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Guide to writing for children
WRITING FOR CHILDREN
by
Ann Coburn
INTRODUCTION
All of a sudden children’s books are sexy. Vogue magazine recently
described them as the ‘Prada of the publishing industry’ and
celebrities such as Madonna, Jay Leno, Arlo Guthrie, Spike Lee and Paul
McCartney are flocking to add ‘children’s writer’ to their CV’s.
Established writers as diverse as Margaret Atwood, Julie Burchill and
Elmore Leonard are now writing children’s books. As for first-time
authors, the media is full of news of bidding wars and huge advances as
publishers compete to find the next JK Rowling. Film rights are being
optioned left, right and centre and children’s authors are now big
draws at book festivals, often being asked to give two talks, one for
children and one for adults. Children’s books feature regularly and
strongly in the bestseller lists and children’s authors are winning
major literary prizes. All over the country, creative writing courses
for children’s authors are flourishing and a number of universities,
such as Nottingham, Warwick, Reading, Sunderland and Newcastle, are
offering MAs in creative writing that specialise in writing for
children. Children’s books have entered a golden age and children’s
writers have never had it so good.
But enough of the fairy stories. In reality, it is more difficult than
ever to become a published children’s writer. Agents and publishers are
inundated with manuscripts from new authors keen to be part of this
publishing success story. As a result, some publishers have temporarily
closed their doors to unsolicited manuscripts and those still accepting
submissions are faced with a growing monster of a slush pile.
Any writers talented and lucky enough to have their unsolicited
manuscript picked up by an agent or publisher soon discover that
multi-million pound advances for first-time authors are as rare as
hens' teeth. For the majority of children’s writers the financial
picture is very different. The Society of Authors carried out a member
survey in 2000 which revealed that 70% of children’s writers and
illustrators earn less than £20,000 per year and only 25% get advances
of more than £5,000 per book. Only one children’s writer received
advances of over £50,000, compared with over 40 general fiction
authors.
Then, there is the slow-build phenomenon. ‘It took me ten years to
become an overnight success’ is a quote that can be applied to most of
today’s successful children’s writers. Many of the big names in
children’s writing, such as Philip Pullman and David Almond, served a
long apprenticeship before they became best-selling authors. I would
estimate that it takes, on average, ten years before an author can
claim to be earning a decent living from writing children’s books
Still with me? Good. That means you’re probably interested in writing
children’s books for the ‘right’ reasons: reasons that will lift your
writing above the ordinary and also keep you going through all the
setbacks and disappointments you will meet along the way. You’re
passionate about children’s literature, you have a real desire to tell
stories and you can identify with what it means to be five years old,
or ten, or fifteen.
I can still remember the day I discovered (or should that be
re-discovered?) children’s fiction. I was in my first teaching post at
a state comprehensive school. We were teaching young people from eleven
to eighteen years old, spanning the whole ability range. Consequently,
the shelves in the English department stock room were stacked high with
an amazing selection of children’s and teenage fiction (yes, schools
really did have decent book budgets back then). I picked up a copy of
Alan Garner’s The Owl Service and I was hooked. For a year, I worked
my way through books by writers such as Alan Garner, Robert Cormier,
Margaret Mahy, Robert Westall, Susan Cooper and Ursula le Guin. By the
end of that year, I had decided that I wanted to write children’s
fiction.
Until that moment, I had always enjoyed writing, but only for
myself. I had been bashing out short stories and poems on a
manual typewriter, but I decided I would need something more
sophisticated (and easier on the fingers) if I was going to attempt a
full-length novel. A colleague pointed out a short story competition in
Woman’s Own. “Write a love story for us and you could win an electric
typewriter!” So I did. I wrote a love story, but not the ‘girl meets
boy’ sort. ‘Start as you mean to go on,’ I thought, so I wrote about the
complex, tender, adversarial relationship between a young boy and his
grandfather. I didn’t win the competition, but the magazine did buy and
publish my story. And, of course, I used the fee to purchase an
electric typewriter.
