New market guides are coming out soon. Maybe you've put one on your holiday wish list, or maybe you'll visit the library to browse one there. That's a good starting place for market research, but it isn't enough. The next few posts will discuss how you can help your submission rise out of the slush pile. These posts are excerpted and adapted from an article first published in Children's Writer's Guide to 2009.
Eleni Beja, who was then Associate Editor at Scholastic, said she saw few submissions that are perfectly targeted. “For every ten,” she said, “I’ll see about two that are right for Scholastic. Of the two, I’ll see nil-to-one that are right for Scholastic and me.”
Dial Editor Alisha Niehaus said, “I’ve only seen something truly inappropriate a couple of times. More commonly, someone will send a project that’s too commercial for Dial, or on a topic in which we have a strong backlist—things which, no matter what their merit, won’t fit on our list.”
The same “close but not quite” holds true for magazines, according to Marileta Robinson, Senior Editor at Highlights for Children. “The majority of submissions we see are in the ballpark of meeting our guidelines. That’s not to say that the majority are right for Highlights. Tone, length, writing quality, age appropriateness, and subject matter have a great deal to do with a manuscript’s chances of success.”
Digging Deeper
A market guide is a great place to start. They list hundreds of publishers, with details about what the editors want. Most include a category index. According to Marni McNiff, editor of Book Markets for Children's Writers and Magazine Markets for Children's Writers, “Using the extensive category index in the back of the book can help you to narrow your market selections based on age range and topic. Writers should read through several listings that they feel would be a good fit for their piece [and] follow their writers' guidelines carefully.”
After identifying a few publishers, authors should do more targeted research, Robinson suggests. “Reading the guidelines and current needs posted on our web site and studying several issues of the magazine can help a writer learn what we are and are not looking for.”
Edward Necarsulmer IV, Director of the Children’s Department at literary agency McIntosh and Otis, does some research “the old-fashioned way”—drinks or lunch with editors. Authors don’t have that option, but they can use his other techniques. “Publisher’s catalogs are enormous resources for us. I can really see an imprint’s style.” Catalogs also let him know about the publisher’s other policies, such as what rights they’re buying. Authors can find publisher’s catalogs online, request them from the publisher, or ask bookstores and libraries to pass along the ones they’ve used.
Janet Fox describes the research she did to sell Get Organized Without Losing It (Free Spirit Publishing, 2006). “My book idea was non-fiction, for middle grades, and for kids who have trouble getting and staying organized. I looked at existing books on organizational skills for older kids and adults, talked with teachers and librarians, and analyzed the demand for the type of book I proposed.” She checked Books in Print and found nothing current for her target audience.
“Then I researched publishing houses. I was looking for a publisher that specialized in books for kids and adults, whose focus was on self-help. That is Free Spirit’s mission statement. Of course, I looked at their online and paper catalog, and had already seen a number of their books, and felt that the manuscript I was drafting fit hand in glove with their other offerings, which included a book for older teens on study skills.”
EXERCISE: Use the category index in your market guide to make a short list of publishers appropriate for one of your manuscripts. Then prepare to do more research over the following weeks.
Next week: book journals, submission spreadsheet and Google.
Market Guides
Book Markets for Children's Writers and Magazine Markets for Children's Writers list hundreds of publishers, with information about submission policies and needs.
Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market offers similar information.
Writer's Market also has an online subscription option with a searchable database.
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators has many market guides, updated yearly, available online to members. “Edited By” lists books edited by particular editors. The Bulletin newsletter has frequent updates.
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