Customer Reviews

2011 Children's Writer's And Illustrator's Market

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you write children's books or stories, then you will need this market guide. It gives the information you need to locate potential markets for your work. (Though you will then want to consult the market's website for more detailed and up-to-date information.)

I've been writing for a couple of decades now, and have been buying this book annually for almost as long. And I will confess that I'm beginning to find it quite depressing. The book is about the same size as it was 10-15 years ago, but the page count is misleading. Type is larger and white space more abundant, making it very clear that there are FAR fewer markets for our work than existed a decade ago. And a significant percentage of the listings state that they don't accept unsolicited materials. (Often this info is buried in several paragraphs of detailed description of the type of work they publish. In other cases, there is no info BUT "Submit through agent only.")
I realize that this isn't the fault of Writer's Digest Books, but is a reflection of changes in society and reading practices. Still, it's hard to NOT feel frustrated at paying the same price for access to half the number of markets.

I've bought this book for many years and every year the articles have been extremely informative, helpful, and motivating--for intermediate writers as well as beginners. I especially enjoy the stories behind the debut authors. One nit-picky, little thing: This edition seems plagued by typos, the kind that exist when only spell checking is used instead of proof reading. I think this is odd, since we aspiring authors are told how professional and meticulous WE need to be. My favorite typo is within a publisher's listing where the time from contract to release is listed as 112 YEARS! I've heard publishing works at a snail's pace, but I don't think I have that kind of time.

Don't even think about trying to write for kids without this essential reference from Writer's Digest books. Every year I eagerly await the new version of this book and am never disappointed. There are articles about various types of children's writing and interviews with both new and famous authors, but the most important part of the book are the listings. You will find literary agents who specialize in children's books, publishers with contact info and what they are looking for, nationally known writing contests, and essential info on how to write a proposal and letter to a publishing company that will get results. This is perfect for both newbies and long time pros.

With the exception of one interview of a children's illustrator (now working in a publishing house) every single article and interview was aimed at writers, about writers, or about manuscripts and the writers market. While the market info is the meat of this book the glaring lack of anything extraneous about illustration left me a little cold.

Absolutely essential for any children's book writer/illustrator. Excellent show, tell and get started through the Alice-in-Wonderland world of children's books. As I told my son,"read every word in the publication listings, every word will guide you through the maze and you will be successful in your search for a publsiher." Good luck to everyone of the authors/illustrators who use this book.

This is a terrific reference book for beginning writers. The book gives many tips and suggestions written by published authors. The only drawback is many of the publishers do not accept manuscripts without an agent, but there are several that do.

No general lending library should be without the 2011 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market! It packs in over 450 updated listings to help writers sell children's stories and illustrations, appears in its 23rd annual edition with extensive updates on publisher listings, and offers nearly 200 pages of articles on everything from blogging to online promotion and writing. A highly recommended 'must'!

The primary book focus is to help authors, photographers and artists meet the needs of children writing although young adults as a category exists for age 12 +. Perhaps disheartening to read "Your first book probably won't get published" (pg. 23) is suggestive of either the manuscript quality publishers expect or the complexity of writing for children or indeed both meeting the publisher and reader needs simultaneously. In light of this, the book divides neatly into:

1.) A series of articles covering beginning tips as well as first hand interviews with agents provides useful insights for not only the newbie but even the professional writer.

2.) The all important subject index for written materials, photographs and illustrations. This index helps locate relevant markets by subject matter. A cross reference with the age index helps further
refine the market.

3.) Indexes providing addresses of markets (book publishers and which ones only accept agent submissions), art directors, book editors and agents for the submission of materials (written and illustrations)

3.) Conferences and workshop resources

By the end of the book and armed with "writing advice from the trenches" (pg.36) and knowing which publisher requires self addressed envelopes from the relevant index a budding writer and reader of this book will get to realise "As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters" (Seneca and quoted at close of J.K.Rowling Harvard Commencement Speech, "The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination" ( harvardmagazine.com
/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination), June 2008.

I am impressed with this book. It offers extensive information on Publishers, including submission tips, as well as Literary Agents. Very satisfied.

Since I wrote a children's story and I am interested in finding a children's publishing company who would be interested in publishing my story I found this book to be very informative.

It details information on how to not only type your manuscript but on how to submit your manuscript to the editor of the publishing company.

I found the most important aspects of this book was the list of Book Publishers, Glossary and Subject Index.

However, I did not think it was necessary to have a chapter on children's magazines.