So you’ve written one story…
where does an aspiring children’s book writer go from here?
WRITE MORE!
This fabulous and necessary advice comes from Eastern Up! member and prolific kidlit author Kate Messner.
Picture Book Math (and why you should write something new)
“I’ve written a Picture Book…”
It’s the beginning of a conversation that I have with people regularly – at writing group, at a school or conference or in the grocery store. And please note that my capitalization of the words “Picture Book” is intentional. This Picture Book is a proper noun in the writer’s world. This book is beloved. Often, it’s their first manuscript. Sometimes, it’s inspired by children or grandchildren. Sometimes, it’s a fine idea, and the writer has worked hard to revise the text.
“So what next?” the person asks. “How do I get it published?”
“Well…” I pause here. Usually, I tell the writer about SCBWI and Harold Underdown’s beginner’s guide to children’s books and how one actually writes a query letter. But what I really want to say is, “Write more.”
She’s written a great article about why writing more stories is important and outlines her process by the numbers:
https://katemessner.com/picture-book-math-and-why-you-should-write-something-new/