Four Tips for Children's Book Writing

Over the past year, we've noticed here at Beaver's Pond that the majority of our submissions has been literature for children. Below you'll find a few key things to keep in mind as you're developing your children's book manuscript!

1. Know the group (age, gender, etc.). It sometimes happens that I (Amy) will meet with an author who believes that his/her children's book is for kids ages 3 - 10. When I'm told this, I politely tell the author that 10-year-olds are on the brink of puberty, while 3-year-olds are often still spoon-fed at mealtime. The variation in interests, experiences, issues, and ideas is HUGE between these age groups. I push my authors to think very specifically about the targeted audience; authors should consider all the things that might make their audience unique. I ask authors: Is your book primarily going to be read by males or females? What age group would identify most closely to the issues described in your book? What are the ages of the characters? Is the artwork more appropriate for older or younger children? A range of two grades is appropriate for children's books. I will also often tell my authors to spend some time visiting with a librarian to get some ideas on target audience.

2. Beware of the rhyme. Rhyming has traditionally been a very popular writing style for children's books, and a very effective one at that. It's also difficult to do well, and often requires a lot of editing for rhythm, meter, stresses, etc. Rhyming books are most appropriate for younger children (children who are just learning to identify letters and their sounds). For this reason, the rhyme should roll off the tongue with ease. If the reader or child stumbles over the rhythm of the poetry, the effect has been lost. Consult an editor for appropriate use of syllables, rhythm, syntax, etc.

3. Create characters that are the same age or slightly older than the intended age group. Children can be self conscious of their ages, as "being young" is often given as a reason for why they can't do certain things. Children will have a stronger affinity to characters they can look up to, or characters they can idolize. Making the character's age the same or slightly older than your intended age group is an easy way to draw in your young readers.

4. Choose age-appropriate words. A common misconception in writing children's books is that the words should be "advanced" so that children will expand their vocabularies more quickly. Doing this is risky, often unsuccessful, and can be difficult to fix (especially in rhyming stories). One of the easiest ways to make your children's book closer to publication quality is to ensure that the words you choose fit comfortably into your age group's educational curriculum. Rather than looking at other children's books for ideas, ask a librarian or educator if you can consult spelling or language arts text books that are used with students in your intended audience. If you're unsure about a word, ask the librarian or educator directly. If you encounter a situation where certain words can't be changed, a solution may be to develop a glossary with your editor, although this solution should be a last resort in most cases.

Bob Showers radio interview

Bob showers, author of The Twins at the Old Met, had a fantastic interview last week with Joe Soucheray and Pat Reusse of Saturday Sports Talk on KSTP AM 1500 radio in St. Paul, Minnesota. It can be found here. Find the November 14th broadcast and click 'hour 2' to get right into it. Rod Carew also joins the fellas via conference call from California!

"This book isn't so much a celebration of the old stadium, but of every Twin who played at the Met...it truly is an amazing trip back." --Joe Soucheray

"The stories are candid and fresh," says Showers, who was able to find 252 pictures out of 263 players who called the Met their home. Check the interview out today!

Breaking into the Media:

Ok, so you're publishing your book and surprise, it's time to become your own publicist too. The media is a great place to get your name out there, but sometimes it seems scary. All those newspapers, magazines, shows, and the internet… it can seem impossible for an author to know where to start! Here are some tips on how to break into the media scene, and hopefully excel your marketing:

1. Look into local columnists
Most papers have a columnist assigned to local activities. These columns generally highlight local artists. Make connections with the columnist; ask them to cover a story on your book. Emphasize that you are a local author. If you are having a book reading or signing, try to contact the columnist and see if they could attend. Try to get as much local coverage as possible.

Besides city-wide papers, look into neighborhood publications. Any type of newspaper coverage is good coverage. You might be surprised at how many patrons there are of the local art scene.

2. Syndicated columnists
Try to contact a syndicated columnist. Write them a letter, praising your book and the importance it has. Ask them to write a review or just a publicity column. Look for syndicated columns that pertain to the topic of your book. For example, if your book is about gardening, then send it to a syndicated columnist that concentrates on home and garden issues. Also, think about the audience for your book. Contact columnists that have the same audience as your book.

