"Writing for children - whether it's in the form of picture books, beginning readers, chapters books and novels, or nonfiction - requires a unique skill set: The ability to speak to children on their level. You Can Write Children's Books, 2nd Edition, provides you with the instruction and exercises you need to shape your ideas, develop your writing, and sell your work! In this book, you will find: • updated information on changes in the publishing industry related to children's book writing • techniques and exercises for writing children's books • instruction for submitting work online • an updated look at publishing methods and opportunities (like traditional, online, print on demand, and online promotional opportunities) • and much more! "

Harvey S. Wiener shows how parents can encourage their children to write with a home program that can be used from preschool through high school. Beginning with the building of attitudes, Wiener moves through simple, varied and practical experience with the written word. By setting up an atmosphere in the home that encourages creative written expression, coupled with a parent's guidance in writing, children gain an outlook on writing that builds confidence in their abilities to use language. This new edition addresses many heated issues about children's education and touches on today's critical debates: parents' roles in school preparations, the increased stress on writing assessment and performance measures throughout a child's education and across school sectors, and the debate over phonics. A revised and expanded section called "Key Books for Young Writers and Their Parents" will help any family stock its shelves with useful books for a home writing program. A new chapter discusses the ubiquity of home computers and word processing programs and assesses their positive and negative influences on children's home learning experiences. In addition, Wiener describes how to find the best educational online resources and how to supervise a child's work on the Internet. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of collaboration--child and parent, child and sibling--to help avoid computer abuse and establish good computer practices. Finally, he integrates discussion on computers through the text, and also offers writing exercises and samples for children to obtain from Oxford's website.

Designed for writers of any children's literature, be it fiction, non-fiction or faction, this popular and successful title has been fully updated and expanded to include the latest developments in the field of children's publishing. You will understand the implications of television and film projects, learn new ways of producing your work, the latest technologies and even how to self-publish, guided by two authors who are highly experienced with the genre. NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the authors' many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of writing for children. FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Writing for children is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things you can do. If you put your heart and soul into it, and focus on writing a good book that will appeal to your target readership, you have a good chance of establishing a satisfying career. But first... you need to have a good understanding of the basics: how to create a fast-paced plot that will hold the attention of your young readers, or how to write a picture book that will have small children spellbound with joy. You need to know how to create vivid, memorable characters, and how to write dialogue that sounds real and moves your story along so that your readers can't wait to turn the page. The Busy Writer's Tips on Writing for Children gives you an overview of the different categories of children's books, and shows you how to decide which one would be the 'best fit' for you. What You'll Discover: # 10 Tips on writing for children # An overview of children's book categories # How to write picture books (including "10 Common Mistakes in Plotting Picture Books", and tips on how to think in pictures, fine-tuning your text and pictures, and writing in rhyme) # How to create stories for children 6-12 (short books and chapter books for emergent readers; middle-range storybooks for 6-10 years and longer storybooks for 9-12 years) # How to build stories for young adults (including 3 important tips on writing YA fiction and ideas about what to write for this market) # Tips on writing non-fiction for Children (including tips on finding non-fiction ideas and fine-tuning your ideas) # Tips on plotting (including the basics of a workable children's book and a handy plot outline) # Tips on creating characters (how to make your characters seem real; how to create a story from a character; where to find good story characters; a look at stereotyped characters and tips on how to introduce your characters) # Tips on writing dialogue (what you should include; how to set out dialogue; setting conversational goals; speech tags and action tags and a dialogue troubleshooter, with tips on fixing dialogue that doesn't sound right) "Tips on Writing for Children" is another winner in the 'Busy Writer' series!

Revised and updated, this essential and practical guide by an award-winning children's author explains how to write books for children, from where to look to inspiration to practical advice on how to create characters and structure a plot.

Create the next very hungry caterpillar, big red dog, or cat in the hat with a hand from this trusted guide In Writing Children’s Books For Dummies, you’ll learn what to write between “Once upon a time . . .” and “The End” as you dive into chapters about getting started writing, how to build great characters, and how to design a dramatic plot. On top of the technical writing advice, you’ll discover how talented illustrators work and how to find an agent. The newest edition of this popular For Dummies title even shows you how to choose a publisher—or self-publish—and how to use social media and other marketing and PR to get the word out about your new masterpiece. In the book, you’ll learn about: The fundamentals of writing for children, including common book formats and genres, and the structure of the children’s book market Creating a spellbinding story with scene description, engaging dialogue, and a child-friendly tone Polishing your story to a radiant shine with careful editing and rewriting Making the choice between a traditional publisher, a hybrid publisher, or self-publishing Using the most-effective marketing and publicity techniques to get your book noticed Perfect for anyone who’s ever dreamed of creating the next Ferdinand the Bull or Grinch, Writing Children’s Books For Dummies is an essential, easy-to-read guide for budding children’s authors everywhere.

Your one-stop guide to writing and selling books for children Get the tools you need to: * Develop story ideas that work * Strengthen your writing skills * Improve your work habits * Write for different age groups * Look at your work critically * Submit proposals and manuscripts * Find the right publisher for your work * Understand and negotiate contracts * Work with agents and editors * Join the writing community Do you dream of becoming the next J. K. Rowling? Are you excited about writing for children but have no idea how to begin or where to send your material? Now, respected children's writer Barbara Seuling gives you the essential steps to getting published in the competitive, exciting world of children's literature. From finding story ideas and creating character sketches to plotting, writing dialogue, editing, and revising your work, you'll learn how to complete a manuscript and prepare it for submission. Whether you want to write picture or chapter books, fiction or nonfiction, poetry or plays, Seuling helps you master the different genres and capture a child's interest and imagination, from the early years to young adult. Her fully revised guide also covers the major developments in book publishing, including vital information about using the Internet to research the market and contact publishers. Seuling even discusses recent successes such as the Harry Potter series, as well as the growth of Amazon.com. Complete with updated lists of writing organizations, marketing information, and recommended reading, this is the only guide you need to start writing, get published, and touch the lives of children.