TURN PERSONAL STRUGGLES INTO BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

by Laura Backes, Publisher, Children's Book Insider, the
Newsletter for Children's Writers

Suppose you've just gone through a divorce and lost custody of
your kids. Or a loved one has recently died of cancer. Or you
struggled in school as a child because you have dyslexia.

Many writers turn difficult periods in their lives into books for
children, hoping to help young readers through similar painful
experiences. Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating and
selling books based on real-life events:

Remember that you're writing a children's book, not a personal
essay intended to purge your soul from a painful memory. Children
want to read about how they feel. Many writers create a child
character and tell the story through that character's eyes. Don't
write in first person if the "I" is you, the adult author.
Instead of explaining how bad you feel that your kids no longer
live with you, show how a five-year-old character feels about
only getting to see Daddy every other weekend.

Books for younger children (up to age eight) centering around a
personal crisis are generally most effective if the author uses a
fictional vehicle for imparting the information. If you want to
stick closer to nonfiction, make sure the book focuses on the
child in the center of the event, and is told in a narrative
format with a beginning, middle and end. Older children can
handle more traditional self-help books, with each chapter
concentrating on a specific aspect of the problem. However,
interspersing the advice with personal anecdotes from other
children who have gone through the same thing will make the
information more appealing and relevant to the readers.

Targeting appropriate publishers with these manuscripts is
important. Look in subject index of Children's Writer's &
Illustrator's Market under "Self Help" and "Special Needs" for
publishers. Peruse the children's nonfiction section of a large
bookstore, and read reviews in Publisher's Weekly, School Library
Journal and Horn Book (trade magazines found in most libraries)
to see which publishers do similar types of books. Always send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope to the children's editorial
department asking for writer's guidelines before submitting your
manuscript. You can also look at books written for parents to
help their children cope with an illness, loss or divorce, and
query the publisher asking if they'd like to publish a children's
book on the same topic.

Though many mainstream publishers are interested in books that
deal with special issues, some topics have too narrow an audience
for a large house to market the book successfully. In this case,
many authors have elected to self-publish. If you get several
personal rejection letters from editors who praise the book but
say the audience isn't broad enough, you might consider
publishing it yourself. But self-publishing should be approached
cautiously; color illustrations are essential for picture books,
making them very expensive to produce. And you must be prepared
to devote at least a year of your life to selling and
distributing your book. Most self-published books are sold
primarily through direct mail. Can you purchase mailing lists of
parents with children who could benefit from your book? Stories
on adoption, specific childhood illnesses, or those that might
fit in a pediatrician's waiting room or hospital gift shop are
examples of books with a very targeted audience. Dan Poynter's
The Self-Publishing Manual (Para Publishing) and The Complete
Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom and Marilyn Ross (Writer's Digest
Books) are two good resources to check out before making the
commitment to self-publish.

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For more information about writing children's books, including
free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit
Children's Book Insider's home on the web at
http://write4kids.com

Copyright 2001, Children's Book Insider, LLC

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