October 2002
Can I Use Encyclopedias As A Reference For Children's Non-Fiction?
Several children's magazine listings mention that they don't want their non-fiction just picked up from encyclopedias, or they want bibliographies. All of the following are from Writer's Market:What the editors mean is they don't want to see an article about Siberian tigers (to use your example) that reads like an entry in an encyclopedia. They want you to write an interesting and timely story about Siberian tigers. They're looking for a tie-in to current events. For example, let's say the Brooklyn Zoo recently received a donation of 2 Siberian tigers. Or perhaps Siberian tigers were taken off the endangered species list. Find a way to make the information in your article relevant.Highlights for Children: "Direct, original approach, simple style, interesting content, not rewritten from encyclopedias."
Spider: "No encyclopedic or overtly educational articles."
Cricket: "A short bibliography is required for all nonfiction articles."
Calliope: "an extensive bibliography of materials the author intends to use in preparing the article"
Discovery Trails: "Submissions should include a bibliography of facts"
I'd like to know, then, what kind of resources these publications want us to refer to instead. Is the encyclopedia not to be mentioned at all? But they represent verified, accurate information to me.
If I referred to encyclopedias and another book and/or person for an article, and the magazine asks the writer to mention the sources of reference in the query, do I mention all of these in the bibliography, or leave out the encyclopedias? Will mentioning just that one person or book seem accurate enough?
For example, if I wanted to write an article on a particular animal, say a Siberian Tiger, I'd look into books on animals and the Internet and follow up on any sources I could find. Are Internet sites counted as valid sources of information too? How about these books on animals -- that is, books on a subject by other authors. Are all published books valid or are some given more respect and importance than others?
When I was an editor at Children's Magic Window Magazine, we looked for articles that explained a news story in more depth, and in a way children could better understand science, technology, or current events. The news story doesn't necessarily need to be immediate, think of it more as "in the news." For example, during the summer the Alvin, an undersea robotic camera, discovered the Titanic. In the October issue we ran an article about the Alvin, using the Titanic discovery as a tie-in, or springboard, to more in-depth information about the history of Alvin, and other ways the robotic camera has been used to further undersea exploration.
As for your bibliography, I sent an email inquiry to the editors at the Cricket Group for more specific bibliography guidelines, however they did not respond. So I'll say, make sure you have a variety of resources, six is a good safe number. I think it's acceptable to include an encyclopedia reference, Internet references, and other non-fiction books on the subject.
Can I Expect To Sell A Book Manuscript If I've Never Sold To Magazines?
I have two questions for you. Is it reasonable to expect to sell a book/picture book if I've never sold any stories/articles for magazines? Does self-publishing make sense?Yes! I know several picture book authors who have NEVER sold a story/article to a magazine. Although in this increasingly competitive children's book publishing industry, publishing credits can help get your manuscript read by editors.
As for self-publishing, that's a difficult question! Five years ago I would've said no way, not for children. But in recent years there have been some successes, "The Christmas Box," "Time Stops for No Mouse," and others.
However, picture books are expensive to produce because of the artwork. In order to self publish a picture book successfully you would need to work with someone who has had a lot of experience in publishing because of the production issues specific to picture books, such as color, layout, and typography. Distribution is also another issue. The majority of children's books are distributed to libraries, book fairs, and discount stores. It's very difficult for self-published authors to get their books into those channels.
Xlibris is a self-publishing service that now offers services for picture book authors. As of yet, I can't make a recommendation for or against their services since I don't know any authors who have used them. One way to find out more about their services is to do a bookstore search for picture books at the Xlibris web site. Contact a few authors by email and ask them what they think of the publishing services.
How Long Should I Wait To Submit Something New After Making A Sale?
Two months ago, I sold a story to Highlights. But it won't be published until next year. I've written another story I think the editors might like. Is there some sort of rule for waiting to submit to the same publisher? Do you think I should submit my story and mention the story they contracted?Congratulations on your sale to Highlights!
No, there is no rule for waiting to submit to the same publisher. If you do send Highlights another story, you should send it to the attention of the editor you who contracted your first one. And yes, BE SURE to mention the first story. If I were you, I'd use the sale of the first story as the opener for the cover letter. You want to remind the editor just exactly who you are.
Some freelancers wait until the check arrives before submitting to the same market, just to make sure the sale is legitimate. With Highlights, you already know it's a stable, established magazine. However according to their guidelines, "We buy all rights, including copyright, and do not consider material previously published." That means Highlights owns the rights to your first story, not you. Now that you've sold a story, you can use this as a publishing credit when you submit to other markets that don't buy all rights.
This year the Cricket Magazine Group revised their policy and now they also buy all rights, a disturbing trend in children's magazines. At least they still buy reprints and only ask for second North American publication rights.Ê
For more information:
- Highlights contributor guidelines
- Cricket Magazine Group submission guidelines
- Discovery Trails submission guidelines
- Cricket Magazine Group submission guidelines
- http://www.radiantlife.org/w_guidelines.cfm
- Xlibris Picture Book Services
- http://www2.xlibris.com/pb_pubservices/
Peggy Tibbetts has been a professional writer, editor, and full member of the Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators for the past 26 years. She offers courses in children's writing and has edited several successful children's manuscripts. She is the author of the children's novel The Road to Weird, as well as the adult novel Rumors of War. Peggy also moderates the The Write List discussion list at Yahoo.
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