My first children’s book took me four years to write. Four years of
getting up while it was still dark in order to put in a couple of hours
on the aforementioned electric typewriter before I went to work. It was
a steep learning curve for me. There was much re-drafting, a lot of
starting over and a great deal of pushing the manuscript into the back
of a cupboard and trying to forget about it. Finally, I was so sick of
the sight of the book, I decided it was finished. I wrote a cover
letter and a synopsis, made six copies of the opening chapters and sent
them off to the companies who were publishing the children’s authors I
most admired. I was extremely lucky. My submission must have arrived at
just the right time to catch the eye of the right people. More
importantly, it must have been of the right genre and for the right age
range to potentially fill a gap in their lists. The upshot was, three
of those six publishers picked my opening chapters from their slush
piles and asked to see the whole manuscript. I signed up with Random
House, the first of the three to offer me a contract. In the years
since my first book was published, I have diversified into writing
theatre plays and even the odd screenplay, but I have never stopped
writing – and reading – children’s fiction.
What makes children’s fiction so special? Well, firstly, you get to
write in whatever genre you fancy. The umbrella title of children’s
fiction is hugely accommodating. It is broad enough to cover
historical, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, crime, love, adventure, chick-lit,
sporting and humorous stories, to name just a few genres. Secondly,
when you start writing for children, you are tapping into something
that, in my opinion, combines the best of both the literary and
story-telling traditions of this country. Thirdly, kids are great to
write for. They are enthusiastic readers and honest critics. The words
‘middle ground’ are not in their vocabulary. They will love – or hate –
your book with a passion and they will not be afraid to tell you so.
Unlike adult readers, they will never use a neutral, get-out word such
as ‘interesting’ to describe what they think of your writing. They will
tell you. Straight out. I love that.
Ann Coburn
When I was writing this guide, I got in touch with two people working
at the heart of the industry and asked for their thoughts on the
business of writing and submitting children’s fiction. They were both
generous enough to find the time to reply and their wise, thoughtful
and forthright responses are quoted throughout the following pages. My
thanks go to Sue Cook, Senior Editor with Random House Children’s
Books, and to Lucy Murray from the Children’s department of PFD
Literary Agency for giving me an editor’s and an agent’s take on the
business.
BEFORE YOU START WRITING
I have done the odd stint as a freelance reader for publishers and arts
organisations over the years and I have been amazed at the number of
would-be authors who write manuscripts without researching the market.
The two most common failings are:
1. Writing a story with no idea of the basic age categories for
children’s books. I have seen 30,000 word manuscripts with a language
and sentence structure suitable for the 9-11 market but with a subject
(talking toys is a popular one) that would only be of interest to five
year olds.
2. Writing the type of children’s book the author remembers from his or
her own childhood twenty, thirty or even forty years ago, with no idea
of current trends in the market.
DO research the market thoroughly before you start writing. There is no
point in putting all your talent, time and energy into a book that has
no hope of ever finding a place in today’s market. Lucy Murray of PFD
says, ‘Above all, know what age group you are targeting. People quite
often talk in vague terms of ‘the 8-14 market’. Generally speaking,
children in the second year of junior school are not reading the same
things as children in the second year of senior school. It is fatal to
give the impression that you don’t know enough about your intended
audience to understand this.’
So, go into your local bookshop and library and see how their
children’s book section is divided. Generally speaking, you will find
that children’s books fall into the following categories:
Picture books
Early readers (sub-divided into read-together and read-alone books)
Books for 7 to 9’s
Books for 9-11’s
Books for readers of 12+
Books for young adults
It could be argued that these age categories are an artificial divide
and, of course, there is some fluidity, especially at the top end of
the market. Most children are aspirational readers. Generally, they
want to be older and they enjoy reading about characters a few years
older than themselves, so more confident readers do tend to display an
upward drift in their reading habits. There are other exceptions to
these age categories. For instance, some picture books have a
universal, family appeal and there is always the fabled ‘cross-over’
book that draws in adult readers as well as children. However, the fact
is that these age categories do exist, however artificial they may be,
and every writer for children needs to be aware of them.
DO read as many children’s books as you can to get an idea of the
current market. If you find this a chore rather than a pleasure, then
perhaps you should think again about writing for children.
