These are notes I took from a wonderful writing symposium called Life, the Universe, and Everything. We have a lot of talented people in Utah and visitors with a great deal of knowledge. Any Misinformation is the fault of the note taker.
Six yr. old is the audience for picture books.
Q: What is the process from idea to words on the page?
– It all started with a character and had a general sense of the story.
– Picture books are 32 pages long and have 28 pages of text.
– Numbers of words of pages.
– How quickly kids get bored that is an indication the tet needs help.
– Picture books typically run 600 words down to 0 words.
– Need to think of pages turns and pacing.
– The shorter and concise the better.
– You don’t have to desire things the illustrator will do that. A lot of books will be told by pictures.
– Best picture words can actually and the picture gives it a completely new spin. Put a description in paragraphs has an art note. They are not required to put in the text.
– Art notes can be information but illustrator wants to interpret the story their way.
– Artists may change the page breaks.
– Sometimes an author will modify their test to fit a suggestion of the art is on page turn or an image.
Q: do you have a target audience you’re shooting for?
– Range from 2 to 6.
– You need to define your audience when you write our book and that will be needed to pitch it to that audience when you contact an agent.
– To write for a certain age group> go to the book store and library for that age. Books in-store or what the current trend.
– Because of the date range. Every six years is a new audience and thus a new change in the trend.
– Look at human developments> certain themes will such as trends, independence or scared of being alone. Potty training books.
Q: resources for Picture Books?
– SCBWI: Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Website: https://www.scbwi.org/
– A lot of local conferences are good and not as expensive.
– Market preferences:
– Don’t submit art with a book unless you are the illustrator.
– Have a clean manuscript.
– The audience for the picture book is the child, parent, librarian, publishers, school and the marketing people.
– Your text will need to attract at the child level but could appeal to the child. Sometime a parent will eventually want to hide the book.
– Consider doing books that can be read over again, three times, at one sitting.
– Melva story idea: A day with Mona (Mona Lisa)
– If there is a page turn for a reveal to take place (do a note for the artist to prepare It.) have artists do their thing.
– Once you sell a manuscript you have to understand you are entering into a collaboration. It is not totally your baby anymore.
– The easier you can be to work through the process it will serve you’re a lot better.
– Most of the big publishers want agented. They will have submissions online. Make sure you strictly follow the guidelines.
– Agents are reading 500 things a day looking for ways to reject.
– When sending something to publishers include sending out things to agents.
– Illustrates / author combined> do a full dummy book to ketch of full book and do two completed (final) art on two pictures. And provide a word file as a separate document.
– Artists will have guidelines.
Q: suggestion on white space for illustrations in books.
– Board books have very simple images and one or two words.
– Each artist has a style that would match with some books or not fit for books.
Do you have anything to add? If so, please leave your response in the comment section of this blog.