3. Be your own syndicated columnist
This is more difficult and takes more work. Write articles and columns on your book, the topic of your book, or any topic for that matter. Send your work to syndicated presses and send it for free as long as your name and book title are mentioned. If readers like your syndicated column, then they will be interested in buying your book.

4. Become an “expert”
There are many online sites, where people send in questions and anyone can answer. Take advantage of that, answer questions that pertain to writing, publishing, ect. Tag your book in your advice, or even use information from your book as the advice.

www.ehow.com offers anyone the availability to write a column on any topic of their choice. All you have to do is sign up. Being an author, you can offer good advice on how to write, publish and market books. Then, cite your own book, encouraging readers to buy it.

Have any other ideas? Share what worked for you!

Pricing Your E-book Right

As the Kindle e-book reader takes over the literary market, so does the rise of e-books in general. The question arises about what to price e-books. What price are reader's willing to pay for the digital version of a book? In case you're interested, the Internet is flooded with “how-to price your e-book” advice. Here are some comments on one particular piece of advice I (Karin) found faulty.

Fabian Tan of “Ezine @rticles” suggests:

“Pricing of your e-book should always be dependent on the type of information and amount of information in your book.”

I followed up on this advice and perused through several online sites, finding that non-fiction books (such as business books) that tended to contain more information and also included printed photographs were higher in price. On average, non-fiction e-books were around $15.00-20.00.

The problem with Tan's pricing logic: What about fiction writers? How can you measure the amount of information provided in your work of fiction? You could argue that the amount of pages equals the amount of information, but for many works of fiction, that simply wouldn't work. Take Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” for example. It is short, therefore if going by Tan’s idea on quantity it should be priced low. Though it may be short, it's a classic chalked full of meaning.

In my opinion, you cannot put a value on the type of information in fiction. The information provided in fiction has an intrinsic value, a value which cannot be measured. Therefore, it is difficult to price a fiction book based on the type of information it offers.

What about children’s books? They are typically not long; therefore if we were to price by the amount of information, it would also be a very low price. The author would make no profit. What type of information can you quantify in a children’s book? Compared to adult books, there is not much information. Therefore, if continuing with Tan’s idea, again, the children’s book would have to be priced low. In a way, this “criteria” for pricing discriminates against children’s books. Since children’s books are both short in length and generally not full of information, they cannot fit into pricing standard mentioned above. Does that mean there is no market for children’s e-books?

For our authors at Beaver’s Pond Press, answer no to that question. There is, and should be, a market for all of our published books. They are all unique; all have different types of information and vary in size. The easiest way to price your e-book is to choose a price that reflects the value of the content -- not just the size or quantity of pages. Be sure to do your research of similar titles so that you don't price your book too high or too low. And remember it's typically easier to lower your price than to raise it!

When it doubt: talk with a publisher like Beaver’s Pond Press! In the meantime, go to a site like: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ to browse current e-book titles.

From the Founder: Attention Fiction Writers!

Ever have that syndrome better known as "writer's block"?

Well I (Milt) have a solution that might help break you out of it and get you back inspired. My advice: acquire creative, story-telling friends.

A friend with great ideas who also has the tendency to tell great stories--real or fiction--can be your best friend when you encounter a block, need a twist, or help developing a fresh idea for your next new title. These folks are usually very interesting, probably eclectic, with heads full of clever ideas they love to share with whomever will listen. And they don't even charge for them! These folks happen to be best at coming up with ideas for titles. I would say that you should look to your friends with talents across the board. Harper Lee, the author of the renowned novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" helped Truman Capote with his research for "In Cold Blood." And in the words of famed writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, "A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature."

So when paralysis hits, look to your friends, gather them together with a glass of wine and watch your writing block evaporate quicker than you can say "bestseller"!

The Kindle vs. Apple's New E-Book Reader?