STARTING TO WRITE - FINDING YOUR VOICE
Sue Cook, Senior Editor with Random House, writes, ‘Many inexperienced
authors attempt to copy another author’s style and it is astonishing
how many unsolicited manuscripts arrive on our desks each year with
covering letters from authors who describe their work as being like
Jacqueline Wilson or akin to JK Rowling, Terry Pratchett, or other
acclaimed authors who each have their own individual style. What ismost
important to us is that the book is truly original and that it
reflects the writer’s ability to draw in a reader and tell the story in
a way that is true to their own voice.’
Lucy Murray agrees. ‘Agents are looking for wonderfully talented
writers who have a passion for words, language and storytelling, are
bursting with original ideas and are committed to a career as a
children’s author. Your submission must demonstrate these qualities.’
DO write to your strengths. What comes naturally to you as a writer? Do
you enjoy writing comedy? Then write a funny story – don’t go for high
drama just because you think it might be seen as more worthy.
Is dialogue your strength? If so, use plenty of it and let that dictate your style.
If your forte is creating memorable, original characters, then work to
that. You could, for instance, think about writing a first-person
narrative in the voice of your main character. Have a look at
Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Kevin Brooks’ Martyn Pig or Mark
Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Do be
careful, though, if you are planning to write using your own voice as
the narrator. Here is a word of warning from Sue Cook. ‘If you are
introducing an authorial voice, please do so with great care as it is
very difficult to get right. Manuscripts including asides to the reader
like, ‘Your mother probably told you… but…’ or ‘I’m sure you would be
too sensible to do this, but…’ rarely work for me and I feel it is
better avoided as it can easily come across as patronising.’
Maybe you feel that storytelling is your strength? If so, then go for a
fast-paced, third-person narrative that pulls your reader into the plot
and doesn’t let go until the last page is reached.
DON’T patronise or preach. If you want to make a point, write a
pamphlet. Writing a story with the purpose of highlighting, for
instance, anorexia or bullying is usually a recipe for disaster because
a book that explores an issue at the expense of story rarely works. The
story MUST come first and you will never find your voice if you are
writing with an agenda.
DO be honest. You don’t have to be twee or pull any punches just
because you are writing for children. There are ways of tackling big or
painful themes, whatever the age of your intended reader. You can make
your story as gritty as you want, and you don’t have to have a happy
ending, but in my opinion (and this is very much a personal thing)
there is one thing you must never do. Never leave your reader without
any hope at all. Their life experience is shorter than ours and they
feel everything so intensely – I think we must take account of this.
DON’T attempt to write a crossover book (a book that appeals to adults
as much as to children). I know this is the buzzword of the moment in
the children’s publishing industry, but how do you define a crossover
book? Take a look at some of the novels that have earned this label and
you will realise that a crossover book is an elusive concept. Philip
Pullman’s powerful His Dark Materials trilogy, David Almond’s
wonderful fable Skellig, Mark Haddon’s detective story, The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and of course JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series are all very different in length, style and
subject matter. What they do have in common are big ideas, a layered
plot, good, honest writing and strong characters. But you should be
doing all that anyway! Lucy Murray says, ‘I get impatient with people
who write with one eye on the adult, or so-called ‘crossover’ market.
Although several children’s titles have recently been successful in the
adult market, most books written for children are only read by children
and it is best to aim your work squarely at your core readership.’ If
you are attempting to write for adults as well as for children, then
you are writing with an ulterior motive rather than with an honest
voice. My advice is to write your story to the best of your ability and
let the readers decide whether or not your book is a crossover book.
PLOTTING AND WRITING
Story is incredibly important in children’s writing. Children always
want to know what happens next and it had better be something scary,
funny, moving or hugely surprising – otherwise you will lose your
readers.
DON’T be self-indulgent. Young readers will not be interested in
ploughing through pages of purely descriptive writing, however
beautiful the style. Cut any passages that draw attention to your
writing rather than the story you are telling.
DO apply the three-in-one rule as much as you can. This is a task I set
myself with every book I write. I don’t always succeed but I do try!
Ideally, every page should be achieving three things at once –
advancing the plot, developing character and setting the mood. If it is
not doing all three (all right, two – minimum!), then rework it or
scrap it. The three-in-one rule will force you to develop character
through action, to show rather than tell and to keep the all-important
story rolling along.
