November 12, 2010

Thirty years ago, my wonderful Institute instructor (Dorothy Van Woerkom) told me that “marketing was half of getting published.”

It’s still true today. No matter how wonderfully you write, you won’t sell if you don’t study the current children’s markets.

Help is Here!

Happily, there are some great books to help you. I’m glad to present to you three excellent books: a 2011 magazine market guide, a 2011 book market guide, and a brand new book by an ICL instructor on writing and selling to the Christian children’s market.

Why buy a new ICL market guide every year? After all, you have last year’s…or one from a few years back. Isn’t that all right? Afraid not. Now more than ever, the publishing industry is in a state of change.

Each year in the book and magazine field for young readers, editors change jobs. Their needs and wants change. Some subjects are “out” because they’ve been flooded with a certain type of submission. New markets open up–many of them online now as well. Others close.

NOTE: If you email Editor2010@magazine.com (but she has moved on), your submission will sit in a dead email account. It won’t be read or responded to. You need current contact information so that Editor2011@magazine.com actually receives your submission. Current market information is becoming more and more critical as we move to online submissions.

ICL instructor Kathleen M. Muldoon has just had a book published which I’ve read and gladly pass along to you. Half my 35 books have been published in the Christian marketplace, so I read her new Sowing Seeds: Writing for the Christian Children’s Market with interest and appreciation. She’s an author of more than twenty books. Kathleen covers the process of writing for this specialized market–from setting up your writing space to finding a home for your manuscript in the marketplace.

Marketing IS half of getting published. Give yourself the necessary edge by arming yourself with current market information. You’ll be glad you did!

12 Comments »

1. 

   Thanks for the good marketing reminders, Kristi! I just saw Sowing Seeds reviewed on C. Hope Clark’s blog, with an interview with Kathy. http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-for-christian-childrens-market.html Both the books you recommend look like winners.

   Comment by Jane Heitman Healy — November 12, 2010 @ 9:49 am

2. 

   I’m definitely going to get the third book you mentioned. I have the first two, but I can see how the Christian market one would really help. I know other published authors who have also given it a positive review, so if you all think it’s great, it must be!

   Comment by Jennifer Rumberger — November 12, 2010 @ 12:39 pm

3. 

   Jane, thanks for posting that interview link–I will click over and read it ASAP!

   Jennifer, I just wish I’d had Kathy’s book back when I started writing. It would have simplified things a LOT for me. I’m glad she found a publisher to get behind this book.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — November 12, 2010 @ 5:34 pm

4. 

   Is there a significant difference between this guide and the CWIM? Should we get both? How do we know which is the best one for us? Thanks

   Andrea

   Comment by Andrea — November 13, 2010 @ 1:17 pm

5. 

   Andrea, I don’t know that there is a significant difference or not. I do know that this year I ran into some instances where my students were trying to submit to magazines listed in CWIM that the ICL guides had said were out of business (which was true). Perhaps CWIM goes to press sooner than the ICL guide each fall–I don’t know. Anyway, whichever guide you use, I would double-check online in these precarious times and make sure the company you are submitting to is still in business. Sad, but necessary.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — November 14, 2010 @ 8:47 am

6. 

   I also have the first 2 and will pick up a copy of Kathleen’s book which looks great! And, BTW, I also had Dorothy as an instructor at ICL – she was wonderful!

   Comment by Susanna — November 15, 2010 @ 5:44 am

7. 

   Susanna, you’re the only other person I’ve “met” who had Dorothy for an instructor. I was actually her very first student to graduate! I still have her letters somewhere, along with that first “bunny stealing a pie” story. Yes, she was truly wonderful. Getting to meet her when I became an instructor was a highlight for me.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — November 15, 2010 @ 8:49 am

8. 

   Thank you for your input on the two guides, Kristi.

   Andrea

   Comment by Andrea — November 15, 2010 @ 9:58 pm

9. 

   I never got to meet her, and unfortunately I think I may have been among her last students. I ended up finishing with someone else. Actually, I had 2 other instructors… I told you it took me a while to finish the course

   Comment by Susanna — November 16, 2010 @ 5:52 am

10. 

    Susanna, I’m sorry you never met her. You would have enjoyed her immensely, I think. I sure did!

    Comment by Kristi Holl — November 16, 2010 @ 6:58 am

11. 

    Thanks for the Sowing Seeds recommendation! I am going to buy this. I was realizing this past week that the direction I want to go with my book is definitely more suited to the Christian market, so this is very timely for me! Really enjoy your blog and tips!

    Comment by Jen — December 2, 2010 @ 6:14 pm

12. 

    Good for you, Jen! I know you’ll find the book really helpful

    Comment by Kristi Holl — December 3, 2010 @ 2:58 pm

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