Customer Reviews

Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Children's Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career

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This book is awesome. It was a real eye-opener to read all the insider secrets to how you can build a successful career as a children's writer from absolute scratch. I used to think the only way to go about selling a story was to write it first, and then look for a publisher. But Nancy's book has taught me how to land a contract first, and only then write the book. She leads you step-by-step through the entire process. And she shows that you don't have to be an established author to do this because Nancy did it herself with her very first book, and her second.... This book has totally changed the way I am going to go about developing my career as a children's writer. And she covers the entire range of children's books: picture books, beginning readers and chapter books, middle grade and young adult fiction, and non-fiction for all ages. There's a page in the book that says she's coming out with more titles in the series, each one focusing on one of the above genres. I can't wait to read them all!

I've had a modicum of success as a writer (34 educational puzzle books published) and from this perspective can vouch for the fact that Sanders offers excellent advice in her book for both the experienced and beginning writer. She knows the "tricks of the trade" and generously shares them with anybody who wants to build a successful career as an author. She has keen insights into the need for career-oriented writers to focus on the multiple goals of writing for personal fulfillment, writing to get published, and writing to earn income, and she has oodles of concrete suggestions for accomplishing all three. Her strategies of searching for potential book contracts and piggybacking on already successful book series are explained in detail. In addition to all the practical advice, Sanders' book is filled with inspiration and encouragement, so that the reader really does come away with the feeling--Yes! I Can!

It is every writer's dream to have their book sold to a publisher before it is even written. But that's no pipe dream! Not with "Yes! You Can: Learn How To Write Children's Books, Get Them Published, And Build A Successful Writing Career". This is a 366-page compendium of insider information, tips, tricks, techniques, tactics and strategies that can be readily adopted by anyone seeking to establish themselves as professional authors and earn their living by writing books for young readers. "Yes! You Can" is more than just a 'how to' instruction manual for beginning children's books authors, it is a combination workshop, seminar, tutorial, professional reference, career guide, and inspiring motivational. Replete with practical, real-world, insights into how publishing works and how writer's can best advantage themselves within the industry, "Yes! You Can" also delves into writing as a business, including such aspects as publicity and marketing. Of special note is the bibliography of recommended professional books for children's writers and a glossary of specialized terms. "Yes! You Can" is especially recommended for anyone aspiring to successfully write and have published books for young readers, and has a great deal of background value for writers in other fields seeking successful publication for their work.

Yes You Can Learn How to Write Children's Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career is a superb, much-needed writing treasure! Nancy I. Sanders gives step-by-step instructions and advice on how to land a writing contract before you write one word of the book! She also shares personal stories of how she started her writing career, from knowing nothing about submitting manuscripts to now landing several book contracts a year. She especially encourages beginners, like myself, who changed from a teaching career to freelance writing. Nine months ago I started this writing career, not knowing a single thing. Nancy's advice has helped me tremendously and brought results. My first magazine article comes out July 2009 with my children on the cover! Thanks, Nancy!
Nancy's Triple Crown of Success framework helps me keep my perspective on all my reasons for writing. Her Writer's Pyramid helps me organize my time and accomplish much more than I thought was possible. She also shares the importance of setting daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Nancy lists all the different kinds of writing for children such as magazines, crafts, puzzles, educational, and chapter books, etc...and how to go about querying each one. Her query form letter is very helpful. Also I liked the detailed instructions on how to make a dummy book. She also tells the nitty-gritty about contracts, finances, taxes, and agents. Her biggest success came from what she terms a "piggy-back writer." You must read this book if you are interested in writing for children. Even if you are published, Nancy shares professional tips along with beginning tips for each chapter. A glossary and list of other recommended books for writers is included in the back. Thanks for sharing your secrets of success,Nancy!