Electronic versions of books are becoming a big deal. Amazon has the Kindle – the most popular e-book reader right now. Writer James R. Stewart of the NY Times believes that Apple will come out with their own electronic “reader,” becoming competition for the Kindle. Stewart brings up the idea that Apple might capitalize on the e-book trend and create an “iBookstore,” selling their own electronic texts for their readers. While Amazon has the stronghold in electronic book sales right now, the future is unclear about what will happen when Apple gets their foot in the door. And we think they will.

What does this mean for today’s author? Well, it means that there might be another online book retailer that will help sell your book—one that is very popular. Here are some possible scenarios of what to expect if Apple creates their bookstore.

What would their online bookstore be like? One possible downside is that in Apple’s money-hungry grab, they will take a good chunk of the selling profit. This would leave you, the author, with less money than expected. Apple would be making a profit off of your book. Although, in their defense, Apple is providing an opportunity to sell your book to larger audiences, so swallowing the profit factor for them might be worth it.

Another downside is that Apple may not always stock your book in their electronic bookstore. Stewart mentioned how Amazon has a small stock of books available in their electronic book section (they only offered one of his eight published books). Apple may follow that trend and be choosy about which books they place in their store. They may only want to sell the NY Times bestsellers. This would leave the self-published author like you, out in the cold.

The obvious upside to the Apple “iBookstore” would be a larger audience for your book. Many people use the “iTunes” store; therefore one could guess that the bookstore would attract the same buyers. There are many loyal Apple fans who would gladly buy their books through Apple.
Also, with the onslaught of a possible Apple electronic reader, tech-savvy Apple fans would buy into the hype and purchase this device. This is good for the author. More electronic readers in consumer’s hands means a higher possibility of your book getting purchased.

Stewart mentions the hypothetical idea that Apple may partner with Amazon, using Amazon as their online bookstore. This would be great news, especially if you’re already using Amazon.com to sell your books. However, Apple may choose other online retailers to partner with, so don’t be surprised if Apple chooses a lesser known retailer or even creates their own. Who knows – Apple is all about innovation.

Of course, it’s all speculation now since Apple has not disclosed information on an “eReader.” Whatever the case, it’s up to you, the author, to decide if you want to board the electronic reading train. Our suggestion: research the “Kindle” and check out their options for authors who want to upload their books to the Kindle store. Let us know what you think! Worth it?

The Nine Behaviors that Create Believable Characters

Creating believable characters is tough, but as authors this is a must. Of all the tips on character development I’ve seen lately, author Lynne Griffin in the October issue of The Writer gives the best advice. I have blended her ‘personality-temperament assessments’ with my (Karin) own advice, in order to help writers tackle the "creating character" dilemma.

First, try to image your character as a real person, maybe someone you saw at Target today, or a coworker that you do not know that well. Though, be careful when using people you already know, since you might end up mixing their actual temperament with your characters. Instead, imagine IF the character worked with you.
Once you place them in “reality,” Griffin suggests using these nine patterns of behavior to explore your character(s) and make them believable:

1. Activity: Is your character high-energy, fast-moving, or constantly on the go? Or low-energy, laid back and takes life slower?

2. Adaptability: How adaptable to change and handling the unexpected is your character?

3. Distractibility: Is your character focused when they do tasks? Are they easily distracted? How long is their attention span when concentrating on things important?

4. Intensity of Emotion: How does your character react to everyday stress/situations and their emotions? Think of this one like a gauge, how intensely do they feel happiness, or sadness?

5. Mood: Is your character optimistic or pessimistic? How stable is their mood, do they have many mood swings? Does your character suffer from any mood disorder such as depression or anxiety?

6. Persistence: Is your character stubborn, driven to get things done? Or do they give up easily on tasks? How much do they like responsibility, especially when it isn’t fun?

7. Physical Rhythms: What is your character’s sleep and eating cycle like? Our bodies rhythms affects how we interact with the world around us.

8. Reactions: How does your character embrace new people and situations? This is similar to adaptability, but tries to concentrate on if they withdraw or approach uncomfortable or new things.

9. Sensitivity: How emotionally sensitive is your character? How physically sensitive is your character?

Next, Griffin suggests taking the character you have built and focus on “outside” influences—reflecting on how the character interacts with family, friends, coworkers and society in general.