DO work hard on your opening page/s. It is very important. This is the
hook you set to catch your reader. Sue Cook says, ‘There is nothing
better for an editor than picking up a new manuscript for the first
time, reading the opening pages and finding the hairs on your neck
rising in excitement and delight.’ Some agents and publishers claim
they can tell whether an author has talent by reading just one
paragraph of their writing. One paragraph! And that paragraph will
probably be the one at the top of your first page, so it had better be
good. Choose a dramatic or intriguing moment as an opener. This moment
does not have to be at the chronological start of your story – you can
always fill in the back-story later (but try not to do this in
indigestible chunks).
DO go for an original theme. This is what Sue Cook has to say on the subject:
‘Here are some themes that we see so often I would recommend avoiding
them unless you truly do feel you can present them in a very original
and new way. I asked around the office for these so this list reflects
the feelings of several very experienced editors.
1. ‘Modern’ fairy tales where the princess refuses to marry a prince
and wants to play football or do something else very obviously
tomboyish. The majority of children, past the age of being read to, and
wanting to choose their own books for private reading, would perceive
fairy-tale characters as being babyish.
2. High fantasy, where wizards, elves and dwarves fight it out against
an evil entity from the Dark Side. I would personally love to discover
a new high fantasy writer who can bring something new to this area, but
it would need to be pretty exceptional to stand out in a very
over-subscribed area. Can you bring something new to this genre that
hasn’t already been done by Tolkien, Philip Pullman, Susan Cooper,
Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones or Jonathan Stroud?
3. Anthropomorphised items of stationery or kitchen utensils
appear surprisingly often in unsolicited manuscripts and there are only
so many jolly tales for 6-9’s, such as the adventures of Percy Pencil
or the wonderful world of Kitty the Kettle, that one editor can read.
4. Issue novels where the issue is more obviously important than any
story. The bully who is shown to be a coward is a very common character
we have read about many times before, for instance.
5. School stories where the school is specifically for young ghosts/vampires/witches etcetera.
6. Dolls/pets/toys who come to life and can talk to their young owners.
7. Football tales in which the book’s main characters are selected for
the team and then win against unbelievable odds (often at Wembley).
8. Kidnappers, bank robbers or other stereotypical criminals who are
seen by a group of children and who then kidnap at least one of the
children to avoid being caught by the police.
9. Fantasy adventures involving entering another world through a PC,
television or video screen – or stepping through a strangely convenient
door into another world that is discovered at the bottom of the garden
or similar (but with no real reason for its sudden appearance). And if
human children are drawn into another world to save it from a threat,
there must be a reason why these particular children are selected.
10. Timeslip adventures akin to above. There must be a reason why a
specific character is suddenly drawn back into the time of the Vikings
or similar (apart from the fact that they are studying them at school
as part of the national curriculum).
11. Young adult first relationship in which girl meets two boys – one
hunky and gorgeous, one more ordinary and quieter – and only
appreciates Quiet Boy after Hunk has treated her badly. This novel very
often contains a Best Friend who fancies the same boy, or a jealous
Other Girl.
12. Trilogies where the first book simply doesn’t stand as a satisfying
read on its own and the whole three books could probably be edited down
to one, good book.’
HOW TO KEEP GOING THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES
DON’T wait for inspiration. Sometimes hard work is the only way to get
through a sticky writing patch. Keep plugging away and it will nearly
always come right again. If it doesn’t, you may have to think about
discarding that particular story and starting afresh.
DO disable the Solitaire option on your PC. I’m serious!
DO use anything that inspires you. Some people cut themselves off when
they are writing, for fear of ‘being influenced’. I say, be
influenced! As long as you are developing your own voice and
ideas there is nothing wrong with being inspired by the genius of
others. Stick paintings, images and photographs on the wall, read the
books that excite you, play music loudly, watch films, go to the
theatre. You can’t work in a vacuum, so use whatever replenishes your
creative resources.
