August 2 - 28, 2009
"Making Your Children's Book More Marketable"
by Kate Coombs
You've got the bug -- you're driven to write children's books and you're dying to publish them. But you've probably already discovered that the market is VERY competitive. How can you possibly break in? The first part is not in your control: editors' personal tastes and publishers' "no unsolicited manuscripts" rules. This class is about the part you CAN control: taking your manuscript to the next level while balancing your own creative needs against market demands. Please have at least one draft of your picture book or one chapter of your book for older readers, however rough it may be.
Topics include:
* Good/bad news -- where your book falls in today's market
* Targeting hidden obstacles that keep books from fulfilling their potential
* Strengthening character and plot
* Tightening text, brightening language
* From irresistible beginnings to slam-bang endings
* Finding your spot and maximizing your voice
* Tips about submissions and publishers
* Developing new children's book projects
Kate Coombs is that rare breed of author who has managed to break into the children's book market without an agent. She has two books in print, a 2006 Parents' Choice Recommended picture book called The Secret-Keeper and a 2007 American Library Association Notable Book called The Runaway Princess. Kate has four more books coming out in 2010-2011. She has also worked as a college writing teacher, a K-12 teacher, and a curriculum specialist.
To register for the "Making Your Children's Book More Marketable" course, click HERE.