides guidance in working with an editor
? Sample cover and query letters, manuscript format, glossary, and recommended resources in an extensive appendix
? Plus information on agents, contracts, copyright, marketing, and more
Review
If you want to see your work published, this is the one book you absolutely must have. Why? Because Harold tells the truth about publishing for kids and teens; the good news, the hard news, and the information that will give your story a fighting chance. This book unveils all the secrets. I personally recommend it to hundreds of writers every year.
--Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak, Fever 1793, and Twisted
Having worked as both editor and author, Harold Underdown is a knowledgeable and sympathetic guide to the often bewildering world of writing and publishing books for young people. The Complete Idiots Guide to Publishing Childrens Books is encouraging without pandering, realistic but not pessimistic, thorough and generous. I wish this book had been around when I first started out!
--Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist
What a thorough and useful book! A guided tour of childrens book and magazine publishing that never skips a step. For seasoned writers and illustrators it is valuable. For beginners, it is essential. I learned plenty!
--Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Honor winner
My life would have been much easier if The Complete Idiots Guide to Publishing Childrens Books had been available when I was getting started! It covers the whole territory--though I particularly like the sections on revision and the publishing maze. Consider it your cheat-sheet to the world of childrens publishing.
--Cynthia Leitich Smith, fiction author and owner of Cynsations
With each new edition, this amazing resource gets better and better. Just when you think Harold has said all that can be said to help writers understand the complex world of childrens publishing, he offers something new. An eye-opening tool for new writers, and a vital support to any writing career, this book always perches near the top of my reference pile so I can snatch it quickly to find the answers I need. If you truly want to understand this business, this books for you.
--Jan Fields, author and owner of Kid Magazine Writers
Synopsis
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books by Harold D. Underdown and Lynne Rominger invites novices into its pages with plenty of white space, clearly labeled sections and humorous line drawings. Sidebars offer ""Vocabulary List"" words with definitions of industry lingo (such as ISBNs); ""Stories from the Playground,"" with practical advice from published pros; and ""Can You Keep a Secret?,"" with hints on a range of topics, including how to approach an editor at a conference and how to ""write using active rather than passive constructions whenever you can."" Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Synopsis
"Honest and preciseeverything about writing for children there is to know."Jane Yolen, author Here is the comprehensive guide to writing, publishing, and selling for the ever-expanding and always exciting children's marketnow in a new and updated third edition.
Includes new chapters for illustrators, more coverage on agents and artists' reps, sample queries and proposals, and more
In 2005, children's book publishing was a $2.3 billion market
Offers practical advice on getting started, plus the basics on writingand sellingbooks that kids will love and parents will buy
Covers picture books and juvenile and young adult markets
About the Author
Harold Underdown is an experienced children’s book editor and former editorial director for Charlesbridge Publishing. He served as VP, editorial, for iPicturebooks and has served as editor for children’s divisions at Orchard and Macmillan. He is a frequent speaker at writer’s conferences, training new writers on the ins and outs of the children’s book market, and maintains The Purple Crayon (www.underdown.org), a website on children’s publishing. Currently, he is an editorial consultant in New York.