SENDING IT OFF
I sent my first book off to publishers but no agencies. It did not even
occur to me to find an agent. In fact my agent, Rosemary Canter of PFD,
came looking for me after she had read a copy of my first book – and
I’m very glad she did. She has been invaluable. Nowadays, it is a
different story for new writers. Publishers are much less likely to
take on an unsolicited manuscript and I would advise any new writer to
try to find representation. A good agent has the respect of publishers
and will ensure that your manuscript gets the attention it deserves.
But how to find an agent? According to Danuta Kean, the odds of being
picked out are pretty small. Vivienne Schuster of Curtis Brown has 300
or so manuscripts arriving at her agency every week, yet over the past
twenty years she has found only three writers. Rosemary Canter of PFD
estimates that she read 3,000 unsolicited manuscripts over 12 years in
order to find one new client. (Danuta Kean, ‘Gold Mining – Attitudes to the Slush Pile’, The Author,
Winter 2002)
With odds like that, you need to do everything you can to improve your chances, so:
DO pay attention to the basics. Your manuscript should be typed onto A4
paper. Use one side only and double-space it. Leave your manuscript
unbound and remember to include return postage. If you are sending a
picture book text, Lucy Murray has some advice on the correct way to
present it. ‘Unless you are a writer-illustrator and wish to submit an
illustrated mock-up, the correct way to present a picture book text is
as a piece of continuous prose. The choice of illustrator is an
editorial decision made by the publisher, and it is absolutely not
necessary to include any illustrations with your text. Never include
amateur illustrations – it looks unprofessional.’
DO make sure you send your work off to the right agent or publisher – check
websites or current catalogues to make sure they will be interested in
your book. Sue Cook writes, ‘We are sent non-fiction ideas every week,
despite not publishing non-fiction.’ Publishers and agents usually have
submission guidelines. Lucy Murray warns, ‘Agents establish guidelines
so that they can efficiently process the masses of manuscripts they
receive. If you don’t adhere to these guidelines it will work against
you – not least because it makes you seem careless. Research is an
important skill for any writer and this is an opportunity for you to
show that it’s one you possess.’
DO write a professional cover letter. Sue Cooks says, ‘three pages
telling us of how you came to writing through reading stories to your
own children – especially those featuring a family pet (photo sometimes
included) – does not impress.’
Lucy Murray writes, ‘It goes without saying that your letter must be
literate and engaging. But it must also convey the depth of your
commitment to writing and make it clear that you have a professional
attitude.’
A short, clear cover letter explaining the genre and age range you
consider your book to be – and maybe why you think it is special – is
all that is needed.
DO keep your synopsis brief. Lucy Murray advises, ‘Two hundred words providing a broad plot summary is all that is required.’
I find that having to summarise my plots in this way is a good test of
how strong my story is. It is the equivalent of ‘the pitch’ in the film
industry. A good idea should condense well into a synopsis, and a
special story will really stand out.
DON’T try to be different to catch the attention of a publisher or
agent. Keep it simple and professional. Lucy Murray says, ‘Sometimes
people send balloons and glitter, or chocolate, or even personalised
mugs with their manuscript. It doesn’t make any difference. The only
way to impress an agent is by brilliant writing, so don’t waste your
money on fripperies.’
What happens after you’ve sent your material? Lucy Murray explains.
‘Most agents have assistants who take responsibility for administering
the submissions. Generally, it will be the assistant who looks through
all the unsolicited material, selecting the better manuscripts for the
agent to read. We try to read and respond to all submissions as quickly
as possible, but it usually takes between four and six weeks. You might
feel that this is a very long wait but the reason for this is that
absolutely no reading is done during office hours. The business of
selling books generates as much work and administration as any other
business: agents don’t have time to sit around reading any more than
car salesmen have time to spend their days bombing around in Porsches.
Agents and their assistants give up their free time to read
manuscripts, so imagine how arresting your work has to be. Is it so
unputdownable that they will miss their favourite TV programme to keep
reading? It had better be. Rest assured that your manuscript will be
looked at. The so-called ‘slush-pile’ is taken seriously as an
important source of new talent, and we do treat submissions with
respect.’
