Tips for Authors

Read children’s books — contemporary and classic.
Join a children’s writers organization such as the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators or the Juvenile Writers of Kansas City.
Join a critique group.
Study the market. Find out what kinds of stories publishers are buying. Find out what types of stories editors want.
Send your work to the right editor. You don’t want to send a picture book to an editor who handles only chapter books.
Attend children’s writing conferences. This gives you a chance to meet editors and agents face-to-face.
Take your writing seriously. Treat it as a profession.
Treat all editors and agents professionally. Don’t bombard them with constant e-mails about your manuscript.
Read all contracts carefully. Make sure you know what you’re signing.
Write every day.
Write for yourself.
Don’t worry about rejections. Everyone gets rejected.
Don’t give up.