The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books, Second Edition [Paperback]

Harold D. Underdown (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide

The comprehensive guide to writing, publishing, and selling for the ever-expanding and always exciting children's market-now in a new and updated second edition.

€ Includes new chapters for illustrators, on submissions, portfolios, art directors, and more
€ In 2001, children's book publishing was a $1.8 billion market
€ Offers practical advice on getting started, plus the basics on writing-and selling-books that kids will love and parents will buy
€ Very few books on this topic provide specific information by experts
€ Covers picture book, juvenile, and young adult markets
€ Includes sample queries and proposals for most types of children's fiction

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books by Harold D. Underdown and Lynne Rominger invites novices into its pages with plenty of white space, clearly labeled sections and humorous line drawings. Sidebars offer "Vocabulary List" words with definitions of industry lingo (such as ISBNs); "Stories from the Playground," with practical advice from published pros; and "Can You Keep a Secret?," with hints on a range of topics, including how to approach an editor at a conference and how to "write using active rather than passive constructions whenever you can."

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Children's book publishing is one of the most difficult fields of publishing for new authors to get into. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books" gives potential authors tips, inside information, and detailed instructions for everything from how to prepare a proposal to how to get an agent. Detailing the differences between picture books, juvenile fiction, and the young adult novel, the book also covers branding, series, and licensing, discusses writing styles and character development, and explains forming illustrator partnerships. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592571433
• ISBN-13: 978-1592571437
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginners and pros, April 21, 2002

By 

Roger Eschbacher (Santa Clarita, California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books (Paperback)

This wonderful work is a great starting point for anyone interested in writing children's books. It's filled with practical information that will help you get started and avoid making the mistakes that will brand you a newbie. Anytime I asked "Who, What, Where, When, Why or How do I...?, I found the answers contained within its pages. As a newly published children's author ("Nonsense! He Yelled"), I also found it answered my marketing and publicity questions--areas you might not be concerned with at first but will need to know when your book is in the stores. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books is crammed with concise information that's put together in an easy to read format. I highly recommend it.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your One-Stop Shop for info on getting published., May 22, 2002

By 

Mark Savary "moon_city" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books (Paperback)

In the best traditions of the CIG books, "Publishing Children's Books" gives you all the basic info you need to know, distilled down into plain talk and understandable terms. The book has some info on how to write and illustratate your story, but it really comes into its own when discussing what you need to do in order to get the book published.

Indispensible for the novice children's author/illustrator, and invaluable in helping those of us just starting out with navigating the confusing and imposing world of children's book publishing.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'd Be An Idiot Not to Read This Book, November 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books (Paperback)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books is the most comprehensive book on writing for children available. If you teach writing it is an invaluable resource. It breaks all the basics down to bite-sized chunks so any beginner can find the information he/she needs. If you have a question about writing, selling, or publishing for children-- this book is the place to start to find your answer. The index is great and the glossary is very useful. The sidebars and illustrations make the information easy to find. You'd have to complete the Institute for Children's Literature courses to find better information, and that is very costly in terms of time and money.