DO be patient. Lucy Murray writes, ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself and
phone for an appointment. And there is no point in phoning to tell the
agent to expect your manuscript. Agents expect a pile of manuscripts to
hit their desks daily. They won’t keep a special eye out for yours.’
DO come up with new story ideas while you are waiting to hear
something – and get down to writing your next book. If an agent or a
publisher
does show interest in your first book, they will want to see that you
are not a one-trick pony.
ONCE YOU HAVE A CONTRACT
DON’T just sign on the dotted line. If you don’t have an agent to
represent you, make sure you have a minimum terms agreement – and
remember you can join the Society of Authors as an associate member as
soon as you have a contract. The Society can then check the contract
for you before you sign it.
DO try everything you can to help your publisher market your book.
Lucy Murray warns, ‘The reality of being published is often very
disappointing. Too many books are published each year for every one to
be noticed. Many, many excellent books never receive the attention they
deserve and only a tiny minority of authors make any real money from
their books.’
Over 100,000 books are published every year, so every bit of publicity
helps. You can work on local publicity. Visit your local bookshop, give
local radio interviews and get in touch with your local newspaper. You
might consider setting up your own website and doing some online
marketing.
DO be professional about deadlines if you are given a commission for a
second book. Your publisher is making a commitment to you by reserving
you a place in their publishing schedule – and when you sign that
contract, you are committing to delivering your second book to them on
time. You must honour that commitment. If you don’t, they will be less
keen to give you a commission in future.
DO diversify. Accept every new writing opportunity, even if it is
something you have never tried before. You will increase your earnings
and opportunities as a writer and often other kinds of writing will fit
in nicely alongside your children’s writing. I love writing a
combination of plays and books. It means I get to spend part of each
year doing something collaborative and sociable and part of each year
locked away in my study working on a book. Also, you never know what
will come out of a commission. My first play was for the Borders
Festival. I expected it to run throughout the festival and then come to
an end. In fact, it has toured virtually every year since then, won an
award, been published and had a successful run at the Edinburgh
Festival. Even better, two weeks after the Edinburgh run I got a call
from a story editor with The Bill. She had been scouting for new
writers at the festival and had seen my play. She was calling to invite
me to join the writing team for The Bill. None of this would have
happened if I hadn’t taken that initial step into the unknown to write
my first play.
WHEN TO GIVE UP THE DAY JOB
However excited you are to be given your first publishing contract,
this is not the time to rush up to your boss’s office and make obscene
gestures through the glass whilst carving ‘I quit’ into the door with a
Stanley knife. You need to see how the market place treats your book.
You also need to see how much of a future commitment your publisher is
prepared to make to you. Are they offering you another commission – a
one or two book deal, or even a series? Do they have plans to build you
as an author?
So, when do you give up the day job? Or, to put it another way, how
long is a piece of string? For some writers the answer is never. I know
several reasonably successful, mid-list authors who happily produce a
book every year or so whilst continuing to hold down a full time job in
another career. However, if a dual career is not for you, then one
obvious indicator would be – are you getting more offers than you can
fulfil in the time you have for writing? Even if you have reached that
stage there is one important question I would put to you. How poor can
you afford to be? Whenever you make the jump into full time writing,
there is an element of risk involved and, usually, a drop in
earnings. I took the plunge and went full time when I had three
books under my belt and a commission for a quartet of books for 9-12’s.
My partner and I both gave up our jobs, sold our house and bought a
farm cottage in the wilds of north Northumberland. It was the sort of
cottage that estate agents like to call ‘untouched’ and ‘picturesque’.
What we had done, in effect, was to buy ourselves two years. My partner
took over the childcare and I got stuck into writing and touting for
work.
It was a special but also a scary time. We were living on very
little, but our costs were low and our children were young enough not
to care about how much money we had. Our water was free and we had a
wood-burning stove that was fierce enough to heat the whole cottage. In
some ways, we had a superb quality of life. We baked our own bread,
spent time with our children and enjoyed the Northumbrian hills and
beaches – but as we watched the ebb and flow of our tiny bank balance
the question was always, is this going to work? Luckily other job
offers started coming in – talks, workshops, tutoring and – on one
exciting day – my first commission for a theatre play with a guarantee
of a professional production. At the end of the two years, the children
had both started school, my partner was back at work and I was a
legitimate full-time writer. We left our farm cottage behind some years
ago, but it is a time I will never forget.
