Customer Reviews

Writing for Children and Teens: A Crash Course (How to Write, Revise, and Publish a Kid's or Teen Book with Children's Book Publishers)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this book! As a children's book author myself, I recommend it all the time to aspiring authors. It covers everything a writer needs to know about getting a children's book published--I only wish I had it when I was starting out! Cynthea's fresh, conversational style makes her book not only jam-packed with great information but a joy to read. Plus, I think her tips on revision are spot on. And getting an inside peek at real rejection and editorial letters? Priceless. This book is a must-have for every children's book writer.

The number of books lining the shelves on writing for children is mind boggling. This is THE ONE you should pick up. Cynthea teaches the ins and outs of writing strong books for children with humor and excellent examples. Though this kind of expression may usually be reserved for novels, it is appropriate to say that this book is a page turner. Once you start you can't stop reading it. And when you've finished it's a great reference. As an added bonus: it didn't break the bank to buy it. I highly recommend Cynthea Liu's book. If you're reading this you're already serious about wanting to write for children -- so what are you waiting for? Go order it!

Reading this book is like having a knowledgeable older sister sitting beside you explaining exactly how to put your idea on the page and then get it printed. Liu really wants people to write good stories and have them published. The mystique of the publishing house is dispelled as she explains, step by step, exactly how a manuscript should look. For anyone even thinking of writing a book, this is the first one you should read. However, the best part is that the book is actually funny.How refreshing to be given great advice in such a humourous and engaging fashion.

WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE (How to Write, Revise, and Publish a Kid's or Teen Book)
I think that this book was well written and presented. I have learned a lot from this book. As a first time children's book writer I find the book invaluable.
Thanks

There are lots of books about writing for children out there. Many are good. Some are great. What sets this book apart is Cynthea Liu's straight-forward, take-no-prisoners approach to teaching writing.

There's no fat or fluff or baloney in this book; no long philosphical rants about writing.

Instead, you'll find a distillation of how to write for kids written in clear, direct, language that's fun to read. It's like having a friend explain something to you over a plate of brownies.

If want to learn how to write for kids, then this is the book to get.

Unlike most readers of this book, I have no desire to write books for children or teens because I much prefer to READ books written for children and teens and occasionally to wax analytically (and at horrendous length) about same on Amazon. Thus, I was far more interested in Ms. Liu's other two books: The Great Call of China (S.A.S.S.) and Paris Pan Takes the Dare, but I needed to buy something else in order to get free shipping on my order, and I WAS a bit curious. Normally an author waits to, you know, actually PUBLISH a book or two before she presumes to tell you how to do the same, but Ms. Liu published this book on writing for children and teens over a year before she published her first book for children or teens.

What could such a newbie have to teach?

Quite a lot it turns out.

I was simply stunned by how logical, how useful, how educational, and how well written this book was! I found myself either nodding in agreement with her or thinking how much sense she was making! I know I have a much better understanding of how books get written and published than before, and I thought I was pretty well informed before.

And along the way something else was happening...

I started thinking, "I could do this."

Now, I can assure you that I have no intention of following up on this thought! I'm a firm believer in the old adage:

"Those who can, write; those who cannot, review,"

and I am quite content with the delusions of adequacy that allow me to write reviews; I don't need the delusions of grandeur that would lead me to write books, thank you very much! Besides, I lack the critical first step Ms. Liu identifies to writing and publishing a book for children or teens:

an idea.

But ideas or at least pieces of possible ideas have been popping into my head with increasing frequency since I started reading this book.

Now, confidentially, I don't intend to act upon anything I've learned from this amazing book, but if Ms. Liu can almost inspire ME into writing for children and teens,...

what might she do for YOU?

On another point I think this raises the bar on Ms. Liu's other two books. If she can write this well ABOUT writing for children and teens, then she ought to write pretty darn well FOR children and teens.

We shall see. (Insert evil laugh here.)

This is the by far the worst book I've purchased on writing for young adults. All the information in this book can be found in any other writing book not geared towards YA. I didn't find anything useful I didn't already know by reading other books on craft or writing. It was simply a waste of time, storage and energy. I bought this book some time ago and I've never picked it up again after reading it the first time. In an industry where you like to hone your craft, writers tend to review their books over and over again for tidbits, inspiration or how-to's, this is a book that just takes up space.

If you desire a book on writing for young adults, I suggest "Writing and Selling The Young Adult Novel" by K.L. Going, it's much more detailed and gives you a perspective on writing for YA from a young adult view. It has excerpts from young adults on what they like and why they like it.

If you're looking for a long wordy book about finding inspiration and lots of anecdotal stories about plot development etc... then this book is not for you.

If you want a concise reference book you can use to find the rules of writing and detailed guidelines on publishers, how to interact with them, what sort of lingo they use, etc... Then this book is for you!

I bought several books on children's book writing before finding this one. The information is simple. Some of it I already knew. But this is the only book I could find that was willing to fill me on on the secret lingo of publishers and how to talk to them. Every occupation from movie director to literature professor comes riddled with special lingo and insider terms. This book helped me get inside the head of a publisher more than any other.

Some of the info is so simplistic you'll find it annoying, but if you find info here you didn't already know, it's gold.

Cynthea Liu book is more like a private conversation between two friends than a text book "how to". I especially value the chapter on self-editing. Cynthea gives you all you need to know to get your book on the market.
Kathlyn Fauchon
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