The first of a projected series that will include titles on how to write beginning readers and chapter books, middle grade fiction and children's nonfiction, this volume supplies the very basics a beginning writer ought to know before blasting off into the world of fame and fortune available to those who write for children. Unlike other titles in the genre (Ann Whitford Paul, Tracey Dils, Barbara Seuling, Aaron Shepard, Nancy Lamb, Jean Karl, Uri Shulevitz, Harold Underdown, Lesley Bolton, ) on how to write, illustrate, and sell your book for children, Nancy Sanders take the approach that you need to sell the title before you've written it. She repeatedly emphasizes what she calls "The Triple Crown of Success: Using three separate strategies to meet three separate goals" q.v writing for personal fulfillment, writing to get published, writing to earn income. This, she says, is her "super-duper extra-special million-dollar secret." She encourages aspiring writers to sort and set priorities and to establish serious goals in terms of time-per-week devoted to the objective of getting published. She does cover most of the basics--how to write a query, how to write a cover letter, how to write a proposal. Mentions of SCBWI, Write4Kids, Children's Writer, and other helpful organizations are listed in the index and embedded in the text, with websites listed. There are lots of references to Eve Heidi Bine-Stock's books on writing for children (perhaps because she is the publisher). All in all, it's an easily read volume with lots of practical suggestions that will empower and connect beginning writers to their target: getting published. One of the ways Sanders suggests for writers to do so is to set up a "writer's pyramid"; she assures the reader that "those who implement this model into their own schedule see valuable results." In the Writer's Pyramid are layers she calls the "no-pay/low-pay markets you submit to relentlessly to build experience and clips; the "income" you build by targeting a publisher, studying its website, and brainstorming ideas that would fit into their product line; and then always working on "your own manuscript for personal fulfillment", your magnum opus. The Writer's Pyramid, Sanders says, "helps you manage your time and focus your energy on very specific purposes each day in your writing week as you pursue the Triple Crown of Success." This formula is repeated throughout the book in subsequent chapters, sometimes verbatim, which may be a really good idea for beginning writers. The goal of the book is to have the reader shout, "Yes I Can!" and fearlessly make it so. This would be an excellent title to choose if you work with aspiring young writers who want to try their hand at children's books. Includes list of recommended books, index, books by the author, glossary.

I wish I had this book when I began writing for publication a few years ago.
Nancy Sanders sets out to help the reader clarify their goals. She proceeds to divide writers into those who write for personal fulfillment, those who more than anything want to see their name in print, (not a bad thing- wanting to be published) and those who need and want to be paid for their efforts. You think you are all three? Most of us have priorities, and the way to reach our goals could and would be different.

All other "how to" books for writers address writing for personal fulfillment. It is this image of the writer yearning to tell her unique story, an idealized image of writers, which keeps us from seeing the vast amount of published work out there done by professional writers.

Yes You Can Write Children's Books is full of good tips. The author put the tips on two parallel tracks- for beginners and for professionals. Having been one and moving to the other, I can attest to the tips' usefulness.

So I did not have this book when I began, but it not too late. I'm glad I have it now.

If you're serious about writing for children, get this book! It's filled with clear direction, tips, and strategies that will as Nancy Sanders says, "Take your writing career to the top!" I have NEVER read a book as informative as this one on how to build a career in writing for children. This author of over 70 books knows her stuff.

Expertise, clarity, inspiration, and organization create a concise format for building a successful career in writing for children. Nancy Sanders generous tips and support of her writing peers, beginning and established, makes this book different then the dozens of books I have read on writing and publishing children's literature. I wish I had it when I began my writing career. This book is a must for children's writers but especially for beginners who have less clear understanding of the writing process and the publishing industry children's writers live and work with.

If you want to write children's books, you NEED this book! Clearly written, with practical steps, in a positive, motivating tone...so easy to read and understand! I bought this book and read it last spring. Within a month I had a magazine article accepted for publication, and one year later, I am submitting my final manuscript to the publisher who paid me an advance several months ago. Buy this book! Follow the steps! They work!

The book was a quick read and it approached writing as a freelance business. Practical and helpful.