So, go and start writing. Go on! Good luck from me – and a final word from Sue Cook and Lucy Murray.
Sue Cook: ‘There is always room in the publishing world for new talent
and, as someone who has worked in children’s publishing for over twenty
years now, I have been lucky enough to have seen authors develop over
the years from their first book onwards. Good luck with your work!’
Lucy Murray: ‘If you are a talented writer with original stories to
tell, then there are lots of agents out there just waiting to hear from
you. Good luck!’
FUNDING SOURCES
Most children’s fiction prizes are for published books rather than
unpublished writers, but you may be eligible to apply for funding from
Arts Council, England. Their website address is www.artscouncil.org.uk.
Go to their Grants for the Arts link.
You may also be eligible to apply for one of New Writing North’s writers’ awards – check out the details on this website.
EVENTS/CONFERENCES
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups has an annual conference for
members in April. I have given a talk at one of these conferences. It
is a fantastic networking weekend, with authors, publishers and members
spending time together at the bar and over dinner as well as a full
programme of talks. For details of how to join and conference
information go to www.fcbg.org.uk.
If you're in the North East, two two book festivals within easy reach are:
The Northern Children’s Book Festival – takes place in November. For details go to www.ncbf.org.uk.
The Edinburgh Book Festival – takes place in August. For details, go to www.edbookfest.co.uk.
CONTACTS
The Society of Authors, Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group
(CWIG). You can join as an associate member as soon as you have your
first contract. For information and details of how to join go to www.societyofauthors.org.
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups – see Events section for details.
PUBLICATIONS/REVIEW JOURNALS
There are a number of journals and magazines dealing with children’s
books. Below is a small selection I have read and would recommend.
Books for Keeps
6 Brightfield Road
London
SE12 8QF
Tel: 020 8852 4953
booksforkeeps@btinternet.com
www.booksforkeeps.co.uk
£21.75 annual subscription for six issues
Carousel, the guide to children’s books
The Saturn Centre
54-76 Bissell Street,
Birmingham,
B5 7HX
Tel: 01206 227458
carousel.guide@virgin.net
www.carousel.guide.co.uk
£10.50 annual subscription for three issues
Armadillo – an online review magazine
Greystones
37 Lawton Avenue
Carterton
Oxon
OX18 3JY
Tel: 01993841219
armadillo@worldash.demon.co.uk
www.armadillomagazine.com
WEBSITES
Again, just a selection of what is on offer.
www.coolreads.co.uk – a book review website written by teenagers for
teenagers. There are thousands of reviews on this site, run by two
teenage brothers. Well worth a look to give you an idea of what
children and teenagers are reading and, more importantly, what they
like!
www.achuka.co.uk – I visit this site every day. It is an invaluable –
and constantly updated – source of information for everything you might
want to know about the world of children’s books. Reviews, author
interviews, publishing news, book deals news… A really excellent site.
www.sevenstories.org.uk – Seven Stories is the Newcastle-based national
centre for children’s books. Their new building – a converted mill –
will be opening in spring 2005. In the meantime, this site is well
worth a visit. They are massively knowledgeable and enthusiastic about
children’s books and they organise regular exhibitions and events. Best
of all – they are in our area!
Other interesting sites include:
www.literacytrust.org.uk
www.booktrusted.co.uk
www.booktrust.org.uk
BIOGRAPHY – 2004
Ann Coburn writes children’s books (including her award-winning
Borderlands quartet), theatre plays and television screenplays. Glint,
her eighth novel for children, will be published by Random House in
March 2005. She is currently working on a series for 7-9’s for Walker
Books. As well as writing books under her own name, Ann also leads a
secret life as a ghostwriter. Ann has written for ITV police drama The
Bill and her one-off screenplay, Refuge, was screened on ITV. Her plays
include Get Up & Tie Your Fingers, winner of the 1997 John Whiting
Award for new theatre. She is currently working on her sixth theatre
project, a Christmas play for NTC Theatre Company.
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