How to Write for Children: And Get Published

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Louise Jordan

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Pages: 188 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0749927720

Pub: Piatkus Books

Pub date: 2007-05-24

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12056

Editorial Review:

Anyone can write for kids--it's easy. Wrong! The first thing author Louise Jordan does in her book How to Write for Children and Get Published is to dispel this notion. As Jordan says, "...writing a children's book is not easier than writing an adult book, merely different ... What is needed is a clarity of vision, and this is harder than you might think."
Jordan runs The Writers Advice Centre for Children's Books in London and is also a reader for Penguin Children's Books. She gives information from the point of view of both writer and editor, which results in a sympathetic but pragmatic perspective on the world of children's publishing.
Knowing the market is a crucial element of writing that is often overlooked. Jordan explores different kinds of books for children of different ages, and provides examples of each category. This section is specifically geared towards the UK market, but the basic information is universal. Jordan then discusses different subject areas and analyses the components of a good story, including plotting, characterisation, point of view and style. The final section tells how to submit work to publishers, and outlines the author's relationship with a publisher once a book is accepted. She is optimistic but realistic, and advises writers to learn from rejection.

Jordan doesn't just tell the prospective children's writer what to do--she provides insightful exercises after each chapter so that her readers can learn for themselves. This is a practical, accessible guide to writing children's books. --Caryn Jenner

Reader Reviews:

A must have book for all budding children's writers (2/2 people found this helpful)

I recently purchased this book after deciding I wanted to have a go at writing for children (I have dabbled in writing in writing informally before)

After buying this book I was pleasantly surprised, as it is compelling and easy to read.
It is crammed full of vital information for budding children's writers (whether for leisure or for money), but is not over detailed.

It has really inspired me to have a go, so I am off to start developing an idea now!

I would highly recommend purchasing this as a readable reference book for your bookshelf.

Brilliantly informative for the prospective author. (35/37 people found this helpful)

Having recently purchased this book, before using amazon for the first time, from my local bookstore I was very interested in using it to learn more about writing and publishing books for children.

The book contains invaluable advice on the many stages which prospective authors must pass through to find their works in print or on bookshelves. The book answered many of my questions regarding the different age ranges which you can write for, as well as issues regarding illustrations, plotting, characterisation, subject matter and marketing.

I found the book to be an invaluable reference tool and one to which I constantly referred.

I hope to begin using the knowledge gained from this book in the near future and would recommend that anone wanting to write, either for pleasure in their spare time, or as something more than a hobby, to buy the book.

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